Damien didn’t like Douglas’s underlining threat to his daughter. He was making it more than clear that she would take the job or face his wrath. The authority he used in his voice was unmistakable. Her complete cooperation was his unyielding expectation.
Even though Damien was getting what he wanted, the way Douglas spoke to his daughter infuriated him. He wanted Sierra to stand up for herself, tell her father to ‘go to hell’, anything other than sit on the couch, looking so defeated.
“Why me? I wasn’t looking for work, yet,” Sierra said.
“Of course you weren’t,” Douglas practically snarled as if Sierra were nothing more than a burden. Damien decided it was time to interrupt again.
“I always know what I want, Sierra. Your father contacted me and I’ve done the research, and decided you’d accommodate my needs perfectly. It’s really quite simple.” Damien was still as he waited for any kind of reaction from her.
“What if I refuse?” she asked with reserve, her shoulders slouching as she uttered the words.
“Then you’ll disappoint me,” Douglas said, menace pouring through his words.
Damien watched as a small shudder passed through her. What had her so afraid of her father? Was it a fear of being cut off from her trust? He wanted to believe that, but somehow he doubted his earlier beliefs that she was nothing but a trust-fund baby. It just didn’t add up.
“What are the requirements?” This was asked with hesitancy as if she were afraid of the answer.
She should be.
Damien wanted to know how far she was willing to go to secure her funds. He knew what she was truly asking. She wanted to know if he really needed an employee, or if he was looking for a mistress.
Let her wonder, he thought.
He slowly lifted his hand and ran his fingers across her cheekbone, pushing fallen strands of her dark hair out of her eyes. Those expressive brown eyes flashed to his own, locking their gazes together as his thumb slid across her moist bottom lip. He pulled his hand back quickly, irritated at his sudden lack of control.
“Anything an assistant is asked to do,” he said, his voice showing no emotion as he reined himself back in.
He watched in fascination as her eyes widened. There was fear behind her expressive depths. She was out of her element, looking confused, but he saw a spark of excitement there, too. He watched as she glanced to the ground, placing a mask on her face before she looked back up to her father.
His body hummed as he sat next to her, thought of the possibilities of all the hours they’d work together. He felt an attraction to her that seemed to be growing by the minute. It had been a while since his last arrangement with a woman. He knew better than to get involved with employees, however, Sierra wasn’t going to work for him forever.
What would be the harm if they had an affair? He’d still get what he ultimately wanted, and after all, they were both consenting adults…
“I…um…don’t think I’m qualified,” she said, bringing him back to their conversation. It took him a moment to realize she was talking about the job, not about being his lover. Her tongue slipped out and moistened the corner of her lip, sending a surge of heat though him as his attraction to her took another leap.
“I’ll be the judge of that. Personally, I think you’re more than qualified,” he said, managing to place that hint of steel into his tone that had made dignitaries shake.
His eyes roved across her face, then drifted down the column of her throat to the small opening at the top of her blouse. Her generous curves were heaving up and down as her breath quickened. Whether she was excited about the job, or him, he’d soon find out.
“Go pack a couple of bags while I speak with Mr. Whitfield. He has business in Australia so you’ll be leaving straight away,” Douglas said, dismissing her from the room as if the deal was done.
Damien tensed, waiting for her reaction. He knew he wasn’t leaving that house without her. She was a mystery that had to be solved. His focus was shifting from revenge to desire, which he didn’t like, but he knew she’d consume his thoughts if he were to walk away at that point. Once he set his mind on something, he had to see it through. It would become an obsession otherwise.
“I… I haven’t decided if I’m taking the job,” she protested.
“You’d be a fool not to,” Douglas said scornfully. “We’ll take care of all the small details. You can run along, now.”
Damien’s irritation with Douglas was at an all-time high and he was about to say something to him until Sierra slowly stood from the couch, lifted her head high, and walked from the room.
Her father had basically told her that her life was his to command, and she hadn’t put up much of a protest at all. She’d almost blindly obeyed him.
Damien stood as he faced Douglas. It appeared all the negative information he’d heard about the man through the years had been accurate.
He hadn’t liked, nor respected Douglas before their meeting. Now, he couldn’t stand him. He was the worst kind of bottom-feeder. He was willing to sell his own daughter as if she were nothing more than a slave. Damien’s respect for Sierra wasn’t much higher – she was just as willing to sell herself. How does someone get to such a point in their life? he wondered.
There was a voice in the back of his mind countering his thoughts. It was impossible to deny the way she seemed utterly broken, as if her father had somehow bent her will to his command. The way she barely fought back, the slump in her shoulders, the defeated tone she used.
Was all of that fear of losing her home, incurring her father’s wrath, or more? One thing Damien knew for sure was that there was a lot more to Sierra than the small glimpse he’d just seen of her. It shouldn’t take him too long to unravel the mystery.
“Let’s sign the papers,” Damien said as he approached Douglas’s desk. Damien’s face was stoic, giving nothing away. Sitting through the meeting had wreaked havoc on the ghost of a Band-Aid covering his own childhood skeletons. His wounds were now fully exposed, feeling extremely raw. He wouldn’t give Douglas even the most fleeting moment of his respect.
It wouldn’t take long to figure out Sierra – when she wasn’t in the presence of her father.
Damien had an iron-clad contract. If Sierra left his employment before three months was out, all his money would be pulled out of the investment with Monroe Enterprises. Douglas got a third up front, then the rest in three months. Still, if she left, even the initial third would be pulled. If Douglas didn’t have the money to re-pay him, Damien would take it any way he could.