My CEO Wants Me In His Bed

The Wager

Mara's POV

“I'm afraid that won't be possible, sir,” the receptionist said again, and I could swear the temperature of the room dropped a few degrees at Damien's icy stare.

“Excuse me?” He asked sharply, as if threatening the receptionist to dare repeat her words.

The receptionist gulped in obvious fear, shuffling her feet from one place to the other. “Your father's orders, sir. He said Miss Collins would report to you directly, but only he holds authority over her employment status.” She clutched the files in her hands tightly. “He asked me to clear that up with you if it came up.”

“Your father's orders were explicit. Miss Collins reports directly to you, but only he holds authority over her employment status.” Her voice didn't waver. “I was asked to make that clear if it came up.”

“Get out,” he said to her, not even looking away from me. “Both of you, get out.”

“Sir, I still need to walk her through orientation and…”

“I said get out!”

The woman, still half-dressed on his desk, scrambled up, clutching her blouse, and rushed past us without a word, not even bothering to fully button her shirt. The receptionist gave me a small, apologetic nod before stepping out and pulling the door shut behind her, leaving me alone with him.

Damien crossed the room until he was standing in front of me, close enough that I had to tilt my chin up to hold his glare.

“How did you manipulate my father into this?” His voice was low and filled with fury. “Cried poverty at him? Told him some sob story about your pathetic life?”

I kept my expression neutral because I didn't want him to see how much those words affected me. “I didn't tell him anything. He just offered.”

“Nobody offers a stranger a six-figure salary out of nowhere.”

“Maybe if you had ever done something decent for anyone in your life, you would understand how gratitude works.” I crossed my arms. “Oh, I forgot, that word isn't part of your vocabulary.”

His jaw tightened. “You think this is funny.”

“I think it's hilarious, actually. You standing there, red in the face, because Daddy hired a secretary and you can't do a single thing about it. It reminds me of school again… How everything was on Daddy's money.”

“Watch your mouth!”

“Or what? You'll have me expelled again?” I let the words land, watching something flicker behind his eyes. “Oh wait, you can't. I'm not in school anymore. I'm an employee with a signed contract, and the only man who can touch that contract is currently sitting at home, probably still in his pajamas, laughing at how mad you're going to be right now.”

*

Damien's POV

The moment she was gone, I hurled the glass of whiskey against the door, and it shattered against the wood.

Mara Collins. My secretary. Untouchable, apparently, because only my father could terminate her employment. I called for my car before I even grabbed my jacket. My father was going to explain to me what was going on right now!

I reached my father's estate in half the time that I would usually use, and when I stormed in yelling his name, I watched my mother's face go pale. But I didn't stop because the fury in my chest was almost suffocating.

He was behind his desk as usual in his study, with a cup of tea in front of him, a file open beside it. He had already been expecting me to storm through because of this.

“Damien.” He didn't even look up from his files as he squinted between the lines. “If you're here because of your new secretary, then you should know my mind has already been made, and nothing can change that. Not even you.”

“You hired her without consulting me, Father!"“I don't need to.” He took a slow sip of tea and dropped it back like what I was saying didn't matter at all. “I built this company, and I can still make decisions within it.”

I slammed my palms on his desk, spilling his tea across the files. “Do you know what she is, father? A manipulator. A schemer. Everything you've always warned me about poor people, and you handed her a six-figure salary.” I didn't know how more to explain things to him to understand that she wasn't suitable for a position in our company. “She attended our school, Father, and I can swear she isn't as good as she has deceived you to believe!”

“Well, I know she saved my life.” He wiped the tea spill with his napkin. “Three days ago, I had a heart attack in a bakery.” Surprise etched across my face when he said that. “I'm sure you didn't know that because you were out gallivanting with that secretary that Mara just replaced.” He gave me a disappointed look, but I didn't feel any atom of guilt. Women always threw themselves at me, and I was used to it by now. I couldn't just reject them.

“While everyone took out their phones to record the fall of Gerald Voss, one person did CPR for six minutes straight and rode with me to the hospital.”

That didn't seem like enough reason for me. “She's a gold digger, Father. You could have just settled her with money rather than employ her in our company! That's how you handle the poor! How many times did you drill that into my head growing up? Now, you want to turn around and change your mind even when I've told you certainly that she is good for nothing!”

“About her credentials, I looked into her expulsion.” His eyes didn't waver from mine as he pursed his lips together. “The charges were fabricated. Someone with influence and a grudge pushed the disciplinary board to expel a scholarship student without a hearing. And I'm guessing we all know who that person is…”

My blood went hot. “Are you accusing me of something?”

He shrugged. “Take it as you wish, but her certificate was unjustly withheld. I corrected it. She's overqualified for the position, and frankly, we're lucky to have her.”

“She's going to destroy everything you've built.”

“What's in front of you,” he said, rising to his feet, “is a woman who doesn't bow to you, and you hate it. So here's what happens now. She stays. You will not dismiss her, harass her, or interfere with her work.” He paused. “And maybe you're more annoyed that she isn't one of the twenty secretaries you've had that will be eager to get into your bed. That's what makes you so mad, and that is one of the reasons my mind is made up!”

“You think too highly of her, Dad.” I spat out acidly, remembering the one night she had thrown herself at me and we woke up naked. “She will not hesitate to get in my bed if I offer her something more…sustaining.”

The corners of my father's mouth curled up into a wry smile. “Is that so, Damian?” He c****d his head to the side, his eyes glinting, and I had an inkling of what he was going to say next. “Why don't we make a deal, huh?”

“If you turn out to be right, I will step down from the affairs of the company and give you full rights to the company. And you can name more things you want, and I will get them for you.” He leaned back into his chair. “But if by the end of the year I turn out to be right…“ He thought about it for a while. “I will remove you as CEO and hand the company to Charles. And not only that, but you will be funding scholarships for low-income backgrounds in her name. So… Think carefully about this deal, or accept defeat and get back to work with your new secretary.”

My father didn't know that he would fail within a month. All I had to do was spoil her silly like I did with other women, and she would spread her legs for me. I wouldn't even need to touch her because… Ugh… Just having her in my bed was going to be proof enough that my father was wrong all along.

“Deal…” I finally said. Mara Collins didn't know what was coming for her.