What do you mean it’s because of me?” he asks, with narrowed eyes.

Oh, shit. I didn’t mean to blurt that out to him. Usually, I’m calm, cool, and professional, the perfect assistant. I can keep my head on straight even in the most difficult scenarios, but I feel almost dizzy from the buzz of my near-death experience, and my present situation, which can only be described as bizarre.

Up until a few moments ago, my boss has not seen me in anything that has even hinted at my figure underneath. Now, I’m standing in front of him in a towel that barely covers me. Actually, it’s so small I’m afraid even to move. Any shift could be disastrous.

This is bad, but that’s not what has my cheeks flushed with heat. It’s the eye-popping fact that he is near nude himself. All he’s got on is a pair of distracting-as-hell boxer briefs. Let me say, right away, they leave nothing to the imagination.

I always knew he was in great shape, but to actually see him like this? The man is a fucking god. His body is rock solid. Layers upon layers of lean muscles. One on top of another. Every one chiseled and perfectly defined, flexing beneath his inked skin with every little movement. It’s quite impossible not to stare. And I haven’t even got to that muscle bulging inside his underwear.

Holy crap is it big or what? Nah, it has to be a trick of the light, or I’m still in shock. No one is that honking big. Still…I can almost feel the heft of it just by looking. Slickness forms between my legs that has nothing to do with the shower I just took. I tear my eyes away and meet his waiting eyes. I take a few seconds to take stock.

1. We’re both seeing a lot of more of each other than we’ve ever seen before.

2. I definitely like what I see which, of course is, besides the point, since…

3. He has just made it very clear that while he thinks I’m attractive in a detached, objective way, he’s in no way hitting on me.

4. Even after taking the massive hard-on into consideration, I have to agree with him. He’s not hitting on me. I’m not his type. I’ve seen some of the women he goes out with. They are so stunningly gorgeous, they make you want to give up and die or open up another packet of Oreos.

So really, no actual harm has been done. And if I play this right, I could stop drowning inside ugly smocks that my grandmother wouldn’t wear and ditch those plastic glasses.

I lick my lips apprehensively. “I wanted to tell you, but I’m worried it will piss you off.”

“Mrs. Emerson,” he says, his voice low and deep. “Whatever you have to say, just say it. Yes, I might get mad. I can’t promise I won’t, but I can promise I’ll get totally pissed off if you don’t tell me.”

I nod and raise one hand in a placating gesture. “Fine. You have a reputation, okay?”

“A reputation?” he echoes with a frown. “You’re going to have to be more specific. A reputation for what?”

“The agency that sent me to work for you. The woman there warned me about you before I came in for the interview.”

He crosses his arms over his chest. His muscles tense and flex.

Okay, now, I am gulping for air.

“What in the hell did they warn you about? I’m not dangerous,” he says staring at me like he wants to punch something.

My body is trembling with nerves and if I keep going, there’s no telling how he’ll react, but I have no choice as I’ve come this far. Might as well go all the way. “They didn’t say you were dangerous. They told me you won’t hire women that are even remotely attractive or unmarried.”

He nods thoughtfully. “They’re not wrong. I didn’t know other people knew about that, though. I’ve never said anything to anyone. It’s a personal rule.”

“I guess other people noticed. The woman told me it was because all these young girls end up falling in love with you and acting unprofessional. And they’re distracting to you. So I made sure to dress as frumpily as I could to get the job.”

Luke stares at nothing, like he’s lost in thought. His expression is unreadable. I assume this is the calm before the storm and brace myself for the inevitable explosion of anger. It doesn’t come. Instead, his blue eyes bore into mine, trapping me in his gaze. “Are you even married?” he asks in a deathly calm voice, which is even more chilling than when he is throwing a tantrum.

“No,” I confess, before quickly adding, “I’m good at what I do, Mr. Remington, so I don’t see why my marital status, or appearance should prevent me from performing a job that I am perfectly qualified for.”

For a few seconds more, Luke continues staring at me. Then he throws his head back and laughs. “That was clever, Miss. Emerson,” he says. “Well played. Whoever that woman is at the staffing service, she was absolutely right. I wouldn’t have hired you if I knew what you really looked like.”

My stomach flutters at his words. He thinks I’m pretty! Suddenly, I’m conscious again, of how naked we both are. “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to lie to you. I just really need this job.”

He waves my apology away. “Are you kidding? You saw a problem, and you found a creative solution. I like that. What’s that old saying? Dress for the job you want. In this case, the job you wanted required you to dress like a clueless librarian.”

“So you’re not mad?” I ask tentatively.

He laughs again.

The sound is deep and rich. It sends waves of warmth echoing through my body.

“Not at all.” He steps toward me. “You’re a good assistant. I would have missed out on hiring you if you hadn’t done what you did. You found a way around my rule, and I’m glad you did.”

“About that rule,” I say, clutching my towel hard. “What’s that about?”

He dips his chin. “I’m a man of big appetites, Jade. When I see something I want, I claim it. That goes for business and for pleasure, but I try to keep those two worlds separate. At work, I need to be focused and professional. No distractions.”

“Sure,” I reply, trying to hide the quaver in my voice.

“I’m not immune to the charms of beautiful woman. It’s only natural. And look at me.” He gestures at his body.

Well, since he’s giving permission…I quickly take the opportunity to stroke him with my eyes. Mmm.

He continues, “I’m a good-looking guy, so it’s only natural that women gravitate to me too, but it’s a recipe for disaster if I satisfy my needs with one of my employees, things get complicated quickly. So that’s why I have my rule.”

“But I’ve seen a few pretty girls in the company.”

“They don’t work for me directly. The rule only applies to women I work closely with on a daily basis. Like my personal assistant.” He looks me up and down, not hiding what he’s doing. “We’ll be spending a lot of time together, Jade. A lot of late nights. A lot of one-on-one meetings. I can’t have that kind of temptation around.”

My heart skips a beat and refuses to steady. Did I just hear what I heard? I laugh nervously. “Good thing, I’ll never be a problem like that, then. I’m not really your type.”

He takes a step closer to me.

Instantly, I feel the heat from his body drying my skin.

“That’s where you’re wrong. Right now, you are extremely…tempting.”

His words send a shiver through me. My nipples harden beneath the towel. His eyes lock with mine, sending an electric current through me. “Mr. Remington—”

“Luke,” he says softly.

My lips part and I feel my chest tightening.

He frowns suddenly and looks away. “Good thing we have too much to do on this trip to get distracted. Finish getting ready. We need to be on top of our game tonight.”

With that, he exits my bedroom and closes the door behind him.

I collapse on the bed, groaning.

What the hell just happened?

Oh. My. God. He asked me to call him Luke.

My heart hammers away as conflicting emotions war inside me. Luke knows what I look like now. He knows having me as his assistant violates his unspoken rule, but he just behaved as if it isn’t that big a deal. Like I am such a good assistant, my little trick doesn’t matter. Will he change his mind once he’s had some time to think about it? Will he decide to fire me? Or will he just transfer me to another department?

On the other hand, I’m over the moon that Luke knows what I look like now. I hated dressing like a frump, I hated the thick glasses, hated scraping my hair into the most unattractive hairstyle anyone could ever have, and I sorely missed my lipstick and my mascara. It did my ego no good to be so invisible for so many hours of the day. So, I had to be nearly naked for him to notice me, but he has finally looked up and noticed that I’m a woman. He even said I’m tempting. My heart feels as if it will fly out of my body with happiness because obviously, I’ve been crushing on him hard since the first time we met for my job interview.

I mean, I’d have to be blind not to be attracted to him.

I was barely able to string a sentence together during my interview with him. Who can blame me? The man is the sexiest thing on two legs I’ve ever seen. Dark tousled hair, ruggedly handsome face, strong cheekbones often peppered with sexy stubble. And his eyes. Oh my, those eyes. They’re so blue it’s like looking into a hot summer sky. Sometimes, when he’s explaining something to me, he’ll look directly at me, and I can feel the intensity of his gaze. It cuts through me, like he’s looking straight into my soul. Intoxicating me.

I’d even say that over the past two months, my crush has deepened into a kind of obsession. When he’s talking to other people, I find myself just watching him, greedily drinking in the sight of him.

I didn’t think it was possible to find him any more attractive than I already did. Suits were made for that body and face. That is, until I saw him just now, when he stood in only his underwear and told me I was tempting. It’s enough to make my head spin with desire.

Then the way he’d looked at me before he left. Intense. I’m still reeling from it. I honestly thought he would kiss me, or throw me on the bed and claim me. I wish he had. I hug myself and remember the delicious tension that hung between us. I felt it. I wonder if he felt it too. I think he did. He’d never looked at me that way before. And he’d said more than once that I am attractive. Distracting even. I smile to myself.

Too bad, he hadn’t acted on those feelings.

I make my way back to the bathroom and look around me. The spider is gone now. All that’s left is a dark blue smudge. I hate spiders with a passion, but this one was a bit of a martyr. It gave up its life to change mine. I wonder how on earth it got into the bath. Maybe it hitched a ride on of the cleaner’s carts. I think of Luke slamming it with his shoe. Luke took care of me. Warmth fills my belly. My hero.

It’s like at the airport earlier, when that guy from the car service was being a dick and I couldn’t be a bitch back because Luke was standing in front of me. Luke took care of that for me, too. I’m no damsel in distress. I don’t need a man to save me, but it feels amazing when the man who comes to my aid is Luke.

Dreamily and completely forgetting that I’ve already had my shower, I step into the tub. The water rushes over me while I carry on fantasizing about him. Yes, he is an asshole sometimes. He’s over the top and domineering, and when it comes to work he is tough and demanding, but he never lets anyone else treat me badly. He may never have noticed me as a woman, but he’s always been protective of me.

It’s one of the things I love about him. His protective streak is all the more endearing because he has no ulterior motive for it. Until today, he never looked at me with any kind of sexual interest. So he didn’t protect me because he wants to get in my pants. He did it because that’s just who he was. Good and kind. Otherwise, why would he give a damn how other people treat me?

I sigh and reach for the soap.

But Luke is more than that. He’s complicated. A mystery. The more time I spend with him, the more I realize how much I don’t know about him. His past. His family. What he wants for the future.

I know I shouldn’t but I want to feel his hands run over my skin the way the water from the shower does. It’s a dream that can only bring heartache. I’ll become like all those other secretaries who made the pathetic mistake of falling in love with someone like Luke Remington, but I can’t stop myself from wanting his eyes to lock with mine like they did just before he went back to his room. Wanting to see the bulge growing between his legs and know it’s because of me.

Thoughts of Luke have my core aching with desire. A desperate, overwhelming need claws at me, urging me to do something about it. I consider taking matters into my own hands. It will be a long, frustrating night with Luke if I don’t relieve the pressure building up inside me.

But I don’t have time.

I have to start getting dressed soon. The last thing I want is to be late. I finish cleaning up and get out of the shower. I dry myself off and walk over to the closet where I’ve hung my clothes. I need to pick an outfit for tonight’s meeting. Of course, I brought a lot of clothes with me. I like being prepared for anything. If it rains. If it’s suddenly cold. If I need to sit on my own by a swimming pool. If I go trekking. If I have some free time to go dancing with some of the other conference attendees.

I browse through my collection of grey and brown pant suits. They helped me land this job by hiding my body, but now that my secret is out, the idea of wearing one of them seems silly. Luke knows what I look like now. Do I really have to hide myself any longer?

I slide my suits aside and look at the one thing I’ve never worn around Luke. A dress. This is my if ‘Luke is not around and I slip out into the balmy night looking for adventure’ dress. Yeah, right, but in my head I am full of fun and adventurous. Emerald green and sophisticated.

It isn’t particularly sexy, but it fits right, accentuating my curvy assets. It’s emerald green and it really makes my eyes pop. I wonder if Luke will like it. It’s a classy dress. Neither too slutty or showy. It’s the kind of thing I’d wear to dinner with business clients if I was in a different job, one that didn’t require me to hide my figure.

Indecision tears at me. Will Luke be mad if I dress differently tonight? Will it make things stranger than they already are?

Screw it.

I don’t want to hide anymore. Luke knows what I look like now. No sense in pretending I’m that same old frumpy girl with a bun. I’m ditching my bun and wearing my dress.

I look forward to literally and figuratively letting my hair down for one evening. I deserve to have a little fun. I’m in a foreign country, I don’t have to hide the way I look, and I get to spend an evening with Luke. I may as well do it right.

I blow dry my hair and leave it in shining waves down my back. I put on some makeup, more than I’ve ever worn around Luke, actually accentuating my features instead of toning them down. I leave my glasses sitting on the nightstand by the bed and dab perfume at my pulse points. Then I slip into my daring open-toed shoes.

When Luke knocks on my door, I open the door and his jaw almost hits the floor.