“Is there a reason why we have an extra intern waiting in the lobby?”

Irritation swept through me as I looked up at Cheryl who stood at the edge of my desk. A frown tugged at her lips, and she seemed completely oblivious to the fact that I was irritated at being interrupted.

“What?” I ground out. “Two interns?”

“Yes,” she said. “Two interns. Michael Foster, who won the position here, and a Violet Summers who says that you hired her over the weekend. Sound familiar to you?”

Fuck! I ran a hand over my face. I had completely forgotten about hiring Violet as an intern to appease her mother. I knew Alan wasn’t too pleased with it. He never wanted his daughter to be in the workplace, but then Gloria had to go ahead and ask in public with everyone at her soiree watching curiously for my response.

And it wasn’t just Gloria who had put me on the spot. In part, it was the bravery that Violet showed during her speech, but also that spark of subtext under all her words. An undercurrent that I was sure I imagined. The kid got her confidence from her father.

That’s right, Cole. Kid. She’s just a kid. Still, Violet was twenty-two years old. Her father is my best friend, but she’s an adult too. An adult capable of making hot-blooded decisions if she wanted too, even though I knew deep down that Alan kept her sheltered. He meant well. He didn’t want to see his one and only child struggling with heartache.

Which was bound to happen if anything ever went down between us. Now, I was stuck in a headache of a fucking situation.

“What do you want to do?” Cheryl asked. “I only have information on Michael Foster. I wasn’t informed of this spontaneous intern.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose in irritation. “That’s because I’m doing my best friend a favor by watching over his daughter while she gets some work experience. What positions do we have open right now that she could fit into?”

“Michael would be good for advertisement or the financial department as we discussed,” she said and handed the folder over to me. “You’re due to tell them what their duties are going to be here. I’ll place them wherever you want me to.”

“And Violet?”

Cheryl shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe a personal assistant would be a good idea? I can use some back up as well. That’s my suggestion at least.”

Putting Violet away from me in the company didn’t sit right even though a rational part of me warned that it’d be a good idea. I still couldn’t get those damn toned legs out of my head, even after that mental cock block I had forced myself into. All I knew was that I had been so horny after a few drinks that Martha Myers, as Gloria had introduced her as, had been the perfect distraction. Wild fucking in the backseat of her Range Rover, my eyes shut because I wanted to picture Violet squirming underneath me in pleasure—not someone else.

The guilt had eaten me raw all weekend, so much so that I had refused to see Alan face to face. We settled on a phone call when I told him about heading into the city early because of a work crisis. ‘Just keep an eye on her,’ he had said. ‘Make sure no one takes advantage of her.’

My throat squeezed itself shut. I didn’t know how to tell him that it wasn’t a random man in my workplace that he needed to worry about. It was me.

“Bring them in,” I said. “I’ll talk to them both and figure out where they are going to go before my next meeting.”

“Right. I’ll go and get them now.”

I waited until Cheryl shut the door to my office. It was on the very top floor of the Crayton, Inc. building. It was as large as a penthouse in all reality. I could move up here permanently if I wanted, but I kept my office spacious and clean of spare furniture. This wasn’t a place I wanted to relax in.

Sighing, I glanced down at the folder with Michael Foster’s name written on it neatly. This was the Foster kid, whose rich family wanted their son to work outside of their business first. On paper, Michael would do good at whatever he wanted to do. Not just in advertising though. He’d be good in the financial department.

That left Violet floating around somewhere. I rubbed my jaw as I thought back over all my conversations with Alan that had included Violet’s goals in life. She was good at whatever she wanted to do. Having a megawatt smile, attractive physique, and flirtatious charm would also help her in whatever I told her to do.

The door to my office opened. I stood up from my chair, grabbing ahold of Michael’s folder as I did. I found my legs rooted to the ground when Violet stepped in. Those long and smooth legs were on display with her pencil skirt hugging slender her hips and ass tightly. Her white blouse was wrinkle free, but I could see a lacy and cream colored bralette through the sheer fabric. Her sun kissed blonde hair was pulled up into a librarian type of bun.

A confident smile spread across her face when our eyes met. The energy around Violet was hard to deny. Even Michael Foster, a well-dressed and sharp-looking young man, didn’t bother hiding the fact that he liked the curve of Violet’s ass too.

Jealousy surged through me. I clenched my fingers around the folder, crinkling the paper briefly before I forced myself to relax. I fixed a stern look on my face as the two of them came to stand in front of my desk.

“Good morning to you both,” I said, nodding. “The two of you have earned your spots here at Crayton, Inc. I want you both to know that I have high expectations here. From the lowest paid employee to the VP of my company, I keep my expectations high. Hard work means a high reward. Sloppy work means that you will have your ass booted out of this company before you even know what’s happening. Got it?”

They both nodded. I found my gaze lingering on Violet as her grin turned into something different. It was a hungry smile, the type of smile that said she was ready to do whatever I wanted. She was ready to please, and that aroused me even more.

“I have specific places for you both here,” I continued, tearing my eyes away. “Mr. Foster--”

“Yes, sir,” he responded immediately.

“I am going to have you in the financial department with the head of my payroll. Any questions or concerns about that?”

“None, sir. Thank you for the opportunity.”

At least his family had taught him to be polite enough despite his wealthy status. Manners were a big deal to me. I couldn’t count how many people I outed just because they were spoiled little brats wanting a free ride.

“Ms. Summers--”

“Call me Violet,” she interrupted, frowning at me. “Ms. Summers is how people address my mother.”

Michael’s mouth fell open in surprise. I stared at Violet as her cheeks burned brightly when she realized what happened.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to--”

“Mr. Foster,” I said, turning to look at him. “Go with Cheryl. She’ll show you the payroll department.”

Michael glanced at Violet, who looked down at her feet. “Yes, sir.”

I waited until he was out of my office before addressing Violet. “I know that we have close family ties here, but this is my business you’re in. Professionalism is key to a good company.”

“I know that,” she said, voice muffled. “I’m sorry. I guess I just don’t like it when people make me feel like I’m my mother.”

“It’s a respect thing. Here, you’re Ms. Summers. All right?”

“I understand, sir. Where would you like me to be?”

The innocent question instantly put my mind in a place that I didn’t want it to be in. I twisted around sharply when I felt my cock harden again. I stared down at the bump in my pants with annoyance. Getting through the work day was going to be a challenge when I was already bothered enough.

“I need a personal assistant,” I said. “Someone to take my messages, write emails, and make phone calls when I’m not able to.”

A pleased smile spread across Violet’s face.

“That would be great,” she exclaimed, shifting in the pair of ankle boots she was wearing. “Thank you for taking me in here as an intern. I know my mom pressured you into it, but I really do appreciate your doing this.”

"You’re welcome. I hope that you’ll like working here.”

“I’m sure that I will enjoy being your personal assistant.”

I stiffened at the sultry undertone. The corner of Violet’s lips quirked up before the door to my office opened again. Cheryl’s head poked in as she gestured for Violet to join her outside.

“Get her a desk near my office door,” I told Cheryl, gladly sitting down to hide the fact that I was throbbing hard. “The usual ID cards and computer access codes along with a company phone for Ms. Summers.”

“I will get right on it,” Cheryl said, and she opened the door for Violet to step out. “Anything else?”

“Make sure to keep an eye on Ms. Summers,” I said. I couldn’t shake the look on Michael’s face as he followed her into my office. I didn’t want any other males in my building looking at Violet in that matter. “That’s my best friend’s daughter. If something happened to her, I’d never hear the end of it. He would never forgive me.”

“Of course.”

Cheryl closed the door. I listened to their voices disappear in the distance as I gripped the edge of the desk willing my body to get back under control. I needed to do something again to get rid of this tension. This was fucking ridiculous. I smoothed a hand through my hair in aggravation. This was my best friend’s daughter that I was lusting after. This was Violet Summers, the girl I had watched grow up with fatherly fondness. What the hell was wrong with me?

“Everything,” I mumbled to myself darkly. “Everything is wrong with me.”

If anyone asked Stephanie, she’d say I was an overworked sexphobic who enjoyed being cold and distant towards relationships. I couldn’t necessarily fight back against that comment because I was in the office from sun up to sun down, or I was in the air traveling to meet new clients from all over the world. I was never home to carry on with a relationship, but when it had come to Stephanie, I had given in to the idea of settling down. It turned out to be the biggest mistake I could ever make.

My ex-wife enjoyed the worst mistake of my life though. Every month, she collected her checks from me with a shit-eating grin that infuriated me for days on end.

I couldn’t argue my character while my cock throbbed hard for Violet. Rubbing at the tense muscles in my neck, I glared down at the hard bulge in pants that refused to go away. Maybe having Violet as a personal assistant wouldn’t be a good thing if I were going to have this sort of reaction every single time she came to me.

I reached inside my pant pocket to scroll through my phone to find a distraction. I’d deal with this the only way I knew how to deal with it. Finding a woman who wasn’t Violet to get all the steam out of me. That would work.