4

DAWSON LOOKED around the room with interest, and he couldn’t help but feel more than a little smug as he spied a couple of familiar faces in the crowd of people looking back at him. They were faces that belonged to people who had told him he would never amount to anything in life. And, oh man, it felt good to prove them wrong.

I own your asses now, you sorry sons of bitches. He thought the words, but held back from saying them out loud, knowing that this wasn’t the time or the place. They were teachers – staff from a couple of the children’s homes he’d lived in who hadn’t had the time or inclination to help him out – as well as a few of his old boxing club sparring partners who had actually encouraged him in the past. Of the former, he took great delight in proving them wrong, and the of the latter, he felt great about being able to help them out with jobs when they’d all had such a crappy start in life.

The school he’d gone to had closed down a year or so back, and even though he didn’t have time for most of the staff there, he was aware that some of them had young families of their own. And if there was one thing that Dawson hated, it was the thought of a child going without because their parents couldn’t find a job. As for the people who’d worked at the children’s home – he took a perverse sort of pleasure in proving them all wrong and showing them that a boy from the bad side of town who’d started out with nothing was capable of turning his life around and making something of himself – and if he could help others in the process, then he was a happy man.

The weekly meeting was called to order, with reports, schedules, and points of interest being raised by numerous people in the room. This was the part of his job that he hated the most because he hated public speaking and addressing a crowd of people, especially if he had to call someone out or things weren’t being done properly or to his satisfaction. But it was one of his responsibilities that he took seriously, and it was something that needed to be done by him. He never wanted the people who worked for him to forget who their boss was, nor did he ever want to forget his humble beginnings and his fight to get to where he was.

The meeting ended after what seemed like an interminable amount of time, and Dawson escaped to his own office and closed the door behind him with a grateful sigh. There was a pile of paperwork that needed his signature on top of his desk, along with a memo from his personal assistant and a DVD of what he presumed were the interviews he’d been unable to go to.

I suppose I should take a look now while it’s quiet, he mused, knowing that if he put it off, his current receptionist was likely to go into labor and begin her maternity leave before he’d had a chance to find someone to take her place.

“Hold all my calls, Sheila. I’m going to be busy for the next thirty minutes or so.” Dawson didn’t wait for his personal assistant to respond. He simply hung up the phone, put the DVD into his computer, and proceeded to watch one boring interview after another.

Dear God, wasn’t there anybody available who wouldn’t bore him or his clients to death? He’d just about given up hope when the video of the next interview came on, and he sat forward in his chair as the first ember of interest piqued through him.

He watched the video intently, noticing how nervous the young woman seemed at first, but then how she seemed to become more animated as the interview went on. By the time the panel had reached the question and answer stage of the meeting, she sat in her seat with a look on her face that was almost excitement as she explained why she thought she would be a suitable fit for the company. Dawson listened intently, but it was his eyes that made up his mind for him. This girl had potential, definitely, but she also seemed to have a lot more than that going for her – drive, ambition, and a sense of purpose that he’d found completely lacking in the rest of the women who’d been interviewed.

She’s not too bad on the eye, either, he mused. In fact, he could get quite used to looking at her, with her vivid blue, almond-shaped eyes and full lips that seemed to accentuate her smile. He couldn’t see much of her body because she was on the other side of the desk, but from what he could see, she was most definitely right up there with regards to his preference in women.

He stopped the video and picked up the phone. “Sheila, I want to hire Alexa Ryan for the receptionist position. Please call her and make the arrangements.” He was about to hang up the call when Sheila said something that had him stopping in his tracks. “Excuse me?”

“I need to make arrangements to advertise for a personal assistant for you, Dawson. It’s not that I’m unhappy here, but I’m getting married and my fiancé and I have decided to take six months off and travel across Europe for our honeymoon.” She laughed softly. “Close your mouth, Dawson, you know how unbecoming that is.” She was probably one of the few people in the world who could get away with talking to him like that, but she’d been with him since day one, and she’d kept him in line and been his moral savior on more than one occasion, which was probably why he was so surprised to hear her saying what she was saying.

Sheila was still laughing when she hung up the phone after convincing Dawson that she knew what she was doing. She reassured him that if he still wanted her back after her honeymoon was over, then she’d be more than happy to return. She calmed herself down and eventually stopped laughing, and then placed the call through to Alexa Ryan to formally offer her the job.

“Seriously? I really have the job?” Alexa sounded incredulous, and Sheila couldn’t help but like the young woman immediately. “Monday? This coming Monday? Yes, of course I can make that. I’ll see you then. Thank you so much.”

Alexa hung up the phone and ran into the kitchen where Laura was preparing lunch. “I got it!”

Her friend looked at her as though she’d lost her marbles.

“Do you need to see a doctor?”

“No! The job! I got the job, Laura. At Dawson James!” She was so excited that she felt she was going to burst at any second. “I can’t believe it! Oh, my God, what the hell am I going to wear? I had to borrow your clothes for the interview, but I’m going to need to get some of my own if I’m going to be working there.” She grinned again. “I’m actually going to be working there, Laura! And the salary is fantastic, and the hours are perfect, and I’m so happy!”

Laura laughed out loud at her friend’s excitement. “Well I’m off today, so how about we go clothes shopping right now and get you sorted?” Alexa couldn’t really afford to spend that much on a new wardrobe, but she figured that she’d be earning decent money now, so it was really an investment. The remainder of the day was spent revamping herself and her clothes with a new haircut and more than a few new outfits.

Before she knew it, Monday morning had arrived, and after much deliberation, she decided to wear a knee-length, black skirt and a white blouse. She tied her long, dark, wavy hair up in a loose knot and applied some mascara and a little lipstick. She wasn’t conceited by any means, but she did know how to accentuate her best features. If she did admit it herself, she looked damn good as she went into work for the first time.

She was met at the office by the woman who had been on the interview panel, whose name turned out to be Julie. After being shown the main reception desk and how to use the telephones, she was pretty much left to her own devices. She quickly worked out the computer system, sending up a fervent prayer of thanks to her predecessor for leaving her such detailed notes and instructions on how to reach specific departments and where to direct people when they came in asking for certain people.

She’d been working solidly for almost an hour when she sensed someone walking up to the desk, and she looked up with a smile, ready to help whomever it may be. As her eyes met the most stunning pair of dark green ones she’d ever seen looking back at her, she felt herself blushing and feeling flustered for the first time that day.

“Can I help you, sir?” She couldn’t help but give him a quick once over, and her heart started to pound in her chest.

Holy shit, he’s gorgeous, she thought as she took in his almost black hair and chiseled features, glancing quickly to his broad shoulders and trying not to visibly drool. She’d never been one to fawn over a man, but she could seriously make an exception in his case.

“You must be Alexa. It’s good to finally meet you. I’m Dawson James.” Even his voice sent shivers down her spine. It was a mixture of melted chocolate and thick honey, wrapped up in an accent that she couldn’t quite place, but which sounded divine. She had the random thought that she could quite happily listen to him talk for hours, and even if it was all in her head, she wasn’t going to stop him from talking or herself from listening.

And then his words sank in. Dawson James? Her boss? Oh shit! She half stood and reached across the reception desk with her hand, ready to shake his and hoping that hers wasn’t shaking too much as it was engulfed in his huge one.

“Pleased to meet you, Mr. James,” she said nervously.

Dawson laughed softly. “Dawson. Just Dawson. No need to be so formal here.” That wasn’t strictly true, and he usually expected people to use his last name when they addressed him. But for some reason, he wanted to hear her call him by his first name and not his last. The videotape he’d seen of her interview hadn’t done her justice, he thought. She was even more beautiful in person, but not in a superficial way. And her demeanor was definitely more refreshing than most of the female staff he employed.

Alexa was feeling more than a little uncomfortable with the fact that he was still shaking her hand. Although, to be fair, it felt a bit more like a caress than a handshake, and she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

“I’d rather call you Mr. James, if you wouldn’t mind. It makes for a better working relationship, in my opinion.” Her voice was cool as she addressed him, and she gave a gentle tug on her hand to remind him that he was still holding it. He let go almost reluctantly, and Alexa wasn’t sure as to whether she felt relief or disappointment.

Making a mental note to make sure he got to know her better, and not just as a receptionist, Dawson half-turned away from the reception desk before turning back to face her. He could take the hint that she wasn’t interested in him, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t going to get his own way eventually. He always did.

“Never say never, Alexa, because you never know what the future might hold.” She had absolutely no idea if there was a hint of a double entendre in his words or not, and she really didn’t want to think about it too much if she could help it. “If you have any questions or problems and you can’t find someone to help, put a call through to my personal assistant, Sheila.” He gave her a wink that left her gaping at him. “For that matter, call up to my office directly and don’t bother with anyone else first.”

And with that, he was gone. Alexa watched him leave with a mouth that wasn’t quite closed and an appreciative gleam in her eyes as she took in his equally impressive back, including an ass that looked as though you could bounce pennies off it.

Pull yourself together, for goodness sake! It’s not as though you’ve never seen a man before, even if you haven’t seen one quite like him. She gave herself a mental shake and reminded herself that he was her boss and the owner of the company that she now worked for. There was also the very pertinent fact that she wasn’t interested in having any kind of a relationship with a man right now. Especially one who seemed so self-assured that he could quite easily come across as conceited. Was she?