It didn’t matter now. I didn’t know anything about Josh, and I wasn’t going to go back to his house, so I was just going to have to continue to wait for the man of my dreams. I didn’t really want some random guy like him anyways.
The problem I had was my mind couldn’t stop thinking about Josh. As much as I tried to think about anything else, I just couldn’t. I had a physical reaction to thoughts of him, and every time I closed my eyes, I saw his face looking down at me.
The deep brown of his eyes was so intense I could still feel them as they looked at me. He was older than I typically was attracted to, but not that old, maybe thirty or so. His age, his experience, maybe even his money, they all gave him an air of confidence that I just couldn’t get out of my mind. I could still feel the confidence in the way he touched me; it wasn’t like any man had ever touched me before.
I had to stop thinking about him, though. I had slept my day away Sunday and now needed to concentrate on my interview later today.
It was my dream job, and there was no other job I wanted so bad in the entire world. As a manuscript reviewer, I could read books every day. I could help the publishing company find up and coming new writers and really make a difference in the lives of people.
Reviewing manuscripts was about more than just reading a book. I wanted to get inside the author's head and really understand their characters. I wanted to help find writers who had potential and not just publish authors who already had dozens of books published.
Getting this interview had been so exciting for me that I literally had a hard time sleeping for days, that’s probably why it had been so easy for me to sleep my entire day away on Sunday. My body was literally exhausted.
As I made my morning oatmeal, Alyssa also staggered out of her room to the kitchen. Monday mornings were always difficult for her since she spent her weekends partying and drinking. I had to assume her body went through some sort of withdrawl when Mondays started.
“Did you take that hot guy home from the club?” Alyssa asked.
She clearly seemed oblivious to the fact that we had both slept for an entire day. She asked the question like it had just happened.
“Yes,” I said as I tried not to smile.
I was unsuccessful, though; the thought of Josh made me smile from ear to ear.
“What? Tell me more. Did you guys fuck?”
“Oh, come on Alyssa; you know me better than that.”
“I was just being hopeful. You know sooner or later you are just going to have to go for it.”
“I know. I’m just waiting for the right guy.”
“Like Prince Charming?”
“No! I’m not stupid. I don’t think of it as a fairy tale. I just haven’t found the guy that I think is right.”
It was true. I had not found my match, and I didn’t need my match to be perfect. But I had to have the feeling that I was making the right decision. And up to that day, I had never had that feeling of everything matching up, and until I did, I would just keep searching for my perfect match.
“Anyways, I have to concentrate on my interview today. Help me pick out an outfit.”
I knew if I asked for clothing help it was the best way to divert Alyssa’s attention and get her to refocus on something else. She loved it when I let her pick out my outfits. I typically thought of fashion as little as possible. It just wasn’t a priority for me. But if I was going to start working at some big publishing company, then I had to look as put together and chic as possible.
I had stalked EverHouse Publishing for as long as I had lived in Chicago. I constantly went downtown and ate lunch near the building and would watch the people who worked there as they ventured outside for lunch breaks. None of them dressed shabby; they were all fashionable, even when they dressed boring. I did notice a lot of women in typical skirt type suits, but they fit well and were probably some big named designer.
For my interview outfit, I needed to stand out. I couldn’t wear a typical navy suit and white blouse, but I also didn’t want to look like I couldn’t fit into the culture of their company. It was a fine line, and Alyssa was just the right person to help me walk that line.
We spent the morning going through her outfits and mine as we tried to find just the right combination of business and fashion. I must have tried on at least a dozen outfits before we finally settled on the perfect one.
“Is the interviewer a man?” Alyssa asked with a wink.
“Yes, I think so. But I’m not sure; I have heard that the owner of the company does all of the interviews.”
“Oh, then you are definitely getting hired.”
Alyssa waved her hand in front of her face as if to say my outfit was hot. I certainly felt sexy and like a businesswoman. My hair was up with some curls that dangled down, and Alyssa had even helped me do my makeup, so I looked extra professional.
My skirt wasn’t the typical long skirt. Instead, she had given me one of her old school uniform skirts that was navy with pleats. We combined it with a pink silk blouse that I had which skimmed my body in all the right places.
Since my skirt was short, I didn’t want to make the outfit too sexy, so I paired it with a pair of pink flats that I had.
I felt great as I headed off toward the downtown office. I had confidence and really felt like this was the right position for me, and I was going to get this job. There was no one else that loved books as much as I did. Certainly, no one who had wanted to work for EverHouse Publishing since they were in high school.
I closed my eyes and took a lot of deep breaths as I rode the subway into the city. This was my big opportunity, and I wasn’t about to let my nerves get the best of me. I was going to nail this job interview, and the owner of the company would have no other option but to hire me right there on the spot.
As I exited the subway, I looked up at the building and made my way toward the front door. This was going to be the start of the rest of my life.
Chapter 5
Josh
I knew the second she walked in that I was going to hire her. Every business sense I had flown out the window when I was presented with the opportunity to have her so close to me every single day.
Her bare legs teased me in the first moment she entered the room. The short skirt didn’t help things at all either. I was so mesmerized by her legs that I totally missed her face when she realized her interview was with me. But when I did finally look up and let my eyes meet hers, the fear she had was delightful.
It might not have been fear as much as confusion. She looked at me in wonderment as she tried to figure out why I was the person she had come to interview with.
I reveled in her confusion, but all I could think about was what color panties she had on under that schoolgirl skirt she wore.
“Hello, Ms. Richards,” I said to her with a firm business handshake.
She shook my hand very weakly, and I motioned for her to sit down in the chair across from me. She continued to look at me and then back at the door where she came in.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I own this company. What are you doing here?” I replied.
She didn’t seem to enjoy my sense of humor, but I couldn’t help playing with her a little bit.
“Is this real? Do you really own this company?”
“I don’t know what you think is going on here, Ms. Richards. But you applied for a job here, and I am interviewing applicants. If you did not intend to apply for this job, the door is right behind you, and you are welcomed to leave.”
I kept a straight face and waited for her reaction. I could see her neck and face as they started to turn red from embarrassment.
“I meant, I didn’t know you worked here,” she said with a stutter.
I had clearly gotten to her; she was thrown off her game and obviously not ready to deal with an interview that had me as the hiring director.
“I do a little more than just work here, Ms. Richards; I happen to have built this c
ompany from the ground up. I take pride in every position here and only hire the best of the best.”
She was getting pissed now, and I loved it. The fire that built up inside of her was delightful, and it made me want to see more.
“I think I have the wrong place,” she said as she stood up to leave.
For a moment, I watched her ass as she walked toward my door, but there was no way I was letting her leave my office. I needed to feel her again, and I wasn’t about to let her just leave.
I got her to sit back down, and I knew she was the right one for the position when she said how much she liked to read books. It was a done deal, and she was hired. Now I had to move onto getting what I really wanted from her.
I cornered her near the door and had to feel the soft touch of her skin on my lips again. My body wanted to throw her onto the ground and fuck her right there in my office, but I knew she needed more. I would have to wine and dine her in order to win her over. That was fine with me. She would be mine; I could guarantee that.
Candice
As I walked into his office, I stuck my hand out with enthusiasm as I made eye contact with who I knew would soon be my new boss. But as my eyes looked at his face, I realized who he was. Luckily, he had not looked at my eyes as the shock of the situation hit me. I’m pretty sure my jaw actually fell to the ground as I took in the situation.
It was Josh, from the club the other night. I never in my wildest dreams would have thought of him as the type of guy who liked books enough to become a publisher. He seemed much more like a finance guy to me.
I was so confused. Had this all been part of some elaborate ploy to get to talk to me again? For a minute, I replayed the timeline in my head of when I had been called for the interview and when I met Josh in the club. There was no way he knew who I was that night we ran into each other in the club. He had to be just as surprised as I was that I showed up for an interview at his company.
There was something about the way he looked at me, though; he didn’t seem surprised at all. In fact, he seemed delighted to see me standing in front of him waiting to be interviewed for a job.
His eyes glistened as he looked from my legs up to my face. When he stretched his hand out to meet mine, I thought this might be just the break I had waited for. This is fate, I thought for a brief moment.
Our hand shook, and I felt the firm grip of his hand around mine. He clearly shook hands with people much more often than I did. Most of my life I had spent with people who were family or close friends. There was no need for handshaking; we just hugged each other. I knew my handshake was weak, and I tried to offset that as I made eye contact with him.
When he spoke, the softness that I remembered from the other night was gone. Instead, he was very formal and even seemed standoffish to me.
Before I could stop myself, we were in the midst of a conversation that I felt horrible about.
“Is this real? Do you really own this company?” I had asked him.
The embarrassment was instant, and I felt my whole body go numb as he responded. He didn’t seem amused by the fact that we had made out only a few nights before. He didn’t even seem happy to see me anymore. He had turned into an arrogant asshole who didn’t want to make me feel comfortable in the situation at all. In fact, he sounded like he purposely wanted me to leave.
He continued on about how hard he had worked to build his company and that I didn’t have to be there and could leave anytime I wanted. It was ridiculous.
As much as I had dreamed of working at this publishing company, I knew it wouldn’t work out. I couldn’t work for a pompous asshole who found joy in embarrassing people. He could tell I was uncomfortable and didn’t seem to care at all. He made no effort to lighten the situation, and instead actually made me feel bad for showing up for the interview. I had had enough.
I said something about leaving and stood up and walked toward the door. There were other publishing companies in Chicago. I would just have to start to look at some of those companies. It wasn’t the end of the world. I held my head up and opened the office door to leave.
Abruptly he was right there and slammed it shut.
“Do you always give up on your dreams this easily?” he said as he held his hand against the door.
“How do you know this was a dream? Maybe I just need a job?”
“Come sit down and at least finish the interview.”
He motioned for me to return to the seat across from him. Something in his eyes had lightened up, and I didn’t feel quite as annoyed by how he had acted. I returned to my seat and watched as he made his way back to his desk.
I could still feel my blood pressure as I tried to calm myself down. I had never been around a man that so quickly could get me angry. It wasn’t something I was prepared to deal with at an interview.
“I apologize for my curtness. Let’s continue with the interview, Ms. Richards,” Josh said as he opened my file.
“Alright,” I said.
It was harder than ever to make eye contact with him now. I tried, though; even if I wasn’t going to get this job, at least I could practice my interview techniques while I was there.
“Ms. Richards, on your resume you state that you love reading books. Tell me more about that.”
“I love all sorts of books. I like how you can be taken away to a new world without ever leaving your bed. I like the fantasy of it all. I could read a book every day if I didn’t have other things to do with my time,” I said with a smile.
“Like picking up friends from bars late at night?” he joked.
It caught me off guard to hear a joke come from him. I laughed and noticed my legs had been uncrossed. I quickly crossed them again and noticed his eyes fixated on my legs the whole time.
I felt myself get wet from his gaze. The way he looked at me was hard to ignore. I felt his eyes go through my panties and warm the skin underneath.
“Yes, things such as that.”
“What other things do you enjoy?” he asked as he flipped through my resume.
“I like writing. Also, I like to study new things, and I’m trying to learn French.”
He nodded in agreement and then stood up.
I stayed seated as I tried to figure out what he was doing. He had only asked me a couple of questions, and there was no way the interview was finished.
“Can you start tomorrow?” he said as he put his hand out and offered to help me stand up.
“Um sure, no problem.”
“So you are free for a date tonight then?” he said with a smile.
I didn’t know what to say; yes, I was free for a date, but I didn’t know if going on a date with my soon to be boss would be a good idea.
“I should probably not date my new boss,” I said as I made my way to the door.
Then he pressed me up against the door, and his lips gently moved against mine. I felt myself go weak at his touch, and I didn’t want to be anywhere else but right there with him. Our tongues touched each other gently, and his hands stayed firmly on my hips.
I kept my eyes closed, and his lips moved away from mine and to my neck. It felt so good to have his lips on my body. I wanted to feel them on every inch of me.
“Even more reason for you to go with me tonight; I am not your boss until tomorrow,” Josh said between kisses to my neck.
I bit my lip as the thought of spending the evening with him enticed me. I wanted to say yes, but there was just this nagging feeling that I should stay away from him. At least that I shouldn’t get involved with him when I planned to work for his company.
But I couldn’t resist; I wanted more. I wanted to feel his lips on my body again.
“Yes,” I said as I opened my eyes.
He instantly smiled and then clapped his hands together like he had just made a big business deal.
“This is great. Be ready at seven; I’ll pick you up. Write down your information here.”
Before I knew what had happened, I had written down my phon
e number and address and was in the elevator on my way home.
What had I done? I had just agreed to date my new boss.
The Billionaire's Assistant
Book 2:Unexpected FEELINGS
An Alpha Billionaire Romance
Sarah J. Brooks
Chapter 1
Candice
Josh Henderson had really gotten under my skin. He wasn’t my type of guy, not even close, yet I couldn’t stop thinking about him. Running into him at my interview and finding out he was the CEO of EverHouse Publishing had really thrown me for a loop.
I definitely should have refused him when he asked me out on a date. My brain said to tell him, NO, but all my body could think about was his hands. I wanted more of Josh, and agreeing to go out with him was the only thing I could think of. Yes, it was a horrible idea, and I knew it was going to end badly, but there was no way around it because I needed his hands on my body again.
Maybe it would be possible to have a relationship and keep things professional. It was the new millennium; people were having office romances all the time. No reason I shouldn’t join in. Certainly, we could manage to keep things professional while at work.
It was said and done, though; I had a date in less than an hour, and I was going to look smoking hot. Josh was a bit rough around the edges with his fondness for the BDSM clubs and all, but there was something about him that I really liked.
Even with his weird fetishes, something about him seemed very normal, and I felt like he was just bored. Hopefully, I would be able to keep his attention on our date, and we would have fun. I actually hadn’t gone on a date with someone in a very long time, so I was extremely nervous.
I felt so attracted to Josh, though. It was more than just his rock hard body that drew me in. Everything about him seemed to fit what I liked in a man. Plus, his eyes held an understanding when I looked into them, and his personality seemed much older than his thirty years.
The Billionaire's Assistant: An Alpha Billionaire Romance Box Set Page 3
