Chapter 1

Mia

Something about Portland made my pulse race. The city had a vibrant energy I loved. I could barely believe almost four years had passed since I’d been the city’s newest starry-eyed transplant, when I’d given up my after-college plans and decided to follow my dreams instead.

After a few false starts, I landed a job at BC Records, one of the most prestigious record labels around. Three years later, I was one of their top managers. I still pinched myself sometimes to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

I couldn’t remember a time I hadn’t wanted to be in the music business. I just never imagined my dream would one day become a reality. Yet, as I rushed along the downtown waterfront to the glass facade of the building that had become my second home, it dawned on me I was actually living my dream.

It wasn’t the first “aha” moment I’d had. I tended to have them at least once a month, but today, it really hit home. The rainy, cloudy weather Portland was known for tapered off on this mid-April morning, and I felt like I was walking on the rare rays of sunshine.

Until I remembered I had a meeting with Hudson later that morning. Never a fun way to start a Monday. Even more concerning was the fact that the bastard was blistering hot. Too bad he was the biggest asshole I’d ever met. When I first met him, I’d had more than my fair share of fantasies about him bending me over a desk, but they would stay fantasies. He was a cock and a half. No thanks.

“Morning, Stan,” I said as I swiped my key card at the turnstile and pushed my way into the building.

“Morning, Ms. Doyle. I hope you have a good one.” Stan nodded and gave me a warm smile. See? If Hudson could be a nice guy, he might find himself a girl. Or at least a voluntary lay from time to time.

Stan had the build of an ex-football player, which he was, but with the disposition of a friendly grandfather to those who worked in the building anyway. He was always ready with a warm smile and encouraging words for the day ahead.

Too bad his supportive words wouldn’t mean a damn thing later that morning when I had to meet with my boss. Hudson Blake might have been one of the best producers in the industry, but he wasn’t an easy man to work for.

Still, that wasn’t Stan’s fault. “You too, Stan. I hope you have an uneventful day.”

He winked at me. It had become our thing. As a security guard for a building frequented by celebrities, an uneventful day was the best wish I could think of for him when I’d first started, and it just sort of stuck.

My heels clacked on the marble flooring as I crossed the lobby to the bank of elevators. BC Records took up the top two stories of the building. I promised myself every Friday I would start taking the stairs the next Monday, but it never happened.

Three years and counting. Maybe next week. Or maybe it was time to stop lying to myself and abandon the notion I’d ever climb eight stories in heels every morning.

The elevator doors slid open on my floor, bringing the familiar sounds of keyboards clicking, phones ringing, and people speaking into headsets. No one had an office except for Hudson and the co-founder of the label, Mr. Carson, who was almost never there.

Their offices sat on the far side of the floor, with spectacular views of Portland off one side and an unobstructed view of us on the other. Hudson liked to keep a watchful eye on his little worker bees, so he’d installed glass walls for both offices. They could be frosted at the push of a button, but he rarely used said frost button.

I moved to my cubicle, nodding good morning to a couple of my co-workers as I went. Even though I was an hour early, people already occupied about half of the cubicles on the floor. There was no friendly office banter like there might have been at other companies. A part of me wished I were bolder, more willing to poke the bear to see if there was something likable in there, but I wasn’t there yet. Hell, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be there.

I glanced around and noticed everyone was focused on their work. Exactly the way Hudson liked it. He ran a tight ship and didn’t tolerate wasting time with idle talk and chatter. Nobody wanted to risk being chewed out by him, so we kept our heads down and worked when he was around.

The man ruled the place with an iron fist. It wasn’t anyone’s favorite management style, but it was efficient. Our company wouldn’t be on top without it. So, we accepted it with grudging respect to Hudson.

I stashed my bag in my bottom drawer and turned on my computer. The week had barely started and already I had hundreds of emails to answer. I didn’t have time for that just yet. I pulled up the contract I had to discuss with Hudson at our meeting later.

I printed it out and bound it. Hudson insisted we prepare all original contract copies in a certain way. I would catch hell from him if I got the slightest detail wrong. He would leave me feeling like I could do better, which maybe I could…. For more money.

Once that was finished, I turned my attention back to my emails, working on turning the closed envelope icons into open ones. The morning passed in a blur, and before I knew it, it was time to deal with Hottie McAsshole.

I approached his office. My heart pounded in my chest. My dream had been off the charts hot last night. There wasn’t a place on my body Hudson hadn’t touched, licked, kissed, fucked. It left me flustered, but I slipped on my façade. There was no way in hell I was letting him know what he did to me. Besides… I needed to get over it.

I paused at the door. A dark-haired girl, who had started a couple of months ago, stood in front of his desk, wringing her hands, but Hudson motioned me inside. The girl, Chloe, looked like she was about to burst into tears.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Blake. I can come back later.” I turned to leave.

“No. Stay, Mia. I want you to hear this.” His voice radiated a quiet authority that rooted me in place.

His icy blue eyes snapped back to Chloe, narrowing as his gaze burned into her. The intensity of the displeasure in his glare was overwhelming, even though I had no idea what was going on. If there were some way for him to flip his dickish personality from office tension to dick-in-his-pants tension, then everyone’s life would be better. I shifted uncomfortably, trying to make myself invisible.

“So, are you telling me you never sent the client the revised proposal?” Hudson’s silky voice was calm, but it had a lethal undertone to it. He had to be the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. His personality blew big time, but maybe he was protecting himself. He clenched his jaw and gripped the sides of his chair, causing his arms muscles to bulge. Never noticed how muscular he was. Well, only in my dreams.

Why were the assholes always the sexy ones? It suddenly seemed a bit unfair.

“I wasn’t here, sir,” Chloe said, her voice trembling. “My mother was in the hospital, and I had to go home to help with my brothers.”

“Oh, well in that case,” he said, leaning back in his chair and straightening his already perfect tie. “You should have just told me to shut the label down for a few days so you could take care of your family. Obviously, that’s more important than the millions of dollars we stand to lose with this client.”

Tears shone in Chloe’s eyes. “I’ll do it today, sir. Immediately. I’ll phone the client personally and—”

“You will do no such thing. I will deal with it. You will clear out your cubicle, pack your personal belongings in the box security will have placed there by the time you return, and never darken the doorstep of this building ever again.” His voice was cool and his posture relaxed. Like firing the poor girl was nothing.

“Please, sir,” Chloe pleaded, her voice cracking with emotion. “I really need this job. I will do anything to make this right. Just give me a chance.”

“You had a chance to do it right. Now, I have to explain to one of our biggest clients he might have lost his shot at the collaboration we’ve been negotiating for months. All because my staff is incompetent. At the very least, I should be able to tell him the responsible party is no longer employed by my label, don’t you think?” He cocked one dark brow at Chloe.

My pulse quickened. I didn’t want to see this. I didn’t even want to know about it. Heat spread from my neck to my ears. I felt humiliated. For me and for Chloe. He was being awful. Maybe looks weren’t worth it, no matter what.

How could he fire her?

It was a freakin’ emergency. Her mother had been hospitalized, and her family needed her. Even if he was justified in firing her, how could he do it in the presence of a co-worker? Did he have no compassion? Did he really feel the need to wield his authority with such brutal force?

My questions were futile. I’d never receive any answers, but I couldn’t stop them from swirling around in my mind.

Chloe’s shoulders caved in, and a sob escaped. “But sir, I—”

“The job should come first, Chloe.” He nodded toward me. “Just ask Ms. Doyle here.”

Bastard! I averted my eyes, refusing to participate in whatever cruel game he was playing.

Chloe muffled another sob and fled from the office without another word.

I gaped at Hudson, unable to comprehend the display of absolute assholery he’d just exhibited.

He seemed completely unaffected. His eyes darted to his computer screen, then to mine. I was struck by how cool they were. It was one thing to know his preferred way of commanding respect around the office and completely another to have witnessed it.

“What do you want, Mia?” Whatever patience he had left was clearly wearing thin. At the very least, he was always the consummate professional.

I lowered my eyes. Being around Hudson had that effect on me. I was vibrant and outspoken in every aspect of my life, except for when I was around him. It was like he spoke directly to the one submissive bone in my body, a bone I didn’t even know I had before I met him.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt, Hudson. We’re supposed to meet about the new Arrowheads contract, but I can see you’re busy. I’ll come back later.” Yep. The sexy daydreams were all but gone. What a cock. I needed to find a new bedroom fantasy, because the next time his ass showed up, cock wagging in my mind, I was going to pick up whatever was closest to me and smack him with it. I wished like hell I didn’t need my job. I’d let him have it, but I did need it. Badly.

“No need to come back.” He didn’t so much as look at me again. His eyes were pinned to his screen. He simply snapped his long fingers in my direction. “Just give me the contracts. I’ll look them over and get Jenny to send them out.”

Jenny. The overeager secretary who fawned over Hudson like she wanted to be the first Mrs. Blake. Sure, the man looked like sex on a stick, but he was an iceberg, and anybody he came across was the Titanic. He would obliterate her.

There was no way I’d let her take over communications with the Arrowheads. I’d worked tirelessly at bringing in that band. I was working on a diplomatic way of telling him this when he finally dragged his eyes away from his screen and met mine.

He ran a hand through his immaculately styled midnight-black hair. The way he watched me was almost predatorial. It caused a shiver to run down my back, and damn if my nipples didn’t harden. I needed to stop. My body, the traitor. “Was there something else?”

Damnit. Any protest I might have formulated died on my lips under his commanding gaze. “No, I just came to bring you the contracts.”

There was no thank you. No good job. He turned his attention from me and barely even glanced at the pages before placing them on his desk. “If there is nothing else, why are you still in my office, Mia?”

His face was impassive, though a smirk seemed to play at the side of his mouth. What was he thinking? His eyes focused completely on whatever was on that damn screen. His jaw twitched.

“I’m leaving. Let me know if there’s anything else you need on that.” I spun on my heel, knowing not to expect an answer. No doubt, he’d tell me the moment he found something in the contracts he wasn’t happy with.

My heart thundered in my chest as I marched back to my cubicle. I’d been teetering on the edge of a blade for quite some time. I’d made enough of a name for myself in the music industry, and I had a couple of legitimate offers at other labels to consider.

That power play in his office was enough to make me seriously think about those offers for the first time. If my job at BC didn’t pay six figures, I would have been out of there a long time ago, but the money they paid me was hard to beat.

There was also the fact the man whose position I coveted planned on retiring within the next month. I had a real shot at the job, so I couldn’t just leave. No matter how tempted I was, I had to wait it out.

I could do what I loved at other labels, thanks to the experience I’d gained at BC, but a job like Maxwell’s was a long way off if I made a lateral move now.

If I didn’t get the job when it opened up next month—all bets were off. I respected myself that much at least.