Chapter 26

She’d never seen him look so cross with her.

His eyes were darker, his thick black brows drawn together in a deep frown. A muscle even twitched on his jaw as he muttered each word through clenched teeth.

“N-no, we really don’t have to,” she murmured, trying to shrink away from the intense energy he was exuding.

“No, we will,” he said with a nod. “What’s wrong, sweetheart? Are you shy?”

Her gaze rose, staring at his face. He was trying to horrify her as punishment for her audacity. He didn’t know the actual effect his words had on her. Sure, she was in shock at the turn their conversation had taken and regretted provoking him, but she also couldn’t deny that she was turned on.

Badly. She clenched her fingers into a fist at her side, trying to hide it as best as she could.

“You weren’t shy when you started this conversation, so why’re you shy now?” he questioned with raised brows. “I thought you were all grown up.”

She swallowed hard, not trusting herself to speak.

He saw the intense look in her eyes and his lips parted with a faint scoff of unbelief. Was that challenge he saw in her eyes? The girl didn’t know her place.

He nodded. “I can tell you’re not about to back out. Okay, let’s have this talk then.”

“Sir—”

“You’ve probably heard many rumours about me. Not sure if you’ve been hearing them since you were a kid or since you and Sabrina started joining me on some of my business trips. I don’t know all the rumours, but whatever you’re hearing about me and women? That’s true.”

Her eyes widened slightly. “I don’t… think you know what I’ve heard—”

“What have you heard?” He tilted his head, tapping his foot the way he did when he was impatiently pissed off at something he considered an actual waste of time.

She gulped. “That… you sleep with women and discard them a day later. They say multimillionaires usually pick golf, alcohol, gambling or women, but Lucien Sinclair doesn’t do any other elite hobby, so he can… put all his energy into sleeping with women.”

His glare pierced through her face.

Kendall lowered her head. She’d only told him because he’d asked. That wasn’t even half of the things she’d heard about him.

“Do you believe it?” he questioned.

She quickly shook her head, looking up at him. “No! Of course not, Sir.” She had to do damage control before it was too late.

“You should.”

Crap. She pursed her lips.

“As I said, I do fuck,” he said, shrugging. “Do I date? No. If I like a woman, I’ll have her in my bed with a single gesture, because women will do anything for money. And I have an endless supply of that.”

Kendall’s heart dropped.

It felt like all the water in her body had evaporated, leaving her dry and brittle as she stood there, staring at him in more agony than he could imagine.

He had no idea how deeply those words pierced her. How horrified she was that, although his words could not describe women in general… they described her.

“Now,” he went on, unaware that she was dying inside. “Does my fucking whoever I want have anything to do with the woman who just left my office?” Lucien leaned in close to stare into her eyes. “No.”

Kendall blinked, mentally dragging herself back from the pit of hell. “Wait. What?”

He straightened and sighed. “I did not have sex in my office, Kendall.”

She stared at him, horror slowly washing over her mind until all she could feel was regret. Today wasn’t going well at all.

He raised a brow. “You look disappointed. Would you have preferred for me to be the uncouth bastard who would sleep with a woman in the office, in broad daylight? Like people say I am?”

“She—” Her voice shook, and she cleared her throat, raising her chin as professionally as she could. “She did say she was your girlfriend—”

“Have you ever seen her anywhere around me?”

“You live a very private life, Sir.”

“But I wouldn’t hide a woman I’m in an exclusive relationship with. She lied to you, and I know she walked out of my office looking dishevelled.”

She pounced onto that. “Yeah, that. That was a lie, too?”

“Would you believe me if I told you that she walked in here, tried to seduce me into an idiotic deal, got rejected and then proceeded to rough up her own appearance to give the impression that I’d touched her?”

Kendall was staring at him, unable to believe what she was hearing. She couldn’t deny that the woman had looked like the type to try and pull off such a scheme. But it took two to tango, and if it had been wild enough to make her look like that, then Lucien should’ve looked just as rough. Silently, she studied him.

Not a damn hair out of place.

His shirt was crisp, not a crinkle or a line, and his skin didn’t have a single trace of lipstick.

Damn it, she’d been had.

He saw the look on her face and nodded sarcastically. “Well done, Kendall. Accusing your boss of heinous acts on your first day of work.”

“Sir, I’m so—”

“Take the day off. I need time to come to terms with how wrong I’ve always been about you before I accept you as my secretary.”

Her mouth fell open, her expression twisting with injury. “Mr Sinclair. That’s not fair.”

“I think it’s about as fair as you accusing me of something I’ve never even thought of doing. My company is sacred to me; this office is worth more to me than all the women I’ve ever had. Got that? There is no woman who’s ever been so overwhelmingly beautiful that I’d even imagine fucking her in my office.”

She sighed. “Understood.”

“Good. I have other places for such activities.”

Kendall pursed her lips, ashamed that she was internally wondering where those places were.

With a final huff, he seemed to finally get over the whole thing, letting his anger go. “Leave.”

He turned away, and she jolted into action, grabbing his wrist. “I’m not fired, am I?!”

He paused, looking pointedly down at where her fingers circled his wrist. She released him and softly apologised.

“You’re not fired,” he muttered, like he wished he could say the opposite. “I’d much rather have you in finance instead of here, keeping tabs on my sex life, but who am I to force you to be great?”

That one hurt. Cringing, Kendall took it like a champ and nodded as he walked back to his chair.

“That woman’s name is Ashley Schlein,” he said, sitting down and turning to his computer. “In future, you will not allow her in.”

Kendall nodded humbly. “Yes, Sir. Can I… get you anything before I leave?”

He was silent for a moment. “Yes, actually. Confirm what time my meeting is tomorrow morning. There should be an appointment booked for a man named Eliott. Check the calendar.”

She went cold. “I… I’m sorry, who?”