Addicted (A Bad Boy Stepbrother Romance)(22)

“We’ll obviously have to work out the details,” Tyler said, watching me intently while I stood there involved with my thoughts. “But I think we can make it work.”

“So in the meantime, let’s say I do come work for you. How much will you pay me?”

“Double whatever you’re making now.” Tyler paused to glance down mischievously, “and there are benefits.”

My heart began pounding inside my chest. This has to be some sort of a dream, I thought, ready to pinch myself to see if I was truly awake. Tyler was offering me everything I could ever hope, or dream of . . . my own career and the man of my dreams.

“What about our parents?” I managed to ask through the turmoil rolling through my mind. “Won’t my coming to work for you complicate matters even further?”

“Don’t worry that pretty little head of yours. I’ll take care of it,” Tyler said with utmost confidence. He got up from the bed, rising like Poseidon from the sea, his magnificent body robbing me of breath. He walked over to me, wrapping his powerful arms around me. “Trust me on this,” he breathed as he delivered a peck on my neck, causing the internal heat in my body to shoot up, his breath hot on my neck. “I’ve got it covered.”

Walking through that door and never coming back is the best thing that will ever happen to you.

Jonathan’s unbidden warning screamed at me to run out and never look back.

The next kiss nearly made me melt into his body, making me want to beg right then and there for him to take me again.

Run! Run far, far, far away, an errant thought cried.

And I almost did. I almost gathered the strength to push away and run. But another seductive nibble and a deft caress of my side melted any rational thought of defiance away, and I swooned as I allowed him to dip me backward and he covered my neck with passionate kisses.

Who do I think I’m fooling? He’s a god. My God.

Tyler had me, hook, line and sinker.

“I’m in,” I breathed.





Chapter 12





Victoria





After leaving Tyler’s, I practically burned rubber to make it to work. One, because I couldn’t wait to see the expression on Christine’s face when I told her to eat shit and die, and two, I was thrumming with excitement over Tyler’s proposal.

I can’t believe it. That door that I’ve been waiting for has swung open! Not quite the way I’d planned, but I’ll finally be free to live out my dreams!

I quickly found my usual parking space and rushed on my way. Jubilation swirled through me as I strutted inside Christine’s swanky building, a giant smile on my face, my heels clicking against the floor.

“What’s got you so chipper today?” a familiar voice behind me demanded as I reached the elevator. “Don’t you realize you’re late?”

I swirled around, only to see April peering at me suspiciously with a stack of dresses in her hand. She looked extra cute today with her hair swept up into a side pony tail, a pale blush to her cheeks and her eyelids covered in colorful shadow. Besides that, she looked practically stuffed inside the black pants that were a size too small for her. The sad thing was that she was already a size two. That’s the kind of messed up crap girls did working in this industry and for Christine, who was notorious for making the girls around here feel terrible about their weight, myself included.

A smile spread across my face. “Who cares?”

April raised an eyebrow, staring at me like I’d lost my mind. “Excuse me? Christine is going to have your ass for breakfast.”

“Fuck Christine.”

April reared back. “Whoa. What the hell has gotten into you?”

Staring at April’s shocked expression, it became too much. I burst out laughing hysterically.

“What is going on?” April demanded in concern when I doubled over, choking with laughter. “Are you on something?”

“I can’t breathe,” I choked, gasping for breath.

April repositioned the dresses she was holding in one arm and then pounded me on the back. After several rib aching moments, I was finally able to get myself under control.

“What the hell?” April persisted, peering me up and down as if the real me had vanished and had been replaced with some nut from the psych ward. “Do I need to call for help or something?”

“No. I’m fine.”

“Well it doesn’t seem like it,” April muttered, unconvinced. “I’ve never seen you act like this before.”

“That’s because I’ve never been this happy in my entire life!”

“What do you mean? What’s going on?”

“I’m quitting!”