Prologue
BEC
The men around me continued to drone on… and on… and on. It was baffling how so many men rose to the positions of power within companies when women who were just as qualified, if not more, had to fight twice as hard for half of the recognition.
The majority of the men in the seats surrounding me seemed to be grossly incompetent. They were more focused on hiringyoung secretaries and funding their mistresses than building and growing a thriving business.
That’s why I was the most powerful person in this room. Not only the most powerful woman, butperson. I was actually competent at my job. Not just competent, but the best in the business. I wasn’t conceited, but logical. The numbers supported my theory. I had taken over the family business, Bly Enterprises, only three months ago, and we were already performing better than we ever had and were projecting to hit a record year. However, the board didn’t seem to care about that as much as they cared about my reputation.
According to them, I was cold and calculating; a look they didn’t want at the head of Bly Enterprises. I still had nine months left of my probationary period to convince them otherwise. After that, I would no longer beactingCEO, but the full-fledged, official CEO of the biggest company in the world.
I was intelligent enough to understand that this opportunity came to me because of nepotism. I was the founder’s daughter, raised in a life of luxury, having everything I ever wanted handed to me on a silver platter. While nepotism may have helped me secure this position, I have proven that I am the best fit.
“Ms. Bly?” Andi, my assistant, asked as she poked her head into the conference room. “Can I steal you for a minute?”
I nodded and stood, straightening my skirt. I could feel their eyes watching me as I stepped out of the board meeting. We had moved on from all of the important topics thirty minutes ago. They were now in a dick-measuring contest, yet somehow I kept coming up on top.
I followed Andi through the executive level of the building, all the way to my office.
“How long is this going to be?” I asked, glancing at the clock on the wall, noting that dinner with my mom was only an hour from now. I couldn’t cancel on her… again. Not that she blamed me—in fact, she was my biggest supporter. She had jokingly started calling me a man-eater.
Maybe I was.
“It’s just a quick meet-and-greet,” Andi explained. “He already passed the necessary background checks, initial interviews, and the rest of the team absolutely adored him.”
I raised a dark brow, “Adoredhim?”
Andi actually blushed, her cheeks matching the color of her red hair. “He’s very…” She paused, as if looking for the best word. “...charming. We just need your stamp of approval, and we can begin the final onboarding process.”
She handed me his file to review. I had briefly glanced at it when my brother, Will, had mentioned wanting to hire him as my new bodyguard. He was a retired Army veteran with an impeccable record. He had served for over a decade before retiring alongside the majority of his team. Then he was hired onto the Bly Enterprises security team, which operated on the other side of the country, working for Will.
“He’s fluent in English, Italian, Russian,andSpanish?” I asked as I read. Being bilingual was impressive enough; adding two more languages to that had me feeling even more optimistic about him and his abilities—which was an unfamiliar feeling.
Andi nodded, “Italian was his first language. Then he learned English in elementary school, and Russian and Spanish in the field.”
We finally rounded the corner to my office. I set the file down on Andi’s desk, which sat beside my office door, and looked at her with an eyebrow raised. “You seem to know quite a bit about him already.”
Andi once again blushed. I had never seen her so affected by someone before. It was rather endearing to witness. “Bec… you just have to see him. He’ssoyummy.”
A startled laugh fell past my lips, “Well, I guess it’s time to meet myadorably yummyfuture bodyguard, then.”
Andi rolled her eyes at my tone, but smiled nonetheless and pushed the door open for me. I was instantly hit by the scent of cologne. Nice cologne, too. It reminded me of the evergreens that surrounded my brother's home. The man in question rose from one of the chairs I had placed around the coffee table in the corner of my office. He was tall… and damn was he broad.
He turned to face me, his black hair coiffed back to perfection, with a smirk already plastered on his handsome face.
“You must be Rebecca Bly,” he greeted. His voice was a deep baritone that sent shivers down my spine. Andi was right. Hewasyummy.
“You can call me Bec,” I explained, and extended my hand in greeting.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Bec.” He took my hand in his own, his dark eyes meeting mine. “Rome Cipriani, at your service.”
Chapter One
ROME
3 Months Later
Ihad missed the streets of New York City. They were full of millions of people, all lost in their own worlds, hoping to fulfill their dreams within the concrete jungle we called home. Lifemoved around you fast here, with people rarely stopping to take in the moment.
