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Chapter 1
“Marinaifyoudon’tstop fidgeting so help me God.”
Oops. “Sorry, Rich.”
My leg had been bouncing up and down for who knows how long, but I hadn’t noticed until he said something. It had probably started when Donovan went into Daphne’s office 37 minutes ago. Not that I was counting.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and tried to focus on the work in front of me. We were leaving in a few days for one of the biggest conferences of the year and Daphne was the headliner. It was a big deal.
This was going to be the first time Daphne acted as the lead representative for The Calloway Group. Everyone knew that she was going to take over the company someday - and that she was the best choice - but this weekend would be her first real test. I knew she was going to be amazing, but there was a lot of prep work.
In a perfect world, it would have just been me and Daphne going to the conference. As it turned out, it would be me, Daphne,andDonovan. Logically, I knew that he was on track to become an executive one day - and that he was a genuinely good worker. I also knew that he had a thing for Daphne and a chromosome I wasn’t sure I could compete with.
“Ready for our trip?”
My jaw clenched at the sound of his voice, but I was a professional, so I did my best to hide my annoyance. There was nowhere to hide in our office, with only Richard and I standing guard before Daphne and her brother Olivers respective doors, so I had no choice but acknowledge him. “Donovan.” I spun around in my chair to face the blonde-haired blue-eyed devil leaving Daphne’s office. “I’m always ready.”
The corner of his lip twitched up. “I’m sure you are.” I really couldn’t stand him. “I look forward to seeing you in action.” He held my gaze a fraction too long before dropping it. “Daphne asked that I send you in, she wanted your opinion on the presentation. Richard, always good to see you,” he added, nodding to the other secretary.
As soon as he was gone Rich let out a whistle. “You think he flirts with everyone on purpose, or does it unconsciously?”
I shook my head. “No idea. And I’m not sure which is worse.”
Richard just shrugged and went back to his work as I pushed back my chair. I gave a quick knock before opening Daphne’s door.
“Come in.”
Daphne had her face buried in printouts and reports, a highlighter in one hand and a pen in the other. As silly as it was, my heart pulsed as I looked at her. She was beautiful, as always, and I loved the way her brow crinkled when she focused.
When I reached her desk she leaned back. “Will you look at this for me?”
“Of course.” I went behind her to look over her shoulder. The smell of her perfume hit me at once, and I leaned in toward the warm smell of amber.
She clicked around on her computer to pull up the presentation. She would be giving theYesterday and Tomorrowtalk they did every year at the conference. The organizers picked a company to sum up the notable events and advancements of the past year and to predict trends for the year to come. It was a massive undertaking and had the potential to make or break entire businesses.
“Do you think this blue is too blue?”
I managed to catch myself before I laughed. I should have known it was something like this.
Daphne was brilliant, genuinely brilliant, and she had a long list of accomplishments under her belt. Department heads from around the company would come to her for advice and approval, and our partners always wanted to work with her directly. Everyone saw her as a cool, confident, capable professional who had an innate talent for advertising and marketing. I saw her as the woman who pulled dozens of all-nighters and worked without breaks to ensure everything was perfect.
“I think it looks great,” I answered honestly. “It’s clear and bright enough to give an energized feeling, but not so much that it overshadows the content.”
She nodded absently, but I knew she was processing what I had said. “Alright. And the font is good?”
“Yep. I think changing anything would mess up the balance. It’s good as it is.”
Her shoulders relaxed, just a touch, and a pang went through my chest. She trusted my opinion, even though I was only her secretary. I wanted to read more into that, but I knew better.
“How are you feeling about the trip?”
She tensed again, instantly, and I had my answer. “I won’t let anyone down.” The words were robotic, like they had been repeating inside her mind.
I sighed. “I know you won’t, but that’s not what I meant.” I brought my hands to rest on her shoulders, feeling her jump at my touch. “What areyoufeeling?”
It took her a moment, but she began to relax. I started to massage her shoulders and neck, her muscles tight beneath my fingers.
“The last time we gave this talk was when my dad did it fifteen years ago.”
