Going Down Easy (Billionaire Bad Boys 1)

Finishing up, she met his gaze. “Ready.”

Here’s where the issues and deal breakers usually came in. “I’ll expect you to pick up my dry cleaning from my house on Tuesdays and Saturdays and drop it off at my apartment.” He handed her a card from his top desk drawer. “My preferred dry cleaner’s address.”

He spared her another look as she merely accepted the card. She didn’t balk at doing his personal chores. Surprising respect rose before he smothered it.

“Got it. What else?” she asked.

Undeterred, he continued. “I work from home often. On those days I’ll ask you to bring me lunch or work from there as well.”

She nodded once again.

“No complaints so far?”

An amused smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “Nope. You haven’t run me off yet. So what do you like to eat for lunch?”

“Grilled chicken on whole wheat bread, mayonnaise, and two slices of avocado. There’s a place downstairs that delivers.” He slid another business card across the desk.

She picked it up, drawing his attention to her pink fingernails. Delicate, long fingers, made for curling around his—

“Keys. I’ll need a key to your house,” she said, interrupting his inappropriate train of thought.

“Apartment,” he muttered, annoyed she was a step ahead of him. And also irked by the fact that he couldn’t stop thinking about her in a sexual way. It was going to make working with her damned distracting. “I’ll get you a key soon.” He always had his locks changed after a PA didn’t work out.

“Is there anything else?” she asked, sliding the pen along her lip in a gesture surely not meant to be erotic, but his body registered it that way nevertheless.

“No. You can go home,” he snapped.

“Excuse me?” she asked, eyes wide. “You can’t just fire me for no good cause.”

“I didn’t. I’m giving you a break. You can’t be comfortable in that damp shirt,” he said, deliberately letting his gaze trail over the water stains on her chest.

Those luscious lips opened, then closed again in horrified shock.

Go ahead, sweetheart. Call me on sexual harassment, he thought. At least that would end his pain. He couldn’t spend another minute wondering what color her nipples were beneath that lacy bra, and his jaw hurt from clenching his teeth so hard.

When she remained silent, he knew she was stronger than he’d given her credit for. “I’m going to work from home this afternoon,” he told her, making the spur-of-the-moment decision. “Leave me your email and cell number, and I’ll send you a grocery list. You can fill it and bring it by later today. My fridge is empty.”

Realizing he’d have to have a company credit card put in her name if she worked out, he rose and reached into his pocket for cash, handing her money to pay.

“I need your address,” she reminded him.

He picked up yet another business card, his, and handed it to her. “I’m uptown. Keep track of mileage, bus or subway fares, and you can submit expense reports.”

“Yes … Boss.” She rose and hugged the clipboard to her chest. “You’ll be happy with me,” she promised him. “You’ll see.”

Oh, he was plenty happy with her. He was more curious how long she’d be happy with him and his endless demands.

Chapter Two

Lexie didn’t know how she’d held it together in front of Kaden Barnes. She’d been expecting a geeky nerd with a Napoleon complex who’d changed the face of social media. Instead she’d gotten a hot, arrogant, sexy-as-sin, pain-in-the-ass, panty-melting boss. And he’d seen through her, literally, in her damp, see-through blouse. No way had the man been impressed with her in any way. Great way to begin her new job, she thought, her mood sinking even further.

She let herself into her apartment to find her sister wasn’t home and she’d taken Waffles with her. She headed straight for the bedroom. She changed into a new blouse, freshened her makeup, and pulled her straggly hair up into a bun. The best she could do given the circumstances. It was still humid outside after the rain passed, and she didn’t want to leave her hairstyle up to the elements.

She knew Kendall wouldn’t expect her back midday, so she decided to do a spot check on her meds and make sure she’d been taking them. Or at least pretending to take them. The most she could hope for was that today’s pills were gone from the container. Whether her sister took them or flushed them, time would tell. She hoped for the best but expected the worst. The doctors said people with bipolar disorder often had multiple hospitalizations before coming to terms with the illness and beginning to take their meds on a regular basis.

She looked in the kitchen, where she’d left the pills along with a note, but the counter was empty. With guilt but also a sense of resignation, Lexie knocked once to be safe and opened the door to her sister’s bedroom, planning to do a quick visual sweep of the counters. Her gaze immediately went to department store shopping bags on the floor, and it felt like her stomach plummeted.

Compulsive shopping usually happened on one of her sister’s manic episodes. Lexie sighed, wondering where she’d gotten the money. She didn’t have credit cards of her own thanks to the last time she’d abused the privilege and their father had to bail her out. She hoped Kendall hadn’t talked either parent into giving her money or a credit card behind Lexie’s back. Both her mother and father found it hard to say no to Kendall when she asked nicely and made excuses that were too easy to believe for why she needed something.