Chapter Two
Clayton
“She has three more minutes,” I growl at the head of my human resources department as I wait for my new secretary to arrive.
“Growling commands at someone within five minutes of meeting them won’t make the best impression,” Colleen chuckles, a bright smile still plastered on her face.
Colleen and I met during college, and we’ve never been anything more than friends. Her petite frame, dirty blonde hair, and bubbly personality bring most men to their knees, but there was never any spark between us. Probably because my heart had already chosen its mate when I was a teenager.
When I started my company ten years ago, I couldn’t imagine anyone else joining this venture with me other than her. Unlike me, Colleen is good with people, which is evident from the way she’s handing my bad mood. Numbers and equations have been my only companions for as long as I can remember. They make more sense to me than any person I’ve come in contact with.
Being more of a people person, Colleen is perfect at smoothing things over with clients or employees when my mouth gets ahead of me. Over the years, I’ve gotten better at interacting with people, but when I’m angry or feel threatened, all bets are off.
“Besides, I told her to be here at eight.” She heads toward the arrangement of couches on the opposite side of the room.
“Why would you do that? The workday begins at seven thirty.” I storm over to the minibar in my office and pour myself a glass of whiskey, then throw it all back in one gulp.
Being the CEO of a major technology company has its perks, such as getting an office the size of most of my employees’ apartments. A minibar, a grouping of couches near the window, and even my own bathroom with a shower, I’ve created the perfect working environment for myself.
That is, until Colleen told me who my new secretary would be: Pearl Beauregard.
Not only is Pearl the one that got away, but she’s the only woman I’ve ever wanted for longer than a fleeting moment. After missing out on my chance to ask her to prom, I watched her and Kyle become closer and closer until I’d finally had enough. The day after graduation, I packed my bags and headed to NYU without a backward glance.
Now, it looks like Pearl and Kyle are using my attraction to her to get an edge up on me, but unlike Colleen, I see right through them.
When Rita put in her notice, I wasn’t surprised. Being eight months pregnant with twins on the way, it’s only natural that she didn’t want to have to rush back to work after they were born. Colleen volunteered to find her replacement, and I was happy to let her do so. I only need whoever it is to do their job properly.
That is, until she made the offer to Pearl and set my nerves on edge. Pearl is a gentle soul without a malicious bone in her body, but I wouldn’t put it past Kyle to convince her to spy on me so he could get a leg up on the competition.
Xue, Nth Technologies, and a few other companies are vying for a major contract, one that could put the winner at the forefront of the industry. If his company were to get this project, it would catapult them to a new level, one Nth has most recently broken into. If I were to lose to such a small company, I’d become a laughingstock in the industry, which is exactly what Kyle Bates and everyone else jealous of our success are waiting for.
There is no love lost before Kyle and I. He was a jock and I was a computer geek; we were natural enemies. But when he stole Pearl from me right under my nose, that was the last straw. I vowed to do anything and everything to bring him down a peg, no matter the cost.
“What’s got you so worked up this morning?” Colleen asks, sitting down on the leather couch near the mini bar.
“Nothing. I’m eager to finish up this proposal,” I grumble, turning and heading for my desk. “We can’t lose this opportunity.”
“I understand. There are rumors that Xue has new investors to help bring their new prototype up to the next level.”
“Get me their names,” I order, eager to use this opportunity to edge out the competition. “I’m sure I can make it worth their while to find other places to invest their money rather than with him.”
“Consider it done.” Colleen smiles, flipping open her planner and making a note.
A light knock on the door interrupts our conversation.
“She’s here,” she says, slamming her folio shut and standing.
I grunt in response as I spin my chair toward the windows. My body already knows who is standing on the other side of that door. Even after all these years, the pull to be near Pearl is just as strong. She’s owned my heart for the last fifteen years. I just hope that I have enough strength to avoid falling directly into their trap and taking my company along for the ride.
“Be nice.” Colleen points in my direction and narrows her eyes. “If she doesn’t stay, there is no way we’ll get this proposal finished in time.”
She takes my silence as agreement and strides toward the door, pulling it open and bringing Pearl in to view.
I grip the arms of my chair tightly as an intoxicating aroma of lilacs fills the room. The desire to wrap myself in it like a blanket becomes overwhelming. My heart beats wildly in my chest and my palms begin to sweat as I hear her and Colleen exchange a few pleasantries. I take a deep breath, needing to regain some control before opening my mouth. There is no telling what filthy things may come tumbling out if I don’t.
“Clay, this is Pearl Beauregard. She’ll be your new administrative assistant.” Colleen’s voice filters through the haze of need coursing through my veins.
I turn around in my chair and lock eyes with Pearl for the first time since we were teenagers.
She is just as gorgeous as ever: curves in all the right places, bright blue eyes. The fluorescent lighting does nothing to hinder her beauty as my eyes make their way down her body, cataloging every detail and filing it away for use later. I may not be able to claim her as my own, but Pearl has always been the star of all my fantasies.
“Hello, Clay.”
I bite back a groan at the sound of her voice, a melody that I never imagined I would hear again.
“How’s Kyle?” I growl, sounding harsher than intended, but I need to get this out of the way. She needs to understand that if she works for me, it's for me, not as a spy for her husband’s company. “If you’re here to get information about our proposal, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”
Colleen’s head pivots between the two of us. “You two know each other?”
Pearl gives her a forced smile. “Yes. We went to high school together.”
I scoff, which gets Pearl’s attention.
“I wouldn’t know anything about a proposal. Kyle cheated on me and then fired me, so here I am,” she laments.
The sorrow in her voice breaks my heart, but the sadness is quickly replaced by a burning desire to destroy Kyle Bates.
“He did what?!” I shout, pushing out of my chair and storming toward them.
Her eyes widen in surprise as she reaches up and grabs her pearl necklace, a telltale sign that she’s nervous. That’s only natural. We haven’t seen each other in years, and she has no idea of the hold she’s had over me since high school.