Her Billionaire Boss Page 4

  “No, we didn’t come together,” Chelsea said. For some crazy reason, I frowned.

  “Well, you tell James that he better hold onto this one. She’s clearly got an eye for industry trends,” Henry said, looking at me.

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” I said. “See you around.”

  I led Chelsea away from the table. Once we were out of earshot, I turned to her with a raised eyebrow.

  “What was all that?”

  “I sent Mobi Play my resume,” she replied with a shrug. “So, I did a little reading about the company.”

  “You’re thorough.”

  “I know,” she said with a grin. “I want to be successful, and I have to work for it. Most people don’t have a fancy corner office just handed to us.”

  “Wow. Tell me how you really feel.”

  “I’m just saying, appreciate what you’ve been given. You’re living some people’s dream.”

  As we walked along, perusing the games available, I thought over her words. I had always known that I was at the top of the food chain, but I’d never given much thought to anyone else’s struggle. If someone as brilliant as Chelsea was stuck as an assistant, did I deserve my position?

  Chapter 7

  Chelsea

  I felt different walking into work Monday morning. Running into Jay at the fundraiser was a surprise, but there was no denying that it felt like a date. I had learned more about the seemingly arrogant billionaire and was surprised at what good company he made.

  The problem was that I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about him. The butterflies in my stomach as I walked into Production, Inc. were nothing but bad news. The guy was my boss, and I didn’t dare cross that line, not when I was so desperate to be taken seriously in this industry.

  So, I resolved to ignore my blooming crush until it disappeared. It had to go away eventually, right?

  That was what I kept telling myself.

  I was sure that I’d have some time to prepare myself before seeing Jay, but to my surprise, he was in his office when I arrived. Walking in with a steaming cup of coffee in my hand, I hovered awkwardly in the doorway as I saw that he was already drinking from a mug. He was reading a paper on his desk, but looked up suddenly, as if he sensed my eyes on him.

  “Perfect, I was just about to go get myself a refill,” he said, nodding toward the cup in my hand.

  “Refill? How long have you been here?”

  He glanced at the clock on the wall. “Uh, about a half hour. I woke up early today, so I figured I’d come in and get some work done.”

  “Wow. Who are you and what have you done with Jay?”

  “Har-de-har,” he replied flatly. “And to think that I brought you a gift.”

  Reaching over to the white paper bag on the edge of his desk, Jay held it out to me. Taking a few steps forward, I placed the coffee in front of him and hesitantly took the bag into my own hands.

  “It won’t bite,” he said with a smirk. I narrowed my eyes at him but took it and peeked inside. It was a huge blueberry muffin.

  “To make up for the one I stole,” he explained when I looked up again and met his blue eyes.

  “Oh. Thanks,” I said as my heart fluttered. This guy was killing me.

  There was a knock on the open door behind me and I turned to see Mr. Keller standing there. His gaze zeroed in on Jay, and I saw his surprise.

  “Jay, I’m surprised to see you here, so hard at work already.”

  “What is with all the surprise? I can be responsible, you know,” Jay said, exasperated.

  “Clearly. And I’m glad to see it. Do you have a moment?”

  “Sure.”

  As Mr. Keller headed to the desk, I took that as my cue to leave. Pulling the office door shut behind me, I sat at my desk with the paper bag still clutched tightly in my hand. It was probably silly to put so much significance on this; it was just a muffin, after all. Also, he did owe me one.

  But the thought of Jay doing this for me filled me with warmth.

  I ate the muffin at my desk while checking my email. Mr. Keller left the office fifteen minutes later, all smiles, with Jay trailing after. He turned to me once his dad had disappeared, heading back to his own office.

  “So, do you forgive me?”

  “What?” I asked, looking up at Jay from my seated position as he stood directly on the other side of my desk.

  “For the muffin. Do you forgive me now?”

  “I suppose I have to,” I replied as I popped the last bite into my mouth.

  “That was the idea,” he said. I licked crumbs off my lips as I swallowed the last of the muffin. Jay’s eyes flickered down to my mouth, and the air between us suddenly felt charged. Desire filled me as our eyes met.

  Nope. Can’t go there.

  I cleared my throat and scooted my chair back. “I, uh, I need to make some copies of the agenda for your meeting this afternoon,” I mumbled and strode away, heading to the copy room without waiting for a response.

  My mind was racing, trying to figure out how to handle this new development. Was there any way that I could spend the day avoiding this man while also working for him?

  That turned out to be impossible, of course.

  I just had to keep my mind focused on work, so I threw myself into any menial task that came my way. It was time to push all these crazy thoughts aside. No good-looking man was going to make me put my career at risk.

  The day passed quickly, as was typical in a busy office, especially on a Monday. It seemed as if Jay’s office had a revolving door, with all the people going in and out. I wasn’t about to complain, though. It kept much-needed distance between us.

  The day wore on and eventually the late afternoon sun shining through the windows cast long shadows around the office. It was quitting time, and I felt relieved. I had been afraid, for a brief moment, that my sudden attraction to my boss was going to cause awkward tension to fill every working hour. But I made it through the day unscathed.

  Jay walked out of his office and stopped in front of my desk.

  “I’m heading out for the day. Can you overnight this contract to Mixed Marketing? They’re going to do some market research for us about this higher education platform.” He placed the papers on the corner of my desk. “I want them to get going on it as soon as possible, so it must go out today.”

  “Sure thing,” I replied, starting to straighten the other papers on my desk and power down my computer for the day.

  “Thanks. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow. I might even be on time again,” he said with a wink. He started to walk away.

  “Be careful, now. People will start expecting it,” I teased.

  “Yeah, yeah. You’re a real cut-up,” he said, turning around and walking backward for a few steps to speak to me.

  “See you bright and early then, boss.”

  Once he was gone, I finished up a few minor things and snagged his contract off the desk. As I walked to the elevator, I flipped through the papers, double-checking that everything was in order. I was vaguely aware that the top floor around me was mostly empty, with nearly everyone else having already left for the day.

  As I entered the elevator, I sensed someone slip inside right behind me and when I turned around, Mr. Keller was there. “Miss Perrelle, I’m surprised to see you’re here,” he said, “I thought I might be the only one still lingering behind at half past five.”

  “I hate to leave a messy workspace, so I took a few extra minutes to tidy up a bit.” I shrugged. “I think I passed a few other stragglers on the way out, though. We’ve got some workaholics, I guess.”

  “Yes, we must,” he chuckled.

  Flipping to the last page of the document in my hands, I noticed right away that Jay had missed a spot he was supposed to sign. I bit my lip, feeling conflicted. What should I do?

  He said it was important for the contract to go out today, but it was pointless if he hadn’t signed every page. It wasn’t as if I had a way track him down…
/>   Wait a minute.

  “You wouldn’t happen to know what Jay’s up to tonight, would you?” I asked Mr. Keller.

  “Oh, yes, he has a date. Why?”

  I ignored my stuttering heart, telling myself it didn’t matter if Jay was seeing someone. If anything, it was good. It made it easier to remember that he was off limits.

  “Well, he missed a signature on this marketing contract, but I probably shouldn’t bother him if he’s on a—”

  “Oh no, you should. This is important. You can find him at Nicolino’s. It’s just down the street from the UPS store, so it’s perfect.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked, feeling uncertain.

  “Absolutely.”

  The elevator doors opened and we both stepped out into the lobby. I wasn’t so sure that it was a good idea to interrupt Jay’s date, but I wasn’t going to go against what Mr. Keller said. If he wanted me to do it, I would.

  I’d also take advantage of the chance to check out the girl he was seeing. Not that I considered her competition or anything. Not at all.

  Chapter 8

  Jay

  Five minutes into this blind date and it was a disaster. I didn’t know why I let Martin talk me into this. The girl he’d been chasing after, Tracy, had plans with a friend tonight and his genius solution was to have me join them all for dinner and make it a double date. Blind dates weren’t usually my thing but I agreed to it as a favor to Martin. Now, he’d owe me one.

  My date was named Emily, and my first impression was that she was pretty, with shoulder-length black hair and dimples in her cheeks. Taking a seat beside her, I resolved to stay open-minded. Maybe we’d hit it off?

  The restaurant was a small Italian joint that had been opened by real Sicilian immigrants three generations back. The place was authentic, not some flashy tourist trap or heat-and-serve eatery. The food was made from scratch and right on par with anything you’d find in Italy, and I would know. I had been there often enough.

  “You know, you look familiar to me,” Emily said, drawing my attention away from the menu I had been perusing. “You’re not on TV or anything, are you?”

  Her eyes lit up as she spoke, and a sense of foreboding stole over me.

  “No, nothing like that. I’m an executive at Production, Inc. Have you heard of it?”

  “Yeah, but… Oh my gosh, you’re that guy, the one I saw on TMZ a couple of weeks ago. Your dad started the company! Aren’t you a billionaire?”

  “Uh, yeah,” I said. Okay, that topic had come up sooner than I expected.

  “Wow. This is so exciting. I remember thinking how cute you were in the picture they posted online. They were saying that you blew over a million dollars celebrating a friend’s birthday.”

  “I probably did,” I shrugged.

  “That’s so generous,” she caressed my arm. “I like a man that can give to others.”

  “Right,” I responded, slightly put off. There was something almost predatory about this woman, and it made me uneasy. “So, why don’t you tell me about yourself?”

  “Well, I want to be a singer, but it’s so hard breaking into the industry. I think it’s all about who you know. Even us really talented singers struggle when we’re starting from the bottom. I bet you never have that problem, though. You must have tons of connections with all your money.”

  “I guess you could say that,” I said, my face forming a frown. I was starting to see red flags with this woman. Glancing across the table, I saw that Martin was utterly engrossed in conversation with his date. They both appeared oblivious to us already. I wouldn’t be getting any help from him.

  “Yeah, I lived in L.A. for about a year after high school, but the whole time I only landed one gig, and it was as a backup singer for a pop star. I couldn’t land a record deal of my own. So, I came back here and now I’m trying to launch my career as a YouTube star.”

  “How’s that working out for you?” I asked.

  “It’s going way too slow. That’s what I mean about needing to know people. I need a celebrity or something to start following me and I just know I’ll be set.”

  I picked my menu back up and started scanning it while she spoke. I responded with a noncommittal noise through my closed lips to show I was listening but didn’t try to encourage her to continue.

  Why did it seem that nearly everyone I met wanted something from me? I supposed it was the double-edged sword of coming from a wealthy family. Yeah, I didn’t have to worry about money, but I did need to keep my guard up with new people. This was a classic example of why.

  “I bet you know tons of famous people, huh?” Emily asked, undeterred by my withdrawal from the conversation. She was trying to sound nonchalant, but I could sense a desperate hunger beneath the surface.

  What a crappy date.

  “Why would you think that?” I asked, exasperated.

  “Well, I remember reading that there were supermodels at your friend’s birthday bash. And now that I think of it, wasn’t it you that was photographed on a yacht with Hugh Jackman a couple of months ago?”

  I sighed. Then, the sound of a throat clearing drew my attention away from Emily.

  Chelsea was standing next to the table, looking uncomfortable. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and there was a light blush coloring her cheeks. My confusion at her appearance must have been clear on my face because Emily spoke up.

  “Do you know this woman?” There was a hint of jealousy in her voice.

  “This is Chelsea, my assistant. Please excuse me,” I said, happily standing and walking away from the table. Chelsea followed behind until I stopped, just out of earshot of the others.

  “What are you doing here? Is something wrong?”

  “I’m so sorry to interrupt. I probably shouldn’t have come, but you didn’t sign one of the papers in the marketing agreement,” she explained, holding up the contract that I hadn’t noticed was in her hand.

  “Thank God,” I said. “Your arrival will give me the perfect excuse to get out of this.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I want to leave but couldn’t come up with a good excuse,” I said. Chelsea’s eyes shifted to look over my shoulder, and I followed her gaze. Emily was watching us with a calculated look on her face.

  “Your date doesn’t look very pleased to see me,” Chelsea said.

  “It’s just a blind date. I don’t even know her.” For some reason, it was important to me that Chelsea know this.

  “A blind date?”

  “Yeah. So?”

  “I don’t know; you just don’t seem the blind date type.”

  “I’m not. So, just follow my lead.”

  Striding back over to the group, I tried to make my face look chagrined and regretful. Martin and his date watched my approach, but Emily only had eyes for Chelsea. She didn’t look happy.

  “Sorry, guys. Something urgent has come up at work. I’ve got to go take care of it right away.”

  “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” Martin asked with a knowing glint in his eye.

  “This is my assistant, Chelsea. Chelsea, this is my best friend, Martin.” I gestured between the two of them as I made the introductions. Chelsea held her hand out and Martin grasped it, holding on a little longer than necessary as he looked at her closely.

  “So, you’re the famous Chelsea I’ve heard so much about?”

  “What?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

  I shot Martin a threatening look from my position just out of Chelsea’s eyesight. I didn’t want him spouting any of his crazy theories about my attraction to Chelsea, especially when they might be dead-on. I had been thinking about her far more than I should lately, but she certainly didn’t need to know that.

  “Jay tells me that you’ve been whipping him into shape over there at Production, Inc. You must be something special to get this guy to skip a wild party at his own house for a charity fundraiser.”

  “Oka
y, time to go,” I interrupted, eager to get Chelsea away from Martin, who looked highly amused. Without thinking about it, I grabbed Chelsea’s hand and started to pull her out of the restaurant, calling out a brief goodbye to my sullen-looking date along the way.

  Chapter 9

  Chelsea

  Things had taken a surprising turn at the restaurant. When I arrived, I had been concerned that I was intruding, but Jay was obviously relieved to see me. The last thing I expected was for him to ditch his date upon my arrival.

  As we stepped out into the cool evening, I was very much aware that he was still holding my hand. His palm was warm against my own, and my heart was racing. He stopped walking and turned to me, just a few steps outside of the restaurant. His blue eyes seemed somehow brighter in the light of the setting sun, and I almost let myself get lost in them, but instead, I pulled my hand free. Tucking my hair behind my ear and coughing, I shuffled the papers in my hand nervously.

  “Um, yeah, so…I guess I just need your signature,” I said, keeping my eyes away from his. This pull I felt toward him was getting stronger, and I felt helpless to stop it.

  “The UPS store is two blocks away; let’s just walk on over,” he suggested.

  “Together?”

  “Sure. It’s a nice evening and I could use the exercise. Not all of us wake up at the crack of dawn to torture ourselves.”

  “Hey, it’s not torture. I love starting the day with a run,” I replied, falling into step beside him. We assumed a casual pace, not in any particular hurry.

  “Whatever you say,” he teased.

  “You must work out.” I scanned his body with my eyes. It was easy to see that he was buff under the blue suit he was wearing.

  “Not really. I’m just active, not much of a homebody. For instance, I play basketball with some buddies on the weekends when I’m not working on my carpentry.”

  “Carpentry?”

  “Yeah, I build furniture. I know what you’re thinking: I can buy anything I want, so why would I do that? But there’s something so satisfying about creating something myself, with my own two hands. And then, every time you use that piece afterward, you’re reminded of what you created.”