The tour of the house went by as one big blur. Ruby's mind was focused on the hundreds of complicated recipes. From the glance she'd taken she didn't even recognize some of the ingredients. How in the hell was she going to pull this off? That was some crazy assed “Chef Ramsey” shit he was expecting from her by the looks of it. What if she took the job and couldn't make it work and he let her go? She supposed she could go crawling back to the coffee house, begging for her old job.The other thing that was keeping her mind from focusing was his general closeness. They had always had the counter at the coffee shop dividing them, but now he was next to her. Throughout the tour Roth would touch her shoulder lightly or place his palm at the small of her back, or take her hand to catch her attention; with each slight contact she was put more on edge as her desire for him rose. Should potential employers be holding potential employees hands? If even briefly. She didn't think so. But she liked
But... this was a negotiation and wasn't the opening offer supposed to be close to twice what you'd really take? Shit, she didn't know. Looking back up at him, her blue eyes locked to his dark ones and without thinking she requested twice as much as she made at the coffee shop.He whistled, his expression remaining blank. "Have you really thought that offer through?"Shit! It was too much. Damn, damn, damn. Maybe this wasn't meant to be. She groaned inwardly at herself, as a worried expression crossed her face.As if sensing her distress, he touched her arm. "I mean, have you really thought through what the job entails. You're on call 24/7. If I want you to get up at 3am to make me a pop tart, then I expect it to be done. If I have a hankering for something that you have to drive across town for at the most inconvenient time, I expect it to be done."Her frown deepened. She hadn't thought about it in that sense. "In that case, double my last offer."Turning to face her, he nodded. "Do
“Name,” he stated, a deep accent lacing the singular, blunt word.Clara cleared her throat and wiped her sweaty palms on her grey pencil skirt. “Hello,” she said, “My name is Clara Serim” she smiled nervously at the authority figure seated on a large leather chair behind a dark, polished marble desk so large it almost took up the entire length of the office.Roth didn’t glance in her direction as she walked forward and placed her resume on his desk with shaky hands.“Take a seat,” he muttered, still staring intently at his computer screen.Clara nodded, even though she knew he wasn’t going to be paying attention to the gesture. “Thank you.” she took a seat in one of the navy coloured leather chairs that were placed in front of his desk, and gripped the arm of the chair with such force that she watched her knuckles turn white.A few silent moments passed before his dark eyes flickered in her direction briefly, and then doing a double take.Clara eyes widen slightly and she swallowed f
Clara gasped and jumped in his hold, before pulling away in frustration. “Excuse me, Mr. Dimitri. I am here solely to achieve my goal of getting this job. I don’t know what you’re trying to do – and quite frankly, I don’t like it either. You’re rude and disrespectful. Now, if you don’t want to look over my credentials and qualifications,” I snatched the resume that I had spent hours putting together off his desk, “Then my business here is done. Thank you for your time.”She glared and turned to leave but then remembered something else she wanted to say. Clara stopped in her tracks and turned back to face him. “Oh, and you want to know what I think of you now? I think you’re a spoiled little rich sleaze who thinks he can have everyone he encounters, eating out of the palm of his hand.”She slung her bag over her shoulder and stormed out of the office without glancing back.Roth threw his head back and laughed, this woman was surely his type, mouthy and sassy, he loved the fire he had s
The 5 girls who were frozen with shock, but the red haired girl recovered quickly. “But Rothdam, surely we’re more qualified-”“I have personally looked over Ms. Serim qualifications and found her to be the perfect candidate. This discussion is over. Have a nice day.” His dismissed them coolly, before Clara felt his warm breath on her neck. “Come into my office once they leave so I can brief you on your role as my assistantistant.” Clara nodded stiffly, conscious of the close proximity between their bodies.“Don’t worry, I won’t try anything,” Roth chuckled softly. “Even though I want to.”He pulled away and Clara turned to catch his smirk just before it slipped off his face and he turned to leave.She turned back to the girls – who were looking at her as if they were measuring what coffin would fit her best – and gave them a small smile. “Thank you for your time,” Clara repeated, stepping aside as an indication for them to leave.“This isn’t over, you obese pig,” The red head sneere
"Look forward to tasting what you have to offer me?" Ruby muttered, biting back a grin and halfway hoping there was a double meaning to that comment. A surprise for me? Excitement welled up within her as she made her way over to the large walk-in closet. Pulling open the double doors she gasped, her eyes immediately focusing on the black, strapless floor length gown, hooked on a steel rack in the center of the closet, along with a matching satin wrap. "You have got to be shitting me," she muttered as she walked into closet and tentatively touched the soft fabric. The tag inside was marked Versace.She unhooked the dress and draped it over her arms as if it were made of tissue paper and strode over to the bed, laying it out on top of the taupe coloured comforter. The dress would have easily have cost her a months salary at the coffee shop, most likely much more. She had no idea when it came to prices of high-end clothing. As high-end as she ever got was "The Gap."Upon closer examinati
Boy, if they could see me now, she thought with a smug feeling of satisfaction as she watched him slide in the car behind the steering wheel. He glanced over at her and her heart skipped a beat. A warm smile graced his face as he started the car. The engine roared to life and he shifted it into gear, speeding out of the driveway."So do you buy all of your employees beautiful, overpriced dresses and take them to some surprise location whenever you hire them?" she teased.He shot her wry grin and shook his head, "Nah, I'm starting something new with you.""So I'm the guinea pig," she lifted a brow at him."Something like that. Besides, might I remind you that you are not only the chef, but there are other duties that come with the position..."Ruby laughed, "I know. I know. The non-wife - wife duties, minus the sex."Gabriel's face blanched at the wisecrack, but he quickly regained his composure and glanced over at her, his eyes roaming the length of her body, before returning back to
Roth pulled the car up to the front door and turned it over to the valet while a second valet assisted her from the passenger's side. He immediately handed her off to Roth as he approached. Roth offered his arm to her, which she accepted, feeling like royalty, or some sort of superstar as they strolled - quite literally - down a red carpet into the very elegantly styled, modern restaurant. Oh, I could totally get used to this!"You know, Roth, this feels an awful lot like a date," Beth commented as he pushed her chair in for her. They were seated in a private room where one wall was actually a window overlooking Portland. Millions of lights sparkled in the darkness below them and if you looked far out you could see the water. It was nothing short of spectacular."Does it now?" he asked unbuttoning his suit jacket, shrugging it off and laying it across the back of his chair as he sat down across from her. "For the sake of argument. You don't start working for me until tomorrow morning,