Chapter 13
Jade
T he door closes and I stare after Hunter, not comprehending the situation I’m in. I left my apartment this morning excited to start my dream job. What I wasn’t expecting was that my one and only one night stand was to be my new boss.
I convinced myself I’d made up how utterly gorgeous he was, dressed in that ridiculous Gladiator costume. But this morning, in a tailored navy blue suit and a crisp white shirt, hair styled, but with that unruly curl dropping over his eyes still present, I was transfixed. Not to mention looking into those intense, deep blue eyes that I remember looking up at me from between my thighs, Hunter Stone is, without doubt, the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. He’s suit porn at its finest.
He had an air about him as he introduced me to the staff. He controlled the space, it was so sexy. I had to remind myself countless times to concentrate on the people he was introducing me to and not the way his eyes crinkled slightly at the corners when he smiled, or remembering his deep, sultry voice whispering dirty words about what he wanted to do with my body. Nope, I had to block all that out because I’m a professional. Lusting after my boss isn’t the way forward. My fantasies about him need to remain just that; a fantasy.
See, professional.
All that aside, I was taken aback when he said that I’d left without a trace. I left that napkin with my number. I wanted to see him again. That night meant something to me. When he didn’t call, I assumed I was wrong about him, and I was just another girl to him; another notch on his belt. But he looked shocked when I mentioned the note.
What if he won’t want me working with him?
This job and my career are so important to me surely, he remembers that?
We need to talk, but not now. I can’t let this get in the way of my job. A knock on the door startles me. “Hello.” A bubbly blond man, who’s so well put together, he looks like a GQ model steps into my office. His smile is bright and straight, and his gray eyes twinkle with mischief. “Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes? I’m Ted, your PA, Miss Wilde.”
When I found out I was getting my own PA, I couldn’t believe it. “Hi, please call me Jade. None of that Miss Wilde nonsense. Come, take a seat. Let's have a few moments to get to know each other.” Ted grins as he moves over to the sofa and reaches down. Taking out two bottles of water from the mini fridge, he places them on the coffee table in front of us as he takes a seat.
“I could get used to this every morning.” He unscrews his bottle, taking a sip of water before placing it back down. “Mr. Johnson. God, that man was infuriating. I know I shouldn’t talk bad about people and trust me, I don’t normally have a bad word to say about anyone as everyone has their own battles, but he was a tyrant.”
Taking a sip of my own water, I reply, “Was he really that bad?”
“He really was. Nothing I did was right.”
“I’ve never had staff to look after or my own PA, so this is going to be an adjustment.”
“I’ll look after you. It's what I do best. I’m a giver.” He gives me a little wink. “Let's get this computer fired up and we can run through that long list I know Mr. Stone will have already sent through.”
Ted’s right, looking after people is what he does best because I’ve never felt more organized by the time he leaves, so I can get my head around the proposal that Hunter needs me to go through. I plug in my headphones, set up an audiobook, and get started. I'm so focused on what I’m doing that I don’t hear Ted coming back into my office. Tapping me on my shoulder, I jump, pulling out my headphones. “Jesus, Ted.” I laugh. “You’ll give me a heart attack.”
“Sorry, I did knock, but you didn’t hear me, not with these in.” He taps the headphones on my desk. “What are you listening to anyway?” He moves to look at my phone and I snatch it. I’m not embarrassed about the books I read or listen to, but I don’t need my PA to know on my first day that I like romance which leans more toward Fifty Shades than Pride and Prejudice.
“Just a playlist I made.”
He gives me a knowing look, but doesn’t call me out on it.
Quickly, I change the subject. “So, what can I do for you?”
“It’s two o’clock, but you haven’t sent me out for your lunch yet and I have no idea what you like.”
I glance up at the large ornate clock hanging on my office wall. “How about we take half an hour together? Grab a sandwich and coffee from over the street. My treat?”
We step into the elevator to go down to the reception. Someone shouts for us to hold the doors, and in strides Hunter, with all the dominance of the CEO he is.
He nods in Ted’s direction, before turning toward me, his beautiful blue eyes pinning me to the spot. “Jade.”
“Okay, what’s the story?” Ted asks, staring after Hunter as we exit the elevator into the reception area, a bemused expression on his face.
“What story?”
“You and Mr. Stone. There’s something there. What’s the story?” he probes.
“There’s no story.” I try to shrug his comment off as we leave the building and head towards the coffee shop.
“Right. And I’m sleeping with Chris Hemsworth .” He wiggles his eyebrows at me. “What’s going on?”
We walk through the door, the bell jiggling above us. “What would you like?” I turn to ask Ted.
“Stop deflecting, Miss Wilde.” He points his finger at me.
I roll my eyes, letting out a long breath. “You aren’t going to let this go are you?”
“Nope,” he says with a shit-eating grin on his face.
“Fuck my life. Here’s my card. Order yourself whatever you want. I’ll have a latte and a ham salad sandwich. I’ll meet you over there after I’ve gathered my thoughts for this conversation.” I shake my head and walk over to the booth by the window. Falling onto the bench, I stare out of the window, where I see Hunter and Leo laughing across the street. They’re completely unaware of—or at least they look like they don’t notice it—the men and women around them can’t help but look.
“Gorgeous aren’t they.” For the second time today, Ted makes me jump out of my daydream.
“Who?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, Mrs. I could literally see you drooling from across the cafe.”
“I was not drooling,” I snap, taking my coffee and sandwich from him as he sits opposite me.
“Yes, you were.” Pointing his cup towards the men who are now making their way back into the office, he continues, “So, come on, what’s the story? I can play this game as long as you like, but I will get this out of you because there’s a story there.” He’s now smirking over his coffee cup, a glint in his eyes because he knows he’s got me.
“Okay, but you can’t let on that you know or tell anyone what I’m about to tell you because I can't lose this job. This is my dream.”
“My lips are sealed. I’m a vault.” He makes an elaborate sign of sealing his lips.
“So… I may have already met Hunter before I started at Bright.”
“I kind of guessed that. Give me the cliff notes, not the whole novel.” He takes a bite of his baguette.
“Alright, needy. We met at a club and hit it off.” I pause to take a bite of my sandwich. Ted's looking at me like an eager schoolboy, so much glee on his face it almost makes me laugh. “We spent one night together. I thought there was something, There wasn’t. End of story.” His mouth is agape as he pauses, taking another bite of his baguette. “I had to leave in a rush and he was still asleep. Max—”
“Max?”
“Do you want me to tell you the story, or are you going to keep butting in?” I smirk resting my chin on my hand.
“Sorry, continue.”
“I called him Max because he was dressed as a Gladiator. He called me Tink, so I’m sure you can guess my outfit.”
“Tinkerbell, oh God I can so see that. You do look like a blonde pixie.”
“He took me back to his place, where he gave me the best night of my life.” Looking at Ted, I realize I’m probably sharing a little too much with a man I’ve only just met, so I take a second to gauge his reaction.
“So… girl meets boy, they like each other, have a one night stand, and then what?”
I look up to the ceiling, willing the world to swallow me up. “I had to leave early and he was still asleep. I left him a note with my number, and guess what? He didn’t call.”
“And that upset you?”
“Well yeah. I’m going to sound like a right sap, but I thought we shared something pretty special. I thought he didn’t feel the same because he didn’t call, so I forgot about him. I wasn’t going to stress over a man who doesn’t want me. I’m worth more than that.” I definitely didn’t forget about him, but that’s a whole other can of worms we aren’t getting into right now. ”But it turns out he didn’t find my note. He thought I ran.”
Ted taps his finger against his lips seemingly lost in thought. “So, what happened when you interviewed for your job and you saw each other again?”
“I never interviewed with Hunter, just Ann.”
“So you had no idea who were working for?”
“Nope.” I make the P pop before I take another bite of my sandwich.
“And what did he say this morning?”
“He was a little standoffish. But there was something in the way he looked at me as he left.”
“I’m guessing it was the same way he looked at you in the elevator? Because that look made me sweat. He’s the definition of an alpha male.” He muses.
“You have no idea,” I whisper.
“So, what are you going to do?”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, come on. You’re not going to let that man go. I can see it in your eyes; this isn’t over for you.”
“It has to be over. I’ve worked so hard to get this job and Hunter wants to remain professional.”
“You sure about that?” he grins.
“Yes.” Looking at my watch, I say, “Shit, and I’m going to make an idiot of myself if I don’t get back soon because I have a meeting with him at three.”