Page 6 of Bred By the Boss

It will. I can feel it in my bones that this will work. Everything’s going according to plan.

“Alright,” Noelle finally nods. “When can I start?.”

“I meant what I said when I said immediately. You can move into the old housekeeper’s room today—”

“Old room?” She tenses immediately, eyes wide once more. “You want me to live here? In this house? With you?”

“Yes,” I say flatly, trying to keep my cool façade up. Aside from the fact that it’s not uncommon for people of my means to have live-in housekeepers, it’s essential that she live here for the plan to work. “Is that going to be an issue? Living here?”

“No. It’s nothing like that. I just had no idea that was in the job description.”

“It is. It’s on page five.”

Noelle nods, turning to scan the page I mentioned. She nods to herself, as if she missed it the first time when she skimmed through it. I can see the moment she sees the salary, because she freezes, her mouth dropping open as it hits her.

I’d given the number a lot of thought and decided to raise the salary to something of an exorbitant number. I needed it to be an offer she couldn’t refuse. She says nothing, however, as she scans through the rest of the contract. I don’t interrupt her as she finishes reading the whole thing, but before long, she places the papers back on my desk.

“I’m afraid I can’t accept this job, sir,” she says evenly, her eyes firmly fixed on me.

My brow furrows. What?

“Is the pay not enough? Or is the job too much for you?”

“The opposite. Housekeeping is manageable for me. But the pay seems disproportionate, even with a house this big. I’d be getting paid more in a month than I earned in a year in my previous job.”

“Most people wouldn’t complain about something like that.”

“Forgive my rudeness, but it just feels like there’s more to the job than you’ve included in the contract.”

Ah. Smart girl.

I lean back in my seat with a sigh. Her gaze drops from my eyes, perhaps to my lips, but she refocuses so quickly that I can’t be sure. “The pay is to make up for my personality,” I explain. “I have a reputation for being demanding of my employees, even the ones who work in my home.”

It’s not exactly a lie, but it’s not really the truth. I am demanding, but I also reward as much as I demand. I like to make sure those who work with me know that I value them and their loyalty.

I watch Noelle as the wheels turn in her head and decide to throw her another bone. “My last housekeeper was with me for only two weeks before she decided to quit.”

A fact that makes me bristle, but I can admit that we weren’t a good fit. Her departure was no fault of mine. Not everyone can handle being asked to actually do their fucking job. I can lower my standards when I need to but there still has to be a standard of work.

“As you can guess, Miss Peterson, when you get as desperate as I’m getting, you start to up the stakes a little.”

I can see the hesitation in her eyes, but she’s close to breaking. She has every right to be nervous. While she doesn’t know it, I do not have her best interests at heart. I find her gut instinctadmirable, if I’m being honest. She won’t be easy to break, but it’ll make the process that much more enjoyable.

I relish the thrill of the chase.

“Okay,” Noelle finally says. “I’ll sign. Thank you for this opportunity, Mr. Holmes.”

Excellent. It’s nothing personal against her, I remind myself as I watch her sign the employment contract. She’s just the cost of doing business.

Soon, I’ll have her broken and bred.

Chapter Three

Noelle

It feels surreal.

I’m working as a housekeeper, but I’m the most financially stable I’ve ever been in my life. I’m working for a young, handsome, and successful tech business owner, and I shouldn’t feel safe like I do here, but I feel safer than I’ve ever felt. I’m a world away from my cramped, run-down apartment and my very public-facing laundromat job. I live in a house with a tall fence and a gate in a neighborhood with its own security. I was able to sleep without worrying that a loan shark or some other threat would come knocking.

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