Bruce nods.
“We’ll have a photographer do location shoots with your luxurious lifestyle obvious in the background. Trust me, I have one in mind and he’s fantastic. He’ll know exactly what to do.” He pauses, straightens out his posture, and levels his eyes with mine.
My breath hitches in my throat. It becomes hard to breathe – to think. Somehow, I’ve managed to hold my own with this man, but that doesn’t mean my knees aren’t seriously weak right now. It’s a good thing I’m sitting down.
“I’ve got one more thing I have to add to all of this,” he admits, adjusting his cufflinks almost like he’s nervous, but I doubt a guy like this ever gets nervous. “But with you being a virgin and all, I don’t know how you’ll react to my next request.”
I raise my eyebrows in question. Now he’s really gotten me interested. What’s brewing in that handsome head of his? I hold his gaze and wait for him to explain himself. The seconds seem to stretch into an eternity. My thighs, now sweaty, stick to the leather chair I’ve been sitting in.
“And that is…?” I prompt, inching forward. “Don’t be nervous. I’m a businesswoman after all.”
At this point, I’m almost certain that I’ll do whatever this guy wants. After all, he’s going to make me rich beyond my wildest dreams! But then, Bruce levels with me.
“For the term of a month, I want you to live with me. I’ll pay you generously for your time, of course,” he answers with a casual tone.
Wait. What?
Live with him? Why?
A million and one scenarios run through my head. What does he mean? What’s he suggesting? I study his face, looking for answers. Maybe he’s lonely. Or better yet, maybe he wants me. Yeah, okay, in my dreams. This guy probably has a million women flocking around him at all times. Why would he waste his time on someone like me?
“And why do you want me to live with you?” I ask.
“So that I can learn the business, of course. I don’t know the first thing about selling lingerie, so you’re going to have to show me the ropes.”
I gawk at him a bit.
“But why do we have to live together?”
He shrugs.
“I find that proximity makes a difference. When you want to succeed, sometimes it helps if the workplace is also your home. I don’t want to move in here,” he says, gesturing to the airy office, “so my home it is.”
I stare at him. Can he be serious? This sounds like some crazy theory from the experts who study Silicon Valley. Evidently, engineers working at tech companies are so gung-ho about their work that they bring sleeping bags and take naps under their desks. But that doesn’t mean that I’m going to do that.
“I’m sure we can find some other way,” I hedge. “I’m basically available all the time. I respond to texts, I have Facebook Messenger, as well as WhatsApp and WeChat. I can get on some other messaging sites if you want,” I offer.
But the CEO shakes his head.
“No, I think it’d be better if you moved in. Personally, I hate tech. I can barely even use this computer, I’m such a Luddite,” he says, gesturing at the screen on his desk. “If we’re together 24/7, then I’ll learn the business that much faster, and you can be rid of me that much faster,” he says in a reasonable tone.
His answer is so blunt that it takes me by surprise. My eyes widen and my lungs tighten. I clutch at the chair, trying to steady myself as the world starts to spin. Okay, this is definitely a dream. It has to be.
But deep down, I know it’s not.
This man is dead serious.
This unbelievably sexy billionaire wants me to move in with him, all in the name of selling more product.
Holy shit. Is he insane, or am I?
“And what if I say no?” The question flies from my lips before I even realize what’s going on. Why would I ask that? Of course I want to live with him, and do so much more too even though we just met. The pull between us is magnetic, and I’m already swaying towards him like a bedazzled little girl. I hold my breath, half expecting him to become angry with me, but Bruce merely shrugs.
“Then we have no deal at all.”
I gulp.
This is tough. I feel like I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place. What am I supposed to do?
The money is tempting – very tempting. A hundred thousand dollars would turn my life around. Not only that, but with a salary of $15,000 a month plus whatever he’s willing to pay me to be his “live-in companion” (let’s call it that for now), I could rest easy like a queen if I really wanted to.
