Candice Richards was officially OFF LIMITS.
Chapter 4
Candice
Once hired, I actually didn’t have to see Josh very much at work. I had my own office and stacks and stacks of manuscripts that I already needed to read. My supervisor, Gene, was a cool guy, and he was really easy to get along with.
Together, we had decided on the first projects for me to read. I had five books to read for the first week, which seemed like a lot, but really it wasn’t.
My first few days, I read through one manuscript each day, and they were horrible. Beyond horrible! There was no question that we would pass them up.
“How many bad manuscripts do I need to read before there is a good one?”
“It varies; sometimes you get a couple good ones in a week. Sometimes you’ll go several weeks without finding anything interesting at all,” Gene said.
That was disappointing. I really didn’t know for sure what was even going to be a good script. All I knew was that I felt like I would know it when I read it, or at least that was the advice Gene had given me on my first day.
By Friday of my first week, I felt very low. I had read five books and had not found a single one interesting at all. I had even made sure to pick a couple that I thought would be good based on their inquiry letters.
The fact was, there were plenty of really bad writers out there, and apparently, they were all sending their manuscripts into EverHouse publishing.
As I was getting ready to walk out the door for the weekend, I grabbed one random script from the top of my desk. No reason I shouldn’t try and read one more during the weekend. I really didn’t have any plans, besides the obligatory picking up of the friends when they called drunk on Saturday night.
By Monday morning, I was on my way to work bright and early. The book that I had brought home was beyond fabulous, and I couldn’t wait to show it to Gene. I sat at my desk full of excitement and unable to hold it in.
To keep myself busy until Gene came in, I decided to organize my office and categorize the manuscripts that I had on my desk.
It was only six o’clock in the morning, but since I couldn’t sleep, I figured I might as well be at work. I really loved my job, and I couldn’t wait to show Gene and even Josh the book that I had read over the weekend. It was funny, mysterious, and even had a little romance in it. The book was a sci-fi genre series type book and certainly not something I typically would have liked. It surprised me by page five and had me hooked.
“You don’t get extra credit for showing up early,” Josh said as he came out of the elevator.
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“So go workout. Watch a movie; bake some cupcakes or do anything else besides coming to work.”
I couldn’t help smiling. He had a good point, but I didn’t have a life. My world was currently only work and boring stuff at home.
“I read a manuscript that I think you’ll really like. I was excited and going to talk to Gene about it, but since you’re here, would you like to hear my summary?”
Since we had decided to keep things professional, I had not really noticed him much around the office. I didn’t know if that was how things normally worked with him or if he was purposely ignoring me, but it had allowed me the time needed to transition and feel more comfortable.
“Show me what you got,” Josh said as he sat down at my desk.
I scrambled to find my notes on the project and handed them over the stack of manuscripts to Josh. He looked over it quickly and then looked at me.
His chocolate eyes melted me, and I couldn’t think of what I was going to say. Josh continued to look at me and waited for me to add something else. I had a lot to add, but I just couldn’t get the words out. Apparently, just because we had agreed to keep things professional didn’t mean I would stop being nervous around him.
“Um, it was really great. The story was very surprising and kept me interested all the way to the end.”
“Yeah, but it’s a sci-fi love story. I’m not really interested in that. We’ll pass on it for now. Send them some of your notes for improvement with an invitation to resubmit.”
Josh got up and walked toward my office door.
“Um, I don’t know if I have improvement notes. It was very well written,” I said awkwardly.
“OK, just send a form letter then. We aren’t accepting it,” Josh started to walk down the hall and then turned back toward me. “Great work, Candice; I can’t wait to read the next project that you like. Keep it up.”
With that, he was gone down the hallway, and I was left to contemplate what the heck had happened.
When Gene arrived at work, he saw the obvious disappointment on my face. I couldn’t hide it. I had waited the last day to tell someone about this book, and I thought for sure it was going to be my first chosen manuscript.
“Alright, what’s up? This is the saddest face I have seen on you since you arrived,” Gene probed.
“I found a great manuscript and showed it to Josh, and he said no,” I said.
I shouldn’t have called him Josh in front of Gene. I instantly noticed his reaction and knew I would have to work harder at keeping our relationship professional.
“Well, Mr. Henderson is very particular about projects. Our job isn’t to pick all the books that get published. You have to remember, our job is to pick the best of the best to present to him. It is still his company and his job to choose from those to decide who actually gets published.”
I instantly felt dejected.
The book I had read was a great manuscript, and it would get picked up by someone else if we didn’t publish it.
“Gene, this was a great book. It was sci-fi with some romance. The perfect combination and full of excitement,” I said as I handed him my notes.
Gene screwed up his face as he read my notes. I could tell he didn’t like it at all.
“Oh, Mr. Henderson won’t say yes to this. He hates when writers try to combine two genres. He says it’s too hard to market and confuses the reader.”
I took a deep breath. I wish Josh would have told me that was why he didn’t like it. The book was by far a sci-fi book; the romance was secondary. I could clearly see it being advertised in sci-fi and shelved in that area at bookstores.
“It’s a sci-fi book; I’ll go tell him. He has to at least read it.”
“Wait a minute,” Gene said as I started to walk out of my office. “If he told you no already, the deal is done. He won’t consider it now. He will actually get really pissed off if you go back in there and pitch it to him again.”
“What? Why? He didn’t get to hear hardly anything about the book. He should at least read it.”
“Candice, he is a busy man; he can’t read everything we send him.”
“I know that, but this one is going to be a hit. I know it.”
Gene seemed amused by my insistence but didn’t offer me any further advice on the matter. In his eyes, the conversation was over now that he told me not to pitch it to Josh again. What he didn’t know was that I was very bad at taking no for a final answer.
I needed to talk to Josh again. I had to tell him more about the story so he would see how great it was. He definitely would not turn it down once he heard about the plot twists and the way the author was able to guide the characters through their adventures.
I waited for Gene to go back to his office and then I gathered my courage and went straight toward Josh’s office.
Josh
I couldn’t say yes to the first project any manuscript reviewer brought me. It wasn’t just Candice; I did that to every new reviewer. They needed to know I wasn’t just looking for a good manuscript. If I was going to spend a day of my time reading a potential project, it had to be wonderful. It had to be more than wonderful; the project had to be insanely perfect.
I didn’t want my readers to think they could waste even a small bit of my time. They needed to be one hundred percent sure that the book they wanted me to pu
blish was actually going to be a hit.
But it was about more than just the writing. A true hit meant that the writer themselves had to be dedicated to making their project a reality. That meant they couldn’t hold a day job or be afraid to leave their children with family while they toured.
Any and all new authors needed to be able to do a book tour, or I wasn’t going to accept their project.
When Candice showed up in my office only a few hours later, I was prepared. She didn’t look like the kind of person who usually did very well when she didn’t get her way.
“Josh, I think you should reconsider the book,” Candice said as she entered my office.
“No, I said no already. Don’t waste my time.”
Her mouth opened, and I could tell she had not been expecting me to get mad at her like that. But it was good for her; she needed to see that I was in charge. Even if we were going to keep things professional, I would always be in charge.
Candice stood there in front of me and contemplated if there was anything else she could say or do that would make me agree with her.
I could tell her blood pressure had increased, and it took everything she had to just get up and try to participate. I really liked seeing her mad, though. It was sexy as hell. She took in deep breaths, and her chest expanded with each of them. My body moved in closer to her just so I could see her body as she got angry at me.
“That’s enough. Go back to your office. I don’t pay you to argue with me,” I said curtly.
I was purposefully short with her. I liked her anger. It brought life into her body. She had spent her first twenty something years being prim and proper; it was about time she let some anger out.
Candice turned toward the door and was about to leave when her anger finally exploded.
“Why the hell did you hire me if you aren’t going to listen to my opinion?”
I just looked at her and did not respond.
“Josh, answer me,” she demanded as she walked over toward me as I sat on the edge of my conference table.
I didn’t care about the damn book. If she felt this strongly about it, I would at least read it. I needed to taste her, though; my tongue needed to be on her body. I couldn’t take it another second. I had avoided her as much as possible for a whole week, but with her right there in my office, I couldn’t deny myself a second longer.
“Give me the damn manuscript,” I said as I grabbed it out of her hand.
I then grabbed her and picked her up. My hands held her ass and her legs wrapped around my waist.
“Josh!” She laughed as I held onto her.
I let my lips touch hers, and then they started to move down her neck and to the rest of her body. I sat her on my conference table and pulled at the buttons of her blouse so I could let my lips taste her breasts.
Her breath was labored as she reached down and helped me take off her blouse. The silk white material slid from my fingers and onto the ground.
My moist lips pressed her bra out of the way and sucked her nipple roughly into my mouth. It tasted like heaven as the hard erect section of skin moved into my wet mouth.
I let my fingers linger on her thighs, and I tried to stop them from moving up her legs and feeling her panties. But those darn fingers of mine had a mind of their own, and not only did they pull her panties off, but they quickly pressed her skirt up to her waist.
Her naked body was exposed to me, and I stopped to take in her perfections. My cock leaked with desire for her, but I wanted to taste her first.
I let my lips start at her toes and moved up one of her legs until I reached the soft flower of her center.
Candice let out a moan as my lips made contact with her. I held onto her hips and continued to move my lips soft and slow against her. She thrust her hips at me like she wanted more, so I continued.
Long and slow licks built up until I noticed her back had arched with pleasure.
“I want you, Candice,” I said between licks.
She didn’t respond, but she continued to moan.
I wanted her so desperately that I had thrown out all my plans to keep our relationship professional. At that moment, there was absolutely nothing professional about our relationship, and I was perfectly alright with that.
Faster and faster, I let my tongue enjoy her sweet taste. I couldn’t get enough. I could have played with her delicious flower for the entire day.
“Mr. Henderson, your ten o’clock meeting is here,” the secretary’s voice bellowed over my intercom speaker.
“Give me ten minutes, Susan,” I yelled back at her.
“Only ten?” Candice teased as she pulled her skirt down and stood up from the table.
“No, no, no. Get back into position,” I teased.
But the moment was gone. The reality of working with Candice had set in, and she was on her way back to her office.
“Thank you for taking a look at that manuscript. I appreciate it,” Candice said.
“Fuck keeping things professional,” I said.
Candice just laughed, but then she walked up to me and kissed me. Her passionate kiss was like when we had first met. I loved it. Her lips against mine were heavenly, and all I could think about was that I somehow needed to make this whole situation work out for us.
I needed to keep her as an employee, but I also needed more from her. Candice couldn’t be off limits anymore; I needed to figure out a way to get her into my bed. There was no way I was going to be able to work or get anything accomplished if I spent all my time thinking about avoiding her. It was going to be necessary to get her into my bed, so I could finally get her off of my mind.
“I think we should keep things professional, Josh. Thank you for taking a look at that manuscript. I’ll talk to you after you have read it.”
And just like that, Candice had shut down my plan to get her into my bed.
The Billionaire's Assistant
Book 3: Unexpected PASSION
An Alpha Billionaire Romance
Sarah J. Brooks
Chapter 1
Josh
She won’t last.
Candice thinks she can turn our relationship into a professional one, but the second I get her alone again, I’ll have my way with her. I’ve come too far not to get her as the prize. I can see the look in her eyes; she wants me just as bad as I want her but just hasn’t come to terms with her lust for me yet.
Any time I’m in my office and look over at the conference table, all I can think about is my tongue on her wet body. My cock gets hard with the thought, and I can’t fathom not getting to feel her around me.
The problem was work. The number of books we had released and the publicity that went with them was taking up all of my time. EverHouse Publishing was going through some growing pains, and I would need to take a break from paying attention to Candice and really hunker down and get things done.
Each round of growth typically found me spending over a hundred hours a week in my office until I eventually got too tired and hired more staff. Our growth was phenomenal, and certainly exactly what I wanted; I just had to learn to balance my time better. I certainly didn’t need to be wasting it trying to get Candice in bed; she might never be ready for that.
My logical brain knew I needed to take a break from Candice. Unfortunately, my body did not understand. My body wanted her so desperately that I often found myself thinking about fucking her at the most inopportune times. The grocery store, driving, and even as I cleaned my kitchen; I just couldn’t get her off of my mind.
“Susan, I need Candice in here for an appointment at four o’clock,” I said to my secretary before heading out to my lunch appointment.
“I’ll try to get in touch with her,” she replied.
Lunch was with two of my long-time friends and past business partners, Rob Balk, and Ted Schneider. They went to college with me, and we invested in our first publishing company together. We were young and straight out of college, full of dreams, but not much real kno
wledge. When I think back to those days, I have a lot of fond memories, but they certainly were tough as we went through them.
After that company went bust, both the guys decided to delve into a different type of business, and I was the only one interested in staying with publishing. Everything had worked out for each of us in our own way. Rob ran his own telecom corporation, and Ted had his own chain of sporting good stores. We tried to have lunch at least once per month, but it typically ended up happening only a few times per year.
Even though we had all gone in separate directions, we enjoyed catching up and talking business and family whenever we could get our schedules together. Admittedly, my life was all work and no family.
“Looking a little gray there, Josh,” Rob joked.
“Oh, it’s not gray; it’s just the juices of his ladies,” Ted responded.
“You two are disgusting. I guess you have to live vicariously through me since you are both shackled with a ball and chain.”
Neither man responded; they knew I like to joke with them about their wives. The truth of it was I envied them very much. Both Rob and Ted had found the loves of their lives and were married with children. They were living the American dream.
Although I didn’t feel ready to settle down just yet, the thought of finding a long-term partner was often on my mind. I just got bored with the women I dated way too quickly. Admittedly, I got bored because I chose the women who were willing to jump in bed for a night of fun and didn’t typically have much of a brain for deep conversation. The instant gratification of having them was just too much for me to resist.
“So who’s the flavor of the week for you, Josh?” Ted asked.
Ted had been married the longest, almost eight years. He had three little girls, and his wife was a total knockout. Her tall model-like frame made it hard for me to imagine why she ended up with Ted. I liked to taunt him that she got a raw deal in their marriage. Although he was a great guy and treated her like his queen, so they both seemed very happily married.
The Billionaire's Assistant: An Alpha Billionaire Romance Box Set Page 6