Total pages in book: 18
Estimated words: 18308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 92(@200wpm)___ 73(@250wpm)___ 61(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 18308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 92(@200wpm)___ 73(@250wpm)___ 61(@300wpm)
All she knew was that these feelings of hers were entirely inappropriate, so...
Focus, Payton!
You need a job to pay for your student loans!
So focus!
Payton tried to recall her train of thought.
Niccolò de Vindice was...oh, right.
He was so protective of his privacy that there wasn’t a single photo of him on the Internet. At all. Since that was practically unheard of in this age, she could only imagine how much he had spent to make it happen.
But with Fairscale’s IPO just around the corner, and the fact that his company was hiring for its new PR department—
Oh.
She finally noticed how he was looking at her, and well...
This was her first job interview ever, so she wasn’t actually sure what that stare meant, so...
“I’m sorry,” she blurted out. “Did I do something wrong?”
Mr. de Vindice coughed. “No. Apologies.”
And now, his high-boned cheeks were slightly flushed.
“S-Should I call for Nellie? You look—”
“It’s fine,” he said curtly. “Let’s get on with the interview, shall we?”
Payton’s heart sank. Had she made him angry? Again?
“You’ve just graduated from college, I take it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And where else have you applied aside from Fairscale?”
“I have an interview with Todd & Tolstoy lined up after this,” she admitted.
“And if both of us made you an offer, which would you choose?”
“You.”
And when he raised a brow, she realized how that sounded, and she hastily added, “I mean, Fairscale. I...I’d choose Fairscale—”
“That wasn’t what you said earlier.”
Was it just her or did that sound like Mr. de Vindice had purred those words—
Enough, Payton!
You need this job!
So stop thinking stupid thoughts!
Payton cleared her throat. “I apologize for the misunderstanding. What I meant was that Todd & Tolstoy’s job opening is for advertising, and I’d rather work in PR.”
“Is there any difference between the two?”
“People versus products.”
“So you’re saying you prefer to market people?”
“I like correcting wrong impressions,” she said simply.
“And if I were to hire you, what would those wrong impressions be?”
“Wrong impressions like...”
Oh no.
Don’t.
Just don’t.
But instead she heard herself say, “I think I, um, read somewhere that you have a girlfriend.”
“Did you?”
“Yup.”
“Show me, please.”
“I forgot where I read it.”
“How convenient.”
Mr. de Vindice’s gaze glittered as he said this, and well...one thing was for sure. The way butterflies were suddenly fluttering their wings in her stomach? That was terribly inconvenient, and—
“I don’t have a girlfriend.”
Oh.
“Do you have a boyfriend, Payton?”
OH.
“I...I...” Payton gulped. “No.”
“Then...”
His jaw clenched.
Her heart pounded.
And when he rose to his feet...
She could only stay still, almost as if she was waiting for her whole life...
Payton’s lungs started working overtime as he took her hand.
Her knees were shaking, and she had a feeling he was aware of this.
“You have a very unusual effect on me.”
Was he saying...he had fallen in love with her at first sight? Because if he was, she had a feeling that was also—
“You make me feel like I have lower IQ than usual.”
Oh.
Okay.
Um.
“Was that supposed to be a compliment?”
He cleared his throat. “I’m...sorry. It’s like what I said. You...make me feel like I’m not myself.”
“Riiiight.”
Payton started to pull away at this point, but this seemed to make him panic.
“What I mean is—” He raked a hand through his hair. “I think I’ll just keep getting this wrong, so...” Payton jerked in shock when he suddenly cupped her face.
“May I simply show you instead?”
She had barely started to nod when his mouth immediately covered hers, and oh...
It was her fist kiss, but she already knew...
Oh.
Oh.
Oh.
She didn’t even know how she ended up with her arms around his neck.
Or her on his lap in his couch.
But when he finally lifted his head to let her breathe—
All she could do was look at him dazedly.
Niccolò.
She only realized she had said it out loud when his golden gaze blazed with need.
“Say it again.”
And so she did.
“Niccolò—”
He kissed her again and again and again, and when once again he had to give her a moment to catch her breath—
“I feel like I have been waiting for you my entire life,” Niccolò said tautly.
“It’s the same for me, too.”
“But it sounds crazy, does it not?”
"Do you want to hear something crazier?"
His gaze gleamed. "From you? Always."
Payton wasn’t quite sure that was a compliment, but anyway...
"You probably hear this all the time, looking the way you look—”
“Are you saying women are only after me because of my looks? What about me being a billionaire—”
“Let’s not talk about that. I only date trillionaires as a rule, but for you I’m lowering my standards—”
“Give me five years, cara—”
“I was just joking,” she said hastily, “so please forget I even said that, and anyway...” She felt like her heart was about to explode with nervousness.
“Whatever crazy thing you want to tell me, I’ll believe it.”
“I think...”
This is really crazy. So, so crazy. And yet...
“I think you’re my future best friend, my future husband, my future baby daddy—”
She didn’t get to say anything else.