Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 79898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Stay focused, damnit, I told myself, swallowing hard.
Nico stepped closer and I smelled his cologne – it was musky and rich and powerful, just like the man himself.
“I mean, do you obey your parents?”
I laughed – it was more of a nervous giggle, really – and couldn’t stop myself from blushing as I looked into his eyes.
“I’m twenty-nine,” I explained. “I love my father, but he doesn’t really get to tell me what to do anymore.”
Nico seemed to think over my response for a moment. He pressed his lips together.
“So, if your father ordered you to marry, you would disobey?”
I nodded.
“Well, Russian parents are ... different,” Nico said. His mouth twisted into a grimace. “Russian parents, what they say goes.”
“Your parents want you to get married?” I asked. “Do you have a girlfriend?”
Nico let loose a bark of laughter. “No,” he said. “But they do not care about that. They have a long list of women, just waiting to become the next Mrs. Ulrich,” he added bitterly.
I didn’t know what to say to that. The idea of a man like Nico, powerful and arrogant, being reduced to a little boy by his parents was hard to comprehend. Surely, he had to be exaggerating – he’d done so well for himself that they should be nothing but proud of their son, arrogance aside.
“You know, I have an idea,” Nico said. He stepped closer and I could smell his cologne again. A shiver of desire ran down my spine as we locked eyes, and the tension between us grew even more palpable. My palms grew damp and I hastily wiped them on my thighs.
From outside Nico’s office, I heard my phone ring and I cringed. The headhunter would be pissed that I was missing the call, but there wasn’t anything I could do about that now other than send a hasty email to apologize once I could leave Nico’s office.
Not that I was thinking of leaving. Nico was standing so close that I could see flecks of ebony in his blue pupils, something I’d never noticed before. He was eyeing me up and down, as if he’d never seen a woman standing so close.
“You pretend to be my wife, yes?” Nico said. It was more of a statement than a question.
I laughed. “Yeah, right,” I told him. “No way, Nico. That’s not exactly part of my job description.”
I expected Nico to laugh, too – it had been a joke, after all. But his face turned cruel once again.
“You are my assistant,” Nico said. He pronounced every word carefully. “You are to do what I tell you. You are to follow orders.”
I blinked at him – yes, he was my boss ... but he wasn’t the boss of me!
“No,” I said again. I shook my head. “Sorry.”
“Harper,” Nico said. “I need you to be my wife for the weekend – just pretend.”
“I told you, I’m not doing that,” I replied hotly.
Nico’s face turned white with anger and he clenched his hands into fists at his sides.
“I could make this part of your job, you know,” he said cockily. “I could fire you if you don’t do it.”
My whole body stiffened and I glared at him. “Yeah?” I asked. “Well, I’d quit then.”
I didn’t mean it in that moment – part of me thought that we were still just playing around. But I did have headhunters chasing me, and more than enough money in my savings account to last a few months without a good job.
His blue eyes took on a sadistic glint. “Yeah?” He asked. “So, you’re not my personal assistant anymore?”
I tilted my head as I thought about it – was I serious?
Deep down, I knew the answer was a resounding yes. Nico Ulrich was a bastard and a bully and the last year I’d spent working for him had easily been the most trying of my entire life.
“Yes,” I said. My voice was strong and it didn’t shake, but inside I was quivering like a leaf. Nico stepped closer and to my shock, put his hands on my waist and pulled me close. We were face to face, both breathing hard, and I felt a hot flush creep up my neck and over my face. Part of me wanted to kiss him, part of me wanted to slap him, and all of me knew that I was powerless to stop whatever it was that was happening between us.
Before I could even think about what we were doing, Nico’s mouth was on mine and he was kissing me urgently. My body tingled and I gasped as we broke apart. I knew it was wrong, I knew it was a bad idea, but I couldn’t stop myself from wrapping my arms around his neck and tangling my hands in his hair. Nico groaned with urgent lust. He put his hands on my waist and lifted me into the air with ease. I closed my eyes and moaned softly as his mouth found mine once again. Nico carried me across the room and set me down on his desk, pushing away stacks of paper that fluttered to the floor. I spread my legs and Nico stood between them, pushing his muscular bulk against my body. The heat from his skin was palpable and I moaned again as his sharp teeth caught my lower lip.