Chapter 2
MEGAN
“Wait a second. You broke your two-year dry spell with a one-night stand? Who are you, and what have you done with my best friend?” Nina practically yelled into the phone.
Oh, why did I tell her? It was eight in the morning, and I was already in front of the office building on LaSalle. My welcome email from Human Resources said to arrive after eight thirty. I didn’t want to go up too early, so to pass the time, I’d called Nina, my best friend and co-conspirator.
“Honestly, I don’t know what got into me.”
“Well, whatever it was, I’m happy for you.”
Looking back, I still wasn't sure how it happened.
I'd never had a one-night stand in my whole life. I'd been with my ex since high school until two years ago. After we broke up, I’d been too hurt to date at first. Then I went out with a few guys, but we didn’t get past the kissing stage.
But last night, Luke had been charming and such a great dancer.
It still felt surreal that I'd gone with him to his penthouse.
I was usually careful and a planner, never spontaneous.
But last night, I threw caution to the wind.
Maybe because he'd been such a great dancer, or maybe because he'd charmed me when he started talking about his niece.
I shook my head. It didn't matter. I was never going to see him again. Even though he'd asked for my number, I was pretty sure he wasn't going to call, although I wasn't an expert at these things. But last night was last night, and today was my first day at the new job.
“Nina, wish me luck, okay? I’m going to go upstairs and sit in the waiting area or something.”
“You’re going to have a great day. They’re lucky to have you.”
“Thanks.”
I was so excited to start something new. It was an internship at one of the most prestigious architecture companies in the country.
I took a selfie, sending it to Aunt Dana.
She'd raised me after my parents passed away.
My aunt was going through a tough time now, and I wanted to cheer her up a bit.
She'd been laid off from her accounting job and had only managed to find something part-time.
I'd offered to lend her money, but she wouldn't hear of it because I'd been unemployed until now.
But with my paid internship about to begin, I hoped I would be able to change her mind.
I checked my appearance in the tinted window behind the rotating door leading to the inside of the building. I'd dressed sharp in a navy suit and comfortable heels, and I’d straightened my hair.
Rolling my shoulders to release the tension, I pushed the rotating door.
Once inside, I walked with determined steps into the gorgeous atrium.
I loved the shiny black tiles and sleek reception desk.
Donna, the HR manager I’d spoken with earlier this week, told me to go to the seventh floor.
There was plenty of activity on the ground floor, though, which wasn’t a big surprise, since there were a lot of offices on these fifty floors.
I received a visitor’s badge from the receptionist and then headed to the elevators, pressing the button for the seventh floor.
I got off and looked around, noticing it was pretty quiet.
The entrance area was rather sparse. There was a reception desk, but it was empty.
Everything was crisp and white, reminding me of a doctor's office.
I knew there was more than one business on this floor from what the directory noted downstairs.
"Good morning," a woman said, coming up to me. "I'm Greta. How may I help you?"
"Hi, I'm Megan Pierce," I said. "I'm the new intern for Supreme Architecture."
"One moment," Greta said, "I don't work for them. I’ll be right back with someone who does."
She disappeared into a room a few feet away.
It looked like a communal kitchen. There seemed to be a few people inside, getting their coffees and whatnot.
I wondered if they were from Supreme Architecture or one of the other companies.
I glanced around, feeling immensely lucky to have nabbed this job.
The company was renowned and would look good on my résumé.
I could imagine myself coming in early every day and getting a start on my tasks before everyone else arrived.
I turned around as I heard footsteps and then froze. Luke was walking toward me with confident, determined strides. His eyes widened. He was wearing a dark blue suit and white shirt with cuff links. He was just as hot now as he was last night.
"Megan," he said curtly, extending a hand. "This is a surprise."
I shook his hand briefly, trying with all my might to ignore the warmth coursing through me.
"You work here?" I asked, hoping that wasn’t the case. It would be hard to see him every day, especially being new on the job. I didn’t want to lose my focus.
He cleared his throat. "I'm the owner of Supreme Architecture, Luke Maxwell. And Greta says you are our newest intern."
I was rooted to my spot. I drew in a deep breath, exhaling slowly.
Oh, this is not good.
"I don't know what to say," I replied eventually.
"Let's go to my office." He pointed toward a narrow corridor.
I walked in front of him. My legs felt shaky, like they weren't able to sustain my weight.
"I'm an early bird, but the rest of the office will come in later. Greta is my brother Declan's assistant."
I needed to get myself together, but I had no idea how. I was approaching full-on panic mode.
"This is my office." He pointed at the open door on his left, and we both walked inside. It was large with a huge window and a big desk with two monitors. He positioned his chair so we could talk without obstruction, and I sat in the chair opposite him.
"Let's pretend we’re meeting for the first time," he said casually.
I nodded, even though I felt like I wasn't getting any air.
I'd slept with Luke.
I’d slept with the boss.
What a way to start a job.
"Our HR manager will—”
"You didn't know who I was?" I blurted. Surely it wasn’t a coincidence when he walked to the table after all.
He frowned. "No. HR hires the interns. You only spoke with Donna, right?"
"Yes." He must have looked at my résumé. Damn! I remembered that they didn’t want pictures with the application. But this could not have been pure happenstance.
"I feel uncomfortable," I admitted. "I don't think this is a good idea." As much as I needed this job, this was not the way to start. I should just leave.
He leaned back in his chair.
How can he look so relaxed? Isn’t he flustered at all to see me here?
“You don't want to take the job?" he asked. "It's a great opportunity. You'd work side by side with the best in the business."
"I know that, Mr. Maxwell."
"Everyone calls me Luke," he replied smoothly.
"Luke."
His eyes squinted dangerously. "Why don't you go ahead and take the day off and think about everything? This is obviously a shock."
That was an understatement. "Yes, it is," I agreed. "I’ll take you up on that." Maybe once I was out of here, I could think more clearly.
I rose to my feet. My heart was pounding hard. I couldn't understand how he looked so self-assured and completely calm.
And sexy as hell, a small voice said in my mind.
Stop being unhelpful, brain.
"I’ll walk you out," he said.
"No need. I know the way," I replied quickly, because this reminded me a bit too much of last night when he insisted on driving me home from his penthouse and I declined.
"All right." He stood from his chair anyway. "Megan, think really hard about what you want. I, for one, would love to have you on my team."
I smiled politely, nodding, before turning around, then walked with measured steps directly to the elevators. I still felt like I could barely breathe. It took a few minutes for an elevator to arrive.
To my relief, it was empty, and no one came in on my way down either. Once on the ground floor, I took off my badge, dropping it in the visitor box before heading outside.
The fresh air enveloped me and had a calming effect. For a moment there, I thought I was going to pass out right in his office!
I couldn't believe my luck. My God, just being with him in his office had been overwhelming. He'd been so composed and businesslike. How had he managed it? I'd been completely sidetracked.
I needed to get my bearings. Now that I was outside in the middle of bustling LaSalle Street, I realized I could have handled myself better.
I was a grown-ass woman, and I'd dealt with a few ordeals in my life, even though I was only twenty-six. I’d pieced myself back together after losing my parents as a little girl.
I pulled myself up by the bootstraps after the breakup with my ex.
I was strong. I should have stayed, done the job just to see how things went, not fled like a scared little girl.
Taking a deep breath, I strolled up the street, pondering what to do next.
My phone beeped. I took it out of my purse, seeing it was a message from Nina.
Nina: How is it so far?
Instead of replying, I called her, and she answered right away.
"Hey, how is it? How's your new boss?"
I laughed nervously, but tears were now building in my eyes. "Remember the guy I told you about? The one I met last night?"
"Hello? How could I forget?"
"He’s my boss."
"No way!" Nina exclaimed.
"Yes way." A sniffle got me. Tears would be forthcoming.
"Wait… what? How is that even possible? It's too big of a coincidence." She sounded as dismayed as I felt.
"Ha! Yeah, well, when you think about it, the odds work out. The bar was close to the office." Crap, one eye leaked. My mascara would be messed up in no time.
"I mean, didn't you know what he looked like? Didn't you look him up before applying or when you got hired?"
"No, I didn't. I only looked at past interns on LinkedIn, tracking where they moved after their internship. I guess I should have looked him up. Then I’d be happily starting my new job."
"What do you mean? Aren't you starting it?"
"No. I didn’t react well. I froze for a bit, then told him I wasn’t sure I could take the job. He suggested I take the day off to get over the, uh… shock.”
“That seems reasonable.”
It felt like karma was trying to teach me a lesson. You’re a good girl, Megan. And good girls don’t have one-night stands.
I walked up LaSalle Street, soaking in the movement of the city around me.
It grounded me, as weird as it sounded. Some people needed nature to feel grounded.
I needed the hustle and bustle of Chicago.
Usually, it made my problems seem small in comparison, but it wasn’t helping as much as I hoped right now.
"Okay, as your best friend and someone who screws up regularly, I’m telling you that you just have to learn to live with your mistakes. You don't have to give up the job."
"I'm not sure I can work with him."
“You were excited about this, Megan. Don’t give up now."
"I am excited. It's a great internship. And I searched for something like this for a long time."
“You’re the one who can best judge the situation.
I'm just saying this doesn't have to be the end of it.” She sighed.
“Meg, I've got to go. I’m at the office.
Keep me posted, okay? And, girl, please don't be so hard on yourself.
You've been on the straight and narrow your whole life. And, well, shit happens."
I laughed, despite my mood. “Have a great day, Nina.”
My work history was a bit turbulent. After graduating, my ex-boyfriend started his architecture studio. I was eager to help him, already envisioning a future when we’d both run a successful company. I was even naive enough to dream that we’d get married as soon as things settled.
To support us, I did odd jobs on the side.
Then, two years ago, he declared that he wanted to see other women, that he’d only been with one woman in his life, and it wasn’t enough.
He also made a snide remark that I wasn’t ambitious enough to build a career.
I still winced every time I remembered that conversation.
I’d put my career on hold to help him, and he was throwing it in my face.
After that, I started working at SkyDesigns and loved every minute of it.
I was let go from that job five months ago.
They were downsizing because the company couldn't get enough projects. The new hires were let go first, and I was among them. In the meantime, they’d closed down completely. The job market was brutal.
I applied for everything that sounded reasonable. The internship at Supreme Architecture was a dream. It lasted six months, and after that, I could have my pick of jobs around the country if all went well.
I also had another reason for accepting this internship. I wanted to apply for the US Architecture Design Award. It was the most prestigious accolade in the industry—and as a plus, the first place came with a six-figure prize. My dream would be to win and pay off Aunt Dana’s mortgage.
But here was the crux: I needed to be employed to be eligible to apply.
I stopped in front of a juice bar, looking at all the options. I wasn't a smoothie kind of girl—cookies and ice cream were my jam—but I'd made enough bad choices recently. I was going to go for a healthy option right now.
I entered the store. Fortunately the line was short, and when I got to the counter, I asked the sales associate, "What is the healthiest option you have?"
"Our kale, spinach, and carrot smoothie."
I winced. "I'm sorry. That sounds way too healthy." I looked over the menu. "I'll have the carrot and apple juice one."
"Right away."
My phone vibrated again. Nina was probably sending me more encouragement. I gasped when I saw it was a message from Luke instead.
Luke: Megan, today was obviously a shock. How about meeting again tomorrow and discussing the job?
I kept my thumbs hovering over the phone, mulling over a reply in my mind. My pulse was thumping in my ears. It was hard to focus.
Megan: Okay. When should we meet?
The second I sent the message, I realized my palms were sweaty.
How on earth will I be able to work with him for six months?