▪️Ace▪️ The guard inside the entrance of The Company’s offices stopped him. “Can I help you?” “I’m meeting Emily Lyre.” Ace gave his most winning smile, but the guard wasn’t Joey the saleswoman and didn’t return it. The nametag on his uniform read Ted. “I’m starting work for The Company. Nice to meet you, Ted. Liam Holland is my brother.” That thawed him a bit. “Okay. I can see it now. You look a little alike. Miss Lyra not here. The offices aren’t open today.” “I know, but he’s coming in to get things ready for me. We just came from Liam and Olivia's wedding.” That got a grin out of the older man. “Oh, she’s a sweetheart. Always has a nice word and a smile.” One of the great mysteries of life was how Olivia was so sweet, kind, and funny while Emily was…well, Emily. Must’ve missed the sign-up for the happy gene when they were being handed out. “Ace, what’re you doing here?” Emily stood in the entranceway with a coffee in hand. “I told you I’d be coming. If I’m jumping in righ
▪️Ace▪️ Emily shot him an unreadable look but said nothing and continued tapping on the keyboard. “All right. IT will also give you access to my calendar and the client lists. We have a lookbook of all our accounts. At the moment there are sixty active campaigns. You don’t need to know all of them, only the ones I’m dealing with, and right now, the main one we’re pitching for is Mojo, a lifestyle company that includes fitness, grooming, and food.” “Oh yeah, I’ve heard of them. Taylor used their stuff, but it was too rich for my blood.” Emily reached into a drawer, rummaged around, and pulled out a few tubes and a jar. “Here. They sent over samples. Take what you want.” “Seriously? Thanks.” Emily opened the jar and sniffed the hair pomade. “Nice. I know a lot of guys use their stuff and follow their routines.” “Yes. We’re hoping they hire us for all their media, and we can run their print as well as social-media campaigns.” “Yeah, sure. I’ll go over their files tonight.” “Good.
▪️Ace▪️ “Don’t you have to eat?” Ace didn’t want to be alone. With the wedding over, the last place he wanted to be was with his parents, having to rehash the afternoon. They’d begun to nag him about his personal life, and he’d be forced to sit and listen before escaping to his bedroom. Liam and Olivia place had been a much-needed haven where he enjoyed hanging out, but that lifeline had been cut off. He hadn’t thought to ask them to stay at their place while they were away, which he now regretted. If he didn’t find something soon, he’d need to call them about it. Emily finished locking the doors. “I usually order sushi and prepare for Monday morning’s group meeting.” “I was going to have sushi. How about we eat together?” Emily pushed the elevator button and didn’t speak until they were on their way down. “Look. I don’t know what’s going on in your mind, but I’m not interested in a repeat of what happened between us. Whether you like the word or not, it
▪️ Emily ▪️ "Of course. I expected nothing less.” Emily spoke to her empty office as she paced and checked her watch. Eight thirty in the morning and no Ace. But should she really be surprised? She hadn’t believed Ace when he’d stated he’d be at the office early. Still, Emily couldn’t help the little sting of disappointment. “At least try and make an effort.” Her phone dinged with a text. Can you let me in? I don’t have the key. Emily strode to the front of their offices, where Ace stood shifting from foot to foot. “So much for getting in early,” Emily said after unlocking the doors. “I stayed up late studying the client list, and after the little sleep I had the previous night, I guess it all caught up with me.” Ace breezed past her, and Emily held the door open as Kass, their receptionist, exited the elevator on their floor. “Good morning, Kass.” She’d save his choice words for Ace for when they were in the safety of her office. Never los
▪️ Emily ▪️ A faint smile rested on his lips. “Supremely confident” and “arrogant as hell” were the words most coworkers used to describe Simone, and while Emily agreed, she also had to admit the man was a damn hard worker. Simone made it a point to become personally familiar with the clients in a way Emily never could, which made for a good working relationship between them. It was why Emily chose him as her second. Jude let Simone lead when it came to personal interactions, while he handled the numbers end. Pretending nonchalance, Emily raised a brow. “Oh? What did you hear?” “Aside from the food being delicious, somehow Liam's brother ended up with a job here? How’d he manage that? I thought he was a fuckup, a party boy.” Emily winced at the harsh words. “First of all, he’s a man, not a boy—he’s around your age. And I wouldn’t say he’s a fuckup. After working at a luxury resort, he became Taylor Croft's personal assistant. I’m sure you’ve heard of he
▪️Ace▪️ Having Amber to talk to about working for Emily took Ace's stress level down a few notches. She was able to give him a little more insight into Emily, both as a person and a boss. “Don’t let her growl put you off,” Amber said when Ace sat across from her. “Emily is the sweetest, but she’s got this hard outer shell she hides under.” “So what you’re telling me is she’s a tortoise. Or, considering who we’re talking about, more likely a hermit crab.” Amber's laughter rang out, and she clapped her hand over her mouth. “I shouldn’t laugh, but oh my God, that’s the funniest thing.” She pointed her finger at him. “You’re going to knock her off her feet. I think the two of you will be perfect together. She needs someone like you.” Ace recalled the heavy thickness of her breasts, the fullness and fought his body’s rising excitement. God knew, she’d needed him that night. The slide of all that fullness as he trusted in and out of her as they ta
“Nice to meet you. Is your opinion of his physical attributes based on personal or professional knowledge?” Ace asked archly. “Both. Come to my office, and I’ll clue you in.” Susan placed a hand on his shoulder. “I have to check and see if Emily needs me.” Ace had no intention of getting caught gossiping about coworkers, and when he noticed Emily watching him from across the room, his face growing hard, Ace gave Susan an apologetic smile. “I can’t right now. We can talk later.” “No problem. We can have dinner if you want. Have a chance to get to know each other.” Susan came on strong and fast, and Ace debated accepting the invitation, but then decided, why the hell not? His friends from high school and college had all moved away or had families of their own. He had no plans other than to sit and stare at the lookbook and avoid his parents’ questions. Dinner with a good-looking woman who was also a coworker certainly sounded better than that.
▪️ Emily ▪️ When Emily thought it was going to be a long month with Ace working for her, she’d imagined it would be because Ace would fuck up as he usually did, and Emily would spend most of her time cleaning up her best friend’s brother’s mistakes. She’d already anticipated sitting down with Liam upon his return from the honeymoon with a list of reasons at the ready as to why Ace had to be let go. Damn, she hated being wrong. Already on Ace's first day, he’d shown himself to be a hard worker who didn’t hesitate to contribute to any discussion without needing to make it all about him and helped Emily without having to be asked. Emily could see he wanted to prove he was capable, but what she appreciated more was how quickly and seamlessly he blended into Emily's team. Ace had many bad qualities, but with his sunny disposition and confidence, he’d never had trouble making friends or fitting in. Unlike Emily, everyone liked Ac