Faking It With a Billionaire || MaAn

Chapter 5 | Anuj

I've never given a damn about what goes on in people's heads. Their thoughts and opinions never mattered to me. But that all changed the moment I locked eyes with the fiercely obstinate woman sitting right in front of me.

As soon as her dainty hand clasped mine at our summer retreat, the multiple rings on her fingers scraping against my skin, I hungered to know her opinion of me. I burned with curiosity about what she thought of her beau's elder sibling. She barely shared her name, yet I yearned to probe her with numerous inquiries. I've never felt such an intense urge to extract every single detail from another person until she crossed my path.

As I caught a glimpse of her sketchbook and watched her pencil glide over the paper, my curiosity peaked. I couldn't care less about her thoughts on me, all I wanted to know was the subject of her artwork and what inspired her to create such masterpieces in that little book of hers.

We hardly exchanged a word for the rest of the weekend. I made a conscious effort to steer clear of her whenever I could.

Except for one damn night of that weekend. The freaking night that's permanently etched in my freaking brain

I crave to unravel the mysteries of her thoughts, to grasp the inner workings of her mind upon our first encounter. Anu emits a throaty sound, jolting me out of my reverie and refocusing my concentration on her.

Is her answer already set in stone? I'd exhaust every fiber of my being to sway her decision.

Is she even contemplating my proposal? I swear on my life, I'll make it worth every single second of her time.

Is she already convinced to accept? I'll make damn sure she doesn't regret it and gets everything she desires and beyond.

Anupama remains unreadable, and I can't tell which way she's leaning. Not yet, anyway. "I ain't agreeing to anything until I get all the gritty details on how this is gonna play out."

With a swift and confident movement, I give my answer. "Done." I rise from my seat and stride purposefully around the table until I'm standing directly beside her. My hand reaches up to expertly undo the button of my suit jacket, allowing it to gracefully fall open and reveal my impeccable dress shirt underneath. I casually put my hands in my pockets and perch myself on the edge of the table. With just a slight shift in position, her knee would touch mine, and the temptation to do it is strong. I crave some kind of connection between us.

"Spill it, what other information do you need?"

"Explain the terms of being your assistant. What's the fate of your previous one? Do they get the boot?" 

I let out a mocking laugh. "You really think I'd fire my assistant? Grace's still keeping her job, but she'll be stuck in New York while you get to travel with me whenever I damn well please."

It dawns on her that taking the job means completely disrupting her life and relocating from California to New York. "So, I gotta uproot my whole life and move?"

"We can't have a god damn engagement while living in different states." 

She pouts, sticking out her bottom lip. "My squad's here, not in New York. We all came here together. I can't just ditch them."

I hold back the impulse to tell her that she came here for Vanraj too. "I'll fly your friends to you or fly you to them. Pick your poison. I've got a jet with staff on call 24/7. It's an easy fix."

"A private jet with staff at your beck and call?" 

"Hell yeah. My jet is on standby, ready to take off. I avoid California like the plague, the Northeast is my kind of place."