Without Limits: Austin (Rugged Riders Book 4) by Ambrielle Kirk Page B

attractive beyond reasonable measures, and his body was an instant chick magnet, but so were hundreds of other men in this city. He succeeded at a lot of things and she’d never witnessed him breaking under pressure.
    She smiled sweetly. “Any questions…?”
    “Any.”
    “I guess you have conditions.”
    “I’m an open book. You ask, I answer. I give you an assignment, you do it.”
    “What?”
    The waitress chose that time to bring back her espresso and water. With a devilish grin, Trent sat back in his chair and watched her hold her response.
    “What do you mean?” she asked when the waitress was out of earshot.
    “For the next few weeks or for however long your dad has extended your contract, you will work at my discretion. Is that clear?”
    “Ugh, you—”
    “You made yourself clear in the meeting yesterday. I will demonstrate for you how a man without a degree can lead a successful accounting department. And I will solicit your help as needed.”
    Zaira’s temper was growing hotter by the second. “That’s not what my Dad hired me to do. I’ve been in that position for months—”
    “—and you declined your dad’s offer to take the job permanently,” he interjected.
    “I’m supposed to show you how it’s done,” she said, sternly.
    His smile had widened and he showed off his pearly white teeth. “Change of plans. You are to assist me as beneficial to the company. I will lead. You will assist.”
    She exhaled deeply. “What are you trying to prove, Trent?”
    “I’m only trying to sweeten the deal, Zaira. Agreeing to answer whatever questions you have about me makes this arrangement both fair and equal. So, do we have a deal or not?”
    Feeling a bit defeated at the moment, Zaira sat back in her chair and crossed her legs.
    Sometimes men thought they had the world in the palm of their hands and could control any woman to do their bidding. Men were quite simple, and that was a fact. They needed their egos stroked and a sense that they were always in charge. Trent was no different. He loved being in charge. She could see this in the way he sat with a quiet strength in his chair. She could detect this in the way most every woman around their table stole glances at him. Her dad would’ve never hired a weak link, even if he were the most loyal and accomplished R.R. brother around. Loyd Wright didn’t make foolish decisions; her dad saw something in Trent Stone. Something he obviously kept from her.
    Nonetheless, Trent had offered her something in return for her assistance. A chance to learn him both inside and out. What she saw now and in the past was the Trent on the surface. She longed to understand him and how a boy that grew up in a homeless shelter could rise to become a well-lived, successful man. There was no doubt a lesson to be learned about life…
    “Deal,” was her reply.

Chapter 4
    “ Y ou’re twenty minutes late .”
    Those were the first words that came out of Trent’s mouth as Zaira opened the office door and sauntered inside the next day. The time had advanced well past four o’ clock and almost everyone was gone or preparing to go home.
    “You get bonus points for knowing how to tell time.” Zaira placed her suitcase on a table near the door, shrugged out of her cardigan, and hung it on the coat rack next to his jacket. “I was stuck in a traffic jam on the freeway. A tractor-trailer jack-knifed and then overturned. They were in the middle of clear out when I reached midtown. My apologies.”
    Trent was seated behind his desk with two piles of paperwork in front of him. There was a black fountain pen behind his ear and binder clips spread across his working surface. His thick mane of dark hair looked tousled as if he’d been excessively running his fingers through it during the day. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone and his tie was loosened around his neck revealing the gold chain she’d always known him to wear.
    Zaira could tell he’d shaved this