The unusual guy stuck with her; he flitted into her thoughts here and there.Celibate in the twenty-first century, by choice?It wasn’t her fault she was thinking about the unicorn.He popped into her head when sexting with Nathaniel, because she had to wonder, did celibate people sext?Where exactly were those lines?
The questions were boundless.The guy was an alien from another planet, another reality.No wonder she couldn’t shake thoughts of him.
Forget him.Time to dazzle and shine.Be charming… Don’t say anything inappropriate.
She really needed to pull this off.It was her last chance at keeping her job.
“Perfect for each other.”
Those were her boss’s words when giving her the file.
Camden Collier.One of Brooker Agency’s more unusual clients.As a full-service management and PR company, matchmakers, headhunters, Brooker provided whatever their valued clients required.
Right now.Apparently.Camden Collier needed her.
At the end of the working day, her boss, Allan, thrust a folder at her, spouting instructions to get familiar with Camden Collier’s Brooker history.Twelve assistants in the last year.His odds were almost as good as hers but “perfect for each other”?That was setting her up for failure.Landmines lay all around, in every path, every—
No, don’t think that way, have a positive attitude.Focus.
According to the established schedule in his papers, Camden worked in his basement during the day and didn’t like to be disturbed.No one liked to be interrupted when on a roll.Night was the best time to get him.
Introducing herself was important.A good first impression could make or break a client/assistant relationship.Or so she’d been told.
The admin stuff, she was great at that.Background office operations, excelled there.For some incomprehensible reason, the promotion that led to her dealing with clients in person also set her on a course for failure.Strike after strike, nobody wanted her.
It wasn’t her fault that she basically had zero work history and hadn’t learned the rules and etiquette of… any workplace.She was still figuring this out.Only this time, she had to get it right.Had to.Zero margin for error.Allan’s patience was wearing thin.
The narrow three-story warehouse conversion had an impressive facade.Glazed wall, gloss black doors, pristine red brick.Broad fences stood to either side, blocking out what was behind.Probably for privacy, or he was hiding something.
This was it.Her chance to prove her worth.Her last chance.
Ascending the stairs, head held high, she knocked.It was late.Dark out.Someone had to be awake.Had to be in.Windows to her right glowed with light beyond the closed drapes.
Could be a timer.Maybe he was still working downstairs or out.He could be out.
Please don’t be out.
Make or break.Either she’d be a hit or founder.Which was more likely?That wasn’t a question she wanted to answer.
Soup kitchen addresses, yep, topped the list of what to write down before her internet got cut off.Screw this up and God only knew where her next meal would come from.
Okay, maybe things weren’t quite that dire, but they weren’t that far from catastrophe.And for someone without a safety net, that was an important situation to avoid.
The door opened with such a whoosh, it startled her.The guy on the threshold was cute, sandy brown hair, happy eyes with just a small glint of curiosity.
They both stood there.For how long?Who knows.Only when his hand dropped from the door did she snap to it.
“Right.Uh, hi,” she said.“Mr.Collier?”
“Right house, wrong dude,” he said, stepping back to sweep an arm toward the interior.“Come in.”
Good start.
Going inside, she couldn’t deny the intrigue.A descending staircase faced the door with an ascending one parallel above it.A single step down into the living room opened up the rear dining area and slightly raised kitchen.A games zone spread out at the foot of the ascending staircase, pool table, dartboard, this was a bachelor pad for sure.
Big space.Massive space.
Further exploration would have to wait.Two men on stools at the huge kitchen island swung around to check her out.
