Free The Billionaire's Assistant (Contemporary BWWM Interracial Romance) (The Billionaire's Proposition Book 1) by Rose Francis

horror.
    “What is it?”
    “I just…is it normal for your personal assistants to have dinner with you every night?”
    His mouth quirked with a tiny smile.
    “No,” he said. “I must admit, I find myself enjoying your company very much, and I’ve grown sort of used to you already; your presence is a comfort to me. But if you’re uncomfortable with it, we can stop, of course. I will make arrangements for you to join the others in the servants’ quarters for dinner instead.”
    “You know that’s not fair; your food is better, I’m sure,” she said lightly, her heart dropping at his suggestion, and not because of the slight inconvenience of having to walk a little further for dinner.
    The other pros and cons were obvious: she had the boss’s ear directly for a long period of time, and she enjoyed his company as well.
    There was only one con to eating with him: her ever-growing attraction to him; she enjoyed his company a little too much.
    But there was no way she could tell him that.
    He smiled a brief, social smile.
    “The food is good over there as well, and the company. The other women like you, and you perhaps have more in common and more to talk about. I understand completely if you’d rather spend time with them.”
    He was toying with her, right?
    Was he actually trying to make her say out loud how much more she preferred his company over anyone’s?
    Did he wanted her to admit how much his presence made her feel fulfilled?
    And was she really considering giving up her perks just so she didn’t have to feel her heart beating relentlessly against her chest at his nearness?
    She tried to ignore her emotions and focus on the facts to come to a sensible conclusion.
    “You don’t have to decide this second, Naomi, but let me know soon—I must give the chef a heads-up. And forgive me, but I must put in a word for myself—I do prefer having company for dinner—preferably yours. I find you interesting, so it’s completely selfish on my part wanting to have you with me. But please—don’t feel bad if it makes you too uncomfortable; I won’t hold it against you. I really do understand.”
    What was it he understood? The inappropriate intimacy of it? How much every moment spent with him only made her want more?
    She held her tongue.
    She thought again about spending at least one dinner with the older ladies, and as much as she figured it was the right thing to do, and that it could also serve to make sure they continued to have good rapport and not resent her if they hadn’t started to already—she couldn’t bear the thought of not being near Kevin and seeing his handsome face.
    Maybe in a day or two.
----
    N aomi fought the urge to call Jenna again as she settled into her bedroom for the night.
    She wasn’t sure if Jenna was working a shift or not, though she had used that as an excuse for her not calling any of the past few nights, even though she knew Jenna didn’t work every night.
    Her hand reached for her phone but poised midair.
    She missed having someone to talk to about everything, and boy did she need someone to talk to now. Her mind was reeling.
    She wanted to tell someone so badly how confused she was—how it didn’t seem like she was hired because she was needed at all.
    Her hand redirected itself to the book on her nightstand instead; she had a feeling she knew what Jenna would say.
    “It’s ‘cause he wants to fuck you,” she imagined Jenna saying with a straight face, totally serious.
    To Jenna, that’s all every guy ever wanted. Anytime they spoke a word to you outside of giving work orders, it was to get one step closer to manipulating you into the horizontal tango—or however they wanted to position you.
    “I’m just telling you like it is, girl. You’re still a virgin so you don’t know yet—you think there’s got to be more, but there isn’t. It’s biological. All they want to do is fuck.”
    She had actually told Naomi this once, and Naomi had no leg to stand on