King's Rule
He was always so very self-contained, nothing getting through that stern front of his, and it was very satisfying knowing that I could ruffle him a little.
Stupid of me though. I didn’t want to make him angry. I didn’t care enough to make him angry.
‘Liz is Australian,’ he said without inflection. ‘Which you’d know if you’d done your research properly. She got her degree here and I knew her at university. She’s an old friend of mine.’
Heat rose in my cheeks.
I should have known that, but I didn’t. I hadn’t, in fact, done my research. I’d been too busy running around trying to get enough work to cover Mum’s debts as well as my student loan to do some basic fact checking.
Idiot. And of course Elizabeth Jordan would be one of bloody Xander’s friends.
I kicked my heel harder against the door, refusing to acknowledge my embarrassment. ‘So what’s the deal then? I have to work for you in return for this internship? Is that what you’re saying?’
‘I believe that’s what I’ve been saying for the past half an hour, yes.’ He was sitting so very still, his gaze unblinking and direct. Making me want to look away.
I didn’t though. I stared straight back, forcing myself to hold it. ‘You know I’d rather work for Genghis Khan than you.’
‘And I’d rather hire literally anyone else.’
‘So why don’t you?’
He didn’t reply for a minute, black eyes still fixed to mine. Then slowly he sat back in his chair, long legs stretched out in front of him, uncoiling with all the grace of a panther. ‘Like I already told you, I can’t find anyone else. None of the temping agencies will work with me and the only people who are applying for the job are enemies of the King family and I wouldn’t trust them as far as I can throw them.’
‘I’m an enemy of the King family,’ I pointed out, just in case he wasn’t aware. ‘What makes you think you can trust me any more than you can trust them?’
‘Because you want that internship.’ He folded his arms across his broad chest, watching me intently. ‘And I think you’ll do anything to get it.’
Anything...
Why did the way he said that make my breath catch? And why did I suddenly start imagining all the things I could do for him to get that internship?
Furious with myself, I snapped, ‘If you’re thinking I’m going to get down on my knees and suck your cock for it, you can damn well think again.’
His eyes glittered, sharp and metallic. ‘You really think I’m that kind of man?’ There was real anger in his deep voice now and for a second I couldn’t focus on anything else. Because I’d never heard it before. Xander King, Mr Robot, having an honest-to-God emotional reaction?
‘I don’t know,’ I said, wanting to push him further, to see how far I could go. ‘Are you?’
‘No.’ His reply was instant and full of that dark note of anger. ‘I don’t need to blackmail women to get sex. And, even if I did, you’d be the last woman on earth I’d blackmail. Because, quite frankly, I don’t want you anywhere near my cock.’
‘Why not?’ I demanded before I could stop myself.
And the instant I said it I wished I hadn’t. I didn’t care about his stupid dick and I certainly didn’t care whether he wanted me or not.
‘Why not?’ Xander echoed, raising one black brow. ‘I would have thought that would be obvious. You’re my stepsister and I don’t like you. I never have. And, apart from anything else, I’m not attracted to you in the slightest. Does that answer your question?’
The heat in my cheeks deepened.
Idiot. I should never have said that. Why had I? The only explanation was that I was so conditioned to arguing with him that it must have been some kind of weird reflex.
‘Yes.’ I refused to look away. Refused to acknowledge, too, a strange disappointment that wouldn’t go away no matter how hard I ignored it. ‘Not that I’d do it anyway. I’d rather blow Vlad the Impaler.’
Xander said nothing. Instead he looked down at his watch, some heavy platinum thing that highlighted the strong bones of his wrist. ‘Are you going to accept my offer or not? I have a meeting in five minutes and time is money.’
I dearly wanted to tell him no, that I wouldn’t be working for him, not now, not tomorrow, not ever. Not even if he paid me a million bucks.
But there was a little voice in my head nagging away, telling me I’d be stupid to give up this chance at something I’d been wanting to do for years simply because I hated Xander King.
It was just a month. That was all. I could do that, couldn’t I?
‘You know I’ve never had an office job in my entire life, right?’ He had to know exactly what he’d be taking on, since my entire career was a sorry list of retail and hospitality jobs that I’d either left or been fired from for stating my opinion, or because of my attitude. Or they didn’t like my jeans or my hair or whatever.
I didn’t care. Those jobs weren’t what I wanted to do anyway.
You might care about this one.
I gritted my teeth as Xander’s black gaze continue to pin me.
‘Are you saying you can’t do it?’ His voice was so cold, like an ice cube brushed over my skin.
I repressed my instinctive shiver, keeping my chin high. ‘Of course I can do it. Seriously, how hard could it be? Making coffee, getting your dry cleaning and little gifts for your girlfriends. Easy.’
His beautiful face was expressionless. ‘I have other people to get my dry cleaning and I can make my own coffee. I also don’t have any...girlfriends.’
He said the word like it tasted bad and I didn’t know why it made me feel something like satisfaction. What did I care if he had girlfriends or not?
‘Whatever.’ I kicked my boot harder against the door. ‘It’s not like it’s hard—’
‘You’ll start at eight-thirty sharp every morning and I don’t like lateness so you’ll need to be prompt. The work day finishes when I do—unless I send you home early—and I don’t finish before six. At the earliest. And as for your duties, they’ll be basically anything I tell you to do.’ He paused and his gaze sharpened. ‘Do you understand?’
My heartbeat sped up and I had no idea why.
You like the idea of doing anything he tells you to do...
No. God, why would I like the idea of that? I hated being told what to do.
‘Sure,’ I said. ‘You basically want a slave. No wonder no one wants to work with you.’
His expression didn’t even flicker. ‘I don’t like attitude and I don’t like backchat. If you disagree with me I’ll be open to discussing it, but if it’s to argue for the sake of it then you’ll get short shrift. Once I make a decision you will not argue with it.’ He pushed his chair back and got to his feet, six foot three of tall, dark and compelling. ‘You get one chance with me, Poppy. One chance and that’s all.’
My jaw ached with keeping in all the words I wanted to fling at him. The need to tell him he was a controlling douchebag and I’d rather crawl naked over broken glass than work for him or do a single thing he said.
But...the promise of that internship was enough for me to swallow any sarcastic comebacks.
‘You’re serious about this reference?’ I asked instead.
He moved purposefully towards me, obviously expecting me to get out of the way of the door. But I didn’t.
I stayed exactly where I was.
He came to a stop in front of me and at last that stony expression on his face flickered. ‘One thing to understand about me is that I never lie. You’ll only get the truth from me. So if I promise you a reference, I mean it.’
I tried not to feel satisfied at that flicker of expression. ‘Well, I guess that’s—’
‘But you’ll only get a good reference if you perform to my satisfaction,’ he went on coldly. ‘If you don’t then you don’t get a thing.’
Perform to my satisfaction...
The words echoed weirdly in my head and I became suddenly aware of how close to me he was, towering over me, his gaze like black ice.
Heat began to prickle across my skin.
He was so tall, so broad, and he wore some kind of subtle cologne that smelled fresh, like water or rain, with an edge to it, a darkness. A rainstorm...
My mouth dried, my heartbeat thumping uncomfortably in my ears. Standing here had been a mistake. But then if I moved, I’d be betraying something and one thing I knew was that I couldn’t betray any kind of weakness in front of this man. I’d already given him power over me by admitting how much I wanted the internship. I couldn’t afford to lose any more ground.
I pushed myself away from the door and took a step.
Towards him.
CHAPTER THREE
Xander
POPPY TOOK A step towards me, her copper eyes full of challenge, clearly having no idea how fragile my control was.
Apparently, she’d been put on earth solely to test me.
In the normal scheme of things I had no problem keeping myself in check. But this woman... Christ, she’d done nothing but push me from the moment she’d stepped into the room. And now my patience—usually limitless—was almost extinct.
Then again, I didn’t know what I’d expected. She’d been doing that since she was ten years old.
At first, I’d been happy at the thought of having a little sister to spoil since I’d been rather isolated as a kid. But then she’d turned up, made of nothing but anger and spite, and had decided, for some reason known only to herself, that I was the worst person on the planet and had treated me accordingly.
Things had gone downhill from there.
I’d known at the time that she’d just lost her father and so, for at least a year after she came to live with us, I tried my best to be friendly towards her. But she never softened. Nothing I did was right and nothing I said changed things. She either ignored me completely or picked at me constantly, pushing and pushing to get a rise out of me.
She didn’t treat either Ajax or Leon like that, only me.
So I stopped trying to be nice and simply ignored her. Which would have worked fine if I hadn’t accidentally caught her skinny-dipping in the pool early one morning. She’d been eighteen, rising from the water like a sea goddess, her hair dripping and glossy down her back. Her skin had glistened a deep bronze, her lovely face devoid of its usual angry scowl, and she’d stood there by the edge, her arms raised, squeezing the water from her hair, looking out towards the ocean since our house was built on a cliff. And she’d smiled.
It slew me, that smile.
That was when my dick had decided it wanted her. And the damn thing hadn’t let up since.
Now, I tried to hold onto the last fraying shreds of my control, but then she took that step, getting close, inches away from me, pushing me the way she always did. And I could smell her, that sweet jasmine scent, feel the heat of her lovely body. And all I could think about was turning her around and pressing her hard against the door, dragging her jeans down and getting inside her.
Shutting that smart, beautiful mouth with my palm. Getting her smoky voice screaming into it with pleasure. Or maybe putting her on her knees and making her beg. Or even turning her over my knee and spanking that perfect ass red.
You’re supposed to take care of her.
Yes, I’d made that promise. And I wouldn’t break it, no matter how hard she pushed me. My control might be in shreds, but I would never lose it completely. I kept my promises. I always told the truth.
Except when you lied about not wanting her anywhere near your dick.
I ignored that thought.
‘So basically I have to do whatever you say.’ She came to a stop and folded her arms, giving me a belligerent look. ‘Sounds to me like you have all the power.’
‘No one is forcing you to take the job.’
‘But I have to if I want to get the internship.’
‘Of course not.’ Did she really need this explained to her? ‘You could call the firm yourself and ask for one. You don’t have to have a reference from me.’
‘Yeah, but it’s not like they’re going to pay any attention to some nobody from Australia asking for an internship.’
‘No, they won’t.’ The truth had to be said, even if it made her uncomfortable. ‘Internships there are incredibly sought after.’
‘How convenient.’ She glared at me.
‘Don’t take the job then.’ I was getting more and more irritated. By her proximity. By that maddeningly soft-looking cloud of black hair. By her delicious scent. By the pulse at the base of her throat that I was somehow becoming acutely aware of with every passing second.
Jesus, I had to get her out of here. Ajax was going to arrive at any moment and the last thing I wanted was to have a meeting with my brother with an inconvenient hard-on.
She scowled. ‘You could just give me the reference.’
‘You could just take the job.’
‘You promised your dad you’d look after my mother and me,’ she shot back. ‘Wasn’t that what you told me?’
She wasn’t wrong. I had told her that.
Over the past five years, after Dad had gone to prison, I hadn’t seen much of her, though not for want of trying. I’d wanted to keep that promise I’d made him, but almost the very second the prison doors had closed, both Lily and Poppy had disappeared. I’d tracked them down eventually to a very upmarket apartment in Bondi, which was a surprise given that the few assets in Lily’s name had been frozen along with Dad’s. Poppy had some kind of waitressing job which only paid meagrely, so it wasn’t as if she was supporting her mother.
I had my suspicions about how they managed to afford such an expensive place, but it wasn’t my job to interfere in my father’s ill-conceived marriage, so I decided not to ask her any questions. Instead, I told them about my promise to Dad, offering them some monetary help. Naturally Lily instantly accepted, which didn’t surprise me. My stepmother never let an opportunity go to waste.
However, that promise had been between Dad and me, a private agreement, and it was what set me apart from him. He had no honour, but I did. I kept my promises.
It meant something to me, that promise, and it wasn’t Poppy’s to use now. Especially not if she was using it to manipulate me.
The days of people using me were over.
Simmering anger in my veins burned hot, my patience slipping from my control no matter how hard I tried to keep hold of it.
‘That promise was one I made to my father,’ I said icily. ‘Are you seriously thinking you can use that to get me to do what you want?’
The smooth golden skin of her cheeks reddened. ‘That’s...not what I meant.’
I took a step towards her, unable to stop myself. ‘Or perhaps you expect me to give you something for nothing. Is that how you think life works?’
She blinked and stepped back. ‘No, I don’t think—’
‘Perhaps you expect me to hand it to you on a plate?’ I took yet another step, forcing her back again. ‘That after years of treating me like your worst enemy, suddenly I have something you want and you think I’m just going to give it to you?’ My voice had got colder, deadlier as I kept walking forward, something inside me taking immense pleasure in her hurried retreat. ‘No, Poppy. That’s not how this is going to work.’
I didn’t stop, answering only to the fury that burned hot inside me, continuing to pace forward, forcing her backward until her spine hit the door, leaving her with nowhere to go.
She made a soft sound, her eyes wide as they looked up into mine, her full red lips parting. Something was glowing in her gaze, a golden spark, and the pulse at the base of her throat was beating fast and getting faster.
Was she scared? Had I frightened her? Or was it something else?
Mesmerised despite myself, I stepped even closer, looking down into her beautiful eyes.
Jesus. Was that—?
I never got a chance to complete the thought because Poppy raised her hands, her palms connecting with my chest, and I found myself being shoved back hard.
A tense silence fell.
She’d never touched me before and I’d certainly never touched her. And that had clearly been a good thing, because the heat of her palms and the pressure of them on my chest was echoing throughout my entire body, stealing my breath. Stealing my control. Making my cock get even harder.
Her expression was tight with anger, her shoulders rigid, eyes glittering, delicate fingers curled into fists.
I’d crossed the line by getting close to her and I knew it, and suddenly I was even more furious than I’d been a second ago.
This was her fault. How dare she touch me? How dare she get me hard? In my own goddamned boardroom. How dare she drive me to the edge of my control so that I made stupid decisions? Such as forcing her up against that fucking door.
‘What?’ I snapped before I could stop myself. ‘You don’t like being cornered? Well, neither do I. You want that reference then working for me is the only way you’ll get it, understood?’
The fury in her expression burned hotter.
‘You bastard.’ Her cheeks were a deep red, her eyes molten. ‘Next time you pull a move like that one, I won’t just shove you, I’ll call the damn police and have you arrested for harassment.’
‘And next time you use the promise I made to my father purely to push me, I’ll make sure to tell Liz that under no circumstances should she employ you in any capacity whatsoever.’
The look in her eyes blazed and she took a couple of steps towards me. And for a second I thought she was going to come at me, and I honestly didn’t know what I would have done if she had. Whether I would have taken her down onto the floor and had her right then and there or called Security to have her thrown out. It was a toss-up.
Luckily I was saved from finding out because right at that moment the door of the boardroom opened and Ajax, my oldest brother, walked in.
He stopped dead as soon as he noticed Poppy, looking from me to her and then back again. ‘Am I interrupting?’
‘No,’ I snarled.
‘Yes,’ Poppy snapped. ‘Your brother was in the process of harassing me.’
Ajax’s light blue eyes—disturbing in contrast to his black hair and eyebrows—narrowed. At me.
Furious, I simply stared back, not even bothering to speak. Ajax knew Poppy and I hated each other, just like he also knew I would never hurt or harass a woman ever. So why the hell he was looking at me like that I couldn’t imagine.
‘You two should really stay clear of each other,’ he said at last. ‘Either that or you should just fuck and get it out of your system.’
Poppy blinked in outrage and opened her mouth, probably to say something she’d regret.
Luckily for her, I got in first. ‘So?’ I said, ignoring my brother. ‘Are you going to take the job or not?’
Her gaze burned into mine. ‘I’d rather die.’
‘Fine. Suit yourself.’ I lifted my chin in the direction of the exit. ‘There’s the door.’
Her jaw was tight, every inch of her vibrating with fury.
She’d never looked more intensely fuckable and I was very conscious of Ajax’s gaze and the amusement in it.
Of course he knew exactly what my problem was.
‘Enjoy finding someone who’ll put up with your bullshit,’ Poppy spat, tossing her head and turning on her heel.
‘Enjoy not getting that internship,’ I snapped back, gritting my teeth against the urge to go after her and haul her into my arms, show her a few things that would make her change her mind.
‘I don’t need that internship.’ She pulled open the door. ‘And I don’t need anything from you.’ Then she walked through it and slammed it shut behind her.
‘Still a hit with the ladies, I see,’ Ajax murmured.
Rage and thwarted lust boiled in my veins, no small part of that rage directed at myself for being stupid enough to lose my temper with her.
Because I had lost my temper. Something that almost never happened. What was it about Poppy bloody Valentine that got under my skin so easily?
Turning, I stalked over to the windows that looked out over Sydney’s blue harbour, trying to get a grip on myself.
If I’d been in my own office, I’d have sat down at my computer and played around with my stock portfolio, because numbers always had the ability to calm me.
There was nothing irritating about numbers. They were clean. They were honest. There was no subtext to them. And, best of all, they were absolutely devoid of any emotion.
‘What do you want?’ I kept my gaze on the view, not bothering to moderate my tone. ‘I’m not in the mood for a meeting.’
‘No kidding. What the hell happened?’
‘Nothing I want to talk about.’
‘You know I’m right.’ Ajax’s voice sounded closer. ‘You should just fuck her already.’
‘I wouldn’t fuck her if she was the last woman on earth.’
He laughed. ‘For a man who’s all about the truth, you sure do a lot of lying to yourself.’
Another thing to hate about her. The way she made me lie.
Keep blaming it on her if it makes you feel better. But you know it’s your own weakness you’re pissed off about.
I thrust my hands in my pockets. ‘Tell me what you want, Ajax.’
He ignored me. ‘What’s all this about a job? You hiring Poppy now?’
‘Lisa left last week and I need a temporary replacement until I have time to find someone more permanent.’
‘That’s what temp agencies are for.’
‘They won’t work with a King.’
‘Sure. They won’t work with you.’
I could see myself glowering in the reflective glass of the window. With an effort, I tried to smooth my expression. ‘Like you don’t have any problems retaining staff.’
Ajax grunted. He knew I was right. Neither of us were exactly people pleasers. Which was why our middle brother Leon did all the PR work for our company.
‘You can’t go without a PA for a week or so?’ he asked instead.
‘I have a...project I’m working on that needs my full attention.’ I didn’t want to talk about that particular project with anyone, especially not Poppy, even though it concerned her. It was the last lie I had to uncover. The last lie I had to destroy. The truth about her father’s death and my role in it. ‘I need someone around to handle any details that might crop up.’
‘Project?’ Ajax’s voice was sharp. ‘What project?’
I turned and met my brother’s stare head-on. ‘None of your damn business.’
His blue gaze didn’t even flicker. ‘I’m CEO of this company. Everything is my damn business.’
‘This has got nothing to do with the company. Ergo, like I said, it’s none of your business.’
Ajax tried to stare me down like he stared down everyone who crossed him.
Unfortunately for him that didn’t work with me.
He gave another of his non-committal grunts instead. ‘Fine. Your funeral. But you want a piece of advice?’
‘No.’
‘Okay, I lied. It’s not advice. It’s an order. Sort out whatever the fuck your project is and fast. I’m going to need you on deck and focused in the next couple of weeks.’
Momentarily diverted, I frowned at him. ‘Why? What’s going on?’
He gave me one of his trademark smiles, just on the edge of vicious. ‘None of your fucking business.’
Irritating bastard.
He left soon after that and the second he was out of the door, my brain started back to thinking about just what the hell I was going to do about Poppy bloody Valentine.
Ajax had now given me an extra time pressure, which was the last thing I needed, especially if I wanted to complete this pet project of mine. I could have put it on hold if I’d really wanted to, but I’d spent the last five years putting it on hold and now I wanted it done—and done quickly.
It was the last thing I needed to do to make good on my promise to Dad.
The last atonement to make up for a life I’d been responsible for taking.
But if I was going to get it done before Ajax needed me ‘on deck’ then I had to have help. I had to have an assistant.