Page 38 of Assistant to the Billionaire CEO

“I’m sure he is,” I said. Glenda didn’t look up at me again, and I could tell she wasn’t interested in continuing the conversation. Frankly, neither was I. “See you tomorrow morning.” I tightened my grip on my handbag and started making my way toward the building’s exit.

“Here’s an idea,” Glenda said loudly as I pushed open the double doors that led outside, “perhaps you could wearquietshoes tomorrow? News flash: there are other people working here.”

Jesus. What a beast.

16

STELLA

The next morning was finally warm enough to wear one of my new formal dresses. Carefully, I pried the elegant creamy-white one I had set my heart on from a coat hanger in my wardrobe and stripped off my pajamas, leaving them in a heap next to my feet. I wriggled into the lacy white bra and panties I’d chosen as my first layer and pulled on a pair of stockings that were labeled, “Grecian blonde.” I had no idea what “Grecian blonde” meant or why it was different from “beige,” but it sounded glamorous and enchanting—two qualities I could only dream of embodying.

The creamy-white dress was formfitting, but modest. It had a knee-length skirt, and its cute neckline was just low enough to show off my décolletage without revealing too much. In the full-length mirror next to my wardrobe, I stared at my reflection and admired the way the dress looked on me. I completed my “look” with a pair of cute high heels and flower earrings with little faux diamonds. Satisfied that I looked like the esteemed architect I hoped to become, I sashayed out of my bedroom and strode down the hallway leading to the kitchen. There, I grabbed a granola bar out of one of the cupboards and strolled out of my apartment’s front door.

Jay was already waiting for me.

Unlimited cab rides (preferably with Jay) had been Damon’s gift to me after I’d got robbed on a train in New Jersey. At first, I’d said no, but Damon had insisted. It wasn’t that I was afraid to take the subway or the bus, it was just that Damon had argued that he only had one sister and he wanted to keep her around. He had offered to buy me a car, but that was where I had drawn the line. If I got a car, I wanted to pay for it myself.

“Day two,” I reported as I slid onto Jay’s back seat.

“How’s the new boss treating you, love?” Jay steered onto the main road and merged with the early-morning traffic.

“He’s fine. But I’m not sure where I stand with him. I can’t tell if he likes my jokes.”

“Bit of a grumpy one, is he?”

“A hundred percent.”

“Well, he better be nice to you, or else good old Jay here will have to have a littlechatwith him…mano a mano.”

The thought made me beam. I tried to picture Jay wrestling Ace to the ground and winning. “I’ll be sure to let you know if I ever need you to intervene. Somehow, I’m more nervous than I was yesterday.” I fiddled with a loose piece of string protruding from one of my handbag’s seams.

“Nervous? Or…maybe a bit excited?” he asked. I could see him grinning in the cab’s rearview mirror. “Bit hard to tell the difference sometimes.”

“It’s definitely both, and I like neither of them. I prefer books and to-do lists. In fact, I’ve been known to actively avoid ‘exciting’ situations, especially the ones that make me nervous. When do you think I’ll stop feeling like a fish out of water?”

“Heh, good question. Good-looking bloke is he…your boss?”

“Ehhh…well…”

Jay’s eyes grew huge in the rearview mirror. “Oooooh, she’s blushing. I’ll take that as a yes then?”

I shrugged and sighed. “He’s the most handsome man I’ve ever met.”

“Seriously? Bastard,” Jay said, his inner Brit leaping out, slightly competitive on the looks front, and I chuckled. “Well, in that case…maybe tomorrow. Maybe never. Kind of depends how things evolve. But what I do know is that you’ll be perfectly fine, and you’ll do a brilliant job. That’s all that matters, innit? New jobs are always a bit uncomfortable. All new things pushing us out of our comfort zone are, aren’t they, ’til we get used to them. That’s just normal.”

The cab pulled up in front of the Windsor Architects building, and my breath caught in my throat. “See you again late this afternoon?” I asked as I tried to hand Jay a tip, which he refused.

“A pack of wild donkeys couldn’t stop me. Just drop me a line when you need me.”

“Do you mean ‘a herd of wild horses’?” I asked as I shoved my purse back into my overly full handbag and got to my feet.

“Eh?” Jay lifted one of his eyebrows and watched me through the cab’s open window.

“People usually say ‘a herd of wild horses couldn’t stop me,’ but you said ‘donkeys.’”

“Donkeys are stronger than horses…andmuchmore ferocious when they’re traveling in packs,” Jay said with a straight face, although I finally realized that he was joking.

I couldn’t contain my grin. “Bye, Jay. I’ll see you later.”

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