Little did I know I would be working inside Cyrus’s office with him. Sure, it was larger than my entire apartment, but every move, every sound, every stretch of silence only heightened my awareness of him. After showing me around the building and introducing me to a few people, he’d requested I sit across from him at his desk with his laptop to go over the latest kink.club potential matches based on the applicants’ backgrounds. So it wasn’t as if I could look away from him while he worked on his other laptop, a deep frown pulling at his mouth.

But soon I grew immersed in the work. People were so fascinating with their kinks, hang-ups, and desires involving relationships. As long as I studied them from behind a computer screen, anyway. In person, it was a different story altogether. Yet in person with Cyrus, it was different. He didn’t make me uncomfortable, just...attentive to his every move.

“Ms. Blevins,” he muttered without looking up.

“Yes?”

“Are you going to drink your coffee?”

I glanced at the paper cup sitting on a coaster next to me on the desk. “I guess I forgot about it.” That was only a half-truth since I didn’t want to reek of coffee breath while sitting across from him.

He lifted his gaze to mine, igniting my awareness of him into a pulse-pounding storm. “You can take a break whenever you need to.”

“Thank you.” I sat back slightly, trying to catch my breath and wondering if now might be a good time to ask the question I’d meant to yesterday. He’d told me earlier that I should simply ask if I had any questions, after all.

The corner of his mouth kicked up as he watched me. “You look like you’re about to say something.”

My face heated. He was being slightly less formal with me today, which I appreciated, but I couldn’t seem to control my body temperature around him. “I meant to ask at my interview why this executive assistant position was available.”

“Like this company, the position is brand new.”

“Oh. But I sent in my resume for a field psychologist position. With my degrees, I guess I was surprised I wasn’t considered for that, though I imagine you get thousands of resumes.”

“We do. And you were considered for a field psychologist position.”

Well, I guessed that answered that. At least some of it. But if I were honest with myself, this position suited me more since it didn’t involve face-to-face interaction with people, excluding Cyrus and Darla, though I wasn’t convinced Darla counted as people.

People were unpredictable. I’d learned that firsthand when I volunteered at a mental health clinic and a man attacked me. It had shaken me to the core, roused memories of why I’d run away from Dad, and had almost prevented me from pursuing my doctorate degree. Almost.

I took a sip of cold coffee and got back to work. It was fascinating reading through the potential matches the field psychologists had already made, checking if people’s kinks were compatible. In the case of submissives and dominants or masochists and sadists, it was fairly clear-cut and depended mostly on personality balances. But not everyone fit into one category or the other. I noted a few matches on my notepad that could use an extra pair of eyes to be sure the matches really were compatible. Their kink checklists coincided, but some people seemed hesitant to go into detail about one thing or another in their interviews.

Sometime later, Cyrus cleared his throat. “What are your plans for lunch today?”

I hadn’t really thought about it. Probably maxing out my credit card to buy something since I’d rushed home yesterday and ordered speedy delivery on several pairs of heels and four more skirt suits since I only owned two. Luckily today was Friday, and the shoes and suits should be delivered tomorrow.

“I don’t have any plans,” I admitted.

“You’re welcome to have a working lunch with me out in the courtyard,” he said. “I usually get a sandwich from the deli downstairs, and they haven’t killed me yet.”

I smiled. Lunch with the boss didn’t seem like a thing employees usually did, but he did need my help. He said the company was almost three weeks behind schedule, and no way would I turn him down for a lunch date on my first day. Not a lunch date. Lunch.

“I’d love to.”

The courtyard, nestled on the outer edge of the ground floor, turned out to be something from a fairy tale, with a wide open space shaded by junipers and weeping willows. A fountain gurgled on top of a hill, and a waterfall poured out of it and into a little pond. Tables and chairs dotted the lush grass, some of which were already occupied by strutting birds.

We took our sandwiches and drinks to a table near the pond.

“It’s like an oasis out here,” I said, taking a seat.

He watched me closely as he sat. “This is where I come when I need air.”

“It’s a good thing there’s a lot of it out here.”

“I suppose so.” He smiled, brief but genuine, and the effect on his face hitched my breath. It softened his eyes and lit them up at the same time, relaxed the worry lines in his forehead. He was handsome no matter what he did, devastatingly so, but especially when he relaxed enough to be in the moment.

We got to work on our laptops while chowing down on our sandwiches, and it felt comfortable, more than in his stuffy office, anyway. I didn’t notice the silence between us until after I’d scarfed my food.

“Ready to go back?” he asked, gathering up the trash.

Birds twittered over the sound of the waterfall and rustling leaves, pretty much answering the question for me.

“If it’s okay with you, I think I’ll stay a little longer,” I said.

“I don’t have a problem with that at all.” Without making any further move to leave, his gaze flitted up to catch mine over his laptop.

I held it for a long moment, not sure why I did, but now I was unable to tear myself away. My blood thrummed faster with each passing second. A throb began to pulse low in my stomach.

“Ms. Blevins,” he said softly, breaking the spell.

My cheeks flushed, but I pretended I hadn’t just eye-fucked my boss. “Yes, Cy—I mean Mr. Robinson?”

“It’s probably none of my business,” he started, “but should I be concerned about your fluid intake?”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. No man had ever been concerned with my fluid intake before, and it was...unexpectedly sweet.

I waved toward my almost full bottle of Diet Coke. “It’s this quirky thing I’ve always done. I always have a drink nearby while I’m working on something, and then when I reach a certain point, I take a drink. Or a lot of drinks, depending on the scenario.” That had probably sounded like I was a drunk, but that wasn’t what I meant at all.

“Delayed gratification.” His voice sounded like a growl, sinking the pulse in my stomach lower.

Heat spread over my thighs. “Or a reward system, but...yeah.” I cleared my throat. “Yes. It keeps me motivated to keep working on whatever it is I’m doing.”

He fell silent, his gaze on his laptop, while he rubbed his thumb and forefinger up his chin to his lower lip and back down again. Stroking that shaved-clean strip of flesh. I imagined following that same path with my tongue and sucking his lip into my mouth, freeing his hands to stroke me instead.

I blinked back at my screen, not sure I’d ever be able to focus on anything other than that fantasy for the rest of my life. It was reading about people’s detailed kinks that was turning me into a hornball, not my boss. That had to be what was happening here.

A slight smile played across his lips as he watched me. I sure hoped he wasn’t a mind-reader.

“I realize it’s only your first day, but any chance you’d be willing to stay late today to help catch us up on our backlog?” he asked. “I would pay you overtime and a half if you’re able to, even just for an hour or two.”

My eyes widened. Overtime and a half pay? On top of what I was already making?

“Not a problem,” I said in a rush. “I can stay late.”

“You don’t have any plans?”

Did crying over my money situation count? “Not tonight.”

It hit me then that I would be all alone with him, after hours, sorting through people’s sexual kinks while I fantasized about all the things I would let him do to me. The thought grinded my thighs together. His gaze dropped to my lips briefly, and I had to wonder if he knew exactly what I was thinking.

“Is it time for a reward yet?” he asked with a sly gleam in his eyes.

Lord, I hoped so.