Linda was far too good looking to be a secretary, or Damon was the asshole her mother had warned her about. Bethany hated to judge a book by its cover, but the tall blonde model posing as a receptionist had been incredibly sexual—just in showing Bethany to Damon's office, her words almost purred. Bethany thanked her and shivered in disgust as the door closed. Apparently, Damon was down the hall and would be back shortly.

Taking advantage of the few moments she had, Bethany walked around the large executive office. The windows lined the walls of half of the office from floor to ceiling. The view was spectacular, and she wanted to see it at night, the lights of the city a beautiful spectacle, no doubt.

Pictures of three men accented the wall behind Damon's large cherrywood desk, one of them being Kent and the others Damon and his brother. She picked up one of the photos of the three men smiling at the camera, their golf shirts showing that they were at an event together.

"Oh shit. Please let the goofy-looking one be Damon."

She sat the picture down and moved toward the door, the sound of him coming in causing her heart to race. His voice was deep, the timbre of it commanding and firm.

"I'll be busy for the next twenty minutes, Linda. No interruptions unless the building is burning down."

The door closed, and Bethany turned from the window, her heart sinking at the image before her. It wasn't the goofy brother but the devilishly handsome one. The one that caused hearts to stop and panties to disintegrate with a look. His dark hair was combed on the sides and a bit messy on the top, the smirk on his lips giving her something later to dream about inappropriately. His blue shirt was fitted, the thick muscles of his arms and chest contracting as he simply walked toward her.

She moved in his direction, extending her hand, a soft smile on her lips as she watched his dark brown eyes move from her face to her toes and back up again.

"Hi. I'm Bethany."

He stopped in front of her and shook her hand, tilting his head slightly to the side.

"I expected you to be a little more mousy. Pleasant surprise, I suppose." He shook her hand, his face a mask of indifference. "Damon Bryant. Have a seat."

He moved around her, and she turned, walking toward the chair and praying like hell she'd make it before her legs gave out. Her knees shook slightly as her heart beat wildly in her chest.

The picture had been a sad representation of the man before her. The scent of his cologne lingered in the air, and she breathed in deeply, coveting it.

She sat down, pressing her knees together and letting her purse slide from her fingers onto the floor beside her. She wanted to jump in and start the conversation, but he simply demanded the lead, and she couldn't help but let him have it. She bit her lip, stopping the minute she realized he was focused on her mouth.

"My father tells me that you're a brilliant accountant and that you're here to make my life easier."

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to help."

"So tell me, Bethany, are you brilliant?" He sat up, leaning forward as he studied her.

Something about his gaze made her feel as if she were nude, bare before him. A nervous tic caused her foot to bounce to the rhythm of her heartbeat, her mind racing for the most appropriate answer.

"I graduated near the top of my class in both high school and college."

"I didn't ask that. I asked if you were brilliant."

"Yes?" she whispered, her voice hiding from her.

This was embarrassing, humiliating. What the hell was wrong with her? She had sat in front of professors and state regulators for the board of public accountancy. She had never lost her footing before. She spoke again just before he started to, the look on his handsome face pensive.

"Yes. I am brilliant."

"Good." He watched her for a minute more before turning to the blinking light on his phone. "Forgive me for a minute. I need to take this."

She nodded and diverted her attention toward the windows, her chest screaming for air. She hadn't realized she had been holding her breath and worked to let it go quietly.

Damon was sensual and strong, dark and handsome, much more so than anyone she had ever encountered. Remembering that he was soon to be her new stepbrother was important, not that anything would happen between the two of them. He was probably six to eight years older than her and far out of her league. He made the sexy blonde in the foyer pale in comparison.

Bethany tried not to listen to Damon’s conversation but couldn't help it.

"I know, Bridget. Yes, tonight will be fine. Eight o'clock at Pallinda's. Wear the blue dress for me and the black heels that you know I love."

Bethany looked over at him, his eyes on her as he spoke. His predatory gaze made her feel as if she were under a microscope, his attention almost heavy, as her skin broke out in goosebumps. She averted her eyes again toward the window, needing to get some air before she screamed.

"No, you know I don't like it when you wear panties. No, not even the little ones. Too restraining."

Bethany's head snapped back forward, her eyes large and wide as Damon simply stared at her. His expression was soft and lacking emotion as if he were ordering a pizza in front of her. She swallowed hard, her eyes moving to the tug of his bottom lip, his teeth biting along the edge of it. She stood and moved toward the window, her level of comfort completely gone.

"That's right. Blue dress, black heels, and don't bother with your panties. I'm not interested."

The sound of the phone hitting the cradle caused her to stiffen.

He was an ass.

If he'd had any respect for Bethany or himself, he would have held his conversation in private. She turned and looked over her shoulder, her breathing ragged and obvious.

"Bethany, I have certain needs as the CFO of this company. If you're here to make my life easier, then you'll quickly learn them. Your brilliance will get you far, but if you and I aren't on the same page with things, then my father will be your champion instead of me and good luck with that."

The implication of his words sent a chill down her spine.

"And what are your needs?" She turned slowly, crossing her arms over her chest as the door to his office cracked open, and Linda stuck her head in.

"I know you said no interruptions, but your father's on the phone."

"Thank you." He looked toward Bethany as a smile lifted the side of his perfect mouth. "Soon enough. Linda will show you to your new office. Plan on having lunch with me tomorrow so we can talk about the various positions I'm going to put you in."

He turned and sat down at his desk, the conversation over.

Bethany walked toward his desk, leaning over and picking up her purse as her mind spun out of control. She walked to the door stiffly, questions running rampant at the saucy innuendo Damon had thrown her way.

Surely he hadn’t meant…

She stopped just before slipping through the door, the sound of his voice wrapping around her.

"Oh, and Bethany. You'll enjoy every one of those positions, and I'll do my best to make this a stimulating experience for us both." He bit subtly at his top lip and watched her closely, Bethany nodding and slipping through the open door.

She was in too deep already.