Free Desired by Him (Chosen by Him Series, Book 2): by Ellie Danes

Chase
    I forced my eyes away from Summer, observing my new interns before turning toward the class again. The touch of her hand alone had got my blood flowing as memories from our encounter the night before filled my mind.
    What the hell was I doing, getting close to a student again? That had always been my problem, from day one—I liked to jump into things, regardless of the consequences. My ego was too big, one of my partners used to say. You think you own the world, Chase , they would tell me, but life doesn’t work that way. You can’t go around controlling everything and getting everything you want and expect no consequences .
    Well, it was too late now. The ego had won, and there was no turning back.
    “Ladies and gentlemen, here are this semester’s interns.” I waved my hand as if I were presenting the grand prize at a game show. It felt a bit crazy, but it took my mind off of what I was really thinking. “That’s it, everyone. The rest of the day is yours. I will see you Friday.”
    The class cleared and I held the ten interns for a few extra minutes. They were all smart and charming MBA students, but she was the only one on my mind. Had I chosen her for what we had done last night? I had thought long and hard about that question. I had to admit that the situation had changed my resolve to alter the program to admit new interns, but I kept remembering how much she had impressed on paper alone. She was smart, as smart or smarter than the rest of them.
    I gathered them at the center of the room around the desk. I could tell each of them were on edge, except for Summer. She kept a faint, dreamy smile on her face that made me feel at ease.
    “Congratulations to you all,” I conceded, looking each one of them in the eye. Five girls, five guys. Adding the five other interns had hardly been a chore; everyone was qualified and eager for the opportunity.
    “The envelope in your hands is your next assignment,” I explained. “This semester, you will each be assigned a mentor. I’m far too busy to take on all of you, and I believe this will give you the best opportunity to grow and learn. This will be in addition to your coursework, of course, which I fully expect all of you to keep up with.”
    A look of disappointment fell on each of their faces as I broke the news. “I had thought–” one of the men began, raising his hand in protest.
    “Dillon, right?” I didn’t wait for his acknowledgement, I knew I was correct. “It doesn’t matter what you had thought. You will each meet your mentor at the location and time contained in the envelope. Your task is to pass this interview with them, to convince them to work with you. Basic sales, negotiation. You know the drill.”
    I could hear the crinkling of paper as the students opened their envelopes, studying their locations. I glanced a Summer. She, too, had opened her envelope, but her eyes were trained on me.
    “If they decide they don’t want to work for you, for whatever reason, you’re of no use to me as an intern.” I gave Dillon a matter-of-fact stare. “Make it past this stage and we can talk about what you thought.”
    I dismissed them, and was turning to pack up my things when I felt a hand fall lightly on my arm. I turned to see Summer standing next to me. Her perfume filled my nose and I drank it in. “Thank you,” she whispered.
    I noticed the other students staring and gave her a glare, although giving her such a brash response made me feel guilty. I was supposed to be the responsible one here, after all, and I had completely rigged the system to get closer to her. “Don’t thank me just yet,” I told her, brushing her hand off my arm. We’d have to talk about that. “Let’s just see how well you do.”
    I spotted the paper with the location written on it in her hands as she turned to leave. Damn my ego.
     

Summer
    “I can’t believe he picked you, Sums. That’s amazing. I’m so fucking jealous!” Alyssa vented, standing at the