by Sam Crescent
“Don’t believe every single sob story you hear. Most of them try to use my background to get noticed. It’s not going to work.” He’d always been sure to be careful. People lied, and he was used to it.
“She didn’t even speak of her background,” Rebecca said. “She’s currently working in the mailing room right now. I saw her over lunch, asked about her. She has been working here for five weeks. Doesn’t cause any trouble. Hard working. She also wants to work from the ground up, to become an important member of your team. I was the one who did the research on this. I had a … gut instinct about her. Also, lunch, and she had no idea I was your PA.”
Nate sat back.
“Your gut instinct?” he asked.
It was Rebecca’s instinct that had helped him with one of the women who was pretending to be a single mother in need of a job. She’d been a reporter instead, who wanted to get the inside scoop of his business and wasn’t afraid with going undercover.
“You know how it never fails me.”
“And now I’m intrigued.”
“You’re always intrigued and for a good reason. You can trust me. I know what I’m doing, and I promise you, you won’t have anything to worry about.”
“Who exactly is she?” Nate asked.
Rebecca gave him a huge smile. “I didn’t think you’d ask.” He held out his hand as she put the file into it. Sliding it on the desk, he flipped it open, and he paused.
He recognized this woman.
Her blonde hair was so long, but she always kept it pulled back in a ponytail. Her suits, though cheap, were always pressed, and looked pristine and clean. She held her head high, and the glasses she wore were always perched on her nose.
Whenever he shared an elevator with her, she never checked her cell phone, always watching the light as they traveled up the floors, and she had her trolley, always neat and orderly, to deliver the necessary mail. Some of the men had tried to get a date out of her, but she always politely declined.
She was young, beautiful, curvy as fuck.
He’d watched her, and even thought of breaking his rules about not having in-house relations. He never fucked at work, ever.
One look at little Leah—pretty name for a beautiful woman—and he wanted to break his rules.
No woman had made him feel that way, not even a little bit. Any woman he was with knew the score. A couple of hours of fun, nothing more. If they even tried to get more from him, he would cut them out of his life.
There was no way he should have temptation so close, but he found himself agreeing with Rebecca.
“Bring her up. She can have a month of trying to prove herself. If she makes too many mistakes, she goes back to where she started.” He wanted to take the instructions back the moment he said them.
He shouldn’t have a woman he wanted to fuck so close. This was a lawsuit waiting to happen. He was a fucking idiot.
Smiling at Rebecca, he dismissed her.
He’d just made the biggest mistake of his fucking life. There was no way this could end well for him.
Sitting back in his chair, he looked at the picture attached to Leah’s file. She didn’t smile, just stared straight ahead.
Pure innocent temptation.
****
Good things always happened to those who worked hard.
Leah couldn’t remember which foster mother told her that, but it was a rule she had taken with her no matter where she went. She had gotten her first job at fourteen, waiting tables. For two weeks, she’d trained on heels she’d stolen outside of an apartment door. Once she knew how to walk on them, she’d taken them back the moment she bought a second-hand pair herself.
There had been a couple of people who questioned her age, but the moment she opened her mouth and started talking, they were more than happy for her to work for them. She was polite, soft-spoken, and didn’t make waves. Most of the time, people liked her because she didn’t make them work so hard for a conversation.
She had waited so many tables where men and women would just spill out their life’s troubles. She often wondered if she wasn’t important enough to even care if she knew their business.
Pushing those doubts aside, she walked toward Rebecca, her hands shaking. She’d now been working at the top floor as an intern for a week. She had yet to meet the boss himself as he’d been away on meetings that occurred last minute.
Rebecca had been able to show her everything she needed to, and also provided her with a desk close to her own in order to be able to work. This was by far a scarier position than working in the mail room. There, she put the mail in order of floor, desk, and person. She had been able to number every single desk on every single floor inside her head, and come up with the quickest, most efficient way of delivering mail in a timely fashion. She loved her job, and hoped to work her way up the company, learning every single detail.
Cowley Empire was one of the few companies that made a difference. Yes, they made a lot of money in profit, but their charity work and community offerings were the best. She wanted to work for the best and be part of making a difference.
“I’m glad you’re here. Nate really needs these signed. You’ve organized them brilliantly. He’ll love the little tabs for ease where he needs to look and make notes. You sure you didn’t go to college?” Rebecca asked.
“I’m sure.” She couldn’t afford the luxury.
“Well, I’m glad I spotted you. I have a doctor’s appointment to get to. Nate knows all about it, but with you here, I don’t have to worry, or have my boss joining me for my womanly checkup. Believe me, it has happened in the past. You’re ready.” Rebecca handed her six of the files Leah had already gone through, making the relevant notes for Mr. Cowley to look at.
Getting this job had been a huge surprise. She hadn’t known Rebecca was the PA everyone spoke about. She never gave in to workplace gossip.
She watched as Rebecca grabbed her bags and left the floor.
The top floor of the Cowley empire was office to only the man in charge, plus a few meeting rooms, along with a small coffee station, and a fridge for lunch.
Floor to ceiling windows dominated the top floor, and Leah, being afraid of heights, never, ever got close to them.
With the files in hand, she made him a coffee, exactly how he liked. Again, another pointer from Rebecca. Leah always filed away important information, like how the boss liked his coffee.
The door wasn’t open, and holding the files under the arm she was also holding the coffee, she knocked on the door.
“Come in,” he said.
Entering the office, Leah paused. She had seen this man several times in the elevator. He always stood behind her, and she caught his reflection in the metal. Tall, muscular, strong, and she should have known he was the man in charge. Short black hair, cool blue eyes, he’d watched everything, and she had caught him doing it.
“Mr. Cowley, good morning,” she said.
“The intern.”
She wouldn’t let him unnerve her. Stepping up to his desk, she placed the coffee down and then held out the files.
“Where’s Rebecca?”
“She has a doctor’s appointment.”
“Fuck. Yes, I’m aware.”
Her cheeks heated as he leaned back, watching her.
“Erm, I have some files for you to glance through. Rebecca told me you pay particular attention to wording, and the top two have changed some of the specifications you requested.”
She hated how her hand shook.
He kept on looking at her.
The last thing she wanted to do was to keep on looking at her sexy boss, and she didn’t want to see how attractive he was.
At twenty-one years old, she was still a virgin. Her innocence remained intact, but her knowledge sure wasn’t. Living on the streets, she’d gotten to see how brutal the world really was but also what most people liked to hide from their children.
She had lived with a prostitute for a couple of weeks, before she ha
d no choice but to move on. The prostitute’s crack addiction and violence had made living with her uncomfortable. Leah had returned to the foster home she’d run from, but only long enough to move on.
“Take a seat while I look.”
Leah sat opposite him, admiring the power he held.
He looked over the contracts and shook his head, cursing. For a businessman, she never thought someone’s language would be so colorful. He slammed the contract closed and put it to one side.
“Fucking idiots. They think I don’t look over the contracts I sign.” He did the same with the second, and the others, he did put his name along the bottom. “I need the contact details for these please.” He lifted up his coffee and took a sip. “Rebecca tell you how I like it?”
“Yes, she said you only want the best.”
“I do. Are you the best, Leah Hart?”
“I will try to be.”
“Winners don’t try. They succeed.”
Chapter Two
Having Leah near his office wasn’t as bad as Nate thought it was going to be. For the most part, he was able to concentrate on work because she didn’t venture in unless Rebecca was teaching her some new skill and required her to take over from her.
During this time, Rebecca was able to deal with whatever appointments she was going with, and he could put her services to better use, while Leah learned the basics of contracts and negotiations. He had yet to take her into a meeting. Rebecca still handled all the important clients.
Glancing out of his window, he watched as Leah walked across the room, not watching where she was going as she bumped into Rebecca’s desk. The pile of contracts that was precariously balanced on the edge fell down, and mixed all together.
“No,” Leah said, bending over.
The sight he got of her curvy ass would stay with him forever. He didn’t know if he saw the line of her panties, or if she was wearing a thong.
You shouldn’t be checking out your intern. It’s unprofessional!
Getting to his feet, he rushed out of the room to help. Bending down, he gathered up the papers.
“No!” Leah held her hands out and groaned. “I … they’re all a mess, and Rebecca said they needed to be done by this Friday.”
“Where is my PA?” he asked.
“She had another doctor’s appointment, but she told me what to do and how important it was, and now look what I’ve done. I’m so stupid.”
“You’re not stupid.”
“Yes. I am. I’m really sorry, sir.”
He liked the way she called him “sir”. There had to be a way for him to get a hold of his attraction to this woman. Especially as she didn’t feel the same way. She’d been with him over two weeks, and not once had she made any inappropriate comment or given him a look that said she wanted him.
Instead, she was the utmost professional.
If only he could remember his own rules.
“I will get this done.”
“I’ll help,” he said.
“No, you don’t need to. This is my job, and you’ve given me an opportunity that most people wouldn’t, and I really do appreciate all of this. It means a lot to me.”
He saw her gnawing on her lip, clearly worried.
“Bring them into my office. I know most of these contracts and can help. The folders are even labeled. We’ll get through them in no time.”
“You’ve got a phone consultation at two and a meeting across the city at three.”
“Cancel them.” He’d never canceled an appointment. “Arrange them for another time. I want to help.” He also wanted to spend some time with this young woman. He’d already gone through her employment file and found nothing of importance.
He wanted to get to know this woman, the one behind all the statistics and data sheets.
“Rebecca wouldn’t want me to do that.”
“She’s not here, and besides, one day of doing what I want to do won’t hurt.”
She smiled, her cheeks a bright red. “I’m really sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. You think I didn’t mess up like this before?”
“You own this company and built it from the ground up. Hard work and time.”
“Yes, I know. All the good stuff I want to be published is well documented in magazines and stuff, but you don’t think I had total failures? Believe me, I did. I messed up more times than I could count. My first major client, it was a technology firm. I hadn’t got a wink of sleep in three days straight. I was supposed to research the software, drive home how I can help promote them, and I slept the entire bus ride there. I didn’t have enough for a car or a train. I passed out, didn’t know what I was talking about, had a ten-minute presentation and the owner knew I didn’t have a clue what I was talking about. He gave me the job.”
“How? Why? Didn’t he think you were incompetent?”
“Yes and no. I got the job because even though I had fallen asleep, and didn’t know what I was doing, I still walked into that office, head held high, and proved with time, I was the best thing his company needed.”
“Wow,” she said, smiling. “I don’t think I could do anything like that.”
“You did. For this company.”
“I … erm … I delivered mail.”
“And you don’t think that’s important?” He laughed. “The reason I stay on top is because I know every single person in my company has a job to do, and each part is as important as the other. A manager is as important to me as the mail. The people working in the cafeteria providing food are vital to a smooth-running office. A good environment where you can make mistakes but learn from them. This is why I will always be on top. I do not take anything for granted. It’s why you and I, we’re going to work through these files, and I’m going to show you, nothing can’t be fixed.” He picked up the files with the paperwork and entered his office.
He put them down on the large coffee table with Leah joining him.
“I’ll go and cancel your appointments. Are you sure? I can do all of this myself,” she said.
“Don’t worry about it. Everything can wait.” He would rather sit beside Leah working through contracts and files than in a boring office with a bunch of men and women who hated his guts or wanted to exploit him for more money.
This was an opportunity to teach but to also get to know Leah. In the back of his mind, he knew he should go to the meetings, but instead, he removed his jacket, placed it across the back of his chair, and started to organize the folders first.
****
Being attracted to the boss was such a cliché. Leah had never experienced attraction like this. It was why she was still a virgin. There had been times along the way where she could have been with men, but none of them called to her to actually give up her innocence. Not that her innocence was so precious.
Don’t be attracted to the boss.
It’s pointless.
The files hadn’t been so hard to organize. Rebecca had called in sick in the afternoon, which Leah was thankful for so she could fix the problem she created. Rebecca had given her such an amazing opportunity and she didn’t want to screw it up.
By the time they were finished and the files and contracts were back in their corrected folders, Leah was exhausted. She leaned back on the sofa as Nate did.
“See, not so difficult once you put them like this.”
“I don’t know. Rebecca told me these were months in the making. I can’t believe we were able to do them so quickly,” she said.
“Quickly? It’s past nine. Everyone left hours ago.”
Her stomach rumbled, and she groaned. “How embarrassing. I’m so sorry.”
“No need to be embarrassed. You’re hungry. How about we celebrate our success and I take you out to dinner?”
“Is that allowed?”
“Dinner? Of course. I’m the boss, and after our hard work, we need to eat. It’s not a date.”
“Of course not.” She felt her cheeks heating. “I’ll grab my things
.” She was hungry, and going out to dinner with the boss wasn’t unheard of. Lots of people did it. It was part of the whole business model, and there was no way this would be mistaken for a date. There was no date to be had.
Just two people enjoying food and company.
With her bag and coat in hand, she joined him on the elevator. There was no denying the man was full of sex appeal.
He was tall and muscular, his arms thick and heavy. She had wondered what it would be like to have those arms wrapped around her, holding her close.
She was losing her mind, fantasizing about a man she couldn’t have.
It was wrong to want her boss.
Well, not wrong, but certainly not … ethical. She didn’t know. Nate Cowley wasn’t known for being the kind of man who enjoyed his staff in that way.
She licked her dry lips; neither of them spoke, and she chanced a glance in his direction. His blue gaze was on hers, and she offered him a smile.
“So why my company?” he asked.
“Excuse me?”
“I’m just curious why you decided to pick my company to work from the bottom to the top. Surely there were other job offers available.”
“Oh, yes, of course. I mean, there were. There were mail assistants in three other, erm, companies, but yours always stood out to me. Your charity work for one. Your ethics, and I remember reading an article about you years ago. How you had worked hard to get where you are. Like today, you believe everyone is equal and their roles all match to bring together your empire. It’s what I admire, and it’s why I’m still here.” The elevator doors pinged open. “I never anticipated being offered an internship as your PA. That did come as a great surprise.”
“Rebecca’s idea. I merely agreed to it.”
She went to leave the underground parking lot, but Nate grabbed her arm. “I can come back for your car.”
“Oh, I don’t have a car,” she said. “I figured we were walking to get something to eat. I know this great place. Offers the best kind of burgers you could ever want.” She cringed. “I’m sorry.”