AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She holds out her hand and we shake, before she turns to Doreen and says, “Goodbye,” with a smile, and I watch her walk down the hall, my eyes fixed on her perfectly formed ass, until she turns the corner and disappears from sight… for now.
“Ahem?” Doreen’s exaggerated cough brings me back to reality and I look down at her as she raises her eyebrows. “She seemed nice.”
“She is nice,” I say. In fact, she’s way more than nice. She’s perfect. “Can you contact Miles and get him to send me a copy of our draft employment contract?”
Doreen frowns. “You don’t want him to handle it?”
“No. Something about Miles seemed to make Miss Hopkins uneasy. I told her you’d liaise with her. That’s okay, isn’t it?”
“Of course.”
I move a little closer to her desk, letting the file drop to my side, its shielding purposes no longer required. “She didn’t mention anything to you, did she? About Miles?”
“No, but he was the one who showed her up here.”
“He was? Why didn’t Miranda call to let you know Miss Hopkins had arrived?”
“She offered, evidently… at least that’s what Miss Hopkins said.”
“So Miles just happened to be in the reception, did he?”
Doreen shrugs her shoulders and picks up her phone. “I’ve got to speak with him about the contract… do you want me to ask?” she says.
“No. Leave it for now.”
I don’t want to make a big deal out of it, and I wander back into my office, sitting down behind my desk and looking at the chair Livia just vacated.
Have I just made the dumbest decision of my life?
I’m not talking about falling for her. That wasn’t a decision; that was an instinct… like breathing in and out, which I’m getting to grips with again, now she’s gone. What I’m talking about is hiring her to work here… with me. Was it wise to do that, knowing she already owns my heart, and that I’d like nothing more than to give her my body?
Possibly not. There are rules about things like that, when I’m the boss, and she’s my employee… and I have a feeling I’m about to break every single one of them. The thing is, though, this is different. She’s different.
And it’s too late to turn back.
Chapter Four
Livia
Today is my first day at TBA, and although I was thrilled to be offered this opportunity, the month that’s gone by since my interview with Hunter Bennett has been a maelstrom of confused emotions.
I suppose it didn’t help that I fell for him the moment I walked through his door. After all, getting involved with people at work doesn’t seem to end well for me. Not that I’m suggesting Hunter would be interested in me in that way, although he was kindness itself when I mistook him for his dead father… a result of my lack of research.
I heard from Doreen the very next day, relieved that Hunter had picked up on my discomfort about having to deal with Miles Hampton. She emailed me a copy of my employment contract and I read it through, noticing that there was no reference to a trial period, and that all the generous benefits would be starting on the very first day of my employment. Happy with its content, and more than happy about the prospect of working with Hunter Bennett, I signed the contract and returned it to Doreen… and then I typed out my resignation letter to Lucian.
I wondered about leaving it on his desk, but that felt cowardly, so I took it in to him personally, handing it over and waiting while he opened it, with a puzzled expression on his face.
I’d kept the letter brief, offering no explanation for my imminent departure, and once he’d read it, he looked up at me, frowning.
“Why?” he said, his voice unusually cold and detached.
I’d already rehearsed my answer, and I gave it. “It’s got nothing to do with the job itself. My reasons are entirely personal.”
He might not have supported me when I needed him, but I didn’t want to bring that up, or even mention the photographs. They seemed to have stopped, so what was the point?
“Personal?” he asked, frowning.
“Yes.”
