Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 72308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
My breakfast tray was there, untouched.
He did his best to compose himself and hide his deep offense. “You haven’t eaten breakfast in three days, Mr. Beaufort.”
My eyes stayed on my computer. “Not hungry.”
“Then I’ll stop bringing you breakfast until told otherwise.”
I ignored him.
He arranged my lunch tray, removing the silver platters that kept my food covered. “Have you spoken to Camille?”
My head turned at the question, stunned that he would step above his station and ask me such a thing.
He immediately cowered at the look on my face. “My apologies.”
I turned back to the computer, pissed off that her name had been spoken.
Once he had everything gathered on the tray, he lifted it and prepared to leave. But he lingered, lingered like he was at odds with himself, like he wanted to be stupid and say something he shouldn’t. “Mr. Beaufort?”
I was so close to firing his ass.
“I’m sure you know I never cared for Camille.”
My eyes were ice-cold.
“But you seemed happy…and now you aren’t.”
I couldn’t believe he had the balls to say that to me.
He turned away when my stare became too much. “Perhaps I spoke out of turn—”
“You did.”
He froze at the venom in my voice.
“Mind your business and go fucking clean something.”
He remained frozen on the spot, but his hands shook as he held the tray.
“I said, get out.”
He turned back to me, looked me in the eye, and dropped the tray on my desk. “I’ll just get my things and be on my way.”
My eyes snapped wide open.
He dusted off his gloved hands and walked out.
Fuck.
I intercepted him at the front door. His roll-aboard suitcase was behind him, and he had another bag on his arm. He lived here full time, but he didn’t have many possessions because I owned all the furniture in his bedroom. “Hugo.”
He gave me a cold stare as he stopped in front of me. “Mr. Beaufort, if you could step aside, please.”
“I’m sorry I lost my temper—”
“I don’t have time for this. I need to go clean something.”
I’d never been on the receiving end of his sass before, and man, it was venomous. “That was a dick thing to say, and I shouldn’t have said it.”
Like that wasn’t enough, he stared.
“Hugo, you made your point—”
“It’s impossible to work for a man and not care about him. If I didn’t care about you, I wouldn’t want to work for you. This job is intimate, requires me to be involved in nearly every aspect of your life, so you can’t expect me not to care about your happiness. And, Mr. Beaufort, you aren’t happy.”
I gritted my teeth in silence.
“And you owe me an apology.”
“I did apologize—”
“You apologized for losing your temper. You didn’t apologize for disrespecting me so cruelly.”
I dropped my chin slightly, actually ashamed of the way I’d acted. “I’m sorry, Hugo. I was an asshole.”
Once he got what he wanted, he straightened and released a breath. “Apology accepted.”
“Thank you.”
“But I meant what I said before, Mr. Beaufort. You aren’t happy. And if you wait too long to do something about it, you might miss your chance to be happy ever again.”
5
ELISE
After I dropped the kids off at school, I hit the gym then came home to shower. I tossed my purse on the counter then headed into the kitchen to pull a bag of ingredients out of the freezer to make my recovery protein shake.
My phone lit up with a text. Sweetheart.
I dropped everything I was doing the second I saw his name on the screen. Even through text, he maintained his voice, commanding my attention with just a word. Yes?
Can I stop by?
The kids were gone, and the nanny was out of the house. If you don’t mind that I’m sweaty. Just got back from the gym.
You are going to get sweaty anyway.
Only Grave could pull off a line like that. I’ll see you soon. I finished my shake then drank it as I stood at the kitchen counter.
A couple minutes later, he walked inside without knocking, his sleeves pushed to his elbows, his forearms covered in thick veins that looked like rivers. His jeans were low on his hips, and he took a glance at my white living room and kitchen before his eyes settled on me. He subtly looked me up and down as he drew close, locking his gaze on mine with that manly confidence.
I couldn’t believe I got paid to fuck this gorgeous man. Or, I got paid to be fucked by this gorgeous man.
As if he didn’t care about the sweaty workout clothes or the fact that my hair was matted and oily, he grabbed my ass and kissed me against the kitchen counter. He squeezed me hard then yanked down my bottoms to spank me on the cheek.
I was lifted onto the counter then he pulled his shirt over his head, revealing a rock-hard chest and abs that I could use as a cutting board. My hands immediately pressed against his warm body as he lifted one leg at a time to slide off my shoes. With my bottoms down to my ankles, he folded me into position, tugging his jeans down so he could shove himself inside me with an aggressive thrust.