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Getting him that bull had been a near-impossible feat, one he’d only thought of to make her realize once and for all that being his assistant sucked and she should really think about quitting.
But time and again, she surprised him. Yesterday morning, she’d set down his donuts while he’d been on the phone, and when he hung up, he’d been surprised to notice she’d been attentively listening to every word.
“Is there something you wish to say?” he prodded, noting the way she was pursing her lips in an obvious attempt to keep from doing so.
She looked relieved. “Yes, actually, I have something I want to ask. Why a hostile takeover? Why not just buy the company outright at a fair price for everyone?”
He leaned back in his swivel chair and studied her, realizing there was far more to Lucy Divine than he’d expected. He was not going to explain to her, however, that if the population in general got word that Holden wanted something, the stock would skyrocket, making his purchase more expensive. So he instead said, “Maybe I like to do things the hard way.”
She laughed, and surprisingly, her laughter did all sorts of things to his body, clenching here, tightening there, caused a tingle here and there. It was hell. When he’d dismissed her, he sat there for longer than was necessary to wonder about it.
Now, he inexplicably found himself wondering if he was being too harsh on her. That would certainly account for his sudden and maddening urge of late to make amends. Could possibly explain his reason for asking her—his employee—to dinner, of all things!
As the car slowly advanced through the hideous afternoon traffic along Central Park, Holden pulled out his cell phone and dialed Phelps’ number, frowning at a sudden thought that began to concern him.
“Phelps, how much is Miss Divine earning?” he barked as soon as Phelps picked up. Holden cringed at the number Phelps immediately recited. “That hardly buys you anything in this town,” he grumbled.
“It’s actually a steep amount, sir. Personal assistants usually earn half that,” Phelps calmly assured.
“And are they all assistants to me?” Holden asked gruffly.
“Pardon?”
“Are all their last names as pretty as Divine?” Holden insisted.
There was a long silence, his point still not coming across clearly to Phelps, as if ten years working for him had g
one empty on the man.
“Well? Do they all have such pretty names, Phelps?”
“No.”
“That’s what I thought. I want you to double it. Triple it. I mean a decent six figures, Phelps.”
“But sir, that’s almost what I—”
“Thank you.” Holden hung up before Phelps wheedled a raise for himself again.
Then he sighed in contentment, at least certain that Miss Divine’s troubles would be well paid for. Services like Miss Divine’s were hard to come by these days, after all. Didn’t Phelps know this? Didn’t Phelps himself tell him repeatedly how perfect his new assistant was?
He’d been right. She was too perfect. While Holden, unfortunately, was hardly the perfect boss. He was too crude, cold, calculating, vicious, while she was… Was there a word to describe her? Holden could think of thousands, and none of them seemed to do it adequately. Except maybe…
Divine.
Simply Divine.
Now, as he took the elevator up to his apartment and nodded absently to its other occupant, he suddenly realized Lucy Divine was the perfect personal assistant. She was responsible, resourceful, dedicated. If he could harness his sexual impulses around her, she could definitely be a formidable asset—one he’d be lucky to keep. But frankly that seemed next to impossible, because all he pretty much wanted to do all day was screw her…and kiss her.
Hell yes, kiss her! Kiss her everywhere. Run his hands over her skin and taste every inch of it. He’d be extremely appreciative and grateful if she ever let him do that. He would also love to have her naked and sprawled on top of his desk, giving him her sweet little pussy for breakfast. That would be so damned sweet. Sweeter than donuts, he was certain. His eyes glistened just thinking about it.
Why couldn’t he fool around with her? He wasn’t married, he didn’t have a girlfriend—thank God, because frankly, women and their hormones made him pretty nervous—and Holden was the boss of his company. That means that he made the rules. There was no written law, no signed contract that forbid him to mess around with his assistant—although he’d certainly always thought it unprofessional.
But then, he’d never actually felt like this about anyone before. He had never had sleepless nights, hard-ons during conference calls and lack of concentration because of a pair of legs.
Forget the legs. What about the eyes? Those eyes, honey-colored and smart…eyes that missed nothing, assessed everything. There was intelligence behind them, dedication and…lust. Yes, Lucy Divine might not like his manners very much, and she might not like his attitude, but she wanted him. And Holden wanted her more than he’d ever wanted any stock or any bond or any option. He wanted her so badly that just this morning, after a little “incident”, he’d been almost willing to make a pact with the devil himself for just one night of—
“Mother?”
