Page 165 of Positively Pricked
I felt myself nod.
"Because I wanted you near me, even if you hated my guts. Hell, if you hated me, even better."
I sucked in a breath. This wasn't anything like the answer I'd been expecting. And yet, it was so strange.
"But why?" I asked. "I mean, why would you want me near youandwant me to hate you? That makes no sense."
He shoved a hand through his hair. "Yeah, tell me about it."
In spite of my confusion, I was stupidly pleased – until I recalled the parade of models and actresses he'd been dating from day-one.
If he'd been so interested inme, he wouldn't have been withanyof them, much lessallof them.
"I don't get it," I said, "if you were interested in me at all, why were you so awful?"
And why were you screwing other girls?
"I told you why," he said. "It was because I didn'twantyou to like me."
"But why not?"
"Because I've had to do things – ugly things – and I didn't want you involved. I shouldn't have hired you. It was a mistake, aselfishmistake. But I wanna make it right."
I shook my head. "By firing me?"
"Yes."
"But why?"
He reached for my hand. "Because I don't want you as an employee. I don't want you to say yes to anything, now or later, because you think your job is on the line."
At this, I wasn't sure if I should be touched or insulted. "You think I would?"
"No. But I'm not gonna take that chance."
"Technically, wouldn't it bemetaking the chance?"
"Yeah," he said. "And I wouldn't like it."
"Why not?"
"All right, I'll spell it out. I don't want you to be the girl in the office that everyone knows I'm fucking. I don't want people to look at you, like you're trash, sleeping your way to the top. I don't want people to snicker behind your back or gossip when I call you into my office."
I stared up at him. "But you don't care about stuff like that."
His voice softened. "I would with you."
"But why?"
"Becauseyou'dcare, and if anyone hurt you – shit, ifIhurt you – I wouldn't like it." He looked to the sheet of paper. "So yeah, I'm a selfish bastard. And you wanna know why?"
Almost in a trance, I felt myself nod.
"Because I want you to sign that thing now and get it out of the way, so I can drag you upstairs and do all the things I've been wanting to from the first time I laid eyes on you."
I was nearly breathless now. "What kind of things?"
He moved closer, and lifted my chin with his index finger. He moved very close until our lips were almost touching. In a low, seductive voice, he said, "I'm not gonna say. But I will promise you this…"
