Chapter One
WARREN
I step out onto the wet pavement and stare up at the large, grey building. It looms over many others in central London, but it stands out mainly because of the tinted floor-to-ceiling windows which give the building a glassy look. My driver and head of security, Anthony, moves to my side. “Everything okay, Sir?”
I release a heavy sigh and nod before pushing the glass doors open and stepping into Baxter Corp. From the polished stone floors to the bright white lighting, everything about this place screams power. It’s how my father, Nico Baxter, wants it to feel.
The receptionist sits at her desk, directly opposite the main doors. She’s been here for at least three years, and I still haven’t bothered to find out her name.
She spots me and sits straighter. “Good morning, Mr. Baxter.”
I nod in greeting and head straight for the elevator, stepping inside and pressing for the top floor, but before the doors close, three other gentlemen step inside. They’re all from the accounts department, on the floor below me. A mumbling of good mornings ensues as the elevator rises.
Stepping out onto the top floor, the first person I notice is Leoni, my secretary, who practically falls off her chair as she scrambles to get her feet. I breeze past her without a second look. She irritates me beyond belief, but I’m told by human resources that I cannot simply fire her for pissing me off.
“Morning Mr. Baxter,” she says to my retreating back.
“Coffee,” I bark out, and it’s immediately followed with her sigh. It’s that sigh that pisses me off the most, because I hear it every time I ask her to do anything. It’s almost like she doesn’t know what her job is.
My office is dark. Dark wood, dark blinds and dark flooring. It matches my dark heart. I pick up the remote from my desk and press the button to raise the blinds, bathing my office in daylight. The view from this window looks out over London, maybe beyond if I looked hard enough, but I don’t have time for that because there’s a cluster fuck of a situation that needs my full attention.
I sit at my oversized oak desk and pick up the phone. As it rings, I put the call on speaker phone and replace the receiver.
“Warren, my main man, how’s things?” Robert’s happy tone just angers me more.
“Tell me why I received a call at six this morning asking me where the goods were?” I bark.
“Minor misunderstanding on drop off points but it’s almost sorted, the goods will be there.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “So help me God, Robert, you better not be fobbing me off. I’m feeling trigger happy right now and I don’t give a fuck who is on the receiving end.”
“No one needs to die today, take a breath. I used a new driver and he got a little–” he pauses, “–lost.”
“You’re not helping me to stay calm,” I growl. “A new driver on a new fucking job, are you stupid?”
“You pay me to do the worrying. I’ll call you when I have an arrival time.”
“I pay you too much to fuck up like this!” I yell. “You have an hour or you’ll be seeing me, and trust me, you really don’t want that today!”
I disconnect the call and glance up into the dark blue eyes of my secretary. She places my coffee on the desk, spilling a little as it sloshes in the cup. Clenching my jaw, I glare at the hot liquid that will most likely stain the expensive wood. She reaches across the desk and plucks out a few tissues from a box, then lifts the cup and dabs at the coffee. I place my pointy finger on the glass coaster and push it towards her. “I have these for a reason,” I hiss.
She puts the cup down. “Sorry,” she mumbles.
“And what have I told you about knocking before you enter,” I add.
“I did knock but you didn’t hear me,” she says, throwing the wet tissue into the waste bin.
“If I don’t tell you to come in, then stand outside,” I growl.
“But then your coffee would get cold and you’d be mad.” She turns on her heel and heads for the door, muttering under her breath.“You’re always mad.”
“What did you say?” I demand, and she pauses, glancing back over her shoulder.
“You’re always mad,” she repeats firmly.
“I am your boss,” I yell, standing and using my height to intimidate her. It doesn’t work. I see her square her shoulders and jut out her chin defiantly. “Show some damn respect.”
She narrows her dark blue eyes. “And I am a grown adult. Treat me the same.” She stomps from the office, slamming the door hard and leaving me open mouthed.
