Millionaire Romance: In Love With My Personal Assistant - A Contemporary Romance (Millionaire Romance, Contemporary Romance, Comedy Romance Book 2)

by Tolhouse, Audrey

  Jennifer nodded. “So, what can I do?” She asked eagerly again. “Is there anything I can do to help? Maybe I can take some of Jerry’s responsibilities regarding those two contracts until we get that office up.”

  James squinted his eyes at her, chewing thoughtfully on her words. “I think I have a better plan.”

  “Okay, let’s hear it,” Jennifer crossed her legs and locked hair behind her ears. For a brief moment, James paused to look over her again.

  “It’s been a while since you’ve done the straight thing.”

  “Excuse me?” She chuckled awkwardly, not following James’s train of thought.

  “Your hair,” James said with a slight nod in her direction. “You used to wear is straight all the time. I loved it. Then you started curling it and it looked incredible. Now you’re back to straight again. I like it,” he smiled at her.

  Jennifer couldn’t stop the smile that touched her lips. She ran a hand over her hair absently. She always thought James preferred the curly look on her. In fact, until just now, she hadn’t even know that he had even seen her—like actually seen her, beauty and all.

  “I thought you preferred the curly look,” she said softly, her voice nearly a thin whisper.

  James chuckled. “Who said that?”

  “You did.”

  “Hmm,” James cradled the bottom of his chin. “You know, I think I remember something like that. I must have meant I liked the new look, but you know,” he paused and gave her an incredible smile, “you pretty much nail every look you’re going for. You’re gorgeous.”

  He hadn’t even stopped speaking, and Jennifer was giggling before she could catch herself. When she regained control of herself, her mind thought briefly of Andrew. Her heart squeezed and her throat tightened at the though. Her mind drew blank. She blinked and stared with wide eyes back at James. He never complimented her like this before. Yes, they had always been close, but maybe it was really more of the professional type. Now, she wasn’t so sure.

  “But let’s get back to business. Andrew is headed to Denver right now. He has a lunch meeting with the CEO and two of his advisors. Jerry’s focus has been limited to keeping the two new contract’s schedule as close to on time as possible. We might not need you to cover him just yet. Instead,” James paused and reached for a bottle of water sitting on the right side of his desk in the silence. He smiled at Jennifer and held up a finger before he unscrewed the top and tipped the bottle back into his mouth.

  Jennifer watched him drink it. He guzzled it liberally, making Jennifer’s throat feel as though it might need some relief as well. She touched her throat and tried to clear it quietly. As James watched her, his eyes widened and he withdrew the bottle quickly.

  “Are you thirsty? Where are my manners,” he stood and moved to the miniature bar built along the wall of his office. It sat to the left side and was always stocked with fresh juices for light mixed drinks, or heavy mixers to handle bad news.

  “Now, if I remember correctly, you don’t do commercial grade coffee, but would you like some juice or water?” James called to her over his shoulder.

  Jennifer’s eyebrows pinched at his words. Since when did he know what her preferences were? “Maybe some juice.”

  “Orange juice?” James chuckled. “How about a mimosa?” Jennifer couldn’t help but grin. She eyed James carefully.

  “What are you up to?” She asked him carefully, watching him as he turned to her with a genuine frown.

  “What? What do you mean?”

  “You,” she chuckled slightly and shook her head as she tried to form words. “You’re acting differently. You’re not normally like this. Is there something you’re not telling me?” James ran his eyes over her face thoughtfully. He stilled for a moment, and then suddenly shook his head.

  “Not that I know of. It’s just been awhile since you and I have shared a loose drink. Why not today?”

  “Sounds like we have a pretty big fire to put out,” Jennifer reminded him calmly.

  James nodded, and lifted the bottle of water he had carried in his hand back to his mouth to finish off the rest of the contents. The skinny bottle was only half-full when he had initially reached for it. Now it was empty.

  He dropped it into the wastebasket and crouched in front of the refrigerator. He pulled out a container of orange juice and half-empty bottle of Barefoot Bubbly and stood as he closed the door.

  “I know it’s not the best champagne out there,” James remarked, “but you know I hate a fruity wine to go bad,” he reached for two glasses hanging along the glass rack of the bar and set them down on the marbled surface.

  “Why don’t you come over here?” James asked, keeping his back to Jennifer. The bar consisted of a minifridge with a wine and glass rack to the right of the bar. To the left was a hanging counter with three stools to enjoy the drinks.

  Standing, Jennifer held her hands in front of her and approached a stool to the left of the bar cautiously. It wasn’t that she hadn’t been asked to share a drink with James before. They had on many occasions. If all their time had been work and no play, the feelings she had grown to have for him might very well have been delusional.

  What bothered her was that he had a knack and unusual ability to relax around her in a way she had never seen before, but still keep her at a distance. His walls were always up. Although his banter still seemed easy and loose, there was just something different about it. She felt like those invisible walls that had always been a silent reminder for her to keep her distance were gone. Like they had simply vanished over the weekend.

  Jennifer didn’t want to lie to herself and say that she wasn’t happy about it. Somewhere, some part of her was overjoyed beyond belief; but there was another part of her, a more rational part, who approached this new side of James with caution.

  Five years she had worked for the man and never had she known him to forgo formalities. He was a shark. That’s who he was: James Melone. He was incredible at what he did and many, like herself, admired him for it.

  Taking a seat pensively, Jennifer took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair. She felt her body ease at the sound of the pouring juice and wine.

  James finished by setting the bottles down on the counter top and handed Jennifer a glass. She took it with a pinch of her forefinger and thumb and held it tightly. She held James’s gaze steady. He smiled at her, and then squinted his eyes playfully.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” He asked in a voice that made Jennifer’s skin crawl. She was starting to remember why she had fallen so hard for him.

  Chuckling, Jennifer shook her head with reservation. She lifted the glass to her lips, eyeing James over the rim and took a sip. It was delicious. His eyes sparkled at her. He chuckled, shoulders heaving with the action. Lifting his own glass to his mouth, James paused.

  “Do you remember the last time we had mimosa’s together?” He asked the question before taking a swig of the drink.

  Jennifer smiled and nodded. Of course she remembered.

  “It was the opening night of Robert’s sponsored band, wasn’t it?” Jennifer asked the question as if she didn’t really know the night he was referring to.

  James nodded. “Yes, Mr. Field’s gave me two complimentary balcony level loges. Remember that?”

  With a soft smile, Jennifer nodded. The tickets were for James and Katie. Except Katie had missed a flight from Fresno and wasn’t going to make it in time. In an effort to still honor the tickets, James asked for Jennifer to accompany him.

  It might have been an awkward night if Jennifer hadn’t already known the tension in his relationship. There wasn’t much that James had to say in order to explain.

  At the time, one of their highest-paying clients was sponsoring a debut gig at The Chicago Theatre. The partnership would help everyone involved and they had come to James looking for ways to boost their presence and reach. With the help of PR and the local news, they were able to launch something successfully for
the young company who had chosen to invest heavily in the debut singer and musician. The owners would be there, they expected to see James, even if the tickets were complimentary.

  He could have gone by himself, but the whole purpose of handing out the two tickets was also a nice gesture of thanks for the work that the company had done. These tickets were meant to be enjoyed. It was important for James’s presence to be there, and not alone, but with someone else, preferably, a female. That’s where Jennifer had risen to the occasion, but like it was a terribly difficult thing to do.

  They received special catering throughout the event and were interviewed by local reporters covering the evening. Several professional photos were taken with the singer before and after the events. The whole thing was incredibly glamourous—Jennifer didn’t understand how any woman attached to James’s side would miss such an opportunity. But Katie had.

  She was a flaky woman, or so it had seemed at the time. She didn’t really like commitment and definitely didn’t do well with appointments and a schedule. She liked to be free—but James was all about schedules and time slots.

  Jennifer broke the eye contact as she remembered that she never gave James his morning run down. She lifted her eyes and met his gaze after some time. He was still watching her closely.

  “So how about your schedule? I never looked over your engagements for today or the rest of the week,” Jennifer admitted. She cleared her throat and turned the glass in her hand absently as she met James’s eyes. The professional mode switched back on. “I’m assuming that this new turn of events have changed the priority of things.”

  Reality dawned on James slowly. After a few seconds, he dropped the rest of the mimosa into his mouth and swallowed. He forced a cough and cleared his throat as he stood.

  “Yes, thank you for getting me back on track. I need to know how it’s coming along with a new hire. Do you have anyone singled out?”

  “To take the scheduler position?”

  James nodded quickly. “Yes. If Larry doesn’t sweep this mess up, we might all need to head back to Colorado to do some damage control.”

  Jennifer realized the statement was apparently meant as something negative when the smile dancing across her lips was met with disdain. She had pleasant memories from the mountainous state. Particularly, she smiled the most at the ones of climbing through the flying-insect infested forest towards the enchanted waterfall. She would love to go there again, especially, if it meant guaranteed one-on-one time with Andrew.

  “That’s not an option,” James clarified quickly. Jennifer’s smile dropped. “Although Seogen and Carnal are on top priority right now, it doesn’t mean we can neglect those that came before them.”

  “Rocket Panda,” Jennifer said with a nod.

  “Yes, and all the others too. We’re coming up on the quarterly review for several of our clients and we’re going to need to start drafting something soon for them.”

  “You mean a re-evaluation of the fee schedule and contract?” Jennifer asked as she lifted the glass to her lips again. She had barely taken a sip and still had more than half of her mimosa swirling around in the cup.

  James nodded. “I want you to hire someone within the next few days if you can.”

  Jennifer’s eyes grew wide. She hadn’t even conducted initial interviews. She opened her mouth to speak, but James held up a hand quickly.

  “I need someone here to handle my appointments by last week.”

  “But James, we received over 100 applicants for the job posting. I didn’t even make it public!” Jennifer countered.

  James’s eyes narrowed. He held her gaze for a moment more before his face relaxed.

  “I’m not angry, Jennifer,” he said calmly. “I just really need someone who can take your place with this stuff as soon as possible. I need you free to work on more important matters with me, okay?” He searched her eyes with a creeping smile across his face.

  “Good. You can head back to your office when you’re finished with that,” he nodded towards her drink and stood. “I have some phone calls I have to make. I’ll send you an email about the changes to this week. If you can update my calendar and send it back, I’d be so thankful.”

  Jennifer nodded and watched as James pushed away from the bar. He headed towards his desk casually and picked up the phone immediately. As he sat down, he began to punch in a number. He turned in his seat away from Jennifer, leaving her to look at the tall back of his chair. His shoulders and upper back was still visible over the top, but it was clear that he was asking silently for a bit of privacy.

  Turning her attention to the drink, Jennifer tried to finish it quickly. She couldn’t gulp it down like James had. She was never a fast drinker with anything. Ever. The liquid was cold and the champagne floated in her stomach and on her mind, helping to ease the little residual unease that had remained throughout her conversation with James.

  Something was unfolding here that she hadn’t previously seen. All this time she thought she accompanied James as nothing more than his sidekick. He rarely mentioned her hard work, let alone the dedication and loyalty she clearly displayed for his business and image.

  All the nights that she stood in for Katie, or even filled at the last minute—they were all things she felt James thought she was just expected to do, no questions asked. She didn’t think he would remember much about it. After all, they were nothing more than a day in the life for him. It was all a part of the job.

  Jennifer had treasured the little surprises. That’s what she called them, the fruits of her labor. When she filled in for James, it was a joy for her, another wishful hope that maybe James would see the work that she did for him and come around. She treasured each and every event, like the Yankee Stadium silent auction they were invited to last year. The duration was only as long as the game and all proceeds went to national charity funding research for terminal childhood diseases.

  Katie was supposed to attend that one too, but Jennifer couldn’t remember what her story was for missing the flight. Was she stuck in Barbados or Hawaii? It didn’t matter. She flew first class business class to New York to catch the game and they returned late at night. Just thinking about it made her cheeks warm with pink.

  Jennifer took another large gulp from the cup and sat it down. She hadn’t finished it, but that didn’t matter. She heard James begin to speak on the phone and quickly made her leave of his room.

  If he wanted her to hire someone soon, she’d likely have to conduct a preliminary round of phone interviews that day and meet with someone face-to-face on Tuesday. She had never really known James to rush into things, but he seemed to have a plan for the future which involved her immediate attention. A smile tugged at her lips and a familiar feeling of dedication swelled within her. This is what he paid her for.

  Chapter Four

  Playing Pawns

  James glanced over his shoulder as he heard Jennifer take her leave. One quick glance towards the bar told him she was just in a hurry to leave his room to grant him privacy. He grinned. Jennifer was an incredible woman, but one also very easy to read.

  “ETA is one hour and 39 minutes,” a voice rang into his ear from the receiver.

  Relaxing into the chair, James cradled the phone to his ear and frowned at the information. “You left late?”

  “Yes.”

  James took a deep, steady breath. He should have seen that coming, actually, but he didn’t. He had hoped Andrew would have listened and gone ahead with the plan.

  “All right, well, like I said, thank you for agreeing to do this,” James said in a weathered voice.

  There was silence before Andrew responded. “Sure thing. I just don’t know if it’ll take two weeks. I still don’t understand why Jerry couldn’t look at the new selection.”

  “Jerry’s busy keeping schedule with Seogen and Carnal. When he found out that we weren’t going to win the contract, he contacted me immediately,” James paused, “I told you this. Jerry could do it, but he
was a little concerned about falling behind. If he does, you’ll probably have to step in and help him keep track. That’s why I suggested two weeks, but I hope it won’t be that.”

  “Well, like I said. I love Colorado so you’re really not twisting my ankle here,” on the other line, Andrew paused for a moment, “I would just prefer a little more than a couple hours’ notice for trips like this in the future if possible.”

  “Of course, of course,” James cooed. “So remember, I need you to just walk through the new locations they’ve suggested. Maybe take some videos? I trust your judgement.”

  “Sure thing.”

  “Sounds great,” James said his goodbyes and then ended the phone call. No sooner than the line had closed, he began a new call. This time, it was to Jerry.

  “Jerry, how’s it going?”

  “Pretty good. We’re right on track. I’m actually even a little ahead of schedule. Are you still sending Andrew? I told you I had everything under control down here. I’m actually waiting on word back from the realtor regarding two possible locations for Seogen’s second office.”

  James nodded into the phone, “Andrew’s on his way. I just wanted him to focus solely on our office so you could be free with the other two contracts. What can you tell me about potential new hires under the contract with Seogen?”

  “Well, they’re really interested in keeping as many of their own people on board with this as possible, which is to be expected. But we just listed the position on their website, announcing the expansion and I’ve already received notification about two very promising applicants.”

  James nodded and looked at the fingernails on his right hand. He inspected them closely. “At this rate, how long do you think it’d take to finish an office for Seogen?”

  “We’re right on schedule, James,” Jerry said again softly. “Do you want to try and push for at least Seogen’s first office to be operational a week ahead of schedule?”

  James chewed his lip. No, what he needed was for Jerry to get behind.