by Wells, K. C.
“I’m impressed.”
Will shrugged nonchalantly, secretly pleased. Blake unlocked the door and led him into the office. He paused at the door to the kitchen and turned to Will.
“I learned pretty fast that if I have the coffee ready and waiting, this bunch were much more enthusiastic about getting to work on time.” He winked. “Especially Ed. The man loves his caffeine.”
“You maligning’ me again, boss?”
Will turned at the sound of a gruff voice behind him. This was clearly Ed Fellows, Blake’s right hand man. Blake had given him the lowdown on all the team the previous night, so that Will wasn’t walking in blind. Ed looked like he was probably the same age as Will, maybe even younger, with green eyes and straggly brown hair. Will noted the dark swirl of a tattoo beneath Ed’s shirt. Blake had summed up Ed in three words—loyal, rough, committed—and he obviously trusted Ed implicitly with the smooth day-to-day running of the office. Will held out his hand to greet him and Ed shook it with a tight grip.
“Well, mate, I for one am bleedin’ delighted to ’ave you ’ere. Maybe now I can get on with me job and leave you to deal with ’is ’ighness over there.” Will had to smile. Ed’s manner was such a refreshing change to the stuffed shirts he’d worked with in his last job. The small publishing company had been a great first step. However, Will had seen where they could have made huge leaps forward in their business, but there’d been so much resistance it had been a daily slog to make even the slightest change. He already liked Ed’s way of speaking, and it was clear he and Blake had a great working relationship.
“Pleased to meet you, Ed. I’m Will Parkinson.”
Ed grinned. “Just do us all a favor, Will, and stick around. An’ don’t put up with any shit from the boss. He may crack the whip sometimes but underneath he’s about as ruthless as a kitten.” Ed winked at Blake who was shaking his head, but even Will could tell he wasn’t offended by Ed’s words. Ed watched Blake fill up the coffee machine. “Coffee not on yet, boss? You’re slippin’.” His eyes sparkled.
Blake emitted a low growl. “Any more of your lip and you can make it yourself.” The twitch of his lips gave him away, however. The machine started gurgling, the aroma of coffee already in the air. Blake beckoned to Will with a crooked finger. “Come see your office.” He gave Ed a brief nod and then led Will out of the kitchen and along the corridor to the office next to his. Will took a look around. It wasn’t huge, but then he didn’t need huge. There was an identical window to the one in Blake’s office, a wide desk in front of it and two chairs. Two filing cabinets stood against the wall, and beside them a door connecting the two offices. Next to the desk was a work station with a printer and scanner. Will smiled. This would do nicely.
“If you want to add some stuff from home to make it seem more like your own space, feel free,” Blake suggested. Will was way ahead of him. There was a space on his desk next to the computer monitor that was perfect for his peace lily, and he could put his potted gardenia on top of the filing cabinet. There was plenty of light for it.
Blake opened the connecting door to his office and waved Will through. “We have a team meeting every morning at nine. Not a long, drawn out affair, but a chance for everyone to give updates on progress.” He glanced at his watch. “Maybe it would be a good use of our time if we spent a while until then bringing you up to speed with current projects and issues that will require your attention. I can give you a little more detail about the day-to-day running of this place.” Will nodded. Blake struck him as extremely well organized and efficient, which suited him fine.
Blake sat at his desk, Will facing him. “So my typical day is spent managing submissions, and that is something I don’t delegate.” Will nodded in acknowledgment. “I also manage the contracts and the various departments that keep everything else moving. You’ll meet the team shortly.” He met Will’s gaze. “When I came into the company, it was a traditional publishing house, producing fiction hardback and paperback books. My father had resisted introducing e-books: he claimed it would never be that popular. Yeah, right.” Both men smirked and then Blake’s expression grew more serious. “We’re not a huge company, Will.”
“Maybe not,” Will interjected, “but you’re growing. You have close to one thousand employees, authors and contractors, and the list grows daily.” Blake’s eyes glittered with approval. Will had done his homework. He knew that Trinity was the rising star in the publishing world. That was one of the main reasons he’d applied for the position.
“Exactly. My job is spent making sure all those people keep moving at a pace that produces books as they are scheduled. Your job is to keep me on track. You’ll need to work closely with the team. If issues arise, you will be the first port of call.”
“You mentioned book fairs yesterday.”
Blake grinned. “Yeah, I hope you like traveling.” Will’s eyes lit up. It was one aspect of the job that really appealed to him. “Have you ever attended a major trade show?”
“Been to a car show once or twice.”
Blake nodded. “Then you’ll understand the concept of the book fairs. 100,000 plus people under one roof. You’ve actually just missed the Frankfurt book fair—that was last week—and there were three times that number attending. Twenty-five thousand vendors. Every aspect of the book business was represented there, from printing to warehousing to management software.”
Will nodded. He couldn’t wait to attend such an event.
“It’s a big deal,” Blake continued. “Libraries, bookstores, distributors—they do eighty percent of their yearly purchasing and business contracts during or based on the meetings at the fair. We’re talking setting up foreign rights contracts, checking out production contracts based on who has the best rates for printing… It’s a truly mind-boggling event.”
Will grinned. “But you love it.”
Blake returned his grin. “Yeah, but it’s exhausting. I basically show up on day one with a smile and close my eyes for the first time five days later. The vendor floor runs from nine to five, but then there are dinners. Actually, sometimes it’s dinner with one person, dessert with another and drinks with a third. Not to mention that I start the day with a breakfast meeting.” His face wore a rueful expression. “I probably eat and drink more during book fairs than I normally would in a month.”
Will couldn’t resist. “Yeah, but it doesn’t show.” He waggled his eyebrows and Blake’s mouth dropped open. He waved a warning finger at Will, who held up both hands. “Sorry.” Blake said nothing, but Will liked that gleam in his boss’s eyes.
They spent the next fifty minutes going through Blake’s present list of submissions, and Will noted the contracts to be issued, ready for passing on to the team.
The purposeful working atmosphere in the office was pleasant and Will felt at ease almost instantly. He got a good feeling about this job. Of course, the fact that he had the hots for his boss didn’t enter into it. It was a struggle to look at Blake and not be reminded of their night together. Will had no clue how the man had gotten under his skin so fast, but there was no denying it: that night had been the best sex of his life to date. Sex that hot was difficult to walk away from, and Will found himself hoping, more than once, that Blake would be happy to use his services again. The more logical part of his brain held no such illusions. Blake wouldn’t want to mix business with pleasure. Damn….
It was time for the team meeting and Will followed Blake into the conference room.
“Grab yourself a coffee before they all get here,” Blake advised, but it seemed Ed was ahead of them. He entered the office bearing two mugs which he handed to Blake and Will.
“Thought you might want these before that bunch of hyenas drink the lot,” he said with a wink. Will gave him a grateful look and took a long drink of his coffee. He was surprised to find his mouth was suddenly dry, coupled with a fluttery sensation in his stomach. As the team began to file into the room, chatting animatedly, Will took several long breaths i
n an effort to quell the rising tide of nerves.
“Morning, all.” Blake took a seat and gestured for Will to take the empty one to his right. “Before we get started, I’d like to introduce my new PA, Will Parkinson, who is starting with us today. I’m sure you’ll make him feel welcome. And just so you know? I dished all the gossip on you guys yesterday so he knows what to expect.” He gave an evil grin and everyone laughed. “It might be an idea to go round the table and introduce yourselves, so he can put faces to the names.”
“Well, ’e’s already met the cream of the crop,” said Ed with a wink, buffing his fingernails on his shirt. He was greeted with loud guffaws. “Apart from office manager, I’m head of admin.”
Next to him was an auburn haired woman in her mid-twenties. “Hi, Will, welcome aboard. I’m Lizzie.” Her accent was delightful. “As you can no doubt hear, I’m not from around here. I’m Belgian. I’m in charge of foreign rights and translations.” Will gave her a polite nod. Each member of the team gave their name and their job title. Peter, a tall man in his early thirties, was in charge of art design. Will liked his no-nonsense manner straight away. Rick was next, all tousled hair and big blue eyes. He gave the impression of being the youngest one and Will had to admit he was definitely cute. Rick was in charge of marketing and promotion. Then came Beth, head of the editing department. She gave Will an easy smile. Finally there was Stephen, in charge of distribution. Stephen seemed very laid back. Will liked that.
“Okay, that’s it for all the introductions.” Blake took charge once more, his manner brisk. “Let’s get on with it.” Will listened as each member of the team gave their updates. He jotted down details, making a mental note to meet up with each person during the coming week to get a better feel for their teams. They seemed to be a dedicated group, personable and intelligent. Will was pleased to note his nerves had disappeared altogether.
A knock at the door drew his attention. It was the receptionist, Karen, whom he’d met the day before. Her style of dress hadn’t improved. Will thought the tight blouse and even tighter short skirt not entirely appropriate for her position—or her age, come to think of it. After all, she was the first person to greet any visitors to the building, and as first impressions went, her appearance was at odds with the rest of the staff that Will had met so far. Maybe he’d talk to Blake about it.
“Karen has been doubling up as my secretary until the PA position was filled,” Blake was explaining.
“So my job has gotten a lot easier as of today,” Karen purred, batting her eyelashes at Will. He gave her a tight smile. To Will’s relief, Blake stepped in.
“All calls to me will now to directed through to Will’s office. If there are any issues arising throughout the day, please ensure that he’s kept informed. And if you require any information as to my schedule, you’ll go to Will.” Blake was addressing everyone in the room.
Will appreciated Blake’s words. The two of them would be working closely together and Blake was making sure everyone knew that if they wanted Blake, they had to go through Will first. His chest swelled. He was overjoyed to have the job and determined not to let Blake down. And if Blake wanted things to remain purely professional between them, well, Will would have to accept that.
It didn’t mean he had to like it, though.
Chapter Five
Will stifled a groan as Karen appeared yet again in his doorway. This had to be her fourth visit that morning. He kept his expression politely neutral. “Karen, what can I do for you?” He sighed inwardly as she walked slowly up to his desk, hips rolling suggestively. Not for the first time, Will wished he was out at work. At least then he could tell her where the rubber met the road, and get her to stop flirting with him. He’d been there for one day before it had started and nearly two weeks later, it was starting to rile him.
“Sorry to disturb you, Will, but I’ve had a couple of calls from some of our authors with queries about their release dates.” Karen’s voice was husky, and Will had to wonder if she thought it made her sound alluring. “I took down their details.” She leaned on his desk on her elbows, her ample bosom nearly spilling out of the silky top which barely contained it.
“Thanks, Karen, but you didn’t have to leave your desk to come tell me. You could have called me, or emailed the information.” Will made sure nothing in his voice or expression could give her the wrong impression, gazing steadfastly at her face. But my God, the temptation to shout at her, ‘Lady, I’m gay, will you just get those heaving breasts out of my face?’ was overpowering. He held out his hand for the message slips that she’d brought with her. Karen handed them over with a look of extreme reluctance. “Thank you,” he said sincerely. “I’ll make sure these get to Blake.”
She pouted and left the room, giving that substantial arse an extra wiggle as she did so. When he was certain she was no longer in earshot, Will sagged back into his chair with a long, heavy sigh. Thank God Lizzie and Beth were nothing like her. In fact, the whole team was a delight to work with. Will had quickly becoming accustomed to Lizzie’s quiet manner, Rick’s teasing asides and Ed’s loud Cockney ways. And as for his boss… Will felt as though the job had been waiting for him his entire life: he simply slotted into his allotted space and got on with it.
“She is a handful, isn’t she?”
Peter leaned against the door-jamb, coffee mug in hand, a look of distinct amusement etched across his face. Will finally gave way to the groan which had been demanding to be set free.
“Is she like that with everyone?”
Peter chuckled. “Sorry, Will, but it’s par for the course around here. Karen’s come on to every bloke at one point or another.” He regarded Will over the top of his rimless glasses. “But she seems to be more tenacious with you.” That smirk was not helping. “And what makes it worse? I’m pretty sure she has a boyfriend.”
Will shuddered. Enough of Karen. “What can I do for you?”
Peter straightened. “Is Blake all right?” His forehead creased.
Will arched his brows. “What do you mean?”
“I caught sight of him coming out of the kitchen and I thought there was something up. It’s probably nothing, but… ” His words trailed off.
Will considered this. He hadn’t spoken with Blake for the past hour. Come to think of it, the closed door between their offices wasn’t usual.
“I’ll take him a coffee and see if I can glean what’s up.” Peter gave him a grateful look and promptly left him alone. Will got up and went into the kitchen to pour Blake a coffee before walking back into his office and approaching the adjoining door, knocking softly. No answer. Will opened the door and blinked in surprise. The room was darkened, the blinds drawn completely over the windows. Will slipped into the room. Blake wasn’t at his desk, but Will soon spied him. Blake was stretched out on the sofa, arm over his eyes.
“Blake?” Will spoke softly, barely above a whisper. Something was definitely wrong.
Blake whimpered, a sound full of pain. Will put down the mug on the desk and moved to the sofa, dropping to his knees beside Blake. “What’s wrong?” He kept his voice as quiet as possible.
Blake peered at him from beneath his arm. Will caught his breath. Despite the darkened room, he could see how pale Blake was. His eyes were slits. “Migraine.” The word was just about audible.
Oh hell. Will gently lifted Blake’s arm away from his eyes. “Okay, tell me. Do you have classic or common migraine?” When Blake’s eyes tightened, his brow furrowed, Will tried a different tack. “Do you get visual disturbances, flashing lights, feeling nauseous, or is it just pain?”
Blake’s brow cleared a little. “Pain. Dark helps, though.” He winced as though pain had suddenly coursed through him.
Okay, common migraine. Will could deal with that. “Have you taken anything for it?”
“Don’t have anything with me.”
Will thought quickly. “Okay, I’m going to sort you out some painkillers, and then I’m going to help you get rid
of it. All right?” Blake gave an almost imperceptible nod. Will got to his feet and slipped from the room into his office, pushing Blake’s door shut after him. He picked up his phone and speed dialed Beth.
“Beth, do you have any of those tablets left that you were taking last week?” Poor Beth had been in agony the previous week with a bad back, and had finally been sent home. Will knew she was taking some pretty strong painkillers. He mentally crossed his fingers.
“Yes, Will, I’ve got two left in my handbag. Why? You okay?”
Will could have cried with relief. “I’m fine, Blake’s not so good. Can I have them?”
“On my way.” And she was gone.
Within minutes Beth was at his door, holding out the two capsules and a glass of water. “Is it a migraine?” Will could read the concern in her eyes. “He gets them now and again, but it’s been a while.”
Will thanked her and after taking the glass and the medication, he went back into Blake’s office. He knelt once more on the floor beside Blake.
“Blake, I need you to sit up, just for a second, so you can take some tablets. Are you allergic to anything?
Blake gave out a low moan. “N-no. H-hurts.” He struggled to sit upright.
Will’s heart went out to him. He knew from past experience the misery migraines could cause, though he’d never had one personally. He sat beside Blake and after placing the glass precariously between his thighs, he put an arm around Blake’s shoulder, supporting him. He dropped the capsules into his hand and then reclaimed the glass, watching as Blake took careful mouthfuls. The medication taken, he eased Blake to lie down once more, but after grabbing a cushion and placing it across his lap, he cradled Blake’s head on the cushion.
“I’m going to help you, but you’ll have to trust me. “ Blake’s only response was a low whimper, but he moved his hand slowly to wrap it around Will’s and tighten once. Good enough. “Is the pain in a specific part of your head or is it everywhere?”