Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 86629 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 433(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86629 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 433(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
And yet… my cheeks are flushed red and his praise is like a fireworks display in my heart.
After Brad dumped me for Lavender Lane, I’ve been feeling like a slug smashed into a messy pulp. My self-esteem is practically in the gutter.
But if a man like Connor Maguire finds me attractive…
No, stop, this is stupid and weird!
“I’m aware of the situation we’re in right now, Ms. Bellandi. There is a… power imbalance in this room.” He says those words like he enjoys them. His lips tug into the barest hint of a smile, but his eyes remain hard. It’s terrifying and arousing all at once. I lick my lips, hands shaking. “I’m going to ask you something, and if you say no, you can turn around and leave this office with no repercussions. Your photos will be deleted. The email will disappear. It will be as if this little mistake never happened. Do you understand?”
I nod, a whimper deep in my throat. I know what’s coming next. I know what he wants by the way his eyes graze down my body, simmering with heat and lust. He glances at the screen again, and I know what he’s seeing. That’s me, my breasts, my mouth, my legs.
He looks back and I know he’s comparing, weighing, judging, wondering: does she really look like that under all her frumpy clothes?
Under that too-big sweater? Those thick dress slacks? The ugly shoes?
Yes, asshole, I really freaking do.
“What do you want to ask me, Mr. Maguire?”
I don’t know why I say it. Like I’m challenging him. Like, screw you, asshole, I really am hot. I can be sexy! Sometimes! Under the right circumstances! And sure, maybe my ex told me I give head like I’m trying to clean a drain with my teeth (whatever that means) but he can kick rocks and screw himself.
Connor Maguire’s hands press against his desk as he stands. Crap, I forgot how tall he is. Big and broad, a massive hulking brute of a man. How does he even fit in this room? He’s so out of place in an office, it’s like a joke. He should be in a ring beating another man to a pulp or something, covered in blood and brains, reveling in death and broken bones.
“I have an hour open in my schedule this evening. Would you like to recreate one of these poses for me, Ms. Bellandi?”
Oh, shit.
I knew it was coming. Maybe not that, exactly, but something like it.
This man wants me.
There’s no denying the lust-dripping hunger in his eyes.
And maybe under other circumstances, I’d be repulsed, but not tonight. Not with Connor Maguire. And he’s right, there’s a power imbalance… but for some sick reason, that makes this so much hotter.
It’s wrong. This situation, it’s everything I should hate.
I’m a good person. I follow the rules. I do the right thing, always, a living contrast to my nightmare of a mother, to my deadbeat father, to my loser ex-boyfriend.
Good girls don’t get themselves into situations like this one.
Good girls get the hell out of the office when the Big Boss propositions them.
But I’ve been good for a long time, and it hasn’t gotten me anything but dumped, abused, taken advantage of, and ignored.
Right now, for the next hour, good can go ahead and screw itself.
“Which were you thinking?” I whisper, heart racing wildly, right up into my throat.
Connor’s expression barely reacts. It’s like he knew what I’d say.
He comes around the desk, his body shockingly powerful and well-built. I step back, afraid he’s going to touch me and also desperately wanting him to, but he moves past, to the door, and turns the lock.
It clicks home with a sharp thud.
Oh, god. For a brief moment, I think I’m stuck. Trapped again. Metal all around. Heat, screams, broken glass, blood. No, I’m not there, I’m fine, I’m fine. I’m safe.
He pauses, going still, brows tugging down. “Are you alright? I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable, Ms. Bellandi. I’m only making sure nobody interrupts.”
“It’s okay.” I drift to the couch and sit on the edge. “I have trouble with enclosed spaces sometimes.”
“Should I open the lock?”
“No, no, it’s really… it’s okay.” I drag in a stumbling breath through my nose and smooth my palms over my thighs. “You were going to tell me which image you like best.”
His smile is wicked. It’s delicious, filled with promise, and terrifying. I want to laugh and scream. Who is this girl right now? I don’t recognize myself reflected in his gaze.
“The one I showed you. Stay right there. Top off. Legs spread. I want you to look at me the way you looked at that camera. Was that photo for a boyfriend?”
“Ex-boyfriend.” I don’t move, heart pounding, adrenaline spiking. “Are you going to…”
“I won’t touch you if you don’t want me to.”