‘Good. I make no apologies. I am a demanding employer and this job is a twenty-four-seven one. What did Debbie tell you about it in the preliminary interview?’
‘That it entails the day-to-day running of your homes.’
His head tilted and his face grew thoughtful. ‘That is how the job is advertised but you should know it is more about the day-to-day running of me. My domestic PA does oversee the running of my homes but they’re not expected to do any of the manual chores themselves—I employ other domestic staff for that. I work long and demanding hours. When I am at home I like to live in comfort and I want all my needs and comforts met by someone who is capable of turning their hand to anything, without argument. I need someone on hand to tend to all my personal needs—pour my drinks, prepare my clothing for me, make sure a towel is on hand if I do any physical activity, that kind of thing.’
It wasn’t a domestic PA the man wanted, Carrie thought in mute outrage as she listened to his seductive voice, it was a slave.
‘In return, I offer a very generous salary.’ He mentioned a figure that made her blink, it being four times what she earned at the newspaper.
She imagined that any genuine applicant would bite his hand off for it. It was an extortionate amount of money for what was essentially nothing more than being Andreas’s dogsbody.
Now he put a forearm on his desk and leaned forward to stare at her with an intensity that made her stomach do a strange flip.
The more she looked into his eyes, the more startling she found them, the light brown having a translucent quality that still contained real depth.
If he gave her the job she would have to tread carefully for as long as she lived under his roof. This man was dangerous.
‘Now, Caroline,’ he said, the tempo of his speech finally slowing down a notch, ‘I do have one more requirement from the person I give this role to.’
‘Which is?’
‘I require someone who has a cheerful disposition.’
She might as well leave, then. How could she be cheerful around the man who’d caused such damage?
‘What I mean by that is that I get enough stress in my work life. When I come home I like to be welcomed with a smile and not be bothered by petty gripes. Can you smile?’
He framed the question with such faux earnestness that Carrie found her facial muscles softening and the smile she’d been trying to produce since she’d stepped into his office breaking out of its own accord.
His eyes gleamed in response. ‘Much better.’ Then he sat back and folded his arms across his chest. The cuffs of his sleeves moved with the motion revealing a tantalising glimpse of fine dark hair.
He nodded slowly. ‘Yes. I think you’re going to suit me very well. The job is yours if you want it.’
She blinked her gaze away from his arms as his words sank in. ‘It is?’
She hadn’t expected it to be this easy...
Her heart started to thunder beneath her ribs.
This was too easy.
Andreas was one of the richest men in the world. He was highly intelligent—unverified reports placed his IQ in the world’s top one per cent and he had the street smarts to match it. In short, he was no fool, and this job that he was giving her after less than fifteen minutes in his company would take her straight into the heart of his life.
‘Do you want it?’ he challenged, breaking the silence that had fallen.
‘Yes.’ She nodded for emphasis, trying to muster her enthusiasm, and forced another smile to her face. ‘Yes, I do, definitely. Thank you.’
‘Good.’ His teeth flashed wolfishly. ‘Did you bring your passport?’
‘Yes.’ The letter discussing the second interview had been specific about it. She assumed it was needed for him to photocopy as proof of her identity.
Andreas rose to his feet. ‘Then let us go. We have a flight slot to fill.’
Carrie stared at him blankly. ‘Go?’
‘The letter you were sent clearly explained that the successful candidate for the job would start immediately.’
‘It did...’ But she hadn’t thought immediately meant this immediately. ‘Are we going abroad now?’
That gleam she was beginning to seriously distrust flashed in his eyes again. ‘Yes. Right now. Do you have a problem with that?’
‘No problem.’ She hurried to stand. The job was hers and she wouldn’t give him reason to change his mind. She would practise smiling as soon as she found a mirror. ‘It’s just that I have no change of clothes with me.’
‘You will be provided with everything you need when we get there. Give Debbie your dress size as we leave.’
‘Where are we going?’
‘To one of my homes where it isn’t raining.’ And with that he opened his office door and ushered her through it.
CHAPTER TWO (#udfb5fb59-acc0-5e71-82bc-16a75cae7fad)
ANDREAS SAT AT his desk on his private jet with his laptop open before him. Barely ten feet away, Carrie was at the dining table reading through the thick folder that contained the working details of all his properties. He had no doubt she would find it excruciatingly tedious to read through.
All his properties were listed except one—the one they were flying to.
‘Which one should I concentrate on?’ she’d asked when he’d given it to her, subtly letting him know he hadn’t given her their final destination.
‘All of them.’ He’d smiled. ‘I’ll give you a test when we arrive.’
‘Which will be when?’
He’d looked at his watch. ‘In approximately eleven hours.’
Her eyes had flickered but she’d made no further comment. He’d seen her thoughts racing and had enjoyed watching her bite the questions back.
He’d enjoyed himself enormously throughout their meeting too, far more than he’d expected. The knowledge that he’d rumbled her before she’d even set foot in his office had bubbled away inside him, satisfying enough to smother the anger that had fought for an outlet.
Anger clouded logical thinking and he needed to keep his mind clear if he was to continue outwitting this viper.
He’d determined that getting her out of England and as far from her home and true employment as he could and as quickly as he could was the best way to proceed. Disorientate her. Put her at the disadvantage without her even realising it and then, when he had her in his private home, unable to escape or communicate with the outside world, he would demand answers. He wanted to know everything—why she was investigating him, what she expected to find and who had put her up to it. He’d made his own discreet enquiries amongst his media contacts but had come up blank. No one was aware of even a hint of a brewing scandal about him.
Instinct told him that Carrie’s reasons for being here were at least partly personal. The coincidence was too great to be explained any other way.
He would discover her reasons in due course but rather than question her immediately, he decided he’d have some fun with her first. Let her suffer a little. It was the least she deserved.
Did Carrie really think him such a useless human being that he required someone to live by his side pouring his drinks and mopping his brow? Andreas liked his creature comforts but he was no man-child and he’d seen the flicker of surprise in her eyes when he’d outlined the duties expected of her, duties he’d made up on the spur of the moment just to see what her reaction would be.
For the next few days he would embrace the man-child role and make her wait on him hand and foot. She would hate every minute of it.
