Page 9

My pulse is thready, and I want to open the doors to let in some fresh air, even though the AC is at least five degrees cooler in here than out in the bullpen.

For such a cold man, he sure needs a lot of air conditioning.

“No,” I fib. My fingers twist around each other as I tilt my face up and sit up straighter.

Never let men see your fear.

Because once they do, they’ll back you in the corner like Marvin, another one of Mom’s exes, did at the burlesque club while we waited for Mom in the dressing room when I was sixteen.

“Come on, honey, you and I can have a little bit of fun while your mom is at work.” I remember his beady eyes glued to my chest and how his slimy voice made my skin crawl.

It was then I learned how effective a swift kick to the balls is for incapacitating handsy men who thought their money could buy the world.

“I’m just waiting to see if there’s a question attached to your statement.” I cock my brow despite the beads of sweat gathering behind my neck.

Steven laughs, the sound loud and jarring, but mesmerizing all the same. Breathing in slowly, my lips tug into a grin, the early ache in my chest slowly dissipating. A hint of the ocean and leather, no doubt an expensive cologne, wafts to my face.

An addictive, seductive scent. One I could see myself falling under the spell of.

The cologne, not the man.

For a moment there, the harsh angles of his face soften as the smile lingers on his lips. His eyes are lighter and brighter. His shoulders loosen, which I doubt he even noticed how rigidly he was sitting moments ago.

His chuckles fade into the silence once more and he frowns, as if surprised at something, and the strange stillness befalls us again.

“You’re one interesting woman, Grace. Fearless, even in the den of the wolves.”

“I intend to rule the den one day. Fear won’t help me on the journey.”

Steven cocks his head, a flash of admiration in his eyes, and nods, as if agreeing with my assessment. “I like your honesty. Don’t lose it as you move up the ranks.”

He steeples his fingers and leans forward, the glint in his eyes sharpening. A different energy filters through him as he focuses his attention on me, like I’m interesting. I find myself wishing I could keep the spark burning in those tawny irises always.

He clears his throat. “I called you in here because I want to know how an intern could notice something the rest of them didn’t see.”

Relaxing into my chair, I smooth out the wrinkles I inflicted on my pants, my body still on edge from our mere minutes in the same room.

When in doubt, I always go with honesty.

“I grew up in the seediest part of the Bronx, so we needed to pay attention to everything, to keep our eyes out to make sure we didn’t end up as a target to be taken advantage of.

And we needed to be on the lookout always, as three single women in one tiny apartment. ”

Steven’s gaze is intent on mine, his intense eyes darkening at my brief description of the less savory parts of my childhood, probably reading between the lines on what I’m not saying. His hand taps a slow rhythm on the table before curling into a fist, but he doesn’t comment .

“Most of us don’t make it out of there without some battle scars.

And even fewer of us end up graduating from college.

So, I’m used to working hard, studying more than anyone else in class, and being meticulous in my work.

I learned to read everything I could get my hands on, and to pay attention to details others may miss. ”

“And so, you read the footnotes,” he murmurs, his eyes narrowing slightly, his gaze never trailing away from mine.

“Yes,” I reply on an exhale. “I memorized the details.”

“And familiarized yourself with every word but also understood everything that was unwritten.” His voice almost comes out as a rasp, his eyes still pinned on mine, his hand gripping the pen tightly in his palm.

My rioting pulse is now an unsteady drum in my ears, all my senses attuned to the mysterious man before me, the thickness and intensity in his voice drawing me in like a lure. I release a shuddering exhale and whisper, “When some things appear too good to be true, they usually are.”

The AC hums to life in the background, the burst of air sending a chill down my body.

I shiver despite the strange heat gathering in my chest. My tongue dips out to wet my lips again, a nervous tic, but Steven misses nothing, his eyes flaring slightly, darting to the movement.

His gaze drags down to my chest, pausing for a brief second, then flickers back to my eyes once more.

He stands up abruptly, strides to the coat rack by the bookshelves, retrieves the suit jacket I saw him wearing earlier, then hands it to me, his eyes darting down my torso before looking away.

I glance down, noticing my thin bra doing little to hide the pebbled nipples protruding against the damp fabric, and I gasp, quickly snatching the jacket from him and wrapping it around my body.

He clears his throat and sits down in his chair, the strange tension dissipating instantly, like everything was just figments of my overly creative imagination.

His eyes are once again dispassionate, his bearing as cold as a statue, looking every inch the King of Wall Street as everyone calls him behind his back .

Only the faint pulsing of the vein on his forehead indicates the last few moments had impacted him somehow.

“I’d like you to join the two projects I’m kicking off next week. Have you heard of Scott Enterprises and TransAmerica?” His voice carries a tinge of hoarseness, and he takes a leisurely sip from a cup on his desk.

“Of course. The real estate empire is headed by the billionaire, Adrian Scott. I’ve also read online he’s your brother-in-law, and TransAmerica, well, everyone knows them. Your father plays a big role in the company.”

He nods, a faint smile on his lips like he’s pleased I’ve done my research on him.

“Adrian just signed an agreement for us to manage half of his investment holdings. As for TransAmerica, we’re mainly research gathering right now, but things may change quickly.

I only want the best and the brightest on my team, and not only because this relates to my family, but also because of the size and influence of these companies on the broader business community. ”

Steven cocks his head to the side before dipping into a curt nod. “I’m usually good at reading people. I’ll send Hayley an email to let her know you’ll be joining us. Kick off meeting is eight a.m. sharp. You may go back to your desk now.”

My chest bursts with pride, bubbles of excitement flooding my insides, and I bite my cheek to keep from screaming or squealing. I climb to a standing position, my feet practically bouncing on the floor.

“Thank you, sir!” Steven’s eyes lift to mine once more, the irises darkening a smidge, but I’m too excited to care. I rock on my heels, my lips splitting into a wide smile. “Thank you so much for the opportunity. You won’t be disappointed.”

Spinning around, I take a few steps toward the office door, only to find my fingers still clutching the lapels of his expensive suit jacket.

Turning back, I begin to shrug off the jacket—

“Keep it until your shirt dries. Just leave it on your desk before you leave. I’ll pick it up before I go home,” he instructs, his eyes pinned to the computer, his fingers flying over the keys in an incessant rhythm.

He has put on a pair of thin, metal-rimmed rectangular glasses, the ensemble only making him more devastatingly handsome.

My heart skips a beat.

“Thank you, sir.”

The clattering of keys stops briefly, then restarts, and he proceeds to ignore me as I walk the rest of the way out of his office, the elation thrumming through my veins better than any coffee or alcohol in the system.

I inhale deeply, the intoxicating scent of the ocean breeze with a hint of sandalwood, pear, leather, and spice sifting into my nose, and I burrow deeper into the jacket, which wraps around me like a warm hug.

I try to convince myself even a blind woman would find Steven attractive and the clamoring in my chest and the butterflies flapping their wings in my stomach are just reactions to being excited about being part of his team.

That’s all there is to it.