Page 37 of Assistant to the Billionaire CEO

Sneaking through the archive room’s heavy oak door, I crept into the subfloor’s lobby. Looking around, I hoped to find a sign or something that would help me find the ladies’ room. No such luck. But, I decided that setting off in any direction would eventually deduce the restroom’s location. I headed down a hallway that ribboned out to my right.

Thud!

I found myself sitting on the hallway’s hardwood floor. Again.

“Are you going to make a habit of running into me?”

Ace. My heart skipped a beat.

“Well, I told you it’s sort of my thing,” I joked and patted down three of my curls that had positioned themselves in a wild tangle during the fall.

Ace reached out to help me to my feet. He grabbed onto my forearm and pulled me up, and my feet stumbled toward him.More specifically, it was my body that was being pulled toward him, drawn to him as irresistibly as iron filings were to a magnet.

I gasped as my breasts brushed against his chest. Immediately, almost before the actual moment of impact, my nipples stiffened into little peaks. The fiery tingling sensation I’d felt during my interview had returned. The other parts of me that touched him started burning.

“You okay there?” he asked in his deep rumbly voice, still holding me. His icy-blue eyes scanned my face as the smell of his cologne washed over me. It was a musky scent reminiscent of ancient pine forests and petrichor. The burning tingle in my chest had turned into a raging wildfire, a wildfire that was burning between my thighs too.

“Uh-huh, perfect. Just a little clumsy,” I blurted, trying desperately to ignore his hard muscles I felt under my hands and the crazy butterflies fluttering around in my belly. I needed to pull myself together before he noticed.

“Hmm. You sure?” he asked, his voice stern. “You look a little…dazed, if I may say so. Were you looking for something before you bumped into me, or were you just taking a stroll?” Letting go of me, Ace stepped back and tugged at his suit jacket sleeves. He straightened his tie, waiting for my answer.

“I wasn’t snooping around. I promise,” I said, feeling like I had been caught searching for Christmas presents in my parents’ closet before Christmas. “I’m just looking for the ladies’ room. I didn’t want to bother anyone with it and thought I’d probably find one on this floor if I looked hard enough. I didn’t think that—”

“No need to explain yourself,” he said, cutting me off. “You work here now. You have free reign of the office, and you’re welcome to walk around wherever you like. Restrooms are this way—let me show you. How is the filing going?”

“It’s going well,” I said, walking beside him. “I should be finished in a few hours. I can’t wait to see what you have in store for me next.”

We reached this floor’s restrooms. “You’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out. You’re welcome to clock out whenever you finish the filing I’ve given you. The electricians are working in your office now, and I’ve been called away to a meeting.”

He gave me a nod and bid me farewell.

I rushed inside the restroom and headed straight to the closest sink. The taps used motion-sensor technology, and I had to wave my hand below one of them to get it to work. With my heart still racing from my encounter with Ace, I splashed cold water on my face and stared at my reflection in the mirror.

I couldn’t let him affect me like this.

It wasnotprofessional. It was theoppositeof professional.

Afew minutes later, I sauntered back to the archive room, without straying from the route or stopping to look around. I didn’t want to get caught on an “unauthorized tour” of the premises again, even though my boss hadsaid I was allowed to take a look around. But somehow it didn’t feel right to do so on my first day. I knew that “snoop” wasn’t an attractive look, and I sure didn’t want to be labeled as one.

The archive room was still unreasonably cold when I returned, and I made a mental note to bring a reserve sweater. I finished the rest of my filing as quickly as possible and prepared to leave. As I leaned over to grab my handbag’s handle, three huge plastic bags resting against one of the desk’s legs caught my eye. They were overflowing with ribbons of shredded paper. Strange. Where had all of this come from? And why would anyone at Windsor Architects need to shred a veritable mountain of papers from the archive room?

Sure, there were confidential parts to the projects, but it wasn’t like the archive contained any confidential details such as billing or other classified monetary information or contracts. I decided not to give it too much thought. After all, I didn’t have enough context to draw any conclusion.

I gathered up my things and headed back toward the elevator. Several minutes passed before its shiny double doors finally slid open. Once inside, I pressed the “Ground Floor” button. The doors closed again, and a speaker mounted in one of the elevator’s mirrored corners started playing an instrumental version of Sting’s “Fields of Gold.” Was that a good omen? Yes, I decided. When the doors momentarily opened again, I was confronted with a foyer that was still filled with life. I saw two men and a woman waiting to get into the elevator, a handful of sales reps sitting in the waiting area, and of course Glenda behind the lobby floor’s reception desk, looking just as “cheery” as ever.

She looked up angrily as I stepped onto the foyer’s marble floors. My stilettos clicked as I approached her. “Done working already?” she asked in a snippy tone, that shouldn’t have surprised me but did anyway. “Most of us work eight- or nine-hour days, but I suppose you can do anything you like when you have connections to the boss.”

I wondered if she meant that I was Damon’s sister, or if she was referring to my new position as Ace’s assistant. I didn’t want to jump to any conclusions as to what she might possibly be implying, but sure hoped she didn’t suggest that my connection to my boss was unprofessional. Either way, something inside me thought it would be wise to avoid any rumors from spreading, so I replied, “Mr. Windsor said I could go home when I finished my filing.” I forced myself to sound calm and unaffected. “I finished early, so I’m going home early. It has nothing to do with him and my brother being acquainted.” I wanted to be mindful and make things clear right away.

“I don’t see the rest of us getting that offer,” Glenda said as she typed away on her keyboard. “But if I were you, I wouldn’t get too comfortable. It’s probably just some first-day clemency.”

I smiled. “Whatever it was, it was a kind gesture that made me feel welcome.”

“Well, anything you need from me? I’m sure you haven’t just come over to chat or to ask permission to leave.”

“That’s correct,” I said cheerfully, not letting her rudeness spoil my day. “I didn’t come to ask permission, but to inform you of my leaving. I don’t know if Mr. Windsor has returned from his meeting yet, and I don’t want to disturb him in case he is busy with something important.”

“He isalwaysbusy with something important.” Glenda rolled her eyes while typing and looking at her screen.

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