Three

The sound of her alarm woke her up the next morning. Keira reached for her phone pressing the snooze button. 

Her body ached in places and for a brief moment, she didn’t remember why.

Until she rolled over.

The sight of her boss—Casper—sleeping beside her sent a jolt of panic straight to her chest.

“Oh God!” Her breath caught as she sat up, her heart hammering. “What did I do?”

Shaking off the last traces of sleep, she snatched her phone from the nightstand. The moment her eyes landed on the screen, her stomach dropped.

7:00 AM.

“Shit!” she gasped, clamping a hand over her mouth.

Panic surged through her veins. She was supposed to be home hours ago. She had promised her mother she wouldn’t stay out late.

Now, she was definitely getting chewed out. And she was going to be late for work.

Scrambling out of bed, she grabbed the pieces of her clothing strewn across the room, shoving them on as quickly as her shaky hands allowed. She didn’t dare look back before slipping out the door.

***********

“You slept with the boss?”

Gianna, Keira’s best friend and co-worker's voice rang through the break room loud enough to turn heads.

“Keep your voice down!” Keira hissed, shooting a frantic look around. “It’s bad enough I took advantage of him while he was drugged—I don’t need the whole office knowing.”

Gianna’s eyes nearly bulged out of her skull. “He was drugged?!”

“Gianna!”

“Right, sorry,” she whispered, then leaned in eagerly. “But how the hell did that even happen? I need details. All the details.”

“Well, I—” Keira began but was interrupted by the voice of her director booming at the end of the lunch hall. 

“Keira Small!” He yelled and her blood ran cold.

“Oh my God,” Gianna breathed. “You’ve been found out. If you go to prison, I swear I’ll visit you. I’ll even sneak in your favorite snacks.”

Keira swatted her friend’s hand away. “Get off me. You’re not helping.”

Swallowing hard, she stood and turned to the director, who was already motioning for her to follow.

“Yes, sir?” she asked, forcing her voice to stay steady, while trying to match his pace.

“You’ve been summoned by the CEO.” His sharp gaze flicked to her. “Any idea why?”

Oh, she had plenty of ideas. None of them were good.

“I was, um—” she cleared her throat “—hoping you could tell me, sir.”

“We’ll see.” He hummed in response, pressing the elevator button. As the doors slid open, dread curled in Keira’s stomach.

When they stepped into the CEO’s office, Casper was at his desk, buried in a mountain of paperwork. 

“Thank you, Ralph. You may go.” Casper dismissed the director with a wave, leaving only the two of them in the office.

Silence settled between them for a moment before she spoke. “Sir, you asked for me?”

Casper finally looked up. “You were the one responsible for delivering these files yesterday, correct?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then perhaps you can explain how they ended up in my hotel room without my prior permission.”

Her pulse quickened, but she kept her expression neutral. “Sir, you took them from me.” She lied, feigning confusion.

His eyes narrowed. “Explain.”

She drew in a slow breath, crafting her story carefully. “I was supposed to leave them at the reception desk, but the receptionist was gone when I arrived. I didn’t want to leave them unattended, so I decided to deliver them myself. When I knocked on your door… you seemed intoxicated and— preoccupied.”

His jaw tightened. “Did you see the person I was with?”

“I don’t know… she had a forgettable face. I doubt I’d recognize her if I saw her again.” 

Casper exhaled sharply, considering her words. Then, with a decisive nod, he said, “Then you’re now responsible for finding this mystery woman.” He closed the file in front of him and met her gaze. “We’ll be working together. Effective immediately, you’re my temporary assistant.”

“S–Sir?” she stammered.

Casper arched a brow. “Did I not make myself clear?”

“You certainly did, sir.” She blurted, then turned on her heel, eager to escape. In her haste, she nearly collided with Jacob—Casper’s bodyguard, errand boy, and his occasional enforcer.

Jacob barely flinched, as his gaze flicked to her retreating figure before settling on Casper. “Did she confess?”

Casper leaned back, exhaling as he returned to his paperwork. “No. But she told quite the story.”

Jacob smirked, lowering himself into the chair across from Casper. “Are you pressing charges?”

Casper’s lips curled slightly, amusement flashing in his eyes. “No. I’m curious to see how she plans to track down this ‘mystery woman.’”

Jacob chuckled, resting an ankle over his knee. “You think she’s bluffing?”

Casper tapped a finger against his desk, considering. “Perhaps. But she’s either got nerves or is quite reckless. Either way, I intend to find out.”

Jacob hummed in agreement. “Want me to keep an eye on her?”

Casper resumed, going through the paperwork. “No need. She’s officially my assistant now—she’ll be right under my nose.”

Meanwhile, as the day came to an end Keira’s mind raced. This was bad—very bad. Becoming Casper’s assistant was the last thing she needed, but there was no backing out now.

As she set the last of her items on her new office desk, her phone buzzed. She pulled it out and glanced at the screen—Gianna.

Gianna: Are you going to jail?

She huffed a quiet laugh and quickly typed back.

Keira: Not today. But I did get a temporary promotion. Promise I’ll tell you everything on the way home.

Gianna's reply came almost instantly.

Gianna: A promotion? Either you charmed him or blackmailed him. Which is it?

She rolled her eyes, stuffing her phone back into her pocket as she stepped into the elevator. The doors slid shut, and for the first time since morning, she let out a slow breath.

She could still fix this. Maybe.

As the elevator descended, she ran through her options. She knew she was the woman, and she doubted Casper did —otherwise, he wouldn’t have assigned her this ridiculous task. Which meant she needed to get creative.

Her phone buzzed again as she pushed through her office's glass doors.

Gianna: If you don’t text me back, I’ll assume Prince Charming has you in a locked tower. Text me updates.

She smirked, shaking her head.

Keira: Noted. If I disappear, avenge me. Now come drive me home, I can't use the subway today.

With that, she headed for the parking lot, completely unaware that, just a few floors up, Casper was watching her from his office window—curious and amused.