Part of me wanted to slap him for his audacity. But he did have a point. It was downright ludicrous that I’d taken this job in his building. “Well, no, sir. I just now finished my master’s.”
“Your master’s? Are you shitting me? In what?”
“Business administration, sir.” I cringed, worrying he might fire me for my stupidity alone. I’d wanted to work for his company for as long as I could remember. I didn’t care what position I started at as long as I had a foot in the door. Alexander Technologies was a difficult nut to crack. I nearly had to beg the woman who interviewed me to give me a chance even though she was very leery, seeing as I was completely overqualified for the job. If I had to climb that company ladder from cleaning toilets, I would have. As it was, I felt fortunate to have landed a job that didn’t require me to wear plastic gloves and carry a mop.
Mr. Alexander stared at me hard and long until I squirmed in my seat. “Sit still, Ms. Kensington. I’m not going to bite.” He didn’t smile, though his tone was less intimidating than it had been.
I tried to stop wiggling. I crossed my legs and anchored myself with one heel on the center rung of the stool.
Mr. Alexander peeked under the table and then chuckled. He rolled his eyes. For what reason, I had no idea. There was no way I was going to ask. I didn’t even have the ability of speech at all. The man was confusing as all hell. And again I wondered what I was doing in this weird alternate universe I’d fallen into.
“Drink your wine, Amelia. It’s better before it gets too warm.” He held my gaze while he lifted his tumbler to his lips again.
My hand shook as I reached for the glass, but I did as he instructed. It really was delicious, and in another world I might have enjoyed it. But not in this realm, the one where my freakishly rich, sexy, thirty-something boss had cornered me in a swanky night club and begun to question me.
“So let me get this straight. You just finished your MBA, and you took a job with my company at the bottom rung of the ladder.”
“Yes, sir. I hope that’s not a problem, sir. I work hard. I’m not afraid to pay my dues. You won’t be disappointed.”
“Oh, don’t get me wrong. I’m far from disappointed. I’m just confused.” He lifted his brows. Every time he did that, his hair covered his eyebrows. He seriously could have gone to a hairdresser about a week ago, but I was secretly glad he hadn’t. It was the only part of him that was soft. Even though it was neatly combed, it was naturally wavy, and the way it curled slightly at his ears and around his neck made him almost human.
The nervy man stared at me some more while he enjoyed another sip of his drink. His gaze roamed over my face and down to my chest before returning to meet my eyes again.
A horrible thought occurred to me. Perhaps he considered Sky his stomping ground. It could be that he didn’t appreciate his employees frequenting the location. “Would you like me to leave the bar, sir?”
He furrowed his brow once again. “Why would I want that?”
“Well, I thought maybe you preferred the anonymity of being here where people don’t know you, or at least a place you can unwind without running into people that work for you.”
He chuckled. “The anonymity? Ms. Kensington, I haven’t enjoyed a moment of anonymity in ten years. And my employees are free to frequent whatever establishment they can afford.”
Ouch. That stung. He suspected I couldn’t afford Sky. And generally speaking, he would be right. I tucked my bottom lip between my teeth again and my hands under my thighs. It was the only way I could keep from shaking.
“Don’t do that.”
Do what? Seriously? Was this man telling me what I could and couldn’t do with my own lip? I knew he was because his gaze was once again riveted to my mouth. I let go of my bruised flesh and pursed my lips instead. I had no idea what made me follow Mr. Alexander’s instructions, and it annoyed me to high hell that every single thing he did made me clench my sex tighter. He could probably command me to strip naked and dance on top of this bar table, and I would readily comply. That’s how mesmerizing he was.
“I didn’t mean anything by that. I’m sorry if I offended you.”
He’s sorry? That was at least as shocking as his previous statement.
“So, you intend to work your way from the ground up at my company. Is that it, Ms. Kensington?”
“Yes, sir.” That had been the plan. Until tonight. Suddenly I wasn’t the least bit sure how I would ever go back in the building. It was much easier when he didn’t know who I was or pay any attention to me. That’s the way normal everyday women prefer unbelievably sexy men to remain—slightly out of reach. Speaking to them face-to-face makes us regular folk stammer and make fools of ourselves.
“You can’t be making enough money to pay rent.”
“I’m not, sir. But I’ll prove myself fast.” I had confidence, and I wasn’t about to hide it from him.
“How were your grades?”
“Straight A’s, sir. I work hard.”
He found this amusing apparently. He chuckled again and shook his head. I liked it when he smiled. He had one dimple on each cheek that softened his face and made him look younger than he probably was. “Okay, then. I’ll let you get back to your friends. Enjoy your evening, Ms. Kensington.” He stood abruptly, leaving me speechless at this turn of events, and sauntered across the room in the direction he’d initially come from.
I twisted on my stool and watched his fine ass as it moved away, unable to jump down yet and certain when I did, I would fall on my face. Lucky for me, when I glanced at my friends, I found them both hopping off their own stools, grabbing their drinks in one hand and purses in the other, including my own clutch, which I’d left on the table. They hastily rushed toward me, pulled up a third stool, and settled in.
“Holy fuck,” Cheyenne began. “What the hell just happened? Was that Cade Alexander?”
“It was,” I muttered as I turned, finally taking my gaze off the spot where my boss had disappeared. “And I have no idea what the hell just happened.”
Click here if you’d like to continue reading The Rules.
Author’s Note
I hope you’ve enjoyed this sixth book in the Club Zodiac series. I’ve had the most amazing time writing this series. Although the books in this series might be more enjoyable if read in order, each book stands alone. Here are the links to the rest of the books in the Club Zodiac series:
Club Zodiac:
Training Sasha
Obeying Rowen
Collaring Brooke
Mastering Rayne
Trusting Aaron
Claiming London
Also by Becca Jameson
Project DEEP:
Reviving Emily
Reviving Trish
Reviving Dade
Reviving Zeke
Reviving Graham
Reviving Bianca
Reviving Olivia
* * *
SEALs in Paradise:
Hot SEAL, Red Wine
Hot SEAL, Australian Nights
* * *
Dark Falls:
Dark Nightmares
* * *
Club Zodiac:
Training Sasha
Obeying Rowen
Collaring Brooke
Mastering Rayne
Trusting Aaron
Claiming London
* * *
The Art of Kink:
Pose
Paint
Sculpt
* * *
Arcadian Bears:
Grizzly Mountain
Grizzly Beginning
Grizzly Secret
Grizzly Promise
Grizzly Survival
Grizzly Perfection
* * *
Sleeper SEALs:
Saving Zola
* * *
Spring Training:
Catching Zia
Catching Lily
Catching Ava
* * *
The Undergr
ound series:
Force
Clinch
Guard
Submit
Thrust
Torque
Saving Sofia (Kindle World)
* * *
Wolf Masters series:
Kara’s Wolves
Lindsey’s Wolves
Jessica’s Wolves
Alyssa’s Wolves
Tessa’s Wolf
Rebecca’s Wolves
Melinda’s Wolves
Laurie’s Wolves
Amanda’s Wolves
Sharon’s Wolves
* * *
Claiming Her series:
The Rules
The Game
The Prize
* * *
Emergence series:
Bound to be Taken
Bound to be Tamed
Bound to be Tested
Bound to be Tempted
* * *
The Fight Club series:
Come
Perv
Need
Hers
Want
Lust
* * *
Wolf Gatherings series:
Tarnished
Dominated
Completed
Redeemed
Abandoned
Betrayed
* * *
Durham Wolves series:
Rescue in the Smokies
Fire in the Smokies
Freedom in the Smokies
* * *
Stand Alone Books:
Blind with Love
Guarding the Truth
Out of the Smoke
Abducting His Mate
Three’s a Cruise
Wolf Trinity
Frostbitten
A Princess for Cale/A Princess for Cain
About the Author
Becca Jameson is a USA Today best-selling author of over 80 books. She is most well-known for her Wolf Masters series and her Fight Club series. She currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband, two grown kids, and the various pets that wander through. She is loving this journey and has dabbled in a variety of genres, including paranormal, sports romance, military, and BDSM.
A total night owl, Becca writes late at night, sequestering herself in her office with a glass of red wine and a bar of dark chocolate, her fingers flying across the keyboard as her characters weave their own stories.
During the day--which never starts before ten in the morning!--she can be found jogging, floating in the pool, or reading in her favorite hammock chair!
…where Alphas dominate…
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Contact Becca:
www.beccajameson.com
[email protected]
Claiming London Page 19
