“Olivia.” She says, and reaches down for the blanket that’s fallen at her feet.
“Don’t.” I warn her. “Leave the blanket where it is, and look at me while I’m talking to you.” She does as she’s told, her watery blue eyes darting back and forth between my own. I want to scoop her up and tell her that I’m not going to hurt her, that no one ever will because I’ll makecertainno one ever touches her again.
I wonder if anyone ever has?
“Now,” I say. “Explain why you’re sleeping in my office.”
“It’s just for tonight.” I take another step closer and her scent fills my nostrils. Her soft skin erupts in goosebumps.
“That’s not what I asked you.” I take in the curve of her jaw, the way her fingers grip her upper arm as she attempts to hide her braless chest from me. Her nipples poke at the soft fabric of her tank. “Tell me why you’re in here.”
Her eyes dart around the room, her face crumbling with shame. “I don’t have anywhere else to go.”
“You’re homeless?” There’s no hiding the surprise in my voice. She nods her head without looking at me. “No friends or family to help you out?”
She shakes her head side to side, causing a cascade of curls to brush her bare shoulders. “I had a foster home, but they were total assholes. Then I was staying at a shelter, but…” She squares her shoulders and for the first time, I see some fire in her eyes. “I’m not going back there. I’d rather die.”
My entire body stiffens on the spot. I take a deep breath. I know firsthand what those shelters are like. They’re dangerous, filled with people who have nothing to lose. People who do horrible things. The thought of something happening to my Sleeping Beauty at a filthy shelter is more than I can take. She looks so young and innocent. Not the kind of girl who needs to be fighting off assholes who could take advantage of her. I’d fucking kill them.
“What do you do here?” I ask.
“I’m a temp.” She sniffs. “It’s my first day.”
“And it’s also your last.”
Her eyes dart up to me. “What? No, please don’t fire me. I’m super sorry.” Oh, I like it when she begs. She must notice how much I like it, because her eyes grow wide as they land on the erection about to burst through my pants.
“Olivia, I’m not going to fire you. In fact, I have a business proposition for you.” Her eyes narrow, showing off her street smarts. Young and innocent, but clearly this is no wilting flower that I’m dealing with. “I need a personal assistant for the next twenty-four hours. You need a place to stay, and I’ve got an empty apartment on my floor. It’s already furnished.”
“No offense, Mr. Ford, but twenty-four hours isn’t enough to save up for a deposit on a new apartment.”
“I know that, Olivia. Which is why I’m offering you twenty-four thousand dollars to be with me for the next twenty-four hours.” Olivia’s brow furrows, attempting to take in what I’m telling her. “And you’ll be living in the apartment across the hall from me.”
“Come again? That’s a thousand-dollars an hour.” Olivia presses her lips into a firm line. “What’s the catch?” Her voice wavers.
I step right up to her, causing her to shift her body slightly. Being this close is a test of self-control, which is draining from me with every second I’m able to look at this amazing creature. For a man who prides himself on discipline, I’m at a loss. How could one woman knock down my walls so quickly that all I want to do is lock her away until she agrees to be mine forever?
“I’m not asking you, Olivia. I’m telling you. You’ll have an amazing home with the most beautiful view in the city. And I’ll pay you. I’ll pay you much more than any fucking temp agency would. You just have to be mine, Olivia. For the next twenty-four hours, you have to do what I say, when I say it.”
She looks up at me with those big, watery eyes and I nearly come in my pants. She licks those rosebud lips of hers, so big and soft, and just waiting to be bitten. “Anythingyou say?”
“That’s right, Sleeping Beauty.” Unable to help myself I run my finger down the length of her jaw. “But don’t worry, something tells me that you’ll enjoy this job as much as I will.” I lean down and whisper in her ear. “In fact, I’m certain of it.”
When I pull back, her eyes are glazed over and her lids are hooded. She nods her head and staggers slightly when I take a step backward. “There’s a car waiting downstairs. Get your bag, and let’s go. Your first hour of work officially starts right now.”
3
Olivia
I can’t believethis is happening. One minute I’m dead asleep—for the first time in a week, I might add—and the next, I’m sliding into the backseat of a private car that belongs to the sexiest man I’ve ever laid eyes on. My bare thighs skid against the leather upholstery as the driver closes the door behind me.
“Just be mine, Olivia.”
What does that even mean? I squeeze my legs against each other as the tiniest pulse in my center shoots up into my guts. And why is my body reacting to his commands like it is? I’m not sure what I just agreed to, but I need this money. And if I can make that much in twenty-four hours, I’ll be his dirty little whore if that’s what he wants. Hell, I have a feeling I might even like it.
Mr. Ford’s door opens and pulls me from my thoughts. Immediately my eyes flick in his direction as he settles in next to me. The side of his thigh presses against mine, which at first throws me off but it makes sense. The man’s gigantic and his thick thighs take up more than half of his own seat. I swallow back a sense of fear that’s lined with something else. Excitement?
Mr. Ford leans forward and raps his knuckle on the glass separating us from the driver. The car rolls forward and we begin our route through midtown’s constant traffic. My teeth gnash into my bottom lip, as I fight to find the right words to say. The silence between us creates even more tension.