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

by Tolhouse, Audrey

  “How’s the hiring going?” James asked instead as he reached for a pen to move between his fingers.

  On the other end of the line, Jerry let out an awkward chuckle. “I’m not doing the hiring, James. That’s HR, remember?”

  “I’ve been thinking that it might be better for you to at least pick a project manager and SEO specialist, don’t you think?”

  Jerry didn’t bother holding back a scoff. “James, that’s what HR is for.”

  “And I understand where you’re coming from, Jerry. Believe me, I do. It’s just that Seogen is a big client for us. HR can find someone that can do the job. That’s great. But we want someone who can work with you,” he eased back as he said his bit, trying to gauge whether or not Jerry was going to take the bait. In the growing silence that followed, a smile tiptoed across James’s face.

  No man wanted to be stuck with a self-proclaimed expert in any field. In their line of work, the men they would likely be interested in would have incredible resumes almost as impressive as the ego that came along with it. It happened. Confidence was always a good thing, but somewhere down the line it was usually corrupted and gave way to full-on egotism. That, James could handle. His smile continued to grow. He needed to clear his schedule to make way for his number one girl.

  “I know some men who could probably give me a good lead,” Jerry finally answered. Atta boy, James smirked. “But what about moving costs and potential bonuses to reel them in?”

  “Authorized,” James said smugly. He heard Jerry smirk on the other line, as if he were in on it too.

  “You know this might set me back some.”

  James was grinning now. “Really? Are you sure?”

  “If you’re talking the way I think you are, yes. I’ll need some serious one-on-one time with the talent to make a good decision.”

  Frowning, James tried to keep the smile down and from telegraphing through his voice. “Well, do you think we’d end up pushing the deadline at all?” He paused for a moment. “I think a couple of days to get this settled, no more than a week will be all right when it comes to the timeline.”

  Jerry took a deep breath. “Finding a great hire can take three months, James.”

  “Can you do it in one? HR is going to take care of the salary workers. I just think I might like someone I know to personally take care of our senior analysts and project manager.” James felt like he could sense Jerry nodding in agreement on the phone.

  “I hear you, James. Sure thing. I’ll contact HR to see about the job listing and responsibilities for the position they were going to use and then run back through my own contacts to get this party started.”

  James could have shouted and leapt for joy. “This is good news. Thanks, Jerry. I’m so glad you’re on board with this.”

  “Well, you’re the boss,” Jerry replied. “I better contact HR as soon as possible. I think they move a little slow.”

  “I’ll connect with you in a couple of days to see how the search is going,” James responded. They exchanged a few more words before they made pleasantries to end the phone call. James really didn’t pay attention to the rest. All he knew is that the stage was finally set for him to show Jennifer all the things he had kept from her previously.

  You got to know someone after working so close with them for five years. Things like that just couldn’t be helped. He had been a master of professionalism though, and was always careful to never speak about himself personally.

  That was partly to keep Jennifer at a safe distance, but most importantly, it was to keep him from getting too attached.

  As a millionaire in Chicago, he had seen lots of women move through his life. When he was younger, he personally held the playboy title that most young tycoons carried.

  It wasn’t that he disrespected women. Far from it. He loved them just as much as the next wealthy man. At the time, he just wasn’t ready to settle. Also, he’d be lying if he said having a few insecurities in certain areas kept him from bonding too closely with any of them too. But that was neither here nor there.

  In his youth, finding a woman to partner with him on his spectacular journey of life wasn’t that important to him. He really only looked for ways to distress and relax. That’s what the temporaries were there for. They kept him light company back during the time when he used to play just as hard as he worked. That meant hitting vacation getaways like Aruba, Bora Bora, Kauai and more on the regular.

  He had gotten away from that type of living right around the time that he had first met Jennifer, and he was glad. She was a woman that reeked of commitment, but at the time, he didn’t take special notice of it. After all, he knew that she was involved with someone.

  He never met the guy and thinking back, Jennifer never told him about him. He wasn’t sure when their relationship ended, but after a while, Jennifer’s frequent last minute availability spoke the words he probably never would have heard her say: She was on the market.

  By that time, James had nearly recovered what he had lost from a few bad investments, but he never made the move. He just kept working, and Jennifer stayed by his side.

  He knew he’d miss his chance if he didn’t make a move. Women like Jennifer didn’t stay single for very long, but she was such an invaluable asset to him as a worker, James never dared to push the boundaries of their relationship; and, after a year, he even decided that it was best if he sought for personal companionship elsewhere. That’s when Katie came into the picture.

  At the thought of his ex, his mind and thoughts stilled while a wave of anger brewed in the consciousness of his mind. He didn’t think he could explain his actions with Katie away; but luckily, he didn’t feel like he had to. He wasn’t about opening closed doors and Katie Heuser was definitely a closed door.

  James checked the time. It wasn’t even 9 am yet. He needed to give Jennifer a little more time before he approached her again. Even more, he really needed her to find him a scheduler. He couldn’t function without his calendar, and speaking of which…

  Turning in his lean company chair, James faced the screen of his computer. In an instant, he saw that Jennifer had emailed him the updated schedule. He had a phone call briefing with a client at 10 am and then several personal phone calls he needed to return. Other than that, his Monday was surprisingly clear. A full smile was back on his lips.

  He had always found Jennifer incredibly sexy and attractive. She wasn’t like the alpha females he knew. Those women were just as sneaky and conniving as he was. He didn’t find them all too terribly forthcoming, if he had to be honest.

  In fact, if he could speak his mind freely, he would have said without hesitation that the wealthy female businesswoman in the corporate CEO world were too feisty to seriously consider for anything long term. He wasn’t intimidated by their knowledge and ability to match him toe for toe in his own field. In fact, he actually found that to be a bit of fun.

  They fell into the temporary category because he knew nothing long term could ever come from knowing them. They craved more and the next thing just as eagerly as he did a little too much to ever feel like their interests could be aligned on the same goal.

  That wasn’t to say that he needed a woman who wanted to live just for his purposes—his head wasn’t that big! But in a much lesser type of way, he knew he needed a woman who wanted what he wanted. The females that competed against him and traded stock and invested in new startups to add millions to their retained earnings at each IPO didn’t want that.

  They had their own agenda and it didn’t involve getting hitched and becoming the side woman with no name. James could respect that because at the start of his journey, he didn’t plan on getting married any time too soon. Even the thought was foreign. It was something he wasn’t even going to think about.

  One thing was certain, however, and that was the fact that he did have feelings for Jennifer Rhodes. He always had. A beautiful, intelligent women was hard to find. And to just think that she had been with him for five year
s only to suddenly now be unavailable was enough to drive him mad.

  He could stand by every word that he said to her. He wasn’t the type to lie to get his way. No, he wanted to tell Jennifer the truth. He knew that telling her how he felt was wrong. Not because she worked for him as his assistant, but because he had missed his chance. It was a shitty thing to do, really.

  It was a necessary evil though. He had never been given the chance to show Jennifer his true self. She knew the hard-working, dedicated side James, but, she had never experienced the softer, caring side. If it came down to a choice between him and Andrew, she at least wanted her to have known him in his entirety.

  ~*~

  Time continued throughout the day in an extremely slow fashion. James made his calls and responded to several different emails. Andrew had landed according to his new ETA. The fact that he was late didn’t bother James at all. The later the better.

  Seogen wasn’t in a huge hurry to implement their new office. Sticking to the timeline was definitely advisable, but if they fell behind by one or two weeks, James knew his smooth tongue could talk them out. He had the entire situation under control, except for the bit pertaining to Jennifer, of course. But that was about to change.

  James came out of his thoughts as the phone sounded in the room. He looked towards the line number. It was Jennifer. With a quick grin, he answered the phone and forced a calm over his voice.

  “Yes,” he bit his lip to keep himself from tacking on the familiar angel call to his treasured worker.

  “You have a personal call from Timothy,” she said smoothly. “He wouldn’t give me any more information. He just said it was urgent he speak to you right away.”

  “Timothy?” James frowned. He didn’t recall any current or recently completed contracts by that name. “Did he give you a last name?”

  “No.”

  “Hmmm,” James looked at the time. He couldn’t believe it was just past eleven. He felt like he had already had a full day of nothing and felt like calling it day and heading home. “Send him through,” James said at last. He set the receiver down and waited for the call. He answered it first ring.

  “James Melone speaking,” he said quickly. James checked the time again out of habit. Still 11:11.

  “James, it’s good to hear your voice. I know it’s been awhile.”

  With bunching brows, James frowned. “Timothy, I’m afraid you’re going to have to refresh my memory. If it’s been awhile, I’ve met with quite a few people in my time.”

  “Tim Walters,” the man spoke smoothly, “from ABC Training in Summit.”

  James frowned at the information. He knew the city, had been there several times. Suddenly, it dawned on him.

  “ABC Training? Well, how’s Matt Luke? He’s usually the one I speak with, isn’t he?”

  On the line, Timothy chuckled. “That’s right. It might have just been once that I corresponded with you in the past.”

  James nodded eagerly. “So how’s Matt Luke?”

  “He’s why I called.”

  James straightened in his chair, his body stiffening with unease. “Is everything okay?” Matt Luke was an older gentlemen, in his late sixties with spunk like you wouldn’t believe. He had run the business training company for years. In fact, the old man happened to be one of Melone’s first contracts that gave him the ability to move from the East Coast to the heart of America, Chicago, Illinois.

  “He’s finally retiring, but for medical reasons,” Timothy explained. “Now the board is at odds on how to move forward. Some are talking expansion, while others think we need to focus on the offices we have in New Jersey.”

  Nodding as he followed the conversation, James felt a bit of irritation swelling within him. The man, Timothy, was beating around the bush.

  “Anyway, I remembered the first work you did with us when we opened our second location and I thought I’d give you a call to see if you could help out with anything. I know it’s a long shot, but the company’s pretty vulnerable right now and I’d like our next move to be the one that makes us.”

  James listened to the man’s words, still confused and not certain if he should care or not. He asked, “Are you the new CEO?”

  “Yes. Unanimous decision,” the man paused, “and I’m the next biggest holder of stock in the company.”

  Smirking, James bunched his eyebrows together. “So what is it you—” James cut himself off before he could finish the thought. He wasn’t a fool. Timothy was looking for advice. He was certain that with a few emails and file swaps, he could point the budding company in the right direction and he could go to sleep and feel good about himself—but what he saw now was golden opportunity.

  “Tim, how many offices do you have?”

  “Two,” Timothy answered back with a sigh. “I want to push over the state border since we’re so close but the others think we should probably wait.”

  “Do you know anyone in the city?”

  “Yes, actually. I live there. I know quite a few businesses who probably wouldn’t mind considering our services. We just need an office and an image to get in. You know, get closer.”

  James’s grin returned to his face. “Oh yes. I understand everything, Mr. Walters.”

  “Please, call me Tim, James. You were a great friend to Matt Luke and I’m hoping we can build the same friendship.”

  James could have laughed at the situation. Nothing better could have dropped into his lap at a better time.

  “I’m thinking that sounds great, Tim. Why don’t you tell me more about your business, if you can? I’ve got a little time on my hands right now.”

  There was a pause on the phone, followed by an excited chuckled. “Okay. I can send you some files we can go over together.”

  “That’d be great,” James encouraged. “I’m in my office right now.” He coaxed the gentleman to stay on the line while the files were sent. From there, he relaxed into the seat and forgot all about being tired. This had to mean that someone was looking out for him. The odds were in his favor. He was meant to be with Jennifer Rhodes after all.

  With an excited giggle, he reached for his pen and note pad and began to take notes as Tim spoke to him. He didn’t need a whole lot of information, but just enough to make his case convincing.

  Chapter Five

  Midday Fare

  With a deep intake of air, Jennifer sighed heavily and lowered the receiver to the phone. She had never been in a position to hire someone before, but that didn’t matter before now. She knew what needed to be done and at the very least, had an idea of what was needed.

  She needed someone willing to pick up good coffee and breakfast before work. Someone who could work Microsoft Office, Express, and—well, the whole damn Office suite! They’d need to know how to operate a telephone line and they needed to sound attractive and attentive on the phone.

  They needed a good phone for receiving emails and intercepting important calls when they were out of the office. Someone who could summarize messages without repeating the whole thing verbatim who could learn how to rate the priority of incoming messages with time (but hopefully not more than two weeks’ time).

  Also, and this was huge, they needed to have nothing important going on in their life, and nothing likely to be happening within the next six to twelve months. Something like that was reasonable, right? No pregnant chicks, engaged folks, starry-eyed brunettes or blondes. Actually, that last part could be something blanket that applied to whoever filed for the position.

  There had been a sprinkle of men that had applied for the position, but only two of them answered the call. One wasn’t interested in the position after more information was given, which Jennifer didn’t understand why they had even applied to the job to begin with, and the other was suddenly no longer available to accept new work. It had only been a week since the ad went live on LinkedIn and a few job boards, but still, the results were overwhelming.

  To help her narrow down the list of applicants, anyone w
ho didn’t answer on the second call was simply removed from consideration. Anyone who had more than two years’ worth of experienced wasn’t called. Answering phones and making appointments wasn’t an expert ability. The last thing she wanted to do was have someone demand pay for this simple job. James was offering a generous $16.50 per hour for the job and in Chicago, that could really go far with a roommate, metro rides, and walking.

  Her last call marked the first round of telephone interviews. Some she ended early, already knowing they weren’t going to make the cut, but by the looks of it, she had managed to hack her huge list down to ten potential people.

  She was only going to request about four for an interview within the office, and then perhaps if another run was needed to determine a harsh tie, she’d meet them somewhere for dinner. At this stage, she didn’t have the time to play nice. James said he wanted someone picked before the end of the week. That meant they needed to be able to start as soon as possible.

  Jennifer stood from her desk and stretched. She was surprised at the yawn that tumbled out of her body. Her morning cup of coffee was keeping her light and on her toes, but after a glance at the time, she knew she’d need to stop and eat if she was going to remain alert.

  Pushing back from the desk, Jennifer thought vaguely about Andrew. She was sure he would have landed in Colorado by now. Would it be strictly business while he was there? She wondered if he would take a break to head back to Manitou Springs. “I’ll be back Wednesday for lunch…”

  She remembered that clearly and wondered if that was a good thing. On the surface, she wanted to say ‘absolutely!’ it was a good thing. What man flies back across several states to stop in for lunch?

  Well, millionaires did, apparently. She told herself that to them, it really wasn’t outside the realm of possibility. With normal men, something like that would be beyond crazy. Regular men just didn’t do that type of thing. However, with millionaires, their whole world was different. They didn’t live in the same realities. Still, even for a millionaire, flying into town just for her meant something huge right?