Chapter 1
New York City
Ellie would work for Baile Buchanon.
Baile. Buchanon.
As his personal assistant no less. She paced back and forth in her small front room in disbelief. He had been in her life for the better part of a decade and was her brother’s best friend. He was handsome, rich and intelligent.
And Ellie hated his guts.
Every few minutes her hand inched towards her cellphone, wanting to dial Jack and tell him he would not coerce her into working for the company. She would never mention how she felt about Baile. In Jack’s eyes, he could do no wrong.
It was almost nine and her fingers were once again in danger snatching up her phone.
The blank screen mocked her. She sighed and pulled her hand back.
She should call him. She already had a huge argument with him about the job and there was no way she could win.
Frustration bounced through her while she relived the encounter with her brother two hours earlier.
Without preamble, her brother used his emergency-only spare key to crash into her apartment, his eyes bright with anger.
She jumped off the couch in sudden fright, opened her mouth to tell him off, but before she could, his lecture started.
“Since when have you ever lied? You said you were okay with school and didn’t need my help to pay for it.”
“I am, Jack and I don’t need your money.”
With disbelief, he shook his head. Apparently, mom and dad told him all about her financial struggles and her stubborn attitude towards borrowing from family, or anyone else.
“Remind me never to confide in our parents again.”
“Fine, refuse my help, but starting tomorrow, you are coming to work for SafeTech.” He emphasized the are, leaving little room for discussion.
“What?” She exclaimed in frustration. “I know nothing about computers. Even if I did, I don’t want a job as a favor from you.”
“You can be part of the administrative staff then. In fact–” his face lit up, “–Baile is looking for a secretary. He will hire you for sure. The rest of the applicants are idiots compared to you. I’ll tell him to give you a fair interview though. Happy now?”
She wasn’t.
A great argument ensued after his suggestion but she conceded.
Pushing past her annoyance, she knew her brother was right.
She needed a job. She needed more money for college and didn’t want to lose her dream of being a pediatric oncologist because of money problems. The hours were great too.
Baile’s last secretary was a part-time employee and Ellie would work four hours a day at her convenience.
The whole arrangement would fit right in with her hectic schedule.
Ugh, but why couldn’t Jack have had a less arrogant partner?
She threw her phone across the couch, ridding herself of the temptation and put her head back on a pillow, closing her eyes. She thought back to when Jack first introduced Baile to her. It was at a Christmas party hosted by her parents.
His appearance struck her immediately. It wasn’t the perfectly tailored suit, or the rippling muscle under the fine cotton shirt.
It was his steely eyes. They were shallow.
Every word he spoke never quite reached them, like he had put a barrier up and emotion couldn’t break through.
Jack bragged about his intelligence on a fairly regular basis.
He was brilliant, but Ellie had seen no compassion in him, which she found strange.
He didn’t really seem like the guy Jack would spend his time with.
Most of the night, Baile brooded in the corner. Ellie, knowing how much he meant to Jack and secretly wishing for a longer conversation with him, gave him the benefit of the doubt considering she hadn’t exchanged more than a greeting with him.
She rubbed the bridge of her nose, hoping to dispel the headache that threatened to worsen. She couldn’t get her mind off of Baile. She thought back to the next time they had met at SafeTech’s bi-annual party.
That day, she tried to strike up a conversation with him, and it was a disaster.
“Baile, right?” She put out her hand, but he was looking elsewhere and didn’t notice it. She let it fall to her side. “How are you? I haven’t seen you around much.”
He had eyed her so suspiciously; she felt naked beneath his gaze. His tone, however, was polite enough when he said, “I am well, thank you.”
She tried again, “How is work?”
Baile looked surprised. “It’s going well.”
And then: “Why are you here? I thought this was an office party.”
“Jack invited me.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know, ask him.”
“Yeah, I will. Jack!”
She stood there in stunned silence, wondering why her presence was such a source of discomfort for him. Baile wandered off to look for Jack and she quietly slipped away.
After her first impressions and the strange conversation, she never approached him again. She continued to watch him whenever they met up. He always arrived in some brand-new fancy car, and always merely observed the gathering from a corner.
If she took this job, Baile’s cold behavior would be part of her daily routine. She would be his employee. She would be privy to his schedule—to how he spent every single second of his week. Half of her day would revolve around him.
Her heart jumped in her chest. Would she schedule his dates?
She might even run into the women he slept with.
Probably thin, model types who liked money.
Her mind was wandering off into dangerous territory, so she gave up on her battle with her phone and went to bed.
Her interview was early in the morning as per Jack’s text and one thing she knew about Baile was that he was punctual.
Right at the brink of sleep, her brain concocted an image that could only pop up in her mind in a state of semi-consciousness—Baile’s face dangerously close to hers, their lips almost touching. His handsome, dead eyes burning into hers.
She jerked awake, throwing the pillow on top of her head and moaning in frustration.When she finally got around to sleeping again, she loathed herself for being so unbearably attracted to such a despicable human being.