Page 3 of He Falls First

Her initiative is admirable, but it’ll take more than that to impress me. Like I do with everyone, I need to remind her that I’m not one to be tested.

“Just make sure everything runs smoothly, and you won’t have any issues from me.”

Elizabeth meets my gaze, an indomitable glint of resolve flickering in the depths of her eyes. “Absolutely, Mr. Hendrix. I’ll make sure to exceed your expectations.”

Matt steps between us, and I blink rapidly. I’d already forgotten he was here.

“Er, one more thing for Lizzy to stay on top of,” he says.

I’ve never felt such vitriol for the man in all the time I’ve known him.

I don’t know what it is that’s set me off—is it stepping between me and Elizabeth? The familiarity of his tone, perhaps, and the way he calls her ‘Lizzy’—does she even care for that nickname? Or is he imposing it on her, just like he’s inserting himself into this conversation uninvited?

“Spit it out, Matthew,” I growl. “And it better be worth the interruption.”

He chuckles and nods, as if I’ve just made his point for him. “Yeah. That,” he says to Elizabeth. “He’ll need your help keeping that temper under control. We have to make sure he seems like a friendly guy for the next six weeks. Think you could help with that?” He winks at her conspiratorially.

My face heats up as he infuriates me even more. It’s not that Matt is wrong—he’s got a point, once again—but I don’t need him contaminating Elizabeth’s first impression of me. For the first time, I feel self-conscious about my gruff nature. Not for the sake of the company or my business reputation, but because Elizabeth has just taken a step back from me and I can’t help but exhale a little too loudly.

“Well, if you’re done interrupting,” I grumble at Matt, “Elizabeth and I have work to do.”

“Good luck!” Matt calls out as he ducks out of the room.

I can practically hear his smirk even though I’m not looking at him—instead, I’m stealing another glance at Elizabeth. I can’t shake this odd feeling, this pull, this attraction. It’s something I’ve never experienced before, especially not with any of my previous assistants. I may not have much experience with being a family man, but I do know this: being attracted to my assistant is not compatible with my goals for the next six weeks.

I hand Elizabeth a hefty file folder. “These are the priorities for my first month here. Review them and give me your analysis this afternoon.”

She flips through the pages, undaunted. “Consider it done.”

As she turns to leave, I add, “And Elizabeth? No more ‘Lizzy’ business around the office. It undermines your authority. You’ll be taken more seriously as Elizabeth.”

She raises an eyebrow, then nods. “Noted, Mr. Hendrix.” The purr in her voice when she says my name sends an unexpected thrill through me.

Focus, I remind myself as she walks out. Six weeks. That’s all I have to make it through without letting Elizabeth Summers distract me. I’ve worked too damn hard to throw everything away for a pretty face.

Chapter 2

Elizabeth

“He hates me, doesn’t he?”

My roommate, Allison, exchanges a look with our other bestie, Cora. We’re at my apartment discussing my first day at work with my new boss, which means we might as well be developing a checklist called “How To Tell if a Billionaire Despises You.”

Calls your voice annoying? Check. Cracks not a single smile in your presence? Check. Caught glaring at you every time you steal a glance his way? Check, check, and check.

“Maybe he doesn’t hate you,” Cora says, trying to reassure me with her usual optimism. “Could be he’s just stressed out about his first day at the company.”

“What’s this guy’s name again?” Allison asks, pulling up her laptop. She’s a little more realistic. One might even say pessimistic. For example, I can never get through telling her about a first date without her marking a million red flags about everything from his choice in shoe wear to whether or not he pronounces the second letter in “almond.”

“His name’s Hendrix Monroe,” I tell her.

“Hendrix? Sounds like a rock star.” She smirks.

“Less guitar, more grumpy billionaire,” I clarify.

She squints at the laptop screen. “Well, maybe this is a good sign. You say he was glaring at you? Look, he’s glaring in every picture ever taken of him.”

“Allison might have a point,” Cora says, peering over to see the screen. “Maybe he doesn’t have a ‘hate’ setting. It could just be his face. You know resting bitch face? Maybe he’s got chronic ‘boss glare’ or something.”

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