ELI
“ D ude, my sister thinks you hate her.” Owen’s voice came out annoyed on the other side of the phone. “Why? You’re usually the chillest guy in the room.”
I shrugged, clicking my pen. “I don’t know, man.”
Except I did know. I was being harsh on her because I’d had no idea that Olivia Gray was fucking gorgeous . Not to mention, she was dorky in the most annoyingly cute way I’d ever seen. And the last thing I needed at work was some sort of distraction—especially one that was my best friend’s little sister.
“I’m sure she’s hella embarrassed that she accidentally groped you in the lobby. Can’t you just tell her that it’s all good? I mean, she’s literally worried sick over it.”
I let out a sigh. “Yeah, I’ll make sure she’s not going to stroke out with worry or something. I’m sure the party tonight will make her feel a lot better about working here.”
“Yeah, and keep your snobby secretary from bullying her.” Owen’s fatherly tone was amusing, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at it.
“Dude, Brittany won’t bully your sister, and you and I both know she only keeps her job because she’s more organized than anyone I’ve ever met.”
“Yeah, but my sister is... fragile. ”
“Owen, chill . Nothing bad is going to happen to your sister while she’s working here. I mean, yeah, I always put the newbies in their place when they start here. You know how writers can be, they’re egotistical. I have to knock them down a few notches before I give them their first job.”
“My sister has already been knocked down plenty of notches.”
“Well, I don’t really need another writer right now.” I glanced over to the samples of her work that Owen had given me weeks ago and I let out a sigh. “But if I have an opening I’ll consider her.”
“Thanks, just...just don’t tell her that. I know that you hired her as a favor to me, and she’s having a hard time with that already.”
“Women,” I snorted, rolling my eyes. “She’ll be fine.”
“I’m serious, Eli,” he warned. “Don’t be a fucking asshole to her.”
“I won’t,” I snapped, just as there was a knock on my office door. “But I have to go. I’ll see you tonight at the party.”
Owen hung up without even saying goodbye, and all I could do was shake my head at the gesture. He was way too worried about his sister’s feelings. I had no intention of hurting the woman—but I had to keep her busy with things to do. There was no place on my writing team, and honestly, I hadn’t even read her shit to know if she was any good...
She had been kicked off a movie set in Los Angeles, ruining her career.
And there had to be a reason for that.
“Come in,” I finally said in the direction of the door as I sat my phone down on my desk.
Olivia poked her head in, her stunning pale-blue eyes meeting mine nervously. “I was just coming in to tell you that I finished cleaning the break room and the bathrooms—and that was the last thing on the list.” She stepped the rest of the way into my office, her perfect little hourglass body in full view for me.
And fuck, was it distracting.
None of the women in the office caught my attention the way she did—and I had no idea why. There was just something about Olivia that stood out to me. Maybe it was the creamy soft color of her skin, the light natural-blonde hair, or the cute little dimple in her chin...
“Um, what do you want me to do now?” Her voice broke through my thoughts as she stood there awkwardly, a coffee stain still on the end of her white sleeve.
“Uh, what time is it?”
She gave me a funny look before her eyes drifted down to her smartwatch. “It’s nearly four, but Owen said you all don’t call it a day until usually around five. I just want to make sure I use all the time to benefit you—so if there’s anything else I can do...”
I nearly laughed, thinking of plenty of ways she could benefit me, but caught myself. “You can call it a day, to be honest. As you probably know, there’s a birthday party tonight for Mason—have you met him yet?”
“No. I haven’t really met anyone. I’ve been too busy trying to finish the list.” Her plump lips were in a flat line, not a tinge of positivity on her face.
“Okay, well I’m sure you’ll get better acquainted this evening. Anyway, it’s cocktail attire and it’s being held here. You’ll be responsible for the cleanup, so you’ll need to stay until everyone else goes home.”
Her mouth opened slightly, and I thought for a second she was going to protest—but she didn’t. “How late do the parties usually last?”
“I don’t know, however long. It just depends on the day, I guess. This is a Friday, so it could run late. No one has to be at work tomorrow, surprisingly. We don’t have any filming planned.”
She nodded, biting her lip in a way that made my cock twitch to life. “Um, have you had a chance to read over the samples that my brother gave you?”
My eyes flickered to the stack of papers. “I haven’t.”
Her face fell, before picking back up. “I see. Owen just told me that he gave you some of my samples—like, weeks ago.” There was a hint of irritation in her voice as she folded her arms across her chest. A flash of cleavage emerged from the somewhat low-cut blouse, but I quickly looked away.
“I’m really busy, and we have a lot of writers that submit things to the company, trying to get on here. We’re really building a name for ourselves in the business, and while I respect your efforts—and your brother—I just don’t have a place for a writer right now.”
“So you didn’t even read them?”
“Why would I read something that I don’t have a place for?” I raised an eyebrow at her and leaned back in my chair. “I get what you’re thinking, because you’re Owen’s little sister, but I don’t play favorites, Olivia.”
“Clearly. I’ve spent half of my first day cleaning toilets.”
“Someone has to do it.”
She narrowed her eyes at me, and something about the tension between us was turning me on— fuck. “I thought you hired me because I was a good fit for your business. I’ve worked on a lot of projects—”
“And you also got kicked off the set of a movie out in Los Angeles, and your name basically burned out there.” I knew I was being a little harsh, but if I wasn’t a little standoffish I might just end up taking her fucking clothes off right here.
And that would not be good for business.
Olivia went quiet though, and inwardly I cringed. I had probably gone too far, and beyond just making her feel bad, Owen would probably kill me too. Her eyes darted to the massive windows overlooking New York City.
“Listen, everyone has to earn their place here. You really needed a job and I gave you one at a rate that means you can still afford your own apartment and shit.”
“Are you kidding me?” Her eyes snapped back to me. “You act like I’m a charity case.”
“I never said that.”
She shook her head, letting out a sharp breath. “You know what? Fine. But if I’m going to be spending my time cleaning and doing menial tasks, I’m not wearing heels to work every day.” Olivia had this cute little pouty look on her face, her eyes daring me.
I chuckled—like what she was saying was actually some sort of threat. “You can wear whatever you want to work. There’s no dress code here. I don’t require anyone to wear heels.”
She stared at me for a few moments longer. “I’ll wear sweats to the party tonight.”
“Okay, if that’s what suits you.”
I could see the frustration building on her face, and it took everything I had not to erupt in howling laughter. She was acting beyond absurd, and it was the most amusing thing I had witnessed in some time—she was definitely Owen’s sister.
She let out a sigh. “I’ll probably actually just bring a change of clothes for the cleanup if that’s okay. I don’t like cleaning up in semiformal wear, it’s just asking for stains—not that they’re a bad thing, coffee stains happen all the time to everyone.” Her voice sounded a little rushed and breathy, and I could already tell she was heading into an awkward rant, just like what had happened in the lobby. “You know, the cleaning lady was really nice and said that—”
I cut her off. “Why are you telling me this? I just said you can wear whatever the hell you want. I don’t care, Olivia, and the stain will come out of my suit.”
“Sorry, I lack a filter sometimes.” She shrugged, her cheeks flushing with a hue of crimson. “I’ll see you at the party.”
“See you then.” I shook my head, bursting into laughter as soon as the door shut behind her. Olivia Gray was a beautiful, eccentric woman...
And she was going to be hard to resist.
“It’s not good for business,” I reminded myself, picking up my phone from my desk. My billionaire father had beat it into my brain at an early age that women could prevent a man from reaching his career goals—and not to settle down until then. So I had a pact to keep things simple with women: sleep with them but never anything more than that. No labels, no feelings. It had worked out too. If I was around a woman who made me feel anything more than just a hint of physical attraction, I got the hell away from her.
However, Olivia was going to be a challenge—I could already fucking tell.
Just keep your distance. Maybe she’ll quit.
My pep talk to myself in my head was less than successful as I glanced down, seeing her social media page in front of my eyes. It was locked down, and I was unable to see anything other than the cute little selfie she had for her profile photo. She only had a couple hundred followers, which was surprising to me for some reason.
Does she follow me?
I went to my own list of followers, typing in her name. Sure enough, there it was. Pursing my lips, I went back to her page, my finger hovering over the follow button...
Is this unprofessional?
I never followed any of my employees unless we were close and saw each other outside of work—and I never followed the women in the office unless I was certain they were not interested in me. It was just asking for trouble...
But Olivia is Owen’s sister.
And Owen was like family to me. He was my fourth brother, and all my brothers saw him like that too. I took a deep breath, looking at her captivating blue eyes staring back at me through the screen.
She won’t think anything of it.
Or maybe it’ll smooth things over, and Owen won’t be pissed at me for today.
That thought was enough for me to go ahead and hit the button, pending the follow request.
Hopefully this doesn’t backfire on me.