Merciless (Option Zero 1)

Chapter Eleven

The question took Jules’s breath away. She had been doing so well, answering every question without any real hesitancy. Yes, the fact that he knew about her “extracurricular” work had been startling, but she’d rallied and thought she’d done quite well. But this? This was not something she’d anticipated.

She couldn’t deny the attraction. That would be an obvious lie. Nor did she want to pretend it meant nothing, because in all honesty, it was one of the sweetest emotions she’d felt in years. Jules did the only thing she knew to do. She asked her own straightforward question.

“Are you opposed to being involved with one of your operatives, or have you just never been attracted to one of them?”

“I have many attractive employees, but not one of them has made me want to kiss every part of her.”

Her heartbeat tripled, and heat flooded her body. This man and his blunt honesty were both unexpected and incredibly appealing.

Before she could come up with a response, he added, “And before you tell me this kind of talk is out of line in an interview, I’ll tell you I know that. But not being forthright about things is not my way. Whatever your answer is, you need to know that up front.”

“Your honesty is much appreciated. So what should we do?”

“You have two choices. Work for me, and anything between us is off the table. Or don’t take the job, and we can have a short-term relationship.”

“Short term?”

“I don’t do permanent.”

Okay, there was honesty, and then there was brutal honesty.

“So it’s either one or the other?”

It was an obviously rhetorical question, and he didn’t bother to respond.

Even though there was only one answer she could give, for just a second she allowed herself the fantasy of giving a different one. What would it feel like to be with a man like Asher Drake? She’d already known he was a man of integrity and strength. And now, having met him and gotten to know him on a personal basis, the things he made her feel were unlike anything she’d ever experienced. What would it be like to have him touch her, kiss her? Give herself over to the kind of pleasure she’d never before felt?

“Jules?”

Jerked out of the hopeless fantasy, she gave him the only answer she could. “I want to work for OZ.”

For just a second, she thought she saw disappointment flicker in his eyes, but if it had been there, he quickly covered it with the arrogant blandness she was coming to recognize as his standard expression.

Without another word, he stood and held out his hand. She allowed him to pull her to her feet, wondering exactly what she had gotten herself into. By working with him, she was putting herself in a precarious position. She had her own agenda. If she didn’t get her head straight and remember exactly why she was here, she would mess all of this up. There was too much at stake to jeopardize her goals.

They didn’t talk as they walked back to her hotel. For someone who rarely felt nervous, she was suddenly incredibly so. Just because they were attracted to each other didn’t mean anything, really. She had met dozens…okay, not dozens, but a few men she had felt attracted to. Not one of them had made her the slightest bit nervous. But this wasn’t just anyone. This was Asher Drake, a man she had studied like no one else.

She wasn’t sure what she expected when they arrived at her room. She had admitted an attraction to this man, and they had both agreed it wasn’t something they could explore. He didn’t get involved with his employees, and she had an agenda that was in direct conflict with any kind of intimacy with her target.

None of that mattered when they were standing at her hotel door. Her heart was racing like she was a teenager in the throes of her first crush. She held her breath, unsure of the next move.

Asher Drake had no such problem. With a curt nod, he said, “I’ll be in touch.” The words were terse, his face expressionless as he walked away.

She gave a laughing sigh. The man was nothing if not unpredictable, and despite all the whispered warnings in her mind, she knew she was going to have a difficult time controlling her response to him. She had never been so utterly fascinated by anyone as she was by Asher Drake.

Her timing, as usual, sucked.

The instant she entered her room, the musings of her mercurial heart abruptly ended. She was not alone.

The intruder sat in the darkness of a corner. Jules could just make out an indistinguishable shadowy image. She couldn’t even tell if the person was male or female. She cursed softly. She had been distracted, unprepared. Two things she’d sworn would never happen to her again.

“You failed the first test, Ms. Stone,” a female voice said, its owner sounding amused.

“Who are you?”

“Your trainer.”