distraction. “How long do I have to study all of this?”
“Two days.”
My jaw drops. “What?”
“Do I speak Chinese?”
“What do you mean ‘two days’?”
He lets go of his chin and starts playing with his pen with both hands. “We’re going to visit them in two days’ time.”
“Oh, my god, you have to be kidding me.”
“I wish I was, but unfortunately, we’re not that lucky. My parents want to see you. Now.”
“You mean ‘your wife.’” I make quotation marks with my fingers. “Let’s not forget that part.”
“Oh, I’ll never forget that part, Miss Webber. You need not worry.”
“For all I know, you’d make this permanent.”
“If I was, you’d know.”
There’s a slight hint of amusement in his eyes that makes me want to slap him across the face. How dare he even suggest I would marry him? That I would actually be with him for longer than is needed in order to keep my job? And how dare he make me think about all those things that involve ‘marriage’ and how he’d ‘let me know’ that I was his? Goddammit. Put your bitch-mode on, Samantha. He keeps making me blush, and I can’t have that. This fucker deserves some arse-kicking.
The phone suddenly rings. He keeps his eyes focused on me, not moving a muscle.
After a while, I ask. “Aren’t you going to pick up?”
“This conversation is far more important.”
“You don’t even know who it is.”
“Does it matter?”
“Maybe.” I swallow. Then I quickly reach for the phone before he can stop me and pick it up. If he’s not going to do it, then I will. I’m his assistant, here to catch him when he’s throwing himself off a building again. That also includes when he makes stupid decisions like this.
“Hi, this is Leo King’s office, Samantha Webber speaking.”
Suddenly a beeping noise ensues.
I look up and find Leo pressing his finger on a button that immediately cancels the call.
I sigh out loud. “That could’ve been important.”
“ This is important, too.” He points his finger between the two of us. “You might not see it, Miss Webber, but this is very, very important to me.”
“Oh, I see it all right,” I say, putting down the phone. “Clearly.”
“I don’t think I’ve been clear enough. When I say I don’t want to pick up the phone, I didn’t mean you could do it for me.”
“Sorry that I put your best interests first, Sir. ”
His eyes narrow when he hears that word; his lips twitch, not quite forming a smile.
“Hmmm …” It sounds like he’s humming or … moaning.
I swallow away the lump in my throat. Dammit, I can’t think about stuff like that. Jesus, why’d I have to say that word? I’ve only given him more fodder to feed me with, and I don’t mean the good kind. He’ll tease me with this, I’m sure of it.
“I will see you tomorrow, Miss Webber.”
“I thought you wanted to talk some more?”
“No … never mind. I just remembered I have things to do.” He clears his throat. “Regardless, you will do this for me.”
“Is that a question or an order?”
He smiles. “Do you have to ask?”
“I suppose not,” I say, getting up from the chair.
“Stop.”
I cease in the middle of my movement.
His eyes skim my face, then down my body, passing my cleavage as well as my skirt. Shit, now I’m flushing again. Why is he looking at me like I’m some kind of juicy beefsteak? Hmmm, although thinking about that makes me hungry now. Damn.
“What?”
“Shhh,” he interrupts.
I raise an eyebrow, slamming my lips shut as he keeps engorging my body with just his eyes. Briefly, I glance down at my own outfit, suddenly overcome with the urge to prove to myself that I did actually put on some clothes today and that I’m not naked. Nope, no skin showing. Phew.
When he’s done, he looks up at my eyes again with a big smile on his face. “You can go now.”
I frown. “What … uh … was that?”
“Nothing. I just have to think about something.”
Nikita Storm, Bessie Hucow, Mystique Vixen