Chapter 2 Whitney #2
My gaze flies to the empty office before me. It’s daunting not knowing who or what your boss is going to be like. But all I can do is show him the best version of myself—make sure he knows that I’m a capable assistant and I’m worth keeping around.
Slowly, the office begins filling up until soft chatter surrounds the whole area.
We have a few departments who work up on this top floor with us, including HR.
Taking a deep breath, I leave my desk and walk towards our break room to get some coffee.
We have been off work for a few days in respect of Mr. Peterson, so now that everyone is back in the office, there is a bit of catching up to do.
In one of the cabinets, I reach for my personalized mug with the Nexus Realty Group logo on it and pour myself a nice cup of coffee.
I haven’t had any caffeine this morning and am already starting to shake from withdrawals and the nerves of meeting my new boss.
I also grab a to-go cup for Mr. Hurst when he arrives.
I add just the right amount of sugar and cream to it, as my email instructed.
Two cups of coffee in hand, I wander back through the office to my desk.
I set down my steaming cup on my coaster and put the to-go cup in Mr. Hurst’s office.
Then I go back to my own workspace. I lean back in my chair, reach for my mug, and take a sip, letting the coffee warm me all the way down.
I close my eyes and relax for a minute or two, focusing on the aromatic flavors of my hazelnut coffee.
I don’t even notice when the office grows eerily quiet.
“Ms. Palmer?” I’m mid-sip when a deep, husky, and very sexy voice says my name. I’m not expecting it, so I jump, spilling my coffee all over my favorite vintage blouse.
“Oh!” I shout as the hot liquid runs down my entire torso. I spring into action, placing the mug on my desk and reaching for the paper towels I keep in my drawer for accidents like this one.
After a good couple of minutes of dabbing at my shirt, I give up and swear under my breath. At that moment, I grow acutely aware of the sole cause of this event. He stands right in front of me, an unamused expression on his flawless features.
The most beautiful man I possibly have ever laid eyes on.
My hands fall limply to my side, still clutching the soiled napkins as I look the man over.
He wears a pinstriped, three-pieced, gray suit that looks wonderful on him. The man’s face is cleanly shaven, so his skin looks smooth enough to run my hands over.
His dark hair is styled, but I catch sight of a few stray curls, unwilling to cooperate this morning. He has a nice build: broad shoulders leading to a tapered waistline. His chestnut eyes spark as he observes me right back.
“I-uh…” I stutter. I shake my head slightly to clear it, and stretch out my palm. Then I try again, clearing my throat and saying, “Um, I’m Whitney Palmer.”
He offers his own hand and grasps mine in a tight introductory shake. “Theo Hurst, nice to meet you, Ms. Palmer.” His voice is deep and gravelly, which makes my insides turn to molten lava.
I give him a tight smile. “Please, call me Whitney, Mr. Hurst.”
“As long as you call me Theo,” he quips.
Nodding my head, I give a nervous laugh. “Of course.”
Mr.—Theo—looks around the office area. “Do you usually drop coffee all over yourself when you meet new people?”
His eyes flick down to my bust area, and mine quickly follow his lead.
I let out a sharp and loud gasp. My cream blouse, now wholly soaked with coffee, is also see-through.
The lacy, nude bra I picked out this morning is now fully visible to the world.
I quickly cover myself up with my arms, horrified.
With an amused chuckle, Theo hooks his hand underneath my upper arm and drags me away from my desk and into his private office. He closes the door behind us, then shrugs off his suit jacket and hands it to me.
Gratefully, I take it and wrap myself in it.
He is much larger than I am, so it is like stepping into a cocoon, but either way, it offers me the coverage that I need.
I’m immediately overrun with the scents of fresh laundry and a hint of eucalyptus.
I try not to be obvious when I take another sniff.
Theo, thankfully, isn’t paying me any attention as he walks over and leans against the front of his desk, crossing his arms over his chest. He raises a dark eyebrow at me.
“I must say, this is some welcome, Ms. Palmer.” His deep timbre is making my whole body tingle. He has a hint of a smirk playing on his lips that is doing weird things to my insides. Who even is this man?
“Whitney,” I correct, and he nods. “I’m so sorry. I’m not usually that clumsy. You can be assured that it won’t happen again,” I ramble off quickly.
He gives me a smile that makes my heart flip-flop.
What is the matter with me today? Do I need to go to Urgent Care and get an EKG done?
“Don’t fret about it, Whitney. It happens to the best of us.
” Theo winks at me and reaches behind him for the coffee cup he just noticed.
He takes a quick sip and then scrunches his eyebrows together.
Again, my heart goes into what I can only believe to be cardiac arrest. And my brain falls into a mild panic attack as he savors the coffee. I can’t read the expression on his face. Oh no! What if his previous assistant gave me bad advice?
“How did you know?” His tone is laced with surprise.
“Huh?”
“How did you know that this was how I preferred my coffee?” I exhale sharply and give him a little shrug, unwilling to reveal my secrets.
Quite honestly, Theo looks impressed. He walks behind his desk and places his black briefcase on the side. Carefully, he takes out his high-end laptop and puts it on the desk in front of him. Next, he pulls out a glasses case and sets it down on the top of the desk.
“Nice job, Ms. Palmer. I think we will get along just fine.” He shoots me that crooked smile again, and I can’t help but grin back.
“Thank you. Looking forward to it,” I respond automatically.
He glances at his laptop as he sits down. Then he folds his hands and places them on his desk before his eyes find mine again. “Now, on to the next matter. How do you feel about lunch?”
I pause, caught off guard. “Lunch?”
“I thought we could get lunch to get to know each other better. Seeing as we’re going to be working closely together.”
I had gone to lunch with Mr. Peterson hundreds of times, so it isn’t the suggestion that makes me nervous.
It is a perfectly reasonable offer, but I am glad I said I would meet Leila for lunch today.
Something about this guy has me feeling on edge, in the best way possible, and I don’t want to embarrass myself even more than I already have today.
“Oh, sorry, I can’t. I have plans with a girlfriend of mine. Maybe another day?” I ask him.
He nods his head, unbothered, as he looks back down at his laptop, reaching for the case and pulling out a pair of rectangular, black glasses.
He slides them onto his face as he peers at his screen.
I try to ignore the way those glasses have completely escalated his attractiveness.
“Certainly. Not a problem. Well, go on then and get to work. Just because it’s my first day does not mean I’m going to let you off easy, Ms. Palmer. ”
“Of course, Theo.” I grin back, picking up on his teasing tone, and waltz out of his office.
The rest of our morning passes smoothly; even more smoothly than I could have wished for.
Mr. Hurst and I review all the outstanding tasks that Mr. Peterson had left unfinished.
We go over expectations of what Theo prefers I take care of and what things I can delegate to the others underneath me.
So far, the transition is going flawlessly for day one.
As I watch him slowly fit into the role of CEO, all I can think about is that first impression and the pink, leather notebook sitting on my desk at home. I try not to focus on how within a few minutes—seconds—he had checked the first thing off of that silly, “Perfect Man” list, but it’s no use.
Number 10: Handsome as Sin
Theo sits me down and runs through his agenda of what he’d like to do with the company in the first year.
I’m impressed that he’s so prepared and has so many new fresh ideas.
He aims to take the company to new heights, while still maintaining the integrity of the legacy that Mr. Peterson developed.
As he outlines these things, I can’t help but feel like he was exactly the right choice for this position.
He is exactly what this company needs to lead us into the future.
And as I get to spend more time with him today, a secret part of me can’t help but wonder if he is exactly what I need, too.