Page 71 of Savage Bosses

“I’m Zoe, your new assistant.”

“Which department are you from?”

“I’ve never worked for Pentiko.”

He frowned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Are you sure you’ve never worked for the company?”

Did he really not remember me and the explosive night we had together? I couldn’t be that lucky. My hurt dissipated, turning into worry that Dax’s blow had caused damage. But I wasn’t going to help him remember my part in his injury. I couldn’t remain working for Pentiko either.

“I’m sure.”

He took a folder from his desk. “I need a meeting arranged with Senator Johnson this week. He’ll try to delay. Don’t take no for an answer. Then set up a meeting with the partners. They’ll want an update on my meeting with the Senator.”

“Anything else, Mr. Hijra?” My stomach fluttered as his name rolled off my tongue. Knowing his name made forgetting harder.

“Nothing immediate.”

He walked around his desk to sit in his chair and I took that as my cue to escape.

“Have we met? You seem familiar.”

I tucked a lock of stray hair behind my ear. My mouth dried as I avoided meeting his stare. “I’m positive we haven't.”

CHAPTER 9

Anik

I

stared at the door my new assistant went through. There was something about her that was oddly familiar.

More than familiar.

The moment she appeared in my doorway, every fiber in my body had flexed into awareness. When she’d skirted past me with wide doe eyes, I swore I had heard her suck in a fluttering breath. Yet, she was certain we hadn’t met.

Did she sense the same familiarity? She’d been quick to leave my office but that could be chalked up to new employee jitters. Still, something about her bugged me. Like an itch at the center of my back I couldn't reach.

Chalking my agitation up to another memory my concussion had robbed me of, I turned my focus back to work. Work was familiar and wasn’t the source of my anger. The office didn’t give me headaches or nausea like trying to force my memories did.

I opened the file on my computer with the new pipeline deal and reviewed the documents and numbers. A new sight off the gulf was good for my family’s holdings in America and Pentiko’s shareholders. Not to mention, the new income stream promised to pour money into Lousisiana’s schools and neighborhoods that desperately needed money. Putting money back into the community was something my partners and I whole-heartedly agreed on despite the political games in my industry. We were close.

We only needed to gain the votes and I believed Senator Johnson would get us there. I had cultivated our relationship over the last year, leaning on our shared vision for Louisiana. I much preferred to work with Johnson than the likes of Evan Sanchez.

Playing politics was the only reason I needed Evan’s lobbying firm in the past. Evan knew it and I knew it. He had the connections an American born in Dubai didn’t. For all my wealth and education, there were always decision-makers in office who resented my power and who sought to remind me that I needed to play by their rules.

I scoffed, knowing that those same men only needed to be offered the right incentive. And those who wouldn’t take my calls directly relayed their demands to men like Evan.

Greed and Evan were closely intertwined. I promised myself a year ago that I would find politicians that actually wanted to fuel money back into their states instead of their pockets.

My calendar chimed on my laptop and I opened it to see a scheduled meeting at the Medallion, then a sparse email from Zoerina informing me that she was heading out for the day but that she was coordinating a partner meeting with the other assistants. I glanced at the time, realizing that I’d spent more time than intended reviewing documents.

Closing the laptop, I leaned against the chair. No sooner than I closed my eyes, images of my personal assistant dressed in her red pants suit appeared. There was no doubt that she was a beautiful woman. In heels, she stood approximately five inches shorter than my six feet, two inches and her curves added to her appeal. But she was my assistant, and I didn’t dip my dick where I made a living. Not unless I intended to have a serious relationship and even then, the prospect of office gossip wasn’t enticing.

If my ex-wife had taught me anything, it was not to trust my heart when it drumbed uncontrollably.

Zoe…

Was it how she looked in red, the way she nervously hooked her hair behind her ear? Or the way my body hummed just thinking about her that nagged at me?

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