“A conqueror doesn’t ask for permission.”
Embarrassingly enough, I felt my sex respond shamelessly to his threat, and I cursed my body and my heart, which now beat out of control. “And you think I’m someone to be conquered?”
“I want to be with you, Willow.” I flinched at his use of my name. It sounded weird and out of place. I’d always been Angel. God, what am I thinking? I shouldn’t be worried about what he called me. Especially a stupid pet name. “I’m no longer waiting for you to admit the same.”
“I can’t stay here. Especially with you.”
“Whatever you left behind isn’t your concern anymore. Your only concern from this day forward is to please me.”
“Let me rephrase then. I won’t stay here. Especially with you.”
“How do you plan to get away from me long enough to go back to wherever you came from?”
“You can’t decide the rest of my life for me!”
“You made a decision for your life four years ago and I didn’t like the answer. So you can either do this job or spend your days chained to my bed.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
DASH
I HELD A tight grip on my anger and managed to make it through countless meetings. I was preparing for the last meeting of the day and had sent Celesha to show Angel the rest of the building. They were instructed to be back in time for me to introduce Willow to executive management, which was in just ten minutes.
As if on cue, I heard the outer door open and their voices fill the suite. They were laughing as if they’ve known each other for five years instead of five hours. I threw on my suit jacket and met them in the reception area.
On sight, Willow’s laughter stopped and her expression became guarded. She had done nothing but murder me with her eyes since I had threatened her into obedience. I told myself I didn’t care, but it was hard not to when she continued to look as if I kicked her favorite puppy rather than express my wish to be with her.
Women were indeed complex creatures.
“How was the tour?”
“It went well, I think. Willow here might have even found a few suitors. Nate in accounting especially. I think the poor guy might have taken a liking to her with only a brief encounter.” She sent Willow a conspiratorial grin, not knowing the storm she was brewing. Angel, however, sensed my anger and shifted from one foot to the other.
“How nice,” I agreed sarcastically. I could barely curtail the sneer in time. “We should be going.”
The meeting was being held on the floor directly below us so the private tension between Angel and me in the elevator was cut short. Too bad really. I wanted her to sweat. I was curious about this encounter that caused the guilty flush on her skin.
The conference room was already full of the company’s top executives and officers. Every head in the room turned when I entered, followed by Angel and Celesha.
“Good evening, gentlemen.” A chorus of greetings followed as I made my way to the head of the table. “Most of you have been in meetings with me all day, so I promise this meeting will be uncharacteristically brief. My objective is to make an announcement and to issue a warning.”
“A warning, son?” The question came from David, the head of international sales.
“Yes. I’ll be getting to that. You may have heard by now that I have replaced Celesha temporarily as my personal assistant. Please welcome Willow Waters. She will fulfill Celesha’s duties until she can return in a year’s time.”