She laughed coldly. “Privilege? You make it sound like your company is something to be aspired to. What makes you think anyone would want to spend more than a minute with you when they weren’t being paid?”
Her eyes widened as she realized that she’d just crossed a line. I knew Todd must have urged her to stand up to me, but now she’d started to get insulting and she obviously knew it. The worst part was that I admired her for it. In the boxing ring, she wasn’t the same mild-mannered, adorable innocent she was when I took her in that club.
She was a Valkyrie.
“Is that so, Ms. Paulson?”
Valkyrie or no, I would have to make her regret her overly casual tongue. Not that her insults bothered me. They lacked bite and I’d had far worse directed my way. But I had an image to maintain, after all. And reminding her who was boss would be better for both of us in the long term.
“You didn’t seem to have a problem with my company that night at Repeat.” I closed the distance between us, bumping my chest up against hers and staring down hard.
She swallowed hard, but didn’t step back.
“Tell me,” I cooed. “Was it this job you were celebrating before I took you up to the VIP area and fucked you senseless?”
Elizabeth’s breath caught and her face flushed pink. And there she was again—that beautiful, innocent girl that I found impossible to resist. At once I knew I’d miscalculated. I thought I could intimidate her into staying away from me by bringing up our night together.
But it only made me want her more.
“The cabinets will look good with the finished design,” she croaked out.
The edge of my lip twitched and I took a step back. She sucked in a breath.
“Todd trusts you,” I stated, after a beat. I walked lazily back to my desk in an effort to make my decision seem more casual, as if I was giving her a break instead of backing off with my tail between my legs. She had power over me that she didn’t even realize, and it was better if she remained oblivious. “So I’ll give you a chance.”
“A chance?” she questioned. She folded her arms over her chest, but I caught sight of her hands before she did. They were shaking.
A spear of guilt ran through my gut.
“I’ll wait to judge the kitchen until it’s finished,” I replied. “If I still hate it, you’re fired.” That would solve my problem, but it was still not something I wanted to do. It might become necessary, though, if I couldn’t control myself.
If I couldn’t just start treating her like any other damn employee.
If I couldn’t get her out of my head.
I expected her to leave at that point. I hoped she would leave. Then I could get down to the business of castigating myself in private before getting on with my day. But she didn’t leave. She just sniffed, pursed her lips, and continued to challenge me.
“And if you like it?”
I looked up at her, blinking. “I’m not following.”
“If you hate it, I get fired. So what happens if you like it?”
Little minx. Maybe she suspects the power she has over me after all. I couldn’t help but admire her backbone, either way. That didn’t mean I was willing to let her off easily, though.
“If I like it, isn’t that just you fulfilling the bare minimum of your job requirement?” The smirk on my face was more about how impressed I was with her, but I didn’t try to hide it. I figured she’d more than likely just take it as evidence of a lack of faith in her abilities.
Truth was, I hadn’t made a final decision on that yet.
“Maybe,” she admitted. “But you just humiliated me in front of the contractors, insulted me, and harassed me about our sexual history. If the outcome of the kitchen has consequences for me, I think it’s only fair that it have consequences for you, too.”
She continued to impress me.
“You realize that only makes me more motivated to hate the kitchen?”
She shrugged. “Maybe so. But I’m confident enough in my work to know you’ll love it.”
“Very well, kitten,” I purred. “You’ve intrigued me. What do you want? More money?”
She shook her head. “Money would be too easy for you.”
“Then what?”
“The truth.”
Her words hung in the air between us. I furrowed my brow.
“What do you mean ‘the truth’?” I was suddenly uncomfortable.
She circled the desk, coming to lean against the side of it. I was momentarily distracted by the visual of the wood biting into the flesh of her ass, picturing my hand in its place.
“I want to know why you’re like this,” she said. “I want to know why the man I met at Repeat is so different than the man I work for now.”
“Darling, you may be setting yourself up for disappointment,” I said, trying not to show how deep her words dug. “I think you’re expecting the answer to be some Mr. Hyde type potion that changes me from a mild-mannered doctor into a horrific beast.” I grinned predatorily. “But maybe this is just the way I am?”
“If that’s the case, then it should be an easy wager for you to make,” she challenged. Her eyes bore into mine. I’d never seen her so fierce. I’d never seen her so beautiful.
“Fine,” I agreed. “But you would have been smarter to ask for more money.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. Maybe the answer to my question will be as simple as you say. But maybe it won’t.”
She pushed off from the desk and strolled toward the door. I watched her leave, meditating on the potential seriousness of this development. I didn’t just admire her spirit. I goddamn respected her.
And I still fucking wanted her.
Obviously I should have said no. If nothing else, I should have just told Elizabeth that I was the boss and I either liked the kitchen, which meant she was doing her job, or I didn’t and she was fired. But it was looking like I was completely unable to think clearly when in her presence.
And that could lead to big trouble.
So since I couldn’t stop myself from giving in to her, that left me just one other option.
I needed to make her hate me.
9
Oliver
Not long after Elizabeth went home for the day, somebody else knocked on my study door. My sanctuary was quickly becoming one of the busiest rooms in the house.
“Mr. Bentley,” Todd called through the door. “Could I have a moment?”
I sighed. “Come on in then.”
The door opened and Todd came through looking displeased. Not for the first time, he looked downright fatherly and if I didn’t know any better, I’d have thought I was about to get a good haranguing.
“What is it?” I asked, sliding the screen of my laptop closed and resting my folded hands on top. I didn’t bother removing my glasses. I would be working for some hours yet, and I didn’t intend for my chat with Todd to go on very long.
“Still combing through those contracts?” Todd asked.
I nodded. “Nearly finished now.”
“You could have gotten a lawyer to do it for you.”
“And I could hire somebody to spoon feed me all my meals, but I still do that on my own.”
“But at least you can be assured that you won’t come up with an empty spoon when you feed yourself,” Todd continued. “The same cannot be said of trying to find mistakes and discrepancies in dozens of legal contracts.”
I frowned at him. “Is there something I can help you with, Todd?”
He strolled toward the desk, hands clasped behind his back. I watched warily.
“I heard you got in a fight with Ms. Paulson while I was out on errands,” he began.
Ah, here it comes.
“And you’ve come to chastise me?” I chuckled. “Todd, I really think we ought to get you a hobby.”
He looked down his sharp nose at me and clicked his tongue. “You shouldn’t be so hard on her. Especially considering your shared history.”
“Shared history is a delicate way of putting it,” I remarked. “I fucked her in public.”
Todd remained unruffled. “I find your nonchalant attitude and apparent inability to be a decent human being where Ms. Paulson is involved troubling.”
“Thank you for your input.” I opened my laptop again. “You’re dismissed.”
But Todd didn’t so much as flinch. He was ramrod straight and still as a moss covered rock. I was tempted to go back to my work and just ignore him, but I knew he was likely just to keep standing there until I acknowledged him. He was good at that.
“Todd,” I ground out. “I’m not in the mood.”
“If only you’d had that attitude the night you met Ms. Paulson,” he retorted. “Perhaps I wouldn’t be having to worry about finding a new designer.”
I tilted my head back in surprise. “Did she quit?”
A small spark of panic flared in my belly. Had I been so awful to her that she walked right off the property? I squashed the spark. If she had quit, that might not turn out to be such a bad thing.
“No, she didn’t quit,” Todd said. “In fact, the contractors were impressed by her degree of professionalism and tact in regards to your little interaction.” He narrowed his gaze. “The same could not be said for you.”
“They only saw part of the fight,” I muttered. “She came in here afterward and practically read me the riot act.”
“As she should have.” Todd took a deep breath. “Do you think, perhaps, that you’re being a little unfair to her because you’re unaccustomed to spending time with the women you sleep with after you’ve slept with them?”
My eyes practically rolled in a full circle, but what could I say? It had both nothing and everything to do with the fact that I’d slept with her. Maybe if I didn’t know what kinds of delicious curves waited for me under those baggy t-shirts she always wore, I wouldn’t be so resentful of the fact that I could never have her.
“Todd, I don’t have time for this. Get to the point.”
“She’s a good designer,” he said. “I don’t want to lose her.”
“If we lose her, we get another.” I gestured to the cavernous room, with its elegant, art deco furnishings and décor. “It’s not like hiring a new designer would cost more than I have to spend.” I probably should have stopped there, but my irritation ran deep. “And apparently all I can do is spend, so why not? Why not renovate this godforsaken mansion over and over again until I keel over of a heart attack at eighty years old, surrounded by busty women whose names I don’t know and don’t have enough teeth to pronounce anyway?”
“Don’t be foolish,” he chastised. “You’d have the best dentures money could buy.”
My mouth split into a grin as he reminded me why I kept him around, despite his constant insubordination. He was always able to make me smile. He was probably the only person on Earth who could haul me out from the spiral I’d been about to go down, armed only with a quip and an austere expression.
“I don’t know how many times I had to remind your grandfather that there was a human cost to his actions,” Todd said.
“Apparently you didn’t remind him enough.”
Todd’s eyes softened. I hated when they did that.
“Maybe I didn’t, but the same lesson applies to you.”
I locked onto his eyes. “Would it get you to leave my study if I told you I’ll try not to make her cry?”
He sighed and began to walk back to the door. “It doesn’t cost anything to be nice, you know.”
“Not true. You of all people know for a fact that it could cost me everything.” And because of that, I expected him to be more understanding.
Todd stopped at the doorway, hand sliding along the wood almost reverently. “I understand why you’re scared,” he said. “You’ve got a lot to lose. But there are many steps between being kind to a person and falling in love with them.”
Todd disappeared down the hall, taking my work ethic along with him. I closed my laptop with a frustrated sigh and tossed my glasses onto the desk. He wasn’t wrong, and maybe if there was some sort of diagram that showed me just how many steps I could take along that road and still turn back, I would.
But I wasn’t taking any chances. Not with anybody.
But especially not with her.
It was hard enough knowing she was out there, wandering around my house. But anytime I caught sight of her, it just made it worse. Especially when she was laughing—because I wanted to be the one to make her laugh.
But what I really needed to be was the one to make her frown.
The danger to me had never been so clear. So obvious. It should be easier than ever to push her away. I’d done it plenty of times before with other women.
Why was it so hard with Elizabeth?
10
Elizabeth
My Schlieffen Plan worked out a lot better than the original. Within the month, the kitchen, as well as the main bathroom and one of the sitting rooms, was almost entirely ready to go. My contractors were already spilling out to tackle the rest of the house, which meant one thing for me—it was my chance to take on the library.
Hunched over one of the smaller reading desks, I re-evaluated my plans. I’d spent all morning running around the library, measuring and investigating.
“How’s the design going?”
I was so lost in thought that the sudden voice startled me, but my frown slipped into a smile as I recognized Rodney’s huge form approaching from the doorway. He was my lead contractor, and had quickly become my sounding board and construction site confidant.
“Nearly everything’s worked out,” I replied. “I only have a couple big decisions left to make.”
He pulled off his paint-stained Dodgers cap and ran his fingers through his tawny hair, wiping the sweat from his brow before sliding the cap back on.
“You don’t look too happy,” he noted.
I grimaced. Rodney was the one person I felt comfortable talking to about my problems with Oliver. Everybody with eyes and ears knew he was a difficult person to work with, but I tried to keep things as professional as possible unless it was just me and my lead.
Not that Rodney knew I’d slept with the client. That was a line even Rodney couldn’t know I’d crossed.
“One of the decisions is a biggie,” I explained.
“Ah.” He gave me a kind smile and scratched his salt and pepper chin. “A big biggie?”
I nodded. “Mr. Bentley specifically requested a dark color for the walls in here,” I said, looking around. “But I think we can retain the classic grandeur without having to resort to making the walls bleed.”
Rodney and I had divided up all design decisions into two basic categories: biggies and not-so-biggies. Anything that I had to pass by Oliver before finalizing the design was a biggie, and thus was to be approached with trepidation.
Rodney nodded in agreement. “Especially since we’re expanding the room.”
“It’s fine, though. I’ve got time to redesign if he won’t budge. I’m still going to try to get a decision today, though.” I sighed at the mere thought of the confrontation.
“And the world holds its breath.”
I scowled through narrowed eyes, but he merely chuckled. I doubted Rodney was afraid of anyone. He was the only person on site noticeably taller than Oliver, and wider by a mile.
How tall was Oliver, anyway? I remembered how tiny I’d felt in his arms, how his hands had seemed to wrap all the way around my thighs. I could almost feel them, firm and warm as he pushed himself deeper and deeper inside of me.
“Any suggestions before I go into the war room?” I asked Rodney, desperate for a distraction from my own runaway thoughts.
“Yes,” he replied. “But it’s the same suggestion as always, so I know you’ll ignore it.”
I rose slowly to my feet, taking the time to stretch out my cramped limbs. Dust motes, illuminated by the late afternoon sun, swirled around me.
“I ca
n’t let you fight my battles for me,” I reminded him. “I’ll never get anywhere in this job if I can’t deal with clients.”
“Dealing with clients is one thing…” he said, not bothering to finish the thought.
“I’ve got this.” I patted him on the top of his arm, unable to reach his shoulder with ease. “I appreciate the support though.”
Rodney grunted and walked with me back to the kitchen. He broke off from me there, but turned on his heel and marched back up to me before I could disappear down the hall.
“I forgot to tell you,” he said with an apologetic smile. “Everything in here is done except the cabinet hardware.”
Ugh. The blasted knobs.
“Thanks, Rod.” I checked the time on my phone. I had an hour and a half before Big Al’s closed. “I’ll swing down and exchange those when I go to put in my paint order.”
I grinned the rest of the way to Oliver’s office. Finally I had some good news to report. Surely telling him his kitchen would be entirely finished by end of day today had to score me some points.
“Mr. Bentley?” I called, knocking.
What I had taken a week ago as him ignoring me was actually just him getting to the door in his own goddamn time. Or at least that was how he’d put it. He had ears, after all. So I waited.
A moment later, the door swung inward. Oliver looked tired. His dark hair was in disarray, his suit was askew, and his eyes were just a little bit pink. I still had no idea what it was that he was always working so intensely on in here. All Todd said when I asked was that he was dealing with his late grandfather’s affairs, with the strong implication that it wasn’t any of my business.
“How can I help you, Ms. Paulson?” It would have been a polite greeting if it hadn’t been laced in sarcasm.
“First of all, I’m pleased to inform you that the kitchen will be done before I leave today.”
Oliver’s expression didn’t alter in the slightest.
Good thing I didn’t exclaim “Yay!” at the end.
Billionaire's Bombshell Page 5