The Secretary's Boss - Allen Brothers Series : Book One - An Enemies To Lovers - Office Romance

by Paige Cooper

  The Secretary’s Boss

  An Office Romance

  Allen Brothers Book 1

  Paige Cooper

  © Copyright 2021 - All rights reserved.

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  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1: Nicole

  Chapter 2: Mark

  Chapter 3: Nicole

  Chapter 4: Mark

  Chapter 5: Nicole

  Chapter 6: Mark

  Chapter 7: Nicole

  Chapter 8: Mark

  Chapter 9: Nicole

  Chapter 10: Mark

  Chapter 11: Nicole

  Chapter 12: Mark

  Chapter 13: Nicole

  Chapter 14: Mark

  Chapter 15: Nicole

  Chapter 16: Mark

  Chapter 17: Nicole

  Chapter 18: Mark

  Chapter 19: Nicole

  Chapter 20: Mark

  Chapter 21: Nicole

  Chapter 22: Mark

  Chapter 23: Nicole

  Chapter 24: Mark

  Chapter 25: Nicole

  Chapter 26: Mark

  Chapter 27: Nicole

  “It’s always the ones we’re not supposed to have who are

  the most irresistible.”

  - E.M. Denning

  Chapter 1: Nicole

  E very fiber of my being wanted to turn around and walk away. Right now. If I made a run for it right this second, the taxi would still be there and I could make a quick getaway.

  My heart raced as my stomach turned with nervous flutters. I felt ridiculous standing in the shadow of Allen Brothers Legal. The building had 20 floors, and it stood against the cloudless sky as an impenetrable fortress. The company occupied the top five floors, where egos ran high and tempers ran even hotter.

  That was it. I couldn’t do this. I turned on my brand-new black kitten heels, the ones I bought at the Designer Shoe Warehouse last week to make myself feel better about this job. They weren’t doing the trick right now.

  An engine roared to life as I spun around. I took one step backward, trying to make my way to the taxi, but it sped off in search of its next warm body.

  Escape route gone. I floundered for a second, half of my body twisted back for an escape and the other half facing the imposing building that loomed ahead of me.

  Breathe, Nicole.

  Okay. So, I couldn’t make my getaway. That left only one option—face down the devil with every nerve in my body.

  I normally never got nervous before starting new jobs, but this one was different. When your own family tells potential employees that you’re difficult to work for, it’s something else.

  I was happy at my old job. Well, mostly happy. The hours hadn’t been great and the pay was abysmal, but I had done the job. In fact, it was more than that. I had owned that job. I probably would have left sooner, but my former boss was such a sweetheart.

  I should have left a lot sooner. At least, before the company went under and I was out of work. I should have found something better—like this new position with Allen Brothers Legal.

  I closed my eyes and counted to ten. This was another job for another boss. Who cared if the boss was made out to be some die-hard asshole with a penchant for making his assistants cry?

  You do, the tiny voice in the back of my mind chimed in, and I forced it back. This wasn’t the moment for self-doubt.

  I pulled the discount Chanel shoulder bag tighter to me and marched forward. I was Nicole Reed, and I didn’t back down from a challenge. Especially not one that’d help me pay the insane rent on my dingy Manhattan apartment.

  When my phone had pinged with an email two weeks ago, I’d almost tossed it aside as another spam request. Job hunting was not going well, despite the education and experience I had. No one wanted to touch a secretary from a company that had gone up in flames.

  Buried under blankets with a sleeve of Pringles held against my chest, I had cast a glance at my phone.

  Okay, yeah, so I was good at the whole self-pity thing.

  I’d never expected to see an invitation to interview from the Allen Brothers’ Legal company. I hadn’t applied there purposely. Their job interviews normally had so many hoops to jump through that I was sure there was no way I’d make it to the first round.

  I’d rubbed my eyes and sat up straight, devouring the email once I’d realized what it was. It was like my fingers couldn’t type fast enough. Smudges of Pringle flavoring dotted my phone screen as the ‘whoosh’ of my email going out sent blood throbbing into my ears.

  After an hour of nail-biting and rocking back and forth on my heels, another email had pinged into my phone. I’d grabbed it ferociously, willing a reply from the Allen brothers. For once, the Gods above seemed to be shining down on me, because I got an interview for the next day.

  John and David Allen met me at a small coffee shop, which I’d thought was odd at first, but I was desperate for a job and being picky wasn’t a luxury I could afford.

  I had to choke back my spit when I first saw them. I’d heard about the legendary Allen brothers team, but this was my first time getting a look at them. They didn’t enjoy being in the media, so photos were rare. I had Googled them unashamedly the night before, and the only images that came up were of them with their heads down.

  John and David were twins. I knew that from the Google search, but I didn’t know how gorgeous my two potential new bosses were about to be. They both had green eyes that held kindness inside them. Their hair was dark brown and slightly curly, which gave them a boyish charm, but the angular set of their jaws and the devilish smiles on their full lips confirmed to me that these two men knew exactly how their looks worked to their advantage.

  The only difference between the two faces was that John wore a stubbly five o’clock shadow, which made him look older than the 37-year-old Google told me he was. David stayed clean-shaven, giving in to that boyish charm his features lent him.

  I felt nervous sitting next to two handsome men on my own, but as they described the position and how they had found me, the flutters of nervousness were repl
aced with a hunger to get the job.

  It turned out I wasn’t going to be working for either of them. My new boss was supposed to be Mark Allen. I had read about him, too, but Google had not been kind. We were only in April, but apparently, Mark had already gone through seventeen secretaries this year.

  I didn’t admit that I wasn’t sure if I was up to the challenge. I couldn’t afford to—I had barely afforded the soft white Armani shirt that I wore to the interview. It was from three seasons ago, and I’d found it in a discount rack at a thrift store, but I loved it all the same.

  John and David tasked themselves with finding Mark a new secretary each time he fired one. They had heard about me from my former boss. My heart swelled with gratitude as I thought of Paul and his care for his staff even though his firm had shut down. Even behind the scenes, he was still trying to get us all jobs.

  Paul sang them a tune that I was the best at my job and had a strong character. I flushed as I heard the praise come from the brother’s mouths.

  He wasn’t lying; I was a strong person, and I’d never taken crap from any man in the industry. It wasn’t easy, since men loved walking over secretaries. They saw us as another pretty face in the office.

  Yet, I didn’t know if I was strong enough to hold off the infamous personality of Mark Allen.

  I had walked out of the coffee shop with a contract to start the next Monday morning. We shook hands on it, and I signed my life away on the dotted line. There was no going back.

  Not even if I wanted to.

  I bolstered my nerves, pushing the interview out of my mind. I couldn’t afford to dwell on all of my doubts. The building grew bigger as I strode through the glass doors.

  A kind security guard at the front desk smiled as I approached. His name badge identified him as Albert.

  I flicked my eyes to the badge and then flashed him a brilliant smile, putting all the courage I could muster into this simple act.

  “Hi, Albert, my name is Nicole Reed. I’m here to start a new job as secretary to Mark Allen.”

  Albert’s twinkling eyes dimmed a bit, and the smile that curved his lips upwards faltered a bit. Was I imagining it, or did I see pity lurk behind his eyes?

  I was about to ask him before he shook his head, and the twinkle was back. He pointed me to the elevator and instructed me to press the button for the 20th floor, where someone would be waiting.

  Albert handed me a visitor badge, telling me it was only temporary until HR sorted out my work badge and access codes. I nodded my head, and with a turn, I made my way to the elevator.

  I closed my eyes, steeling my nerves for the job ahead. New-job jitters were hard enough to deal with, nevermind adding a disgruntled boss to the equation.

  The elevator dinged and a woman with short flaming red hair styled in a pixie cut looked up from what I could only assume was the front desk for this floor. I held back the awe in my eyes.

  My last job was in a small single-story office. This seemed like the Empire State Building in comparison.

  “Can I help you?” she said in a nasally voice, her eyes raking over me. I felt a little self-conscious as I walked to the front desk.

  “Hi, I’m Nicole Reed. John and David Allen hired me. Are they here today? I’m supposed to be Mark Allen’s new secretary.” My voice was firm and strong despite the nerves that threatened to shake my knees. I thanked the acting classes my mother had made me take when I was a little girl.

  Pixie-cut’s eyes brightened as I said my name, and she straightened her back. Grabbing a folder she had stashed somewhere from under the desk, she shot me a smile that wrinkled the corners of her eyes.

  “Hi, I’m Ella. I’m the receptionist for this floor. None of the brothers are in yet, but John and David gave me all the instructions I needed to show you around,” Ella rushed out in one breath as she jumped from her station and briskly made her way to me.

  Ella waved another face over to man the desk, but I didn’t even get a chance to introduce myself. Her legs propelled her forward, and I rushed to catch up with Ella as she introduced other admins and secretaries on the floor.

  I smiled and nodded my head as we passed each person. They seemed friendly enough, each giving me a wave in a cursory greeting.

  “Here’s the kitchen,” Ella’s nasally voice filtered into my ears and I snapped out of my head, focusing on the room we had entered.

  The kitchen was state of the art. Granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and even an oven rounded out the spacious room.

  “Do people really use the oven here?” I whispered, my eyes wide as I took in the expanse of the office.

  “Sometimes.” Ella shrugged and wheeled around on her heels, dashing back through the office.

  The office was built with floor-to-ceiling glass walls; even the main offices were enclosed in glass. The conference room was bright and airy, and I could see straight through to the other side of the room.

  Only the main offices had blinds that slid down, offering privacy from the rest of the floor.

  I kicked up my pace, my heels clacking behind me as I tried to keep up with Ella. We passed a gym and I stopped in my tracks, contemplating how nice it might be to get in a workout after hours.

  “Oh, yeah, we all think the gym walls are weird. Hardly anybody uses it.” Ella stopped in her tracks and turned around when she realized I wasn’t trailing behind her.

  I looked over at the gym again, taking in for the first time that the walls there were glass, as well. Everyone could see in the gym, and everyone inside could see out the glass windows into the rest of the office.

  “It is a bit awkward, isn’t it,” I agreed, biting my lip as I thought about being stared at while running on a treadmill.

  “Yeah, it makes me feel like I need to scurry through here, so I don’t stare at the people exercising.” Ella shrugged again. I began to think that was her favorite thing to do—right next to racing around on her impossibly tall legs.

  When I looked up from the gym, she was halfway down the hallway. I took a deep breath in and hurried after her. I didn’t want to be seen as lazy on my first day.

  “This is your desk.” Ella twirled around, her brilliant smile focused on me as I shuffled over to the beautiful dark wood desk that was going to be mine for the foreseeable future.

  Behind it, glass walls encompassed an office, but the blinds were down and there was no noise from inside, so I figured it must have been empty.

  “HR will be with you later, but they’ve already set up your computer and an ID for you, and here’s a folder of everything they think you need to know.” Ella slipped the folder into my hands. She smiled at me, a look of pity crossing her face for a moment before she put her dazzling receptionist’s smile back on and scurried off from the direction we came.

  I sat down and pulled out the file. It was simple enough accessing the computer, and within minutes I acquainted myself with Mark’s calendar, some of his contacts, and the duties of my job.

  I didn’t have much to decorate my desk, since I wasn’t sure when I walked in here what I was walking into.

  An hour went by before I heard anything. The phones were silent, and no one called my name. I looked up nervously, wondering if there was someone I should report to. I felt silly twiddling my thumbs at my desk, but there wasn’t much more I could do until Mark or another one of the brothers told me what to do.

  I wanted to get up, but as I pushed my chair back, the glass door to the office behind me opened up and a man stepped out.

  My breath caught as he walked into my line of view. Mark Allen looked every bit as distinguished and dignified as I had expected. He pulled his suit jacket over his broad chest while I was rooted in space, staring at him like an idiot.

  “You can come in.”

  His voice was low and husky. I nodded my head, fighting the weird impulse I had to push back the stray hair that fell across his forehead.

  Mark kept his head of dark brown hair neatly combed back. U
nlike his brothers’, his hair was straight with only a slight wave. His eyes were a piercing gray, and I felt like jelly when he stared directly at me.

  I followed him into his office, trying not to focus on the angular lines of his jaw and the pout that seemed rooted on his thick lips. I found myself wondering what it would be like to taste those lips.

  I turned my head, focusing on his office decor, which was every bit as intimidating as the man himself. Thick curtains hung from the glass windows facing the outside. They were swept up together on one side of the room, letting the morning light filter into the office.

  He took a seat behind a huge mahogany desk. It would have swallowed most men up, but Mark looked threatening behind it. I bit my lip, quelling the jolt that ran through my body as his eyes briefly met mine.

  I busied myself looking around his office while he studied me from his chair. Neither one of us said anything as the air filled with tension.

  On one wall, he had a full-length mirror propped up. I stepped forward, not wanting to catch sight of myself. I was sure I would see a terrified look in my eyes, and right now, ignorance was my best option.

  “So, you’re the new hire,” Mark said flatly, his eyes roaming over me before he turned his head back down to the papers on his desk.

  “Yes. My name is Nicole Reed. It’s a pleasure to be—”

  “Doesn’t matter. You won’t be here long.”

  I swallowed back the lump in my throat and straightened my back. His presence intimidated me, and the look of contempt in his eyes made me think I had made a mistake by taking this job.

  “Is there anything I can do for you?” I said instead, throwing my customary greeting out the wall.

  Fine. If he wanted to be rude, I’d throw it back at him. I couldn’t afford to lose this job. Thankfully, John and David had told me what to expect. They weren’t far off, either, except for the part where they had forgotten to mention that Mark was hideously handsome.

  He was so handsome it made my heart hurt and throb, hoping that his eyes would look over me again.