by Alexa Rynn
“Okay,” bearded man snapped, throwing his fist down on the table. “Enough.”
I snapped my mouth shut.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” He walked toward me, holding one of his hands in the air. “Do you know who I am? Do you know where you are? You’re at one of the most powerful places of business in the world,” he sneered, showing off a chipped tooth in the side of his mouth I hadn’t noticed before. “We eat little wannabe journalists like you up for breakfast and spit them out just for fun so I’d watch your step, Ms. Young, before you get shoved off a cliff.”
He was so close to me that I could feel his breath on my neck. He was too close, too angry. A flashback of last night flashed into my head; that big guy on top of me, grabbing me. He wanted to make me his. Suddenly, I felt a little lightheaded.
I stumped back a few feet but a pair of strong arms jolted me upright again. “Enough,” Braden’s growls from behind me. When had he gotten here? Heat flashed up and down my body and the space between my legs started to tingle.
His touch made me grow wet so fast.
Ugh, what had gotten into me?
I tried to move out of his touch but my body felt more threatened by the thought of being away from him than the thought of being near him. What? No, I can’t stand him. I yanked out of his grip more forcefully than I intended and he shot me a surprised glance.
I opened my mouth to speak but it was pointless, his attention was already away from me again. “That’s enough, James.” He addressed the bearded man again, using his name this time. He was right in his face, so close that if Braden were my boyfriend and James were a woman, I’d be uncomfortable with it.
The adrenalin that consumed Braden’s body was so evident that I felt nervous. He looked like he wanted to snap James by the neck and then shove him off a cliff. I wanted to do something, to say something, but I was paralyzed just like I had been the night before. Too scared to take any action.
Braden clutched his fist at his side.
He was going to hit him. I could feel it.
“Braden.” Troy was next to him within seconds. He set his hand on Braden’s shoulder and a light bulb went off in his head. Or at least a light flickered because Braden is smoothing out his suit jacket, trying to regain his composure even though I can still see the rage in his eyes.
Braden looked at Troy and nodded. “You,” he said to James. “Meet me in my office in ten minutes.”
“But-“
“Just do it,” Braden snapped.
The room was completely silent.
James turned around and threw his hands up in the air but left the room anyway. Braden watched him go then spun around and put his arm on my elbow, guiding me toward the door on the other side of the room. “And you come with me.”
I tried to twist out of his grasp but he was too strong.
“Braden?” Troy sounded confused now.
“Give me a minute,” Braden told him, the anger now gone from his voice.
He closed the door behind him once we were out in the hallway and I tore myself out of his grasp like the idea of him repulsed me even though all it did was make me want to drop to my knees and surrender my body to him.
“Let go of me,” I gasped. “You’re hurting me.”
He towered over me like a hunter over his prey, looking at me like I was a piece of meat he had to carve. “Addison, this is very inappropriate.” His eyes drifted down to my blouse. “You can’t just be showing up at my office like this.”
I opened my mouth to speak but he reached out and started fiddling with the collar of my garment before he ran his fingers down my neck and buttoned the top button of my shirt. “Now, if you wanted to talk to me, you should have just used the card I gave you to call the office.”
I wanted to yell at him and call him all the nasty names I had been thinking he was all day but my body was too paralyzed by his touch. What was wrong with him? Why was he smoothing out my clothes and adjusting my buttons?
And why didn’t I want him to stop?
My eyes were still on his hands even after he pulled them away from my body. “Now, I’m aware of the effect I have on woman so I’m not going to hold this against you but I think it’s time for you to go now.” He stuck his hands inside the pocket of his dress pants and looked down at me intently with his blue eyes.
Was he kidding? He thought I was here because I was obsessed with him! Why in the world had that surprised me? I forced my eyes away from his large hands and up to his deep gaze. I shook my head forcefully and told myself to snap the hell out of it.
Braden Nash was an asshole.
“You jerk!” I blurted out without thinking, and then I took a step away from him about five minutes too late. “You think I’m here because I’m interested in you? Please!” I tried to laugh sarcastically but I was pretty sure it sounded more like a chicken squawking than a real laugh.
Braden raised his eyebrows, looking amused. “You aren’t?”
“Please,” I huffed. “Don’t flatter yourself.” I shoved my hands on my hips as more of a way to steady myself than an actual sign of confidence. “I’m here to get back what you took from me!”
He didn’t even have the decency to look guilty.
“The glove!” I spat at him after a few more beats of silence.
He frowned. “What glove?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Oh, please, don’t what glove me. You know exactly what glove I’m talking about.” I unfolded my hands, crossing them over my chest. “And I know exactly why you took it too!”
A reaction came over his face but I wasn’t sure if it was because he was hiding something or because he just thought I was the most insane woman he had ever met.
He shook his head and turned his back on me. “Look, I don’t know if this is some weird new way to get a man’s attention but I’m much to busy to entertain such little girl games, Addison.”
His tone made me feel like a child again.
I charged after him, barely keeping up. “The only one playing games here is you, Mr. Nash.”
He stopped in the middle of the hall and I crashed into the back of him, unable to control my footing so quickly. He turned around slowly, like the sound of his name coming from my lips was strange to him.
His eyes darted up and down my body and a thrill shot through me.
He titled his perfect head to the side.
I exhaled a breath I didn’t know I was holding in.
“Look.” I bit my lip. “You can have the story. I want the story to come out. I just want to make sure that it gets reflected in the right way, I want to be a part of it. I’m not going to let what happened to Mr. Washington happen to him, he deserves to be glorified.”
Braden doesn’t say anything, His lips curled up around the edges. “You need to leave before I call security.”
Anger overwhelmed my body. He was going to make him look like some dangerous maniac. The whole city would be worked up about a psychotic man in a green-eyed mask stalking the citizens. They would try to hunt him down and destroy him and it would be my fault entirely.
I pushed back the emotions forming behind my eyes. “Fine,” I whispered. “I’ll go. You think not having a silly glove is going to stop me from letting the world know what happened to me last night? What he saved me from?” I shook my head. “A man like you would never hit on a woman in the middle of a coffee shop, you know I’m on to something and you’re scared that I’m going to beat you to the punch and you should be.” I spun around. “Because I’m coming for you.”
“You’re right.” I had almost reached the door before he spoke.
I practically jumped. “I… what?”
He walked toward me, closing the distance much faster than I could have. “You’re right, I’m not the kind of man who needs to hit on woman in the middle of a coffee shop. I don’t need to and I don’t, I’m not interested in you.”
“Clearly,” I huffed and tried to ignore the sinking feeling i
n my stomach at the confession.
“But I don’t know anything about a glove either.”
I sighed. “Okay, I’ll bite. Then what did you want?”
“I wanted to hire you. We received your application and I like to screen all my new hires myself, especially when they are going to be working right under me. It’s better to have a conversation with them in an open environment, see how they react to everyday situations.”
A job? He wanted to give me a job?
My heart leaped into my throat. A job? I needed a job desperately. I didn’t even remember filling out an application to get hired here, but I filled out a lot of applications, mostly from posts on websites. I definitely could have applied here. In fact, now that he mentioned it, I think I did apply here.
Dread overwhelmed by body. One of the richest companies in the city wanted to offer me a job and I had come charging in here and insulted the most powerful man in LA.
“I…” My mouth hung open and my eyes grew wide.
He nodded. “Great, I’ll see you tomorrow morning then. Seven, sharp.”
He was already walking away from me before I was able to form any type of response. “You still want me?” I choked out.
He turned around to face me, his eyebrows raised and I felt a flush creep into my cheeks. “I mean, you still want me to work for you? Not that you would want me in any other way…”
“Tomorrow,” he said firmly.
And then he was gone.
Chapter Nine
BRADEN
“Hayden really isn’t going to like this.”
I took a sip out of my drink and glanced around the restaurant to make sure no one was listening to us. Troy’s voice had a way of traveling. “I don’t give a shit what my sister likes or doesn’t like. This is my company, in case you forgot, and this is my… journey.” I trailed off due to lack of better words.
“Your journey?” Troy looked skeptical. “You aren’t on a journey, Braden, you’re creeping around the city at night rescuing helpless woman in the middle of the night.”
The waiter came over and set our food in front of us then, I waited until he was a safe distance away before I answered. “I rescue some men, too. And implying that women need to be rescued is a very sexist statement.”
He cut deeply into his steak. “Oh, please, don’t try to get away from the issue here. Hayden is going to flip the hell out when she finds out about this and you know it.”
“What was I supposed to do? The woman is completely unreasonable.”
“You were supposed to call security and get her the hell out of there!”
I sighed. “You didn’t hear her, Troy, she isn’t going to let this go. At least now I can keep her close, keep an eye on her and what the hell she’s up to.” My phone buzzed in my pocket and I ignored it when I saw Hayden’s number on the screen.
“Hey.” He shook his head. “You don’t have to explain shit to me, I always got your back and you know that. Hayden on the other hand…”
“Let me worry about my sister.” I popped a piece of potato into my mouth.
“You don’t worry enough about her, that’s the problem. She’s just as crazy as most women.”
“Sexist.”
Troy rolled his eyes. “What the hell kind of job did you offer her anyway?”
I shrugged. “Who knows? Who cares? From the looks of her Internet search history she’s desperate for anything. She can be my secretary.”
“You already have a secretary.”
“So I’ll have another one.”
“Well, you’re going to have to tell Hayden sooner or later, you know that right? I need her help getting past the firewalls to actually create a fake application from your crazy new friend.”
“Yeah, sure.” But I was barely listening to him now. My eyes were focused on a couple across the room. The guy was leaning really close to the girl, his teeth gritted and his stare cold. She looked terrified and a second later my suspiciousness was proved right when he reached up and wrapped his hand around her arm and she flinched.
I pushed my plate away from me and leaned forward.
Troy followed my gaze and let out a heavy sigh. “And here I thought it was going to be a normal night.”
Chapter Ten
ADDISON
Walking into Nash Enterprise as an official employee was one of the most terrifying feelings in the world. Not terrifying like someone breaking into your house in the middle of the night and trying to kill you… more of a nervous terrifying. I had been tossing and turning all night so I was pretty sure I looked like death.
I’d gone out last night and spent the little money I had left on a new outfit. I had really tried to go for business casual but I wasn’t sure I had nailed it exactly right, I really needed to make a good impression since I had already pissed off the head of the company and insulted him in more ways than one.
I needed a fresh start. I needed this job.
I wasn’t going to screw it up.
And maybe, just maybe, if I was able to get through to him then Braden Nash would decide that publishing my story on the green masked man was something that he was interested in.
The thought of putting my hunt on hold for my mysterious hero made me feel a little sick to my stomach, like he might somehow think that he was less important to me. But I wasn’t going to be any good to him or anyone else if I was living on the street and I refused to ask my mother for any money.
I smoothed my new black skirt out as the elevator crept further up.
This was it: my fresh start.
The doors opened and I took a step forward then proceeded to trip over the change in flooring and almost fall flat on my face. A few women who were walking by stopped to stare at me. One whispered something to the other before continuing off on their way.
Great, I had walked back into high school.
Someone cleared their throat behind me.
I spun around and came face to face with Braden.
Unbelievable, he was making me lose my composure even when I didn’t know he was present. I held my hand out to him. “Braden… er, Mr. Nash.” He just glanced down at my hand and after a minute I pulled it back to my sides.
It’s just as well… I might have fainted if he touched me.
“You’re late,” he told me. “Not very professional.”
I glanced at the clock on the other side of the wall. “It’s 7:02.”
He huffed and turned around, already walking away from me. “Exactly.”
I ran after him, struggling to keep up in my new heels. “I’m sorry, I had trouble getting a cab and then there was traffic on the interstate and…” I lost my balance again and started to fall forward.
Braden swung around before I had a chance to go far. His reflex was instant, almost like he could sense I was going to fall before my feet even left the ground. His hands were under my arms in a second, stopping me from going anywhere. My head got mushed into his chest and it wasn’t until it was too late that I realized I inhaled his scent.
I glanced up at him, hoping that he hadn’t noticed. His eyes looked down at me, curious and dark, and I felt like my entire body was on fire, burning so high into flames that it might explode.
After a few seconds he pushed me back up to me feet, untangling me from him. “New shoes?” He shot his eyes down my body slowly and finally landed on my shoes.
I flinched. It was like he liked making me squirm.
“No.” I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.
He smirked and started walking just as fast as before. I chased him for what felt like ten miles and finally caught my breath when we reached the other side of the building. Ugh, why hadn’t he had me meet him at one of the side doors? Like I wanted to run a marathon first thing in the morning.
“This is your desk,” he announced like I should be impressed.
I glanced at it. Small and black, almost completely empty besides a few basic office tools: calendar, stapler, pencil
s, and pens. A small computer sat on the right hand side along with a complicated looking phone.
Clearly, I was a secretary.
This wasn’t exactly the best news since I may have exaggerated my office skills a little bit on my applications. I’m sure it would be fine, though. How hard could it be to answer a few calls and get some coffee?
I set my purse down on top of the smooth surface. “Thank you,” I told him. “Well, I guess I’ll just get to work then.” I pulled out the desk chair and plopped down in it, leaning back like I was completely comfortable in this atmosphere. The chair proceeded to snap backward and almost knock me completely on my ass.
I was saved from the humiliation of trying to form words by Troy, who came bursting through the glass doors on the other side of the lobby like a man with a mission. “Braden!” He sounded panicked. “Braden! We have a huge problem! It’s an absolute disaster! That guy who got…” He trailed off then he saw me.
Braden shot him a look. “Trent, allow me to introduce you to my new secretary, Addison Cooper. Addison, this is Trent. He’s our executive developer here at Ford Enterprise.”
I stood up on shaky legs. “Hello.”
“Ah.” Trent nodded and reached out to take my hand. “Addison.”
I took Trent’s hand and shook it, shooting Braden a look in the process that said ‘see, I’m not crazy this is how normal people greet each other.’ But Braden just shrugged and looked unimpressed.
“Addison Young is it?” He raised his eyebrows at me and I blushed. “Quite the impersonator there.” He dropped my hand and I was relieved to find that I still had feeling in my fingers after my physical contact with Braden.
So humiliating.
“Yeah, about that, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to get you into trouble. I just…” I gulped. “I thought you guys took something of mine.” I tried to keep the emotion out of my voice at the reminder that I still hadn’t found my mystery man’s glove.
“No problem, the whole thing was kind of amusing to be honest.”