AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter1
Price Ford
“Miss Casey, will you please bring in the copies of next year’s estimates for the city council meeting? They’re on the printer.”
“Miss Casey, now please.”
“Miss Casey?”
Time is money and money is everything. The sentiment is inscribed on the inside of the Patek Philipe timepiece on my wrist. Unsurprisingly, I do not appreciate, nor would I typically tolerate, an unresponsive administrative assistant at the desk outside my office. And yet, here we are.
If anyone were to challenge me as to why I tolerate it now, I’ll deny it to my last breath. However, never let it be said I am not honest with myself. Where no other assistant would be given the freedom to be away from their desk when I need them, Lyric Casey is the exception.
Not because she’s sleeping with me. Or at least, not solely because she is. In all my years I have never contemplated fucking anyone in my employ. The entire idea is an anathema to me. I’m far too busy, too powerful, and too sick and tired of women with avarice in their eyes to bother with women in general.
Moreover, I’ve made a point of surrounding myself with only the best of the best employees on the job market. None of them would consider a workplace romance to be appropriate, as it would most certainly impede their career goals.
How’s the saying go? Best laid plans of mice and men?
Lyric Casey applied for an internship with my company, Monarch Renewables, and was almost immediately hired by the human resource department. It’s easy to see why. Her resume alone would have been enough to have the director salivating. Add in the personal call her advisor, a man who’d been my mentor once upon a time, and the die was cast.
Then she walked into the building for intern orientation. Coincidentally, I’d exited my personal elevator, my penthouse condo being at the top of the office complex, just as she’d reached the reception desk. I’d been on my way out of the building for an early morning jog, and she’d been attempting first-day punctuality I’d usually heartily appreciate.
Affair or no, I expect my assistant to actuallyassistwhen I need her.
“Miss Casey! I am tired of repeating myself. Bring the documents from the printer into my office, this instant.” Raising my voice isn’t something I do. I don’t need to. Again, Lyric is forcing me to behave in unaccustomed ways, and, to be clear, I will not allow it to continue.
I stomp out of my office, past the notably empty desk of my missing administrative assistant, to the copier. Her empty chair explains why there was no response to my intercom messages, but fails to shed light on exactlywhymy administrative assistant doesn’t have her perky little backside parked on its plush seat cushion. A seat cushion I specifically ordered for her when I saw her attempting to unobtrusively rub a tender spot the aesthetically pleasing torture device caused.
My entire office had been like that before Lyric appeared and turned my professional and personal universes on their heads. It looked good from the outside; soulless and uncomfortable in practicality. It only took her glowing existence to shine the light on everything that was missing.
Just that simply, my frustration and irritation melts away. Regardless of whether I intended to be angry with her, I can’t hold on to it. She’s simply too necessary, too vital for my heart to beat and my lungs to function. Wherever she’s gone off to, I’m sure she’s doing something that will improve my company or my day. She’s like that, my Lyric. Thoughtful and far more sweet natured than an asshole like me deserves.
I grab the stack of papers from the printer tray and retreat back to my desk. It’s probably a good thing Lyric wasn’t there to hear my growls. If she’d heard the snarl in my tone, her feelings would have been hurt. I hate seeing anything less than happiness on Lyric’s sweet face, and if I had to see her sad and know I caused it? Fuck me. The world might see a hard-ass prick businessman, but for her, I’m anything she needs me to be.
My attention is only marginally on the task of sorting the pages for the meeting tonight into piles. One for each council member present, plus extras for admins and adjuncts. Something catches my eye among the spreadsheets and bar graphs. I grab the last paper I sorted and give it a more careful look.
Somehow, a resume’s wound up in the heap of papers on the printer tray. Before I can crumple it and toss it into the shred bin next to my desk, the name at the top catches my attention.Lyric Melody Casey.
I wouldn’t be this shocked if the resume had been mine. Lyric’s updating her resume? Why would she do that, unless she’s planning to submit it for career opportunities outside of Monarch Renewables? Away from me?
No. Not just no, but fuck, no. This woman showed up like a fairytale in my building. She took control of my office, my attention, and my dick. She commandeered my heart. Now, she wants to leave it. Leave me? No. I’m putting a stop to this. She can’t leave. I’m the boss here. I’m not letting her go. Not now. Not ever.
Chapter2
Lyric Casey
Something’s going on with Price. He's been acting super weird the past few days. Every time I turn around at the office, he’s right there next to me. I have no idea how he’s getting any work done, because it seems as if all he does from the moment his eyes open in the morning until I close mine at the end of the day is find ways to be all up in my business.
I want to say it’s driving me crazy, but the truth is, my inner hussy is thrilled to be the object of his distraction. Everyone knows Price Ford a hard-ass, billionaire bastard. He’s too focused on building an empire on planet-friendly technology to give a single solitary care about what people think of him. They say he’s rude and brusque. They know a Mr. Ford who doesn’t bother courting public perception because he knows his business is viable whether people like him or not.
When I accepted the job as an intern at Monarch Renewables, HR warned me to stay out of his way. I was cautioned never to half-ass anything I was assigned to work on, because he doesn’t tolerate poor efforts. That was fine by me because anything worth doing is worth doing well. Plus, I didn’t figure I’d be around him all too often. I mean, what kind of CEO gifts their time to the intern pool?
Nope, I assumed I’d do a few months of internship, get a shiny gold star for effort to slap on my resume, and move on. I didn’t expect to fall in love with Monarch Renewable’s commitment to sustainability. Especially not so much I changed my plans for the master’s program I’d been moving toward, so I could focus on environmental infrastructure to build smart cities.
That part might have a bit more to do with Price, and the way he unexpectedly plucked me from the intern program and decided to mentor me himself. I know the company is moving away from products for corporate use and toward working with government agencies on macro and micro levels. With all the advantages I’ve gotten from working at Price’s side for the last year, I’d be a fool not to make these changes.
And no, it has nothing to do with the chemistry between us or the way we’ve fallen in love. At least, I’ve been telling myself we’re in love. I know I am. Price, well, he’s not much for words of affirmation. It’s a good thing I don’t have a praise kink, because if I did, I’d be sorely dissatisfied.
