Page 7 of My Orc Billionaire
But…he hadn’t kicked me out, not yet. And he was eating my samples. And he was still watching me, his expression neutral as he chewed.
You need this job, or you’re going to be stuck as a junior chef at The Waterfront, drowning in debt.
I took a deep breath, prepared to share the same story I told my current boss. “Twenty months ago, one of my routine scans discovered cancer.” The words were sing-songy, rushed. “The treatment was expensive—reallyexpensive—and my employers at the time decided I was a liability, especially with the fact I was struggling with my energy levels.” I rolled my eyes, remembering how much that time had sucked. I’d thought I could do it all, and without anyone to lean on, I’d fallen hard. “One day I had radiation in the morning, slept through dinner prep, and they informed me it was the last straw.”
His dark eyes had widened slightly as I spoke, and now tugged down into a scowl as he turned back to the tray. “They fired you in the middle of medical treatments.” He didn’t wait for an answer, but plucked up one of the apple tarts. “Heartless.”
I didn’t snort, but it was close, because wasn’t that what he’d just threatened to do? “Yeah, well, it meansI have a shit-tonof medical debt, and that’s why I was so excited to apply for this job.Mr. Abydos,” I tacked on, trying to remain respectful, despite the angry tone I’d been using. Oh well, I only cursed at him after he’d cursed at me.
Real professional, Riven.
A muscle in his jaw worked, and I didn’t think he was still chewing. “You can…” He glanced down, grabbed the red macaron, and said to it, “You don’t needthisjob. You could work anywhere. These aren’t dry.”
Then, as if to cover up saying the not-completely-horrible thing, he shoved the cookie into his mouth. His eyes widened, and his gaze snapped back to mine. “What the hell is this?”
Iwantedto be smug, but I just felt defeated. He wasn’t throwing me out the door any longer, but this interview was definitely over. “Siracha-honey,” I sighed. “It’s my own combination.”
“Son of a bitch,” he mumbled as he scrubbed a hand down his face. “It’s fucking delightful.”
Why didhesound defeated?
Oh,for the love of shit, this human couldbake.
Who would have thought to combine the sweet and spicy flavors in a delicate cookie like that? And those apple things? There was a smokey bourbon flavor, and the cinnamon was subtle—thank the gods below,because there was a reason orcs didn’t completely adore that particular human spice.
I sighed as I pulled my hand away from my face, wondering exactly how spiteful I was being.
The tiny human was staring at me, defeat warring with cautious hope in those big green eyes, her body language telling me she’d rather be elsewhere, but she was here because she needed to be.
If she really was as desperate as she’d sounded…
I sighed.
At least she wasn’t afraid of me any longer, although I wasn’t sure why. Hadn’t sheseenme? The scent of her terror—after I’d roared at her, sent her scrambling away from me… It had been sour on my tongue, and I’d tried to control myself.
You’re not angry at her, you asshole. Don’t take it out on her.
No, I was angry at Sylvik. Except… I popped another apple tart thing in my mouth. The more of these I ate, the less angry I became. The little bastard knew me, I’ll give him that. Riven Starr might be human, might be a female, but she could bake, and her menus had been intriguing as hell.
But I didn’t want her here, didn’t want her in my space, her scent coating everything. I’d spent ten years avoiding humans, and I wasn’t about to invite one into my home now.
Without thinking, I grabbed one of the brownies. When the salted caramel exploded on my tongue, I bit down hard on my groan. So fucking good.
“Look, Mr. Abydos…”
Her tone was low, almost pleading, and when I realized my eyes were closed, I refused to open them. Iwasn’tgoing to see her expression, not now.
Not when myKteer—that primitive part of me which I thought long dead—had stirred at the sound of my name on her lips.
Gods below, I needed to get laid.
“Mr. Abydos?—”
“Orcs don’t usemister,” I growled, turning away so I could open my eyes. “It’s a stupid human tradition.” One I’d enjoyed making use of over the years. I’d beaten them at their own game, forced them to respect me.
So why, standing here in my office, watching the magnificent storm over the cliffs, did I suddenly feel as if I’d lost?
It wasn’t until Iheardher swallow that I realized how attuned to the tiny human I’d become. It was as if all my senses—including myKteer, deep in my chest—were focused on her.
