Chapter One
Julia
New York, New York
Crisp January air hit my face as I got out of the cab in front of the WOLF television station, the newest network to open its doors in our fair city. Somehow, I’d scored an interview for the assistant position to the network’s owner, Artimus Wolfe himself.
I had no real expectations of actually landing the job though. Fresh out of Columbia, I’d gained my bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, but with literally no experience whatsoever, my chances were slim to none. The experience of interviewing with a man like Artimus Wolfe would be invaluable to me in itself though, so I jumped at the opportunity.
Nevertheless, I did plan on giving it my all. Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I walked up to the glass doors with “WOLF” printed across them. I shivered a bit, not from the cold air but from something else entirely. Excitement.
I wasn’t sure why I was allowing myself to get excited over something I knew I didn’t stand a chance in hell of getting, but there it was anyway.
Stepping through those doors into the warmth of the main lobby, I stopped and looked around at the grand entrance. A giant chandelier hung over the midsection of the large room. Not what I had expected at all.
Underneath that was the reception area. A young woman with short dark hair and thick, black-framed glasses stood behind a bar-like desk, her head bent as if she was reading something underneath the top layer of the desk.
Approaching her, I asked, “Do you know where I can go to meet Artimus Wolfe for an interview?”
She looked up at me. “Oh, hi. Didn’t see you standing there. Can I have your name, please?”
The room was bustling with people, so I couldn’t fault her for not realizing one of us had stopped in front of her. “That’s okay. My name’s Julia Bengal. I’ve got a ten o’clock appointment with Mr. Wolfe. I know I’m fifteen minutes early, but it’s my nature to be ahead of schedule whenever possible.”
“Cool.” She picked up a pen and made what looked to be a checkmark on something before looking back up at me. “I’ll need to see your identification, please, Julia.”
Pulling my driver’s license out of my purse, I handed it to her. She looked it over, wrote something else down, then handed it back to me. “Thank you.” I put it back into my purse and looked in the direction she pointed.
“You’ll take the elevator to the far left. You’re going to the penthouse, so press the large ‘P’ button. You’ll be in the lobby when you step off the elevator. Brady is the receptionist up there, and he’ll tell you what to do when you get there.” She winked. “Good luck, Julia Bengal.”
“Thank you.” Leaving the desk, I went to the elevator and felt that a knot had formed in my stomach. I was quickly disintegrating into a nervous wreck, something I hadn’t expected would happen to me.
This was supposed to be nothing more than practice for me. Is this what I could expect with every interview I had? I expected to have many of them before landing a job. This was terrible news for me.
The elevator was full of people. It took forever for me to get up to the penthouse, and I was the only one left by the time I got there. I found it terrifying to be all alone in the large elevator. When it stopped and the doors opened, I saw another chandelier hanging in the reception area. Both of them were smaller than the ones on the ground floor, but more ornate.
A short guy was polishing the brass bar that ran across the front of his desk. “Hi, I’m Julia Bengal.” I came to his desk as he walked around behind it, tossing the white cloth he’d been using into a waste bin.
Pulling off a pair of blue surgical gloves, he tossed those into the trash too. “You’re early. He’ll like that. Take a seat, Miss Bengal, and I’ll let him know you’re here.”
Before my butt had even hit the chair, a man was coming out of the office right off the lobby. “Julia Bengal?” he called out to me.
My eyes caught his shiny black shoes first, and then ran up a pair of long legs covered in black slacks, all the way up his over six-foot frame. A white button-down shirt with the top two buttons undone rested under a black suit jacket. My eyes traveled over a firm jaw next, and a pair of chiseled lips smiled at me, and then my eyes finally landed on his—piercing blue, the smile in them as well. His thick, dark hair hung in loose waves just to the top of his collar. A broad set of shoulders and chest to match told me he had a lot of muscles underneath those clothes.
And there I was, ogling the man who was about to interview me for a job as his assistant. This was not good at all.
Why does he have to be so devastatingly good-looking?
My brain kicked in and my mouth opened as I walked toward him with my hand extended. “Yes, I’m Julia Bengal.”
He gave my hand a little shake then gestured to his door. “Artimus Wolfe. It’s nice to meet you, Julia. Please, come into my office.”
The place was huge—so much bigger than I’d imagined. A dark oak desk the size of a dining table sat squarely in the middle of the room. Two black leather chairs sat in front of it. One more matching leather chair sat at the right of it, and a big, overstuffed black leather chair sat behind it.
I walked behind him and he pulled out one of the two that sat across from his. “You can sit here, Julia.”
I took the seat he’d offered as he went around the desk to sit in his chair. “Thank you, Mr. Wolfe.”
The nerves I’d had before were nothing compared to what was now going on inside my body. And what was worse was that my libido came to life in a way it never had before. My mouth watered to taste him, a thing that had never happened to me with anyone else.
I was a virgin, with limited experience in even making out. I’d had only one boyfriend in my life, though I’d kissed a couple of guys before him, but nothing ever went further than that. So the reactions that had been set off inside of me by this man were unusual and a little worrisome.
There I sat, looking at the desk. Only one paper was on it, and his hands quickly reached for it, moving it so he could read it. My head still in the clouds with thoughts of his attractiveness, I envisioned him wadding the paper up, tossing it over his shoulder, and looking at me with wanting eyes. Then telling me to get naked and get on top of his desk.
At that moment, if he’d said those things to me, I actually thought I might just do them.
But he didn’t do that at all, much to my disappointment. “So, Julia, I see here that you’re a recent grad from Columbia. But you’re not from New York. You’re originally from Atlanta, Georgia.” He looked at me with a cute grin. “Now, how did a girl from Atlanta end up at Columbia?”
“I’ve always wanted to live in New York. I graduated from high school as the valedictorian and had several scholarships. I applied only to Columbia, which my counselor told me wasn’t a smart idea. But I’d always wanted to go to that college. I put my heart and soul into it and was accepted. I’ve been on the dean’s list since freshman year and graduated with honors.” I went silent, feeling like I was talking a bit too much about myself.
He nodded, making those full waves of hair bounce a little. His haircut framed his face perfectly. He looked cute and yet still professional—a combination I’d never seen before.
He had to be in his mid to late thirties. He had that mature look about him, while still holding onto the young guy within him. And there I was again, ogling the man who’d be my boss—if I got the job, which I still didn’t think I would.
“Being fresh out of college, do you think that gives you more of an edge than a person who has experience in this position?” he asked with a curious expression.
I had to ponder that for a moment before answering. “To be honest, I think there are pros and cons to hiring a person with experience. For one, they’re pretty much set in their ways. And that might not go along with your ways, Mr. Wolfe. Yes, they know what they’re doing, but will it be what you want? I’m a clean slate. You can mold me into whatever you want.”
My breath caught in my throat as a vision of him physically molding me to fit with his perfectly masculine body zipped through my imagination.
Stop it!
“That’s true.” He looked at me as he nodded. “My last assistant had a ton of experience, and she kind of took over. She did the molding, since I had no clue as to what I was doing at first. It would be nice to get to do the molding this time around.”
Does that mean that I have a real chance of getting this job?
Internally, I scolded myself for even thinking the errant thought. Of course I didn’t have a shot at getting the job. The man was just thinking out loud.
“If I may ask, and I hope I don’t sound like a fool to you, but what exactly would your assistant do, Mr. Wolfe?” I had to ask because I was clueless.
“Assist me.” He gave me a big smile. “And not like make me coffee and bring me things, either. Help me come up with ideas to make the station better. Deal with the things I don’t have time to, both personally and here at work.”
“Like making sure your laundry is sent out and taken back home?” I asked. “That kind of thing?”
“No, my head housekeeper sees to all that.” His long, thick fingers tapped on the desktop. “More like a mind I can work with. Someone who can motivate me, help me come up with innovative ideas, and all the while keep the little things out of my way. Is that something you think you could do, Julia?”
I had no idea if I could do any of those things. But I knew one thing for sure: I sure as hell wanted to try. “I’ve got a lot of ideas myself. I think I would be able to be all you needed me to be, sir. I know I’d like to try. But I would understand if you went with another candidate. Just having this interview is an experience that will help me going forward in seeking employment and I have to thank you for taking the time to let me do this interview with you.”
He turned his chair sideways and crossed one leg over his knee. “Your approach is different than any of the other candidates I’ve interviewed. They all talked about themselves as if they had special talents that no one else had. I found myself feeling as if I was trying to make a purchase at a used car lot with annoying salespeople pushing something I didn’t even want down my throat. So, this interview has been refreshing.”
“Glad I could refresh you, sir.” I had to smile at him, as his grin was contagious.
I’d never had so many naughty thoughts about anyone as I had over this guy—and all in the span of a couple minutes. He had it all—charisma, charm, sexiness, and to top that all off, the man was rich as hell too. Not that I cared about money, but who thinks having tons of it isn’t an attribute?
“I think we’re done here, Julia.” He got up and I followed his lead. We began walking to his door as he went on, “I’ve got a couple more interviews to do today, and then that’s all of them. I’ll be making my decision soon. If you don’t hear from my human resources department within the next three days, that means I’ve gone with someone else.” He shook my hand again after opening his door. “It was nice to meet you, and I’d like to wish you all the best.”
“You too,” I said, then left the gorgeous man, confident that what he’d said there at the last—wishing me all the best—meant I wasn’t going to get the job.
Alone in the elevator, I sighed as my heart sank. I knew I’d never see that man again, and I’d most likely never step foot in the WOLF building again for the rest of my life.
I’d had no idea that interview would be such a rollercoaster of emotions, and I wondered how I’d make myself ever go on another one.