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Pictures of the Duke did him little justice. Bre was hardly an expert in men, but she knew he was the most attractive on she’d seen, ever. He was the embodiment of tall, dark, and sex, and exuded a type of confidence that came with knowing you possessed power over people. His dark hair and dark eyes developed a sense of mystery around him—the chiseled jawline didn’t hurt.
Henry, Duke of Rochester, sat before Matthew and Bre in an expensive navy suite. His broad shoulders stretched the jacket in a way that let the onlooking know he was fit.
Bre fell for a pretty face, but the general aura of the Duke made her squirm in her seat. His presence made her unexplainably nervous. Matthew, on the other hand, appeared calm and collected, though Bre knew he disliked the Duke.
“Let’s begin with your mother’s list, shall we?” Matthew asked, pulling out the list along with the notes the two of them spent compiling over the past day.
The Duke leaned back in his chair, releasing an agonizing sigh. “Matthew, it is Matthew correct?” he asked. Matthew nodded his affirmation. “My mother’s access to this issue stops at her handing you that list,” he said, his tone hard.
Matthew and I exchanged a quick look. We both assumed that the Duchess would be running the show given that the Duke rarely dealt with family affairs. And even though this one directly effected him, both Matthew and Bre believed that they’d be working with the Duchess and not the Duke.
“If we aren’t going to be using the list, what credentials will we use?” Bre asked. She thought it best to interject herself before Matthew’s cool entirely fled. His knuckles gripped the folder with their day’s worth of work.
The Duke turned to her. His dark eyes took her all in and making Bre feel as though she were in lingerie instead of a modest pencil skirt and blazer.
“You must be Ms. Reynolds. I have heard so much about you,” he stated smoothly. His deep voice felt like honey slipping over her skin. “My mother said that you are very good at your job,” he said.
Bre released a deep breath calming her nerves. The compliment was harmless enough, but the way he looked at her made her feel naked.
“Matthew, you are covering general affairs for the family, is that correct?” The Duke asked.
Matthew nodded his affirmation. “Yes, I am.”
Bre wasn’t sure where the question was going, but she did not like it, and she did not like the way the Duke continued staring at her. She kept squirming in her seat.
“To ensure that you are not shirking your duties, I am appointing this special project into the hands of Ms. Reynolds,” the Duke said.
“What!” Matthew and Bre exclaimed at the same time neither of them believing that the Duke would entrust something so crucial to a junior public relations person who had been on the job for only a few months.
“Matthew has much more experience than I do,” Bre told Henry, though she felt sure he already knew this.
The Duke did not acknowledge her words. “Matthew, when not working on family-related media and press, I wish for you to work on a general overhaul of my public persona. Let’s start with some charity events; I’m sure my mother or sister is involved in something that I might contribute to in some capacity. That leaves Ms. Reynolds to focus on finding my wife,” he stated calmly.
His points made sense, but Bre could not help but feel like unknowing prey up against a very skilled predator. Her skin pimpled in anticipation of whatever came next.
“Your Grace,” Bre started, her brain running through different scenarios as she considered how best to get out of this.
The Duke interrupted her before she could present her argument. “Please call me Henry, after all, we will be working closely together,” he said, his voice blanketing her like thick fabric.
“Your Grace,” Bre said again, “I barely have any experience. It is probably best if Matthew supports this specific issue, given its sensitive nature.”
“I disagree with you, Ms. Reynolds,” he said. “Matthew is needed elsewhere, and I’ve been privy to your work,” he told her.
Bre waited for Matthew to interject himself. To demand that he be in charge, but no such comment came, and when Bre looked over, she could see the wheels turning their situation to his advantage. Matthew might appear dramatic and scattered, but he knew how to work a situation to his best advantage, which made him great at his job.
“Matthew, you cannot be serious!” Bre said shocked that the boss would feed her to the wolves.
“Bre, Henry, is correct,” he told her, “I have enough on my plate as it is, and you have more than proven yourself here.” He was complimenting her, but a part of this felt like a slap in the face. Bre did not trust the Duke, but it looked like that did not necessarily matter.
“Fantastic!” Henry exclaimed gleefully. “Appears as though the issue is settled. Meet me in my office tomorrow at nine in the morning,” he demanded as he stood up from his chair buttoning his designer suit. “Oh, and Breanne. Don’t be late,” he told her before walking out of the office.
Chapter Three
Henry enjoyed screwing with people, which is why he made sure that Breanne Reynolds was in charge of helping him find a wife, even though she appeared terrified at the thought.
Henry decided that if he wished to legitimize himself, he should at least get some enjoyment out of the process. Breanne Reynolds would provide that enjoyment. Her shifting around during their meeting let him know he made her uncomfortable. He could practically smell her fear, and it turned him on. Playing with her added a new, delicious dimension to his plan for restorative destruction. It fed his overall need for chaos.
A knock on his office door broke Henry out of his reverie. Breanne Reynolds arrived looking beautiful with her auburn hair pulled back in a low bun that displayed the creamy skin of her neck. Henry wanted nothing more than to leave teeth marks on her skin. She exuded the air of all business in her modest suit, but Henry knew something more lay below the surface.
