Читать книгу King's Rule - Jackie Ashenden - Страница 11

POPPY TOOK A step towards me, her copper eyes full of challenge, clearly having no idea how fragile my control was.

Apparently, she’d been put on earth solely to test me.

In the normal scheme of things I had no problem keeping myself in check. But this woman... Christ, she’d done nothing but push me from the moment she’d stepped into the room. And now my patience—usually limitless—was almost extinct.

Then again, I didn’t know what I’d expected. She’d been doing that since she was ten years old.

At first, I’d been happy at the thought of having a little sister to spoil since I’d been rather isolated as a kid. But then she’d turned up, made of nothing but anger and spite, and had decided, for some reason known only to herself, that I was the worst person on the planet and had treated me accordingly.

Things had gone downhill from there.

I’d known at the time that she’d just lost her father and so, for at least a year after she came to live with us, I tried my best to be friendly towards her. But she never softened. Nothing I did was right and nothing I said changed things. She either ignored me completely or picked at me constantly, pushing and pushing to get a rise out of me.

She didn’t treat either Ajax or Leon like that, only me.

So I stopped trying to be nice and simply ignored her. Which would have worked fine if I hadn’t accidentally caught her skinny-dipping in the pool early one morning. She’d been eighteen, rising from the water like a sea goddess, her hair dripping and glossy down her back. Her skin had glistened a deep bronze, her lovely face devoid of its usual angry scowl, and she’d stood there by the edge, her arms raised, squeezing the water from her hair, looking out towards the ocean since our house was built on a cliff. And she’d smiled.

It slew me, that smile.

That was when my dick had decided it wanted her. And the damn thing hadn’t let up since.

Now, I tried to hold onto the last fraying shreds of my control, but then she took that step, getting close, inches away from me, pushing me the way she always did. And I could smell her, that sweet jasmine scent, feel the heat of her lovely body. And all I could think about was turning her around and pressing her hard against the door, dragging her jeans down and getting inside her.

Shutting that smart, beautiful mouth with my palm. Getting her smoky voice screaming into it with pleasure. Or maybe putting her on her knees and making her beg. Or even turning her over my knee and spanking that perfect ass red.

You’re supposed to take care of her.

Yes, I’d made that promise. And I wouldn’t break it, no matter how hard she pushed me. My control might be in shreds, but I would never lose it completely. I kept my promises. I always told the truth.

Except when you lied about not wanting her anywhere near your dick.

I ignored that thought.

‘So basically I have to do whatever you say.’ She came to a stop and folded her arms, giving me a belligerent look. ‘Sounds to me like you have all the power.’

‘No one is forcing you to take the job.’

‘But I have to if I want to get the internship.’

‘Of course not.’ Did she really need this explained to her? ‘You could call the firm yourself and ask for one. You don’t have to have a reference from me.’

‘Yeah, but it’s not like they’re going to pay any attention to some nobody from Australia asking for an internship.’

‘No, they won’t.’ The truth had to be said, even if it made her uncomfortable. ‘Internships there are incredibly sought after.’

‘How convenient.’ She glared at me.

‘Don’t take the job then.’ I was getting more and more irritated. By her proximity. By that maddeningly soft-looking cloud of black hair. By her delicious scent. By the pulse at the base of her throat that I was somehow becoming acutely aware of with every passing second.

Jesus, I had to get her out of here. Ajax was going to arrive at any moment and the last thing I wanted was to have a meeting with my brother with an inconvenient hard-on.

She scowled. ‘You could just give me the reference.’

‘You could just take the job.’

‘You promised your dad you’d look after my mother and me,’ she shot back. ‘Wasn’t that what you told me?’

She wasn’t wrong. I had told her that.

Over the past five years, after Dad had gone to prison, I hadn’t seen much of her, though not for want of trying. I’d wanted to keep that promise I’d made him, but almost the very second the prison doors had closed, both Lily and Poppy had disappeared. I’d tracked them down eventually to a very upmarket apartment in Bondi, which was a surprise given that the few assets in Lily’s name had been frozen along with Dad’s. Poppy had some kind of waitressing job which only paid meagrely, so it wasn’t as if she was supporting her mother.

I had my suspicions about how they managed to afford such an expensive place, but it wasn’t my job to interfere in my father’s ill-conceived marriage, so I decided not to ask her any questions. Instead, I told them about my promise to Dad, offering them some monetary help. Naturally Lily instantly accepted, which didn’t surprise me. My stepmother never let an opportunity go to waste.

However, that promise had been between Dad and me, a private agreement, and it was what set me apart from him. He had no honour, but I did. I kept my promises.

It meant something to me, that promise, and it wasn’t Poppy’s to use now. Especially not if she was using it to manipulate me.

The days of people using me were over.

Simmering anger in my veins burned hot, my patience slipping from my control no matter how hard I tried to keep hold of it.

‘That promise was one I made to my father,’ I said icily. ‘Are you seriously thinking you can use that to get me to do what you want?’

The smooth golden skin of her cheeks reddened. ‘That’s...not what I meant.’

I took a step towards her, unable to stop myself. ‘Or perhaps you expect me to give you something for nothing. Is that how you think life works?’

She blinked and stepped back. ‘No, I don’t think—’

‘Perhaps you expect me to hand it to you on a plate?’ I took yet another step, forcing her back again. ‘That after years of treating me like your worst enemy, suddenly I have something you want and you think I’m just going to give it to you?’ My voice had got colder, deadlier as I kept walking forward, something inside me taking immense pleasure in her hurried retreat. ‘No, Poppy. That’s not how this is going to work.’

I didn’t stop, answering only to the fury that burned hot inside me, continuing to pace forward, forcing her backward until her spine hit the door, leaving her with nowhere to go.

She made a soft sound, her eyes wide as they looked up into mine, her full red lips parting. Something was glowing in her gaze, a golden spark, and the pulse at the base of her throat was beating fast and getting faster.

Was she scared? Had I frightened her? Or was it something else?

Mesmerised despite myself, I stepped even closer, looking down into her beautiful eyes.

Jesus. Was that—?

I never got a chance to complete the thought because Poppy raised her hands, her palms connecting with my chest, and I found myself being shoved back hard.

A tense silence fell.

She’d never touched me before and I’d certainly never touched her. And that had clearly been a good thing, because the heat of her palms and the pressure of them on my chest was echoing throughout my entire body, stealing my breath. Stealing my control. Making my cock get even harder.

Her expression was tight with anger, her shoulders rigid, eyes glittering, delicate fingers curled into fists.

I’d crossed the line by getting close to her and I knew it, and suddenly I was even more furious than I’d been a second ago.

This was her fault. How dare she touch me? How dare she get me hard? In my own goddamned boardroom. How dare she drive me to the edge of my control so that I made stupid decisions? Such as forcing her up against that fucking door.

‘What?’ I snapped before I could stop myself. ‘You don’t like being cornered? Well, neither do I. You want that reference then working for me is the only way you’ll get it, understood?’

The fury in her expression burned hotter.

‘You bastard.’ Her cheeks were a deep red, her eyes molten. ‘Next time you pull a move like that one, I won’t just shove you, I’ll call the damn police and have you arrested for harassment.’

‘And next time you use the promise I made to my father purely to push me, I’ll make sure to tell Liz that under no circumstances should she employ you in any capacity whatsoever.’

The look in her eyes blazed and she took a couple of steps towards me. And for a second I thought she was going to come at me, and I honestly didn’t know what I would have done if she had. Whether I would have taken her down onto the floor and had her right then and there or called Security to have her thrown out. It was a toss-up.

Luckily I was saved from finding out because right at that moment the door of the boardroom opened and Ajax, my oldest brother, walked in.

He stopped dead as soon as he noticed Poppy, looking from me to her and then back again. ‘Am I interrupting?’

‘No,’ I snarled.

‘Yes,’ Poppy snapped. ‘Your brother was in the process of harassing me.’

Ajax’s light blue eyes—disturbing in contrast to his black hair and eyebrows—narrowed. At me.

Furious, I simply stared back, not even bothering to speak. Ajax knew Poppy and I hated each other, just like he also knew I would never hurt or harass a woman ever. So why the hell he was looking at me like that I couldn’t imagine.

‘You two should really stay clear of each other,’ he said at last. ‘Either that or you should just fuck and get it out of your system.’

Poppy blinked in outrage and opened her mouth, probably to say something she’d regret.

Luckily for her, I got in first. ‘So?’ I said, ignoring my brother. ‘Are you going to take the job or not?’

Her gaze burned into mine. ‘I’d rather die.’

‘Fine. Suit yourself.’ I lifted my chin in the direction of the exit. ‘There’s the door.’

Her jaw was tight, every inch of her vibrating with fury.

She’d never looked more intensely fuckable and I was very conscious of Ajax’s gaze and the amusement in it.

Of course he knew exactly what my problem was.

‘Enjoy finding someone who’ll put up with your bullshit,’ Poppy spat, tossing her head and turning on her heel.

‘Enjoy not getting that internship,’ I snapped back, gritting my teeth against the urge to go after her and haul her into my arms, show her a few things that would make her change her mind.

‘I don’t need that internship.’ She pulled open the door. ‘And I don’t need anything from you.’ Then she walked through it and slammed it shut behind her.

‘Still a hit with the ladies, I see,’ Ajax murmured.

Rage and thwarted lust boiled in my veins, no small part of that rage directed at myself for being stupid enough to lose my temper with her.

Because I had lost my temper. Something that almost never happened. What was it about Poppy bloody Valentine that got under my skin so easily?

Turning, I stalked over to the windows that looked out over Sydney’s blue harbour, trying to get a grip on myself.

If I’d been in my own office, I’d have sat down at my computer and played around with my stock portfolio, because numbers always had the ability to calm me.

There was nothing irritating about numbers. They were clean. They were honest. There was no subtext to them. And, best of all, they were absolutely devoid of any emotion.

‘What do you want?’ I kept my gaze on the view, not bothering to moderate my tone. ‘I’m not in the mood for a meeting.’

‘No kidding. What the hell happened?’

‘Nothing I want to talk about.’

‘You know I’m right.’ Ajax’s voice sounded closer. ‘You should just fuck her already.’

‘I wouldn’t fuck her if she was the last woman on earth.’

He laughed. ‘For a man who’s all about the truth, you sure do a lot of lying to yourself.’

Another thing to hate about her. The way she made me lie.

Keep blaming it on her if it makes you feel better. But you know it’s your own weakness you’re pissed off about.

I thrust my hands in my pockets. ‘Tell me what you want, Ajax.’

He ignored me. ‘What’s all this about a job? You hiring Poppy now?’

‘Lisa left last week and I need a temporary replacement until I have time to find someone more permanent.’

‘That’s what temp agencies are for.’

‘They won’t work with a King.’

‘Sure. They won’t work with you.’

I could see myself glowering in the reflective glass of the window. With an effort, I tried to smooth my expression. ‘Like you don’t have any problems retaining staff.’

Ajax grunted. He knew I was right. Neither of us were exactly people pleasers. Which was why our middle brother Leon did all the PR work for our company.

‘You can’t go without a PA for a week or so?’ he asked instead.

‘I have a...project I’m working on that needs my full attention.’ I didn’t want to talk about that particular project with anyone, especially not Poppy, even though it concerned her. It was the last lie I had to uncover. The last lie I had to destroy. The truth about her father’s death and my role in it. ‘I need someone around to handle any details that might crop up.’

‘Project?’ Ajax’s voice was sharp. ‘What project?’

I turned and met my brother’s stare head-on. ‘None of your damn business.’

His blue gaze didn’t even flicker. ‘I’m CEO of this company. Everything is my damn business.’

‘This has got nothing to do with the company. Ergo, like I said, it’s none of your business.’

Ajax tried to stare me down like he stared down everyone who crossed him.

Unfortunately for him that didn’t work with me.

He gave another of his non-committal grunts instead. ‘Fine. Your funeral. But you want a piece of advice?’

‘No.’

‘Okay, I lied. It’s not advice. It’s an order. Sort out whatever the fuck your project is and fast. I’m going to need you on deck and focused in the next couple of weeks.’

Momentarily diverted, I frowned at him. ‘Why? What’s going on?’

He gave me one of his trademark smiles, just on the edge of vicious. ‘None of your fucking business.’

Irritating bastard.

He left soon after that and the second he was out of the door, my brain started back to thinking about just what the hell I was going to do about Poppy bloody Valentine.

Ajax had now given me an extra time pressure, which was the last thing I needed, especially if I wanted to complete this pet project of mine. I could have put it on hold if I’d really wanted to, but I’d spent the last five years putting it on hold and now I wanted it done—and done quickly.

It was the last thing I needed to do to make good on my promise to Dad.

The last atonement to make up for a life I’d been responsible for taking.

But if I was going to get it done before Ajax needed me ‘on deck’ then I had to have help. I had to have an assistant.

I scowled at the view of Sydney through the glass.

Shit.

I was going to have to be nice to Poppy bloody Valentine, wasn’t I?