His Terms

You need this job. You need this job. You need this job.

She repeated the words in her head like a mantra.

“No, I don’t need anything, Miss Case.”

Sorcha tried to get her body under control, but the way he said her name, slightly sardonic, with a hint of controlled heat, had lust and annoyance slamming into her. Irritation should not have made her want him more, but the thought of having him under her, doing what she said and giving up his control, was quite a heady feeling. Who the hell was she kidding? Rian Hartford would never relinquish his control to anyone, least of all his lowly secretary.

He didn’t say anything in response, and so she nodded, tightened her hold on her purse strap, and turned around to leave. But before she exited the office his deep voice stopped her.

“Miss Case?”

She looked over her shoulder, and the way he stared at her had her pulse increasing, her palms sweating, and this impending doom settling inside of her. “Yes?” She hadn’t meant to say the lone word so softly.

“I need you to come in tomorrow, say noon?”

She knitted her brows, and turned around. “But tomorrow is Saturday.”

“I’m glad you can read a calendar,” he said without any emotion. He still leaned back in his chair, looking cocky and without a care in the world. She was just supposed to drop what she was doing? Not like she had plans, but that was beside the point. She already had to work with him five out of seven days a week, and now he expected her to give up her free time to do his bidding? Before she could respond he started speaking once again.

“It is imperative that you attend tomorrow, because I have an offer for you.”

She knitted her brows. “An offer?”

He leaned forward, and the light from his lamp slashed across his face. “Just be here tomorrow at noon.” And with his voice going hard, he dismissed her like he hadn’t just dropped this cryptic freaking ball.

She nodded, but wasn’t sure if she was agreeing to be here tomorrow, or if she was just too confused to understand what in the hell she was doing. She turned and left, not knowing exactly what Rian was up to, but feeling as though she had just made a deal with the devil.

4

“Rian, are you sure this is really what you want to do?” Harold Theon had been his father’s attorney and been with the Hartford family for longer than Rian could even remember. He was old as shit, but knew the law better than any attorney Rian had ever been around, and that was saying something. Lawson was also here, and his PR rep was actually impressed he was going down this route, because at least it would solve the whole spilling personal information to the media. Or at least Lawson had acted impressed.

“Harold, I haven’t been surer of anything than I am of this.”

Harold lifted his bushy white eyebrows, and stared at Rian with his light blue eyes. He scribbled his signature on the last line, and leaned back in the seat across from Rian. Sorcha had left the office an hour before, and Harold and Lawson had showed up per Rian’s request.

“I actually think this is one of the smarter moves in Rian’s personal life when it concerns the women he associates with,” Lawson said and took the contract Rian had just signed. “But I guess it’ll be the smartest move if the young woman actually agrees to it.”

“I, for one, have never drafted up a contract proposing a woman to be … what you want her to be,” Harold said, took the legal documents from Lawson, and put them in his briefcase.

“Well, with the media trying to tarnish the company because of Rian’s personal life, hopefully having…” Lawson looked at Rian for help.

“Sorcha Case,” Rian said and leaned back in his seat, and put his hands behind his head.

“Hopefully having this in place will ease some of that negativity. At least if she signs she won’t be able to legally backfire once it is all said and done,” Lawson said.

“I’ll have a judge go over them and have them signed before the end of the night,” Harold said and stood. “You should have the final documents sent over to your office first thing tomorrow morning. That’s when you’re meeting with the young woman?”

Rian nodded and felt his gut tighten at the prospect of bringing this up with Sorcha. She’d either be open to it, which would surprise the fuck out of him, or, which was the more logical reaction, she’d slap his face and tell him to fuck off.

Harold grabbed his suitcase, nodded at Lawson and Rian, and then turned to leave. Harold made sure to push things through quickly, but then again Rian had many connections. Being who he was, and having the kind of wealth he did, let Rian do pretty much whatever the fuck he wanted. He made things happen for people, and in return had things done for him. It was a never-ending circle.