Addicted (The Addicted Series, #1)(19)

There was just one problem with my defiance—being with Tyler would most definitely cause disruption in his company. If he’d had trouble before, I could only imagine what he would be up against now.

Tyler had told me that he wasn’t going down without a fight, assuring me that everything would work out in the end.

Still, I had my doubts. Related by marriage aside, maybe our relationship really wasn’t for the best. Tyler was a known womanizer. I could be the flavor of the week. Was it really worth being involved in a scandal for someone who would discard me when they’d had their fill of me?

Better yet, was the drama worth the damage that our relationship was sure to cause to my career?

Tyler straddled me, bending forward to plant a steamy kiss on my lips. I would’ve protested—after all, he still had my juices all over his lips—but I couldn’t deny the intensity of his advance.

“Come on,” he urged after he pulled back, leaving me breathless. “I’m sporting some serious wood here.”

I stared into his pleading eyes, my heart flipping within my chest. God, he was so handsome. So f*cking sexy.

And a f*cking heartbreaker, a little voice said in the back of my head. Sure to break mine.

It wasn’t the first time that annoying little voice had reared its head. But it was hard to listen to the warnings of that voice when every molecule in my body screamed in need for this man. This sexy beast. My body refused to resist him.

“A word of caution, Miss Young. Keep messing with Tyler and you’ll likely find yourself without a job. And after everyone finds out you were Tyler’s whore, you’ll only find work on the street corner with the looks you have.”

For some reason, Charles Whitmore’s smug face and insulting words popped in my mind right then, giving me the strength to push Tyler away.

“Good God! The time,” I breathed, scrambling out from under a visibly disappointed Tyler and gathering my clothing scattered on the floor. “Christine is going to kill me. I’m going to be late.”

Tyler sat up in the bed. “Just don’t show up.”

I paused, my bra in my hands, staring at Tyler with disbelief. “What?”

His eyes roved over the curves of my body, making me feel like a piece of meat.

“I’ve been thinking. How would you like to work for me?”

My jaw dropped. “Me?” I gasped incredulously a second later.

Tyler gave me that boyish grin that seemed to make me want to follow him to hell and back and enjoy every moment of it. “It would be the perfect opportunity for the both of us. You get to leave that demanding diva who treats you like shit, and I get to piss everyone off at the same time.” He grinned wider, flashing his perfect, white teeth. “A win-win.”

I should’ve flat out said no. “I-I don’t know,” I stuttered.

“Come on. I could use a smart-mouthed, hot babe like you to keep me in line.”

“Is that what you really think of me? A smart-mouth?”

Tyler grinned. “Among other things, but yes.”

He could insult me and make me love him for it. “Jerk.”

“Seriously, though. I don’t make offers like these lightly.” By the tone in Tyler’s voice, I could tell he was dead serious. He really was offering me a job. “In fact, I’ve never offered anyone a job without going through the proper channels.”

I paused, pondering the gravity of the situation. Though I’d love nothing more than to march into to Christine’s office and tell her off, quitting my job with her would mean the end of my career in fashion. She would see to it. One didn’t simply up and quit on Christine Finnerman.

“But my career . . .” I began to protest.

“I could help you with that.”

I placed a hand on my hip and raised my brow skeptically. “How? What could you possibly know about fashion?”

“Not much.”

“Okay then.”

“But I don’t need to. That’s what you’re for. I have the money to fund any projects you might want to work on to get your name out there.”

The breath left my lungs. “You’d do that?” I asked in disbelief. “For me?”

Tyler nodded. “If you do as I ask.” He scratched absently at his abs. “The way I see it, with my resources and your brains and knowledge of the industry,” he shrugged, his voice gaining excitement as he continued speaking, “who knows? Maybe we can start a new company and I wouldn’t need my father’s approval. I could leave Armex and let it collapse in on itself.”

I nearly swooned as the endless possibilities rolled through my mind. I can’t believe it, I thought. This seems too good to be true. And you know what they say about that.

“We’ll obviously have to work out the details,” Tyler said, watching me intently while I stood there involved with my thoughts. “But I think we can make it work.”

“So in the meantime, let’s say I do come work for you. How much will you pay me?”

“Double whatever you’re making now.” Tyler paused to glance down mischievously, “and there are benefits.”

My heart began pounding inside my chest. This has to be some sort of a dream, I thought, ready to pinch myself to see if I was truly awake. Tyler was offering me everything I could ever hope, or dream of . . . my own career and the man of my dreams.