“What?” My voice came out as a squeak and I cleared my throat. “I mean, sorry. What is it?”
“Well, for one thing, I can’t imagine that someone with a degree like yours would be happy as an administrative assistant for too long,” James said.
I frowned. “How do you know anything about my degree?” I racked my brain, trying to remember our conversations in Jamaica, almost a year ago.
James chuckled “I called into work when I was waiting for you,” he said. “And I found out that you specialize in media and development.”
“I did major in that,” I said, my cheeks pinking. “But, um…you know what, nevermind.”
James gave me an odd look. “No, tell me,” he said.
“It’s just, I feel stupid telling someone like you that I really needed this job,” I said. Embarrassment and shame flooded my body and I had to resist the urge to sink into the floorboards.
“Don’t,” James said firmly. “We all have to do things we don’t want to do for work.”
I blinked. It wasn’t exactly the response I’d been expecting.
“Sorry,” I mumbled.
“And don’t be sorry, either,” James said. He narrowed his eyes at me. “Hanna, believe me when I say I want to help you. I know it sounds crazy – we don’t really know each other at all, do we? But I look at you and I see someone special, someone important.”
I bit my lip, unsure of where he was going. I could feel the intimacy and tension between us growing by the second, but I felt helpless and frozen in place. I’d even forgotten about the painful burning sensation that still lingered on my thighs despite the painkillers I’d taken at the hospital.
“Okay,” I said nervously.
“And I want you to know that I think you’d be perfect for another job with Magnate Group, something perhaps a little more suited to your talents.”
I frowned.
“What?” James asked. “I thought you’d be pleased.”
“I don’t want you pawning me off on someone else, just because you want to sleep with me,” I said with a surprising amount of anger. I couldn’t believe that James thought I could be bought like this!
“Hanna, that’s not what I’m trying to do, not at all,” James said. “If you’d just listen, just for a minute—“
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I can’t accept your charity, James.”
“This isn’t charity,” James said, clenching his teeth. “This is me trying to help you succeed. And Hanna, what’s so wrong with that, if I may ask?”
The town car was slowing to a stop and I saw my apartment building when I looked out the window. Before Nick could slow the car to a stop, I grabbed the handle and shoved it open.
“Hanna! Where are you going?” James peered up at me with his eyebrows knitted together. “What the hell is going on?”
“I’m going home,” I said, shaking my head. “I’ll be in the office tomorrow.”
The look on James’s face was both stunned and sympathetic, and for a moment I had the most intense urge to throw myself into his arms, apologize, and kiss him.
But I couldn’t do that. Not now, not ever.
Gritting my teeth, I slammed the door of the town car and stalked through the swirling snow to my apartment.
Chapter Six
James
It was torture.
Every day, going into Magnate Group, and seeing her there, sitting at her desk looking innocuous. After the burn incident, Hanna cooled toward me…and for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why she’d changed. I wasn’t sure why she’d automatically assumed the worst, either – it wasn’t like I’d fallen on top of her and tried to rip her clothes off in the back of my limo.
But her behavior was puzzling.
And it was driving me wild.
It snowed the whole week, great blustery gusts of snow that swirled against the windows. Most of my employees came in bundled from head to toe, but not Hanna. Every day I saw her, she was wearing a stylish-yet-short skirt with tights, boots, and some kind of sweater that made her tits look fantastic. I wanted nothing more than to grab her, kiss her, and take her into my office for another passionate encounter. But day by day, she made it increasingly clear that she wasn’t interested in me. Even Linda, the head of Human Resources, noticed that something had changed around the office.
“I think I finally hired the right girl for you, Mr. West,” she said one morning as she stopped by my office to pick up a large pile of reports from Hanna.
I frowned. “I don’t know. I think she might be happier somewhere else in the company. She’s much smarter than most of the admins, you know?”
Linda clucked her tongue against her teeth. “Has she expressed interest in moving?”
“No,” I said sourly. “She hasn’t.”
Linda frowned. “Well, as you know, I wouldn’t be able to move her without her own consent,” she said. “That is, unless she’s done something to displease you.”
I glanced out my office window at Hanna sitting there, at her desk, typing away.
“No,” I said. “She hasn’t done anything wrong. In fact, she’s the best secretary I’ve ever had.”
Linda gave me an odd look. “Well, then I’m not quite sure why you’re in a hurry to get rid of her,” she said lightly, but I knew she was confused.
I shrugged. “No reason,” I lied. “Anyway, here are the reports.”
I passed them over and Linda left my office, closing the door behind her. I watched Hanna through the window for what felt like far too long – it was impossible not to stare at her beautiful features, the way her slim hands moved quickly over the keyboard. And I couldn’t look at her without thinking of the passionate night we’d shared in my hotel room, almost a year ago.
I barely worked that day. In the afternoon, I decided to go out for coffee despite the blustering storm. I stopped by Hanna’s desk on the way out.
“I’m going out for a latte – can I get you something?”
Hanna didn’t look up from her keyboard. She kept typing away, her fingers clacking against the keys.
“Hanna?”
Hanna finally glanced up. She blushed crimson red when she saw me and my cock twitched in my pants.
“Yes?” Her voice was low and breathy. Somehow, I wondered if she’d just been thinking about me, too.
“I said, I’m going out for coffee. Can I get you anything?”
“You shouldn’t do that,” Hanna said. She licked her lips. “It’s snowing out there – why not let me go for you?”
“I feel like some fresh air,” I said drily. “So, are you sure I can’t get you anything?”
Hanna shook her head. She pointed to a bottle of water on her desk. “I’m fine,” she said. She looked out the window again and shivered. As I watched her, I noticed the faint heartbeat pulsing at the side of her neck. I remembered how she smelled – warm and clean and almost like vanilla – and for a moment, I thought I was going to come in my pants.
“James?”
My head snapped up. “Yeah?”