Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Theo
Marley James is my worst nightmare.
She’s everything I try to avoid in life, and especially in an employee.
Overly friendly, to a point that I’m not entirely sure if she’s messing with me.
Too damn quick-witted with her subtle little quips and jabs.
Most of all, she’s dangerous. Because as soon as I saw her, I felt something I shouldn’t.
An ache, sharp and unfamiliar, like I’d suddenly realized how goddamn lonely I’ve been.
No one has ever sparked this feeling, which is exactly why I can’t have her working here, with me.
Not long after I took over as CEO, I swore off relationships.
At the time, they felt like distractions and wastes of time wrapped in pointless drama.
I wasn’t the type to form attachments, and the women I dated always thought they’d be the one to change that.
Apparently, I give off dark and damaged energy.
So, five years ago, I stopped trying. No more flings, no mixed signals, no letting anyone think there was something to build on. Because I had come to realize that I’m not a match for anyone. That’s not a comment made in self-pity either. It’s the truth.
I’m fine being alone. In fact, I prefer it.
Yet there’s something about Marley that unsettles me.
I can’t quite put my finger on it. Maybe it’s the way she carries herself, like she’s not afraid to take up space or draw attention without trying. Or maybe it’s her eyes, the way they hold just a beat too long, like she’s studying me. Seeing more than she should.
From outside my office door, faint music filters through. I should tell her to turn it off, but that would mean speaking to her. That’s all the opening she’d need to start asking more questions.
She’s not the type to shrink away every time I walk the hall between my office and her desk. She’s the kind who asks the questions no one else dares to, just to see what you’ll say.
I’ve been trying to avoid her since she started. But by midday, I’m forced to leave my office for a meeting I’ve been dreading for two solid months.
One of my previous assistants is suing Prescott Investment Corp for a hostile work environment and wrongful termination.
According to my lawyer, they claim I was a raging asshole and had no reason to fire them.
The asshole part may be true. I can’t deny that I come across as rigid.
I hate socializing and expect people to do their jobs.
It’s how I successfully run a billion-dollar corporation and make sure all my employees are well paid.
Someone has to be the bad guy. This employee in particular, however, was more interested in browsing their phone during work hours than completing the monthly reports I needed.
Exiting my office, I find Marley at her desk. She’s on the phone, physically smiling while she answers the ringing office line. It’s the first time I’ve seen someone look happy while doing this job. Normally, people’s expressions are more comparable to someone bracing for a root canal.
Walking to the conference room, I hear an angry voice bleeding through the receiver at Marley’s desk. Politely, she tells them, “I’m sorry, but Mr. Prescott isn’t available right now. I’d be happy to take a message.”
The response comes sharp and loud once again. A warbled yell from the other line.
Instantly, I’m pissed.
I don’t have to like my assistants, but no one gets to scream at them.
Marley though? Unbothered. Unfazed. From what I can tell, the caller’s rant doesn’t shake her in the slightest.
When I glance back, she gives me a deadpan look, spinning her finger near her temple. Universal shorthand for this person is absolutely unhinged.
Hands in my pockets, I stay put, watching her.
Most people would be rattled by a call like that. But her voice doesn’t even waver as she tells the caller she understands their frustration.
They hang up before she can finish.
She sighs, shaking her head. “Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”
From the corner of my eye, I see her immediately move on, typing something into her computer, completely serene. She doesn’t huff or complain. Doesn’t even glance in my direction.
“Who was that?” I ask, my voice cutting through the quiet.
She whips around in her chair like she’s seen a ghost. Which, to be fair, might be how she views me, considering this is the first time I’ve voluntarily spoken to her since she started.
“Mr. Pearson, one of the shareholders,” she says.
I nod, making a mental note to personally call him back later. Except when I do, he’ll be the one on the receiving end of a verbal beating.
Turning toward the conference room, I step inside, met immediately by our in-house lawyer, the same guy we’ve used for the last twenty years. We shake hands as he dives straight into briefing me on the latest employee complaint.
It’s nothing I haven’t heard before. Another ex-employee looking for an easy payday and a headline. Another waste of my time.
Throughout the meeting, I give it my best try to appear civil.
It’s especially difficult when the jackass who claims I had no reason to fire them is sitting across from me, smugly staring right at me.
It takes every last iota of willpower to be neutral and keep my scowls to myself.
The only thing distracting me enough, therefore helping me keep my cool, is periodically watching Marley through the soundproof glass wall.
She’s fascinating. Like no one I’ve ever seen before.
Not only is she drop-dead fucking gorgeous, but she marches to the beat of her own drum.
I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there’s something about her that’s different than any other person I’ve ever met.
And for a guy like me, that’s a problem.
Every time I glance at her, it feels like I’m toeing a line I swore I’d never even approach. It’s why I need to put up even more of a wall between us. One that’s solid, impenetrable.
But when she crosses one smooth leg over the other, a heel bouncing, and an expression brighter than any summer day, I know, deep down, the way I’m looking at her is anything but professional.
It feels thrilling. Off-limits.
It’s the first time I’ve felt anything in years.
And that? That makes me completely fucked.