Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
A pril 22 nd
I was useless all weekend with the worst hangover I have ever had. Now it’s time to get back in the office. It was only a couple of weeks ago that I pushed and my boss, Jack, pulled. As in, he pulled me across his desk and kissed me senseless—until his mommy dearest walked in and basically called me a slut and wanted me fired. Jack didn’t fire me. Instead, he told me I owed him and that he’d collect. Is it bad that I’m really hoping he’ll collect my virginity? I know what Max said about Mr. Right, but come on, he’s a grumpy billionaire boss who belongs to a sex club. He’ll definitely know how to do it right. But I have to admit, my brain knows better. My job is important to me and I really love it. It might work in the pages of a book, but in real life, sleeping with the boss can get very messy and I love my job too much to sacrifice it for sex . . . right ?
They’d been skirting around each other for two weeks. Jack Griffin was part of the Griffin Family Empire. His parents had ruled New York and now it was Jack’s turn. He didn’t put up with shit. He was cold, indifferent, ruthless, and kissed like fire.
Paige thought it might be best to avoid him instead of throwing herself onto his desk and begging to collect whatever she owed him for not allowing his mother to have her fired. Therefore, Amanda, his personal assistant, became very busy running between their offices.
The trouble—Paige had to walk past Jack’s office to get to hers.
“Miss Turner! In here, now,” Jack’s deep voice snapped from his office. “And close the damn door.”
Paige thought about closing the door and making a dive for his desk saying, “Take me now,” but she decided it was best to put this infatuation with her boss-hole to rest. She was a professional and she was going to do her job. And her job was not doing her boss.
“Yes, Mr. Griffin?”
His eyes snapped up from his desk and his lips quirked. “There’s something about the way you say that that tells me it’s not respectful.” Paige blinked her eyes innocently and Jack dared give her a small smile. “I’m sorry about the other week. I’m normally very controlled and exacting when I want a woman.”
“Until your mom catches you,” Paige couldn’t help the taunt that came out of her mouth.
“Watch it, little one.” Damn, that went straight to her core and she shifted to hide the excitement it caused. “Little one” was what the doms called their submissives at The Red Door.
However, Paige had been reading too many books with sassy, snarky heroines to watch it . “Or what? You’ll tell your mommy on me? ”
Jack’s chest rumbled in anger as he frowned at her. If he were a bull, she was waving a red flag at him as if she were a ribbon dancer in rhythmic gymnastics. Damn, the books had one thing right. Alpha-hole billionaire bosses were undeniable.
“You want me to collect on that debt you own me right now?” It was a threat, but it made Paige’s body flush with excitement. “Oh, you do. Well, then, let’s get down to business.” Jack leaned forward. “You need to hire an assistant and a junior editor. HR is emailing you qualified candidates. Interviews start in an hour. Pick your team by the end of the day and get back to work. Mimi’s book releases in a couple of months. Remember, Miss Turner, nothing is permanent until you prove to me you deserve this promotion to editorial director with a bestseller under your belt. And then, maybe I’ll give you something else to put under your belt.”
Jack turned away from her and got to work on his computer. Paige turned and left as that last sentence rolled around in her head. He’d give her something else to put under her belt. Well, now she was even more motivated to make Mimi’s book a bestseller. Get a promotion and lose your virginity. Couldn’t top that bonus.
Five hours later and twenty-five applicants in, Paige was cross-eyed and still hadn’t found her team. She couldn’t believe the number of applicants who spoke in text-speak or had used abbreviations in their résumés. She looked down at the next candidate: Miriam Lieberman. No work experience for the last twenty-five years, but plenty of volunteer hours in schools. She’d been an English teacher, and based on the dates of her education, she was close to fifty years old. That was different for a junior editor.
Paige got up and opened her door. “Ms. Lieberman? ”
A woman stood up. Her dark pantsuit was simple and well made. Her dark hair was swept up into a twist. Her makeup was understated and elegant. And unlike the other women sitting around her, her jewelry was modest while still beautiful.
“Ms. Turner. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Ms. Lieberman said without any slang. She was off to a great start.
“Please, sit down. I was looking over your résumé and saw you were an English teacher. What made you stop?”
“You mean, why is there a twenty-five-year gap in my employment?” She smiled. “I got married and raised a family. My youngest daughter is halfway through her freshman year of college and my eldest is a senior. I was too busy helping my husband run his company, raising our children, and volunteering at our synagogue and my children’s school to work. And, quite frankly, after my children flew the nest, I realized I wanted something for myself,” Ms. Lieberman told her.
“What’s your favorite book, Ms. Lieberman?”
“You don’t expect me to name just one, right? It’s like picking your favorite child,” and then Miriam Lieberman listed off at least fifteen romance books. Some bestsellers, both traditional and self-published, then some obscure ones. They crossed every subgenre possible. “I can easily read a book a day, sometimes two. And I love romance.”
Bells, chimes, angels singing . . . they were all sounding. Finally! Paige had found her junior editor. But first, she had to make sure she could do the job. She handed her two pieces of paper, each from different authors. “Please read both and then tell me your thoughts on their potential.”
Miriam read through them both quickly and handed the first sheet to her. “This one is grammatically superior.” Then she handed Paige the second sheet. “But this one has a story hidden under the errors. I’d recommend the second story. ”
“And you’re okay with an entry-level editorial job?”
“I am.”
Paige smiled and held out her hand. “You’re hired, Ms. Lieberman. When can you start?”
“Call me Miriam. How’s Wednesday morning?”
One down. One more to go.
After another three hours, the last chair emptied and she still had no assistant. It was almost five o’clock. A man strode in carrying coffee from Felix’s café. He was looking around as if he didn’t know where to go.
“Hey,” Paige said with a smile as she recognized him. He was one of the baristas who only worked part time at Café Felix. “Kendrick, it’s Paige from Café Felix. What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you,” he replied with his trademark smile that instantly made you smile back at him. He was a couple of years younger than she was but much taller. He was tall and lanky to her short and curvy. He stood at least two inches over six feet, so Paige had to look up at him. “I brought you your favorite,” he said, handing her the drink. His long dreadlocks were pulled back with a hair tie into a low and loose ponytail and his dark brown eyes looked nervous.
“Thanks, Kendrick. Did Felix send you knowing I’m having a hard day? I guess Amelia’s been telling him about my day.”
Kendrick nodded. “Amelia arrived an hour ago and said you’ve hired a junior editor but not an assistant. I know I’m probably doing this wrong, but I thought it was worth a chance. I’m graduating with my associate’s degree in business administration this weekend. I was hoping I could apply for your assistant position. I brought my résumé,” he said, sliding his backpack off and unzipping it. “I know I didn’t go through HR, but when I called, they told me I was too late. Amelia promised you wouldn’t be offended if I just came down and gave you this.”
“I’m not offended at all. Come in,” Paige said, leading him into her office. He handed her his résumé and she looked it over. She saw the number one reason HR would have turned him down. He didn’t have any experience. He’d been a barista all through college. It was so hard to get that experience when companies wanted you to have experience for entry-level jobs. “Tell me some things you learned in your program.”
Paige sat back and listened to Kendrick talk about his degree, what he wanted to accomplish, and more.
“Who’s this?” Paige turned to see Jack leaning against the doorframe.
“Jack Griffin, meet my new assistant, Kendrick Fulmore. Kendrick, Mr. Griffin owns the publishing house,” Paige explained.
“I’m hired? Oh my gosh, Paige! Thank you!” Kendrick jumped up and held out his hand to excitedly shake hers. “What about HR?”
Paige smiled at Jack. “Mr. Griffin has an in with HR, don’t you?”
Jack raised an eyebrow but didn’t say no.
“Kendrick, can you start next week after your graduation?” Paige asked.
“I’ll be here, with coffee.”
“See, you’re already the best assistant I could have. Thanks for taking a chance and coming to see me, Kendrick. HR will be reaching out with your paperwork. And congratulations on your degree.”
Kendrick looked ready to explode with smiles as he shook Jack’s hand and then hurried from his office. He wasn’t even halfway down the hall before Paige heard him on the phone. “Ma! I got the job. I’m going to be an assistant to an editor at Griffin Publishing!”
“That’s who you want as your assistant? Someone who hasn’t even graduated yet? What kind of experience does he have?” Jack asked, walking the rest of the way into the room and picking up Kendrick’s résumé.
“None. Everyone has to start somewhere, Jack. Will you talk to HR if they give me pushback?”
“That will be two things you owe me.” The sexual undertone was clear in his look.
“Lucky me.”
Jack shook his head and took the résumé. “I’ll have Amanda take it down with my order to send him a graduation gift as well.”
“Aw, there’s the nice man under that grumpy boss—,” Paige caught herself and closed her mouth into a smile, not calling call him a boss-hole to his face, —“exterior.”
“You have your team in place. But remember, it’s all dependent on Mimi’s book.”
“Oh, I remember. I have no doubt about her book. It’s going to be a smash hit, and then I’ll become the editorial director of romance for Griffin Publishing.”
“You sound very cocky.”
Paige blinked her eyes innocently at him. “Oh, I’m not the cock y one here.”
And it was true. Jack’s package was impressive and right now it was rising to the occasion to say hello. “Maybe I should collect on one of the debts you owe me.”
“Mr. Griffin,” Amanda, his personal assistant called. “Your mother is on the phone.”
Paige could only smile as Jack cursed under his breath. “Amanda, take this down to HR. Tell them this is Miss Turner’ s new assistant. And have them send a graduation gift to him on Saturday. He starts work on Monday.”
Then Jack stormed off as Amanda looked into Paige’s office. “Is that hot guy who was just here your new assistant?”
“He sure is. His name is Kendrick Fulmore.”
Amanda blushed and Paige’s mind went straight to a workplace romance between the two assistants. Wouldn’t that be sweet? Paige sat at her desk and began to pack up for the day. She had her team in place. Now she just had to work her magic on the marketing front to make sure Mimi Golden’s book was a bestseller and the promotion would be hers. She knew the team she wanted to help her with that PR. Another duo destined to be the couple in a work place romance novel, Leah and Noah. Too bad Leah didn’t realize it yet. Noah did, but he was giving Leah time to come to terms with the fact they were perfect for each other. Now, if only Paige could find someone like that.