Page 105 of Assistant to the Billionaire CEO

Itraveled up to the 8th floor with a single-minded determination.It’s better to rip off the Band-Aid, I thought, recalling the picture of Ace, Damon, and the guys on their bikes I’d stumbled across the previous day. I was doing the right thing.

An instrumental version of Rod Stewart’s “Maggie May” started playing through the small speaker mounted in one corner of the elevator.

I tugged at my formal black dress’s hem to straighten it out and then pulled out my little hand mirror. My lipstick was a pale pink that matched the color of my eyeshadow, and I’d meticulously applied multiple layers of—waterproof—mascara that morning to ensure my eyelashes were extra fluttery. I can’t explain why I felt the need to look my best for the occasion, but I did. Probably so I would at least feel pretty on the outside while I felt like crap on the inside.

Ping.

The doors slid open. Taking a deep breath, I stepped out onto the 8th floor. The hallway leading to Ace’s office was quiet, but I knew it wouldn’t be for long. I had to hurry.

Heart beating against my chest, I made the short trip down the hallway to Ace’s office door.

I took one last breath and knocked.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Come in,” Ace grumbled sternly from the other side of the door.

My hand trembled as I reached out and wrapped my fingers around the handle. With a twist, it slowly swung open. The smell of Ace’s manly cologne hung in the air as I stepped inside. He was seated behind his large desk at one side of the room, flipping through a stack of papers.

“Good morning,” I said, and he looked up at me.

“There you are,” he said as a relieved smile spread across his handsome face. “I was hoping I’d see you first thing this morning.”

He stood up and made his way over to me. As he tried to wrap his muscular arms around me, I stepped away from him.

“Ace,” I quietly said. My voice was barely more than a raspy whisper. “We need to talk.”

His smile slipped from his face and inverted itself into a frown. “Sure. What’s going on?” He took my hands in his and supportively squeezed them. “Are you okay?”

I gently pulled my hands from his grasp and put them at my side. “How did we end up here?”

“End up where?” he asked, arching a brow. His beautiful icy-blue eyes bore into mine. I knew he was trying to figure out what I was thinking. “Is this still about yesterday and my leaving?”

“We were never supposed to get involved with each other. We said we wouldn’t. We knew we shouldn’t.”

“So thisisstill about yesterday.”

“Yes…and no.” My eyes fell to the floor.

“I thought you were enjoying spending time with me.”

“I was, but that doesn’t make it right.” I still stared at the top of my shoes, unable to make eye contact with him. I was scared that if I did, I’d burst into tears, and crying in front of him was the last thing I wanted to do. “We’re two totally different people. I’m…just me, and you’re the ‘Infamous Billionaire Ace Windsor.’ Besides, this whole thing could have an even more devastating consequence.”

“I’m not worried about Damon,” Ace grumbled, as if he knew which direction I was heading.

He stepped closer to me.

I took another step back to keep the distance between us.

“We’re different,” I said.

“We have more in common than you think.”

“My brother is your best friend. He has been since college. Of course you care about your friendship with him and the other guys, even if you won’t admit it,” I insisted.

“The other guys?”

“Well, yeah, they all were involved in this snooping thing, not just Damon. You don’t want to say goodbye to the merger, I know you don’t. And even if despite everything, the companies do merge, how sensible is the whole idea if there will only be arguments and fights between the top dogs?”

---