Forbidden Night with the Boss

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Maverick

The boardroom was suffocating, not in a literal sense, but in the way tension thickened the air.

Every executive seated across from me was either sweating, shifting uncomfortably, or pretending to review documents they should have memorized days ago.

I leaned back in my chair, fingers tapping lightly on the table as I watched them squirm.

They were running out of excuses. I had already given them a solution; they were just too spineless to take it.

“I don’t think you understand what’s at stake here,” I said, my voice calm, and precise, each word hitting like the edge of a scalpel. “You came to me because your company is hemorrhaging money. I gave you a way out. And now, you’re hesitating?”

Jameson, the CEO of the sinking company in question, cleared his throat. He was older, in his fifties, with thinning hair and a habit of pulling at his collar when he was nervous—like now. “It’s not hesitation, Mr. Spencer. We just need more time to?—”

“You don’t have time.” I cut him off before he could waste another breath.

“That’s why you’re sitting in this room instead of making empty promises to your shareholders.

Your quarterly losses are eight figures deep, your competitors are circling like vultures, and the moment your investors realize you don’t have a plan, your stock is going to take another nosedive.

” I clasped my hands together, my patience thinning.

“You don’t need time, Jameson. You need me. ”

Silence.

The other executives exchanged glances as if hoping someone else would step in and counter me. No one did. They couldn’t.

I pushed the contract forward, the pen resting on top. “This deal is the only way you survive. Sign it, or walk out that door and start drafting your bankruptcy announcement.”

The hesitation lasted only a second longer before Jameson finally reached for the pen. His signature dragged across the page, shaky but final. I didn’t smile. I didn’t nod in acknowledgment. This wasn’t a negotiation. This was business.

As soon as the ink dried, I stood, buttoning my jacket. “I’ll have my team finalize the transition by the end of the week. We’ll be in touch.”

The executives rose as well, some muttering words of gratitude, others avoiding my gaze entirely. They had just sold a chunk of their company to me. They didn’t like it, but they had no choice. I walked out without another word, my team following behind.

The moment I stepped into the hallway, my assistant—Emma, my fifth assistant this year—was already keeping pace beside me, tablet in hand, her voice sharp and professional.

“Your next meeting is in fifteen minutes. Legal wants to go over the final terms of the Connelly acquisition. Also, Mr. Rhodes called again.”

I didn’t slow my stride. “Tell Rhodes I’m not interested in another one of his last-minute pitches. If he wants a meeting, he can bring something worthwhile.”

Emma nodded, but I noticed the slight hesitation before she spoke again. “Understood. There’s… something else.”

I glanced at her, noticing the way she shifted her weight. That was never a good sign.

“I’m resigning,” she said, the words coming out in a single breath as if she wanted to get it over with.

I stopped walking. She did, too, standing a step ahead of me.

“When?”

She swallowed. “Effective immediately.”

Of course, it was.

I exhaled through my nose, barely surprised. “And why is that?”

Emma shifted uncomfortably. “Look, it’s not that I don’t appreciate the opportunity, but the expectations are…” She hesitated before sighing. “They’re impossible. The hours, the pressure—everything has to be perfect all the time. And you—” She stopped, biting her lip.

“Go on,” I said, arching a brow.

She exhaled heavily. “You’re impossible to please, Mr. Spencer.”

That, I already knew.

She looked nervous, as if expecting me to be angry. I wasn’t. Assistants were replaceable. If she couldn’t handle the job, someone else would.

“I’ll have all my files transferred by the end of the day,” she continued quickly. “And I’ve already prepared notes for my replacement. HR has a shortlist of candidates, so you won’t be without an assistant for long.”

“I won’t hold my breath,” I muttered, more to myself than to her.

Emma gave me a tight-lipped smile, her relief almost tangible. “Good luck, sir.”

She turned and walked away, disappearing down the hall. I didn’t watch her go. Instead, I resumed my path to my office, already dismissing the situation.

By the time I stepped inside, Paul, my HR director, was already waiting for me, arms crossed, an amused look on his face.

“Another one bites the dust,” he remarked.

I moved past him, taking a seat at my desk. “You’re keeping count?”

“At this rate, we should start handing out hazard pay for your assistants.”

I smirked but didn’t look up from my screen. “I don’t need someone to last. I need someone competent.”

Paul let out a low chuckle. “You say that, but maybe the problem isn’t them. Maybe it’s you.”

I finally met his gaze. “If you’re about to give me a lecture, save it.”

“Not a lecture, just an observation.” He dropped a file onto my desk. “That’s the updated list of applicants. Plenty of eager souls ready to step into the lion’s den.”

I barely glanced at it. “Find someone who won’t waste my time.”

Paul turned toward the door, pausing before he left. “Maybe, just maybe, you should consider hiring someone who can handle you.”

I didn’t dignify that with a response. The door clicked shut behind him, leaving me alone in my office.

I let out a slow breath, leaning back in my chair. My inbox was already filling with emails, none of which I had the patience for at the moment. But one, sitting at the top of the list, caught my attention.

New Applicant for Executive Assistant Position – Solenn Wheeler.

I didn’t open it. Just another name. Another assistant who wouldn’t last.