Chapter 2
Just a grump set in his ways
Alex
“Oh god, who pissed you off this time?” Katie asks as I walk into my office.
“Me,” I grumble.
“Well, you piss me off constantly.” She shrugs, unbothered. Katie’s a few years older than me and has been here since I started Delgado Technology Corp. seventeen years ago. She’s also the closest thing I have to a sister. Or a best friend.
“Mmmhmmm.” I take a sip of my coffee and lean against my desk, waiting for her to tell me why she’s here.
“Have you taken that autism assessment I sent you yet?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t see the point.”
“Accommodations?”
“I’m the boss. I already do things however I want.”
She crosses her arms and scowls. “You’re so stubborn.”
“Yes, I am. A test isn’t going to change anything.”
“We both know what it’s going to say,” she insists.
“Probably,” I agree. “You didn’t come up here just to harass me about this again, did you?” She sends me links to tests, articles, and memes daily. Mostly memes. I relate to far more of them than I let on.
“No. I think I found someone, Alex.”
“Why do I feel a ‘but’ coming on?”
“Before I tell you, you have to promise to give her a chance. Your grumpy ass won’t want to, but I think you need to.”
I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. “Katie…”
“Alex. I interviewed more than a dozen people today.” She drops onto the sofa that I rarely use with a huff. “Qualified people who all think they’d be able to handle this job, and not one of them would last more than a few weeks. But Amelia, I think she’s got what it takes.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“She doesn’t have a lot of official experience—”
“Katie,” I interrupt.
She continues on without acknowledging me. “Or references—”
“Katie,” I growl.
“But she’s smart, observant, incredibly organized, and determined.”
I’ve had a hell of a time with personal assistants.
It used to be part of Katie’s job, but HR keeps her too busy now.
Even people with years of experience and references from other executives I trust have fallen short of my expectations.
This is maybe the seventh time since January that we’ve brought people in to be interviewed for the position.
I’ve accepted that it’s a me problem, but accepting it doesn’t make the problem go away.
I stare at Katie. She’s always picked the applicants with the most experience and best references, which should be the right answer. But I have to admit that it hasn’t worked out in my favor.
When I remain silent for too long, Katie tries again. “I’ll vouch for her, Alex. Give her two weeks. If she doesn’t work out, I’ll interview applicants for the fourteenth time this year.”
Well, fuck, my count was way off.
“You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
She shakes her head. “I’m really not. I believe in this one.”
Pursing my lips, I glare at her. “Fine. Offer her the job.”
Katie smiles wide and leaves to make the call.
I’m not usually a pushover, even with Katie, but the revolving door of personal assistants is getting to me.
And I’m in a weird mood after the encounter in the coffee shop. No woman has ever stopped me in my tracks before.
Dating’s never been a priority. I’ve had a few short-term relationships and situationships over the years, but I’ve focused on being a good dad to my daughter, Lizzie, and on growing and running my company rather than having much of a personal life.
Lizzie’s mother and I were a terrible match and had already broken up by the time Lizzie was born. I was fresh out of high school, but I got to spend a lot of time with her in those first few years.
After her mom moved her thousands of miles away, I got Lizzie for alternating summers and holidays.
By the time I finally had the money to fight for more, she didn’t want to move away from her younger siblings and friends, but she flies out for long weekends whenever she can make it work with her schedule.
I fell in love with technology in college and started my business right after graduating. I had big ideas, almost no financing, and student loan debt up to my ass, but I was determined to make it work.
The industry has exploded in the years since I founded Delgado Technology Corp.
You can open doors with the push of a button, check blood glucose levels without constant finger pokes, keep in touch with your grandma, and help a kid learn to read, all using technology.
Now, I have more money than I know what the fuck to do with.
I pay my employees well, donate to charities, and my daughter didn’t have to worry about money for tuition like I did.
I’ve never regretted my lack of a personal life. Never felt like I was missing something.
But now, I can’t stop thinking about the woman who drinks peppermint mochas in summer.
The way her cheeks turned a charming pink under my gaze.
How the smile she gifted me when I teased her about her coffee made my heart feel lighter than it has in years.
The curve of her hip, the wispy tendrils of dark red hair framing her face, the sweet sound of her voice…
I’m a fucking idiot. I should have stayed and kept talking to her.
But that phone call stopped me. I let assumptions and fear keep me from even learning the name of the only woman I’ve ever felt a real spark for.
For all I know, she was making plans with a cousin, but it could easily have been her boyfriend.
There’s no way she’s single. And she’s got to be close to Lizzie’s age.
I try to put her out of my mind.
It doesn’t work.
It’s after ten the next morning when there’s a knock on my office door. With a sigh, I stand to answer it.
“Ah, Alex, there you are,” Katie says, as if I’m late when she’s the one who told me she’d bring my new assistant by around nine.
I refrain from rolling my eyes, but just barely. I cock an eyebrow and huff at her. She just grins.
“I showed Amelia around the building a bit. Amelia, this is Alexander Delgado.” Katie takes a step to the side, revealing the person behind her.
My heart jolts in my chest. Holy shit, it’s the goddess from the coffee shop! Her blue eyes open wide in shock, mimicking my own. We stare at each other for so long that Katie clears her throat.
Belatedly, I hold out my right hand, saying, “Welcome to Delgado Technology Corp., Amelia.”
When her hand grips mine, a tiny bolt of lightning jolts through me. By the look on her face, she feels it, too.
She recovers faster than I do, humming and releasing my hand. “Thank you, Mr. Delgado.”
“Please, call me Alex.”
She smiles softly.
“I’ve shown Amelia your calendar on the app, and we went over answering the phone, checking emails, and where you usually order lunch from. You’ll have to take care of the rest, Alex. If either of you needs anything, just let me know.”
“Thanks, Katie,” Amelia and I say at the same time.
“Remember, you promised to come have lunch with me one day this week,” Katie tells Amelia before leaving us alone.
Our eyes meet, and Amelia’s face turns that adorable shade of pink again.
“Still no Christmas decorations, I assume,” I tease, trying to break the tension.
She grins and shrugs. “I haven’t checked yet today. Might have to sneak down at lunch, though.”
I can’t believe she’s here. The woman I can’t stop thinking about.
But fuck. She’s my new assistant and I can’t ask her out now.
There’s no company policy against employees dating each other, but the CEO and his personal assistant?
It’ll raise eyebrows at the very least. Throw in the obvious age gap and it’s a recipe for rumor mill gossip at the very least, and a PR nightmare at worst.
I force myself to stop staring at the dusting of freckles across Amelia’s nose and cheeks and invite her into my office to explain some of her duties.
“On your way in every morning, I’ll need you to stop at the coffee shop downstairs and get me a large coffee. And get yourself your peppermint mocha or whatever else you’d like, including breakfast.”
“With room, two sugars, and top off with cream?”
Damn, she remembers my coffee order. “Yes, exactly.”
“Do you want breakfast from there?” she asks.
“No, I don’t usually eat breakfast.” I shake my head.
She frowns but remains silent. I tell her everything I can think of and hand her a credit card to use for anything business or me related. By the time I’m done, my stomach is growling, so Amelia orders us sandwiches from a nearby deli I like.
I generally prefer privacy and always eat at my desk with the door closed. But today, I hate every single second of it. I glare at the door as I eat, and as soon as I throw my trash away, I walk across the room to open it.
Amelia turns to glance at me from her desk. “I was just about to knock on that.”
“I can close it again if you’d like.”
Chuckling, she stands and smiles as she hands me a slip of paper. “Maybe later. The developer of an app you’re buying or making or…something called.”
“You don’t have to answer the phone during lunch,” I remind her.
She shrugs. “I was finished eating and the ringer was annoying.”
I huff a little laugh, then squint at the message. “What does this say?”
“Where?” She leans close and the scent of citrus envelops me. My dick and heart both jump.
Shit. I’m a fucking goner.
Clearing my throat, I point to a squiggle near the bottom.
“That’s my name.”
Blinking, I bring the paper closer to my face. “That’s supposed to say ‘Amelia’?”
“It does say ‘Amelia’!” she claims. I cock an eyebrow and she laughs. “I know it’s a supremely awful signature, but it’s stuck that way. Something tells me your signature is very nice.”
“It’s legible,” I reply.
“Mmhmm. Anyway, I’m going to run down to the coffee shop for some much-needed caffeine. Do you want me to grab anything for you?”
“Actually, I’ll go with you. I could use some fresh air.”
As we walk toward the elevator, Amelia points at the balcony beyond some glass doors.
“Does anyone use the balcony?”