Chapter One

 

“I don’t pay to have interns do any job close to me,” Nate Cowley said to his PA, who was currently pissing him off. Rebecca knew how he liked to work, and it wasn’t having some young child giggling around him. He’d tried to have interns around to learn the ropes, but after finding one in his office, naked and offering her services, he wasn’t interested. He had security cameras in his office for a reason.

The last woman who tried to extort money out of him in a sexual harassment case had failed miserably. Nate didn’t take kindly to being manipulated and spent a great deal of his time hiring the best lawyers, who knew what their job was, and it wasn’t sitting on their ass. The woman had been caught on camera explaining to one of her girlfriends how she was going to win a case against him.

Being the billionaire businessman that he was, he was used to gold-diggers and manipulators who wanted a piece of what he’d earned through his hard work. He wasn’t interested in any of their bullshit or excuses.

“Sir, I know you’re not happy about this, but Leah Hart is a different kind of person.”

“Please, I’ve heard all of that bullshit before, and I’m not buying it.” He finished signing the latest contract that would cement another avenue into the cosmetic industry. His company would be able to expand and dominate the market, which was exactly what he was hoping for.

“You do surprise me, sir.”

“Do you want to speak frankly to me and keep your job?”

“I will keep my job as I know I’m the best kind of woman there is to deal with you.”

He chuckled. One of the reasons he liked Rebecca so much was she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, and well, he liked to have a woman around who wasn’t scared of her own shadow. She also knew when her opinion wasn’t wanted, and now he was curious as to why she would defend this woman. Clearly, it was important to her, which made him interested.

“I’m listening, Rebecca.”

“She comes from a similar background to you,” Rebecca said.

It was no secret he’d been abandoned as a child, grew up in the foster system, and from the age of eighteen, fought hard to be the proud owner of one of the biggest empires in the world.

He had the complete power and control of thousands of people’s livelihoods. His past also spurred him to fund many charities directed to helping children less fortunate.

“Don’t believe every single sob story you hear. Most of them try to use my background to get noticed. It’s not going to work.” He’d always been sure to be careful. People lied, and he was used to it.

“She didn’t even speak of her background,” Rebecca said. “She’s currently working in the mailing room right now. I saw her over lunch, asked about her. She has been working here for five weeks. Doesn’t cause any trouble. Hard working. She also wants to work from the ground up, to become an important member of your team. I was the one who did the research on this. I had a … gut instinct about her. Also, lunch, and she had no idea I was your PA.”

Nate sat back.

“Your gut instinct?” he asked.

It was Rebecca’s instinct that had helped him with one of the women who was pretending to be a single mother in need of a job. She’d been a reporter instead, who wanted to get the inside scoop of his business and wasn’t afraid with going undercover.

“You know how it never fails me.”

“And now I’m intrigued.”

“You’re always intrigued and for a good reason. You can trust me. I know what I’m doing, and I promise you, you won’t have anything to worry about.”

“Who exactly is she?” Nate asked.

Rebecca gave him a huge smile. “I didn’t think you’d ask.” He held out his hand as she put the file into it. Sliding it on the desk, he flipped it open, and he paused.

He recognized this woman.

Her blonde hair was so long, but she always kept it pulled back in a ponytail. Her suits, though cheap, were always pressed, and looked pristine and clean. She held her head high, and the glasses she wore were always perched on her nose.

Whenever he shared an elevator with her, she never checked her cell phone, always watching the light as they traveled up the floors, and she had her trolley, always neat and orderly, to deliver the necessary mail. Some of the men had tried to get a date out of her, but she always politely declined.

She was young, beautiful, curvy as fuck.

He’d watched her, and even thought of breaking his rules about not having in-house relations. He never fucked at work, ever.

One look at little Leah—pretty name for a beautiful woman—and he wanted to break his rules.

No woman had made him feel that way, not even a little bit. Any woman he was with knew the score. A couple of hours of fun, nothing more. If they even tried to get more from him, he would cut them out of his life.

There was no way he should have temptation so close, but he found himself agreeing with Rebecca.

“Bring her up. She can have a month of trying to prove herself. If she makes too many mistakes, she goes back to where she started.” He wanted to take the instructions back the moment he said them.

He shouldn’t have a woman he wanted to fuck so close. This was a lawsuit waiting to happen. He was a fucking idiot.

Smiling at Rebecca, he dismissed her.

He’d just made the biggest mistake of his fucking life. There was no way this could end well for him.

Sitting back in his chair, he looked at the picture attached to Leah’s file. She didn’t smile, just stared straight ahead.

Pure innocent temptation.

****

Good things always happened to those who worked hard.

Leah couldn’t remember which foster mother told her that, but it was a rule she had taken with her no matter where she went. She had gotten her first job at fourteen, waiting tables. For two weeks, she’d trained on heels she’d stolen outside of an apartment door. Once she knew how to walk on them, she’d taken them back the moment she bought a second-hand pair herself.

There had been a couple of people who questioned her age, but the moment she opened her mouth and started talking, they were more than happy for her to work for them. She was polite, soft-spoken, and didn’t make waves. Most of the time, people liked her because she didn’t make them work so hard for a conversation.

She had waited so many tables where men and women would just spill out their life’s troubles. She often wondered if she wasn’t important enough to even care if she knew their business.

Pushing those doubts aside, she walked toward Rebecca, her hands shaking. She’d now been working at the top floor as an intern for a week. She had yet to meet the boss himself as he’d been away on meetings that occurred last minute.

Rebecca had been able to show her everything she needed to, and also provided her with a desk close to her own in order to be able to work. This was by far a scarier position than working in the mail room. There, she put the mail in order of floor, desk, and person. She had been able to number every single desk on every single floor inside her head, and come up with the quickest, most efficient way of delivering mail in a timely fashion. She loved her job, and hoped to work her way up the company, learning every single detail.

Cowley Empire was one of the few companies that made a difference. Yes, they made a lot of money in profit, but their charity work and community offerings were the best. She wanted to work for the best and be part of making a difference.

“I’m glad you’re here. Nate really needs these signed. You’ve organized them brilliantly. He’ll love the little tabs for ease where he needs to look and make notes. You sure you didn’t go to college?” Rebecca asked.

“I’m sure.” She couldn’t afford the luxury.

“Well, I’m glad I spotted you. I have a doctor’s appointment to get to. Nate knows all about it, but with you here, I don’t have to worry, or have my boss joining me for my womanly checkup. Believe me, it has happened in the past. You’re ready.” Rebecca handed her six of the files Leah had already gone through, making the relevant notes for Mr. Cowley to look at.

Getting this job had been a huge surprise. She hadn’t known Rebecca was the PA everyone spoke about. She never gave in to workplace gossip.

She watched as Rebecca grabbed her bags and left the floor.

The top floor of the Cowley empire was office to only the man in charge, plus a few meeting rooms, along with a small coffee station, and a fridge for lunch.

Floor to ceiling windows dominated the top floor, and Leah, being afraid of heights, never, ever got close to them.

With the files in hand, she made him a coffee, exactly how he liked. Again, another pointer from Rebecca. Leah always filed away important information, like how the boss liked his coffee.

The door wasn’t open, and holding the files under the arm she was also holding the coffee, she knocked on the door.

“Come in,” he said.

Entering the office, Leah paused. She had seen this man several times in the elevator. He always stood behind her, and she caught his reflection in the metal. Tall, muscular, strong, and she should have known he was the man in charge. Short black hair, cool blue eyes, he’d watched everything, and she had caught him doing it.

“Mr. Cowley, good morning,” she said.

“The intern.”

She wouldn’t let him unnerve her. Stepping up to his desk, she placed the coffee down and then held out the files.

“Where’s Rebecca?”

“She has a doctor’s appointment.”

“Fuck. Yes, I’m aware.”

Her cheeks heated as he leaned back, watching her.

“Erm, I have some files for you to glance through. Rebecca told me you pay particular attention to wording, and the top two have changed some of the specifications you requested.”

She hated how her hand shook.

He kept on looking at her.

The last thing she wanted to do was to keep on looking at her sexy boss, and she didn’t want to see how attractive he was.

At twenty-one years old, she was still a virgin. Her innocence remained intact, but her knowledge sure wasn’t. Living on the streets, she’d gotten to see how brutal the world really was but also what most people liked to hide from their children.

She had lived with a prostitute for a couple of weeks, before she had no choice but to move on. The prostitute’s crack addiction and violence had made living with her uncomfortable. Leah had returned to the foster home she’d run from, but only long enough to move on.

“Take a seat while I look.”

Leah sat opposite him, admiring the power he held.

He looked over the contracts and shook his head, cursing. For a businessman, she never thought someone’s language would be so colorful. He slammed the contract closed and put it to one side.

“Fucking idiots. They think I don’t look over the contracts I sign.” He did the same with the second, and the others, he did put his name along the bottom. “I need the contact details for these please.” He lifted up his coffee and took a sip. “Rebecca tell you how I like it?”

“Yes, she said you only want the best.”

“I do. Are you the best, Leah Hart?”

“I will try to be.”

“Winners don’t try. They succeed.”