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ChapterOne
AVERY
“Avery!” My best friend, Brielle, waved at me as I entered the cute little coffee shop next to the CM Creative Agency building. We both interviewed there today, hoping to become administrative assistants, and her appointment had been twenty minutes before mine.
“How did it go?” she asked when I neared, using her foot to push out the wooden chair closest to me.
My smile was giant as I dropped into the seat and set my purse on the table. I tapped a purple and white striped nail on the table, playing dumb, but she narrowed her eyes, not buying it for a second. “She offered me the job!” I crowed.
Brielle’s eyes widened with shock. “Really?” Then her lips curled up into a grin and she clapped, shrieking, “Me too!”
We laughed and high-fived each other before realizing that we were making quite a racket and should probably quiet down. I glanced around sheepishly, and that’s when I noticed him.
He was leaning against the wall by the counter, presumably waiting for his order. Tall, neatly combed light brown hair, deep brown eyes, a square jaw, and sinful lips. Even through his suit, I could tell he was ripped. I assumed by his attire that he worked in an office and briefly wondered how much time he spent in the gym to keep in shape like that. My thoughts scattered when I finished scanning his body and returned my gaze to his face.
He was staring at me intently, making me squirm in my seat. Partly because it was a little nerve-wracking to be the center of such focused attention from someone—particularly a stranger—and partly because I was quivering from the heat in his eyes that shot straight to my core.
A little smirk formed on his lips and he winked, sending a group of butterflies swirling around my stomach.Wow.I’d thought he was gorgeous before, but when his perfectly kissable lips curved up, he topped my list for the world’s sexiest man alive.
I was surprised at my physical reaction to him. It had been a long time since I felt anything that resembled desire. One too many disastrous dates in college had convinced me to give it up altogether. This guy had me wondering if I should reconsider my stance.
Which was as shocking as the fact that I was the one holding his attention when Brie was sitting with me. My friend could’ve been a Marylin Monroe look-alike with her short, blonde curls, big blue eyes, puffy lips, and an hourglass figure that every 1950s movie star would have coveted. I wasn’t insecure about my appeal, but usually, Brie drew the attention of any men in our vicinity. This guy seemed to have eyes only for me, and my stomach was aflutter with excitement. But his intense stare was also a bit unnerving.
Brie snapped her fingers in front of my face, then waved her hand, grabbing my attention. “Hey, where’d you go? I want to know the details.”
“Huh?” My mind was a little mushy as I reluctantly tore my gaze from the man’s direction and back to my friend. She pursed her rosebud mouth and pushed a short, platinum-blonde curl out of her eyes before glancing toward the man. I cringed at being caught ogling Mr. Sex-in-a-Suit. But when I looked over, I was disappointed to see that he was no longer there. Not that I’d had any intention of approaching him, but he’d sure been pretty to look at.
“Sorry, um, what did you ask?” I mumbled when we faced each other once more.
She cocked her head to the side and studied me for a moment, but thankfully, didn’t bring up my distracted state. “Did they tell you who you’ll be working for?”
The hot guy fog slowly cleared from my brain and I put him out of my mind. “The Vice President of Operations,” I answered, bouncing in my seat a little. “Gordon—something or other. How about you?”
I only had a couple of years of experience as an administrative assistant since I’d spent a year after college traveling. But before my last boss retired, he’d arranged this interview and called to recommend me personally. Even with that, I was shocked they’d hired me for such a prominent person in the company.
Brie beamed proudly. “I’m going to be the CEO’s executive assistant.”
I gasped and grabbed her hand across the table. “Brie! That’s freaking awesome!”
I wasn’t surprised she’d landed the position with the CEO. She had more experience, and her last position had been for a well-respected senator. After two terms, she’d decided not to run again, so Brie had been out of a job. Somehow, we ended up unemployed at the same time, so we’d both applied at CM Creative. The salary and benefits were excellent, and it came with a nice hiring bonus, which would then become a yearly bonus.
“We’ll be able to carpool and have lunch together,” Brie said with a big smile.
Her excitement was infectious and only added to my own. “Let’s go out and celebrate tonight.”
“Yes!” Brielle clapped again.
Just then, my cell phone rang and I grinned when I saw the name Ruby McCoy flashing on the screen. “It’s Ruby. I told her about the interview last week.”
Brie waved toward the door. “Go ahead and take it. I’ll clean up and be out in a minute.”
With a nod of thanks, I dashed for the door and answered the call. “Ruby! I got the job!” I squealed as I did a little happy dance.
Ruby and I had been friends since we were kids, having grown up in neighboring towns. But we’d taken very different directions after high school. I’d gone to Florida for college and settled in Miami, whereas she’d gone to New York City and built a life there. She was a junior accountant at a big city firm, and I couldn’t have been more proud of her.
I heard two squeals of excitement and laughed, guessing the other female voice was another childhood friend, Emmaline Hensley. Emma had also gone to college in New York—not the same school as Ruby—and then stayed and made a name for herself as a wedding planner. Even with the distance, I’d remained close with both girls and I was excited to share my news with them.
“Is that Emma I hear?”
