Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23854 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 119(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23854 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 119(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Marcus takes a breath, then slowly nods.
“Whatever you say, boss.” His fingers move across the screen. Once he’s finished, he moves to take the tablet, but I stop him.
“Leave it.”
He nods again and steps out, leaving me alone with her photograph and the sickening weight of what I’ve done.
I should feel guilty, and I do. But the guilt is a tiny match beside a roaring wildfire within me.
I need this girl. And it’s not the kind of need I’ve felt for women before—the quick, forgettable, simple release kind of need. No. I need her the way a drowning man needs oxygen. If I don’t get her into this building and into my office, I might just collapse.
Christ, what is she doing to me? I haven’t even met her yet.
I’m a man who controls billions of dollars. I’ve fired men twice my age without a second thought. I’ve sat in front of senators, CEOs, and dickheads from the SEC and made them sweat.
And right now, I’m staring at a photo of a broke teenage girl with a nervous smile, and my hands are shaking.
Without thinking, I grab my phone and FaceTime her number. She picks up on the fourth ring. And when her face fills the screen, I stop breathing.
The photo did her no justice.
She’s flushed and out of breath with a loose strand of hair stuck to her cheek. Her eyes are bright and wide and glowing in a way no image could ever capture. She looks like she’s been jumping around, and when she sees my face, her expression shifts to one of pure shock and panic.
“Oh my God. You’re—”
“Dominic Blackwood.” My voice sounds like gravel. I clear my throat. “Blackwood Capital.”
“Yeah, I know who you are,” she replies, sitting up quickly as she brushes her hair back. She looks mortified. “Hello, Mister Blackwood. I’m so sorry. I wasn’t expecting—”
“You’re out of breath.”
The words leave my mouth before I even process them. My jaw goes tight as the thought of why she might be out of breath invades my mind. Or who might have put that flush on her face…
A dark, territorial, animalistic jealousy surges through me.
I’ve known this woman for less than a minute, and I’m already picturing a theoretical man who may or may not exist and how I will destroy him.
“Oh, right.” She giggles nervously, glancing at someone off-screen. “I was just jumping around the apartment. I was happy to get your e-mail…you know? Saying I got the job.”
Jumping around the apartment because I gave her the job.
“But you’re not alone.” More words I can’t control.
She blinks twice. “I–I’m sorry?”
I shouldn’t be asking this. She’s not even technically my employee yet. She’s just a nineteen-year-old stranger whose contract I rigged with predatory clauses.
But I ask anyway because the part of my brain holding me back has stopped working.
“Is there a man there with you, Hazel? A boyfriend?”
She almost smiles, causing her perfect, unpainted lips to part. I watch as a blush crawls up her cheeks and she shakes her head.
“No,” she replies softly. “No man. No boyfriend.”
“She’s the most single girl in the entire world!” A girl’s voice rings out from somewhere behind her.
Hazel’s eyes squeeze shut. “Sorry, that’s my friend Cassi. Please ignore her.”
The most single girl in the entire world.
That’s what I like to hear.
“Hazel, I need you in the office today.”
“Today?” She looks down at herself, panicked. “I–I don’t think I have the right clothes—”
“Just wear something decent. A skirt and blouse. I’ll provide you a voucher for more later.”
She nods slowly—an innocent, obedient nod that goes straight to my cock. My mouth starts to water as I stare at her.
“Okay, sir. I’ll come right now.”
I know I should hang up, but I can’t. I just sit there for a moment too long, staring at her gorgeous face, feeling my balls ache with uncontrollable desire.
Such gorgeous eyes. And what a mouth. If she had any idea what I was planning for those lips…
“And Hazel?”
“Yes?”
“Drive safe.”
I hang up, set my phone down on my desk, and lean back in my chair with my blood roaring and my heart pounding against my ribs.
She’s mine.
The realization hits me like a bomb going off. It’s not just a thought; it’s a fact. A promise. No matter what happens, she will be mine.
I look down at her photo, feeling my heart rate increase. Then down at my hands, which built this whole fund from nothing.
And which also just built a trap for the most innocent girl in the world.
And the worst part? I know that if I had a chance, I’d do it again.
I’d do it a thousand times over.
God help me.
3
HAZEL
I draw a smiley face on Dominic’s coffee cup because I’m an idiot and I can’t help myself.
He’s not going to like it. He’s a bigtime CEO. He’s going to think it’s silly. But maybe not…