He started laughing. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to see the expression on your face when I said that."
"Okay," I said, slightly disappointed. "So you're not wanting to spank me in the office?"
"I mean…" he raised an eyebrow as he looked into my eyes. "I wasn't planning on it. I didn't really want HR to come and tell me off, but it seems like that's something that would interest you." He looked and sounded surprised.
"No, no, no, of course not," I said quickly. "I was just shocked that you would even suggest such a thing, and I was wondering if that was ..."
"If that was what?" he said as my voice trailed off.
"Nothing." I swallowed hard. "Foster, why do I feel like you're always teasing me?"
"I don't know, Alice. Why do you feel like I'm always teasing you? Do I tease you much?"
"Yeah, you do. I just don't even know what is real and what's not right now. Am I seriously being considered for the apprenticeship at your company, even though I have no experience and no degree in finance? And am I seriously being considered to be your assistant for over a hundred thousand dollars a year when I've never been an assistant before, and I still don't have experience in finance?"
He stayed at me for a couple of seconds. "I'm not going to lie. If you were anyone else, then no, you wouldn't be considered."
"Then why is Molly being considered?"
"Well, that's not on me. She gets the interview with Travis. Whether or not Travis hires her is up to him. However, I hire my own assistants. If I want you to be my assistant, you will."
"And what about the apprenticeship program?"
"I'm the top employee at the company. If I put in a good word for you, you're in."
"But why would you—?”
"Alice, I have faith in you, and if you say you're interested in finance and this is what you want to do with your career, then I'm here for you. I will support you. I will do everything I can to make that happen."
I bit down on my lower lip. The truth of the matter was I had absolutely no interest in finance. Yeah, the salary sounded amazing, and it would mean I'd be close to Foster. Shit, being his assistant meant I would be around him every single day, and then maybe something else would happen. But I felt slightly guilty. What if I sucked at the job? What if I cost him a lot of money? What if he regretted hiring me? The last thing I wanted to do was make him wish he hadn't put his faith in me. I chewed on my lower lip. But I was smart. I could do this, and I really did need a job, and if I was going to have to take a job I didn't really want, then shouldn't it be one that came with amazing perks like amazing pay and being around the hottest guy I'd ever seen in my life?
And while I was starting to really develop strong feelings for Foster, and even if we could never be in a relationship, perhaps we could have fun, or perhaps the fun would lead to a relationship, which I knew was absolutely immature and naïve to believe because sex never led to love. At least, not in my experience, it hadn't. But I wanted to give it a try, and I wanted to be around Foster.
"Okay," I said quickly. "I'll do it. I'll be your assistant, and I'll take your apprenticeship, and I'll do the best job that I can. I'm not saying that I'm going to be the number one student in the class, and I'm not saying that I'm the best assistant in the world, but I'll do my best." I bit down on my lower lip. "Can I ask you to do me a favor?"
"Sure," he said. "What is it?"
"Can you unzip my dress for me, please?" I squeaked out.
His eyes widened, and I watched as his nostrils flared. "I thought you were going to ask me to give you a pay raise or something already."
"No, you're already paying me so much money. I would not ask that."
"Okay. Turn around," he said, and I felt his fingers on the top of my dress unzipping.
He stepped back, and I turned around and gave him a small smile. "Thank you."
"Need help with anything else?" he said gruffly.
"No." I licked my lips nervously.
I saw his eyes lingering over my lips, and my throat went dry. For some reason, I took a step toward him. "So, Foster, I was thinking."
"Yes?" he said, taking a step closer to me. Our bodies were practically touching now.
I reached up and touched his chest. I couldn't help myself. He inhaled sharply as my finger ran down his skin. "Do you work out a lot?" I squeaked out, pretending that my interest in his physique was purely educational. "I was just thinking maybe I should go to the gym so that I could get muscles and stuff, you know?" I ran my fingers down his washboard abs.
His hands reached out and caught mine and pressed it into his skin. I looked up at him with wide eyes. "I do work out, but you know what my favorite type of workout is?" He leaned forward, and I shook my head. I felt his lips pressing against mine, and I pressed myself into him with a light whimper.