AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I don't know what it is. Maybe the sight of his impressive body in that suit, or how sexy he looks in a disheveled kind of way—the loosened tie, the sprawled out posture. All I know for sure is there's heat rising, so intense it creeps up my neck and colors my cheeks.
“No, thank you,” I manage while pulling the scraps of my self-respect together.
“I just need to know you're going to do this, and then we have to get started. This situation gets worse by the minute. I need you.”
I need you. That, plus those dark, puppy dog eyes of his reveal something about me I didn't even know until now. I have secretly craved a situation like this all along. Knowing he needs me, being the one who holds his future in my hands. He needs me, or else everything falls apart. It's exciting, a thrill, and almost too satisfying.
There may or may not be a telltale buzzing between my thighs, and that's the most telling part of all. The way his begging excites me.
The way I can't help but wonder what else I could make him beg for.
Stop the train, change tracks, end this here. It's bad enough I'm entertaining the idea of accepting his offer. I don't need to add lust to the mix, no matter how insanely attractive he is.
Okay, more than attractive. He's hot as hell, just like he's always been.
I'm a grown woman, aren't I? I'm not that girl anymore, the one who was so easily wounded. I've got my shit together, and I have a business partner to account for, too. Giving up on that kind of fee would cut into Sarah's bottom line just as much as it would mine, and expanding our business would benefit her as much as it would me. How could I live with myself if I admitted to turning down four hundred grand, all because a boy was mean to me in high school?
Who are you trying to convince? If there's one thing about me, it's that I like to be honest with myself. That voice in the back of my head is what keeps me honest, and it is not buying a single one of my rationalizations. Sure, this represents a big opportunity, but there are plenty of opportunities out there. I don't need to sacrifice my pride for any amount of money.
At the heart of the matter is the way he draws me in. I should have left without another word, but somehow he convinced me to continue talking. Even after I've said everything that has weighed on me all these years, I'm still standing here. All because he wants me to. Because for some reason, he has that power.
That's what has me moving closer to accepting the offer. That's what's tempting me to stay when I should be miles away by now.
“Did you mean it when you said you would do everything I told you, down to the letter?”
His eyes light up as his head bobs up and down. “Every single thing. No arguments. I trust you.”
“So your pride isn't going to get in the way?”
“All that matters is fixing this. There's no room for pride.”
Okay, so that's a turn on. The idea of bossing him around some more, peeling back the layers of the pride he swears doesn't matter but I know secretly does. He would agree to anything right now. I bet I really could get him to strip down and jump in the harbor.
He's that desperate, and is only getting more desperate with every passing second. He can try to play it off all he wants, but he is not a good actor. He wants to pounce, to demand, and the only thing holding him back is knowing how quickly I would drop the whole thing if he did. He's a lot of things, but he isn't stupid. He may even have learned a thing or two about human nature in the years between high school and now.
He knows one false move will bring all of this to an end. He knows he's lucky I've stayed this long.
Poor, lonely, teenage Willow is jumping for joy inside me, clapping her hands, soaking up every last drop of his humiliation. But it's not enough to know he knows he screwed up. I'm going to make sure I pay him back every single day we work together. Pretty soon he's going to see exactly how much room there is for pride in a situation like this, because I'm going to chip it away from him a little bit at a time. And he'll have no choice but to suck it up, or else I'll leave him hanging.
“Okay.”
Sawyer sits up straight, almost at the edge of his seat, his dark eyes darting over my face like he can't quite believe it. “Yes? You'll do it?”
“We'll have to go over the contract carefully, but I don't see any reason why we can't work together so long as you are willing to go along with everything I say, no questions asked.”
“Done.” He just about jumps out of his chair, extending a hand. “I'm completely under your control.”
He needs to be careful saying things like that, or else I might not be able to contain my giddy excitement. This is better than leaving him hanging, I realize as I extend my hand to shake his. I can torture him slowly, override everything he wants, keep him guessing. For the first time in his life, he is not going to be the one calling the shots. I'll have the thrill of watching him subjugate himself to me—and if he doesn't want to, I'll have even more fun reminding him of what little choice he has.
I'll give him the best free branding any company has ever seen. The job I do with him will be a case study for all future clients.
And if it means finally getting the respect I craved all those years ago, so much the better.
By the time this is over, I'll be the one on top. And he will regret ever underestimating me.
“So.” Lowering my bag to the floor, I take a seat. “Let's get started.”
His face practically glows as he takes his seat again, and I’d swear he looks five years younger now that he’s not so worried. “Great. I was thinking—”
“Hold on.” Here he is, already trying to take the reins. I hold up a warning finger, wagging it back and forth. “Remember. You're letting me call the shots. Which means you don't get to boss me around and tell me what you think we need to handle first. I'm going to help you. I'm going to do a very good job of it. But I will be the one calling all the shots. Got it?”
His lips twitch in something close to a smile. “I can handle that.”
Can he? I have my doubts.
For the first time in his privileged life, Sawyer Cargill has come up against a true adversary who isn't afraid to stand up to him.
No, I don't think he has the first idea what he's in for.
