Page 19 of Once Upon a Prince

“Are you suggesting that I would use it on inappropriate things, assuming I even accepted the money?”

“I almost wish you would,” he muttered. “I have no doubt that you would find bargains or hardly use any of the money. You are resourceful but in this instance that isn’t what I’m looking for.”

“You are not going to buy me any clothes, as a uniform or any other reason,” I stated.

“As my employee, you need to do as I ask and what I need. This is one of them. I am going to buy you some clothes. You are not going to win this argument.”

“It would be difficult for you to do that if I don’t go with you.”

“I can have people come to the office; all it would take is a simple phone call. Think of how Tanya would feel about that,” he threatened.

The look he gave me told me he would and could easily do as he was suggesting. The last thing I wanted was some parade of people coming into the office and having them show me clothes. The gossip would be insane and it would only give Tanya and her crony, as Dax liked to call her, more ammunition. I wanted to call Dax’s bluff as I didn’t think he would actually do it, but I wouldn’t put it past him to do it just to get me to agree.

“I’m more than capable of finding my own clothes.”

“In your friend’s closet. You need your own. I was remiss in seeing that you should have an allowance for clothes. This allows me to rectify the situation.”

“You were fine with my clothes twenty minutes ago,” I countered.

“A lot has changed in the last twenty minutes.”

Dax walked over and sat on the edge of his desk. He was close to me but not so close that we were touching. He had been near me countless times. I thought I had gotten used to his presence, to how handsome he was. This was different. There was something about this time, this situation, the look he was giving me as he sat next to me that made it feel more intimate, more personal. I could feel my heart rate increasing as I looked over at him. The look he gave me back was so intense, it made my breath catch in my throat.

“Let me do this for you,” he said softly.

I held his gaze and for some reason I knew him doing this wasn’t about me. I couldn’t understand how or why but I could tell he needed to do this, for himself, not for me.

“I appreciate your help, I appreciate all that you have done for me, but it isn’t necessary.”

“Clothes are necessary,” he said.

My mind immediately went to what it would be like to see him without any clothes and I could feel myself blushing. Embarrassed and needing some space between us, I stood up. I could feel Dax’s eyes on me but I didn’t turn around.

“It’s too much,” I admitted.

The words were barely a whisper and I wondered if he had even heard them when I felt him standing behind me and said, “It isn’t nearly enough.”

Shocked by his nearness and his words, I turned around. He was so close I could almost touch him and I had to resist the urge. I wanted to put my hand on his chest, I wanted to lean into him. I wanted to let him take care of all my problems and fix them because looking at him at that moment, I felt for sure he could.

Our eyes locked. I couldn’t look away and I didn’t want to. His eyes were so blue, I felt like I could stare at them for the rest of my life. My mouth opened but no words came out. I watched as Dax’s eyes flicked down to my lips and lingered there for a second. My heart raced as I thought that he was going to kiss me. I held my breath as I waited to see what he would do.

He sighed and took a step back. It broke me from the trance he had put me in. I took a step back myself and let out a soft sigh. My body was on fire with need and desire and I didn’t know what to do with it. Though I apparently was the only one.

“I don’t like the way the women were talking about or to you. It isn’t right. I would like to fire them, I would like to blacklist them from ever working in this city again, but I won’t,” he added when I started to protest.

“This is something I can do for you. It is something I want to do for you. You might consider it a big thing, which only makes me want to do it more. I can’t make them stop saying bad things about you, but I can make it harder for them to find ammunition. I don’t like bullies; I don’t want them to win. This would put them in their place and allow me to give back to you. You have done so much for me, let me do this for you.”

“I have only been doing my job.”

“And you are exceptional at it. Let me do this as a way of saying thank you. Please.”

He smiled a slow sexy smile when he said please. It reminded me of what a player he could be, how he was a man who was used to getting what he wanted and assumed he always would. It was that cockiness, that self-assurance that almost made me say no. But I didn’t. Behind that cockiness was a vulnerability and that made me pause.

I could feel my resolve slipping and as I looked at him, I knew I was going to give in. It was probably a mistake and one I might regret later but I wanted him to do this for me, I wanted to do this for him. Even as I gave him the slightest of nods and he smiled knowing he had won, I felt as if we had just crossed a line and things were going to be different between us. As I watched his smile grow bigger, I worried about what I had done and what this would mean for us. Even as I did, I couldn’t stop myself from being a little excited about it.

Chapter 12

Dax