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It had taken all his willpower not to haul her out of that tour and into the nearest janitor’s closet to have his wicked way with her and he couldn’t stand the tension any longer. Something had to give and unfortunately, it had to be her.
“Let’s discuss your skills as a tour guide, shall we?”
She didn’t blink or flinch or fiddle and his admiration went up another notch.
“I wasn’t that bad.” She eyeballed him, her bravado undermined by the slightest clench of her jaw.
“Actually, you’re right. I could tell you’d studied the information I gave you last week, but unfortunately, it isn’t enough.”
He watched, transfixed, as she worried her bottom lip, and he folded his arms, tucking them in tight to avoid reaching out, tumbling her onto his lap, cuddling her close, and wiping away the glimmer of fear in her eyes.
“You’re not a very tolerant man.”
Her confidence impressed him. Even when faced with impending dismissal she continued to dish it out to him. And rather than getting riled, he fought the impulse to applaud.
“On the contrary, I’m very tolerant. I’ve worked with people of different work ethics all around the world. I’ve worked through strikes, floods, even the odd plague of unwanted insects. But I must say I’ve never worked with anyone quite like you before.”
“It takes all types to make the world go round.”
“Correction, it takes all working types and that’s one thing you’re not quite up to scratch with, work.”
Not entirely true. Beth may not know how to work as a tour guide to the standards he expected but she sure knew how to work it.
With every step she took, with every sensual swivel of her hips, with every toss of her head, and with every sexy smile, she knew how to work every gorgeous inch to her advantage, and from where he was sitting he sure as hell would miss watching her strut into a room.
Take today for instance. Who else had the confidence to stroll in late for a tour group, pretend he wasn’t there, and then handle a bunch of hyperactive teenagers without losing control?
He’d been captivated from the second she’d locked gazes with him and proceeded to act as if he didn’t exist, and while he’d been impressed by how much knowledge she’d crammed over the last week, it had been her natural exuberance that had more than made up for any shortfall in skills.
However,joie de vivrewouldn’t let him sleep at night and he had to do this, despite how lousy it would be. Besides, he had a feeling that no matter how long she read up on the museum, Beth would be as far from a great tour guide as he was from his beloved Peru.
She attempted a haughty glare but it didn’t work considering her eyes shimmered with disappointment and he fisted his hands to stop from reaching out to her.
The sassy Fancy Feet he could handle; her subdued, chastened counterpart almost undid him completely.
“I can assure you I know what hard work is, and if you’d give me a chance I can prove it to you. I just need more time to get up to speed so—”
“You’ve had your chances.”
He hated her shoulder slump, the dejection lingering around her down-turned mouth, the same mouth that felt so incredible moving with innate sensuality beneath his.
Which is exactly why he couldn’t be her boss any longer.
“Look, Beth, I can see you’ve tried and I admire that. But doing this job requires more than memorizing a bunch of facts and flashing a charming smile. I want someone with a genuine love for this place, for the displays, someone who can impart that enthusiasm during their tours. And while you’re bright and bubbly and put in a huge effort, it’s just that, an effort. I can’t help but feel something’s lacking. I’m sorry.”
She gnawed at her bottom lip again, unwittingly drawing his attention to its plumpness, its softness, and the way it moulded so perfectly to his when they’d kissed.
“Well, looks like you’ve already made up your mind about me. Got anything else to say?”
Nodding, he watched realization dawn as her green eyes turned to flinty jade a moment before he said, “You’re fired.”
ChapterSix
Beth exhaled, a long low breath that whooshed out of her lungs and sounded like a childish huff in the silence that followed Aidan’s pronouncement.
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.” He unfolded his long frame from the fancy leather chair and circled the desk to perch on it in front of her in typical alpha male pose, towering over her in an attempt to assert his power.
