Chapter One
The glittering baubles McKenna Riley used to embellish her high-heeled shoes chimed as she restlessly tapped her foot. She’d already replied to emails, RSVP’d stuff, sent the pilot a schedule for next week, and made business dinner reservations with her tablet.
From her color-coded planner, because she was old school that way and liked to see things in her own writing, she ticked off half of her to-do list that didn’t require her to show up in person. The rest would have to wait until after she was done here.
Here, was sitting in a chair in an apartment as a practice model for the pretty girl standing behind her with multiple brushes and combs in her hands and two aerosol cans under her arms, doing something to McKenna’s hair.
She had no idea what because Lindsey Riley, her cousin, and trainee hairdresser insisted she wanted a blind reaction from McKenna.
Famous last words.
McKenna promised weeks ago she’d sit in as a hair model for her cousin, then promptly forgot about it altogether. In her defense, she’d started a new job that sucked up all her time and brain power. But Lindsey called her up in the middle of a very busy day, reminding her of her promise.
If nothing else, McKenna kept her commitments, especially since this meant a lot to Lindsey. She fitted in her cousin after picking up her bosses’ dry cleaning and before having her photo taken with a giant cardboard check after dropping off an actual check for a sizable amount to an animal shelter.
Her bosses didn’t like having their pictures taken. She had no idea why. They were universally the most handsome men on the planet, confirmed by any online clickbait site, nearly all print magazines, and by any person with a pulse.
“I can’t believe you’re actually working for them, Mac,” Lindsey said, fiddling with McKenna’s hair. “Like you get to see them. Oh my gosh. Breathe the same air as them. I bet they smell delicious. Kelley and Iris are crazy jealous, and Marina and Louise are hounding me to get you to set up a meet cute with them. Obviously, I said no, because you’re a professional, right?” Lindsey said as a question as if she were gauging the level of McKenna’s professionalism.
See? Everyone wanted a piece of her bosses. After they’d been voted the most obscenely gorgeous and mega-rich eligible bachelors to have ever existed, a few years in a row now, everyone and their mother swooned over them.
Except McKenna.
She took one glance at them at their first meeting, exactly ten days ago to date, and decided unless she was a leggy model, had goddess boobs with dewy skin, smashed the golden ratio with perfect facial contours, coupled with the eyes of a sex siren, they wouldn’t look at her twice.
She was, in fact, the exact opposite of what they dated. Barely five-three, McKenna’s features came with zero harmony to speak of, and her bed-cred was nonexistent being a twenty-two-year-old virgin. The only thing she could seduce was herself out of going to the gym.
They were out of her league in every way possible, and it suited her just fine. She already had enough to prove without paying any attention to her stupefied nipples whenever they were near or the unsolicited tingle in her panties. Unfortunate hindrances, she termed those hiccups.
She’d put it down to a novel experience, because yes, heck, they were off the freaking charts attractive, but the novelty of being shocked by their male beauty would wear off eventually, aided exponentially by her personal status in the looks department. It was a ‘quit while ahead’ kind of thing for her.
Ledger Mayfield, Hayden Philips, and Kade Howard wouldn’t touch her with a fifty-foot pole. As it should be.
Maybe the only reason she landed the job was because her grandmother worked as their mentor’s housekeeper, but if she was entirely capable of being a millionaire’s PA, how different could it be working for a bunch of billionaires instead? Rich was rich, right?
After college for a business management degree, she accidentally found herself in a part-time PA position for George Thames—their mentor—and enjoyed it so much that he’d offered her a full-time job.
George had given her free reign to arrange his busy life in such a way that he had more than enough free time to spend with his grandchildren while still running his very successful company.
Then he’d retired and had nothing but time on his hands, and with that went McKenna’s dreams of working for him forever. But he’d immediately recommended her to the CEOs of MPH Industries, and now she had a fat lot to prove to all the other PAs who’d vied for the prestigious position and called her getting it downright favoritism.
But she was damn good at what she did, so there. Speaking of her job, her gaze flicked over the rest of her to-do list, staring at her from her planner.
1) Drop off check at animal shelter.
2) Find three fake wives for one night.
3) Drop off flowers and books at cantankerous aunt—maybe add happy pills? Remember to duck in case she hurls another vase.
4) Damage control—persuade Ultimate Beat to come and play at niece’s birthday.
“Am I almost done,” McKenna asked, awkwardly twisting her head around to look at the girl behind her. Why did it feel like she was carrying a couple of bricks on her head?
“You can’t rush,” Lindsey said, then hesitated. “Art,” she finished with very little confidence in her voice. Her face had been a whole kaleidoscope of emotions, except when she was talking about McKenna’s new bosses, of course.
First, Lindsey’s brow would knit, then she’d grimace, and then she’d have a eureka moment, which usually resulted in her spraying more of whatever she had been spraying into McKenna’s hair, followed by relief before her frown returned, twice as hard. Rinse. Repeat.
Oh boy, something was wrong.