Page 1 of Following His Orders

PROLOGUE

Ihold my breath with a stomach full of butterflies as my name is called. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for since I was thirteen and decided I wanted to be a lawyer. I knew the day my father went away for a crime his business partner committed that I was going to be the best damned corporate lawyer this country ever saw.

And it all starts today with my valedictorian speech. It wasn’t enough for me to graduate with a law degree. No, I had to be the best. Every decision I’ve made throughout my teen years, my early adult years as well, has been to get to this moment.

It’s a small stage, and I know the whole of Australia won’t know who I am after this speech. They will though. Once I work my way up that corporate ladder.

“I would like to introduce Miss Bentley Johnson, the valedictorian for this year’s graduating class, ladies and gentlemen.” The dean nods in my direction.

I straighten my back and hold my head high. The crowd roars with applause. I look out, hoping to spot my mum and sister Jules, only to be blinded by the spotlights following my strut across the stage. I fake confidence the whole walk to the microphone. Shaking the Dean’s hand, I stand at the podium and unfold the piece of paper that has my speech scrawled across the front. I’ve rehearsed it a million times.

“Good afternoon. It’s not just an honour to be up here addressing my fellow graduates. It’s a dream come true to me. Firstly, I’d like to thank my family, my mum, dad, and sister for not only the sacrifices they’ve all made in their own lives in helping me to achieve my goals, but for listening to this speech over and over again without complaint.”

I stop and scan the crowd. I can’t make out many of the faces. I do, however, get caught by a pair of ocean-blue eyes that hold me hostage. Swallowing my nerves down, I look back at the piece of paper.

“When we’re kids, we’re always asked: what do you want to be when you grow up? And my answer was always a teacher or a doctor. Until I was sixteen and my response changed. Because it was then that I decided I wanted to be a lawyer. Recently, I’ve realized that being a lawyer is what I want to do. It’s my career of choice. But it’s not what I want tobe. What I want to be is kind and loyal to my friends and family. I want to be the person who makes a difference in others’ lives. In this world. I want to be compassionate. I want to be a role model. I want to be someone my parents and family can be proud of. So, now, when I’m asked: what do you want to be when you grow up? Well, my answer isn’t as simple as a job title. I don’t have it all figured out, but I’m told I’m young and still have time. Who knows? If you ask me this question in ten years, my answer might change again. That’s the thing I love most about it. Much like yourself, who you are now and who you want to be later isn’t going to be the same from moment to moment, nor is it the same as when you were five years old. The thing I want my fellow classmates to take away from this question is this.What you want to be isn’t necessarily what job you want to do.There is no right or wrong answer. So whatever you want to be, I want you all to go out and become that person.”

As I look out at the crowd, everyone is standing and applauding. And it takes everything in me to avoid those blue eyes. His eyes. Nathan Miller, my new boss. Or at least he will be the moment I walk through those doors of Christianson, Miller, and Warner. The top-tier law firm I was fortunate enough to score a first-year associate position at.

Not only is Nathan one of my new bosses, he’s also the partner I’ll be working under. Reporting directly to him. Which wouldn’t be a problem at all if my lady parts didn’t want to be working under him in a completely different way—a very never going to happen in a million years way. The man is hot as sin. I’m actually surprised I managed to compose myself enough to get through the interview with the three named partners.

The other two, Xavier Christianson and Alistair Warner, are good looking and intimidating. Nathan, though, there’s just something about him that I can’t figure out. It’s like the moment his eyes lazily roamed the length of my body, he awakened something that had been lying dormant my whole life.

My libido.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had sex. I’ve enjoyed sex. I’ve just never almost combusted from someone’s gaze before. Even now, standing here on this stage, knowing he’s looking at me, has me squeezing my thighs together.

Smiling and thanking everyone, I walk on very shaky legs to the other side of the platform. I need to get out of here. I need some fresh air.

PROLOGUE

“Remind me again why we had to come to this thing?” Xavier groans from the front row seat next to mine.

We’re currently at the University of Melbourne’s graduation ceremony. “We’re here because you insisted on hiring that girl up there,” I say, nodding towards the stage and the girl who, for some fucked-up reason, is making my cock hard, even though she’s wearing a long black graduation gown. I can’t see a bit of her curves under that thing. I know they’re there though. I’ve seen them.

“We’ve hired a lot of people, Nathan. We’ve never sat through an entire graduation ceremony for them,” Xavier says.

“I’ve never had to endure having a first-year work under me before, and because this was your grand idea, you can sit there, shut up, and listen,” I hiss at him. My eyes follow her as she makes her exit from the stage. Instead of returning to the row of seats with her classmates, she heads for the side door. Why is she going outside?

“Don’t do it,” Xavier warns. And his words go in one ear and out the other.

Pushing to my feet, I cross the room and slip through that same door. It doesn’t take long to find her leaning her head against the brick wall. Her eyes are closed, her face pointed up to the sun.

“Nice speech,” I say, making my presence known.

“Fuck.” Bentley jumps, and a hand rises to her chest before she spins to frown at me. “Thank you, Mr Miller,” she says with a tight smile.

I get the feeling that either Bentley doesn’t like me very much or that I make her nervous. Both scenarios work well for me. There’s nothing I want to see more than her squirming. Preferably under my touch, but we’ll get to that.

There’s that voice inside my head that keeps reminding me that the girl’s meant to be untouchable. She’s myemployee. If that doesn’t make her off-limits, the fact that she’s ten years younger than me should. The problem is… I’ve never been one to follow rules or orders. I’m the one meant to give them, and what I wouldn’t do to see Bentley following my orders like the good little girl she tries so hard topretendto be.

Though, I have a feeling I won’t have to wait all that long to find out just how naughty little Miss Bentley Johnson really is.

“You can call me Nathan. We’re not in the office, Bentley. The normal rules don’t apply.”

“Rules?”

“Expectations, rules, whatever you want to call them?” I shrug.

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