CHAPTER THREE

Coraline

“Here you go.” I set his plate of toast, scrambled eggs and bacon in front of him, trying not to show my disappointment on my face. I think I was doing a pretty decent job of it.

“You’ve sighed six times in the last two minutes alone.”

I startled at the observation, surprised and a little embarrassed he had noticed.

“Um, just thinking about the sad book I read yesterday. The protagonist didn’t deserve to die that way.”

He just stared at me with a blank expression on his face. I started feeling uncomfortable after three seconds so I gestured towards his plate.

“Food’s getting cold.” I told him. He finally looked away and picked up his utensils, heaping a large portion of scrambled eggs on his fork. I held my breath as he took a bite, heart beating fast in my chest. Chewing slowly, his eyes dropped close, a low rumbling sound emanating from his throat when he swallowed.

He opened his eyes and went straight for the bacon next, crunching through the crispy strips in record time. Then he grabbed the buttered up toast and took large bites, making these strange little noises that stirred up my insides in a disturbing way.

I was on my third blink when he took the last gulp of the freshly squeezed orange juice he had requested alongside his breakfast, and my heart tripled in speed when he set the glass cup down, anticipating the words of rejection.

It felt like I was in a cooking competition, awaiting the judge’s verdict after tasting my food. It was nerve-wracking as hell.

“My first instinct was right,” he said cryptically, looking up to stare at me as I stood fidgeting in front of him on the other side of the island. “It hadn’t been a fluke. The job is yours.”

My eyes blew wide in shock, mouth dropping open. “Really?” I breathed.

“Yes.” He got up, sliding out a notepad and pen from his pants’ pocket. He set them down on the island and tapped the notepad. “Put down your bank details. I’ll send this month’s pay by the end of the day. I expect you to use the rest of today to go about resigning from your current job and preparing for your new one. I’d have a list of the major tasks you’ll be expected to carry out as my personal cook by tomorrow morning when you resume 8am sharp, along with a list of rules you are to follow for the duration of your employment under me. Any questions?”

I stood stock-still staring at him. Then I glanced down at the scraped clean plate, wondering what was so special about the food he had eaten. I hadn’t used any special ingredients or techniques. It was the same old way I had always cooked it back home for my sister and I that I did here. It was baffling.

Should I have tasted it before giving it to him? Would that have given me an idea what was so different about my food that he was willing to replace his Michelin-starred chefs for an unprofessional like me?

“I see we’re both on the same page then—”

“Is it just going to be strictly cooking?” I blurted out quickly before he dismissed me.

“Elaborate.”

“I mean, five thousand dollars a week is a little bit excessive for just cooking. Not that I’m complaining or anything.” I rushed to explain, not adding the fact that it seemed a little bit too good to be true so naturally, I was suspicious. And I wasn’t even properly qualified too. “I just want to know if there are other stuff attached.”

He cocked his head, feigning ignorance. “Other stuff like what?”

I let out an annoyed breath, frustrated at his deliberate obtuseness. Of course, he wanted me to spell it out for him. “Am I going to have to use my body to earn the rest of my keep?”

He blinked at me, the action slow and leisurely, like I was the obtuse one. Then he rounded the island and started walking towards me, each step he took that closed the distance between us increasing the speed of my heartbeat.

Finally, he was only a couple of inches in front of me and I had to stop myself from backing up a step. Jesus, he was really tall. Or maybe I was just embarrassingly short. His scent enveloped me, a mix of fresh laundry, manly man and spicy cologne that created such a heady, delicious fragrance I became lightheaded for a few seconds.

Head tilted up, I held his gaze as he leaned down to reach my height.

“Make no mistake, Coraline. You are my employee. Just because you aren’t going to be working in one of my companies doesn’t make you different from the others. In fact, you are lower than them. Don’t think since you’re going to be in my living space that you can have personal access to me or that you’re going to receive special privileges. Once you go through the list of rules I’m going to hand you tomorrow, you will see that wouldn’t be the case at all.”

He leaned back and straightened to his full height, giving me back my breathing space. “You are easily replaceable. Have that at the back of your mind at all times.” Then he looked me up and down with a hint of a mocking smile stretching one corner of his full mouth. “Also, never insult me like that again by implying I might be interested in someone like you enough to want to fuck you. You’re a child, not a woman in my eyes. Understood?”

When his dark eyes stayed fixed on my face, waiting expectantly, I gave a shaky nod, my mind overwhelmed by all the cruel words he had thrown in my face.

“And regarding the amount I choose to pay you, it is my money, isn’t it?” he asked the rhetorical question. “I can do with it as I please. But of course if you’d like for me to reduce it, that can be arranged too.”

I shook my head with fervor.

“Glad we understand each other now.” He smirked while I seethed at him. On the inside, of course.

Was he aware I could easily poison him?

“Um…” I hedged. “Can I still think about it?” I hadn’t actually accepted his offer. Now that I knew how unkind my future employer could be, I had stronger reservations about saying yes, even though the money could be literally life-changing for me and Ashlynn.

He shrugged. “You have until you step out of my door.”