She smiled. “Because you’re in the Connecticut backwoods and because it’s time for me to explore outside the Manhattan high-rise.”
He scanned her face. “You’re serious.”
“I’m serious.” She slid her hands over his shoulders, laid them against his chest, and smiled. “I’m a quick study, I’m great with customers, and I can sell steel to a tribe in the Amazon.”
This was too good to be true. She had to be playing him. “Baby, you know I can’t pay you what you deserve. I’m not using family money here—”
“Money isn’t what I expected to find here. But I do think the job of executive assistant, senior sales consultant, and master of all things that ring warrants a quarterly bonus.”
He smiled. “Here comes the sales pitch.”
She rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “I’m thinking a percentage of net income.”
“Net income,” he repeated. “You mean the money I earn from working my fingers to the bone.”
“The money you earn from the jobs I pull in that work your fingers to the bone—yes.”
“Uh-huh.” He couldn’t resist; he lowered his head to kiss her. “And how much of my net profit do you feel you deserve?”
She pushed up on her toes and kissed him again. “I think one percent to start, increasing one percent each month sounds reasonable.”
He dropped his head back and laughed. “Baby, that wouldn’t even give you grocery money.”
“You underestimate how hard I’ll work you. How many sales I’ll bring in.” Her voice sounded like a purr.
He let his forehead rest against hers. Looking into her blue eyes made Isaac feel like the sun had risen in his chest. “I’ll let you work me as hard as you want.”
“That dovetails nicely with our next topic: fringe benefits.”
He laughed, gripped her hips, and dragged her against his erection. “Sounds to me like you’re talking about the partner track.”
“Hmm… Partner. I like the sound of that. But a partner track would include unlimited fringe benefits.”
Isaac groaned, tilted his head, and kissed her again. When he pulled back, he found his heart full and his world right. “I can see we’re going to have to negotiate.”
Ava held his gaze as she slid her hands down his belly and flipped open the button on his pants. “Let the negotiations begin.”