I Owe the Tyrant Four Little Heirs novel Chapter 79

She quickly pulled her hands back. “I-I’m sorry! I slipped! I-it wasn’t on purpose!” she stammered, her face burning.

“Are you sure?” he asked, his eyes narrowing to suspicious slits.

She nodded frantically. “Y-yes, I’m sure!”

His expression darkened. He lifted her effortlessly and carried her toward the bathtub.

“Niamh, where do you think you’re going?” Jareth’s cold voice stopped her in her tracks as she tried to flee.

“Mr. Bragg, men and women shouldn’t be so… familiar. While you’re bathing, I should give you some privacy.”

“Are you deaf? Why can’t you follow a simple instruction?”

“What?”

“Wash my back, then you can go,” he commanded, sinking into the tub.

Niamh turned back. “Mr. Bragg, I… I don’t think that’s appropriate.”

“Niamh, don’t push your luck.”

She gritted her teeth. “Mr. Bragg, I’m your secretary, not your personal masseuse.”

“I’ll tip you a thousand dollars,” he shot back.

She was poor, right? She loved money. Was a thousand enough?

He must be losing his mind. He’d never been like this before he met Niamh. He used to find it irritating if a woman even looked at him for too long, let alone asking one to wash his back. He thought he’d never be interested in a woman again.

He lay back in the warm water, replaying Niamh’s panicked expression in his mind, and laughed out loud. She was a bit of an idiot, but she was definitely entertaining.

Just then, the bathroom door creaked open.

Jareth tensed. She hadn’t actually come back, had she? What was she planning? Was she really going to wash his back?

A pair of soft hands landed on his shoulders and began to gently knead the muscles. The pressure was perfect, surprisingly relaxing. He hadn’t expected her to be so skilled at massage. Had she done this for men before? Her technique was that of a seasoned pro.

But then, the hands started to wander, sliding down from his shoulders to his chest, caressing his pecs.