by J. S. Cooper
"True. True," Emma said. "So what do they have to say?"
I opened it and frowned. "Okay guys, this is a little bit weird."
"Why?" Isabella said, and they all came and huddled around me.
"So the first attachment is things to be wary of working for Dylan McAllister."
"Huh?" Isabella's eyebrows rose. "Okay, so maybe that doesn't sound so good. What does it say?"
"First thing first it says, “dress like a mousy librarian. Trust me, you do not want him to be on you about your attire.” What the hell does that mean?"
"I think it means you're not going to be able to wear that outfit," Emma said, shaking her head. "Because you don't look anything like a mousy librarian in that sexy get up."
"What else does it say?" Isabella said.
"Okay. It says," I read quickly, "Never be late. Make sure to do everything that he asks of you the first time. Always take his calls, even if it's the middle of the night. Why would he be calling me in the middle of the night? I thought this was a nine to five."
"Uh oh," Emma said.
"What?"
"He sounds like he might be one of those bosses that expects you to be on the clock all the time."
"Yeah," Isabella said. "I bet you that's why he's paying you so much."
"I mean, it's not like he's paying me a hundred grand a month."
"Yeah, girl, but aren't you making like over 10 grand a month or something?"
"Yeah." I nodded. Dang, I could feel myself starting to feel deflated. This already was starting to sound a little bit nerve wracking. I was starting to lose my excitement.
"What else does it say?"
"It says the names of some coffee shops where he likes to get his coffee. A bakery where to pick up his croissants. To pick up his croissants? What?" I stared at my two friends. "Is this a joke?"
"It doesn't sound like it, girl. You have heard he's difficult to work for, right?"
"Yeah, but I'm a secretary, not his girl Friday."
"I don't know about that." Isabella shook her head. "But just think, you'll be able to pay off your student loans faster, right?"
"Yeah. And I mean, I guess I can live with these rules as long as he's nice and he's friendly and we get on well, plus I've seen photos of him online and he looks gorgeous. So he can't be that bad, right?"
"Hopefully," Isabella said with a shrug. "Good luck girl."
"Thanks." I nodded. "I think I'm going to need it." I quickly closed my email and then looked down at my sexy attire. "Okay, back to the drawing board," I said. "I need to figure out an outfit that is going to fit the mousy librarian description because this sure isn't it."
"You can do it, girl. And why don't you wear your glasses as well?" Emma interjected. "I mean, I know you prefer to wear your contacts, but nothing says mousy librarian like glasses."
"Yeah." Isabella nodded. "And maybe put your hair up in a bun."
"Glasses and a bun? And I guess no heels, huh? I'll wear my sandals."
"You can't wear sandals to work."
"True. I guess I'll wear flats."
"Yeah, wear those ugly ones that you got the other day."
"What ugly ones?" I glared at her.
"You know, the ones that your mom gave you."
"Oh yeah. The Doctor Scholl's?"
"Yeah, them."
"I guess so." I made a face. "All of a sudden, I'm not feeling that excited about this job guys."
"It'll be okay, Abby," they said in chorus, but I could tell from the expression on their faces that they didn’t believe what they were saying.
* * *
Chapter Two
Abby
* * *
“Ugh...who the hell is calling me?” I groaned as I reached for my ringing phone. I glanced at the time. It was 6:02AM. What the hell? “Hello?” I said, yawning, about to go off on my random caller.
“Is this Abby Waldron?” A deep voice asked me with a slight attitude.
“Yeah, who is this?” I leaned back in my pillow wondering if I would be able to fall back asleep. I’d set my alarm for 7am, so it didn’t really leave me much time to get some more beauty sleep in.
“This is your worst nightmare, Ms. Waldron.”
“What?” I said up then, my eyes flying open. “Is this some sort of prank? Who is this?”
“This is your boss, Mr. Mccalister and your first day is already off to a bad start.”
“Uhm what?” I rubbed my eyes in confusion. “Isabella, are you on the call? Is this a prank? Are you using one of those weird voice changers.”
“I don’t know who Isabella is and no, Ms. Waldron, this is not a prank. This is your boss.”
“Uhm, it’s 6am. I’m not sure why you’re calling me.” I was flustered now. I didn’t think it was a prank.
“It’s actually 6:05 now.” He sounded pissed. “You were supposed to call to wake me up at 6.”
“What?” I blinked. What the hell was he talking about?
“Your first duty of the work day is to wake me up at 6am. And you’ve failed.”
“I didn’t even know.”
“Didn’t you receive your first day packet?” He sounded angry and I wondered what his problem was. He should have been congratulating me on taking the job. Instead of berating me, he should have been sending me roses or sunflowers or a first day muffin basket ot something.
“Uhm, no...wait, maybe.” I sighed. “I did receive an email last night.” I hadn’t read past the first attachment as I’d been so focused on my first day outfit. Shit! “But I mean, what’s the issue? You obviously already woke up without me.”
“Excuse me?”
“I mean you’re obviously already up. You woke me up. And I didn’t ask for a wake up call.”
“You’re supposed to call me to wake me up and fill me in on all my appointments for the day.”
“Every day?” I muffled a groan. Okay, it was official. This job was going to suck.
“What part of your job description and schedule did you not understand?”
“Uhm, I don’t believe I received an accurate schedule or I would have been on top of it, Dylan.”
“What did you just say?”
“I said, I don’t believe...”
“It’s Mr. Mccalister,” He cut me off. “Make sure you’re in the office by 7 with my coffee and croissant.”
“But it’s 6:10 now, I don’t even...” I paused as I realized he’d already hung up. Jerk! Dylan Mccalister was a jerk. I hated him and I hated even met him yet. This was not going to be the job of my dreams. I should poison his coffee, but then he’d most probably make me taste test it first and then I’d just kill myself. I let out a small scream into my pillow before rolling out of bed. I grabbed my phone and searched for the email I’d received the night before. If I was going to get his coffee and croissant I had to know exactly what he wanted. I frowned as I looked at the addresses of the two stores. They were at least 45 minutes apart. The croissant place was in the Upper West Side and the coffee shop was close to Wall Street, which was close to the office, but how the hell was I supposed to have a shower, put on my makeup, go uptown and then back downtown and then to the office, all within 45 minutes? It wasn’t going to happen. There was no way that it was possible. Even if I had a helicopter. I headed towards the bathroom and jumped into the shower. Not that I would be able to enjoy it, I literally had time for a lick and a scrub before I had to get out.
By the time I made it out of the apartment in my long navy skirt and loose white blouse, I had 20 minutes left to get to the office and get my new bosses coffee and croissant. I couldn’t believe this was part of my job description. Couldn’t he get his own coffee? As I walked down the street to the subway, I observed my reflection in one of the store windows. I looked frumpy and dowdy. My hair was piled on the top of my head in a tight bun, my glasses were thick, and I had on minimal makeup. My outfit looked almost Victorian and there was no fashion runway anywhere in the world that would allow me to strut
my stuff in my outfit. I sighed as I looked at my phone. I had no time to get the coffee or the croissant. I was about to cross the street when I saw a halal food cart open on the corner. I hurried over and pulled out my wallet. I frowned as I took out a $20 note. How was I going to be getting paid back for all these coffees and croissants. He wasn’t paying me enough to buy all of his meals.
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Acknowledgments
To all of the readers that purchased and read this book, thank you. I know there are so many authors out there and the fact that you took the time to read my book means the world to me.
I have been reading and writing stories since I was a little girl. I have loved falling into a story, becoming one with a world that isn’t mine and the fact that I can create worlds for readers to escape into for a few hours means everything to me.
Romance books allow us as readers to escape into an alternate reality. One where men almost always realize when they’ve messed up. And ask for forgiveness. And pledge their eternal and undying love. And yes, maybe this doesn’t always happy in real life, but it’s a lovely thought.
I want to thank the members of my ARC team for reading and reviewing my books. The fact that you take the time out of your day to help me is amazing. I want to thank my street team and those that share my books online and tell their friends about them. Word of mouth is everything and helps me more than you will ever know. I want to thank my editor Sarah Barbour, for always doing an amazing job editing my books. I want to thank all the readers that follow me on Facebook and Instagram and comment on my posts and send me messages or emails.
You would not believe how much you make an authors year when you send a message about how much you enjoyed a book. It literally makes my entire week. So, if you’re feeling up to it and you enjoyed this book or any others, feel free to email me at [email protected].
And as always thanks be to God for all his blessings. I am so thankful that I get to write and share my work with everyone.
Love,
Jaimie
XOXO
Also by J. S. Cooper
To The Rude Guy in Apartment Five
Accidental Mail Order Bride
The Billionaire’s Fake Fiancee
