Hired to seduce him

chapter 3

The first rule of surviving this game was simple: maintain control.

Yet, sitting on the leather sofa of his office, with my newly bandaged wrist and the heat of his fingers still branding my skin, control slipped right through my fingers.

Nathaniel sat behind his desk. The office seemed to revolve around him. He typed something into his computer and fell silent, his gaze locked onto the screen. After a few seconds, the muscle in his jaw clenched. He looked back up at me, but this time, his gray eyes were two chips of ice.

"I have a question, Miss Quinn," he said, his voice so cold it froze the air in the room. "Why does the profile of the candidate my HR director sent me list a different name, and why is the woman in the photo clearly not you?"

My heart took a violent plunge, but I forced my muscles not to tense. I knew it was a stupid lie and that I’d eventually get caught, but I hadn't expected it to happen this soon.

"Well?" Nathaniel rounded the desk. "Who are you? And why did you pretend to be her?"

A half-truth was my best weapon. I shrank into the couch, adopting the posture of a cornered woman. I forced my eyes to glass over slightly.

"My real name is Scarlett Quinn," I said, my voice trembling. "You confused me for her, and I couldn't bring myself to say anything because... I really need this job."

I stood up, cutting down the distance between us.

"Mr. Cole, please. My ex left me on the street, wiped out my accounts, and left me with debts I can't possibly pay. If I don't get a real job, I'll lose everything."

I looked him straight in the eyes, holding my breath.

"I know I shouldn't have lied. I can bring you my real resume right now. I don't have years of experience, but I'm a quick learner, and I promise you no one will work harder for this company than me. Just... please, give me a chance. A one-week trial. If I make a single mistake, I'll leave without a word."

Nathaniel observed me in silence. His gray eyes scanned my face, searching for a tell, analyzing the tremor in my hands. He seemed torn between his strict zero-tolerance policy and the raw desperation I was projecting.

Finally, he let out a heavy sigh.

"One week," he said, his voice rough. "A single mistake, Scarlett, and you're out."

Some of that relief was real. The adrenaline of almost losing the half-million dollars took over, and before I could stop myself, I stepped forward and threw my arms around him.

"Thank you! Seriously, thank you..."

It lasted a second. A single, breathless second of physical contact that froze time.

My chest collided with his, hard as a rock. My hands pressed into the firmness of his back, feeling the heat of his body radiating through the fabric of his suit jacket.

And then, I felt it.

Nathaniel went completely rigid, but it wasn't an immediate rejection. There was a fraction of a second where his breath hitched. He felt it too—something neither of us expected.

But as quickly as it came, it vanished.

Nathaniel gripped my shoulders firmly and pushed me away, instantly restoring the distance between us. His icy expression was back, but his eyes had darkened slightly.

"If you're going to work with me, Miss Quinn, you must avoid unnecessary familiarities," he said, his voice tight and sharp. "This is strictly business. And I demand absolute professionalism."

I lowered my gaze, feigning submission, but inside, I was smirking. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye, taking in his broad, muscular frame, the lingering tension in his shoulders, and the intensity of those gray eyes trying to hide whatever I'd just done to him.

*This is going to be so much fun.*

I smiled at him, wearing the most docile expression I could muster.

"I understand completely, Mr. Cole," I promised, with absolutely no intention of keeping it. "I guarantee total professionalism."

As I walked back to my seat, my eyes drifted down to his hand resting on the desk. There it was—the platinum wedding band on his left ring finger. Seeing it sent a sharp pang through my chest. It was the physical reminder of who was paying me. And of how, according to Claire, he claimed to be "happily married" while she plotted to ruin him. The man wasn't just powerful; he seemed untouchable.

And I was going to play a part in his destruction.

Two hours later, the cold steel of Nathaniel’s office was replaced by the stifling heat of my best friend’s tiny apartment.

"Half a million dollars?" Maya almost choked on her wine. She stared at me, eyes wide, from across the kitchen island. "Are you serious, Scarlett?"

"Dead serious," I said, kicking off my heels and collapsing onto her worn-out sofa. "I signed the contract. Claire Cole is desperate, and I am officially her husband's new executive assistant."

Maya shook her head, a mix of awe and worry on her face. She walked over and sat beside me, setting her glass on the coffee table.

"I can't believe you actually got the job. What is he like? He must be awful for a woman to want to divorce a billionaire at all costs."

I rested my head against the back of the sofa and closed my eyes.

"You have no idea," I murmured. "He's over six-foot-three, looks like he stepped out of a dark fantasy, and his eyes could freeze water. If he weren't a businessman, he could easily be an actor or a model."

"Oh, no," Maya said, her tone shifting instantly. "Scarlett. Look at me. Describe him to me. Honestly."

I sighed, shifting on the couch.

"He's... intense. Quiet. The kind of man who dominates a room without saying a single word. He's sharp, professional, and when he touched my wrist to bandage it... or when we hugged today..." I trailed off, swallowing the rest of the sentence.

Maya sighed, rubbing her temples.

"He is exactly your type."

"That doesn't matter," I insisted, sitting up. "It's a job. I need the money, Maya. My ex wiped out my accounts; I have four dollars in the bank. I can't afford to have a crush."

"I'm not talking about a crush, Scarlett. I'm talking about you falling for a man who is completely out of your league and, on top of that, married," Maya said, leaning forward. "If Claire is this desperate to divorce him and void their prenup, it's for a reason. Billionaires don't get rich by being nice guys. He's dangerous. And this will never be real. If he finds out who you actually are, you're done."

"I know," I said quietly.

"You have to promise me," she added, taking my hand. "Zero feelings. You get in, you find proof of his infidelity, you collect your money, and you get out. He's a target. Nothing more."

I looked down at the bandage on my wrist. I could still feel the warmth of his body when he held me. I could still feel the electricity of that hug that had completely thrown him off balance.

It was a beautiful, gilded trap.

But I was Scarlett Quinn. I was the one who played the games.

"I promise," I told her, meeting her eyes. "I'm not going to fall for him."

And as I spoke the words, I made a silent vow to myself. I would get close to Nathaniel Cole. I would seduce him.

But I would never, under any circumstances, let him into my heart.