Chapter 5
“Both. For assuming I’d give in to your seduction and for saying you wouldn’t hire me after all. I left my life in the United States to come work for you.” Madeline delivers her speech very confidently, and I can see she’s really upset.
Clearly she had assessed me as much as I did her, which goes to show she’s not indifferent. On the other hand, nothing in her posture tells me she’s trying to impress me.
Very few times have I interacted with a woman, regardless of age, when they were not trying to get my attention somehow.
Madeline, however, looks like she wants to bolt.
Why?
Her stance intrigues me. Any other woman, if aware of my interest in her beauty, would use that as a weapon. After all, the chance to be my mistress for a month would give her far more advantages than traveling around the world as a mere assistant.
That’s not what her body language is telling me, though.
“I was honest. I’m attracted to you,” I say.
I notice when her delicate hands grip the arms of the chair. “You can’t say things like that to me.”
“Why not, if it’s true? Also, I said I’m attracted to you, not that I’ll act on it.”
Her cheeks redden again, and it’s a lovely reaction, one I didn’t expect from an independent woman who is about to go with me to a strange country, agreeing to travel with her boss without knowing the destination.
“If that’s the kind of behavior you’d like me to help change, you’re going to have to double my salary because it’s going to be a very difficult task.”
“Consider it done,” I say because I’ve just come to the conclusion that I want this skittish girl as an assistant.
“What? No. It was a manner of speaking. The salary you offer is more than generous, even if I’m not willing to take it anymore.”
“Why? Is this the first time a man has told you you’re attractive?’
“To be honest, yes. However, that’s not the reason I’m saying no to your job proposal. I didn’t know that in accepting the position—and I believe that my cousin was also unaware when referring me to you—that it came with the condition of becoming the boss’s lover.”
“I never pay to have a woman, Miss Turner.” For those who don’t know me, my voice sounds calm, but I’m boiling inside. “Though I’m sure everyone has a price.”
“Not me. There would be no money in the world that would make me go to bed with someone. Now, please tell me what I’m still doing here. Ever since I bumped into you, we’ve done nothing but argue.”
“I want you to work for me. Your dislike of me is an excellent qualification.”
“I don’t understand.”
“As my assistant, you need to know certain peculiarities of my life, Miss Turner.”
“Like what, for example?”
“I don’t have girlfriends in the strict sense of the word. I go out with women, always one at a time, for a period of thirty days, maximum. Then it’s over. I think you can understand why, even if I think you’re beautiful, you don’t suit what I look for in a relationship.”
She opens and closes her mouth several times, like she’s trying to process what I have just said.
Finally, she relaxes against the leather chair, looking at my face as if she’s facing a sphinx whose riddle needs to be deciphered.
“Don’t overthink it, Miss Turner. I’m offering you the assistant position at a salary far above the market rate. It’ll be a strictly professional relationship.” I pause before I play the final card. “And I’m still going to help you with your housing problem.”
She swallows hard. “How do you know about that?”
“The whole world knows your father is broke,” I say, without mincing words.
“We didn’t know until recently,” she says, looking embarrassed.
Her father was the CEO of a pension fund and lost the wealth of thousands of people in risky investments. There’s also a suspicion that he may have diverted a good part of the funds to his own pocket. If that’s true, it’s only a matter of time before he’s arrested.
“I’m not saying it’s your or your family’s fault, but I’m aware of your situation.
From what I see, our professional relationship is an excellent business move on your part.
You will have a job, and I will arrange for you to move into one of my apartments in London.
” I never imagined that, while interviewing Madeline Turner, I would have to convince her to be my assistant.
“Why are you doing this? You could hire someone more qualified than me.”
“Yes, it’s true, but your education comes from birth and not from a textbook, and we have established that we’ll never cross the line. Those things turn you into the ideal candidate.”
“You can call me Madeline. I mean, if that doesn’t sound too unprofessional, of course.” She doesn’t say it with sarcasm. I realize that, despite my first impression of her, Madeline Turner is sweet as a date.
“Call me Kamal,” I say, but then I can’t resist teasing her. “Or my Sheikh.”
“Is that traditional? I thought it was Your Excellency.”
Her question is so innocent that I decide to back off. Madeline doesn’t look like she’s used to joking around.
“How old are you, really?” I ask. I know her age—it was on her resumé—but she looks younger and her na?veté doesn’t match her birth certificate.
“Twenty-two,” she confirms. “I will accept the position, and again I apologize for my clumsy arrival. You said you would arrange an apartment for me, and I can’t afford to refuse that at the moment, but it doesn’t have to be anything big,” she says with a smile.
I watch her for a while before continuing.
“Don’t think you’re getting a dream job, Madeline.
I work late and sometimes even on the weekends.
We’ll travel a lot and, on some occasions, at the last minute, because certain commitments are urgent and unavoidable.
I’m the worst person to have as a boss, especially in the morning.
I need coffee before anyone tries to talk to me. ”
She doesn’t look scared. “What do you expect from me?”
“I’ve been having some problems socializing at parties with owners of companies I’m looking to acquire. You should know that I buy bankrupt businesses, among others.”
She nods. “Yes, I read about it. You buy them, split them up, and resell them.”
“Exactly. A few months ago, I didn’t close a deal I was very interested in because apparently, I was unkind to the owner’s daughter.”
“I don’t know if I understand.”
“I was using their toilet, and the woman came in and got naked. I ordered her to leave. She was outraged. I don’t know what she said to her father, but the deal was off right away.”
Madeline flushes red like a tomato. “In this particular case, my Sheikh . . .” she says, not realizing that I had meant it as a joke. However, hearing the expression coming from her lips brings up the image of Madeline moaning as I bury myself between her thighs.
I sigh heavily, trying to focus on the conversation, which should be professional. “What did you say?” I ask when she glares at me after she’s finished.
“Didn’t you hear?”
Not even a little bit.
“I think I may have mixed up a word or two of what you said, Madeline.”
“Did I say them wrong?” she sounds unsure, and I feel like a jerk. I forgot about her dyslexia.
“No, I got distracted for a moment. You haven’t made any mistakes since you arrived.”
She breathes a sigh of relief, and I wonder if someone ever made her feel bad about her condition. “I said that, in this particular case, even a Westerner might have responded in the same way. It’s not very polite to go into the bathroom when someone is using it and get naked in front of them.”
“The other option would have been to accept the invitation the woman offered me,” I say because I like to see her blush.
“Uh . . . yes,” she says, the blush returning as I expected. “Anyway, I think I understand what you want from me. If we can talk openly when we work together, I’ll make adjustments when I’m not pleasing you in some way.”
The problem is the opposite, Madeline. You please me too much.
For all her beauty, she doesn’t seem to use it as a weapon. She sounds very committed to doing her job well. I decide to take a step back. I can bed any woman I want, but good employees aren’t easy to find.
Unlike most women around her age that I’ve been around, Madeline hasn’t ingratiated herself, so I decide I’ll keep things between us professional.
Or at least, I will try to do so.