That was what he needed to hear. His cock was thick and long and thumping against his jeans. He knew exactly what he needed from her now. Complete and total submission. “Take off your clothes for me. Show me how beautiful you are. Let me know that I’m the boss here and now.”

He pulled a chair out, easing into it. He wanted her to forget all the stress of the day, all the worries they would face tomorrow. He wanted her in the here and now.

“Yes, Remy. I like working for you,” she said as she pulled her bra off and tossed it aside. Her breasts bounced free. She pulled the clip from her hair and it dropped out of its bun, cascading around her shoulders and chest. There was his lovely mermaid.

If he did take her to Chartier House, he would spend their evenings off playing around the pool in the back, skinny dipping and making love to her under the stars.

“You work with me, chèrie. Hell, sometimes I think I’m working for you,” he replied. Yes, they were playing, but he needed her to understand how smart and capable she was. She needed to value herself so when she went out into the world again, she could find something that made her happy. He was surprised at how important it was that she be happy. With him or without him. “It’s precisely why I need to be in charge of this. I have to be in charge of something or my manly ego can’t handle it.”

“I like working here and you have way less of a manly ego than I would have thought.” She toed out of her shoes and he loved that she was slightly clumsy in her haste.

“I like having you work here. It reminds me of…”

She stilled, her hands on her jeans. “Your grandparents. You know from the stories your mom tells, they probably did stuff like this. She said they were pretty crazy about each other. I like that.”

He shook his head. “Nope. Let’s not think about that.”

“But they were happy here and it must have been nice for you to have a happy couple after your dad passed away.”

“Yes, they were happy and they made us happy. They took Momma in and treated her like their own. They built this place. I think you should consider helping startups get off the ground.” He’d thought about it for a long time. She would never be happy as an accountant. She needed challenges to shake her up. “I think you should consult. But after you follow my orders, of course. The jeans and undies. Take them off now.”