Her father would never allow her to do that.

Sierra took a few more steps into the room, finally gaining the notice of the other occupants. She saw the slight movement in the stranger’s shoulders as he shifted his weight. Slowly rising to his feet, his every gesture seemingly planned – coordinated.

Though his movement seemed to convey that he wasn’t in a hurry, somehow she knew he did nothing without thinking it through, planning ahead with precise calculation.

He turned around and before she could divert her eyes, their gazes locked together. From within her own head, she commanded herself to turn around, dismiss him with nothing more than a look, but she couldn’t seem to break the connection.

His gaze held her rooted to the spot, locked tightly to his, his expression almost a command for her to bend to his will.

Nonsense! This is nonsense, her brain was shouting, trying to take control of her frozen limbs.

His lips turned up the slightest fraction of an inch, as he sent a cold, arrogant stare her way. Finally, the egotistical look managed to break her from his spell. While her stomach turned over, and her skin felt like it was on fire, she shifted, glancing at her father, who looked slightly ill.

“Why did you need me, Father? It looks like you’re busy,” she asked, growing angrier at the breathless weakness in her voice.

Her dad gazed at her for a moment with an odd look in his eyes, one she’d never seen before, almost a look of regret mixed with anger. He said nothing for several seconds, and her annoyance over the spell the stranger had seemed to cast, faded as fear quickly claimed the forefront of her emotions.

Her glance quickly moved from her father, returning to the stranger, and he gazed back at her with a mixture of self-conceit, and something she couldn’t identify. His lips contained a smirk that seemed to say he owned the world and could do whatever he pleased. His green eyes held a lifetime worth of knowledge in their depths, and his attitude was that of a man twice his age. She really wanted to know who he was and why he was staring at her as if she were his property to do with as he pleased.

She ripped her gaze back from his mesmerizing eyes to look around the room. None of the other men would meet her gaze. Again, her stare focused back on her dad.

“Take a seat, Sierra,” her father eventually commanded, his gaze turning from her. For the first time she could ever remember, he seemed unable to meet her eyes. What was going on?

“But…”

“Sit!” he commanded, his tone that of a man barely holding on to the edge of control. She knew better than to defy him. She quickly sat on the couch the stranger had just vacated. Her legs wouldn’t have held her up much longer, anyway.

Before she had a chance to say anything further, she felt movement beside her. She turned her head to stare into the dangerous eyes of the dark haired stranger. Her breath was snatched from her lungs. He was sitting far too close to be appropriate.

She didn’t know how close to the mark she truly was in fearing him.

Chapter Five

Damien watched the emotions flicker across Sierra’s expression.

Fear.

Anxiety.

Apprehension.

She was afraid, he silently noted. The fear of her father was obvious, but there was more to her story. There was something just below the surface of all the other emotions.

He almost laughed aloud at the thought. He was paying money to find out more about Sierra Monroe. Her father was basically selling her to him. Damien was starting to think he was the one who’d gotten the bargain out of the deal. She was even more intriguing up close.

Damien waited for Douglas to introduce them, but the man was silent, so Damien took charge. He wasn’t patient and wouldn’t wait around wasting any of his valuable time.

“Damien Whitfield,” he said with a slight nod.

“Sierra Monroe, though you seem to know that,” she said with hesitation. It was obvious she was nervous, not used to being called in to her father’s office when he had guests over.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Monroe. I’m looking forward to getting…acquainted,” Damien told her as he offered his hand. She looked at it with suspicion, but her father had taught her well, because even though it was obvious she didn’t want to touch him, she accepted his hand, allowing his large fingers to engulf her delicate hand.

“What do you mean?” she asked, her gaze refusing to meet his. Damien noticed her father’s silence as the two of them sat on the couch, almost in a world of their own. He ignored her question.

For all her father knew, Damien wanted Sierra for his own personal sex slave. Damien was disgusted that the man so willingly sold his daughter to the highest bidder. Almost disgusted enough to walk from the room.

Almost.

Not quite.

His eyes took in her petite form, the way her legs were pushed tightly together, how she was twisting her fingers in her lap. When her tongue quickly moistened her surprisingly plump pink lips, he felt a shimmer of desire awaken within him. Surprise filled him.

He narrowed his eyes. This wasn’t about desire, and it was best if he remembered that. He got a new employee and an inside connection to the Anderson’s. He was glad Douglas had called him. The timing had been impeccable.

With an iron-will that had made him overly successful, he ripped his gaze from her, his attention focusing once more on her father. He looked at the man, waiting for him to inform his daughter of their arrangement.

Damien knew he didn’t live in the dark ages. Sierra could refuse to go with him, refuse to be his virtual slave, not that he was telling her that was her job title. He also somehow knew that she wouldn’t defy her father. What had him most intrigued was whether her obedience came from loyalty, greed, or fear. He was determined to find out the answer.

With Sierra squirming uncomfortably beside him, he felt an odd stirring of protectiveness rise within him. No! He refused to feel any weakness toward the girl. She wasn’t some innocent bystander who needed protection. He’d researched her well, and knew she was as good as any other at playing the games of the rich and famous.

He’d seen her on the arm of many influential people. Whether it was her choice, or her father’s, she hadn’t seemed unhappy to be traipsed around as nothing more than arm-candy for her different escorts.

“Sierra, Mr. Whitfield has offered you a very generous position with his company,” Douglas eventually explained. Damien observed the man who showed no emotion as he spoke. He was stone cold as he talked to his daughter, as if she were nothing more than another business transaction.

Well, to be fair, that’s what this was for Douglas Monroe – a business deal, where he got a significant sum of money, and Damien got a high-priced…employee.

“What? I…I don’t understand…” Sierra stumbled over her words, her voice confused as she looked up, gazing at Damien with shock filled eyes.

“It’s very simple. He’s in need of a public relations representative, someone who’s reliable, trustworthy and free to travel. He only advertised in the most exclusive of listings. He heard about the excellent job you’ve done with your charity work, and he’d like to hire you. I’ve accepted on your behalf. The position starts immediately. You should be honored that a man as influential as Damien Whitfield would even consider you for the position, much less hire you, especially with your lack of…experience. Positions like this don’t come around often, and they’re never just handed over.”

Damien didn’t like Douglas’s underlining threat to his daughter. He was making it more than clear that she would take the job or face his wrath. The authority he used in his voice was unmistakable. Her complete cooperation was his unyielding expectation.

Even though Damien was getting what he wanted, the way Douglas spoke to his daughter infuriated him. He wanted Sierra to stand up for herself, tell her father to ‘go to hell’, anything other than sit on the couch, looking so defeated.

“Why me? I wasn’t looking for work, yet,” Sierra said.

“Of course you weren’t,” Douglas practically snarled as if Sierra were nothing more than a burden. Damien decided it was time to interrupt again.

“I always know what I want, Sierra. Your father contacted me and I’ve done the research, and decided you’d accommodate my needs perfectly. It’s really quite simple.” Damien was still as he waited for any kind of reaction from her.

“What if I refuse?” she asked with reserve, her shoulders slouching as she uttered the words.

“Then you’ll disappoint me,” Douglas said, menace pouring through his words.

Damien watched as a small shudder passed through her. What had her so afraid of her father? Was it a fear of being cut off from her trust? He wanted to believe that, but somehow he doubted his earlier beliefs that she was nothing but a trust-fund baby. It just didn’t add up.

“What are the requirements?” This was asked with hesitancy as if she were afraid of the answer.

She should be.

Damien wanted to know how far she was willing to go to secure her funds. He knew what she was truly asking. She wanted to know if he really needed an employee, or if he was looking for a mistress.

Let her wonder, he thought.

He slowly lifted his hand and ran his fingers across her cheekbone, pushing fallen strands of her dark hair out of her eyes. Those expressive brown eyes flashed to his own, locking their gazes together as his thumb slid across her moist bottom lip. He pulled his hand back quickly, irritated at his sudden lack of control.

“Anything an assistant is asked to do,” he said, his voice showing no emotion as he reined himself back in.

He watched in fascination as her eyes widened. There was fear behind her expressive depths. She was out of her element, looking confused, but he saw a spark of excitement there, too. He watched as she glanced to the ground, placing a mask on her face before she looked back up to her father.

His body hummed as he sat next to her, thought of the possibilities of all the hours they’d work together. He felt an attraction to her that seemed to be growing by the minute. It had been a while since his last arrangement with a woman. He knew better than to get involved with employees, however, Sierra wasn’t going to work for him forever.

What would be the harm if they had an affair? He’d still get what he ultimately wanted, and after all, they were both consenting adults…

“I…um…don’t think I’m qualified,” she said, bringing him back to their conversation. It took him a moment to realize she was talking about the job, not about being his lover. Her tongue slipped out and moistened the corner of her lip, sending a surge of heat though him as his attraction to her took another leap.

“I’ll be the judge of that. Personally, I think you’re more than qualified,” he said, managing to place that hint of steel into his tone that had made dignitaries shake.

His eyes roved across her face, then drifted down the column of her throat to the small opening at the top of her blouse. Her generous curves were heaving up and down as her breath quickened. Whether she was excited about the job, or him, he’d soon find out.