Chapter One
Addison Maxwell sat in her boss’s office and told herself not to jump to conclusions. Just because she’d been called in to talk to Beverly didn’t mean something was wrong. In fact, the meeting could have to do with a million different things. Maybe she was getting a promotion.
She shifted on the hardback chair in front of Beverly’s desk and smoothed down the front of her sweater, all the while hoping against hope she wasn’t in any kind of trouble. She’d only been working on the gadget and technology column at Intuition (“The website for women who know what they want and aren’t afraid to go after it!”) for a few weeks, but it had taken her forever to land the job. All the interviews she’d gone on over the past six months had ended up being dead ends– the economy, added to the fact that journalism was dead and blah blah blah.
The door to the office opened and closed behind her. Addison turned in her chair and pasted a smile on her face, ready to put an end to the torture and find out exactly what it was that Beverly wanted. But it wasn’t Beverly who walked through the door. It was a man. A hot man. A hot, tall man.
“Hello,” the man said. He smiled, showing perfect white teeth. He wore an expensively cut black suit, a crisp silver shirt, and a matching silver tie. His face was tan, but contained no sign of the orange tint that came from using too much tanning cream, leading Addison to believe that his dark, rugged complexion was all natural. His eyes were a deep blue, and so dark that for a second, Addison felt like she was falling into them.
She forced herself to look away, and instead dropped her eyes down to his shoulders -- his broad shoulders -- and his hands, which looked equally big and strong.
He held one of those hands out and said, “Addison, right?”
“Right.” His fingers wrapped around hers, and an electric current zinged up her arm. “Who are you?” she blurted, then immediately blushed and pulled her hand away.
He was probably someone from corporate. She couldn’t go around talking to him like that!
And then she was struck with a horrible thought. Maybe they’d sent him here to fire her. Maybe it was standard procedure that they called in the big guns when someone needed to be terminated. Or maybe he was some kind of high-level security guard who’d come to order her to pack up her things so he could escort her out of the building. She’d never heard of security guards wearing expensive-looking suits, but this was New York City. They did things differently here.
“I’m sorry,” she said, blushing harder. “That was rude.”
“No, I’m sorry,” the man said easily. He sat down at Beverly’s desk. “It was rude of me not to introduce myself. I’m Nathan Sweet. I’m your new boss.”
“My new boss?” Addison repeated dumbly.
“Yes,” he said. He grinned at her again, and Addison felt her heart speed up.
Jesus! This was her boss? How was she ever going to get any work done?
“But what happened to Beverly?” she asked. Addison hadn’t been close to Beverly – you could only get to know someone so well in a few weeks, after all – but suddenly Addison missed her. Beverly was safe. She was like a kindly old grandmother, with salt and pepper hair and a big belly and fabulous flowing peasant blouses.
“Beverly was let go a few hours ago,” Nathan said, his tone turning serious and regretful. “The website hasn’t been performing as well as we’ve all wished, so I’ve been sent here to … shake things up, shall we say.”
“Oh.” Shake things up, her ass. She’d watched enough of these kinds of scenes on TV to know that “shake things up” really meant everyone was getting the boot. And they’d sent this… this suit in here to take care of it.
Damn it! She really needed this job, too. She’d just moved to New York City from Georgia. She’d spent two years after college living at home, working at a small newspaper in
Addison Maxwell sat in her boss’s office and told herself not to jump to conclusions. Just because she’d been called in to talk to Beverly didn’t mean something was wrong. In fact, the meeting could have to do with a million different things. Maybe she was getting a promotion.
She shifted on the hardback chair in front of Beverly’s desk and smoothed down the front of her sweater, all the while hoping against hope she wasn’t in any kind of trouble. She’d only been working on the gadget and technology column at Intuition (“The website for women who know what they want and aren’t afraid to go after it!”) for a few weeks, but it had taken her forever to land the job. All the interviews she’d gone on over the past six months had ended up being dead ends– the economy, added to the fact that journalism was dead and blah blah blah.
The door to the office opened and closed behind her. Addison turned in her chair and pasted a smile on her face, ready to put an end to the torture and find out exactly what it was that Beverly wanted. But it wasn’t Beverly who walked through the door. It was a man. A hot man. A hot, tall man.
“Hello,” the man said. He smiled, showing perfect white teeth. He wore an expensively cut black suit, a crisp silver shirt, and a matching silver tie. His face was tan, but contained no sign of the orange tint that came from using too much tanning cream, leading Addison to believe that his dark, rugged complexion was all natural. His eyes were a deep blue, and so dark that for a second, Addison felt like she was falling into them.
She forced herself to look away, and instead dropped her eyes down to his shoulders -- his broad shoulders -- and his hands, which looked equally big and strong.
He held one of those hands out and said, “Addison, right?”
“Right.” His fingers wrapped around hers, and an electric current zinged up her arm. “Who are you?” she blurted, then immediately blushed and pulled her hand away.
He was probably someone from corporate. She couldn’t go around talking to him like that!
And then she was struck with a horrible thought. Maybe they’d sent him here to fire her. Maybe it was standard procedure that they called in the big guns when someone needed to be terminated. Or maybe he was some kind of high-level security guard who’d come to order her to pack up her things so he could escort her out of the building. She’d never heard of security guards wearing expensive-looking suits, but this was New York City. They did things differently here.
“I’m sorry,” she said, blushing harder. “That was rude.”
“No, I’m sorry,” the man said easily. He sat down at Beverly’s desk. “It was rude of me not to introduce myself. I’m Nathan Sweet. I’m your new boss.”
“My new boss?” Addison repeated dumbly.
“Yes,” he said. He grinned at her again, and Addison felt her heart speed up.
Jesus! This was her boss? How was she ever going to get any work done?
“But what happened to Beverly?” she asked. Addison hadn’t been close to Beverly – you could only get to know someone so well in a few weeks, after all – but suddenly Addison missed her. Beverly was safe. She was like a kindly old grandmother, with salt and pepper hair and a big belly and fabulous flowing peasant blouses.
“Beverly was let go a few hours ago,” Nathan said, his tone turning serious and regretful. “The website hasn’t been performing as well as we’ve all wished, so I’ve been sent here to … shake things up, shall we say.”
“Oh.” Shake things up, her ass. She’d watched enough of these kinds of scenes on TV to know that “shake things up” really meant everyone was getting the boot. And they’d sent this… this suit in here to take care of it.
Damn it! She really needed this job, too. She’d just moved to New York City from Georgia. She’d spent two years after college living at home, working at a small newspaper in
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