2

"Come with me tonight, Suzanne," Nathan's deep, masculine voice startled the girl, causing her to jump.

"Mr. Strong, please keep your distance!" She felt both angry and surprised, unable to believe her boss's audacity.

Despite Suzanne's attempts to keep Nathan at bay, he continued to push for something more, making her feel intimidated and uncomfortable in his presence.

"Why don't you report him?" she had asked herself, already knowing the answer.

She knew she needed the job, so she tried everything to make Nathan Strong give up his conquest plans, but so far, she hadn't had any positive results.

"Are you going to keep refusing?" Nathan raised an eyebrow, wondering what he had to do to make a woman like her accept his proposal.

Would he have to force her? He felt tempted.

"I will refuse now and always, so please don't insist, sir," she tried to steady her trembling hands, staring at the screen and ignoring her boss's grim face.

"Why do you keep refusing?" he asked, hurt and irritated.

Suzanne sighed heavily, tired of telling him that she didn't want to get involved with her boss, but it seemed like she was speaking in Chinese or some other difficult language.

"I've been good to you, quite kind even. Why don't you give me a chance at least?" he insisted again.

Suzanne turned to him, remembering the red-haired woman she had seen entering his office days ago.

Her blood boiled at the thought that despite having women to amuse himself with, he wanted to use her, only to dismiss her with an unjustified termination when he got bored of her.

"You can have any woman you want," Suzanne snapped, and he grimaced at her words. "I urge you to stop bothering me about this matter."

She tried to focus on her work, and although he seemed to leave her alone for the moment, ideas of what he would do to make her agree to go out with him kept crossing her mind.

"I'm pathetic, I can't even get my secretary to date me when I've always been able to have any woman I want," he thought angrily and humiliated.

Suzanne felt like her heart would jump out of her chest. Her boss's advances had left her somewhat shaken.

She couldn't deny that he was attractive and she was very drawn to him, but she knew that after he got what he wanted, he would discard her like so many other women.

"I'm just another conquest to you, Nathan Strong," she murmured to herself.

Something churned in her chest, but she shook her head and focused fully on her work, trying to think of a solution to her problems.

She was drowning in debt, her father was sick, and she needed money to pay for his consultation and find out what was ailing him. Things were only getting worse.

She sighed heavily, observed by her boss, who noticed her rubbing her temples and closing her eyes, slightly parting her lips.

That image hit Nathan hard. He found Suzanne very sexy when she made simple gestures that she sometimes didn't even notice, like at that moment when she ran her white fingers along her neck, where a drop of sweat slowly trickled down.

He couldn't help it, he desired her and planned to have his way soon, no matter how difficult she made it. There was no woman who could resist him, and she... would be no exception.

---

The next day.

"Damn it! I'm late!" Suzanne thought, completely agitated.

She was careful as she rushed, especially since she knew she was wearing heels. She had never been very adept at walking in them.

She sighed with relief when she reached the security guard, who luckily didn't say anything; he had known her for a year and a half.

She nearly tripped over everyone as she entered the company. She looked at the clock; it was nearly 8:34 a.m. She thought her boss would tear her apart and then fry her like a fish.

A small voice told her not to be dramatic, but it seemed like she still hadn't grasped that her boss was a damn jerk.

Although it was a very strong word, it fit him in every sense, especially since he was English, meaning colder than an iceberg, although Suzanne thought that didn't take away from how provocative he was.

From his gray eyes to his dark hair, standing at 6'1 tall, plus his strong body build, his overpowering gaze, and the air of confidence he exuded, all of that was a desirable factor to every woman leaving his office disheveled with smudged lipstick.

Suzanne climbed the stairs until she reached the top floor, which took her about 10 minutes, and cursed when the elevator doors opened just as she arrived.

"My luck sucks," she grumbled to herself.

She pushed her hair back and took a seat in her office, although she couldn't complain; she had everything from a minibar to a small fridge at her disposal. She glanced at the wall clock, unable to believe she was running late.

She managed her boss's time, from how many exact minutes he should spend to the seconds it should last. She left the tablet on her desk and powered up the Mac in the room.

She picked up the device again and checked the day's schedule. It was a bit free, so it was a good start for her. She didn't knock on the wooden door since he had been expecting her for half an hour.

"Good morning, Mr. Stone, I have your itinerary for today," she hurried to speak, and the most convenient response from him would have been a "uh-huh."

Everything was in complete silence. Suzanne cursed inwardly and raised her head to meet his piercing gaze, swallowed hard, and saw him raise an eyebrow.

For God's sake, how can this human being be so admirable? His masculine appearance, perfectly styled black hair, and eyes starting with a light gray until they darkened, and that only meant one thing:

He was angry, or perhaps about to end someone.

"Can I know, Miss Peyton, why the hell are you late for work on the first day of the week?"

"I hate him," Suzanne thought disgustedly.

She took a deep breath and with a fake smile replied, "It won't happen again. I'll proceed with your schedule for today. In a few minutes, you have a meeting with the French investors, and the Japanese will come in after five in the afternoon. I've arranged a dinner at a restaurant in downtown New York."

Suzanne looked up again. He was still watching her, sizing her up. The next thing she heard was a screech from the chair as Nathan got up and walked towards her.

She remained motionless as he circled around her until he stopped and took the tablet from her hand, placing it on the glass table.

"Marry me."

Suzanne's heart pounded, and her eyes widened more than usual.