by Martha Woods
“My, my. You are by far the prettiest man I have ever seen.”
Shocked, Skylar stared at the woman. She saw the humor shining in her eyes and couldn’t help smiling. Color seeped into her cheeks and she looked down at the tip of her shoes. “Er, about that. I’m so sorry but I -”
“Really need the job,” the woman finished.
Skylar glanced up. “Yes.” The woman with the assessing eyes seemed to be a mind reader.
She chuckled. “I know.”
“Uh, you do?”
“Yes, I sent for you.” She stepped aside. “Come in.”
Skylar eyed her with confusion as she stepped in. “You sent for me? Oh, you mean you posted the ad online?”
The woman’s brown eyes twinkled. “I did. Mr. Conway asked me to.” She gave Skylar a once over. “I knew you would come. You are perfect.”
Skylar tried to keep her expression neutral but the way the woman phrased her sentences were a bit off. “Perfect for the job?”
She received a smile. “Among other things. Come child. Let me introduce you to Mr. Conway.” The woman laughed. “I can’t wait to see the look on his face. I’m Farah, by the way.”
Skylar followed her. “That’s a lovely name.” Before she could ask where it originated from, she got the answer.
“Thank you, it’s Haitian.”
Skylar nodded and focused on keeping herself upright in the ridiculous shoes. She was led into what looked like a library. There were tall shelves, stacked with books - volumes rather.
“Have a seat, dear. I’ll let Mr. Conway know you’re here.”
“Thank you.”
Skylar perched on one of the cozy looking chairs. She was on edge, worrying about what would happen when Mr. Conway arrived. Farah seemed alright with her lying on her application, but would Mr. Conway be? “God, I need this job.” If she was kicked out on her ass, she had no idea where she would go or how she would get there without money.
She jumped up with a ready smile when she heard footsteps. She heard Farah say, “Mr. Conway, I must warn you -” His eyes had landed on her before Farah finished. She cleared her throat. “This is Skylar Moore, sir.”
Liam stared at the woman standing in front of him. She was all blonde hair, blue eyes and bright smile - way too perky looking. His brows knitted. “What is she doing here?”
Skylar was too busy being stunned by his appearance to answer. She thought the house was impressive, but the owner was breathtaking. The sight of him literally robbed her of breath. He was younger than she thought, much younger. Emerald eyes gazed at her with confusion. He blinked and a lock of raven hair that was a bit too long fell over one eye. Her eyes moved down to take in his full lips and a chiseled jaw. He turned to Farah and the movement pulled his shirt tighter, drawing her attention to broad shoulders and very muscular arms. He was tall and imposing. He was perfect‒ male model perfect.
“Well?” he growled.
The deep, annoyed tone pulled Skylar from her trance.
“She is the applicant you chose to be your personal assistant, sir,” Farah said with a smirk.
Skylar eyed the older woman suspiciously. She didn’t seem at all intimidated by her very large boss. In fact, she seemed as if she was enjoying herself.
“No, I hired a twenty-four year old man with a business degree who said he could help with finances.”
Skylar held up a finger. “Th-that would be me, with the exception of being a man.” She gulped when he turned cold green eyes her way. “I can balance a check book like no other.”
Liam sighed. “Thank you for your time Ms. Moore, but I do not need a female personal assistant, especially one who lies.”
Skylar’s heart dropped. Damn it. “Now, Mr. Conway, if you’re referring to me not mentioning that I am a woman on my application, I wouldn’t call it a lie per say, more an act of omission.”
“Show her out, Farah.” He turned on his heels.
“Mr. Conway, you are being completely sexist if you think that I can’t do the job that you offered simply because I’m a woman.”
He stopped and turned back to her. His eyes traveled over her slowly, making her squirm just a bit. “Trust me, Ms. Moore, the issue is not me thinking you incompetent because of your gender.” He turned to leave again.
“Then what is it? A-are you gay?”
Farah suddenly broke out into a coughing fit. Liam froze in his tracks and Skylar clamped her mouth shut. Oh, no… foot in mouth disease, she thought. She’d always had a problem with speaking before thinking. Liam’s eyes landed on her once again and she flushed a bright pink. “I-I mean if you are, that’s totally fine. I would understand why you would prefer male company.” She really should just stop talking.
To her surprise, amusement flashed across his face. “I am not gay, Ms. Moore. I’m merely hesitant to hire a female because the last one I had took every opportunity to plot her way into my bed rather than do her job properly. She lasted a week.”
Skylar scoffed. “Well, if that’s what you’re worried about, put your mind at ease. I don’t find you the least bit attractive.” And the award for biggest liar goes to…
Liam cocked a brow but remained silent. Shoot, I offended him. She took a deep breath. She had to get this job, she had to. Come on, I’m Andrew Moore’s daughter. I can talk my way in and out of just about anything.
“Please, Mr. Conway, I really need this job. I spent all of my money to get here. I’m coming all the way from Florida. I don’t know how I’ll get back there.” He still didn’t say anything. Okay, maybe he didn’t have a sympathetic side. “Uh, one week. Give me one week to prove myself, and if I don’t have your life and business running like a well-oiled machine, then you can send me through the door. I’ll serve you breakfast in bed and give you foot rubs if I have to.” She stopped, breathless from her rapid begging. Her teeth sank into her lower lip as she waited for his response.
Chapter 3
Liam stared at the woman, amused. His attention was drawn to her mouth the second she began nibbling her bottom lip with small white teeth. He couldn’t help noticing how sensually curved her plump, pink lips were and wondered how they tasted. Catching up on his wayward thoughts, he scowled. He could already tell the woman would be a distraction. He had only considered being a distraction for a female employee‒ not once did he think that he could be the one who got distracted. There was no room in his life for romance. He only ever engaged in brief affairs where the other party knew nothing about him and he didn’t care to know anything about her.
Skylar Moore, with her big, blue eyes and bright smile, made him feel funny inside and he didn’t like it. Hiring her after she lied to him wasn’t going to happen. Admittedly, it wasn’t only because she lied on her application. It was mostly because of the instant attraction he felt.
“Goodbye, Ms. Moore. I’m sorry you traveled such a long way for nothing.” It was all her doing so he shouldn’t feel guilty. Yet slivers of guilt and remorse went through him when her face crumbled.
Liam quickly turned away before he did something stupid like tell her she could stay. “Show her out, Farah.”
His housekeeper gave him a disapproving glare which made his brows shoot up. So he was the bad guy for turning down a con artist? He scoffed and kept walking. This was the last time he would leave putting up an ad online to his housekeeper.
Before sitting down at his desk, he walked to the window to look out. He froze. There was Skylar Moore, marching to her car with drooped shoulders. Her posture screamed dejection and he felt terrible, which made no sense because he didn’t know the woman. She turned to lean against her car, giving him full view of her face. It was a lovely face, heart shaped and utterly miserable.
He watched her nibble her fingernails before she let out a breath and then wiped a hand over her face tiredly. He frowned, recalling the dark circles beneath her eyes, marring her slightly tanned, creamy skin. A journey from Florida was quite long. Had she slept? Where would she stay before making
her journey back home? Why did he care?
Maybe he should give her that one week trial. “No, no, no,” he hissed. He would not be sucked in by a pretty face. Yet he found his feet moving toward the door. He let out a groan as he made his way down the stairs.
Liam passed Farah who wore a satisfied smirk. “I see you’ve changed your mind, sir. I knew you would.”
Liam scowled. “How do you - never mind.” He pulled the front door open. “Ms. Moore.”
Her head snapped up and her eyes met his. Even from a distance, the blue orbs mesmerized him. Muttering a curse because of what he was about to do, he stepped outside. “I’ll grant you that one week. If you’re no good, you’re gone.”
Her eyes widened and a smile stretched across her lips. Skylar rushed forward and stumbled on her heels. Liam moved suddenly to lend a hand but she steadied herself and glanced up at him with a blush.
“These insanely high heels might get me killed,” she muttered. She extended a hand, which he accepted. “We have a deal. You won’t be disappointed. I promise.”
Skylar abruptly pulled her hand out of his and frowned. He stared at her with interest. Had she experienced the same jolt of electricity he had? Or the feeling of sheer magnetism and attraction that seemed to course through his entire being? Liam blinked and took on his usual scowl. Nonsense. Certainly there was no electricity or magnetism. It was his imagination.
“I hope so.” He said. “I’ll help you with your bags.”
“Oh, no. I can manage. I only have a few bags.”
Liam ignored her and marched to her small tan Toyota. He was already angry with himself for being weak and giving in because of a cute, sad face. He was getting soft and he didn’t like it.
“Now what kind of man would I be to let the lady carry her own bags?” He turned to her expectantly and she jumped to open the back door. Immediately he grasped the small suitcase and overnight bag on the back seat. His brows shot up. “Wow, light traveler?”
Her cheeks turned crimson as she shrugged. “Didn’t really have much to carry.”
Hearing the underlying sadness echo in her tone, he turned to study her briefly before nodding and heading back up the stone steps.
They passed Farah who was smiling from ear to ear. “Your room is ready, Ms. Moore.”
“Please, call me Skylar or Sky if you wish.”
“Sky,” Farah said softly.
Liam eyed his housekeeper suspiciously. Farah was a lovely woman who he got on well with. He knew she was a peculiar one but he couldn’t ignore the satisfaction radiating off of her. It was like she was ecstatic to have Skylar here. Maybe he was reading too much into her reaction. It could be that she was lonely in the middle of nowhere and wanted female company. Perhaps his new employee would begin to tire of being so far away from civilization as well. If she lasted the week anyway.
He turned to her. “I hope you don’t mind being surrounded by nothing but trees, Ms. Moore.”
“Are you kidding? I love it. This place is perfect. Who needs civilization anyway?”
He couldn’t help the small smile that appeared on his lips, which he quickly made disappear. He led her into a back room on the first floor. “This is your room for the time being, Ms. Moore. I hope everything is to your liking. Whatever you need, let Farah know.”
Skylar looked around. “Thank you, Mr. Conway. I really appreciate you giving me this chance. I can start right away. Whatever you need me to do.”
“There’s no need for that, Ms. Moore. Take the rest of today to get settled. You can start bright and early tomorrow.”
“Sure thing. Thank you so much.”
“You can stop thanking me now, Ms. Moore.”
“Right.”
Her face turned crimson again and he was annoyed by the fact that he liked it. Liam quickly made his exit and went in search of Farah. She was in the kitchen, rummaging in the refrigerator.
“Farah.”
Her head popped up. “Yes? Is Skylar settled in? She’s a lovely girl, isn’t she?”
He frowned. “I wouldn’t know. I just met the woman and so far I’m not impressed with her dishonesty.”
“Oh, come now, sir. She was desperate for a job. I for one admire her bravado.”
Liam grunted. “Sure. Let’s forget about my personal assistant for now, there are more important matters to discuss.” He lowered his voice. “Do you have anything to tell me about that arrow I showed you last night?”
“Ah, yes, the arrow. Where did you say you found it again?”
“In the woods, while I was… taking a stroll.”
Brown eyes bore into him and for a second he thought that she could see through his lie. But she smiled and nodded. “It took me a while to figure out the nature of the writing. You were right. They were ancient texts, very ancient actually. Sumerian to be exact.”
Liam stared at her blankly. “Okay.” Her words meant little to him. “I think I’ve heard the word before.” He shrugged. “I never paid much attention to history class and all that.”
Farah grinned. “There was an ancient civilization by the name of Sumer. It is said to be the first urban civilization in Mesopotamia. But I’m sure you’re not interested in all of that. You want to know what the writing on that arrow means.”
Liam nodded. “Yes.”
“Simply put, the writing means ‘destroyer of evil.’ I consulted with a cousin of mine who is very good with ancient languages.”
Liam continued to stare at her. Destroyer of evil? He wasn’t evil. Why would anyone want to destroy him? Sure, he was a wolf in the business world, but none of his rivals had ever tried to take him out before. He suppressed the alarm that rose inside of him. Deep down he knew what was going on. He didn’t want to admit it but it was staring him right in the face. A hunter was in Boulder Junction. He would have to warn the pack and every other shifter in the region. Bile rose in his throat. That meant confronting his old man; something he had been pushing back for weeks because he still hadn’t made up his mind about becoming leader of their pack.
Chapter 4
Skylar put on a bright smile and held up a cup of coffee as soon as Liam stepped out of his bedroom. “Good morning, Mr. Conway.”
Liam came to an abrupt halt. His brows shot up and he grunted in response. Taking the cup of coffee, he murmured. “Thanks and you don’t have to wait at my door.”
“You’re welcome and I know you always go downstairs first thing for a cup of coffee. Farah told me. That’s why I brought you the coffee to save you the trip. It’s black and strong, one sugar, just the way you like it.” She beamed at him.
Liam eyed her. “Are you always so bright?”
Her smile stayed in place. “I suppose I am. If you don’t like it, I can tone down.”
His head tilted to the side as he studied her. Skylar’s toes curled in her shoes. Was his gaze always so intense? Or maybe she was just on edge because she was fighting the urge not to drool over her new boss. Did the man have to look so good, so early? He was dressed to work from home and his hair was still damp from his shower. That stubborn lock of hair was hanging over his left eye again and her fingers itched to sweep it out of the way.
“Don’t change on my account,” he said gruffly and walked off.
Skylar’s smile fell a notch. Clearly he wasn’t a morning person. It was okay, a lot of people weren’t. She followed him to a closed door which turned out to be his office. He stopped in front of a massive oak desk and turned to her. The sudden stop took her off guard and she bumped into him. He steadied her along with hand that held the mug of hot liquid and muttered a curse.
“You know, Ms. Moore, being my personal assistant doesn’t mean that you have to physically attach yourself to me.”
Skylar’s face paled and then turned bright pink in a matter of seconds. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Conway. I wasn’t-” She stopped when she saw humor shining in his eyes and a ghost of a smile on his mouth. Letting out a breath, she smiled. “I’m not the
most graceful person in the world.”
“I can see that.” He motioned to a chair in front of his desk. “There was no official interview so I figured we could discuss a few terms this morning. Have a seat.”
She sat and watched him walk around to his winged-back chair. She couldn’t help noticing the easy grace with which his large body moved. She blinked, deciding that if she was going to last longer than the one week trial period, she would have to kill the attraction she felt to Liam or at least dampen it.
He sat and continued. “I’ll make it quick. I have work piled up that we need to get started on.”
“Of course.”
“Number one, your salary. I pay twenty five dollars per hour. Is that okay with you?”
Skylar’s eyes widened. She did a quick mental calculation. Was it okay? It was freaking awesome! Her eyes narrowed. That was almost double the average hourly rate for a PA. “That sounds great. What’s the catch?”
Liam smirked. “Smart woman. The only catch is my demand on your time. I will try my best to give you a regular eight or nine hour day and six days a week but you will end up working crazy hours some days for sure. Also, I will want you to travel with me on occasion. I think it’s only fair to compensate you for your lack of a decent social life while you’re under my employ.”
Her lips lifted. “Well, in that case, I agree. I don’t need a social life anyway.” She had bills to pay and, quite possibly, she might end up having to dig her father out of his gambling debts as well. So she would work around the clock with Liam if need be.
Liam looked like he wanted to comment but he didn’t. “Medical benefits also come with the job along with paid vacations, sick leave, and bonuses, assuming that you are still here next week, that is.”
Skylar reminded herself to keep her mouth closed or it would drop to the lovely blue carpet. Liam Conway sure was generous. Well, from what she had garnered during her research of her boss last night, he could afford it. He was a billionaire and was making more every day. She shrugged. “I will do my best to please you, Mr. Conway.”
