Page 5 of Bred By the Boss

Noelle took the bait. According to my informant when I talked to them perhaps an hour ago, she said that Noelle was headed here for an interview. And now I’m looking at her through the tiny camera I have at the gate stretched across my driveway.

It’s too good to be true, except it’s not.

It’s not that the interview or the position it’s helping me fill is fake—I do actually need a house cleaner—it’s just that she’s not going to be here just to clean, not if I have anything to do with it. If my plan continues to go smoothly, I’ll be able to get close with her. A little bit of charm, a smidgeon of seduction, and soon I’ll have her vulnerable.

That’s when I’ll destroy her. And with her destruction, her father will be mired in scandal, humiliated, and exposed for the leech he is.

But as I look at the woman standing outside my gate, contemplating whether to ring the bell or not, the hardenedanger I feel tries to soften. There’s something about her that I find so enticing, it’s almost disarming. But it’s not enough to make me forget about the vengeance I’ve sought against her father for nearly a decade.

Does she know she’s about to meet with a man who wants to destroy her? Is she ready to come face to face with the man who will stop at nothing to destroy the man she calls father? My ruthless reputation precedes me in my business dealings, but does she know that it has a part in everything I do?

I watch her for a moment on the security camera, taking her in. She’s dressed simply in a plain dress that goes down to her knees, and she keeps straightening the neckline and brushing her hands over the skirt. She’s probably nervous. She doesn’t know that the job is already hers, she just had to show up.

After a moment, I instruct my assistant to buzz her in, and watch her disappear from the security camera’s view as the front gate slides open to let her pass.

My skin prickles with anticipation as I count the seconds that pass, willing my heartrate to return to normal. For weeks, I’ve been haunted by the sight of her, wondering what it would be like to have her under me and wrapped around my cock. Something about her just floods me with base instinct. I can’t deny that it’ll make it easier to see my plan through, but it’s the protective, possessive urge underneath it all that worries me.

I don’t have time for feelings. I have to be cold and calculated about all of this. I have to ignore the fact that she’s awoken feelings I’ve never felt before.

Finally, there’s a knock at my home office door, and my assistant pokes her head in. “Mr. Holmes, your three o’clock is here.”

I nod at her as I stand at my desk. “Send her in.”

Noelle’s black dress is more sinful than the security camera let on. It fits her like a glove, like it could be a size too small in all the right ways. Each and every one of the curves around her waist and breasts is accentuated perfectly. My mouth waters as I steel myself to greet her as the cold tech tycoon I’m supposed to appear as.

“Noelle, right?” I ask her as I round my desk to shake her hand.

She nods and shakes my hand firmly. “Sir,” she greets me. After weeks of wondering what she sounds like, I still find myself unprepared for the way my body reacts to her voice. I just want to pounce on her, but I can’t. Not just yet.

“Please, sit,” I say, nodding to one of the chairs across the desk from mine as I take my seat. Normally I try to be a little more casual with the people who come to my office, but I can’t risk sitting so close to her right now, not when I’m fighting getting an erection like I am. I’m glad for the distance my desk provides. It helps remind me of my objective.

Her eyes are wide, perhaps shock, perhaps curiosity. Almost like she didn’t expect someone like me to be the person conducting the interview. She composes herself after a few moments and says, “Thank you for having me, Mr. Holmes. I’m Noelle Peterson, I heard about this interview through someone where I currently work.”

Right. The security company informant did an excellent job planting the seed I needed her to plant. I’ll have to see if I can get her a tip through the company, or maybe wire her something off the books. What was the story she told me she’d use again?

“Yes, well, her niece was a promising candidate. I was sorry to lose the chance to have her here.”

I watch as the young woman straightens uneasily in her seat. I imagine she’s risking a lot, just being here. The urge to sootheaway her worries washes over me. It’s almost harder to fight than the aching desire to bend her over my desk and take her like she’s already mine.

“Do you want anything to drink? Water, coffee?” I offer.

“No,” she says, running her hands over the skirt of her dress. It’s only when I look closer that I see they’re just barely trembling.

“Then I’ll cut to the chase,” I say, my gaze connecting with hers. “My housekeeper quit a few weeks ago with little warning. I have yet to find a suitable replacement, but I need a new one to start immediately.”

“Of course.” Noelle straightens, folding her hands in her lap as she gives me a direct, no-nonsense look. “I’m available to start immediately.”

“Great. Do you have anything or anyone in your life that would prevent you from doing this job to the best of your abilities?” I ask. I pull a stack of papers from the top drawer of my desk and slide them across the desk to her.

“No,” she says softly as she takes the papers and starts to look over them. “No family, no significant other. It’s just me.”

No mention of her asshole father. Odd.

I nod at the paperwork in her hands. “Excellent. That has everything in it from your responsibilities and salary to all the benefits you can expect. The contract is in the very back. I’ll give you a few minutes to read through it.”

She stares at me like she can’t make sense of what’s happening. Her brow furrows, but I can’t make sense of her expression. “That’s it? You aren’t going to ask me any more questions?”

“I won’t waste our time by asking mundane questions. This will either work, or it won’t.”

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