JACKSON (The Billionaire Croft Brothers, Book One)

by Paige North

  Finally, Cullen Sharpe’s piercing gaze moved away from her, as he turned and walked gracefully to the table in the front of the room where some refreshments were located and poured himself a cup of water. He took a small sip while everyone watched his every move and waited to see what the magnetic individual would say next.

  Unlike most people who spoke in front of groups, Cullen Sharpe didn’t seem to care if he entertained or engaged them. He wasn’t trying to make them laugh, and he didn’t seem to mind making them wait either.

  Around her, she could smell the sweat and desperation of her coworkers beneath their perfume and cologne and brand new office wear. She was sweating in the cold room just like everyone else, making her even colder.

  Why didn’t I sit in the back?

  Sitting in the front row was an old habit left over from her school days. From kindergarten through her final year of college, Ivy had always been the quiet, mousy student that sat in the first row, put her head down, took good notes and got good grades.

  But this was different.

  This was a real corporation—one of the largest and most prestigious drug companies in Boston—and sitting in the front row and hoping the “teacher” liked her wasn’t going to cut it anymore.

  Cullen finished drinking and placed the cup of water on the refreshment table, striding back to center stage, facing them once more. His gaze landed on her briefly yet again.

  He has the eyes of a wolf, Ivy thought. And is it my imagination or is he staring more at me than anyone else?

  Definitely your imagination, she told herself. Cullen Sharpe doesn’t know you from a hole in the wall and he’s probably more interested in a random hole in a wall than he is some temp that came to do meaningless office work at his billion dollar company.

  “We’ll be moving you to your cubicles at precisely eight thirty-five,” Cullen said, snapping her from her brief reverie. “Then you’ll begin the data entry project that you’ve been brought in to help us complete. The software program will automatically tally your work and log your speed and accuracy as you go. By noon, we’ll know how fast you work and what your error rate is. Those who fall into the bottom ten percent of the group in either category will be let go.” Cullen’s voice was unforgiving. “The business world is a cruel and unforgiving place, and we don’t waste time with employees who can’t keep up. Those at the bottom of the ladder will be cut loose in short order.”

  A young man that couldn’t have been more than twenty-two or twenty-three years old was sitting next to Ivy on the right. He gave her a sidelong glance and raised his eyebrows, smirking, as if he found the CEO’s theatrics and threats ridiculous.

  Ivy started to grin in return, relieved to find that at least one person amongst them who wasn’t intimidated by the head of the company.

  But then she looked up and saw that Cullen Sharpe was watching her yet again. His gaze flicked back and forth between her and the young man beside her.

  Cullen’s disapproval of their shared grin was evident, despite the fact that his expression had hardly changed at all.

  He walked closer to where they sat, and Ivy’s heart started to pound in her chest. He stopped in front of the young man and looked at him. “What’s your name?” Cullen demanded.

  “Me?” the younger man asked, his voice cracking, suddenly looking less confident—more like a deer caught in the headlights.

  “That’s usually how it works,” Cullen said. “When someone asks your name, they usually mean you.” He arched an eyebrow as the group of temps tittered nervously at his joke.

  “I’m Lucas,” the younger man managed. He shifted in his seat, sitting up straighter.

  “Lucas, I noticed you grinning at something I said a moment ago,” Cullen told him. “Please share with all of us what was so humorous. It’s always nice to have a person with a good sense of humor around the office.”

  Lucas stumbled nervously over his words. “I didn’t—I mean…uh, nothing was funny.”

  “Some people have a bad habit of smiling when they’re nervous,” Cullen said, waiting for him to respond to the assertion.

  “I think that’s what happened,” Lucas said, seemingly relieved to have the excuse to fall back on. “Just a little nervous is all.”

  Cullen glared at him. “Nervousness is fine, but disrespect is not something I tolerate. Ever.” He continued to stare the younger man down, and Lucas looked at the floor, clearly defeated before the first shot had been fired.

  “I’m sorry,” Lucas mumbled.

  Ivy realized she’d been wrong about Lucas’s grin. It turned out the younger man was just as intimidated by the situation as she was.

  And Cullen Sharpe had proven very quickly and efficiently that he wasn’t there to play nice or be liked by the people who came to work for him.

  He was standing so close to her now that the strong smell of masculinity and cologne drifted to Ivy’s nostrils—she was in awe of how much power he exuded.

  The awkward moment was soon over with, as there was a knock on the door and a tall, elegant, yet severe blond woman entered the room. When she came inside, Cullen nodded to her and then turned to the group. “Everyone, I’m pleased to introduce your manager, Emma Marks. She’ll be taking over from here, and you’re to go to her with any questions or concerns you might have.”

  “Thank you, Mister Sharpe,” she said, smiling and batting her eyelashes at him.

  Ivy disliked her on sight. Was it because the blond woman seemed almost too familiar with the CEO?

  I hate women like her. She’s just sucking up to the boss and it’s annoying.

  But Ivy thought perhaps the reason for her instant dislike of the new manager had more to do with jealousy than anything else. She was jealous that the blond woman knew Cullen Sharpe and was comfortable with him.

  “And now, I’m afraid I do have to remove myself from the meeting,” Cullen announced. Ivy felt her heart sink. As frightened as she was of the man, something about him was so utterly compelling that she didn’t want him to leave.

  “I can take it from here,” Emma Marks replied.

  He moved toward the door and then stopped, as if he’d forgotten some last detail. “Emma, there’s a board meeting at ten o’clock. Please make sure you have my coffee to me at a quarter past the hour.”

  The blond woman nodded again. “Of course,” she said.

  And then the most surprising and shocking thing of all happened. The CEO turned and found Ivy once more, his eyes locking on her without any uncertainty.

  Cullen pointed directly at Ivy as he spoke to Emma Marks. “And I want that girl to deliver the coffee this morning,” he said. “Have her bring it to me.”

  Ivy sat there, stunned, still reeling even after Cullen Sharpe left the room.

  His words echoed in her mind over and over again, and she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

  And the way he’d seemed to remember her, out of everyone else in the room. She couldn’t get over the sensation that Cullen Sharpe was planning something for her.

  When Ivy went to the bathroom during the brief ten-minute break, she found three other temps in there, quietly whispering and giggling about something.

  But the moment she entered the restroom, the three young women went deathly quiet and their smiles disappeared.

  I’ve been marked, Ivy thought. Like I have a disease, something catching.

  The girls hurriedly left the bathroom and then she was alone.

  I should just quit, she thought as she quickly used the facilities and then washed her hands, smelling the strong scent of bleach and cleaning products in her nostrils.

  The bathroom was so clean that she would’ve been comfortable eating off the floor. Everything at Biometrix Pharma was like that—probably because of him.

  He made sure everything was spotless, probably walked around the place with a white glove on his hand, checking for dust and dirt on every surface.

  Cullen Sharpe.

  Just thinkin
g his name was like reciting a magical incantation—dangerous. Why had Cullen Sharpe picked Ivy, of all people, to bring him his coffee?

  She didn’t want that job.

  And she was already deathly afraid of him. Sure, he was handsome—actually he was devastatingly sexy and powerful—which was entirely the problem. Ivy wasn’t comfortable around people like Cullen Sharpe…confident, self-assured, successful and smart and rich.

  She was introverted, preferring the company of books to most people.

  I can always do something else to make money.

  She stared at herself in the bathroom mirror, noting the ever-present pale skin, the freckles that she’d always felt certain were unattractive, and the frizzy hair that never quite seemed to stay styled.

  There was nothing wrong with her per se, but she always had felt something was just slightly off compared to everyone else.

  And coming to Biometrix Pharma proved that she was right in having such doubts.

  She quite clearly didn’t belong here. Her skirt and blouse combo that she’d purchased a week ago at JC Penny was low rent and tacky compared to the really nice outfit that Emma Marks had on.

  Ivy’s makeup wasn’t perfect, her clothes weren’t perfect.

  And it was so obvious that Cullen Sharpe demanded perfection in everyone who worked at his company.

  Ivy was in the wrong place. She should right now be squirrelled away in some quaint little bookstore in the suburbs, ringing up customers at the register or stocking the shelves. A simple job where she could blend in like she always had, be comfortably in the background, and not have to deal with people like Cullen Sharpe.

  “Pull yourself together, Ivy,” she whispered. She took a deep, deep breath.

  I’ve never quit anything in my life and I’m not going to start today. I’m not going to let snooty uptight people scare me.

  She felt her spine stiffen and her chin rose as she made the decision to stick out the rest of the day at the very least.

  I’ll bring him his stupid coffee. How difficult is it to hand someone a cup of coffee anyway?

  She had to laugh at how ridiculous she was being. Letting the atmosphere of the place get to her—she didn’t have to drink the Kool-Aid just because everyone else around here had done so.

  Leaving the bathroom, she felt lighter somehow. She had a small smile playing on her lips.

  They’d finally been moved to the wing of the building where they would be working for the remainder of the project—or until they were fired, which Emma continued to hint might happen at any time.

  Ivy was sitting at her own tiny cubicle, which strangely gave her a surge of pride.

  It felt like a real office job.

  She’d only worked at the local supermarket down the street from her house as a teenager, and then in college she’d done some tutoring and worked again at a supermarket for a short time.

  That was the full extent of her job experience, so this was a new environment, and she was settling in a little bit to the idea that perhaps she could hack it after all.

  She was already doing the data entry, her fingers flying expertly over the keyboard as she read the hardcopies that needed to be input into the system.

  From the groans and mutterings coming from the surrounding cubicles, Ivy had the distinct impression that not everyone was finding the actual work to be as easy as she.

  Suddenly, her desk phone rang, insistent and loud in the relative silence of the cubicle farm.

  Ivy wasn’t sure what to do. Whoever was calling her phone, it must’ve been a wrong number. She was a temp. There was no good reason for anyone to want to talk to her on the company phone.

  But then she thought perhaps her manager was calling, so she answered it hesitantly. “Ummm…hello?”

  “Ivy Spellman,” the deep voice said. It was a statement of fact.

  “Yes, this is she,” Ivy replied. “And who am I speaking with?”

  “Cullen Sharpe,” he replied. “I’m ready for my coffee now.”

  Her mind froze completely for a few seconds, but then she finally regained her senses. “Okay,” she said. “Where do I bring it to—“

  But he’d already hung up and she was left speaking to no one.

  She stood up in a panic, knowing she needed to find the manager, Emma, to help her. Looking around the rows of cubes, she finally saw the tall blond in the far corner of the room.

  “Emma!” she cried out, waving her arms over her head.

  Emma Marks approached, her shark eyes glittering with impersonal distaste as she got closer. “What’s the problem?”

  “Cullen Sharpe just called to tell me he wants his coffee brought to him immediately.”

  The blond woman sneered. “How thoughtful of him to phone you,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

  “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Of course you don’t,” Emma said, and she began walking out of the cube farm. She beckoned Ivy to follow and continued walking without slowing down.

  Ivy scurried after her.

  As Emma Marks walked, she spoke in a brisk, informative voice. “Coffee delivery is no small matter,” she said, as they left through the office door and click-clacked down the long corridor to God only knew where.

  Emma continued talking. “Mister Sharpe is very particular about how, when and where his coffee is brought to him—as well as who is given permission of handling his food. Of course, he’s particular about everything—but his food and drink are given the utmost attention. Those who are trusted to handle his meals have access to him that people would kill for—even those in higher management positions don’t get very much face time with Mister Sharpe.”

  “I don’t understand why he wanted me to do it,” Ivy squeaked as she tried to keep up with her long-legged superior.

  Emma shrugged almost imperceptibly. “He works in mysterious ways,” she said.

  Ivy frowned. “I thought that’s what people say about God.”

  “As far as you’re concerned, there’s no difference between the two.”

  They took a left turn, and then came to a locked door. Emma took the laminated badge that hung from an extendable cord on her waist and held the badge to a sensor next to the door.

  The red light on the sensor turned green and there was an audible click. “We’ll need to up your security clearance if Mister Sharpe decides you’re to be on a permanent coffee detail. But that remains to be seen,” she added mysteriously.

  And then they were walking into what could only be a tiny pantry. It was a far cry from the secret room that Ivy had been expecting.

  What’s with this place? She wondered. Everything that they seemed to worry about was so petty.

  A high security pantry was just about the dumbest thing she’d ever seen in her life.

  “Watch me very closely, Ivy,” the blond woman told her, as she began brewing the coffee in a large stainless steal machine that looked particularly intimidating.

  “I’ve never used a coffee maker like that one,” Ivy said.

  “That’s why I’m instructing you to watch what I do closely,” Emma replied, rolling her eyes. She’d pulled a container of coffee grounds from an overhead cabinet and was scooping the grounds into a compartment at the top of the intimidating machine. “I don’t intend to explain this process to you again, so please do pay attention.”

  Ivy stepped closer, wishing she’d brought a notepad and pen.

  But it was useless. Emma’s hands flew at light speed from one task to the next, like she’d done everything thousands of times before.

  Ivy was too scared to tell her supervisor that she was completely lost.

  Soon, brewing noises were bubbling and percolating from the machine, and Emma was now bending down and opening other drawers and cabinets. Out came a small, silver serving tray, and then two spoons of slightly differing sizes. Then a cloth napkin. Next, Emma moved to the small refrigerator, and pulled out milk and poured the white liquid into a small
metal container.

  “Mister Sharpe likes his coffee black at times, but other days he prefers a splash of milk or cream. For a short while, we would try to add the milk or cream ourselves if he indicated that he wanted some. But we were never able to gauge the proportions correctly. He grew annoyed and removed that task from our duties.”

  Just from her ominous tone, Ivy could tell that even this small failure was still a point of angst for Emma Marks.

  “It seems like a lot of trouble over coffee,” Ivy said, and immediately regretted the comment.

  Emma spun on her, and the taller woman’s eyes flashed with rage. “With an attitude like that, I’ve no doubt that your time at Biometrix will be mercifully short. So you won’t need to be troubled over coffee ever again.” She turned back to her work.

  “I’m—I’m sorry—“

  “Please, I don’t want to hear it.”

  Soon, the coffee was ready, and Emma placed an ornate white mug beneath the machine, pressed a button and it filled the cup automatically. Then, Emma placed the cup back on the tray.

  She gestured to the tray. Everything had been set perfectly, including one packet of sugar, one packet of Stevia, one packet of Splenda.

  “Does he take sweetener with his coffee sometimes?” Ivy asked.

  “Not yet. But he’s indicated that he’d like the possibility to remain open, so we bring him these sweeteners just in case. I’m sure that seems ridiculous to one so worldly as yourself.”

  “No, of course I don’t think that—“

  Emma pointed at her. “I can tell exactly what you think. It’s written all over your smug face. But let me explain something to you,” she continued, her cheeks aflame. “We’re a multi-billion dollar company. Our new drug is saving lives, and we’ve other drugs in the pipeline that will save even more lives. The kind of unique brilliance that went into creating these scientific breakthroughs and innovations requires absolute attention to the smallest detail. That’s the kind of mind that Cullen has,” she said.

  I must’ve hit a nerve.

  “I understand,” Ivy replied, dropping her gaze. “I was wrong to make that comment.”

  Emma relented upon seeing her acquiescence. “You don’t understand yet. But if you’re very, very lucky, maybe you’ll last long enough to understand a little more than you currently do. Now pick up the tray, carefully. Very carefully. Do not spill a drop or allow anything to shift even the slightest. Walk slowly, and follow me.”