“You wanted to see me, sir?”

She hovered in the doorway, balanced on her toes as if preparing to flee. In her crisp navy suit and tightly pinned chignon, Violet Hartwell was the picture of a corporate professional.

I gestured to the chair on the other side of my desk and said, “Yes, Ms. Hartwell, please sit down.”

I waited until she took the seat in front of me, smoothing her skirt demurely and crossing her feet at the ankle. She met my eyes with one bold look before dropping them to the surface of my desk.

Interesting.

She was daring enough to apply for a job at Winters Incorporated using a fake name. Daring enough to sneak around poking in my files. But not daring enough to look me in the eyes.

That was probably for the best. I had a plan and her eyes were a distraction. I wasn’t going to get sidetracked trying to decide exactly what shade they were. Somewhere between the deep blue of a summer sky and the lavender of dusk.

Not important. She was here so I could figure out what she was doing in my company, not think about her eyes.

“Ms. Hartwell, you’ve been with us for what—two months now?” I asked, shuffling through the papers on my desk as if reviewing her résumé. I wasn’t. The papers had nothing to do with Violet, but she didn’t know that.

“Yes, sir,” she said, politely and carefully.

“And you’re enjoying your work with Winters, Inc. so far?”

“Yes, sir,” she said again, meeting my eyes with a quick, wary glance.

She was nervous.

She should be.

“Your supervisor says you’re sharp, detail oriented, and able to juggle multiple projects easily.”

That hadn’t been all he’d said. According to Carlisle, Violet Hartwell was ice-cold, with laser focus. A perfect machine, contained and efficient. Polite, but not friendly. Distant. Reserved. He hadn’t been happy to hear I planned to steal her from his division.

“That’s very flattering, sir,” she said, her eyes scanning the surface of my desk.

What was she looking for? She was hyper-alert, those dusky lavender eyes taking in every detail, from the way I’d arranged my pencils to the labels on the manila folders beside my monitor.

Ever since a second review of her paperwork had pinged Security’s attention, I’d had my eye on her. I was almost positive she wasn’t working for a rival company. If one of my rivals sent in a spy, they would have made damn sure the ID would hold up.

Security had been watching, monitoring her trips to the file room, taking note of her attempts to hack into my email. She was better than I would have expected from an amateur, but my security team was the best.

I could have fired her. That was the easiest solution to the problem of Violet Hartwell, or whatever her name was.

I should have fired her. I had too much going on, to deal with her myself.

I’d decided to have Security deliver the news and escort her from the building. Then, either by happy accident or some plan on her part, we’d shared an elevator for six floors.

I can’t remember the last time I was so acutely aware of a woman.

A strand of her icy blonde hair had escaped its twist to curl around her ear. She’d snuck sideways glances at me from those captivating eyes as she pretended to review one of the files she carried, putting so much effort into ignoring me that I couldn’t look away.

I couldn’t tear my eyes from the curve of her ass in her sedate navy suit, the length of her legs ending in a pair of dangerously high heels. The suit was boxy, more professional than feminine, but it couldn’t hide the generous breasts beneath her primly buttoned blouse.

She’d smelled of flowers. Sweet peas, like the kind that grew on the arbor in the back gardens of Winters House. Sweet peas that brought back cool spring mornings, the simple joy of playing in the woods with my brothers and cousins as a child. It knocked me off balance to have the nostalgic scent wreathed around the target of an internal investigation.

In an instant, she’d shifted from nuisance to puzzle, and I wanted the answer. Who was this woman with the bombshell body beneath the professional façade? Why was she at Winters, Inc.? And why was she so interested in me?

I watched her sitting on the other side of my desk and waited to see if she would fill the silence between us. Most people did, unable to help themselves, babbling on and on just to fill the empty space with words. I can’t tell you how much I’ve learned just by keeping my mouth shut at the right time.

Violet was immune to my ploy. Her hands rested in her lap, fingers laced together, a neutral expression on her face. She would have been all cool composure if not for the avid curiosity in her eyes as she studied the surface of my desk. She wanted to know what I was doing. That’s why she was here. And that’s why she was going to give me exactly what I wanted.

“Violet, have you heard I’ve been looking for a new administrative assistant?”

“No, sir, I hadn’t heard. Don’t you already have a staff of four?” The first thread of trepidation wound through her voice.

“I do,” I agreed. “But I find that even four of them can’t keep up, and I’ve been interested in adding a fifth. I asked my department heads to keep an eye out for a suitable candidate and Carlisle recommended you.”

I hid my surge of triumph as her eyes went wide with shock. She hadn’t seen that coming. But you know what they say—keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.

Violet Hartwell wanted information about me. I was going to give it to her, and then I was going to watch every single thing she did until I figured out her game.

She thought she could get the best of me.

Soon enough she’d learn how wrong she was.

“I appreciate being considered,” she said, smoothly, “but I don’t think I’m qualified. I’m a project manager and—”

“Carlisle seemed confident that your skills would transition perfectly to fit my needs. Are you saying you’re not interested? It’s quite a promotion.”

Not so much a promotion as a trap.

To a legitimate employee, working in my inner circle would be a dream come true. I’m Aiden Winters, CEO of Winters Incorporated. Most top-tier business school graduates would commit murder for the chance to take one of those desks outside my office.

For just a second, before her cool façade slipped back into place, Violet looked like she was ready to bolt. I couldn’t help but enjoy the irony. She couldn’t say no because turning down the opportunity of a lifetime would draw far too much attention and attention was the last thing she wanted.

From what my investigations had uncovered, Violet wanted to be left alone to quietly do her job and snoop around on me in her spare time. A promotion to my personal team would make that impossible.

Her eyes flared wider, their gorgeous purple shade vibrant against her creamy skin. When they narrowed, I knew that she knew. Carlisle had only good things to say about Violet, that was true, but she’d done nothing that would justify such a major promotion.

There was only one reason I would offer it to her: If I was on to her game.

She’d just figured that out.

Her eyes met mine, and behind that neutral expression, I saw the burn of defiance. I’d wondered if she’d quit rather than face exposure. I was about to get my answer, and I had a feeling it would be the one I was waiting for.

“I…I’d be honored, S-sir,” she said, with just that slightest hitch before her words fell into place. It shouldn’t make my cock twitch every time she called me ‘sir’, but it did. So cool. So contained.

There was a world of meaning in the way she said ‘sir’. I wanted to hear it again, over and over. And now I would.

I was the spider to her fly. I’d have plenty of time to learn everything I wanted to know about Violet Hartwell.

I stood and held out my hand, forcing Violet to stand as well. Her slim fingers slid across my palm, her grip surprisingly firm, her skin soft and warm. As she leaned forward a wave of sweet pea-scented air drifted to me. I caught a glimpse of the shadow of her cleavage before she straightened.

Yes.

I was going to learn everything I wanted to know about Violet Hartwell.

Everything.

“You have a 3 o’clock meeting with Human Resources to discuss your new position, salary, increased benefits, and the rest. I’ll expect you to start here tomorrow morning.”

“But my projects—”

I cut her off with a wave of my hand. “Carlisle has everything under control. Tomorrow, Ms. Hartwell.”

She gave a brisk nod and turned for the door, her chin jutting up just a little, that hint of defiance leaking out. With her back to me, I didn’t try to hide my in-depth study of the way her ass swayed when she walked. If she looked this good in that modest suit, I couldn’t wait to see what she looked like naked. If things went the way I planned, sooner or later I would.

I was so distracted by Violet’s ass I didn’t notice my cousin Gage until he stepped into the room and pinned me with a hard look. Shutting the door behind him, he crossed the room and dropped into the chair Violet had so recently vacated.

“What the fuck, Aid? You were staring at her ass like you were going to leap over your desk and jump her. Isn’t she an employee? She’s in Carlisle’s division, right? Did she come on when we acquired the company we folded in or is she new?”

I sat and leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms over my chest, not even trying to hide my grin of satisfaction.

“She’s new. She came on about five weeks after we acquired CD4 Analytics. She had experience in data mining and project management, and Carlisle said she’s been an ideal employee.”

“But?” Gage probed.

“But her paperwork doesn’t wash. We didn’t pick it up when we hired her or she never would have gotten the job, but the security review caught something off with her last name. We’ve been watching her. She’s been looking at files that have nothing to do with her division. Trying to hack email.”

“Do you know who sent her in?” Gage asked.

“I think she’s working for herself.”

“What does she want?”

“That’s the interesting thing,” I said. “So far she seems to want me. She’s poking into my emails. My files. I decided the best way to deal with her was to give her exactly what she wants.”

Gage leaned forward. “I don’t like this, Aiden. If she lied on her application, fire her. If she’s digging around where she shouldn’t be, fire her. Don’t bring her into your inner circle.”

“I have a plan,” I said, trying to deflect.

Gage ignored me. “I saw the way you were looking at her. I’ve never known you to get involved with an employee. It’s asking for trouble, and you know it. We have a zero-tolerance policy for harassment here. You know that, you set the fucking policy.”

“I set the fucking policy because we are not that kind of company. But Violet Hartwell is not a regular employee. She’s a spy, here under false pretenses, and whatever she wants, it has to do with me. You should have seen her face when I offered her the job. I thought she was going to bolt from the room. She was happy, buried in Carlisle’s division digging away for whatever it is she wants to find. Now she has to deal with me.”

“I don’t like this,” Gage said again. “Why don’t you just put the Sinclairs on her, find out what she’s up to, and then fire her. I can’t emphasize enough the part about firing her.”

“Oh, I put the Sinclairs on her. Cooper hasn’t uncovered her real name yet, but the condo she’s living in is owned by a shell company, and the real owner is unknown. We’ll find out.”

“You’re not firing her because you want to investigate her? Or because you want to fuck her?” Gage asked, studying me with curiosity.

I couldn’t blame him. I was all business. Outside of my family, this company was my life. I would destroy anyone who threatened it. But Gage knew me better than anyone, and he’d already figured me out.

“Both,” I admitted. “She’s not off the table because she’s not a real employee. At best she’s a spy. At worst she’s a criminal. Either way, she’s fair game.”

“You have women lined up to date you. Why don’t you go fuck one of them?”

“I have,” I said. “I’m bored.”

Gage gave me the smug smile of a man who went home every night to the warm bed of the woman he loved. Gage and Sophie were newly married, and so far it looked like the honeymoon would never end. They lived with me in Winters House, our family home. The place was huge, and still I managed to walk in on them at least once a day. They couldn’t keep their hands off each other.

On top of that, I’d been watching my cousin Annalise falling head over heels for her first love, had watched every other member of my sprawling family pair up, and if I was being totally honest, all that love and devotion had left me feeling restless.

I was happy for them. No, I wasn’t happy. I was fucking ecstatic. Our family had been through more than its share of rough times. All the money and power in the world can’t fight death. It can’t undo murder.

We’d lost Gage’s parents when we were children, and then my own when we were teenagers.

The Winters family had been plagued by scandal and loss and grief for too many years. The only thing that made it better was seeing the people I loved find their own happiness, one by one.

Gage was right, I never had any trouble finding a date. I was adept at fending off the fortune hunters, and when I wanted a woman, I had one. Lately, the idea of taking out one of my regular companions had lost its luster.

Maybe it was all that true love in the air, but I wanted something different. Not what my family had. Not what Gage had.

Winters, Inc. was wife, mistress, and child all in one. After my family, the company had been my sole focus since my father had died. I had no plans to change that. I didn’t want to fall in love. I didn’t need a relationship. I just wanted something…different.

“What do you mean, you’re bored?” Gage asked. I should have known he wasn’t going to let me off the hook.

I shrugged a shoulder and tried not to think of that peek of Violet’s cleavage. Getting her into bed would be tricky. She was smart, and she was on her guard. She hadn’t given me a single sign that she was attracted to me, but that shell of hers was so well practiced, I already knew I’d have to work for it.

Good.

I liked a challenge.

Knowing Gage wouldn’t give up, I went on, “I’m intrigued, okay? She’s not a corporate spy, but she’s up to something. She’s looking for information on me, but when I offered her the chance to work by my side, she balked. I want to know why. If I can talk her into bed while I’m figuring it out, all the better.”

Gage let out a sigh of defeat. “She’s your type, that’s for sure.”

“I don’t have a type,” I said.

“Really? So she’s not a carbon copy of Elizabeth?”

No one in my family had liked my first wife. If I tried to look at Violet objectively, I could see why Gage would say that. She had the same cool composure as Elizabeth, the same icy blonde hair, even the same elegant sense of style.

But Elizabeth had been cold to her core, something I wished I’d found out before I married her. Violet was an entirely different creature. I’d seen that hint of defiance, the way she’d raised her chin when she strode out of my office.

She was scared and against the ropes, but she wouldn’t give in.

Elizabeth was a stone sculpture, hard and frigid all the way through.

Not Violet.

I’d glimpsed the woman hiding behind the mask.

There was passion beneath that perfect exterior.

I was going to expose it.

And I wasn’t going to justify myself to anyone.

“She’s not Elizabeth, Gage,” I said with finality. “I’ve got this under control.”

“That’s what you say now.” He stood. “I’m keeping an eye out for complaints to HR. If this ends up in a lawsuit, I’m letting you swing.”

“It won’t,” I promised. “I’m giving her exactly what she wants. Me.”