Are you fucking serious?

This is a new shirt, I’ve got a packed schedule, and now because some airhead can’t watch where she’s going, there’s a huge brown stain on the damn thing.

Goddamn it, I’ve got a huge meeting with the board today, a ton of paperwork to catch up on, and the interview with Dean’s little sister too.

That woman doesn’t think she has time to stop and apologize? I’m the one with a multi-million dollar deal on the line today.

Just my luck to have a shitty start to one of the biggest days in my career.

I stand there on the sidewalk, surrounded by the milling lunchtime crowd, and wipe at the coffee stain with a paper napkin I snatched from one of the busy food trucks nearby.

Great. The stain is now smeared over an even larger area of my brand-new shirt. I’m just making it worse, and there’s no way at all I’m getting it off.

Breathe, Brock. Take a breath, and cool yourself down. It’s just a shirt.

I pull out my phone and check the time.

Shit. I’m already twenty minutes late for the interview.

Nina, my buddy Dean’s little sister, is probably sitting there outside the interview room, sweating buckets. I vaguely remember her from years back when she was living with Dean just after their parents died in that car crash.

I used to go over there to hang out with Dean, and she was this awkward kid, maybe fifteen or so, and she had the hugest crush on me.

Dean used to rib me about it, but I felt kind of bad for her. She was way too young for me, of course, but she was definitely pretty in her own way.

We never talked about it or anything, but I tried to let her down gently. I avoided spending time alone with her, and I said things like, “You’re like the sister I never had,” any chance I got.

And then she was gone, off to college.

Dean and I have stayed friends even though he still lives in Seattle. Nina’s actually living here in Denver now, but I just learned about that from Dean recently.

Both Dean and I have been so busy with work these days that I don’t get the chance to hang out with him that much anymore. So it was a surprise when he texted me a while back after hearing I was looking for a new assistant.

Yeah, I’m getting an assistant—laugh all you want.

I may be the Chief Communications Officer, but everybody knows I’m also Luke Alder’s go-to guy—a.k.a. assistant. So yes, the assistant is getting an assistant. It’s a challenging job, and I can’t juggle everything all by myself.

Dean promised me Nina was qualified and motivated. And to be honest, I don’t have the time to vet candidates and all that shit. I just want someone to help me out.

So today’s interview is mostly a formality, but I do still want to meet Nina to make sure our personalities don’t clash and she’s not a total flake.

I pull up her contact info and type out a quick text message.

Okay, now that’s dealt with I can focus on replacing this shirt. Spotting a Gap, I duck inside.

“Hello, sir. How can I help you?” One of the assistants approaches me with a big, customer-service grin.

I smile ruefully and wave my hands at the huge stain now covering my chest. “I need something to replace this. Your highest quality shirt.”

“Right away.” The assistant nods, his grin widening, no doubt sensing potential for a big commission.

While I wait for the kid to come back with it, I take a seat by the row of fitting rooms.

Things have been manic recently, what with Luke taking a bit of a step back from the day-to-day operations of running InFini. He’s been spending much more time with Tessa and their kid, and I can’t say I blame him.

I’ve known Luke for a long time, and I’ve never seen him quite like this. He’s like a besotted teen, even after a year of marriage.

Tessa tried to set me up with one of her friends, Claire, at the birthday party of Kayleigh, their kid, so I know they probably think I should follow suit.

I mean, their little family seems happy, and I’m happy for them . . . but it’s just not the life for me, even though Claire was a nice enough girl.

I just can’t see myself settling down with a wife and a kid like Luke is doing, even if my life has gotten a whole lot more stressful lately.

In effect, I’m the boss of InFini these days, and I have a whole lot of sway over the whole Alder business empire.

Luke, generous as ever, has made sure that I’m well taken care of, salary-wise, but it’s still quite an adjustment. From a glorified assistant to . . . whatever I am these days, is quite a jump. I know I can do it, but sometimes those nagging, doubting voices still like to make themselves heard in my head.

“This is the best we have, sir.” The assistant’s voice jars me back to the retail store, where a handful of lunchtime shoppers are browsing, clothes hangers clanking in the background. He’s holding up a blue shirt with great flourish, using both hands, no doubt trying to make it look as fancy as he can. “I think it’d look great on you. Would you like to try it on?”

I don’t have the time. “Nah, that’s okay. Here, give it to me, would you?”

I take the shirt, strip off my soiled one, and put on the new one, right there in plain view of the entire store. The kid’s eyebrows rise for a second before he gets them under control.

It’s probably not the most civilized thing to do, just getting half-naked in public, but I don’t really care. I’ve got bigger fish to fry today.

I take a look at myself in the mirror. This shirt is a pale imitation of the triple-woven luxury fabric of my ruined one, but it fits, and it’ll do.

“Thanks, I’ll take it,” I say to the slack-jawed sales assistant. I hand him a few bills. “Keep the change.”

Striding back out onto the street, I glance at my watch again. Half an hour late now.

Here’s hoping Nina’s the patient type. I hurry along the street—Infini HQ is only a couple blocks away from here, and the walk shouldn’t take too long, now that the lunchtime crowds are thinning out.

Five minutes later, I’m staring up at the huge, imposing skyscraper. Alder Industries is the biggest building in the state, but InFini isn’t far behind.

If someone had told me a few years back, when I was hanging around with Dean, that I’d effectively be the boss of a company like this, I’d have laughed in his face. But life’s funny like that sometimes.

I walk into the lobby and sweep the huge, expansive space with my gaze. When I spot Nina, my eyes stop.

Damn, what on earth happened to that awkward kid?

What a difference a few years can make. In my mind’s eye, Nina was still going to be that kid with braces and zits who couldn’t ever look me in the eye. But now? Well . . . it’s a good job this shirt fits well, or I’d have to loosen my collar a little.

She’s filled out . . . like, really filled out. Her lips are full and red, and her blond hair frames her face in a pleasing mess of curls, cascading down her back. Where there used to be skinny limbs, there are now beautiful, soft curves. And the swell of her breasts beneath her blouse . . . I’m struggling to focus on anything else in my immediate vicinity.

It takes me a few minutes to register that this is actually my friend’s kid sister because she’s changed such a lot. But yep, that’s her.

Well, this could get interesting.

I’m about to approach her, but then I stop and take a moment to let my blood cool down a little.

I need to keep a couple things in mind. Firstly, this is Dean’s little sister, and I’m sure he’s not going to want one of his oldest friends macking on his baby sister. Secondly, after what happened at the end of my last relationship, I’ve pretty much sworn off any kind of commitment. Sure, I use Tinder for hook-ups as much as the next guy, but something serious? Not interested.

So it would be better for everyone involved if I cast aside any thoughts whatsoever of Nina and me in anything except a professional relationship. No flirting, no innuendo, no nothing.

I take a deep breath, pull myself up to my full height, and make my way over to her.

She still hasn’t noticed me yet, but she looks uncomfortable and on edge, her shoulders tense, and her big, doe eyes darting all over the place. To be expected, I guess—who actually looks forward to a job interview, after all?

But I soon realize that it’s not the interview she’s nervous about. That much becomes clear when I’m around twenty feet away from her, right about to call her name and introduce myself. Before I can, a guy in dark sunglasses comes rushing over from the main entrance.

He grabs Nina by the arm. She pulls away from him, but despite her struggles to get away from him, he doesn’t let go. He’s got a deadly serious expression on his face, and I can tell he means business.

Guess this interview isn’t going to be the non-event I thought it was going to be.