Chapter Two

“And what are you doing here at VI Tech, Lilith Rumero?” Lorenzo asked with a smile that … did things to her breasts. He was so handsome, not a black hair out of place, his suit clinging to his shoulders, perfectly tailored. Lilith flushed as she unwillingly recalled what she knew to be under that suit: muscles for days. she had seen his spread in Rolling Stone.

Fine. she had obsessed over his spread in Rolling Stone, clipping the photo of him on the phone poolside, shirt unbuttoned and parted by the wind and a chest that looked like it was chiseled from marble. It had a place of honor on the wall in her dorm.

“I, um.” Come on, Lilith, get it together! “It’s the first day of my internship. Project management.” she mentally slapped herself.

“So tell me what you know about my company,” Lorenzo repeated again, his piercing eyes pinning her in place. They were scary blue. Coupled with the translation of his last name, they were part of the reason people called him the “Wolf of the Web.”

Though that fun fact probably wasn’t going to be good enough to impress him right now.

"You started it when you were 22 — that’s my age.” Lilith swallowed hard. Idiot! He hadn’t asked her for her age. She was so nervous, could hardly control what was coming out of her mouth.

“Think you’ll make your first billion by 25, too?” he asked lightly, no one laughed, the atmosphere was tensed, this was the ruthless, youngest, selfmade billionaire, no one dares to misbehave in his presence. His not so funny joke didn’t help Lilith's nerves that she found his accent absolutely irresistible even as he was making fun of her in front of her peers.

“I just hope I do a good job here,” Lilith said, gripping her notebook tightly. “I’ve always wanted to make things happen the way you … make things happen. I admire your company’s philanthropic projects especially. The wifi popups in developing countries — that’s a game changer.”

“Hoping to do a good job isn’t enough here,” Lorenzo said. “I expect everyone — even interns — to excel. We don’t have time for hoping and wishing here. VI Tech is a company of action.” He studied her a moment longer before finishing his welcome speech.

Lilith sat heavily back in the theater seat she had stood up from, the hinges squeaking in a way she found unbearable, she could barely process what he was saying, her body trembling with anxiety. He could probably tell even from up on the stage. Why had he singled her out of everyone else in here? her face was on fire.

Regrets. she had them.

Even now, as everyone rose around her, presumably dismissed to go excel or whatever, she thought of dozens of other things she could’ve said. That she was interested in project management because she did make things happen. That telecommunications was in her blood. That she had ideas for projects that Enzo hadn’t even thought of. That she was going to do a great job.

Lorenzo Casello, CEO, billionaire, sex symbol, and jerk. That sexy magazine photo of him was coming down from the wall as soon as she got back to the dorm.

“Lilith Rumero”

She actually had to bite back a groan at the accent she had found so sexy mere minutes ago, all she wanted to do was slink into a restroom and lick her wounds in private.

Instead, he towered over her, frowning. “Why are you still sitting here?”

Was she mortified before? No. Now she was more mortified. In her despair, she hadn’t realized that everyone had filed out of the auditorium while she sat, stewing in her misery.

“I’m going,” she said, standing so quickly that she bumped into him. “Sorry!”

“Slow down,” enzo suggested, those wolf eyes amused and watchful, arms lightly caging her against a chest that was harder than it had any right to be.

Oh. My. God.

“I’d better go,” Lilith whispered. “My manager’s probably waiting for me.”

“You’re not going to be interning in project management anymore,” he said.

“Just give me a chance,” Lilith said, her words tumbling over themselves in her haste to make her case. “I’ve studied your company for years. I did a project on it in high school. I have ideas. This is my passion. I’ve never wanted something as much as this, and it’s not just hoping and wishing. I worked hard to get here, Mr. Casello Please don’t fire me on my first day.”

“It’s Enzo,” he said. “And I’m not firing you. You’re going to be reporting directly to me. You’re my intern now.”

Enzo was still holding her as she shuddered at his sharp-toothed grin.

Lilith found herself wondering if she would rather have been fired.