Undeniably His(7)
“Mr. Davis, I am sorry for being so forward, but what do you mean intimately?”
“I’ve spent the last nine years building this company into what it is. Anything I share with you must remain confidential. Miss Ried, we’re going to be spending a lot of time together. It would be a disservice to you not to tell you that up front. Some of the workers I have had the displeasure of spending all day with were a burden to my creative senses. Quite frankly, it was draining. As the owner of this company, I have the prerogative to choose who I want to work with. I like you, Miss Ried.” He narrows his eyes at me, and a slight smile tugs at his lips.
I feel strangely angry and delighted at the same time. Does he think he can buy me? But if someone wanted to buy me, Lord let it be him. “Is this a proposition, Mr. Davis?” I cannot believe the words came out of my mouth, but the wine makes me braver than I usually am.
His gruff laugh rings pleasantly through me again, relieving the tension weighing down in my body. How does he do that?
“I do find you attractive, if that is what you are asking. Whether anything comes from that is yet to be seen. We are two consenting adults, after all. If anything were to happen between us, well, it’s between us. It has nothing to do with your employment or your compensation. But I do hope you will consider working closely with me. You are my first choice. I find you inspiring.”
Inspiring?
“I’m flattered, Mr. Davis.”
The waiter brings us our meals and leaves, and Mr. Davis continues. “I would like your answer by the end of the week, Miss Ried, if that is convenient for you.”
“I must say, this is a lot to take in. I wasn’t expecting this tonight.”
“I understand. You were expecting your typical sixty-thousand-dollar-a-year job offer, with a nice five-hundred-dollar Christmas bonus, and a two-week vacation?” His eyes smile at me with amusement.
“Something like that, sir.”
“It would sadden me to see a young lady with so much potential in the slow death grip of a monotonous dead-end job. Life has much more to offer you, if you reach out and take it.”
His baritone voice washes over me like a soothing shower, and I want to listen to him all night. I want to believe him. But there has to be a catch. There’s always a catch, isn’t there?
“Miss Ried, if it’s any consolation, you will have fifty thousand dollars to pay off your student loans, some extra cash to spend as you please, and all while earning a salary nearly three times what a typical college grad makes. During this time you will work with me, learn some of the secrets of this business, and see if the agony of working so closely with me is worth the generous compensation.” His eyes hint of amusement, but his tone is stern “But I do need to know your answer by the end of the week.”
My stomach flutters and my fingers glide over my neck. I fidget with my sterling silver earring. “Yes, Mr. Davis. I can give you an answer by the end of the week.”
“I look forward to it.” He holds my gaze and my heart races. I take a sip of wine, wondering what Kalin Davis really wants from me.
Chapter Three
Lia is waiting up for me when I get home, and anxiously pulls me to the couch to sit down with me. “Let’s hear it, Belle. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Did he take you to his dungeon?” she asks with a teasing smile.
I take a deep breath. “I’m glad you’re sitting down. He’s offering me a lot of money to be his personal assistant.”
“How much is a lot of money?”
“He’s offering me fifty thousand dollars as a signing bonus and a hundred and seventy-five thousand a year in salary.”
Lia’s eyes grow large and her mouth forms an O. “No fucking way!”
“I’m serious, Lia. I have to give him an answer by the end of the week.”
“No way! What’s the catch?”
“He said I’d be working very closely with him.” I blink and look down to avoid her gaze.
“I knew it!” she says, narrowing her big eyes at me.
“It’s not like that, Lia. He wants someone who can do what he can do so he can trust the company to someone. It’s an incredible opportunity,” I add in a hopeful tone.
“But you don’t know anything about running a company.”
“He thinks that’s an advantage. He can show me everything he knows without any preconceived notions.”
“I’m sure he wants to show you everything he knows, Belle. That’s what I’m worried about.”
“Lia!” I yelp.
“I told you to watch him. Why is he hiring a sweet young thing like you instead of some pudgy middle-aged man with years of experience and an MBA from Harvard?”