“I promised Dad I’d go to university. It was his condition for getting me the job this summer.”
“Yeah, and it’s a good job you did promise,” she said. “Hell knows what kind of crazy shit you’d be trying for if you hadn’t.”
I knew exactly what crazy shit I’d be trying for if I hadn’t. But that wasn’t for now.
Now was about enjoying seeing Dad’s boss properly for the first time in years. Now was about enjoying my first day and him opening the door to that filing room and heading right on in.
How I wish he’d have kept on coming.
“Tomorrow is gonna be the day you get your first real taster,” Holly said. “You and him, hanging out around the posh antique furniture talking hammer strikes. That’s when you’ll really see that hot boss side of him.”
I felt the heat between my legs and the grin crept up on my face all over again.
I couldn’t wait.Chapter FourMilesI did a good job of keeping a handle on my baser instincts that first week. My delicate little Faith did indeed report directly to me, but I’d made sure to be the one to seek her out, and in more visible office locations. I’d been careful not to step in too close to those sweet little curves and the divine promise of such perfect innocence. I’d also been sure to keep my balls thoroughly emptied day and night with the help of a shit ton of tacky school uniform porn, and a host of grunts and fucking curses for my efforts.
It appeared that even Erica – who had barely a sliver of respect for my capabilities in any capacity outside of business or the bedroom – didn’t believe that I would be such a deviant as to debase Faith Martin. Not when it really came down to it.
“Even you wouldn’t stoop that fucking low,” she’d hissed into my ear that first morning I’d steered her away from the girl. “But if I get even a whiff that you’re thinking about it, I swear to God, I’ll tear you down so fucking hard.”
I’d turned to face her. My scowl just inches from hers. “I won’t be fucking thinking about it.”
That was a lie. I was thinking about it constantly, but I had every intention of staying true to the good man Miles, even if I barely knew the guy anymore.
Faith deserved the very best from me. Not just as the man who’d been in her life since she was a sweet little burst of sunshine in her dad’s arms, but as her first boss. Her first boss and the man to offer her first taste of the auctioneering industry.
She was ever so grateful for it.
The girl certainly hadn’t been downplaying her enthusiasm for antiques. She was a sponge, soaking up everything around her, scouting through the sale listings with eagle eyes and a buzz of passion I hadn’t seen around me in this place for years. She was smart, and sharp, and every bit an effervescent little pixie with hunger for the details.
Within those first few days she was already taking client phone calls and responding to company emails without supervision. She had a good grasp of antique terminology and a solid knowledge of commercial value. She was a young little bunny rabbit who wasn’t even slightly caught in the headlights, constantly seeking out more and more.
I made sure she had it, just not in nearly enough of the ways I would like to.
She was a hit with the women in the office, who were all wide smiles and laughter around her – Erica excluded. She was a hit with the clients, all of them speaking very positively about the new little office superstar.
Word about her success made it down to the property office and up to her dad at the top of the management tree. He sent me over an email on Thursday afternoon offering a whole fresh load of thanks for taking her on that summer.
She’s loving it, he said. She doesn’t shut up about it over dinner. Not about the antiques, and not about you, either. You’re making quite an impression.
How I wished he hadn’t said the last part.
Anyway, it was a thumbs-up from all angles. A big fat win for the summer ideals tick box, but life rarely stays smooth in my experience. This was going to be no exception and I should have known it.
Maybe it was running before I could walk that led me to suggesting Faith join me on an outing that following Monday. She was visibly shocked when I suggested it, sucking in her breath and staring up at me with wide eyes from the sales admin desk.
“I’d love to, Mr Lindon, sir,” she said, and there it was all over again. That flutter of excitement in her voice and the subsequent tingles in my balls.