Chapter 1
Julian
Pretty sure I was the only calm person in the room. Fidgeting fingers, tapping feet, and bouncing knees plagued everyone else. Yes, the stakes were high, but no higher than any other meeting, honestly. And the numbers just didn’t make sense. “If we took this deal, we’d be tying up 25% of our quarterly budget in one project. Best case scenario, it takes three quarters to pay back before we start making money. It’s not a good deal.”
I didn’t raise my voice, and I didn’t insult anyone. Only an ineffective CEO had to use bullying tactics like that with his or her board. I just asked precise questions until they all realized the proposal was doomed. It’s just business! “Because of these factors, we’re not moving forward.”
The room went silent as if I’d smacked them with a thundering lightning bolt from above. Jerry started hurriedly gathering his papers, face bright red with embarrassment, and the other board members’ fidgeting increased by ten percent. I could sense the fear in the room, but I really didn’t understand it. I just watched silently as the members of the board adjusted in their chairs and avoided eye contact with me. Did they mistake my silence for anger?
If so, I didn’t really mind. It made meetings much shorter than fighting did. I straightened my stack of papers and stood up with a smile. “I think that’s the last thing on the agenda. Please submit your amended proposals by this afternoon, and we’ll meet again on Thursday.” I headed for the door, my mind already processing the numbers for my next meeting.
Once again I had a song stuck in my head, an upbeat tune that looped the same two phrases on repeat. It was annoying as hell, which likely showed on my face. At least, that’s my guess for why every employee I passed in the hall immediately straightened when they saw me. Conversations came to an abrupt halt, and one of the interns nearly walked directly into a wall trying to get out of my way.
“Morning. Seems like that wall has it out for you,” I teased, and gave the guy a polite nod. In return, he looked like he’d just been sentenced to death. My lips pursed less with irritation and more with confusion. All I said was good morning! It baffled me that everyone acted like this. Yes, I was serious, controlled, and extremely observant, but I’m not cruel. I remembered my employees’ names and even most of their birthdays. I noticed when people looked exhausted and quietly approved additional staffing when departments became overloaded. I just…I don’t know. Honestly it was a little bit insulting.
Back in my office, I found an enormous stack of documents waiting for me. I let out a soft sigh and collapsed into my chair. “I’ll get to you later,” I muttered, and pushed the stack aside to open my laptop. My calendar filled the screen as soon as it powered on, and it was packed. Three meetings, two calls, a video conference, and a presentation before the end of the day.
I didn’t mind, though. Work was predictable and made sense, unlike people. They rarely made any sense. Which is exactly why my assistant, Noah, was an ongoing problem. Said devil appeared in my doorway without even bothering to knock. His sharp black hair was on point, as usual, and his brilliant green eyes were already focused on my face. My gaze rolled up and down his slender form, lingering on the way his arms bulged slightly against the thin fabric of his button-down shirt.
He was holding a tablet, a cup of coffee, and a copy of my schedule. The coffee ended up on the corner of my desk next to the tablet. And though he clutched the paper schedule like a child clings to their blanket, he never actually looked down at it. “All of your meetings have been confirmed in writing this morning, sir. The Maui project is going well, and we picked up a new property in Bellweather as you instructed…”
The words faded into background noise. Instead, I focused on the fact that Noah’s sleeves were rolled up today. There was a faint crease between his eyebrows, and his tie tilted slightly to the left. Apparently he’d already had a long morning. My attention lingered a little too long, and I realized I’d missed half of the morning report. Noah was staring at me expectantly, and I straightened slightly in my chair.
“Very good. Thank you.”
A flash of pride crossed Noah’s face, then he waved the schedule at me. “I’m sure you’ve already noticed, but your ten o’clock meeting has been moved.”
My left eyebrow raised and I shook my head. “No it hasn’t.”
“Yes, it has.” Noah’s voice remained calm, but its usual hint of exasperation entered the chat. Rather than getting on my nerves, I always found that a little bit funny. I asked why it moved, and his eyebrows knit together in irritation. Playful warmth filled my chest, seeing that I was getting under his skin. “The client requested the change.”
“Well, put it back.” I returned to looking at the stack of paperwork, mentally calculating how long it was going to take to look at all of it, much less handle it all.
“No.”
My head popped up and I glared at Noah, but he didn’t even blink. Which wasn’t surprising; this was entirely normal for us. “You’ve already scheduled three meetings back-to-back, and I know you haven’t eaten anything. You’re going to the cafeteria with me in exactly 23 minutes, where you’ll order actual food and eat it.”
“I’ll eat later.” I shrugged. Noah gave me that look of his, full of fire and long-suffering, and I immediately knew I’d lost. Not because I was intimidated or anything like that. He was simply the best assistant I’d ever had. After working together for two years, I knew he was exceptionally competent. He anticipated problems before I even noticed them, and knew my schedule better than I did. He knew when I needed coffee to improve my mood, and when I needed to be left alone. He even knew when I was about to make a terrible decision because I was exhausted, and wasn’t afraid to fight me about it.
Long story short, I trusted him completely. By the time I came to my senses, I’d listed about seventeen things Noah knew about me. A faint smile lingered on my face that I hadn’t realized was there, and Noah looked briefly startled. I immediately smoothed my expression and gestured toward the door.
I watched him head out, and had the irrational urge to call him back. Why? No idea. Some part of me really just didn’t want him to leave yet. I almost asked him to stay, but stopped myself after only his name. “Noah?”
He turned, and I’d entirely blanked on what to say. But he waited patiently, expression neutral, until I said, “Thank you.” He smiled, just a little one, and my heart pounded in a way that was profoundly inconvenient. When the door closed behind him, I stared at the back of it for several seconds.
This was becoming ridiculous. I knew I was attracted to Noah, and that I cared deeply about him. Hell, I even knew I thought about him far more than I should. His sharp jawline, his well-muscled chest, his smile–
Nope, I was doing it again. I shook my head and picked up the top page on the stack of paperwork. Yes, I was attracted to Noah. But it was something I could control. After all, I managed to control everything else in my life.
Exactly 21 minutes later, Mr. Punctual showed back up at the door. “It’s time for breakfast, Julian. Hurry up.” Noah glowered at me, arms crossed over his chest and foot tapping impatiently. I looked at him over the top of my laptop and sighed, but I still felt amused at his boldness. Nobody else in the company dared to use my first name, much less snap it at me like an impatient parent. And how much arguing could I really do? I’d already lost this argument 22 minutes ago, now.
So I got out of my chair and stretched, my back crackling like a bowl of puffed rice. Noah’s frown deepened at the sound. “Have you been to the doctor for your back pain yet?”
“Nah. They’d just tell me I spend too much time sitting in an office chair with poor posture, which I already know. So why bother paying to be given information I already have?” Speaking of back pain, though, I opened the top drawer of my desk and grabbed the bottle of painkillers. I’d messed up my back in a car accident in my early 20s, and it still bothered me when I sat still for too long.
Noah didn’t like that answer, and I could see in his eyes that he was trying to decide if he could get away with scheduling an appointment for me. Which was my cue to distract him with actually going downstairs for breakfast, because I had zero plans to go to the doctor any time soon.
