Chapter Three
R uby
The call had come out of the blue, but in her experience, all the best things did. And it was a sign. It was a sign that she was on the right path. Finally. It wasn’t the job. Oh, no. It was the opportunity the job presented to her on a silver platter.
She squinted against the bright sunlight coming off the office building like a spotlight. Private Housing Corp. Run by the billionaire bastard himself. Oh, yes, she’d heard all about him. Her stepdad had filled her in on Josh Hall’s shady dealings, stealing clients from his successful agency based in London.
In the reflection of the doors, she adjusted her outfit. She’d gone for a black skirt and blazer combination, the only pop of color coming from her red stilettos and lips. Hey, with a name like Ruby, she might as well lean into the color, right? Besides, it was kind of her trademark at this point. If any of her friends or family saw her without her red lips, they would think something was wrong, or she was ill. Hell, that was how her loved ones had guessed she’d broken up with Gary. She didn’t think break up was an appropriate word for the heartache that coursed through her when she saw the messages from his colleague. The one she’d been concerned about for months, and he’d made her feel crazy for feeling that way. Now, a year on, the cheaters were happily married with a kid on the way, and she still felt as if she were putting herself back together. No, not because he was her soul mate, her one true love ... it was the betrayal, the lies, it made her question everything and everyone.
It also prompted her to move to New York for a fresh start. It wasn’t like her family was going to be far behind. Her parents were opening up an office in New York in less than a year for their luxury real estate company, finding the rich and famous houses. Her parents had offered her a job there after she’d finished college. She’d done admin for a few years and then moved to a PA position, but now, now , she was ready to actually use her degree. Journalism. She’d had a few freelance pieces published, but this was her big break. As soon as her dad had overheard her telling her mom about her call with Alana, he jumped on the call, telling her that she was to work undercover and write a hit piece on Josh Hall and all of his questionable practices. She’d laughed at him, actually laughed, but he’d been serious. And now, one week later, here she was, about to attend her interview with the devil himself. Okay, maybe devil was a bit of a stretch. Greedy, arrogant bastard. There—that suited him better. At least he was a Brit, that was the only thing he had going for him. She missed the accent.
She carried on using the window like it was her own personal mirror, running her fingers through her chestnut waves and tidying her eyeshadow with her pinky. The buzz of her phone brought her out of her preening reverie.
Alana.
Shit.
Her first friend in New York, and she’d made sure to keep her close ever since. She was a genius. She owned a lucrative club for billionaires. But that wasn’t why she kept her close. She could trust her. She was a good, kind person. And she was deceiving her. She worried her lip. Thing is, once she proved what an asshole Josh really was, surely she wouldn’t be mad?
She clicked the “accept call” button.
“Hey, A.”
“Hey, hey, ready for your interview?”
“Umm, yes?”
She chuckled. “Don’t worry, you’re more than qualified. In fact, you’re overqualified. I think his last few PAs have been models.”
Great, that boded well. “Only interested in looks. Another shallow billionaire, tick.”
“No, no, I’m pretty sure Drew told me they were temps from an agency. He’s on the search for a permanent employee now.”
“Right,” she said, slowly, tasting the word. “Look, I better go.”
“Well, good luck, not that you need it. The job’s yours. The interview is just a formality. Call me after!”
“Will do, bye, honey.”
She hung up.
Ruby took a deep breath and then stepped inside the devil’s lair.
****
T he devil’s lair was nice. Not that she expected anything less. The office was built over six floors, the lobby wide and welcoming, plenty of chairs, magazines, a coffee machine, and a fish tank, with tropical fish of all colors swimming about, the color glinting in the corner of her eyes, like tiny fireworks. A smiling receptionist told her to take a seat and that she would buzz her up as soon as Mr. Hall was ready.
A few minutes later, just as she was getting into an article about her skin type (combination, apparently), the receptionist called to her, handing her a pass to hang around her neck. “If you take the elevator over there, head to the fourth floor, and someone will be there to greet you.”
“Great, thanks,” she replied, hanging the visitor pass around her neck.
When the elevator dinged open, her breath caught in her throat. There he was. The devil. Damn, the devil was handsome. Who said he could look like that? Sure, she’d seen the odd blurred photo of him, but he looked like a model, with black hair that crested in waves, green eyes, and stubble littering his face. He looked like he hadn’t slept, though, for there were slight purple marks underneath his eyes. She scoffed internally. Probably out partying with random models. Don’t let a pretty face distract you, Ruby, you have a job to do .
She stepped out of the elevator and shook his hand so quickly, it gave her a spark of satisfaction that she’d caught him off-guard. He quickly recovered, of course.
If she was honest, she was shocked he was greeting her himself. Don’t the high and mighty have people to do that for them? Although, she supposed, that would be the job of his PA. Her. If she got it.
“Please follow me, Miss Lock.” He turned on his heel and walked through the large office floor—it was bright and airy. She glanced around, drinking in the details. Everyone seemed ... happy. Chatting and laughing with each other, typing away at their desks. Appearances could be deceiving, though.
They reached his office, the only one with no glass doors, so no one could see in. He opened the door for her and gestured to take a seat in front of the large oak desk. His office was surprisingly simple, with a desk, chair, a small sofa and bookshelves. He liked to read? Nah, it was probably all for show.
“Thank you,” she said, taking the seat and crossing her legs. She didn’t miss his momentary glance at her. She had to stop her lips from smirking.
He pulled out her resumé. “So, you worked for Allan Group doing PA work?”
He obviously didn’t seem to care that she worked for a rival company. Mind you, he didn’t realize that she wasn’t just an employee, but the boss’s daughter...
She nodded. “That’s right. I started with basic admin tasks and worked my way up.”
She didn’t miss the slight twitch of his jaw. She wouldn’t be made fun of. She wouldn’t be laughed at.
“Of course, working your way up from an admin job to a PA position might not seem like a huge leap for some people, but for us regular folk, I can assure you it is.”
He clasped his hands in front of him, all traces of mirth wiped from his face.
“My mom worked as a cleaner for most of my life, my dad as an office worker, and that’s where they met. I cleaned the office for extra money and worked my way up to a position there before all this...” he waved his hand. She watched as he bit the inside of his cheek, like he’d made a mistake in revealing this.
Well, that was unexpected...
“I see,” was all she meant to say, but then couldn’t resist adding, “what a sweet story ... about how they met.”
He gave a curt nod. “Now if we can move away from my parents’ love story and back to the matter at hand. What makes you think you’d be a good fit for the role?”
Okay, back to playing job interview.
She pushed a stray strand of hair from her face and sat up a little straighter. “Well, as you can see from my resumé, I have experience in this type of work, and I enjoy it. And I’m a hard worker.”
Oh God, she was out of practice. Way to go at selling yourself, Ruby.
To his credit, he didn’t snipe back at her, simply nodded, eyes glazed, looking bored.
“You’re hired.”
What?
She raised a brow. “That’s it? You’re not going to ask me any other questions? Other past jobs? What was the most challenging day at my old job? My hobbies...”
He seemed exasperated. “I couldn’t care less about your hobbies. Miss Lock, do you want the job or not?”
Hell yes, I want the job, she wanted to say, to scream from the rooftops. I want everyone to know you for who you really are.
“Yes, I do.”
“It’s yours. Cathy will send you all the details and provide you with a start date.”
She was being dismissed. She held out her hand. His hand was warm in her own. When he looked into her eyes, there was something...
Stop holding his hand.
She made it to the door, but something made her turn around and look back. He already had his head bent over a stack of papers with his pen ready.
“Do you miss it?”
His eyes flew to her. “Miss what?”
“England? Home?”
A look of longing filled his eyes. “More than anything.”
****
C athy accosted her on her way out. A petite woman with gold heart-shaped glasses who was just singing the praises of you know who.
“...just such a wonderful place to work. Oh, but you’ll see that for yourself! Josh is the kindest, most considerate boss you’ll meet. When my grandchild was born, he gave me a week of paid leave to go and visit my daughter, and he even paid for my flight!”
That was nice of him, I guess.
And Josh? His employees call him Josh? Was she supposed to? It all felt a little too personal now. Oh God, I’m not sure I can do this...
“Are you okay, Ruby? You’ve gone a little pale.” Cathy’s concerned gaze was fixed on her.
“Yes, fine, fine,” she said brightly. “So, when do I start?”
Cathy brought up a spreadsheet on her computer, along with a calendar. A few clicks here and there, and then she looked up, smiling. “How about Monday? I know it’s short notice, but you’re not employed at the moment, so you have no notice period to give.”
The weekend. Two days and then she would be working here. With him.
She forced a smile back on her face. It felt like it hurt. “Sounds great.”
“Wonderful! All the relevant checks have already been made, so just turn up here at 9:00 AM on Monday and we’ll go from there.”
She didn’t have the same last name as her mom and stepdad—she’d kept her biological dad’s surname even though he died when she was one. But her stepdad was her dad no matter what as he’d always been there for her. He’d earned the title of Dad. Despite the name difference, she still couldn’t believe she made it through Alana’s extensive background checks undetected. Well, maybe she hadn’t. Maybe she hadn’t done any checks at all due to their friendship.
Cathy continued, oblivious to her racing heart and guilty conscience. She may as well be wearing it like a sign. “I’ll have some paperwork sent to you by the end of the day for signatures.”
“Great, thanks, Cathy.”
Before she knew it she was in the elevator again. Once she was edging over the lower floors, she felt a sinking in her own stomach. Maybe she wasn’t cut out for this. She could back out. It wasn’t too late...
Her phone buzzed. She should have known.
“Hey, Dad.”
“Well, honey, how did it go?”
“I got it.”
“Of course you did.” She could almost hear him beaming over the phone. “Now the real work begins.”