A Tempting Arrangement (Twisted Vows Book 1)

8. Misty

I pullDamon’s office door open so hard it clangs off the wall, and the glass rattles so hard it’s dangerously close to shattering.

He raises one perfectly arched brow, his gaze traveling down my outfit, stopping on the slit up the side of my skirt. His eyes darken, and I fight against the shiver threatening to roll through me and the growing heat between my thighs.

Why does he have to be so hot?

“You have no right to do this.” I straighten and pin my shoulders back, refusing to cower to him.

He leans forward, pinning me with his stare, and takes a long, slow toke of his cigar, releasing the smoke between us. The action has my brain spiraling back to the alley, and I struggle to take my next breath.

My heart pounds in my chest, heat flooding my lower abdomen when he runs his thumb over his bottom lip. I can feel the ghost of his touch from that night in the conference room, and I shiver at the memory of his taste. Damon’s mouth tugs up in a dangerous smirk. He knows exactly what he’s doing.

Hands and teeth clenched, I let out a huff of exasperation. I’m this freaking close to stomping my foot.

I shouldn’t be doing this. He’s my boss…he’s more than my boss. He owns the company. The company I depend on to be able to stay here. The company where my contract is already almost up.

But he’s just so infuriating I can’t stop myself.

Damon’s deep brown hair falls into his eyes, and his crisp black shirt pulls when he leans back, revealing muscles you wouldn’t expect on someone who works in an office setting. He watches me with stormy gray eyes, a slight curve tipping up his lip. He looks entirely too satisfied with everything that’s happening.

He puffs out smoke before he commands, leaving no room for misunderstanding. “As my personal PR representative, I expect your complete attention. I may call on you at any time. Nicholas will be your personal driver, and I expect you to use this service wherever you go.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because you want this job, and I’m the boss.”

“I already have a job.” My shoulders collapse. “I have a lot of important things I’m working on.”

“The quicker you help me with this, the quicker you can get back to them.” He shrugs like none of this matters, when it means so much to me.

“Help you with what?” I fight to keep the curiosity from my tone. I constantly need to remind myself that I do not care what this man is up to.

“I need a wife. And you’re the only person to make that happen.”

It’s been hours, and I’m still fuming at Damon. I pull the pins out of my hair, letting it swish around my shoulders, gently brushing my collarbones. Massaging my scalp, I try to relieve the tension headache that’s been plaguing me all day, and I click through yet another email. It’s an hour past the end of my shift, and for once, I can’t wait to get out of here.

It took all day to transfer over my projects to Melissa. She’d promised profusely that she could handle them and wouldn’t let anything fall through the cracks.

The only one I don’t let go of is the auction because there’s no way anyone is planning Mia’s event but me. Damon is just going to have to deal with it.

I open my unread emails, filing them into folders labeled “action” or “information required” or deleting them altogether. It’s mostly just a million back-and-forth emails that could’ve been said in a five-minute conversation.

I click on the next one, ready to trash it, when my heart plummets.

Sender: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service

Subject: H-1B visa renewal.

Miss Hart,

There was an issue found in your H-1B renewal request.

You will have 31 days from receiving this message to reply with the appropriate documentation to validate your employment.

If you fail to provide the requested prerequisite, your H-1B visa will be revoked.

Please see attachment for more information.

Sincerely,

Joseph Cole

Sr. Administration U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service

Revoke. Revoke. Revoke. My breath comes out in fast, shallow pants, and the world goes blurry around me.

Overwhelmed, I slide my chair back and rest my forehead against my desk to help ease the nausea.

I’m fine. This is fine. Everything is fine.

It’s just some paperwork. No big deal. I can fix this.

My sweater lifts easily from my skirt, and I run my thumb over the scar across my back, the raised line a stark reminder of the past.

I need to fix this because I can’t go home. Not when Thomas can find me. Not when even my own parents would be happy to hand me over to him.

I blow out a breath and force myself to stand. I wouldn’t give that man the satisfaction of me freaking out for a single second over him.

Krista, my supervisor and currently my second-least favorite person, is in her office. She’d been the one to fill out the paperwork before, so it shouldn’t be too hard to submit it again.

“Yes?” she asks, not bothering to look up from her laptop.

I cut to the chase, no use wasting either of our time. “There was an issue with the paperwork you filled out for me for my visa renewal. They’re asking for it again.”

She leans back in her seat, her fingers dancing on the arms of her chair, taking several seconds before answering. “I’m sorry, Misty.”

I hate the way she says my name. She’s disliked me from my first day and has never given me a hint of the reason as to why.

“As you know, I’m no longer your boss. You’ll have to put this request to Mr. Everette.”

Shit.

“It’s just resubmitting it. You must still have the file. I can give it a quick look over.” I’m practically begging by the time she cuts me off.

“There’s nothing I can do. You’ll have to speak with your new boss.” She gives me a vicious smile. “I’m sure you’ll have no trouble sorting that out.”

Dread forms a pit in my stomach. Something tells me I don’t want to hand over any leverage on me to Damon, but the other part knows I don’t have a choice.

“Thank you for your time.” I turn and walk out of her office before she can see my tears.

I’ll do whatever it takes to never go back there.

I grab my stuff from my desk, needing to get the hell out of here.

My phone vibrates just as I’m walking out the door.

Carter: Teams heading to Elysium. You coming?

Normally, I wouldn’t. Besides Lucas, River, and Alex, I don’t make a habit of spending time outside of work with the members of the team. I liked to keep clear lines between us.

But I’m in the mood to do something reckless. Anything that can take my mind off today’s events. There’s a tingling feeling that Damon wouldn’t like it, which just makes it all the more enticing. He changed my job without asking, like he thinks he owns me as more than just an employee. I’m grinning when I reply.

Me: I’m in. See you there.