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Lud!

That was it!

He knewexactlywhat she had been thinking of.

Aghast with shock, her first instinct was to slam the door on his face, but then she heard Mr. Collins ask, "Who is it, Pippi?"

The words made her jerk involuntarily as common sense returned in a flash.

You do not slam the door on the CEO's face, Pippilotta Jones!

She took one last apprehensive look at him, hoping futilely that what she had imagined wasn't real - but it was.

The smile playing on his lips said it all. It was as sexual as it was predatory, and it made her want to hide herself under the covers and mutter to herself,'it's not real, it's not real.'

BUT IT WAS.

After twenty-three years of fastidious living and doing what she could to lead a life of blessed singlehood, the nasty Fates had still ended up having their way.

The Jones' curse had struck again, and Pippilotta Jones, despite her greatest efforts, was now in a wealthy man's crosshairs -

And there was just no going back from there.



















Four

"IT'S MR. SIMONIDES, Mr. Collins."

Discipline was the only reason Acheron's face didn't reveal his amusement as an unexpected scene unfolded before him, and a blank-faced Pippilotta Jones stepped back to let him inside Timothy Collins' office.

She was the most reluctant little thing, with the way she avoided his gaze as she returned stiffly to her seat and focused her attention on her computer screen. It was only when her boss, known for his bluntness, asked Acheron for the reason of his visit that she became animated. He saw her suck in her breath, her body jerking in her seat just as her panicky blue eyes flew to him in horror.

It would serve the girl right if he made her squirm,Acheron contemplated. Looking back at Timothy, he murmured, "I wanted to speak with you in private about the Excalibur acquisition." Fortunately - or unfortunately - for Ms. Jones, Acheron would rather punish her in far more pleasurable ways.

The girl relaxed visibly when her boss took his answer at face value, and he almost smirked. She was acting like he was the last person on earth she wanted to see, and the sheer novelty of it only made her more desirable in his eyes.

Poor baby, Acheron thought. If she had truly wanted to turn him off, she should've acted like other women and thrown herself at him the first chance she got.