RaineyI couldn’t stop staring at the gorgeous man walking away from me. That was Michael Carrington? My almost-future boss? I remember seeing a small picture of him in the article I read and he was classically handsome, but he was even more attractive in person. And genuinely nice. His dark hair barely touched his shoulders and it looked incredibly soft. His eyes were so blue, like the ocean. He had seriously lucked out in the genetics department.Hell. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to apply for the job. He was dreamy on a level I wasn’t used to contending with. He’d be professional, right? I wasn’t at all his type. I was homely. Comely. Just me. My thoughts shifted and I realized I’d pushed on his receptionist in front of him.How long had he been standing there listening to me? I tried to think about what I said to the poor woman that had to put up with me. I hoped I didn’t say anything rude. Although if I had been rude, I doubted he would have given me the interview. Why did he give

MichaelEvery ounce of relaxation my body felt after Bar Harbor had been completely obliterated after the three interviews that morning. I wanted to have hope that at least one of them would be qualified but I didn’t get that impression from them. The first two were kiss-asses and while I didn’t normally care for a stroke of my ego, I didn’t need that from an assistant. We were to be in close quarters with each other on a daily basis, so I needed to feel comfortable with them instead of hiring a yes-man.Admittedly, I had been slightly distracted during all three, constantly thinking of Rainey and our meeting earlier that morning. She was able to carry herself professionally with a determination I didn’t see in many women. She had something driving her and I wanted to know her motivation for this job. Coming down to the office to fight for an interview impressed the hell out of me.Though selfishly, I offered her the interview having no intention of hiring a woman as my assistant. At

RaineyIt wasn’t until I was seated on the train, after going to the post office for the second time, that I finally felt like I could breathe. Even though the interview had been over for some time, I still felt the weight of it on my chest. The interview wasn’t like the rest. Mr. Carrington—Michael—made me nervous but not for the job. Would I be able to work for a man like that? He broke a lot of rules during the interview but it was also his company. Maybe he had offered me the interview because he pitied me. And then I was late, ruining his lunch plans. Which is probably why he asked me to lunch. He felt bad for me. I did mention school loans, was I his charity case?As the train started out of the station, I leaned my head against the cool glass. I wondered what happened with the other candidates. The woman I’d seen in the bathroom seemed very confident in her interview. Had he given her strange signals too, making her think that he wanted to sleep with her? It made sense. She was

MichaelEven though the sun was beating down on the green, there was a chill in the air that only the start of winter could bring. My curiosity about Sal Rossi got me out of bed that morning to meet with the possible new client. Even seeing him in person didn’t jog my memory. He was a normal looking forty-something-year-old guy with a spare tire around his waist. I rarely got involved on this level anymore, but this was a special circumstance. I had to get a feel for this guy and what plans he had cooking. Fredrick’s warning about speaking with Demetri made the meeting that much more important.We were on the fourth hole when Sal brought up his business. We’d talked the day before on the phone about the possibility of working together but he was very vague on the details. He seemed like a face-to-face business man and that was fine with me. Overall he seemed a bit old-school, I wasn’t a winter golfer so I assumed he wanted a place we’d be alone for this conversation. Though that made

RaineyAfter lunch with Michael, we headed back to the office for a few hours where he showed me to my own desk right outside his office which would give me quick access to him. He let me go early since he had a late afternoon meeting. His arrogance seemed on par with the other rich corporate types in the City. I didn’t know why I expected anything less. By the end of the meal, I quickly added the cost of everything and the lunch was well over my household budget for the month. I tried to hide my surprise. What it must be like to not worry about money. I had a job now, but I would never be that wealthy.And when I told my mom all of that, she simply nodded. “Maybe you need to get to know him a little better before judging him.”My mouth popped open but I had nothing to say. She was right. I didn’t know much about him.“Give him at least a week before making assumptions,” she said with a wink.A text chirped from my cell from Tessa, wanting to go out and celebrate my new job.“Who’s th