A CATASTROPHE. THAT’S WHAT THIS fucking day is.

The clock flips to noon, reminding me how much time I’ve wasted today. I’m usually heading out for a quick bite to eat in between meetings and calls, having already put in a full day’s work for most people. Today? Nothing. I’ve got nothing except a serious case of blue balls and a migraine to boot.

Linda was in her mid-fifties. On Friday, she would get here an hour early, send me a weekly recap mid-day, and forward me a finalized schedule for the following week before she left. She crocheted me a blanket last winter.

That’s the assistant I want. Sharp. Efficient. Not hot.

I don’t know which way to go to stop the bleeding first. There’s so much to catch up on—weeks’ worth of business, the security company to iron out, a stack of files higher than I’ve ever allowed to accumulate. But here I sit, a file open, untouched. Twenty-six calls to return on my desk phone alone and today was the day it was all supposed to get done. That was the plan and all I can do is sit here with half my attention aimed towards the door.

I’m not sure if Linda ever laughed when my door was closed in the nearly ten years she worked for me. Mallory has five times today. I’m also not certain if Linda ever smelled like lavender or wore a dress that was soft to the touch.

“Stop it,” I groan to myself, trying to wipe the image of her full lips out of my mind. “You’re acting like Lincoln. Damn it.”

As if on cue, my phone rings and his name glows on the screen. “Hello?” I sigh.

“You sound pissier than normal,” Lincoln snickers.

“I was just thinking about you.”

“That’s what they all say,” he jokes. “Seriously, though—what’s up?”

“You, my little brother, were wrong.”

“Uh, about what?”

“Mallory Sims.”

“Sienna’s friend?”

“I like to think of her, for the next few hours, anyway, as my new executive assistant.”

“What was I wrong about? I don’t even know her.”

I whistle through my teeth. “I expected more from you, Linc. You have a reputation in this family and I counted on that. You failed me.”

“What the fuck are you talking about, G?”

“She’s hot.” I let that sink in a second. “If you weren’t all in love with Danielle, I probably wouldn’t even let you in my office ever again.”

“Maybe I need to drop by today,” he jokes. “I’m not sure what you’re pissed about. If I needed a secretary, I’d get a hot one. Before Danielle, I mean. I would’ve before Danielle.”

Rolling my eyes, I lean back in my chair. “Of course you would’ve because you’re an animal.”

“Was. I was an animal.” He pauses. “I was an animal, wasn’t I? God. At least I have the memories,” he sighs.

“Good for you. Go relive those while I try to figure out how to manage this.”

“Need tips? I have some awesome tricks from all that animalistic behavior and I’m willing to share. Hell, someone should be able to use them these days.”

“No, Linc.”

“Oh! Barrett told me one the other day about grapes—”

“Lincoln. Stop.” I tap my pen against the glass on top of my desk and wait for his laughing to subside. “I’m being serious here. How am I supposed to work with a girl that looks like she should be . . .”

“Wrapped around your cock?” he offers.

“Not helping.”

Lincoln bursts out laughing again. “Sorry. I think this shit is funny as hell.”

“You would,” I mutter.

He finishes his amusement and clears his throat. “So, what are you going to do? Can you just ignore it? Or do you have to let her go because you can’t control yourself ?” He pauses. “That’s it! I knew it! There’s a kinky animal buried in those stuck-up suits of yours trying to claw its way out, isn’t there?”

“Lincoln . . .”

He cackles. “You need me for advice. This has to be one of the best days of my life. I knew you’d need me sooner or later.”

“There is nothing about this situation that warrants your advice. Come to think of it, there’s nothing about life that would make me need your two cents.”

“Take a piece of ice and put it—”

“I swear to God, if you don’t stop, I’m sending Ford over to kick your ass.”

“You’ll send Ford because you can’t do it,” he teases.

“I’ll send Ford because some of us have a fucking job to tend to, asshole.”

We both chuckle and I feel the tension ease just a bit. Rising from my desk, I look at the back of my closed office door.

She’s out there, just a few yards from me. Human Resources says she’s catching on, even deferring lunch today so she can learn more. I like that. That’s a good sign. My hard cock is not.

“Did you know she was hot before you hired her?” Lincoln asks. “If so, that’s very un-Graham-like.”

“No. In my defense,” I say over his objection, “I knew her in high school. She wasn’t hot. She was super smart.”

“So she was a nerd like you?”

“Anyway,” I sigh, continuing on, “I felt like I knew her. Her references were stellar. It never crossed my mind that this would be my issue.”

I keep thinking I’ll wake up, she’ll walk in, and this will have been a dream. A wet one, nearly, but a dream nonetheless. But until that happens, I need a fucking plan and all I can come up with is ordering uniforms. Ugly, puke green, with a collar up the neck. No skin. At all. And maybe a muzzle because, as confusing as it is, her voice and smile fuck with me as much as her body.

Lincoln chuckles. “I still don’t see how this is a problem. Think of her as . . . office décor. She’ll just give you something to look forward to in the morning. How interesting can . . . whatever it is you do all day . . . be? This is a godsend, G. Embrace it.”

“I want to embrace it. That’s the fucking problem. I can’t have temptation staring at me all damn day.”

“You can if you’re strong enough to say no. I mean, I’ve never been particularly good at that, but I’m sure it’s on your geek gene somewhere.”

“Out of all our siblings, you are my least favorite.”

“I can live with that,” he laughs. “I gotta go though. I have a meeting in a few. I’ll call you tonight.”

“Call while it still qualifies as night and not morning, okay?”

“I’ll try.”

The line goes dead and I realize I’m still standing behind my desk, looking at the door.