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Chapter 1
PENELOPE
With my briefcasein one hand and a coffee in the other, I walk by my secretary’s desk and straight to my office. I set my briefcase down to open the door, then leave it open as I go to my desk.
I love mornings the most because the office is empty. Despite my job of having to deal with people on a daily basis, I prefer to be alone. I hate ignorance, and I find most people have an abundance of it. The small handful of people I employ are great, but I would still rather work alone. Unfortunately, that’s not a luxury I can afford.
Taking a seat, I pull my laptop out of my briefcase and flip the lid open. Checking emails is tedious work, which is why I do it first thing in the morning to get it over with.
Noticing a reply I’ve been waiting for from a popular magazine, I quickly open the email. Satisfaction edges my lips up into a small smile. I drop a note on a sticky pad to call Lenny Bartlett and tell him the good news. Lenny is an actor who’s recently made it big because of the lead role he played in a popular superhero movie. He’ll be ecstatic when he hears he’ll be featured on the front cover of one of the top magazines in the nation.
I send a quick reply to the rep to let her know we’ll be in touch soon to set up a day and time for a photoshoot and interview.
Grabbing my coffee as I click on another email, I bring it to my lips. The lip pops off and hot liquid spills onto my silk top, scalding my skin.
“Crap!” I jump out of my chair, which causes even more coffee to slosh onto my hand.
After setting my cup down on my desk, I shake my offended hand back and forth. It burns like blazes.
My good mood from a moment ago is quickly replaced by irritation. All from a stupid cup of coffee.
I snatch up the now mostly-empty cup and take it with me to the bathroom attached to my office. Pouring the inch of liquid down the drain, I throw the cup in the trash. After, I run cold water over my burning hand until the pain has lessened. I open a cabinet and pull out a fresh shirt. I always keep an extra outfit at work for incidents like this.
Unbuttoning my shirt, I let it slip down my arms then toss it on the counter by the sink. It’ll need to soak in cold water so it doesn’t stain. I glance in the mirror and notice a red spot forming over the tops of my breasts. The area burns, but it’s bearable. Thankfully, the black, lace bra I’m wearing didn’t get wet.
“Had I known today was come to work half naked day, I would have come more prepared. I’m pretty sure I can remedy that though.”
I spin around at the deep, gravelly voice and come face to face with Kai Deluca. He stands in the doorway, his eyes pointed down to my cleavage. The look in his gaze is dark and filled with hunger. I don’t bother trying to cover myself. It’ll only give him the satisfaction of rattling me. Unfortunately, Kai’s been rattling me in more ways than one lately.
I snatch the new shirt from the counter and slide my arms through the holes. “What in the hell are you doing here?” I ask as I briskly push the buttons through the holes.
He lifts his gaze to meet mine and the heated look is replaced with remorse as I cover myself.
One brow arches. “I work here, remember?”
I huff out a breath of vexation. “Like I could forget,” I mutter and he grins. “What I mean is, why are you here so early?”
“Because my boss said I was a slacker.” He leans against the doorframe and shoves his hands into his pockets. “I’ve come to prove her wrong.”
I’m his boss, and yes, I did say he was slacking. Not because he doesn’t do the work asked of him, but because he does more than that. He’s a distraction that causes me to slack. And I certainly can’t have that. I told him he was slacking with the hopes it would piss him off and he’d leave me alone.
I’m no prude by any means. I love sex just as much as the next person. If I find the right guy and the mood strikes, sex is the only time I ever really let go. Kai is very appealing to the eyes. Beautiful, blue eyes that go well with his dark-brown hair, and tall with a toned and muscular body most women would drool over.
But the thing with Kai is, he’s twelve years younger than me. He’s also the boy I used to babysit back in high school. Sure, he’s all grown up now and is a legal adult, but again, he’s twelve years younger than me. That’s important enough to mention twice.
It would be wrong, wrong, wrong to even think about having sexual thoughts about Kai.
Too late, my mind whispers.
I shove that thought aside and pretend it never popped into my head.
Bringing myself back to the present, I turn away from the too tempting boy and face the mirror as I finish buttoning my shirt. I ignore his reflection behind me and make sure I still look presentable.
“There’s no need to come to work early. Just do what you’re told while you’re here and you’ll be golden.”
I lean forward and swipe my pinky below my bottom lip when I see a small smear of lipstick. Next I move to an invisible smudge under my eyes. I’m usually not so nitpicky about my makeup, but I need something to do with myself with Kai so close to me. I’ve always prided myself on my iron control, but Kai somehow manages to crumble it to dust.
I continue to pretend to ignore Kai as he steps further into the small bathroom. He looks at me through the mirror, but I keep my eyes focused on my own reflection. Then he appears directly behind me, and before I know it, he’s pressed his firm chest against my back.
