Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Maverick
Walking into my office, I expected to find my new assistant either lost or waiting for instructions.
That was how it always went. Every single one before her had spent their first day scrambling—overwhelmed by the sheer volume of work, hesitating before making decisions, waiting for me to hold their hand.
I had no patience for it. I needed someone who could keep up, not someone who needed coddling.
But when I stepped inside, Solenn Wheeler wasn’t waiting.
She was working.
Sitting at her desk outside my office, she was completely absorbed in her screen, one hand scrolling through documents, the other typing effortlessly.
Her nails clicked against the keyboard in a steady rhythm, her brows furrowed slightly in concentration as she muttered something under her breath, flipping between tabs like she had been doing this for years, not mere hours.
She had a look of focus that was rare in this building—unshaken, sharp, in complete control.
I stopped just inside the doorway, watching.
She didn’t look up. Didn’t hesitate. Didn’t scramble to acknowledge me everyone else did. Didn’t even notice I had arrived.
That was new.
I took a slow sip of my coffee, observing the scene in front of me.
Her posture was relaxed but professional, one leg crossed over the other, the hem of her skirt rising slightly above the knee as she shifted in her chair.
Her lips moved as she read something on the screen, her teeth catching her lower lip briefly before she let it go, exhaling softly.
I watched the way she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, her fingers lingering at the nape of her neck for just a second before returning to the keyboard.
Something unfamiliar stirred in my chest—a flicker of irritation at how easily she was distracting me.
I cleared my throat. “You’re early.”
She barely blinked before looking up at me, completely unfazed. “Good afternoon, Mr. Spencer.”
No nervousness. No scrambling to stand or look busy. No wide-eyed panic at being caught off-guard.
Just a calm, confident gaze that met mine directly.
I stepped closer, taking in the already organized workspace in front of her. Not a single misplaced document. No unnecessary clutter. The only things on her desk—besides the color-coded planner and tablet—were a neatly stacked pile of reports and a perfectly printed copy of my schedule for the day.
I picked it up, scanning it briefly.
Not only had she structured the meetings exactly how I liked them, but she had also made corrections. Adjustments. Small but significant changes that none of my previous assistants had thought to do on their first day.
I set the schedule down and studied her. “How much do you know about my work habits?”
Her lips twitched slightly. “Enough to know that you don’t like wasted time. Or meetings that run longer than necessary. Or small talk.”
I arched a brow. “And yet, you seem quite fond of talking.”
She smiled—a little too knowingly. “I’m adaptable.”
I leaned against the edge of my desk, crossing my arms. “We’ll see about that.”
Most people shrank under my scrutiny. She didn’t.
Instead, she tilted her head slightly, as if she were assessing me. “Is there anything in the schedule that needs adjusting?”
I glanced at it again. The layout was clean and precise. “No.”
“Good,” she said easily.
I narrowed my eyes slightly. “You seem confident for someone who’s only been here a few hours.”
She shrugged. “You hired me because I can do this job. I don’t see the point in second-guessing myself.”
That was new.
My gaze flicked lower, just for a fraction of a second, before I caught myself. The way she crossed her legs again, the fabric of her dress tightened slightly over her thighs. The way she tapped a pen against her lower lip absentmindedly as she waited for my response.
I exhaled through my nose, dragging my eyes back to her face.
She was too composed. Too poised. Too… something.
Pushing off the desk, I picked up my coffee—black, no sugar, no-nonsense—and took a sip. “I’ll let you know if anything changes.”
She nodded. “Of course.”
I turned and walked into my office, already shifting my focus back to the day ahead. But as I sat down and opened my laptop, something unexpected happened.
I wasn’t thinking about work.
I was thinking about her.