Page 6 of Her Prince in Disguise
When their eyes finally met again, he answered, his voice low and deliberate. "You’ll need to look more confident. That outfit helps you fade into the background. If you take on this role, you’ll need to project strength. Authority. People will need to see it before they hear a word from you."
The way his eyes held hers, unflinching and unapologetic, made her stomach flip. He didn’t need to say anything more. His gaze said it all—You could be powerful, if you dared to be.
Andi’s cheeks flushed hot with a complex tangle of emotions—embarrassment, anger, determination. She straightened her spine, silently daring him to doubt her again.
"I understand," she said evenly, her voice calm even as her heart raced.
She turned again toward the door, her mind spinning with everything that had just happened—the offer, the electric spark, the raw challenge he had thrown down at her feet. She wouldn’t let his arrogance—or the unsettling effect he had on her—deter her.
But just before she crossed the threshold, she paused.
Something wild and impulsive tugged at her. She pivoted back, glaring at him without even realizing it. He stood there, leaning casually against his desk, sipping his drink with a kind of lazy, predatory grace—completely confident, completely in control.
Judging her.
Daring her.
Andi opened her mouth, ready to fire off a sharp retort. Something brilliant. Cutting.Devastating.
But no words came.
Instead, she just stared—breathless, stunned, utterly captivated—and thought helplessly:
Wow.
“Did you have something more to say, Andi-Andrea?” he asked, his voice huskier than before. However, the gentleness in his tone was mocked when a supercilious dark eyebrow lifted.
A flurry of angry words popped into her head. However, Andi tamped down on them, remembering that this man was her boss’s boss’ boss…or maybe even higher.
“Sorry, sir,” she replied before she said anything that might cause him to reconsider his job offer. With her free hand, she smoothed her fingers down over her slacks. “I’ll get new clothes before Monday.” It was Friday which meant she and her best friend, Carys, could go shopping tomorrow. Andi despised shopping. In fact, she did most of her shopping online. It was more convenient to click on the “buy” button while sipping wine, than pawing through clothes at a store.
He shook his head and pushed away from the desk, setting the now-empty glass down on the desk behind him. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll have appropriate clothing delivered to you.”
Andi opened her mouth to protest, but his cell phone rang and he nodded apologetically her. “My assistant will send you travel details.” And then he answered the call.
If he happened to turn away from her in that moment and Andi saw the man’s tight ass for a brief moment, that wasn’t important. Nor was it significant that her eyes lingered for a moment before she realized what she was doing and rushed out of the office.
Fifteen minutes later, Andi slid onto the bar stool that her friends had saved for her.
“You’re late!” Carys announced, giving Andi a hug, then waved her hand, nodding to the waiter. Apparently, Carys had already put in a drink order for Andi with instructions to bring it over upon arrival.
“And you’re the best!” Andi sighed as she stared at the lemon drop martini the waiter set in front of her. Carefully, she lifted the drink to her lips, making sure to get a bit of the sugar from the rim, then swallowed the sweet and sour sip before heaving a sigh of relief.
“I know,” Carys replied, adding in a smug smile. “Why are you so late?”
The other two ladies in their Friday Night Happy Hour group, Jennifer and Amber, were already flirting with two good looking guys on the other side of the table and weren’t interested in why Andi was late.
“I had a really weird day,” Andi admitted, then told Carys the odd job offer.
“That’s awesome!” Carys exclaimed and gave Andi another hug. “When do you start?”
“Monday,” she replied, glancing around the room.
“What’s his name?”
Andi stopped, her hand frozen for a moment, then she laughed. “I don’t know, actually. I just…” she paused again, then took another, larger, sip of her martini. “My boss’ boss ordered me into the meeting without warning and, when the meeting started, no one took the time to introduce themselves around the table.” She shrugged. “All of a sudden, some guy I’ve never seen before sat down at the head of the table and started snapping questions.” She sighed, turning the martini glass slightly. “I’ll just call him Typhon for now.”
Carys’ eyes widened. “Is he that chaotic?”
