Claimed by the Boss

Chapter One

Chapter One

Nora Pierce couldn’t believe what had just happened.

She knew she wasn’t the most liked in the office, but for them to push her was bordering on assault.

Their taunts never bothered her.

This was going too far.

Not only had Clarice tripped her, but she’d been carrying hot coffee, which not only spilled on herself, but … Gabriel Williams.

Clarice had pushed her into the boss himself—the billionaire who was not known for his patience and demanded nothing but complete and total hard work from everyone he employed.

He didn’t like slackers.

Anyone not giving their best was dismissed.

No one would even dare test him on how far he would go.

It was terrifying. There were so many horror stories.

“Are you all right?”

Gabriel asked.

She had fallen right on top of him. The coffee, thankfully, had spilled on her shirt and skirt. It was burning, but she was more mortified about falling on him.

“I am so sorry,”

she said. Her cheeks started to heat, and she couldn’t believe what had happened. There went her job in Mailing. She was going to get fired, and all her hopes and dreams would be shattered.

Gabriel owned many successful businesses, and it was well-known that you could go in at the ground floor and work your way right up to the top. She had many dreams, mainly to be independent and never have to live on the streets again. At twenty-five years old, she had struggled.

Nora had lost her parents at eighteen, then an aunt and uncle took everything from her and tossed her out on the streets without enough money to eat. It didn’t matter.

The first eighteen years of her life were a breeze. Her mom and dad were the loves of each other’s lives, and they had loved her, given her a good home and a wonderful life. She was even headed to college at one point.

Until a car accident had landed them all in the hospital.

Her aunt and uncle had taken advantage of her being in a coma and signed everything over to themselves, including her college fund, stripping her of everything.

Pushing those bad memories out of her mind, getting this job had been a dream come true.

The only reason it happened was on the day of her interview, an incident occurred, and rather than sit back and do nothing, Nora helped.

A disgruntled employee had decided to mix up the mail. It didn’t sound like a huge problem but at the time, someone would have thought a bomb was about to go off. The bomb would be the boss.

She helped to fix it. Without any training she was able to figure out their system and fix it. This was why she was hired. No one needed to stop and offer her training. She was able to do everything without help.

Now, she was going to be fired.

She tried to scramble off him and in her haste, she accidently thrust her knee into his crotch, to which he grunted and she saw the pain on his face.

Crap. Shit. Crap.

This day could not get any worse.

“I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

In answer, he lifted his thumb.

She winced.

“I am so sorry.”

She got to her feet, and then Gabriel was already up, taking her hand and offering his help. Glancing down at her pristine white shirt, she gritted her teeth. The coffee stain would be impossible to get out. Shit.

“Are you all right?”

Gabriel asked.

Nora looked up and nibbled her lip. “I think I should be asking you that question. Are you okay?”

she asked. “I didn’t burn you, did I?”

She would offer to dry-clean his suit, but it was made by an Italian designer. She would probably have to sell her soul to the Devil to pay for that.

“No, you didn’t. You’re burnt, though. Come on.”

He put a hand on her back.

“What?”

“Follow me. You’re burnt. I’ll take care of it.”

She didn’t know exactly what to do. Gabriel was known for being a pain in the ass, a brute, and totally not understanding. This was not the man presenting himself to her today.

There was no point in arguing with him. He was the boss. He knew what he was doing. Nora followed, only for him to stop and turn back to Clarice and her two friends.

“All three of you are fired. Get the hell out of my building before I call the cops and have you thrown out.”

They were already heading toward the elevator. Nora didn’t hear any of them comment or fight. Gabriel’s word was law. There was nothing any of them could do.

On the elevator, she tried not to stare at him. This was the most she had ever spoken to him. Actually, it was the closest she had ever gotten to any man. Being alone on the streets, she learned to hide, to watch, to keep silent, and listen. The men there were dangerous. She’d avoided pimps, drug dealers, and pretty much every nightmare imaginable.

She had helped several young girls as well. She got them moved to better places. From time to time, she would check up on them to make sure they were happy and safe.

Did the elevator usually take so long?

Whenever she went up to the top floor, she often spoke with Mrs. Burns. Trudy was Gabriel’s personal assistant and one of the sweetest women Nora knew. She had four kids, a demanding husband, and loved her job. She was also not terrified of Gabriel, which made her kind of like a superhero to Nora. The woman was so damn sweet, and she loved her.

Now, as she entered that floor, Trudy was there. “What on earth has happened?”

“We’d like a change of clothes, some coffee, and would you order lunch, and please hold all meetings,”

Gabriel said, his voice firm.

Trudy didn’t argue and got to work.

They walked into his office, and Nora was a little taken aback. She already knew from previous visits that his office space was huge, she just didn’t realize how big it was until she stood inside it. He commanded a great deal of business in this one room. She was aware of the other offices he held as well. This was incredible.

“You need to take off your clothes so we can see the damage,” he said.

“It’s fine. Honestly.”

“You spilled hot coffee on yourself.”

“And it’s getting cold now.”

She wanted to ask about her job. She glanced down at her body, at the mess the coffee had made. “Would it be okay if I went home, changed, and came back? I could do overtime.”

This was her very subtle attempt of asking him if she still had her job.

She nibbled her lip and waited for him to tell her the bad news.

“You don’t have to worry about any of that. Trudy will bring you a change of clothes, but I want to make sure you’re … taken care of.”

This was a new feeling. The only other people in her life that had taken care of her were her parents. Both of whom she missed very much.

She didn’t have anything under her clothes but a bra—one of her most recent purchases, which she adored. How did she check to see if she was … clean … while he was here?

Gabriel chuckled, but it wasn’t an evil sound.

“Here,”

he said, removing his pristine Italian jacket. “Remove your clothes, and we can check to see if you need medical attention.”

“I can do that.”

He nodded, removed his jacket, and then turned away.

Nora didn’t have much time. All the blinds in his office were open, and anyone could walk in at any second. Should she argue with the boss? She didn’t see a problem with just checking herself over. The coffee had been hot.

Scrambling with the tiny buttons of her shirt, she started to open them. The coffee had made her skin slightly red, but other than that, there were no actual burn marks. She wriggled out of her shirt and reached for his jacket. She expected it not to fit, but it did in fact swamp her. The man was made of muscle. Even through his crisp white shirt, she saw that. Buttoning the three buttons in the middle, she held the top together.

“No burns and no need for medical attention,” she said.

Gabriel turned to look at her, and for a second, it was like neither of them moved or breathed.

Nora was trapped within his gaze.

“I’d like your skirt as well, to dry-clean it.”

****

Gabriel had noticed the little brunette several weeks ago. The first time he saw her was after hearing her laughter from a joke Trudy had told her. It was through that one interaction, where he’d watched her talk with his PA, that had piqued his interest. From that point on, he’d learned everything there was to know about her, with Trudy’s help, of course.

His PA was a very dear friend of his, who had stayed by his side when those closet to him had threatened to take it all away. In his world, his parents had been vultures, wanting to circle and strike, to take what he had. He didn’t know how many parents were so jealous of their children, they would attempt to destroy their company, or take it over.

His father would have run his company into the ground, just as he had the main Williams Corporation. Scandal after scandal followed his parents, while nothing but good press and amazing decisions followed his. He learned from his grandfather, who had already figured out his son was going to be a disaster. Also, Gabriel had other ideas, and with his grandfather’s investment, had made a name for himself. That money built the very foundation of Gabriel Enterprises. He was proud of what he had achieved.

Without Trudy, his parents had nearly taken it all away, by that very claim and investment his grandfather made. It would seem his grandfather knew it would come, which is why he also hired Trudy. That was the one condition his grandfather had. No matter what he did, he would hire the PA who would stay with him indefinitely. That was Trudy Burns. From what he could tell, his grandfather had a soft spot for the young woman, who once worked for him. She had his back, and if it wasn’t for the supporting documents given to her, some of his company would already be long gone.

His grandfather had waved all rights, all shares, everything. The startup money had been a gift, to which all relevant finance had been paid, much to his parents’ annoyance. Gabriel was in the clear. His parents had no claim on his company.

He would have done anything to have his grandfather for one more day. He knew what the old man would say. It was high time for him to find a woman to settle down with, have kids. To enjoy the fruits of his many years of hard work.

Gabriel didn’t settle down. He played, hard. No woman was allowed to think long term with him. He enjoyed playing with them, and they got plenty out of the arrangements he made.

Now, as he waited for Nora to remove her skirt, he felt that ache build in his gut. From the moment he’d seen her, he had known she was different, and after everything he learned about her, he was right. This woman was a fighter, or as much of a fighter as one could be during a coma. He knew her own family had taken from her and left her ass on the streets, while they lived in her home and off her income.

“You really don’t have to do any of this,” she said.

“I insist.”

He was more than happy to help her.

This interaction had been building, but he wasn’t about to tell her he moved right into position when he saw the women act that way. He’d used their bullying to his advantage, and weeks of figuring out how to get into this woman’s world had finally opened up.

Trudy knocked on the door and he turned to offer her a smile. His PA knew all about his interest, and he saw the smirk on her face. It was why Nora was their now permanent mail delivery person within Building C. It was his only chance to see her, without her knowing she was being watched. She was stunning.

“I have what you need, sir,” she said.

When they were alone, he was back to being Gabriel. In the company of anyone else, he was the boss.

“Thank you, Trudy,” he said.

She stepped in and held out the package of clothes. “Are you okay, Nora?”

Trudy asked.

He watched as Nora offered her a smile.

“Yeah, I spilled my coffee.”

“She was tripped,” he said.

“Tripped?”

Trudy asked.

“I’m sure it was a mistake.”

“I fucking doubt it. That bitch Clarice,” he said.

Trudy knew exactly who he talked about. Nora didn’t know that Clarice and every one of her friends had attempted to pay him a visit. They wanted him to know they were available. Trudy was there to intervene. They were already treading on thin ice, and now he’d fired them.

They had threatened sexual harassment, but seeing as that trick had already been played a time or two, he knew how to protect himself, and he did. He had no doubt Clarice and her friends would attempt a settlement.

Anger flooded him thinking about what they did to Nora, and they should be lucky he had only fired them. He was tempted to destroy their lives and make them completely unemployable. They should be glad he was too distracted by Nora to deal with them.

“It was time for her to leave. The complaints about her work were starting to mount. It was only a matter of weeks before she would be fired.”

Trudy tutted. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, yes, I’m fine. Thank you.”

So polite.

That was what he didn’t get. Life had dealt Nora a few hard knocks. Losing both of her parents at a young age, her home, her college, her future stolen from her by her aunt and uncle. She had to live on the streets, and from the deep background check he had done on her, that hadn’t been a picnic. She helped young girls get off the streets, and a few boys as well.

Some of her paycheck went to help people who were trying to make a life for themselves. She volunteered at a local homeless shelter every Sunday. This woman, by all accounts, sounded like a saint.

Yet, as he looked into her eyes and saw a hint of darkness, he also felt the teasing of the light. She had not let what happened to her cloud her judgment. She hadn’t gotten cold. It hadn’t extinguished that light from her eyes. She was strong.

“Thank you, Trudy.”

“Lunch will be ready in five minutes,”

she said, before backing away, taking Nora’s clothes and leaving.

Nora looked down at the clothes she had been handed, and Gabriel, without a word, gave her privacy. The temptation to peek was so strong, but he kept his shit together. Nora needed to trust him. He was not going to fuck this up. This was the start he was hoping for.

“Thank you,”

Nora said, holding out his jacket for him to take.

He did so, sliding his arms inside, and staring at her. He didn’t want to break eye contact, he just wanted to look at her.

The scent of vanilla was heady in the air, it was her fragrance. It wasn’t overwhelming but subtle and sweet, making him want so much more.

“Join me for lunch?” he asked.

“I really should get back to work.”

“I insist. After all, it was my employees that embarrassed you. Let me pay you back with lunch.”

She was not going anywhere until he said so.

Nora didn’t know it yet, but her life was about to change. She now belonged to him, and he had no intention of giving her up.

“Okay, sure,” she said.

She clasped her hands together, and there was that politeness that was no doubt going to be her downfall. He couldn’t help but smirk, but he turned back to his desk.

“So, Nora, tell me about yourself,” he said.

“There’s not much to tell.”

“You work in the mail department, right?” he asked.

“Yes, yes, I do.”

“Is that where you want to work?”

She frowned and opened and closed her mouth. “I enjoy my job, but what I love about your company, sir, is that you offer opportunities. Even for those who have not gone to college.”

“And is that what you would like?” he asked.

“I would like the opportunity to learn and to grow. When the time is ready, and I am ready, I’d like to take promotions and learn everything there is to know about your company.”

He sat down and looked at her. “Why?”

He had never considered a potential spy for his parents being thrust into his life. Nora didn’t seem the kind, but then she had been desperate for work. His parents could quite easily prey on the weak.