by Linda Verji
Nonetheless, now that she was in the homestretch, she couldn’t help feeling nervous as she sat waiting at the reception that led into Wentworth Ransom III’s office. This was the day she’d finally meet the man himself. This was the day the game really began.
According to Claire, Worth was into powerful but sexy women so Sin had gone ahead and unleashed her inner Olivia Pope. Today, she’d straightened her hair so that it fell to her shoulders in soft waves instead of the usual cock-screw curls. Her black lacy dress, though long enough to cover her thighs, subtly clung to her body, showing off her natural curves. To top off the whole ensemble, she’d gone with red-bottom pumps that lifted her ass and light makeup to emphasize her eyes and lips. Damn it, she looked good. One look at her and even a gay man would be tempted to go straight.
She smiled. I’m coming for you, Worth.
Two other people had made it to the last round of interviews. Instead of skimming through her documents like her competitors were doing, Sin subtly watched and assessed them. She started with the woman seated on the couch directly across from her.
Eyebrows too sharp, looks like she’s never smiled a day in her life, suit is too severe and one sleeve is frayed, one nail is chipped. The side of Sin’s lip crooked in a smile. It would be easy to beat this one. The man seated next to Sin was another matter all together. Judging by how he kept worrying his bottom lip with his teeth, he was obviously nervous. However, he was well-groomed and had smiled at everyone as he walked in. If his résumé matched his congeniality, and he’d done as much research as Sin, then he was real competition.
Time to get rid of him. Sin reached for the bottle of water that she’d brought just for this occasion. With a smile, she held it out to the man. “You look like you need this.”
“Thanks.” The young man eagerly grabbed the water.
Sin couldn’t help feeling a little guilty when he downed the water in one gulp. But she consoled herself with the fact that what she was doing was for the good of woman-kind everywhere. In every war there is collateral damage and unfortunately for this guy, he was it. In about ten minutes, the guy would be racing around the building looking for a bathroom courtesy of the mild laxative she’d spiked the water with.
Hey! She needed to be the only outstanding candidate.
“Priscilla Keyes?” Diana, Worth’s very pregnant assistant, called out.
“Yes.” The extra-serious interviewee raised her hand.
“Mr. Ransom, will see you now,” Diana said.
“Okay.” The lady shot to her feet and made her way to Worth’s office. Priscilla stayed in there for quite some time. By the time she came out the laxatives had kicked in and the male interviewee was nowhere to be found.
“Max Winchester?” Diana called out as she looked around the room.
“He had to go to the bathroom.” Sin helpfully pointed in the direction of the restrooms.
“He went to the bathroom?” The assistant’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Right before he’s supposed to go in for his interview?”
Sin was the picture of innocence as she offered, “I think it was urgent.”
“Wow.” With a disapproving shake of her head, Diana reached for her phone. “Sir, Mr. Winchester has left the waiting area. Can I let the next interviewee in?”
The assistant paused to listen to her boss’s response then nodded. “Yes, her name is Sinclair Johnson.” Another short pause then the assistant said, “Okay. Got it.”
When she got off the phone, the assistant turned her attention to Sin. “Go right in. Mr. Ransom is waiting for you.”
“Thank you.” Sin rose to her feet and strode towards Worth’s office. At the door, she paused to straighten her dress, square her shoulders and paste on a smile. Game on. She pushed the door open.
The office she walked into was breath-taking. Anchored with marble floors, furnished with dark wood furniture and crowned with crystal fixtures, the room was as stunning as it was sleek. The north wall was lined entirely by floor to ceiling windows that offered an endless view of Portland. However, what caught Sin’s attention was the man seated behind the large oak desk that dominated the office. Immediately, her footsteps came to a screeching halt, her eyes widened and her smile dropped.
The pictures online hadn’t done Worth justice. The man was hot. Like really hot. Gorgeous even. Raven-hair that was stylishly cut so that the top was a bit longer than the sides, thick brows over deep-set eyes, Roman nose, incredibly kissable lips and a square jaw that was lightly dusted with a five o’clock shadow. His black shirt was open at the collar to reveal his strong neck and its sleeves were folded to reveal his muscular arms.
Sin’s gaze rose back to meet his and her breath immediately caught in her throat. My god… those eyes! So dark, so intense. And the way he was looking at her – his gaze journeyed from the top of her head and slowly down her body. It was almost as if he was x-raying her, undressing her. His gaze left her feeling winded, oddly unsettled and irritated. Usually, she was the one who left people unnerved. She wasn’t used to being the recipient of that feeling and she didn’t like it.
Worth’s gaze slowly came back up her body. When he met her eyes again, his eyebrow rose. “Are you going to stand there staring at me or are you coming in?”
His words were enough to yank her from her stupor.
“Oh, sorry.” Cursing herself for momentarily losing her senses, she crossed the room to stop in front of his desk. Despite her still rattled nerves, she forced a smile and held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Sinclair Johnson but everyone calls me Sin.”
His eyebrows rose even higher. “Do you always introduce yourself by your nickname to potential employers?”
“Uh?” Sin was momentarily startled. “Um… no. I-”
“It’s not very professional, is it?” Worth’s dark eyes never left hers. “Sin.”
“I guess not,” Sin winced on the inside. This wasn’t the way she’d planned to start this interview. “Sorry. I’m Sinclair Johnson.”
Worth watched her for a long unsettling moment. His gaze dropped to her still outstretched arm then back to her face. With an annoying smirk, he ignored her hand and instead turned his attention to his computer. “So, Sin, tell me why I should hire you.”
How rude! While she’d been researching him, she’d come across comments from former employees of his and most of them had described him as an asshole and a ruthless taskmaster. Those comments weren’t far off. If this was any other man, Sin would’ve given him a piece of her mind, but Worth wasn’t any other man. He was her mark. Once she had his money, she’d say everything she was holding in. But for now… she swallowed her anger and kept smiling even as she lowered her hand.
“Well-” Sin pulled one of the seats across his desk back so she could sit down. “-I believe that-”
“I didn’t tell you to take a seat,” Worth cut her off without even looking up from his screen.
Wow! If you looked up asshole in the dictionary, this guy’s picture was right beside the word, right?
Still, Sin rose back to her feet. Though her face felt like cracking from her fake smile, she said, “You should hire me because I’m a good fit for this position. As you’ll see from my résumé, I have the academic qualifications and the experience needed. My former employers will tell you that I was a valuable asset in their daily life, having saved them many wasted hours by streamlining their systems and schedules. I have the ability to stay focused in stressful situations and can be counted on when the going gets tough. My high energy and quick learning style will enable me to hit the ground running. I’m confident that I would be a valuable asset to you too.”
It was a great answer. Hell, she would’ve hired herself if she was listening to that monologue. But Worth’s expression remained unimpressed. If anything, it seemed as if everything she’d said had gone in one ear and come out through the other without making any kind of impression on him.
Instead of commenting on what she’d just said, he asked
, “Is Sinclair your real name?”
Why would he ask something like that? Her heart jumped in her chest. However, on the outside, she maintained a blasé expression and nodded. “Yes, it is.”
“It sounds like a man’s name,” he said.
And Wentworth sounds like a pretentious asshole’s name but you don’t see me saying it. Sin’s smile widened as she said aloud, “It does, doesn’t it? My parents wanted a boy so when I came they just used the same name.”
Wentworth met her eyes and instant heat shot through her. A moment later he poured water on that heat by sarcastically saying, “They must have been disappointed when they got you.”
That was an insult, right? This dude was getting on her last nerve. Was this really how he treated people? His boorish behavior only made Sin want to take him down more. For that to happen, she needed to pass this interview.
Acting like the insult had completely sailed over her head, she chuckled lightly. “I made up for it by being a very competent daughter.”
Amusement twinkled in Worth’s eyes almost as if he was laughing at her before he said, “In your résumé, it says that you worked as an Executive Assistant at Yeomin Technologies. I’ve never heard of them.”
Of course he hadn’t. Yeomin was one of the paper companies owned by the guy who’d created Sin’s fake identity. But it was such a skillfully created company that it had an online presence, yelp reviews, an address and even paid taxes every year. Keyboard even had a customer-care line for the company so that potential employers who called to check on the fake identities he created could talk to the ‘CEO’.
“They’re a small but reasonably successful company out in Virginia,” Sin said before licking her bottom lip to draw Worth’s attention to her plump lips.
It didn’t work. Worth looked away from her as he asked, “How long did you work there?”
“Four years.”
“And why did you leave, Sin.” Worth’s top lip rose in a sneer. “Were you fired?”
“No,” Sin said. “I felt like it was time to move on and expand my horizons.”
“Ah, I see,” he said, However, underneath his breath, he murmured. “Also disloyal.”
This wasn’t how she’d expected this interview to go. Even the most misogynistic assholes were usually charmed by her appearance at first glance and tried to seduce her. However, Worth was completely unaffected by her. In fact, he seemed to despise her. It was quite clear that this interview was going to the toilet with every word she spoke.
Trying to salvage it, she said, “Actually, I’ve always wanted to work for W Sport.”
“Everyone wants to work for W Sport,” Worth retorted.
“I’m sure they do.” Sin smiled as she pushed her hair behind her shoulder to draw his attention to her neck. It worked, but Worth’s lips crooked in what was obviously a sneer. What the hell was wrong with this guy? He had to be an alien because if he was red-blooded, he’d be burning with lust right now. Any other woman would’ve given up by now. Fortunately, Sin wasn’t any other woman.
She kept smiling as she complimented, “Everyone wants to work here because it’s being led by a very brilliant businessman. You must take after your father.”
Worth’s eyebrows rose. “My father?”
“Yes, Wentworth Senior,” Sin said. “From what I can tell, he’s a very astute businessman like you. I read his book ‘The Mind of A Businessman’ and got many valuable life and business lessons from it.”
“You got valuable business lessons from that book?” Worth guffawed. “It was a crappy book.”
Was it? She hadn’t read it. She’d just skimmed over the few chapters that were available for free on the internet. Still, it was his father’s book. What kind of son describes his father’s book crappy? Worth was proving himself more of a tool by the minute.
She shrugged. “I found it okay.”
“And that shows your lack of judgment.” Worth gave her a disapproving look.
She started, “Actually-”
The ring of Worth’s phone cut into her sentence. Without even an apology, he picked it up. “Wentworth Ransom, here.” He paused a moment. “I see.”
After a few more ‘okays’, ‘yeahs’ and an ‘give me a minute’, he ended the phone-call. But before Sin could even finish what she wanted to say, he rose to his full height. Whoa! The guy was super tall. And super fit. Admiring the way his gray pants clung to his muscular thighs and imagining how it would feel to have him between her thighs left her feeling weirdly hot.
Stop it, Sin. She gave herself a mental slap. You’re not here to ogle him.
It was only when Worth grabbed his jacket and put it on that she realized what was happening. She gasped. “You’re leaving? But my interview-”
“-is over,” he finished for her. He smirked. “Thank you for your time. We’ll get back to you.”
What? The interview was over? Like this? When she hadn’t even had time to impress and seduce him? Aw, hell no! She needed to at least leave him with a lasting impression. Since her résumé was obviously not enough, then it was time to use her other charms.
As soon as Worth started to circle his desk, Sin stood up as if she was preparing to leave too. As he was about to pass her, she moved forward. Then as if she’d just tripped on her own feet, she stumbled forward with a small cry. As expected, Wentworth stretched his arms to catch her. She fell right into his arms.
“Oh!” With a dramatic gasp, she pressed her chest into his and grabbed onto his upper arms as if to steady herself. The moment she felt the shift of those muscles against her breasts, an undeniable yet shocking heat shot through her. Her gaze flew up to meet his. And she found him staring at her.
Sin had faked that fall because she wanted to force contact between them. Body contact and soul-gazing are the easiest ways to get a man interested in you. However, she didn’t expect her pulse to stop in its tracks when her eyes locked with his. She certainly didn’t expect the sudden tightness in her lungs or the urge to step even closer to him.
It was easy to see that Worth was as affected as she was. His eyes had darkened until it almost seemed like a storm was brewing inside him. For a while their gazes remained locked together in a whirlpool of undeniable awareness and desire then his gaze slowly moved downwards to her lips. He halted there, lingered. It almost felt like he was kissing her with his eyes. Then he lowered his head…
This was what Sin wanted; for him to give in to his male instincts and kiss her. But for some strange reason, she wanted to move away. Unfortunately, her body was locked into his; unwilling and unable to move.
Her throat tight and her body tense in his arms, she waited for him to close the distance between them.
For him to kiss her.
CHAPTER 4
Worth had been wrong. Pretty was too tame a word to describe the woman in his arms. Even beautiful was an understatement. She was everything her picture had promised and more. Not overly tall, seductively curvy with skin that was smoother and softer than any camera could accurately capture. Her eyes were just as captivating and animated as expected while her lips were thicker and more succulent than promised. And when she smiled…. Damn!
The moment she’d walked into his office, his pulse had started racing. When she’d spoken in that low, huskily seductive tone, his whole body had come alive. Then she’d told him to call her ‘Sin’. Sin? The name had immediately sent wicked thoughts pulsing through him and his cock had predictably risen to the occasion.
It’d taken Herculean effort to pretend disinterest in her interview so she wouldn’t mistakenly believe that he was falling into her seductive web. But now that she was in his arms, it was hard to ignore her.
He stared down at her – at those beautiful eyes that were now hooded and shadowed with obvious desire. Correction – faked desire. His gaze lingered on those full glossy lips. How would it feel to thrust his tongue past them and taste her? His gaze wandered down to her heaving breasts. Her dress was tight enoug
h that each fleshy mound was defined. The bullet-sized indentations at the top of each mound seemed to be calling his name. As if begging for his touch. Worth was tempted to obey their call.
Oh, he was tempted.
Sin! A fitting name for this woman.
He’d bet his whole company that her face, cleavage and ass could get her anything and anyone. She probably didn’t even know how it felt to be rejected because it’d never happened to her. Hell! He knew that she was bad news yet he still couldn’t keep his dick from swelling and rising even more the longer he had her in his arms.
Damn! He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to kiss her so badly that he actually ached with longing. He wanted to bend, touch his mouth to hers and taste the sweetness that he knew was waiting behind her lush lips. The desire in her eyes left no doubt that she wanted him to kiss her too. And he would’ve done it… until he remembered that she was Claire’s plant.
Abruptly he loosened his arms and let her go.
Obviously, Sin was expecting him to keep holding her because she immediately fell on her ass with a thud.
“Ow!” Pain shadowed her eyes as she looked up at him.
Tapping down on his instinctive need to apologize, Worth smiled. “Leave the rest of your papers with my assistant, Diana. If we’re interested in you, we’ll call.”
His wintery tone and cold smile left no doubt that he wouldn’t be interested in hiring her. Faking nonchalance, he strolled past her and left his office. However, once he was outside he took a deep breath to steady his rattled nerves. Damn! That woman was truly the reincarnation of sin.
Minutes later, he found himself outside Joel’s office. Why? Hell, he needed to calm down and his office was currently a danger zone. After a short rap of his knuckles on the door, he turned the doorknob and stepped into the office.
Joel wasn’t alone. Masterson, the P.I, was seated in the couch across from Joel’s rifling through a bunch of papers. The two looked up when Worth walked into the office.