4.

Ryan

S he enters without knocking. This is a bold move, but perhaps she's just ill-mannered. I should have expected that. Beatrice recommended this girl, and while I trust my cousin's opinion when it comes to style and fashion, her ability to pick out employees remains to be seen.

What I didn't expect was for the girl walking into my office to look so...professional. At a first glance, I might have assumed she was a representative from another company. Her hair is pulled back in a tight, low bun. She's wearing a black skirt and a white blouse with black shoes.

On closer inspection, though, I can tell that these are off-brand shoes that are years old. She probably polished them or - heaven forbid - washed them before she came in. Her skirt looks just a little bit faded, and her blouse has the appearance of something that's been washed just a few too many times with colorful clothing instead of a white-only load.

Okay, so this is definitely the woman my cousin sent.

It's really happening.

My dick twitches just a little as I notice the outline of her dark bra beneath the shirt. She's a little bit messy, isn't she? Well, I don't know if she'll be a good receptionist, but maybe she'll be a bit of fun.

I stand when she enters. Whether she's earned my good manners or not, I'll demonstrate them in this moment.

"Miss Sparrow," I say.

"Alex," she smiles and walks toward me. She allows the door to close on its own instead of closing it herself. When the door reaches the frame, it makes a loud noise. This isn't an oversight. It's a test. When someone walks into my office and closes the door themselves, I know they're serious. Collected. Calculating. Someone who just lets the door slam shut on its own obviously doesn't care about their surroundings.

Like this woman.

She's uncultured.

That's fine.

I'm giving her a small chance. A tiny one. I do need help with getting my calendar organized and scheduling meetings. Damien is going out of town for nearly a month to visit his grandmother in Scotland. While I'd love to let him work remotely, he wants to actually "be on vacation." Pity.

So, if Alex plays her cards right, she can plan on working here for at least a month. I don't know if our arrangement will go any longer than that. The decision depends entirely on whether she manages to move me during this interview.

It could go either way, and so far, I've decided that I'd love to sink my dick into her, but I'm not sure whether I want to entrust her with my passwords or my emails. My cousin seems to think she's worth giving a chance, but Alexandra needs to impress me if she's going to get an opportunity.

I stand and walk around my desk to where she's standing in the center of the room. Good posture. Feet slightly spread. She'd look better pushed over my desk with those legs of hers wiggling while I paddled her ass red.

Shit.

I need to get laid in a bad way.

"Nice to meet you," Alexandra says. She smiles brightly. I hold my hand out, ready to shake hers. This is the first test, but Alex doesn't have a limp handshake. If she's impressed by money or power, she doesn't show it. If she's scared, she also doesn't show it.

Interesting.

She might be tougher than I thought.

"Nice handshake."

"Thank you." For a moment, I think she's going to say something else, but she doesn't. Instead, she drops her hands in front of her and folds them over her skirt. Somehow, despite the fact that we're both still standing, she manages to make this look normal and comfortable. She doesn't seem demure or weak. Good. The person I choose as my assistant – whether temporary or long-term – needs to be tough. I can't have someone that my clients are going to scare off. The men and women I interact with on a daily basis can be quite literally insane.

I need someone who is fearless when it comes to dealing with them.

"My cousin tells me you're looking for work," I tell her.

"That's true. She also tells me that you're hiring."

"A temporary position."

"That's fine."

"Damien is going out of town. I need someone to train with him for two weeks and then take over his duties for four."

"Understood."

"Does this sound like something you can do?"

"You haven't told me anything about the job," she points out. "But I'm pretty talented. I can do just about anything."

Confident and direct. Beatrice may just have found my kryptonite.

"What's your background?"

"I have a master's degree in early elementary education."

Ah. There's the problem. This position doesn't require teaching. It requires dedication. Persistence. I need someone who can juggle my calendar, handle my emails, and keep my investors off my back when I'm busy. Right now, I'm always busy, so I need someone that can really field the issues that come up on a daily basis. Damien is scary as hell, so he's perfect. Will people actually be intimidated by a would-be teacher?

"That won't do you much good here." I speak firmly. This is her chance to leave if she wants to, but to my surprise, Alexandra doesn't run for the door. Instead, she shrugs.

"You might be surprised. Wrangling your calendar might be eerily similar to wrangling up small children."

A sense of humor. I like it. There has to be more, though.

"Tell me what you know about Shadowvale Industries." I perch myself on the corner of my desk. I gesture for her to take a seat. She hesitates, but after a moment, she comes closer and chooses the guest chair that is closest to the corner of the desk that I'm sitting on. Interesting. Our knees are almost touching. I wonder if my cousin told her to act like this because most of the time, people choose the opposite chair. The power dynamic of me being a very, very wealthy man and the other party being a normal human tends to make people uncomfortable.

"I know you're a large company that owns half the town."

"Do better."

If she's surprised by my comment, she doesn't show it.

"Okay," she nods. She presses her lips together tightly, as though she isn't quite sure what she's going to say, but then she starts going. Once she begins, she doesn't stop, and she doesn't hold back. "I know that Shadowvale Industries was launched by your father shortly before your grandmother passed away. Cancer. No one saw it coming. Everyone was in shock. Her friends and family members were completely caught off-guard. No one knew what to do, especially not with you."

I was ten.

Ten and alone. Then my parents got divorced and Mom lost custody. Dad's new wife didn't want children around who were going to remind her of my mother, so my father sent my brothers and I to boarding school for a few years. Later, when he got divorced, he decided to bring us back home, at least for a little while.

It's weird to me that Alex knows this, but I am impressed.

"Continue."

"While you mourned your grandmother's death, your father was busy building his empire. No one could have anticipated that Shadowvale Industries would not just grow, but swarm."

"You read that on our business website, didn't you?"

"Partially," she nods. "But I also read quite a few news articles about your company, Mr. Shadowvale. I know that your grandmother was very close with you and your brothers. Losing her must have been difficult. Her passing coincided with your parents' divorce, which likely presented another difficult period of your life."

Words don't seem to do the pain justice. Years of therapy, and I still don't think I'm really over their divorce. Oh, I'm thrilled that my mom and Helena are happy. That still doesn't make me mourn for years that I lost with her, though. My brothers, Oscar and Phoenix, also missed out. I think the divorce was hardest on Phoenix. As the oldest, he was closest to Granny and Mom. He also dealt with most of my dad's wrath.

I swallow. My mouth suddenly feels dry. I reach for the bottle of whiskey on my desk and pour a glass. Alexandra doesn't seem uncomfortable with this, nor does she ask for one. I'm still standing in front of her, so very close to where she sits in the chair. She's prim and proper. She's everything I'm not. I shouldn't be as enamored with her as I am, but I'm starting to think that maybe my cousin sent me a good choice, after all.

"How am I doing?"

"Fine."

"So, am I hired?"

"Not yet."

"Why not?" Alexandra seems surprised by this. Oh, I am impressed, but I want more. How deep did she dig into me? What else does she know? If she can pay close attention, maybe she'll be able to benefit me. If not, well, there are other people who will want a chance to work for me, to date me.

"What else did you learn?" Did she dig into my father's subsidiaries? Does she know just how deep his secrets go? Even I haven't managed to untangle all of them. Project Sunshine is lurking in the back of my head, twisting around. I know there's more than anyone is letting on. Siren City was built on lies and broken promises, and my father is at the center of so many of them.

Her voice softens. "I learned that your father remarried quickly before he divorced and remarried again. Oh, but that last marriage wasn't until he'd had a string of girlfriends who all wanted to be your new mommy." She cringes. "Must have been weird with that last one."

All of this is true. I don't even feel like my blood is boiling. I'm not bothered. It's just all true. All honest. Everything she's saying is exactly as it happened.

And it's strange, really. Most of the time, people talking about my past really pisses me off. For some reason, Alex's voice doesn't grate on me the way most people's do.

"When your father died, his current wife wanted the company. Fortunately for you, Daddy Dearest had an ironclad prenuptial agreement which meant you inherited the company. She got a little bit, but most of it was just you. You'd already been running and expanding the company for years, so the takeover was instantaneous, although I'm sure still difficult. How am I doing so far?"

Too good for comfort. Fuck. I don't think Beatrice would have shared all of this information with her roommate. As far as I know, my cousin just wants to live with someone she can stand who can also pay rent. No, I think Alex did all of this digging on her own. I think she's really this good, and it's making me uncomfortable.

"What are our holdings?"

"Stocks? I don't know that at all. I do know that you have an annoying amount of subsidiaries, though. While most people think of Shadowvale Industries as a real estate group, you also have your hands in various forms of commerce, including small businesses, technology, software, animal pharmaceuticals, and even the occasional museum."

It's true. I did start purchasing museums. It's definitely a rich kid hobby, but I enjoy it more than I should.

And I'm getting stupidly turned on watching her pretty mouth spout off facts about my company.

This isn't like me.

Most of the time, I'm drawn to women who are dumb. Insecure. Easy. I like girls who don't want me for more than one night. Yes, they tend to believe they aren't worth it, but there's more to it than that. They also believe that I'm not worth it. I like that. It means that my relationships are easy and simple. It means I don't have to do anything but show up for a little while, look pretty, and then be on my way.

I think of my cousin's words.

She told me not to fuck her friend.

Well, too bad. I made that promise before I met Alex. I don't think there's anything at this point that's going to keep me from sliding my dick into her. It won't be today, and it won't be tomorrow, but us sleeping together is inevitable. When I want something, I get it. There's nothing that can stop me. I have money, I have power, and I have the respect of the city.

What else could I possibly need?

"How'd I do?" There's just the slightest hint of insecurity in her voice. She almost sounds nervous, but I don't think that she is. She's coy and cautious, and something tells me she's much smarter than people give her credit for.

"Fair."

"Bullshit," she snaps. Then she sighs and covers her mouth. Cute. "I'm really sorry."

"For having such a dirty fucking mouth?" I ask. Her eyes widen, and I set my glass down. Playtime is over. I reach for her chin, forcing her to look at me. It's not hard. She wants to look at me. She's probably thinking about sucking my cock right now, wondering if it'll get her the job. It will.

"What are you doing?" Alex asks, but she doesn't fight me. She allows me to hold her chin in place. Her eyes widen, and her breathing speeds up. Maybe she's a little submissive. Maybe she's just a little slutty. The innocent would-be teacher act works really well, I have to admit. She looks demure, but she's hot as fucking hell. I bet she'd look even hotter on her knees unbuttoning my pants.

"Do you really think you deserve this job?" I ask her. I don't move my eyes from hers. I'm locked in. I've decided that I do want her. It's a terrible business decision to hire someone I want to sleep with. It's breaking my own rule. After all, this is why Damien and I get along so well. It's only for a short time, though. Damien can train her before his trip, I can fuck her out of my system, and when he gets back to America, Damien can take his place again as my rightful assistant.

But does she deserve a chance?

"Yes." She licks her lips. "Yes, I deserve this job, Ryan."

Not Mr. Shadowvale.

Ryan.

Who the fuck calls me Ryan anymore?

I grip her chin a little bit harder. She doesn't pull away. I like how she's looking at me right now. Vulnerable. Hungry. There's a spark in her eyes. Irritation, maybe. Annoyance.

Or perhaps it's something more.

Perhaps the little minx is just as hungry for my cock as I am to give it to her.

"Do you?"

She tries to nod, but I'm holding her chin, so she can't. She's forced to speak, forced to use her words.

"Yes."

"Yes, Mr. Shadowvale," I correct.

"Yes, Mr. Shadowvale."

"One day," I lower my voice. "You'll say, yes, sir."

That's what I really want. I want to hear her purring sweet honorifics as I slide my dick into her sweet, soft pussy. I want to hear her groaning my name as I make her fall apart for me. I bet she comes beautifully. I bet everything about her in bed is beautiful.

She's quiet. Her mouth forms a tiny "o," like she's surprised at what I'm saying. Good. It's good that I can surprise her. She thinks she's got me all figured out, and on paper, she certainly has, but in real life, there's much more to me than what she sees. Some of this, she'll uncover as we work together. Most of it, she won't.

Like any good businessman, I hold most of my cards close to my chest. My father made many mistakes in his life, but he did teach me the value and the power of secrets. The entire world deals with secrets. To the rich, they're a form of currency. If you know the right people, and you know the right information, you can pretty much do whatever the hell you want.

At the very least, you can get whatever the hell you want.

And suddenly, I realize that I want Alex.

"Be here Monday," I tell her. I don't let go of her chin, though. I keep holding it, looking into her eyes, watching her.

"Monday," she whispers.

"Seven o'clock."

Then I let go of her chin, and Alex walks out of my office without looking back.