Page 53 of Savage Suit

“Your concern about tact shocks me, Ms. Hagen.”

Offering me a severe look, she sniffed. “The shade of it all.”

Her tone drew my laughter. “You are curious about your salary.”

“How did you know?”

“That’s the one discussion during an interview requiring the most discretion.”

She nodded. “Right.”

“What are your salary requirements, Ms. Hagen?”

Caught her off-guard, she blinked. As usual, she was quick on her feet. “At least the pay I received at T.S. Marketing.”

“Your starting salary was fifty thousand dollars a year. By the time you left, you were earning sixty-five thousand.”

“Yes. Sixty-five a year is my desire.”

“I see.” I kept my expression neutral. “About thirty-two five per position.”

Disappointment flitted across her face, yet she nodded again. “Yes.”

“That amount is what you need to live comfortably?”

“That amount is what I need to survive.” She frowned. “What do you mean by ‘live comfortably’?”

“Meeting all your obligations, with money left over to save a third of your paycheck and pursue recreations.”

“I learned a long time ago how to live frugally. I allowed myself a small bi-monthly budget for entertainment and clothes. All unused funds went into my savings, which I’m grateful for now.” She lifted her arm, pulled back her jacket sleeve, and revealed a gold watch. “I gifted myself this Coach watch for my 25thbirthday. Saving for it took me a few months.”

Hiding my wince, I remained silent.

“So,” she said, dropping her arm to her side again, “I can expect a salary in the range of what I received at T.S. Marketing?”

I had some thinking to do, but I nodded. “You will receive bonuses with each goal you meet.”

“Even more incentive to succeed.”

She held out her slender hand again, and I gladly accepted it. Her touch signaled my cock, but I refused to release her until she ended our handshake. Later, I’d rub one out, pretending her full lips wrapped around my dick.

“Thank you so much.” Her voice was low and sexy, and her gaze burned into mine. “You won’t regret entering the 21stcentury.”

She turned away before I responded to her jab, so she missed my grin.

Pausing at the door, she turned to me again. Her slight smile drew my attention to her mouth. “I was thinking I’d search for other employment while I worked on the account. That might not be necessary anymore,” she said. “I’ll see you Monday morning.”

Left alone, I shoved my hands in my trouser pockets and stared at the door, perplexed by her comments, until I glanced at the money and remembered my earlier demand.

Soft laughter escaped me. She’d thrown her gauntlet, sharing her thoughts in her own way and her own time. Clearly, she intended to challenge me at every turn. “Game on, Ryan.”

Chapter Thirteen

“It must be urgent for you to have sought me out,” my cousin, Reid, greeted me as I walked to the table he sat at with my brother, Nicholas. “Especially at the club. You rarely show your face around here anymore.”

Nicholas’s presence shouldn’t have surprised me. Those two were good pals. My cousin had an office in my building and was a junior partner in his father’s firm. Keegan and Associates oversaw two smaller subsidiaries of my corporation. Our in-house attorneys sometimes consulted my uncle and his stable of attorneys. Quid pro quo. That branch of the Keegans also served as my family’s personal attorneys. In return, they had access to our yacht, our planes, and our contacts. My uncle and his family could rent an island.

We could but it.