She needed a job, he needed a personal assistant. What could go wrong?
Welcome back to Book Hooks, a regular Wednesday feature! In this blog loop, we hope to provide you with some tantalizing tidbits in our books.
My submission for this week's Book Hooks is from my 8th novel, Lessons in Love.
Pam Weston didn't have many choices as far as employment went. Her prison sentence saw to that. With limited secretarial skills, and an even more limited budget, she never considered herself executive material. So, when she was ordered to report to the CEO of her company as his new personal assistant, she fully expected to be checking out the "Help Wanted" section of the paper before the day was over.
Robert Peterson knew his management style was not HR approved, but he believed in using the stick as well as the carrot. Employing the tenets of domestic discipline, he helped mold his personal assistants into confident women who recognized their own self-worth. Even so, his unorthodox methods were only one of the reasons many considered the position of his assistant to be a revolving door. To Rob's mind, Pamela Weston was perfect for his purposes, though given her past he expected convincing her to agree to his program would be a challenge.
In this scene, which occurs in chapter eight, Robert Peterson is treating his new executive assistant, Pam Weston, to dinner at his exclusive club where he escorts her to a private dining room so she can ask her questions. However, when Pam refuses to sit down, Rob stands. The moment he does, Pam sits and picks up her menu saying she's not sure what she's going order. Rob steps over and asks her to take his hand. When she finally obeys, he holds her close and assures her she's safe. Once she's calm, he continues with his agenda.
"I've given you seven rules that are punishable if
broken. Can you tell me what they are?"
A chill ran down Pam's spine, which his warm hands
immediately traced. "I'm not sure I like the direction this conversation
is taking."
"I’m sure you don’t, but I want you to repeat them
anyway."
He ticked each rule off on his fingers as she relayed them.
"Be respectful at all times. Never lie. Don't hesitate to obey you. Don't
bite my nails. Get enough rest. Don't skip meals. Don't touch my backside after
a punishment unless you give me permission."
He gave a nod. "Good. Next, tell me how many of those
you broke today."
Now, she really
didn't like the direction this conversation was taking. "No."
One eyebrow raised as his hold grew more confining.
"Excuse me."
"I don't want to."
"I don't recall asking what you wanted, Miss Weston.
What makes you think ‘no’ is an appropriate answer?"
"I can still refuse to participate, can't I?"
"You can, but there are consequences for that as well.
What do you suppose they are?"
She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his
chest. "You'll relocate me."
"Correct. Is that what you want?"
"No, sir."
"Then answer my question, please."
Lessons in Love (click to read first chapter)
M/F, DD on the executive floor.
If you're 18 or older, you can read the first three chapters at Lessons in Love
Buy the book directly from Blushing Books, Amazon, Barnes&Noble
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Uh oh, damned if she does, damned if she doesn't. I wouldn't like where this conversation is going either! Wonderful snippet Kathryn :)
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Roz