Page 3 of Daddies’ Dark Desires (Forbidden Fantasies #19)

GRANT

I t’s strange to have Harper here in this office after a year without Ryan.

As inevitable as it was for her to wind up here.

As much as I’d predicted and prepared for it.

Ryan’s little girl is now part of the team.

The moment she shifted her studies in college, I knew anything I said to change her mind would fall on deaf ears.

She meant to end up here.

And she’s already creating waves.

The exasperation of our HR man—the one overseeing her group of interns—is comical.

I should have better prepared him for the legacy he had in that conference room.

The one he’s been doing his best to bury under the onboarding paperwork.

It took everything in me not to crack a smile when I asked how they were doing.

When the day winds to a close, I step out of my office again, catching Harper spinning in her chair, distracting not only the other interns but every man on the other side of the glass separating her from the typically functioning office.

Those long shapely legs flash the room with every rotation, and I can barely resist staring at them.

Her chair stops, and she’s smirking at me like I’ve been caught.

I take the opportunity, pointing at her and gesturing for her to get her ass out of that chair and over here.

A full grin blooms over her face like a deadly warning.

She spins around, but I can see her mouth moving as she grabs her things.

Leonard’s face is red, but he’s submitted to her dominance.

Harper is already fully in control.

This does not bode well for the rest of my office.

Sauntering toward me, she swings her bag over her shoulder and locks onto my gaze without a single ounce of intimidation.

Full brat mode.

I want to laugh and grin at her, but when she stops in front of me, I can only shake my head.

Taking her by the arm, I guide her toward my office; she comes easily. “You demand a lot of attention.”

“Hmm?” That reply doesn’t even remotely sound innocent.

“What did you do to poor Leonard?”

Her laugh wraps around my ribs and squeezes.

“Oh, Lenny was not well prepared for a woman with strong opinions this morning. He understands the dynamic now.”

“He does, does he?”

I allow myself a small smile as I wave her into the room and step in behind her.

Harper takes a slow spin to examine my office as I close the door.

“Is this fifty questions?”

“No. Not exactly. Just want to be sure I brace the rest of my men for what to expect in the morning.”

I walk around my desk and gesture for her to sit.

She drops her bag in the seat and props her hands on the back of it instead.

The angle accentuates her curviness, and the low cut of her blouse is kryptonite for my composure.

I allow for only for a glance as I sit.

But she’s bright, and she probably caught it.

I didn’t bring her in here to check her out.

I brought her here to check on her.

It’s a fatherly urge I haven’t grown into fully.

Protective may be a better word.

We all worry about her without her father here to keep her in line.

To keep her safe.

But the way she’s staring me down…it’s slathering the room in tension because Harper is not a kid anymore.

Still highly off limits, but the way she shows off her body, the plumpness of her hips in that too tight skirt—the way the other men in the office look at her—has me noticing things that I shouldn’t be.

She’s sharp, too.

She’s always been sharp, easily wrapping Ryan around her finger.

We always joked about her being a brat.

It was true.

I have a feeling she’s still one, but a much more savvy version.

“Well, you should prepare them for my propensity to resist orders. There’s a nice way to speak to a lady.”

I chuckle.

Her gaze darkens, fingers gripping the chair harder.

“Sit down, Harper.” My voice is soft but holds no room for refusal.

The way her back straightens as she shakes her hair back accentuates the smooth way she moves around the chair to lower into it.

She relaxes into it and crosses her legs, flashing me the long line of her thighs.

She’s playing games with me.

My nostrils flare as I maintain eye contact. “How was your first day?”

That sultry grin is back.

“Boring. The amount of onboarding paperwork is a bit much. Good way of weeding out the weak, I suppose.”

“It’s standard for your position.”

She waves her hand at me like standards are beneath her.

“Sure, but let a girl get up and walk around and read that ridiculous manual somewhere other than a conference room. God, stuck in one place all day. It’s like you’re purposefully trying to torture us.”

“No one else in your group complained.” I settle my palm on my desk.

She follows the movement.

“No. They wouldn’t, would they.” Flicking some hair from her eyes, she takes in my desk around me, like she’s slotting me into a new spot in her mind.

Boss.

“They’re all terrified of you, Trent, and Oliver.”

A heavy sigh seems to dismiss that idea, like we don’t scare her one bit.

“You’ll need to take orders in this position, Harper. You realize that.”

That comment lasers her scrutiny back on me.

“Yes. I am aware. As I’m aware that paperwork is part of the deal. But I also don’t need to be told not to say anything compromising to anyone outside of the job. It’s just ridiculous to think otherwise.”

“You’d be surprised.”

My brow shoots up in challenge.

“Mmm, I’m not, but I’m also not them.”

She lifts a leg to point her shiny heel at me.

Fuck. Tempting kitten.

“No. You’re certainly not. But you’re not going to give your supervisor the same attitude you gave Leonard today.”

It’s not a question.

Her leg drops back into place, and she offers me a perfectly sweet smile.

“Of course not. And I won’t complain about boring work as long as it’s work. I want to get my hands on a challenge. Even the lowest rung of something important. What I don’t want is a babysitter giving me busy work.”

“You realize you’re an intern.”

She rolls her eyes.

“Again. As long as it amounts to something, I’m willing to do it. But that—in there with Lenny—was an abomination. Shit show.”

It gets harder and harder not to laugh.

I wipe a hand across my mouth as it twitches.

She’s doing this on purpose.

The minx.

“How’s your mom doing?”

Harper sighs and looks at her red nails.

“Fine. I guess. She doesn’t talk about her feelings, at least to me, so…”

Yeah, of the two of them, Ryan was always the softer one.

Yet the talk Samantha had with me after his funeral…she loves Harper fiercely.

Worries about her constantly.

But Harper is right, it doesn’t dim Samantha’s drive.

Doesn’t stop her from being gone and working too hard.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

Her attitude transforms into something else.

Something serious and scary.

A look that’s similar to her father’s when he caught onto something important.

“Like what?”

“Like you’re sorry. Because if you’re sorry, you’re guilty. And if you’re guilty, I’ll find out.”

Yeah, Harper is a good mix of both Ryan and Samantha actually.

That’s pretty close to what her mother said to me when we broke the news.

A deep pang rings in my chest.

“How are you getting home?”

“The train, of course.”

Dismissive.

No thought of the dangers that lurk on the rails.

“You should let us send you home in a car.”

Now that she’s here, she’s in more danger than before.

Harper’s feet drop to the floor, her bag strap settling over her shoulder before she stands.

Leaning over the edge of my desk, she gives me a teasing smile—and a full view down her blouse.

Fuck.

“Hmm. Not necessary.”

Lingering for another few heartbeats tempts me more than it should, then she spins on her heels and is sashaying out of my office without looking back. I let her go.

It’s fine.

I don’t need to be verbally combative with her to get what I want.

Straightening my jacket and buttoning it when I stand, I march over to Oliver’s office.

He’s behind a big bank of computer screens, and on the one in the lowest left corner, Harper is in the elevator, headed down to the lobby.

Oliver looks me over before turning back to the screen.

We’re both going to watch and ensure she gets home safely.