Private Listing

Read It

Read It

Read It

Read It

EXCERPT

CHAPTER ONE: THE INTERVIEW

“Madison Harris, here to interview at Morrigan Technology Group.” I manage to get that out without so much as a tremor of desperation in my voice. This is my fourth interview since graduation out of fifty resumes sent. If I don’t find something soon, I’ll be forced to move back to my parents’ farm and give up my dream of living and thriving in New York City.

The woman working at the front desk gives me a once over before pressing a button and holding her finger over her earpiece. “A Madison Harris is here.” A brief pause. The woman looks me over again. “Yes.”

Shit, did I do a button wrong? I check my white blouse’s buttons are done properly and that my pencil skirt hasn’t rotated around. Sure, the button on my blouse is a little strained over my breasts, but if I want it to fit everywhere else, that’s the way it has to be. I can’t afford to buy all new clothes or have them tailored. Yet.

Someday, yes. Right now, I’m lucky I have enough money to buy a subway pass for next month.

I double check my heels are the same color. Never again will I buy the same pair in both black and navy. Both shoes are currently black. Everything looks fine, so what was that look about?

“I’ll send her right up.” The woman gives me a plastic grin and holds out a swipeable card. “Go to the far elevator. You’ll use this to access the top floor. Make sure to return it to me when you leave.”

“Thank you.” I take the card and head toward the elevator. There are several elevators with bunches of people getting on and off, but no one else stands at the one she told me to go to. I take a deep breath and press the button.

I glance toward the lobby with all the people coming and going. A brief spark of excitement races through me. I could be one of these people. Heading to work. Going out with the girls after work for a drink at the bar on the other side of the lobby.

Of course, I’d need to find girls to go with, but that shouldn’t be hard. In a company this size, there should be plenty of women my age or a little older who don’t mind hanging out with a twenty-two-year-old. The elevator arrives and the doors open.

This is it. I swipe the card, and the elevator heads up. I can do this. I can get this job. Sure, my experience is a little lacking, but that’s why I need a job. God, I hope I get this job.

Of all the postings I applied to this is the one I hoped I’d get an interview for. The company is a cyber security company that works with all the top businesses in the city. This job is working with the top executives as their executive assistant, but there’s so much more to it. It could be the training ground I need to help me get to the next level.

The elevator dings its arrival. When the doors open, I try to swallow my awe. It’s gorgeous. This floor drips with elegance, purpose, and structure. Glass, dark wood, and marble fill the space.

I step forward onto the marble tile. My heels clicking on the surface are the only sound.  A desk is situated in the center of a semi-circle of four offices with a conference room along one side. The door to the conference room is open, and I can see the tops of the surrounding buildings out the windows.

Straight to the top. A little rush goes through me.

“Ms. Harris.” A deep voice resonates down my spine and makes me turn. My gaze lands on a well-built chest wrapped in a suit that fits his body to perfection. Tipping my head back, I lift my gaze to his clean-shaven, strong jaw, full lips lifted in a friendly smile, aristocratic nose, light blue eyes accented by long black eyelashes, and dark hair perfectly styled in a bun. He’s beautiful.

A pulse of heat kicks through my system, making me forget what he just asked me. I’m so screwed if I work for this guy. Every piece of paper will have drool on it, and I’ll have to train myself not to stare at him as if he could be my last meal.

He holds out his hand, and I snap out of it. I need this job. I brace myself for when our hands touch, but bracing isn’t enough. Swallowing, I manage to thwart the gasp that tries to escape at the desire that pools low and heavy in my belly. I force my lips up into a smile.

His dark eyebrow lifts and his smile ratchets up to gigawatt brilliance, that should be illegal. “I’m Cooper Graham, the Chief Technical Officer.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” My heart kicks up a notch as I try not to say more than that and release his hand. My brain keeps teetering around pleasure and those gorgeous lips. Something positively stupid is bound to slip out of my lips with this god of a man before me.

He holds his hand out toward the conference room. “If you’ll come with me.”

I most definitely would love to come with him, on him, for him. Fortunately, he turns away, giving me a moment to draw a ragged breath, and I follow him into the conference room. When he holds out a chair for me, I drop into it. A smile teases his lips as he rounds the table and sits.

“You’ll have to forgive us. The others will be in. They got caught up in a meeting that ran over.” Cooper folds his long fingers together on the table.

I’m going to hell because all I can think about are those fingers on my body. I want to drop my head and beat it on the table until rational thoughts come back to me. This is an interview for a job I’m not sure I’m qualified for, but the phone interview with Blake Wagner went so well he was willing to overlook my obvious lack of qualifications, knowing I was young and eager to get as much experience as possible. I assured him I was a quick learner and wouldn’t let him down.

Technically, I have all the qualifications, just not as much work experience as they were looking for, even with my internships. This job is a stretch, a pie in the sky that if I get hired, it will set me up for future success.

Cooper smiles. “Why don’t you tell me about yourself while we wait? It shouldn’t be long.”

I cross my legs and lean forward slightly. I will not screw this up because of a minor attraction to one of my bosses. Surely I’ll get over it quickly.

“I graduated summa cum laude with my master’s in business from Fletcher University. I spent my summers interning with various businesses around New York.”

He holds up his hand. “Why aren’t you working for a company you interned with?”

This question comes up all the time. I have yet to find a diplomatic way to phrase my answer. “The companies had a different direction they wanted me to take. I don’t want to crawl my way up from the bottom—though I’m not averse to hard work. I just want something more than a computer and eight to ten hours a day. I need more stimulation than that. I want to do more than reports and making coffee. However, I do make an excellent pot of coffee.”

“Good to hear. I’m definitely a beast before I have my first cup.” He leans back. His gaze wanders down my body.

Goosebumps rise along my skin in the wake of his perusal. Yeah, I’m going to have to lock that down. Though I’m glad I’m not the only one having trouble concentrating.

“Sorry we’re late.” That sounds like Blake Wagner’s voice from the phone, which I’ll admit I could listen to him talk all night. His voice is a smooth and rich baritone.

Standing, I turn to greet the new men. My knees almost give out. This will not be an easy job. Before me are three men who belong on the cover of GQ. All tall, all gorgeous, all as well-built as Cooper. I’m lit up like a pinball machine on the inside.

“Seth Hart, Chief Executive Officer.” The one with blond hair neatly cut short and dark blue eyes that I can’t seem to drop my gaze from steps forward and holds out his hand. 

His eyes are the richest shade of blue I’ve ever seen. I resist the urge to fan myself and swoon before confidently holding out my hand to take his. A bolt of desire spreads from my hand, warming my entire body as his large hand firmly engulfs mine.

“A pleasure to meet you,” I force out. Like an out-of-body experience I can see myself greeting him and I want to yell, “Stop thinking with your hormones. You need this job.”

Power seems to emanate from him. His smile is tight and controlled as he backs out of the way, so the others can greet me.

A larger muscled man with dark hair steps forward. His green eyes sweep over my body, pausing on all the highlights—legs, ass, waist, breasts—before meeting my eyes. There’s a mischievous sparkle in his, but it quickly disappears. Did I only imagine it?

“Blake Wagner. We spoke on the phone.”

Yup, I’d recognize that voice anywhere. I hoped he was closer to fifty, but I’m not even sure he’s thirty yet. He has one of those chin dimples that begs for my tongue to dive into.

When I take his offered hand, my insides melt. Something about him makes me want to seek shelter in his arms. I need to stop checking out these guys. I just have to get through this interview, focus on my goal: get the job. When they become my bosses, the flutters in my stomach will dissipate in time. Hopefully.

“It’s good to meet you in person,” I say without sounding completely breathless.

His smile is plastic kindness. He moves to sit next to Cooper.

The final guy seems younger than the others, maybe because his dirty blond hair is playfully messy and his brown eyes are soft, but he’s just as solid as the rest of them. And still probably a few years older than me.

“Noah Burns, Chief Financial Officer.” He holds out his hand. The fluttering double times as I take it. His dark eyes hold mine with a quiet intensity that has my knees almost giving out.

I smile and all I have left is, “A pleasure.”

He squeezes my hand gently and releases it. I almost want to hold my arms up in triumph for not drooling or swooning over any of them in real life.

My knees are grateful as I sink into the chair across from this quartet of gorgeous men. At least if I end up hating my bosses, they’re pretty to look at. If I can stop ogling them long enough to nail this interview.

“Morrigan Technology Group is one of the top cybersecurity firms in the nation. Over the past six years, we’ve worked tirelessly to make it to that distinction. We help protect our client’s information systems from internal and external threats, including disaster recovery.” Seth’s voice is rich and almost melodic as he speaks. “We need someone who will go the extra mile to take care of our needs.”

I swallow against the image that pops into my brain unbidden: me, spread out on the conference table as a feast for these four men. Definitely willing to fulfill whatever they need. Ugh, I can’t keep my brain on track.

I smile and nod because that seems like the easiest thing to do right now rather than admit that maybe I’m not the correct person for the job, not because I don’t have the experience, but because I want to experience something more with each of them. Any of them. All of them.

My cheeks heat and I cross my legs.

“You’ll be required to work potentially long hours to help us.” Blake’s green eyes hold me in place. “Keep our schedules. Attend meetings to help take notes. We’ll expect you to be a liaison with important clients and take on projects later as you gain knowledge of the company. But there will also be filing and the like.”

Which is exactly why I want this position. Blake leans forward and his muscled arms strain the fabric of his suit. What would he look like naked, unconfined by those clothes? My cheeks have to be reaching nuclear levels of heat.

“We aren’t always easy to work with, but we compensate for the work we need. Unfortunately, we are rather demanding and require access to you day and night.”

I swallow the piece of me that wants to tell them anything they want they can have and give him a nod of acknowledgement instead.

They all give each other a look like they’re talking without speaking.

Noah taps on a piece of paper in front of him, drawing my attention. “Our compensation package includes a corporate apartment, a phone, access to the corporate fleet of drivers, and a generous salary with benefits.”

My eyes must be wide as he slides the paper across to me. The mentioned benefits already exceed what I expected. I take it and glance over the numbers. There are way more zeroes than I figured. It’s more than I could imagine needing. I take a deep breath and release it. This is the job I want, and it’s the job I need. It would set me up nicely for my future.

“I would be working for all four of you?” My eyes catch on Noah’s smile.

“Yes,” Noah says. “Some of the work will be specific to each of us, but there will also be some general work that needs to be done. We’ve had trouble keeping someone in this position. Especially with privacy concerns.”

Privacy concerns at a cybersecurity company? 

“We tend to be very private people.” Seth taps his long index finger against the polished wood table. “We require a lot from our executive assistant, but you can see that you will be fairly compensated for those requirements. We generally run a trial period of a couple of weeks with new hires before we move them into the apartment. Of course, we’ll also require a signed NDA.”

My heart beats really hard. My breath catches in my throat.

Does this mean I have the position? This doesn’t even feel like a formal interview. They haven’t asked me a single question. I have to play this cool because I want this job. Almost as much as I want the guys sitting across from me. Of course, as I get to know them, I doubt that initial attraction will last. Most men never live up to my expectations.

“Would I be working alone with you?” As soon as the question leaves my mouth, I worry about the implications. I shift in my seat. There have been men I absolutely didn’t want to be alone with in my internships, but I’m not getting that feeling from these men. “I mean, will there be other staff working with us?”

“For the most part,” Cooper says, “it will just be the five of us up here. The apartment is on the floor below, accessible only by the card in the elevator, so it’s perfectly safe.”

“Have we scared you off yet?” Noah asks with a crooked grin.

I meet each of their steady gazes. “No, I think this is the perfect opportunity for me. It allows me to work with each of the officers and gives me experience in different areas. I like a changing schedule, for each day to differ from the one before. A lot of office positions can become monotonous. I love a challenge. That’s part of why I didn’t take the job with my internship.”

And I’m babbling. I press my lips together before I tell them again that I like variety.

Seth draws my attention by leaning back. “One other question, Ms. Harris.”

“You can call me Madison,” I say automatically.

He gives me a tight smile. “We’ve had some issues with jealous boyfriends with previous assistants. The hours. The demands on your time. Would we need to worry about that with you?”

It’s as if they all inch forward slightly and suck the air out of the room. That’s definitely not a typical question. My cheeks burst with heat as I think of all the things that have skittered through my mind since meeting them. All of them inappropriate, but would be worse if I actually had a boyfriend. “Um, no. It’s not currently an issue you’d have to worry about.”

In fact, it’s been a while since I last dated anyone, choosing to focus on school and then my career rather than men. Which may explain why I’m practically drooling over my future bosses. My last year of college was brutal with little time for any socialization.

I’m so close to my goal that I don’t want to have a guy who needs my attention constantly. I want something larger than even this job. To be the boss myself one day.

“Excellent.” When Cooper rises, they all stand with him, ending the interview. I collect my things.

Lord, they’re tall. I feel like I’m standing in a den of lions. Hungry lions who’ve caught the scent of something good as each of them takes my hand again before following me out to the elevator. My hand buzzes from the sparks each of them lit within me.

“We’ll be in touch soon, Madison.”