Perfect Partner

by Kate Stone

  Perfect Partner

  by

  Kate Stone

  Perfect Partner

  Copyright 2020, Kate Stone

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, transmitted, or distributed in any printed or electronic form by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of Kate Stone, except in the case of brief quotations embodied within reviews and other non-commercial uses allowed by copyright law.

  For permission requests, email KateStoneAuthor@gmail.com

  www.AuthorKateStone.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  For Mr. Stone, who makes all my dreams come true.

  Contents

  CHAPTER ONE - Owen

  CHAPTER TWO - Jesse

  CHAPTER THREE - Owen

  CHAPTER FOUR - JESSE

  CHAPTER FIVE - Owen

  CHAPTER SIX - Jesse

  CHAPTER SEVEN - Owen

  CHAPTER EIGHT - Jesse

  CHAPTER NINE - Owen

  CHAPTER TEN - Jesse

  Excerpt of Kyle: Starke Private Security Book 1

  Other Books by Kate Stone

  About the Author

  CHAPTER ONE - Owen

  Ivy towered above my desk with one hand on her hip and the other pinning her report down to the wooden surface in front of me. “I really think it’s time we cut our losses.”

  She wore a black power suit and heels. Her perfect golden hair fell down over one shoulder in crafted waves, resting in the deep V created by her blazer, exposing a considerable amount of skin. She wasn’t wearing anything underneath the coat, either. In the few years she’d worked here, I’m not sure she ever wore anything you couldn’t see her breasts in. I wasn’t interested, but she never got the message. Her pants were tight around her narrow hips but hung loosely over her lower legs. Her clothes mixed business and pleasure in a way that should have been criminal, but also made her look like a celebrity – or someone who wanted to be one.

  “That’s not how we operate,” I reminded her. “We don’t cut our losses.”

  The report showed slumping numbers in several overseas markets, but I didn’t build OBM – Owen Brooks Media – on dropping underperforming markets like she wanted to. I built my internet marketing firm by finding the best way to work every corner of the worldwide web. Failure had not been an option when I started the company with just a smartphone in my hand, and it wasn’t an option with a tall spray-tan blonde in my face because she thought she ran the company.

  “We need to focus on our strengths if you want OBM to remain relevant,” she countered.

  “I am focusing on our strengths, Ivy. Our biggest strengths are creativity and perseverance. We need to find the angle that will work in those markets, and we need to use our strengths. We’re not doing well because we aren’t giving these underperforming companies what they need. It’s not the other way around.”

  Because we did so well on social media – everyone was doing well on social media – we attracted employees who ran from temporary setbacks in search of quick and easy success. My offices were overrun by people who looked like they’d wandered in from music video shoots, people who wanted to be marketed so they turned to a marketing firm for employment. My company wasn’t attracting the kind of people who would work for the long-term success of our clients.

  My approach to them was often the same as it was to the work we did, though. Point them in the right direction and offer as much push as needed to get the work done, and they usually did good work. Ivy was my Operations Manager, meaning she oversaw everything and was expected to implement the company’s vision. I suspected that wasn’t always the case. We’ve had conversations like this one quite often.

  “Fine. I’ll see what we can come up with.” She pulled the report back, crumpling it up.

  “I’m sure we can make it work. Get our guys in Creative on it,” I told her.

  I leaned back in my chair as she glared down at me, a sarcastic, pointed smile crossing her face. She looked more like she was wincing from the pain of not getting her way. She tossed the paper into the trashcan next to my desk and turned to walk out of my office. I wondered how long before she would come back in with the same numbers again, having done nothing to improve them.

  “Oh,” she stopped and turned to face me in the open door. “your new assistant is here.”

  “Assistant? Did the agency send one over?” We’d partnered with a temp agency for some entry-level and temporary positions. “I wasn’t expecting an assistant.” I was already on my feet, adjusting my suit and moving towards the door to greet the new hire.

  “No, I hired her,” Ivy said forcefully. “I figured you could use someone to help you with your daily responsibilities so you could do more CEO-type work, like meeting with clients and promoting the company.”

  “I see.” I narrowed my eyes to let her know I’d heard what she really meant. She wanted me to back off and let her exert more control over the operations of the company. Honestly, I couldn’t see myself doing that, even if I did trust her to follow our mission and vision.

  Ivy walked back to her office, passing the entrance to the lobby without even glancing at the new employee waiting to meet with me. Our suite sat in a corner of the tenth floor of one of the glass towers downtown. Each of our individual offices faced the city through floor-to-ceiling windows that offered beautiful views of capitalism at work. I walked down the short hallway to the lobby, where my new assistant sat by the windows facing the interior of the building.

  “Owen Brooks. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I didn’t know her name. I didn’t know anything about her other than what Ivy had just told me back in my office.

  I quickly learned that she was unlike anyone else who worked for me. First off, she was naturally beautiful. Surrounded by people with professionally crafted looks and personalities, it was refreshing to see someone who’d just pulled her wavy auburn hair back, leaving a few strands to hang freely down the sides of her face. Her body hadn’t been perfectly sculpted by diets and strenuous exercise routines. Unlike the underfed supermodel looking women my company tended to attract, her lines flowed comfortably, like a landscape worth exploring.

  “Jesse Morgan. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Brooks.” She stood to greet me as she shook my hand.

  While her grip showed confidence, her hand fit perfectly in mine. Everything about her was soft and feminine, inviting and personable. Jesse Morgan wasn’t all hard angles like some of my other employees. Her eyes met mine – green; no, blue; they seemed to change, showing hints of both colors no matter what – and I saw a person there. We stared at each other in silence for a moment. The person in front of me had more depth than just ambition and drive. Those weren’t bad qualities in and of themselves, but I had looked into many eyes that showed little more. Her eyes showed a depth of personality and emotion missing from most people I’d run into doing this work.

  “Please,” I said, releasing her hand, “it’s Owen.”

  “Thank you. Owen.” A warm smile spread across her face, lighting up her sparkling eyes.

  “Let’s step into my office.”

  I led the way back to my door, where I stepped aside to let her enter the room first. I closed the door behind us so we could talk candidly without anyone else – Ivy in particular – listening in. I watched her take her seat. She dressed conservatively, in dark pants and a light blouse with a coat over her shoulders. She seemed comfortable
, though, remaining covered up and not wearing something flashy. She didn’t seem to force her appearance, which added points in her favor. There were many already, and I hadn’t even had a chance to speak to her yet.

  “Before we begin, would you like water or anything?” I asked as I walked around behind my desk and returned to my chair. Becca at the front desk could get anything we needed.

  “I’m fine, thank you.” Polite and unassuming, humble but with a sense of inner confidence, her voice didn’t waver, didn’t sound petite or submissive. She knew she didn’t want anything, or she didn’t expect the meeting to last long enough to ask for anything. I liked her more every second.

  “Well, Jesse, let me thank you for joining our team here at OBM.” Once seated, I felt I needed to present a more professional image to our newest employee. I didn’t want to betray my actual thoughts about the young woman in front of me. As if the news of her position hadn’t thrown me off my guard enough, her beauty and sincere demeanor made it harder to maintain composure.

  “Thank you for having me.” She sat with a black attaché in her lap, presumably containing her resume or anything else she felt important enough to bring with her today. I hadn’t noticed her carrying it before.

  “Why don’t we start with you telling me what you believe your position will be?” Still certain her position had been created as a way for Ivy to spy on me and keep me out of the loop, I wanted to know what my Operations Manager had sold her.

  “I was told I would be handling your errands for you, both personal and professional. I would be responsible for preparing and delivering reports between you and the various departments in your company. Basically, I would be freeing up your time so you wouldn’t have to get bogged down in the daily routine of running the company so that you could focus on the bigger picture.”

  She even answered with confidence. She kept her eyes on me while she spoke. She didn’t second-guess her response at any point. And she told me that she would be getting in the way of my hands-on approach to running OBM. Well, I liked her, so I wasn’t about to run her off and apologize for the inconvenience, which I easily could have done. No, I would keep her around. If Ivy thought she could use Jesse to come between me and the company, I could use her to restrict Ivy’s access to me.

  At the same time, I had to figure out how I would make Jesse mine, because she would be mine. I decided that the moment I saw her. She was a treasure, and now that she’d been delivered to me, I couldn’t let her go.

  “That all sounds wonderful, but let me level with you.” I sat forward in my chair, leaning onto the top of my desk. “Since this is a newly formed position, you and I are going to be figuring it out together.”

  “That sounds good to me, Mr. Broo—I mean, Owen.” The look on her face told me she was ready and eager to tackle new challenges. I liked that, too.

  “How familiar are you with what we do here?” I had to ask, since she shared so little in common with the usual prospects who came through our door.

  “I know you started the company yourself six years ago, and in that time, you’ve surpassed some of the Big Data giants in your ability to control and direct targeted marketing strategies. You’ve gone from serving just social media to all points of the web and internet. You have a global reach, and all of that is handled here in this office suite. Forbes named you among their top up-and-coming tech companies the first three years you were in operation.”

  “You’ve done your homework. I’m impressed.”

  “It’s what I do. I have to know what I’m getting into before I do it.”

  “Good. I can use that around here. I guess this means welcome aboard.” I stood and reached a hand across the desk.

  “Thank you. I won’t disappoint you.” She took my hand in hers, and I felt a slight tug in her direction. Whether it was her hand that pulled me or something else, some undeniable urge within myself, I couldn’t say, but I leaned across the desk and embraced her.

  She hugged me tightly, and I could feel her body heave as she took deep breaths. Our pulses raced against one another. Our hands let go as our arms wrapped around each other. I’d only just met her, but it felt right. It felt as though I’d just given a job to an old friend. I couldn’t explain it, but something about her was disarming. And I had certainly been disarmed.

  “I’ll have Becca show you to your office,” I said abruptly as I broke off our embrace. “She’ll spend some time teaching you the ropes of our computer network to help you communicate better with everyone else here. If you need anything, you let one of us – let me know.” I corrected myself, wanting an excuse for her to have to come to me, even if it would be a request I’d send to Becca for her.

  “Thank you again, Owen.” Her cheeks reddened. “You really don’t know how much this opportunity means to me. I wish there was a way I could show you.”

  “Don’t sweat it, Jesse. You can show me by doing a superb job and relieving some of my stress. How’s that?”

  “I’ll certainly try.”

  “Great.” I buzzed Becca to my office, and the little pixie with her brightly colored, choppy hair and pointy features guided my gorgeous assistant into the empty office next to mine. The contrast between the two was startling. I couldn’t get over how comfortable Jesse looked compared to everyone else who forced their appearances.

  I decided I needed to know more. I had to find out everything I could about this young woman who had just appeared without warning. Her presence changed everything and made me realize that with all of my success, there was still one thing missing from my life, one thing that made every other accomplishment pale in comparison – love. Every other meticulously pretty girl or woman I knew, I kept at arm’s reach, no matter how long I’d known them. After she left my office, I felt as though Jesse had made it closer to me in the last few minutes than anyone else had in the last several years.

  CHAPTER TWO - Jesse

  “I’m coming,” I called from my upstairs bathroom.

  The doorbell rang while I put in my earrings, applying the finishing touches to my look for my first business dinner at my new job. A light knock followed. At the door was my new boss, Owen Brooks, a successful and delicious man only a few years my senior, close enough in age that when we looked at each other, I could see the same desire in his eyes that I felt fluttering in my stomach.

  “Don’t mess this up by being late,” I told myself in the mirror before cutting out the light and heading downstairs.

  I opened the door to find Owen standing there in a dark, tailored suit that complemented his body perfectly. Standing a full head over me, his broad shoulders cut what would have seemed an imposing figure under the right circumstances. All I wanted was for those strong arms to wrap around me and hold me against his fit body.

  When I had first met him, I had expected to find a weaselly tech nerd, the grown-up version of the dorky smart kid in school. Instead, I saw a man who could have been an all-star athlete. He seemed out of place behind a desk, calling the shots. I would have expected to find someone like Owen on a hiking trail in the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest, not in an office building downtown.

  He had tousled, sandy brown hair, kind brown eyes, and a shiny, generous smile, all perched on a chiseled chin with strong cheek bones. In his office, his button-down shirt hugged the muscles in his arms and chest. He wasn’t ripped by any means, but he wasn’t a slouch either. He obviously took pride in himself and treated his body well. And because of that, I found it hard to hide the way I felt when I looked at him.

  “You look amazing,” he blurted out. His eyes looked me up and down, taking in the black dress I wore. It hugged my contours, leaving me more than a little nervous about my figure. I wasn’t sure if it was too tight, or if I could really pull it off. After all, I didn’t look anything like the women in his office, and if we were meeting with a new client, I didn’t know if they would have expected someone more like Becca or Ivy, someone who looked the part of a media marketing cons
ultant and less the part of a former substitute teacher who decided to drop out of education after watching how teachers were underappreciated and undervalued. I hadn’t had time or money to change my look to fit into the corporate world yet.

  I knew I didn’t fit the mold. In fact, when I had gone in to interview first with Ivy, I almost walked out, but I needed the job and I had always told myself the worst any potential employer could say was no. If I made it to the interview, I had nothing to lose. If I didn’t apply or didn’t show up, then I lost the opportunity. Well, at least I got the job, and the boss didn’t run me off when he saw that I wasn’t like anyone else there. So here I found myself, in a dress I had hoped looked good on me, in front of a man whose clothes fit him perfectly, ready to go to dinner in my new capacity as his assistant, making more in four months in that position than I would have as an educator.

  “Thank you.” His words reassured me. “You look…” I paused to find the right word. Divine; good enough to eat; delicious; delectable; like you’d look better in my bed – none of those felt appropriate, though they all would have been accurate. “Perfect,” I finally said, the word tumbling out of my mouth before I could stop it.

  Our eyes locked, and I fully expected another moment like the one we shared in his office. I imagined his arm circling my waist and pulling me to him, our lips meeting and pressing together in a deep, passionate kiss. He would have walked me back towards the stairs, shoving the door closed behind me as our desires enveloped us and made us forget who we were to each other. My hand on the railing, I would have led Owen, no longer my boss but now my lover, upstairs to my room, where he would have thrown me down on the bed.

  “Shall we?” He held out his arm to escort me through the door.