Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Leah
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The next morning, I almost have a heart attack when I stride into the kitchen. Caleb Steele–my dad’s hot boss who looks even better in person than on his Facebook page is sitting on a chair, smirking at me the moment our eyes meet.
“So you’re the little novelist who writes erotic stories about older men with ‘chiseled bodies‘ and ‘six–packs to die for,‘ huh?”
His eyes twinkle with amusement while I stand there, wishing I could disappear from the face of the earth. The hairs on the back of my neck stand upright, and I quickly look away, heat rising in my cheeks as I recall those vivid descriptions of my male protagonist.
Luckily, I never have to give Caleb an answer before my mom walks into the kitchen: She pours some coffee into a cup and comes over to the table with it.
“Your coffee is ready, Mr. Steele. It’s probably not a brand your rich taste is familiar with, but it’s the best we have. I hope you will enjoy it.” She says cheerfully, completely oblivious to the mortification written plainly on my face.
Caleb gives her a charming smile. “I’m sure it will be lovely, Mrs. Foster. But where are your cinnamon rolls? Your husband. always praises them at work, and I’ve been dying to try them.”
As my mom blushes at the compliment and hurries inside the cooking area to prepare some of her famous cinnamon, I feel Caleb’s eyes on me again. I swallow hard, mustering up every ounce of courage I have left.
“What are you doing here?”
“To see who it is I’m about to hire,” he answers smoothly, taking sip of his coffee. “I’m also here for your autograph. After all, I couldn’t possibly miss the chance to meet the author of such an intriguing story and not ask for an autograph when she could become the next big thing”
His words bring a fresh wave of heat to my cheeks, and I choke back a gasp. Is this a cruel joke?
With a raised eyebrow, Caleb continues, “What? You thought I would be offended by what you sent and not at all impressed? If that’s the case, then you’re wrong. Your story was rather…engaging, to say the least.” His lips spread into a wide grin.
Fumbling for words, I stutter out, “You…you… you’re not mad?”
“No,” he chuckles, “more amused, I would say. Your application was by far the most interesting one I’ve received. Probably ever. Besides, who am I to discourage creativity?”
His voice drips with sarcasm, and his piercing gaze completely disarms me. By now, my face is burning from humiliation. and I avert my eyes, staring down at the floor.
I never realized men his age could be so infuriating…not that I entirely hate it. In a very irritating way, Caleb is charming. My heart hasn’t stopped pounding since the moment he opened his mouth.
Right then, my mom pops up with the cinnamon rolls. “I don’t ink my husband has realized that you’re here. He is talking to the neighbor. Do you want me to go and get him
“If you
don’t mind,” Caleb replies without taking his eyes off of me, even as the cinnamon rolls are placed on the table,
“I will be right back”
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Chapter 2
As soon as my mom is no longer with us, Caleb takes the freedom to be obnoxious,
“Your sex scenes lack depth, and some of them look like they have been written by A..” He pauses. “You’re a virgin, aren’t you?”
Excuse me?
“That’s none of your business!”
I glare at Caleb with daggers in my eyes. My whole opinion of him has changed. Yesterday, when I read his e–mail, he seemed like a grown–up. Now? Not so much. The guy clearly lacks a filter, and I find that so obnoxious.
…he is still attractive, though.
“None of my business…” Caleb repeats my words and stands up. have to crane my neck up and up and up to meet his blue eyes. He is like a giant, and my stupid, traitor brain immediately finds that hot.
I’m salivating against my will at the sight of him, and the heat between my legs only grows when he gives me a dark smile. “You know, if you were my “plaything, I wouldn’t let you raise your voice at me like that.”
I freeze when he stalks towards me, towering over me with his large frame. In the past, I always thought men who wore suits were lame because I always thought of them as overworked people who never had fun.
But Caleb looks anything but lame. His broad shoulders fill out the suit perfectly, and his tall height makes him look powerful. His presence is simply overwhelming.
I gulp and take a step back, pressing myself against the wall. “I wasn’t raising my voice.” I manage to mutter, trying hard not to let fear creep into my voice.
“No?” He leans closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. “It sounded pretty loud to me.”
My heart hammers against my ribcage. “Wh–why are you so close to me?”
“Just testing a theory,” he responds and plants one of his massive hands above my head while the other grips my chin to force me to look at him.
Miraculously, I don’t faint and stammer, “Wh–what theory?”
He smirks. “You find me attractive, don’t you?”
“N–no, I don’t,” I lie, but Caleb sees through it.
“You do,” to prove his point, he slips his hand further down, and once he finds the wet patch between my legs, a satisfied smile curls his lips. “This would be the proof.”
“N–no,” I stammer again, pushing at his chest with shaky hands. He doesn’t even budge. “You’re just…just messing with my head.”
Caleb’s grin only widens at my denial. “Am I now? Your body doesn’t seem to think I’m messing around with it. It wants me, and the feeling is mutual.”
Since I don’t know how to escape from him, I meet his eyes and ask, “Wh–what do you want?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” he asks. “I want you as my secretary for the summer,” those lingers of his travel back up to my face–ud1. hold my breath when he gently–brushes the pad of his thumb or my bottom lip: “You would do more than just typing and
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Chapter 2
answering calls, of course.”
I stare
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alwithin and he chuckles. “The summer is a very busy period for me, Leah. I travel a lot, and having a secretary who’s
with me would make certain urges easier to satisfy. Maybe we could help each other? Your erotic scenes would become more realistic.”
His eyes darken as his gaze drops to my lips. I feel my heart skiph beat. This isn’t fair. I never asked for any of this. Why does he have to be so…so…intoxicating?
“L…uh…”
He chuckles again, pulling away so abruptly it leaves me cold and missing his touch. “Think about it. You don’t have to answer me right now.”
Before I can reply, we both hear footsteps approaching and Caleb quickly steps away from me, straightening his tie and clearing his throat just as my mom re–enters the room with my dad in tow.
“Mr. Steelel” My dad exclaims. “I didn’t know you were coming here today!”
In response, Caleb merely smiles. “I won’t be staying.” he says before turning back to me, “I will wait for your decision, Missi Foster. The job is yours if you want it.”
He smiles at me one last time before exiting our home, leaving me standing there flustered and still slightly out of breath. My pulse races as I watch him walk away. That wasn’t the kind of first meeting I had expected.
My mom turns to me, looking at me with a questioning look. “Is everything okay, sweetie?”
It takes me a second before I can answer her, “Yes, Mom. Everything is fine.”
“Then why do you look so pale?” my dad asks. “Shouldn’t you be celebrating? You got the job!”
“L…” I stutter, my mind still in bits and pieces from the encounter. “I need to think about it,” I confess weakly.
“Think about it?” My mom frowns, her brow creasing with confusion. “But darling, this is the opportunity of a lifetime!” 1 swallow hard, searching for words. “It’s just…not what I expected. I finally manage.
My dad gives me a light pat on the back. “You’re probably just nervous, that’s all. Don’t worry; you will get used to the idea soon enough.”
They leave me alone in the room to ponder over Caleb Steele’s proposition. It’s an offer that seems too good to be true and too dangerous to accept.
Why does it feel like it would be a huge mistake to not take him up on his offer, but an even bigger one to accept?
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Chapter 3
