“I’ve been thinking of expansion,” I said. “Perhaps we could open a Bangkok office, or one in Seoul. I hear international expansion can take us in a totally new direction.”
Lewis frowned. After nearly twelve months in London, I’d learned that was his default facial expression.
“Perhaps,” Lewis said hesitantly. “I just wonder, James, maybe you’re getting a little ahead of yourself. Don’t get me wrong – you’ve done amazing things for the company – but maybe right now isn’t a good time for something so adventurous.”
I shrugged. “Well, we can always table it for later,” I said.
“Right, right,” Lewis agreed. “At any rate, I’d like to speak with you privately. Could you follow me, please?”
I narrowed my eyes and glanced down at my watch. It was half past seven, and I was starving. Plus, it was a Friday. I’d grown used to working long, late hours in London, but this was unusual. I wondered if something had happened.
“And don’t worry – everything is just fine,” Lewis said. The tone of his voice made me unsure.
I followed Lewis through the large London office. It was dark and quiet – most of the other employees had gone home hours ago – and I was impatient to leave myself. There was a quiet little pub near the flat where Magnate Group had installed me, and they had the best cheeseburgers I’d ever eaten.
“What is it, Lewis?” I asked. “You don’t have to keep me waiting, you know – the whole office is gone.”
Lewis looked deeply uncomfortable.
I rolled my eyes. “There’s no one here,” I said, turning around and glancing at the empty building. “You can just spit it out, you know.” I winked at him. “No need for a stiff upper lip and all.”
Lewis frowned. Just as he was about to speak, I heard a loud cry.
“Surprise!!”
The lights flickered on and I watched as the London employees stepped out of the shadows. One of them, a secretary, was wheeling a cake toward me with a giant Magnate Group logo screened on the front.
“Surprise, James,” Lewis said. He still looked uncomfortable. “We’ve been planning this for weeks, you know.”
I snickered. “What is all of this for? It’s not my birthday,” I added. “And just because I’m the CEO doesn’t mean you have to surprise me!”
“The London office has made such an incredible turn around that we wanted to thank you,” Lewis said stiffly. He sounded almost offended. “And I did hope you would be appreciative!”
“I am appreciative,” I assured him. “This is great.”
As the employees began to mingle and chatter and nibble at slices of the Magnate Group cake, I sighed and leaned against the wall. It wasn’t that I was unhappy. In fact, quite the opposite. I missed Boston, but I was proud of the work I’d accomplished in London. In under a year, I’d made my company two billion dollars richer. There was even talk of an IPO, once things began to settle down a little bit.
“Congratulations, James.”
I glanced up to see a secretary, a pretty blonde slip of a thing, blushing and holding out a slice of cake.
I chuckled. “No, thanks,” I said. “I’m watching my sugar intake.”
The girl flushed and I smirked at her. “Please,” she said. “I was the one who ordered it, and I wasn’t sure if you’d like it.”
“Oh, all right,” I said with exaggerated irritation. “Thank you…”
“Margery,” the girl said. “My name is Margery.” She cleared her throat, blushing hotly. “James, I’m so happy to have gotten the chance to work with you. It’s been such a fun year.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
Margery flushed and squirmed under my intense gaze, and I realized with a touch of guilt that I liked watching the way she moved. She was cute, too – petite and blonde, with bright white teeth and curls to her shoulders.
“Yes,” Margery said primly. She licked her pink lips. “So, how is it?”
I made a show of taking a small bite of cake. “Incredible,” I said. I winked at her. “Did you bake this yourself and lie about it?”
Margery’s cheeks turned red and she shook her head. “No,” she said. “I just ordered it. I’m glad you like it.” She stepped closer and the warm, innocent smell of vanilla washed over me. “So, what are your plans?”
I shrugged. “I assume I’m flying home to Boston in a few weeks,” I said. “And then I’ll be going back to work there, maybe even working on expanding internationally.”
“Oh, that would be exciting,” Margery said. She bit her lip, looking sad. “And sir, if I’m not being too forward…may I just say that everyone here is going to miss you so much. You’ve been such an asset.”
I grinned. “I’m glad you think so,” I said.
“So, um, are you doing anything after this? My friend, you see, he just opened a Thai restaurant, and—”
“Sorry,” I said, flashing her a charming grin. “But I have dinner plans.”
Margery’s face fell. Before I could reassure her, I felt a huge hand clapping down on my shoulder.
“James, you bastard!” The familiar sound of Harry’s voice filled my ears and I turned around, grinning. My best friend was standing there, holding a plate loaded with cake. He looked the same as ever – devilish gleam in his eyes, and a knowing smirk as he watched the way Margery stared at me.
“Harry!”
We pulled each other into a bro-hug, clapping each other on the back. Harry thumped me so hard that I almost spat cake out over his designer suit. When we pulled away, I realized Margery was standing there, looking awkward.
“Where are my manners,” I said, snickering. “Margery, this is my best friend – Harry. He’s from the States.”
“I came to surprise him,” Harry said, smirking at Margery. “But I think I like you more.” He eyed me conspiratorially. “James definitely wouldn’t look good in that dress.”
Margery flushed hotly and I rolled my eyes. Harry had a practiced, easy way with women – the few that didn’t fall all over themselves at the first sight of him usually caved after just a few minutes. He’d slept with hundreds of girls over the years – and somehow, I guessed Margery was about to become the latest notch on his bedpost.
“Excuse us,” I said to Margery. She lingered for a second, looking hungrily at the both of us, but then obediently turned and walked away.
“Jesus, James, talk about wasting a fine piece of ass,” Harry said, staring at Margery’s butt as she walked away. “She was practically trying to climb you right here!”
I shrugged. “I’m not interested.” As I said it, I looked around the room. I’d gotten used to the London Magnate Group offices, but I didn’t feel any kind of real attachment there, like I did back in Boston. If anything, I felt like my presence was a detriment to people like Lewis – people who had a very clearly British way of doing things, and who were frequently annoyed by my boorish American behavior.
“You can’t tell me you haven’t slept with any of these girls,” Harry said. He was practically drooling as he gazed around the room, looking at the bevy of women. “Some of them are smoking hot.”
“I haven’t,” I said truthfully. “I’ve been busy working.”
“Let’s blow this joint,” Harry said. “I came over here to get drunk with my best pal and pick up girls with hot accents, not stand around in some boring office.”
As much as I disagreed with Harry, I wanted to leave. The pub by my flat was calling my name, and this forced social interaction with coworkers was more awkward than I could have imagined.
“One second,” I told Harry. Stepping into the middle of the room, I cleared my throat and held up a hand in the air. “Excuse me, everyone,” I called loudly. “Thank you very much for this. This has been a real surprise, and I know I’m going to miss working with you all when I return to Boston.”
The crowd of people began to look deeply uncomfortable – I wondered if anyone had ever been so candid in the office before.
“So, again, thank you,” I said. “And please, enjoy the party. I’ll be in the office for a few days next week to wrap up any final details, and then I’m sure you’ll all be relieved when this Yank is back in the States.”
An uncomfortable ripple of laughter went through the crowd, and I groaned inwardly. It was obvious that my presence was as much of a bother to them as it was to me.
“Come on,” I said to Harry. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
Harry and I left the office. It was cold, dark, and snowing – much like Boston winters – and we stumbled through the blustery weather. I led Harry into the corner pub by my flat and we took a small table by the fireplace. The flames felt good on my chilled face, and I rubbed my hands together and raised them to the fire.
“Nice place,” Harry said. He smirked. “We sure as hell don’t have bars like this back in Beantown.”
“Damn shame,” I said.
“So, what’ve you possibly been doing with yourself, since you haven’t been fucking all those cute girls back at the office,” Harry asked. “I can’t believe you’ve been completely celibate.”
“Not exactly,” I said.
“Well, it’s a damn shame,” Harry said. He smirked at me. “You know, I have a couple of really hot girls who live here – one is a lingerie model, can you believe that? She’d go for you, too,” he said, shaking his head and laughing. “She likes those dark, brooding types.”
I shrugged.
“What?” Harry’s jaw dropped. “You can’t tell me you’re not interested. She’s fuckin’ smoking hot, James!”
“I’m leaving London next week to go home,” I said. “So, I don’t really see the point of dating someone. It wouldn’t really be fair.”
“God, you’ve gotten…what do the Brits call it? Thick?” Harry shook his head in obvious disgust. “I’m not talking about dating anyone, numbnuts. I’m talking about pure, hot, unadulterated fucking.”
“I’m not interested,” I said. “I don’t need any drama right now, Harry. I’m dealing with a ton of shit at work, and—”
“Jesus,” Harry said. He stared at me for a long moment before shaking his head. “You’ve gone and turned into an old man!”
“I haven’t,” I argued. “I’ve been out with a few girls.” I didn’t bother telling Harry that the only reason I’d gone on the occasional date was when I needed someone to come out for a company dinner. “I’m just not interested.” I shrugged. “The girls here aren’t really interested in casual dating, and it’s not like I have time to be a boyfriend.”
“You’re boring,” Harry said. He rolled his eyes.
“I’m an adult,” I said drily. “I care about work, and my company. I’m not exactly in the market for a relationship right now. And besides, women here are no different than American women. When they meet me and find out who I am, all I can see is dollar signs in their eyes.”
“So? You have all that money, you might as well put it to good use,” Harry said snidely.
I sighed.
“Seriously, James, I thought this would be good for you. New city, new girls – nothing like back home in Boston.”
I hesitated. For a second, I was tempted to tell Harry the truth. That there was, in fact, someone I was interested in.
Beth.
Ever since I’d met her the previous Christmas at a bachelor party in Jamaica, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. We’d shared a night of unbridled passion – and in the twelve months that had since passed, she’d never left my mind. Even during nights where I worked myself to the bone on a project or dealing with a new client, Beth had always been right there. Her sexy freckles, that long brown hair, and her sparkling green eyes. Not to mention her killer, petite body – she’d looked like a girl next door turned supermodel. I could still remember the feel of her soft skin under my rough hands.
I’d tried to find her. When she’d left without a note or a phone number – or even a last name – I’d gone crazy. I’d hired a private investigator and spent thousands of dollars trying to locate her. All I knew was that she was gorgeous, in Boston, and that her name was Beth.
The odds of finding her seemed fucking impossible, but I wasn’t going to give up. And now that I was heading back home, I wanted to double down on my search.
“Hello? Earth to James,” Harry said. “What do you want?”
A bartender was standing next to Harry, looking vaguely annoyed.
“Just a bourbon,” I said. “On the rocks.”
The bartender nodded. A few seconds later, he returned with two glasses brimming to the top with bourbon. Harry and I each took a glass and clinked.
“What were you saying?” I took a long swallow of my drink. The bourbon burned all the way down, in a delicious, familiar way.
Harry looked at me in disgust. “You’re hopeless,” he said. “Look, James, I don’t know what happened, but you’ve been different ever since we went to Jamaica last year – did something happen?”
“No,” I lied. “Nothing happened.”
I knew that I was thinking like a crazy person. There was no way a rational person would keep pursuing a one-night-stand from almost a year ago…especially considering I didn’t even know her last name! But Beth had sparked something in me, something real, something that I’d never felt before.
And I knew I had to find her, no matter what.
Chapter Three
Hanna
I climbed out of bed and yawned, rubbing my fists against my eyes. The sun was shining outside – it looked like it was already late afternoon – but I knew it was freezing cold. It had snowed, again, the night before, and I’d stayed in bed all day, reading and snacking on the cookies Danielle had brought home from her job.
It had been exactly one week since I’d quit working for Jim. The first few days had been hard. I felt useless and lazy, and it was hard to motivate myself to do anything other than shower during the long days at home. Danielle had been more than supportive – she’d done nothing but give me encouraging words. She’d even asked her friend who worked in a staffing agency if there were any leads that looked like they’d be a good fit for me. But nothing had worked out. Yesterday, I’d spent the whole day sending my resume to what felt like every company in the city. I knew that as soon as I started getting interviews again, I’d start to feel better.
Just as I was about to head into the kitchen and grab the ice cream from the freezer, my phone buzzed in the pocket of my pajama pants. Excitedly, I pulled it out and swiped the call open.
“Hello, this is Hanna Parker,” I said in my most professional voice.
“Hello, Hanna! This is Laura, over at Magnate Group. We received your resume yesterday for an administrative position, and I was hoping you’d be able to come in for an interview tomorrow morning.”
My heart leapt into my throat and I had to steady myself. Magnate Group was the firm to work for in Boston! It was always on the Fortune 500 list, and I knew the owner was a young, mysterious billionaire. It was impossible to go anywhere in the city without seeing sleek Magnate Group advertisements.
“Hanna? Are you there?”
“Oh my gosh, yes, I’m so sorry,” I said. “And yes, I’d love to come in and speak with you tomorrow morning!”
“Perfect,” Laura said. “Please come at ten-thirty.”
I scribbled down the address that Laura gave me on the back of my hand and fought the urge to squeal and jump for joy when I hung up. I couldn’t believe it – if I started working at Magnate Group, my money problems would be over. I’d be able to save, and more importantly, start to pay Danielle back for all of her kindness.
I was still jumping for joy when Danielle got home. She smiled when she saw me.
“I got an interview!” I said excitedly. “At Magnate Group!”
“Holy shit, no way!” Danielle squealed and hugged me tightly. “Hanna, that’s incredible!”
“I know,” I said, closing my eyes and taking a huge
breath. “I can’t believe they called me. Me, of all people!”
“I can believe it,” Danielle replied. “You’re smart and capable. They’ll be lucky to have you.”
“Don’t talk like I already have the job,” I said cautiously. “It’s bad luck.”
Danielle scoffed. “It’s not bad luck,” she said. “Hanna, I know you’re going to crush this! I’m so happy for you.”
I bit my lip. “I just don’t want to get too optimistic when nothing has happened yet,” I said. “You understand, right?”
Danielle nodded. “But I’m confident in you,” she said. “And tomorrow, I know you’re going to wow them.”
I flushed. “I hope so,” I said. “Because I really need this.”
That night, I barely slept. I tossed and turned in my bed, wondering what would happen. Would the interview go well? Or go poorly? I even got up early in the morning to brush up on typical interview questions and a brief history of the Magnate Group. It was incredibly impressive that in less than twenty-five years, Magnate had become one of the largest domestic consulting firms.
I wondered if I’d be good enough to work there.
I left the apartment at nine in the morning, in my favorite black dress with stockings and heels tucked in my bag. The streets were still slushy and wet, but the sun was shining. I took it as a good omen. I’m going to get this, I thought, my confidence growing as I walked to the bus stop. I just know it!
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