Page 9 of The CEO

“Three dogs… and you trust me? Um, what…” Her big brown eyes looked over at her suitcase.

The elevator doors opened, surprising both of us. I liked our little elevator bubble and was sad to see it end. Walking over to her suitcase, I grabbed the handle and started off the elevator.

“Wait,” she yelled. Turning around, I watched her glide off the elevator as if the last few minutes hadn’t happened. “Where are you going with my suitcase?”

Walking backward with her suitcase in hand, I shot back, “I’m taking you to my place.”

Pria’s eyes went wide. “What? Why? I’m not?—”

Not wanting to hear her shoot me down even though I wasn’t going to proposition her with sex, I stopped her. “You can stay at my place while I’m gone and take care of the dogs. Deal?”

Pria sputtered. “Your place?”

“Yeah, you’ll have someplace to stay and can look for an apartment.”

“You, Kingston Avery, are offering to let me stay at your apartment? Am I onCandid Cameraor something?”

“Why not? I’m a nice person. Plus, you’ll be helping me out. If you don’t want to help with my dogs then I’ll take them to the new place I was going to try. It’s up to you.”

“You’re a nice person.” Her tone said she, in fact, did not think I was a nice guy. Yes, I could be an asshole, but not when it came to my dogs. Ever since the takeover of Titan, I’d been working extreme hours, neglecting them, and I felt bad. That’s probably why they’d been acting out more than normal. If Pria agreed to this, she had no idea what she was getting into.

Stepping outside in the cool air, I noticed my driver get out of the town car. He’d been waiting while we forgot to hit the elevator button. “Do you think I’m an asshole or something?”

Pria looked me up and down assessing me. “The verdict is still out.”

Interesting.

Pointing at the car, I said, “That’s my ride. What’s your decision? Are you going to move into my apartment for the week? It’s now or never.”

CHAPTER SIX

pria

What the hellwas I doing sitting next to my boss, pulling up to his place? I couldn’t live in my boss’s apartment for a week. Could I?

The building was one of the best in the city. It was in one of the nicest neighborhoods in Manhattan, and luxurious, but staying where he banged god knew how many women was gross. What I needed to do was get over myself, otherwise I was going to be living in my father’s home with my Lao Lao, and I’dalmostrather be homeless than listen to her nag at me about when I was going to get married. If she found out Haider and I broke up, she’d tell me that I was going to die alone, and it was all because I chose to have a job.

“Pria.” Kingston brought me back to the here and now. His hand was on the doorknob as he looked down at me with… was that concern in his eyes? Maybe he wasn’t an asshole. “Are you backing out?” The sexy smirk on his face told me yes, he was indeed an asshole, and I wanted to slap it off him.

Squaring my shoulders, I narrowed my eyes at him. “I’m not backing out.”

“You should know about the dogs. They… well, they…” He looked confused and hot as hell while running his large hand through his ruffled blond locks as he tried to figure out what to say. I decided to save him just as he was saving me, and so he’d stop making his hair look sexier. I needed to repeat to myself not to have inappropriate thoughts about my boss.

“They’re just dogs, and for a place to lay my head at night, I can handle anything you throw at me.” My grip on my suitcase tightened as I took a step forward.

“Whatever you say, Ms. Wang.” He drew out theain my last name in a way that I knew he was thinking inappropriate or childish thoughts. Again, I wanted to slap him. How was it that I always seemed to want to slap him or jump him?

Kingston opened the door and held his arm out indicating I should go first. Okay, maybe he was a little bit of a gentleman. Wheeling my suitcase behind me, I walked into—I’m not even sure what you’d call it. It was not an apartment. I had only walked into the foyer and could see the living room, but the space was bigger than my entire house that I shared with Haider. The entire house. This was a palace in the sky on the top floor. The decor was all white, black, and gray—very bachelor. Everything was made of leather or metal, and it was all expensive and luxurious. What did I expect from a man who wore ten-thousand-dollar suits to work every day?

I was starting to turn around to express how lovely his home was and that it was not, in fact, an apartment when I swear the few pictures that were on the wall started to shake. It sounded as if a stampede was coming toward us. Slowly walking backward, I ran right into Kingston when two monstrous dogs came flying around the corner and jumped on me. One was on each side of me with their paws on my shoulders as they licked Kingston’s face.

“All right.” Kingston let out a deep belly laugh. “I missed you too. Now, Orvy and Sarah, get down. That’s no way to greet a guest in our home.” He gave them both affectionate rubs before pushing them off me. My back was plastered against his long, hard body and I didn’t want to move. He felt too good. I’d take his behemoth dogs mauling me if it meant I got to keep my body pressed against his a little longer. Sadly, he broke the spell when his hands gripped my shoulders as he brushed his body against mine when he moved around me. I didn’t think it was necessary, but I liked it, nonetheless.

Looking down, I spotted what would normally be a cute little dog, but it wasn’t cute because it was humping my leg like I was the first woman who’d ever walked into the apartment. At least someone was interested in humping me.

“Jimmy.” Kingston scooped the tiny dog up into his arms and I watched in utter fascination as the pup licked my boss all over his handsome face. Kingston smiled the whole way through before he said in a much higher voice, “I know she’s pretty, but no humping our guest.” Sitting the dog down, he took my suitcase from me and walked away. “I’ll show you to your room and after I feed the dogs we can order in dinner and go over their care.”

Dutifully, I followed behind him with my eyes wide and my mouth hanging open. It wasn’t because his apartment was huge and incredibly decorated, even if it was typical bachelor pad décor. No, it was because no matter how many times I’d seen it at work, I hadn’t realized just how phenomenal my boss’s ass looked in his suit. We kept walking down the hall only passing by a few doors until we came to one at the end of the hall. How large was this place?

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