Chapter 5 CHA

Andreas Nikolaou watched Chloe Georgiou's infuriatingly sexy figure as she walked to her car. The shape of her buttocks, covered in that short skirt, was a problem. He couldn't, or wouldn't, take his eyes off her. He groaned as she drove away with a smug smile on her face, realizing he'd just made a colossal mistake. He hadn't even meant to hire her. The idea was to tell her, in a polite manner, that she was the wrong candidate, but the words had already escaped his mouth before he could stop them. He had a sense that this was a gigantic mistake.

He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "She's just a woman, and you're not a fucking animal," he muttered to himself. He had been around plenty of attractive women, and he knew how to maintain boundaries. Chloe Georgiou was strictly off-limits. He would just have to control himself.

Running up the stairs two at a time, he rushed to check up on Ariadne and then ran to his bedroom. He could not understand why he could not put Chloe out of his head. He needed to get his wits about him before he lost his mind.

He tore off his clothes, dumped them on the floor, and stepped under the cold shower. The shock of the cold water made him blink, and his erection rapidly subsided. He switched the water to warm and leaned his forehead against the tiles, enveloping himself in steam. But that too, Chloe intruded into his mind. He found her sitting in front of him, white fingers tapping on the purse on her lap, lips pressed shut, bright blue eyes stretched wide with tension and desperation. He imagined her sitting on his desk, around his waist, hands running through his hair.

He gripped his body wash and started soaping his skin, trying to scrub the pictures away from his head, but they were too real. He envisioned her on his desk, her heels on his chair, her skirt up, her legs wide open. He envisioned her moaning out his name, her body contorting with pleasure. He gritted the groan out, resting his hand on the shower wall while he came, his hips jerking and twitching out until he was empty.

He had barely completed when he was panting and shaking his head. The woman hadn't even started, and already, he had been gone from her. He quickly rinsed himself off, dropped his towel, and emerged from the shower. He must refrain from thinking about her. He must focus on Ariadne and not fall into that honey trap again. He didn't need another Danae.

I returned home with Betsy, Chloe sat alone, falling onto her couch. She felt an odd mix of adrenaline and anxiety, as if she had just stepped off a roller coaster. She removed her heels and leaned back, replaying the interview in her head the millionth time. Andreas was cool but not cruel. He just appeared kind of. cold. But with Ariadne, he was chatty and at ease. That was essential.

Maybe he just had strict protocols about hanging out with the employees. She wanted to keep him at arm's length, mostly because she didn't want to go through too many panties. But even so, she couldn't help but think about him. His lips, which were slightly full, were so inviting. The way he licked them was enough to push her almost over the deep end. She imagined that tongue delving into her folds, experiencing her. The vision sent shivers down her spine.

"Don't have these type of thoughts about your boss," she admonished herself. But it was too late. She was drawn to him. His looks, his tough nature, the way he moved with such contained grace. She wanted to unbutton the rough edge of him, to discover the man under the cold veneer he had built.

She fought the temptation to just sit there and watch TV some more and get back on the couch. She was hungry, and a piece of chicken and apple pie would certainly bring her out of it. She deservedly scowled at her nearly bare fridge. At least she had gotten the job. She hadn't been working in a couple weeks, and her small savings went quickly. She promised to be more careful with her money from that day forward.

As she put the chicken in the pan, the phone rang. Her heart pounded at the surprise that Andreas was on the phone to inform her that he was having a change of heart. It was only Nefeli, however, her best friend from childhood.

"Are you calling me? Are you not rescuing the world somewhere?" Chloe teased.

Nefeli laughed. "I'm in med school, but I'm headed to my waitressing job. How was your interview?"

"It was perfect! I was hired on the spot, and I start tomorrow."

"Wow, congrats! So happy for you. How's the new boss? Sweet or snob?"

Chloe laughed. Nefeli had a rep. "He's. hot," she said with a smile.

"Hot?" Nefeli's voice was dripping with teasing interest.

No, really. He's like six foot five, black hair and these incredible green eyes. And he's so muscular and lean."

"Muscular? How did you know that? Did you get a glimpse of him shirtless?"

"Don't be stupid. I could tell through his shirt. And his butt."

"Gorgeous?"

"Round and just waiting to be squeezed," Chloe breathed, smiling.

"Excuse me if I'm jumping to the wrong conclusions here, but this is your future employer that we're talking about, isn't it?"

"Let alone me, don't even think about sleeping with your boss."

"Wouldn't it be wonderful if the two of you did become lovers, fell in love, and lived happily ever after?"

"You've seen too many romantic movies again, haven't you? That is not how real life works."

It can and it will. And for that matter, no one knows what's going to happen in the future, so don't be quite so quick to knock it.

Chloe arched an eyebrow. "No way, Nefeli. I believe he likes to have a very clear line between him and his staff. It was pretty apparent from the manner in which he constructed a wall so quick and so tough that he has no interest in me in the biblical context."

"So you were envisioning he was super hot?"

"Oh, my God, yes," Chloe admitted, turning the chicken in the pan.

"Did you make him think you were considering he was fuckable?"

"No, of course not. I'm a professional."