The Billionaire’s Unexpected Proposal (Evelyn and Derek)

Evelyn arrived at Stone Corp early the next morning, her resolve firm but her nerves frayed because she was still very much anxious about working so closely with Derek.

She had spent the night tossing, turning, and dreading the month ahead, knowing that everything could go wrong with just one wrong move.

She was not only scared about him finding out about Samantha, but she was also scared about falling for him. She wasn't too arrogant to believe it was impossible. He was after all, the man who had given her the best sex of her life, and all these years whenever she pleasured herself, she fantasized about his touch even though she couldn't remember his face clearly.

Today marked the beginning of her project with him, and she was determined to maintain her professionalism, despite their complicated past.

As she approached his office, she took a deep breath and knocked on the door since Derek had given his secretary strict orders to always let her in whenever she arrived as long as he didn't have company. After she knocked, Derek's voice, smooth and confident, called out impatiently, "Come in."

Stepping inside, she found Derek seated behind his desk, his head buried over some documents with a slight frown on his face.Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

He raised his head to see who it was and when he saw her, his lips curved in a wide smile. "Good morning, Eve. I see you're ready for your first day," he said, his tone holding a hint of amusement. Evelyn scowled at his use of her name. "Obviously, Mr.

Stone, she replied, tersely and Derek chuckled.

"Seeing this side of you amuses me. You know, I would never have imagined this side to you if we didn't cross paths again this way. Back then you were so innocent yet bold and you made me believe you were..."

"Can we get started already? I'm not here to talk about the past," Evelyn cut in and Derek grinned as looked at her, clearly enjoying himself.

"Let's get started, then," Derek said as he gestured for her to take a seat.

"Please, have a seat. We will be spending a lot of time together, so let's make this as comfortable as possible," he said, deciding to start with an air of professionalism as she wanted even though he didn't have the intention of keeping things professional.

Evelyn sighed as she sat down, glad that they were taking things seriously. "Thanks."

She watched as he picked up a folder from his desk and handed it to her. "Here. I've outlined the terms of our arrangement as we discussed," he said and Evelyn took the folder and began to read through the document.

The conditions were as he had stated: she would accompany him everywhere, including during the weekends and on any trips he had planned. And she was only allowed to be objective in her review of him. She frowned slightly as she reached the end which stated that she was to be at his beck and call even though she had left the office for the day or was at her home.

"I can't be at your beck and call that way. The moment I get home, we can't do any business until the next day," she said and he shook his head.

"I already told you, Eve. It's my way or nothing.

Besides, how can you complain about being at my beck and call when we have already established the fact that this arrangement is not restricted to only my working hours? What if something comes up when you're away?" he asked and she sighed.

Although his argument didn't make sense to her, she knew she didn't have much of a choice. "Fine. But you should know there are a few things I would like to add to this, she said, looking up at him.

Although Derek wanted to tell her outright that he wouldn't allow any conditions she had, he decided to hear her out first.

"Such as?" he asked with a raised brow.

"I can't travel out of the city without prior notice so you'd need to notify me beforehand. And, you're not to visit me unannounced like you did yesterday," she stated firmly and Derek nodded thoughtfully. Those were reasonable demands.

"I understand your concerns, Eve. I'm not unreasonable, so if those are your only conditions then we can put them down," he said reasonably.

Seeing how he agreed, she decided to push her luck,

"That's not all. You're not allowed to flirt with me..."

"We both know I'm not going to agree to that," he said with a shake of his head.

"But Mr. Stone..."

"No buts, Eve," he interrupted, his tone gentle but firm. "I agreed to do this interview because I want to spend time with you. I want to get to know you. I'm not changing my mind. I have every intention of flirting with you and seducing you if I can," he said holding her gaze.

Evelyn felt a rush of frustration and helplessness. She knew she had no leverage since he knew she needed to do this.

Reluctantly, she nodded. "Alright. Let's have it your way. But I must warn you that you'd only be wasting your time. I'm not interested in you. And nothing you do will change that," she said and Derek grinned, his eyes lingering on her for a moment.

"If you say so," he said, handing her a pen.

As she leaned over the desk to sign the agreement, Derek rose and went around around the desk to stand behind her.

Evelyn tried to ignore his movement until she felt his presence close behind her, his breath warm against her neck.

"Thank you, Eve. By signing this, you've just given me your consent to seduce you into being mine," he whispered, his voice sending a thrill through her.

Evelyn set down the pen and pushed back from the desk. As she rose and turned to face him, she felt a shiver run down her spine when she met his gaze.

There was something in his gaze that made her heart race, a mix of challenge and desire and she knew she shouldn't be letting herself get bothered by it but it bothered her.

She looked away from the mischievous grin on his face, her heart racing. "The only agreement I signed was to observe you on and off work hours and nothing else," she said, her voice firm.

For a moment, the air between them was charged with tension and then Derek smiled, a slow, confident smile that made her pulse quicken.

"I guess we will have to wait and see then," he replied, leaning down a bit as he picked up the pen that she had used, deliberately letting his fingers brush against her skin in the process.

He chuckled when he noticed the way she inhaled sharply before she snatched her hand away but he said nothing as he returned to his seat, while she tried to ignore the tingling sensation she was feeling where his hand had touched.

"So, I was thinking. Maybe to save us time and all, you could move in with me..."

"Don't be ridiculous," she snapped at him and he chuckled as he raised his hands in mock surrender.

"I was kidding," he assured her.

"You had better be. What am I supposed to do now?

Hang around your office all day doing nothing? Stare at you as you work? What is the plan?" She asked irritably.

"For the next one month, you will be my assistant. A mediator between me and my secretary. I've told her to tell you everything on my schedule for the next month," he said and she sighed.

"I'm a senior editor, not a secretary," she said with exaggerated patience.

"Don't worry. She will put you through all that needs to be done. I know you will catch up fast. You can start by preparing my coffee. Ask her to tell you how I like it," he said and she eyed him balefully before walking away, her mind whirling with different thoughts.

This assignment was going to be more challenging than she had anticipated, and not just because of the demands on her time.

Derek Stone was a man who could easily get under her skin, and she needed to stay focused and professional.