by Tia Siren
When he slammed the phone down, I took a deep breath and waited for his lecture.
“Kendall, I thought I made myself clear,” he said, his voice full of disappointment.
“Dad, I tried. I’m still trying,” I said.
He let out a long sigh. “I’ve told you a hundred times: Trying isn’t acceptable. Doing, that’s how things get done,” he said in a gruff voice.
“I will. I am. I have another plan. My first attempt was a long shot. Don’t panic yet.”
“Don’t let me down.”
“Is that all you needed?” I asked, getting a little irritated by his lack of confidence in me.
He looked at me, and for a moment, I saw anger in his eyes. The man was a force to be reckoned with—I knew that—but he had always treated me differently than his other employees. His anger and disappointment fueled my need to get close to Dylan. This was a challenge I would not lose.
“Keep me apprised of the situation, and I expect it to be wrapped up by the end of the week. I’ve already transferred your duties to others starting next week.”
My mouth dropped open. “You did what?”
“I am counting on you to do this. I don’t expect you to be in the office for the next several weeks while you stick by that man’s side. You’ll report back to me.”
I released a breath and stood up. “I’ll let you get back to work. I should know something in the next few days.”
“Good. I know you can do this, Kendall. Don’t let me down.”
I walked out of his office without saying another word, more determined than ever. I was going to prove to him I could do what he had asked.
When I got back to my office, I grabbed my cell and called Vanessa. My Dad didn’t know me as well as he thought he did. I already had a plan in place.
“Hey, are we on for noon?” I asked her when she answered
“Yep. I’ll see you then. What is this place we’re going to? I’ve never heard of it.”
I smiled. “Something new.”
She groaned. “I’m going to be pissed if you try to serve me monkey brains or something.”
I laughed. “I’ll see you soon.”
When we got off the phone, I grabbed my purse and headed for the bathroom. I needed to make sure my hair and makeup was on point. I didn’t have a Plan C. This was my last chance.
When the cab stopped in front of the restaurant, I quickly strolled inside and got a table for two. I glanced around, surprised to find myself in an average restaurant. I had pulled a few strings and called in almost every favor I had to get some information on Dylan Parks. Apparently, this was where he went for lunch. Every day he didn’t have lunch meetings, he headed to the Lower East Side.
The bistro offered a variety of soups and sandwiches in a relaxed setting. I couldn’t imagine a man as wealth as Dylan Parks eating here, but that was what I had been told. I looked around, noticing the chipped and faded paint on the tables and the stained linoleum on the bar. I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to order and eat anything, but this all had to look natural.
Vanessa arrived shortly after.
“A little out of the way, don’t you think?” she commented, taking a seat across from me.
“I heard about this place from someone at the office. I figured we could use a change.”
She looked at me and then shrugged a shoulder. “You do realize it took almost thirty minutes to get across town, which really cuts into our lunch hour.”
I laughed. “Like you have a lunch hour. You come and go as you please.”
She grinned, her long red hair bouncing as she flicked it back over her shoulder and picked up the menu. “This is, uh, different. Do you think the health inspector has been out here recently?” she asked in a whisper.
“It’s fine. You’ve had your shots, right?” I quipped.
After scanning the menu, we both settled on the sinful BLT with a salad instead of fries. The waitress delivered our diet sodas and promised to be back in a few with our orders. I listened as Vanessa told me about the new line she was working on for next spring, but my eyes were focused on the door.
There! Yes!
“What are you looking at?” she asked, turning around to see what had caught my eye.
I grinned when she turned back around and smiled. “He’s hot.”
“Yes, he is,” I agreed as I watched Dylan Parks take a seat near the window.
The man was better looking in person than he was on the internet. My heart was pounding in my chest. I wasn’t sure if it was because of what I was about to do or because he was that damn attractive. I waited until he was finished with the waitress, who seemed to know him. They chatted a few minutes before she left his table.
“Vanessa,” I said, drawing in a deep breath, “I’ll be right back. There’s something I need to do.”
She raised an eyebrow. “What are you—” Her eyes bulged and she stopped talking when I stood up, smoothed down my short, tight blue skirt, adjusted my white blouse, and winked at her before striding toward Dylan.
“Hi,” I said when I was about five feet from his table.
He looked up from the newspaper he had been reading and smiled. “Hi,” he said in a smooth, baritone voice that made my heart start beating faster.
“I’m sorry to bother you, but I recognized you and figured this was my chance to talk with you face to face,” I said with my most charming smile.
I had dressed this morning with this meeting in mind. I knew I looked good. I had shed the jacket I’d worn to the office and let the buttons on my blouse fall open a bit more than what was appropriate for the workplace.
“What can I do for you?” he asked, putting his paper on the table.
“My name is Kendall Baker. I left a message for you last week about job shadowing you for a few weeks. I was hoping you could, you know, teach me everything you know,” I cooed, letting the slight innuendo hang between us before explaining further. “I’d love a chance to work with you firsthand and see how you’ve managed to become one of the most successful men in the country in record time.”
He looked at me, studying me a little closer, which was my plan. I was appealing to that male ego I knew he possessed. “I don’t typically do the hiring. That needs to go through HR.”
I didn’t give up. “Oh, I wouldn’t be a hire. I would be more of an intern, and I could be very helpful,” I said, putting forth just the right amount of confidence and sexiness. “I’ve worked for another CEO as a PA, so I know a little about the business.”
That seemed to interest him. “You’ve worked as a PA? For who?”
I waved a hand through the air. “There are confidentiality agreements that prevent me from divulging a lot of information, but I will tell you he was a dirty old man. I got tired of his advances and refused to sleep with him. The next day, I was fired.”
Dylan’s eyes narrowed to a glare. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. I hate men like that. Look, I don’t normally do this, but you seem like someone who knows what she wants. You have both ambition and confidence. Can you sit down for lunch for an informal interview?” he asked.
I smiled, knowing I’d succeeded. “Can you give me just a second?”
Turning, I walked back to the table where Vanessa was chatting on her phone. Judging by the look on her face and the heated conversation, it wasn’t a good call.
She hung up, her blue eyes dancing with fire. She had that notorious redheaded temper.
“Don’t kill me,” I blurted out. “Do you mind if I sit down and do an interview with him?”
She looked at me, confusion on her face. “An interview? You’re interviewing him?”
I sat down and leaned forward, quickly telling her about my dad’s orders and my plan to get close to Dylan. She grinned when I was done telling my story. “I’d kill to get close to that man. Sex on a stick. Yum,” she said, licking her lips.
I laughed. “Unfortunately, that is not what this is about. Are you cool with
it though?” I asked her again, not wanting to keep him waiting too long.
She sighed. “Yes. I need to get back to the studio anyway. Seems my supplier sent the wrong fabric, so now I have to go be a colossal bitch and kick some ass.”
I laughed. “Vanessa, you love doing that.”
She gave me a shy look. “Me? Little old me?” She batted her eyelashes.
“I’ll call you later and let you know how things went.”
Vanessa walked to the counter and asked for her meal to be put in a box. I grabbed my purse and headed back to the table where Dylan was sitting. I had to be perfect. This was my only chance to get the man to take me on. I could tell he was interested, but I wasn’t sure if it was interest in getting me into bed or into the office. I looked at those sky-blue eyes and decided I could take one for the team and crawl into bed with the man if that was what it took. Mixing a little business with pleasure could make this mission all the better.
I sat down and smiled at him, once again finding myself incredibly attracted to the man. He was handsome but had that rough edge I tended to gravitate toward. What woman didn’t love a bad boy just a little?
“We could have done this another time,” he said. “I didn’t need to interrupt your lunch with a friend.”
I smiled. “It’s okay. She was about to dump me anyway.”
He raised an eyebrow, questioning my word use.
“For work. She has a work emergency and had to leave.”
He smiled and nodded his head. “Ah, I see.”
“Thank you for doing this. I know I completely ambushed you, and I truly appreciate you taking the time to talk with me.”
That thousand-watt smile, capable of dropping panties from fifty feet away, spread across his face, and I had to remind myself that the man was a sleazy snake who was stealing from my father.
“Tell me a little about yourself, Kendall,” he said, and I felt myself falling dangerously close to being charmed by my sworn enemy.
“I’ve got a bachelor’s in business and am ready to make my mark in the business world.”
His blue eyes studied me a little too closely, making me squirm. “Not that stuff. Tell me about you.”
Oh, the man was good, dangerous and very smooth. He was going to be easy enough to sway with my feminine prowess. I knew his type. I could handle him.
I leaned forward so his height would give him a nice view of the white lace camisole I was wearing. “I’m an open book really: motivated, smart, and I don’t let anything get in the way of what I want.”
I saw the second my words had the desired effect on him. Those light blue eyes turned a shade darker.
“That’s good to know. I appreciate a woman who knows what she wants,” he said in a husky tone. I bit back the smile of satisfaction that threatened to blow my whole charade.
She shoots, she scores!
Chapter Five
Dylan
Thursday morning
My impromptu lunch date and interview combo on Tuesday had been weighing on my mind since I’d left the restaurant that day. Kendall was coming in this morning for an official interview with HR before coming back to my office for me to grill her a bit more. HR was a formality. There was something about the woman with dirty blond hair that intrigued me. She was also familiar. I couldn’t quite place her, but once I saw her again, I was hoping it would trigger my memory bank and remind me where I knew her from.
It wasn’t long before she was sitting across from me, looking hot as hell in a black blouse with shoulder cutouts and a plaid skirt and killer heels. The woman had dressed to kill. Her curves were perfectly accentuated, leaving just enough to the imagination to tease me.
“Thank you for coming in. As you can imagine, I don’t typically hire just anyone I meet on the street—uh, restaurant, I mean.”
Her eyes twinkled, and she wore an expression that told me our little run-in hadn’t been an innocent coincidence. The little minx had purposely been there at the right time.
“I wanted to talk with you a bit more about your experience as a PA. You said you worked with a CEO for a local company. Can you tell me who that was?” I asked, using a disarming smile, hoping to get her to break her confidentiality agreement.
“It isn’t somebody you would know. Suffice it to say, I worked for him for over a year before I was fired. I can tell you I am very good at my job, very attentive, and I am available to work anytime you need me. You say the word and I’ll do whatever you need me to.”
She was full of innuendos, and I knew it was intentional. I had dealt with enough women like her to know when they were trying to get to me by using their sex appeal.
Suddenly, as if I had been slapped up the side of my head with a brick, I knew who she was.
“That’s good to know, Kendall. Did you say your last name was Baker?” I asked, knowing damn well she was lying.
She was the only child of Scott Adams, the man who had been spreading filthy rumors about me for the past several months. Why in the hell would she be trying to work for me?
“Yes, Baker. I’m only asking for a chance. I know I can satisfy your needs. I’m a quick study as well.”
There she went again with the sexual undertones. She was up to something. I studied her a bit closer. Her brown, doe-eyed look had caught my attention once before when I’d stumbled across a picture of her and her father in a magazine. She worked for him, and not as a PA.
“What makes you think you can keep up with me?” I asked, hoping to make her think I was on the little hook she was dangling.
She leaned forward, flashing me a nice view of her cleavage, including a purple satin bra. I smiled, letting her know I’d seen what she offered and pretending to be intrigued. In the back of my mind, I was weighing my options. It was clear she was up to something. I could throw her out on her ass right now or let the interview proceed and try to get her to give up her game.
“Give me a chance to show you how good I am. I promise to try my hardest. If you’re not satisfied, you can fire me.” She paused, then leaned back in the chair and purposefully crossed her shapely legs before smiling. “I think you should give me a chance. What’s the worst that could happen?”
The woman was daring me to bring her into my workplace. I never backed down from a dare. Maybe she knew that. I wasn’t sure, but I wasn’t going to let her get the upper hand in this little battle of wits.
Game on.
“I’m a very demanding person, Miss Baker. I don’t accept anything less than perfect. I expect my people to do the job they’re hired for, and when they fail to meet my expectations, I fire them.” My voice was stern, and now it was my turn to lean forward across my desk and stare directly into her eyes.
She pushed against the back of her chair, as if to put some distance between us. She was intimidated. Not a lot, but enough.
“As I said, I am confident in my abilities. I’m good at everything I do,” she shot back, her voice lacking the usual confidence but holding tight to the sexual undertones.
“I’m a busy man, and I don’t have time to hunt down my assistant. I need someone who can be at my beck and call twenty-four seven.”
She nodded her head, seeming to agree with my terms thus far. “I’m really flexible.”
The words slammed into me, and I had to fight to stay in control. She was playing with fire.
“When I say that, I mean I’ll need you to completely give yourself to me. I will essentially own you while you work as my PA. Where I go, you go. That means I’ll need you in my house, under my roof, every night.” My voice had dropped to a low tone as I’d imagined her sleeping a few feet away from me every night.
She squirmed a bit in her chair. The daughter of the competition thought she had the upper hand. I already knew who she was, so now I needed to figure out what she was doing in my office, conniving her way into a job.
Her coy smile revealed her answer. “I’d love to stick by you day and night.”
“Are
you sure? I’m not the kind of man who likes to be teased. If you agree to take this job, I expect you to honor your side of the bargain. I’ll provide room and board and you will be taken care of in every way. In exchange, I expect you to be ready to do as I ask at a moment’s notice.”
I half-expected to see her sweat, but the woman was cool as a cucumber. Her earlier nerves had vanished. I could see the intelligence in those eyes and knew she was far more than she appeared. Her father had sent her. This was a classic Trojan horse move. I knew that. Now I wanted to find out why. I would keep Kendall close to me while I did some investigating of my own.
Scott Adams was a dick. The man wouldn’t know a unique idea if it hit him upside the head. He had been preying on the competition for as long as I had been in the game. He had spies everywhere, but the man was not going to fool me. I wasn’t quite as gullible as some of the other men leading Fortune 500 companies. I knew a sneak attack when I saw one.
“Mr. Parks—” She paused and bit her bottom lip. It was a practiced move, one that was supposed to make me look at her mouth and fantasize about the many things she could do with it. “Or should I call you Dylan?” she asked in a soft voice.
“Call me Mr. Parks for now. Once we’re on more intimate terms, we’ll see how I feel about you addressing me by my first name.”
She nodded and smiled. “Of course, Mr. Parks. I’m ready. You say when, and I’ll be there with bells on or whatever else I happen to be wearing—or not wearing for that matter.” She winked.
“Good. That’s what I like to hear. Sit tight for a second,” I told her in a voice that brokered no room for anything other than obedience.
I got Gena on the phone and told her to call down to HR and get the necessary paperwork in order to hire Miss Baker immediately.
As I hung up, I looked at Kendall Adams, waiting to see if she would back out. She defiantly stared back at me.
“All right, I need someone to start immediately. Gena is getting the paperwork side of things handled. I want it done today and you ready to work first thing in the morning. I’ll have a car pick you up this afternoon and take you to my place.”