Leverage: Pt 1 by Alexx Andria Page A

must be terribly difficult to bear the financial burden of his medical needs all by yourself.”
    “How do you know that?” she asked, shifting with discomfort at the personal nature of his background check. “And why would you need to know such personal stuff about me and my family?”
    “As you can imagine, a person of my position must take every precaution so I hope you can forgive my intrusion.” She nodded but remained wary, much like the gazelle watching for the lion. He suppressed the predatory smile and pushed forward, impatient to end this forced social nicety so that he could make his offer. “You have nothing to fear. I found nothing that gave me pause. You have been a good girl to this point in your life. Good grades, civic volunteerism and only one parking ticket, courtesy of the university campus police. They’re such a nuisance, aren’t they?” he tsked in commiseration, which prompted a small smile.
    “I was late for an exam and decided to risk the fine to park in an area that was designated for parking passes only. ”
    “Was it worth it?”
    “Not sure. I got a B on the exam and the ticket cost me $150. That’s a lot for a college student on a budget,” she added for his benefit assuming he wouldn’t know how it felt to be stuck with limited funds. “Paying off that ticket meant I was eating ramen noodles for two weeks. Have you ever tried to exist on high sodium and carbs alone?”
    “I can’t say that I have.”
    “It’s rough.”
    “I can imagine.”
    Julianna pushed her hair behind her ear and glanced around his office. “Nice place. Smells like old wood and lemon polish. Like an old library.”
    “Is that a compliment?”
    “Yeah, I like books. I can’t usually afford to buy them so I spend a lot of my free time in libraries. Some people visit museums, I visit libraries.”
    “And my office reminds you of one you visited?”
    She smiled. “Yeah. It was a small town, not even big enough for a stoplight and the museum actually shared space with the library. One side of the building housed the antiques and the other end, books. But there was a huge fireplace in the middle of the room with a sitting area for reading, like one you’d see in a castle or something. It was amazing. I always thought if I had a lot of money, I’d build a library in my house something like that. It was cozy and warm and invited curling up with a good book.” She glanced at him shyly to ask. “Do you have a huge library like that?”
    “ I do…not that I get to spend much time there. I haven’t read for pleasure for a very long time. However, the last time I was in there…my pleasure wasn’t found between the pages of a book.”
    She blushed at the casual mention of his sexual exploits and his groin tightened at the inadvertently sexy action. “So…not to be rude or anything but…why did you bring me here? I’m still a bit confused and I need to get back to work.”
    Boston rubbed his mouth to keep his excitement at bay. Yes, to the point. “As I mentioned before, I know a bit about you. The fact that you dropped out of college to care for your brother says a lot about your character.” Ironic, that he would admire her for such a selfless gesture and yet he was about to ask her to compromise her dignity and integrity. If he weren't such a bastard, he might've felt a twinge of conscience. But just standing in her presence, was enough to fire his blood. “Let me get straight to the point. I want to help you with your brother. But before you get the wrong idea about my intentions, know this…nothing comes for free. What I'm about to offer you might be shocking, it might even offend you. But I'm a man accustomed to getting what he wants and right now I want you.”
    Julianna’s mouth dropped open at his frank statement. Her voice rang with indignation as she asked, “What the hell are you talking about? What do you mean you want me? Do you mean…?” She couldn't even say the words, which