The CEO’s Reluctant Bride

Chapter 1

DANIELLE

The first time I met Blake James, I was eighteen years old and handing out flyers at a school football game.

I didn’t know then that he would become my first love…

Or that five years later, I’d end up marrying him.

“Danielle, could you hand out these flyers to the visitors after the game?” Barbara fussed, pushing leaflets into my hands while her eyes darted around us. “Remember, cleaning, pressing, anything—”

“I’ve got this, Barb. Leave it to me, and I’ll hand them out this side,” I promised my mother’s best friend, watching as she hurried over to the other side of the school field to finish watching the game.

Pushing my hair behind my ears, I gathered the leaflets and forced a smile on my face as people started to leave the stands.

“What’s this?” a woman asked me, hooking a toddler over her hip as she peered at the leaflets.

“It’s a list of all the housekeeping services Barbara offers.” I smiled sweetly at the toddler who gazed at me through shining eyes.

“Does she babysit?” the woman asked hopefully.

“Uh, no.” I winced when the woman shoved the flyer back into my hands.

“No good to me then.”

Jeez.

Most people took the flyers from me to be polite, and I turned a blind eye when they dropped them in the trash.

Poor Barbara.

Her husband had left her—ran off to Vegas to ‘find himself’—leaving Barbara in heavy debt with a mortgage to pay. She had a job at a restaurant nearby, but she needed more money.

“Ugh, so not interested,” one girl huffed at me, shoving past me.

“Ooh, what’s this? I need a cleaner; do you have any references?” A woman scanned the flyer, as a striking guy hovered behind her, rolling his eyes.

“Yes!” I beamed, reeling off a list of jobs that Barbara had done locally, praying I was doing her a favor.

“Great. Can you come over for an interview?” The woman smiled, digging around in her purse as I frowned.

“Oh, I’m not the cleaner—”

“Sorry?” The woman handed me a business card, shiny silver letters announcing that the woman in front of me was none other than Kayla James—wife of the billionaire Alec James.

I found my tongue, nodding my head at Mrs. James. “Barbara can come for an interview whenever,” I responded, scanning the crowds for Barbara.

“Wonderful.”

I finally spotted Barbara, and I waved at her like a madwoman until she joined us, her eyes wide when she saw Mrs. James.

“This is Barbara, and Barbara, this is Mrs. James,” I introduced them, suddenly aware of eyes on me. I moved away then, continuing to hand out the flyers, praying that Barbara made the cut with Mrs. James. She would be made for life with a job like that.

“Hello.”

I whirled around to see the guy with Mrs. James gazing at me, his arms folded.

“Hi.” I smiled back, trying not to stare at his navy-blue eyes. I’d never seen eyes such a dark shade of blue before. He wore a loose-fitting tee-shirt over cut-off shorts, his dimples showing when he grinned at me.

Damn.

“What’s your name, flyer girl?”

“My mother told me not to give my name to strangers,” I teased, flushing at my sudden boldness.

What was I doing?!

“I’m Blake James. Not a stranger at all, I’m sure you’ve heard of me.”

My jaw dropped.

Blake James?

As though he was amused by my reaction, Blake handed me a card, identical to the one his mother had given me earlier.

“Well, flyer girl, if you ever want to catch a movie sometime, drop me a message.” Blake winked at me, and my cheeks throbbed.

“Danni,” I said with a smile. “My name is Danni.”

“Danni,” Blake repeated, stepping close enough for me to smell the woody aftershave he wore. “Nice name. How old are you, Danni?”

“Eighteen,” I answered.

Blake nodded, his eyes locking with mine.

“You’ve left school, right?” I checked, praying he didn’t think I was strange for knowing so much about him.

“Yeah, two years ago. My cousin was playing today, that’s why I’m here,” he explained, chuckling to himself. “Are you okay? You’ve gone a little red.”

“Yeah, it’s a little on the warm side today, isn’t it?” I fanned myself with the leaflets as he nodded.

“Yeah. It’s hot.” Blake held my gaze until I glanced away when someone called my name.

“Danni! Elton wants to know if you’ll go with him to—argh!”

I turned to see Freddie Richards being manhandled by Elton Morehay and Carter Halstrong, two guys in my year.

My eyes skimmed over Elton who gave me an apologetic smile, and I couldn’t help but wonder what the hell that was about.

“Friends of yours?” Blake asked, stepping closer to me.

“Yeah. They’re in my class.”

“Where does Elton wanna take you?” Blake inquired, intrigued. “Because it looks like I’ve got some competition for a date.”

Is he being serious right now?!

“Erm, it was lovely to speak to you, but I’ve got to go.” I shoved the remaining leaflets into my bag, cursing when I checked the time.

“Hey, Danni,” Blake called after me. “Don’t forget to text me. I need your number to arrange that date.”

He wants to date me. Oh my God.

My hands trembled as I dug my phone out of my bag, punching in his number from the card. I sent a quick ‘hi’ and held up my phone.

“All done. I hope your mom gives Barbara the job,” I said, breaking his gaze.

“Speak soon, I hope.”

That was the first time I met Blake James.

I wish I could say it was the last.

But five years later, he’d walk back into my life…

As my boss.

PRESENT DAY:

“Welcome to James Luxury Travel. Is it your first day?” a man with better eyebrows than me asks as I walk into the modern building. It’s all glass and white walls, with Mediterranean music playing softly in the background.

“Yes.” I smile, taking a deep breath. “I’m Danielle Vee.”

I’m twenty-three, and already I’d climbed the retail career ladder as high as I could, meaning I’d pushed myself and applied for the job of Retail Oversight Manager at the head office of James Luxury Travel.

And I’d gotten it.

“Great, welcome. Let me take you through security, and then you’ll be on your way.” The man smiles, tapping away on the computer. “Can I see your identification?”

I fumble around in my bag, cursing myself for not having it ready.

“Morning, Harvey,” Alec James, my new boss, booms. “Ah, good morning, Miss Vee. Good luck today; I’ve booked you on your induction with the other new hires, so you’ll have a nice easy start.”

Alec James is heavenly to look at, despite being an older man. He reminds me of David Gandy, but he’s such a sweetheart that I don’t feel weird for one second.

“Thank you, Mr. James.”

“Call me Alec.” Alec nods at me before disappearing though a frosted glass door to my right.

“Here you go,” Harvey announces, handing me a lanyard with my name printed in black ink. “I’ll just let you through, and the room you’re in today is on the second floor, the Dandelion Room. Have a great day.”

I take the lanyard with a grateful smile, walking through the open door, the scent of coconut filling my nostrils.

Clever. It makes you think of sunscreen and the beach.

I’d heard about the office environment being pretty wild here, and I’m here for it. I’ve been single ever since—

No. This isn’t anything to do with him; you’re just working for his father.

Him being Blake James, my ex and all-round arrogant prick. Also, the son of my boss of five minutes.

Anyway.

I’m looking forward to meeting new people. I make my way to the room Harvey had mentioned, passing bright posters framed on the wall of sunny, far-flung destinations, the buzz of the office around me steeped in laughter and animated conversation.

I feel overdressed in my trouser suit, especially when I see the other girls mainly wearing ripped skinny jeans and loose shirts revealing bronzed shoulders.

“Hey! Are you new?” a woman asks, struggling with a stack of brochures. Her hair is in pigtail braids, her nails each painted a different color. She has rosy cheeks and kind eyes, and despite having her hands full, she beams at me.

“Do you need any help with those?” I ask, reaching over to take half of the stack.

“Gee, thanks. I’m just taking them to Alec’s office.”

“Alec?” I echo, following her through the same frosted door Alec had disappeared through earlier, revealing a long corridor.

“Yeah, he doesn’t like being called Mr. James. Said it makes him feel old.” The woman laughs. “I’m Kiera, by the way.”

We reach an office with a glass door, and I see Alec James with his head down, scribbling away on a pad. I hand Kiera my half of the brochures, and she sighs.

“Thanks. Grab the door for me, would you? Are you on your induction today?”

I push the door open, stepping back so Kiera can squeeze by me with the full stack of brochures. “Yes. The Dandelion room, I think?” I wrinkle my nose as Kiera nods.

“It’s the room opposite. I hope you’ve got Issac as your trainer. He’s hot.” Kiera giggles, disappearing into the office as Alec looks up at her with a warm smile.

I turn on my heel, heading toward the brightly painted yellow door opposite.

Walking into the room, I see four other guys in there, and one of them winks at me instantly.

“Hey! You must be Danielle?”

“Yes, that’s me,” I reply brightly, wondering how he knows that.

He laughs, a deep, husky sound that makes me wonder if he’s a smoker. It’s kinda hoarse yet sexy. He has brown-blond hair that looks too perfect to be natural and dark eyebrows that frame emerald-green eyes.

Yikes.

“You’re the only woman in my induction today. I’m Issac.”

Kiera was right—he is hot!

“Awesome,” I say rubbing my neck, as the three guys avert their eyes. “I don’t bite,” I add to ease their awkwardness, and Issac mock pouts.

“Really? Get out then.”

I stare at him, a laugh of disbelief escaping my lips.

“I’m kidding. Please don’t report me; I’m terrible with jokes,” Issac pleads, waving his hand around the room. “There are coffee, tea, and other beverages at the back of the room. No alcohol yet, I’m afraid, we usually wait until after noon.”

I assume this is another feeble joke, so I half-smile, heading toward the back where I help myself to a coffee: milky with tons of sugar.

“Okay, so as there’s only four of us today, we shouldn’t need a full day in the office. I’m hoping to be by the river at four with a beer.”

Issac rubs his hands together as a few of the guys nod their agreement.

“So, let’s do a short intro, a bit about you, and I want you to tell me a secret.” Issac's eyes meet mine briefly before moving to the others. “Who wants to start?”

The men freeze, so I put my hand in the air, enjoying the admiration in Issac’s eyes.

“Okay, Danielle.”

“It’s Danni,” I say airily. “I’m twenty-three, I’ve run three megastores for JetAway since leaving high school, and my secret is...I blog online anonymously.”

Issac’s eyebrows raise, and he folds his arms. “Really? About what?”

The guys in the room watch me with interest, clearly racking their brains to see what they can say when it is their turn.

“Oh, this and that.”

Issac's eyes sparkle as he smirks, making my cheeks heat, even though I’ve sworn off men—thanks to Blake James. Even thinking about him makes my thoughts sour.

The rest of the morning consists of silly games and questions, most of which I feel Issac directs to me. It’s soon time for lunch, and Issac insists on taking us there.

“No one eats in the cafeteria here. We all go over the road to Old Moe’s.”

Which is where I find myself fifteen minutes later, squashed up against Kenneth, a burly IT guy who has barely uttered a word all day. The smell emanating from him is a mixture of cooking oil and sweat, and I wonder how the hell I’m going to stomach eating.

Issac sits across from me, with the other two guys beside him.

“So, Kenneth, IT, right? What about you?” Issac asks cheerfully, turning his attention to the man beside me.

I tune out, scanning the menu as the boys carry on talking. I opt for the steak and fries—fuck the diet. I live alone, so it means I won’t have to cook later.

“What about you? Are you married?” Declan asks me from across the table, twisting his wedding ring around his finger.

“Nope.” I wipe my forehead in mock relief. “You?” I direct this at Issac who grins at me.

“Do I have to answer that?”

I frown, but I’m distracted by the server bringing over our drinks. As she hands out the beverages, I catch Issac gazing at me, a mischievous look on his face. I shake my head with a smile, lifting my soda to my lips.

Why is he staring at me like that?

More importantly, why did I like it?