Riches to Rags Bride Read Free Page A

exactly the way you would if you were already working for me. All right?”
    â€œAnd…” She swallowed hard. “That is…what if you don’t like the way I act?”
    He shrugged. “I won’t hire you. The minute I have an inkling of doubt I’ll end the interview. Is that fair?”
    It was terrifying. “Are you always this frank, Mr. McDowell?” If he hired her, would she be on full alert every hour she was on the job?
    â€œAlways.”
    He stared directly into her eyes, and she couldn’t look away. That intense expression of his…she felt as if he was daring her to object to his tactics. Genevieve’s body began to hum with awareness. This man was very potent, and the fact that he held her future in his hands was very scary, but she had told herself that she preferred truth to deception and just because that truth was unnerving wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. BecauseLucas McDowell hadn’t ended the interview yet. She still had a chance to get back on to solid ground.
    â€œI think…I’m good with all this, Mr. McDowell. You’re being fair.”
    â€œI’m being a bit of a jerk, and your skirt’s just fine.”
    It was. It was perfectly decent. Even so, Genevieve was suddenly aware of her knees in a way she’d never been aware in her life. She was very conscious of the fact that Lucas McDowell had been studying her legs. Even though he had shown no interest whatsoever.
    â€œOkay,” she said.
    He looked as if he was going to smile, but…not quite. “Okay, that I’m a jerk or that your skirt fits the bill?”
    â€œI—”
    He shook his head. “Never mind. Don’t answer that. Answer this, instead. Do you have any strong feelings about the homeless, about people who have no money or prestige, people who may have been in trouble?”
    I’m seriously going to faint, she thought. Is he talking about me? How much research did he do? Does he know everything about my situation?
    â€œI think…that people shouldn’t be judged by their financial situations. I would hope that most people felt that way.” Even though she knew that that wasn’t the case.
    Lucas nodded. “All right. Last question. You and Teresa haven’t seen much of each other since you’ve grown up, but when you were young, you were close, she tells me. I’m sure she shared secrets with you. I make it my business to know everything about my employees past and present. Can you tell me some of those secrets?”
    â€œNo!” Genevieve’s voice came out a bit too loud, butshock at the bizarre and rude question rushed through her. For a moment she felt physically ill. Maybe she’d never interviewed for a job before, but she was sure that such questions were out of line and just plain alarming. What kind of man was this?
    She looked up at Lucas and knew that in that moment, with that no, she had sealed her fate. The sick feeling grew. Lucas was gazing at her intently, waiting, those gray eyes mesmerizing. Hard. Cold. Demanding. What would it be like to have no money, no home, no food? No doubt she was about to find out.
    â€œNo,” she said again, softly this time. Teresa, despite her playful attitude and her money, had had a harsh childhood. She trusted Genevieve. “No.”
    Lucas’s cold gray gaze softened, just a touch. “When can you begin work?” he asked.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œWork. When can you begin work? That’s what you came for, isn’t it?”
    â€œYes, but I thought—your question…I…”
    â€œMost people have a few dark secrets in their closet. I have no interest in prying into Teresa’s past. What I needed to know was whether you would spill those secrets in order to get a job. That’s all I needed to ascertain.”
    His deep voice delivering the news she most needed to hear seemed to rumble right through her body,