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Humiliation makes my cheeks burn. This man can’t be for real.

I drove an hour to get here. Even if he thinks I’m not fit for the job, he at least owes me an interview.

I stand and lean forward to gather my things.

A deep, guttural growl escapes his chest.

Thenerveof this man.

He’s sitting there like he owns the entire world. He’s not just rude to me. He was rude to the girl he interviewed before me as well.

I’m about to leave, but some force stops me in my tracks.

If I’m not going to get the job anyway, I might as well give him a piece of my mind.

“You know what? I don’t care who you are or how much money you have. You need to learn how to treat people with respect.”

He stands now.

Light falls on his face, and I see him for the first time. And absolutelynothingcould have prepared me for it.

A ripple of desire passes through my entire body. Something awakens inside my core, making me restless and achy all over.

He’s tall, muscular, and so much older than me. He has dark wavy hair and whiskey eyes that make me feel intoxicated. Along scar runs down the right side of his face, from his forehead to his cheekbone.

He exudes male dominance, and it’s so potent that I have to take a step back.

“Is that right?” he says.

“Yes.” The one word comes out with more courage than I currently possess.

“Respectfully, Miss Turner, this job isn’t right for you.”

“You haven’t even looked at my résumé.”

“I didn’t have to,” he replies, giving no further explanation.

A part of me wants to challenge him, but I know that whatever he has to say about me can’t be kind. He’s looking at me like I’m a critter that crawled into his house uninvited.

“Then I guess we have nothing further to discuss.” I turn away before he can see the tears in my eyes.

I can feel him watching me as I walk away. His gaze is like fire skimming against my skin—hot and dangerous. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way about anybody before.

I’ve never met a more disrespectful man in my life.

I’ve never been so attracted to one, either.

As I leave his office, I feel a sense of loss. As infuriating and degrading as that man was, I could see that there was more to him than what met the eye. I was curious about him. He was a story I wanted to flip through.

Helena is waiting for me outside.

She looks up at me expectantly. Her face falls when she sees me.

“Your boss is an asshole.”

“I can’t argue with that.” She purses her lips as she leads me away from the office.

“Does he treat everyone like they’re beneath him?”