The Duke's Runaway Princess Page 0,17

figuring out what people wanted and giving it to them. He was a master at channeling their desires so that they meshed with his own plans for his various companies, tying everything together so that everyone came out a winner. This woman wanted to prove something to the person she’d been arguing with.

That was fine with him. He wanted her, he’d give her a business challenge that would give her the proof she needed and he would have her in his bed. A win-win situation for everyone involved, he suspected.

“You heard me. I’ve been looking into your work. You’ve increased the revenues for several of the business owners in the village. I want you to expand your efforts.”

Zarah wasn’t sure how he knew so much about her work, but it was disconcerting. She preferred flying under the radar, not attracting attention. Especially the attention of powerful, dangerous men like The Duke of Waren. “I don’t think…”

“Can’t handle the pressure?” he challenged before she could hear him out, trying to subvert her objections before they could form in her mind.

Zarah wasn’t sure how to handle him at all. She wanted to run away and hide from him, but that knowing look in his eyes held her feet where she stood. This man was daring her to accept his challenge. “What sort of work are you talking about?” she asked suspiciously, a part of her urging her to run away as fast as possible. Unfortunately, there was another part of her that was too fascinated by him. There was something about him that pulled her closer, making her remember that embarrassing dream.

“Nothing illegal,” he laughed, amused by the suspicion on those chocolate eyes. Anyone who knew him understood that he would never be like his father. Everything he did, all that he accomplished, was by sheer grit and determination. His father had earned millions by ignoring the law. Derrick had been disgusted at his tactics and had succeeded exponentially beyond his father’s meager earnings and he’d done it all legally and ethically. He was sometimes brutal in his tactics, but that was business and he didn’t pass up an opportunity when he discovered someone else’s weakness.

She didn’t join in his amusement. “That still leaves a great deal of unscrupulous work.”

He knew he couldn’t simply tell her that he operated within the law and with a strict work ethic. He’d have to prove it, allay her suspicions by letting her see for herself how he worked. And he wouldn’t mind at all working closely with this lovely woman. Very closely. “Let me buy you lunch and we’ll talk about it.”

Zarah continued to watch him warily. “Why would I want to work for you?”

“Because you’re interested in the challenge I can give you,” he said, coming closer. “And because you want to prove to whoever was on the other end of that phone that you’re not some silly little female who needs protecting. You didn’t answer my question. Ex-husband? Boyfriend? Father?”

Zarah’s whole body stiffened. How could this man know so many things about her in such a short conversation? “I don’t think…” she started to say, but he interrupted her.

“Don’t you even want to know what the job is before you turn it down?” he asked, one eyebrow raised but the rest of his features were flat and expressionless. “Or was I wrong and you’re not strong enough to work for me? I only hire the best, most competent personnel for my organizations. Do you not fit into that category?” He almost laughed at the change in her expression after tossing out that challenge.

Zarah considered him for a long moment, narrowing her eyes as she watched him carefully. She might be afraid of him, but there was also something about him that was stimulating. There was something in the way he looked down at her that made her want to show him that she wasn’t afraid of him.

Or maybe she just wanted to prove to herself that she wasn’t afraid of him?

That possibility had her chin jutting out and she looked up at him with grim determination. “Okay. What’s the position? And just so you know,” she said before he started to give her any details, “I’m perfectly happy exactly where I am. Mary is a wonderful person to work for.”

He smiled slightly and shook his head, rejecting her claim. “No you’re not. You’re content. There’s a difference between happy and content.”

Her shoulders felt like they were going to snap from the tension this