CHAPTER 2: Mason

I slipped into one of the new shirts that I kept in my office, thinking about the redhead that spilled her coffee all over me a few minutes ago. She was almost hot enough to excuse for her mistake, especially with the way that she blushed and apologized. Her coffee smelled good as well and I wish that I’d asked her what it was other than cinnamon.

It’s not like I’d ever see her again, anyway. I buttoned the shirt and slipped it into my black slacks, thinking about the new assistant that was starting today. I’d been thinking too hard about that when I walked into the coffee shop and a lot of the accident was my fault, though I wouldn’t admit that. I liked seeing her flustered, like I did most women. I reached for the new blue tie and knotted it around my neck as I walked into the attached bathroom to see how it looked.

I knew that I was attractive to women. I was getting a new assistant because of that fact since the last one became a bit obsessed with me. She hounded me at work, showed up at bars and restaurant and even drove through my neighborhood. That was too much for me and I didn’t want to hook up with her to begin with, employee or not. She was gone the following day, and I left for vacation while my partner promised me that he’d hire someone great, even if he did admit that it was another woman. I hoped for the best as I ran my hand through my tousled brown hair and reached for the coffee I decided to buy in the building after the disaster at the coffee shop. Everyone was staring at me and talking about it and I left quickly to head down the street to my building. I didn’t like the coffee there as much but I just needed some energy after staying out late with friends last night. It would have to do. I decided that I looked as though I’d never had coffee spilled on me and walked back into my office, sipping the coffee. I had a gorgeous view of the city with the water just past that, and I just stared for a moment. I loved living in Seattle.

I glanced at the clock on the wall, realizing that the new girl had arrived. She had a mountain of paperwork to contend with so I had some time and I walked over to the window and thought about my ex-girlfriend Lana. I never got serious about women and the one time I did, she ended up sleeping with my brother. Lance wasn’t as good-looking as I was but seemed to have something because they were getting pretty serious. I hardly loved Lana at the point we fell apart, but she was fun. I was going to give it a go but now I realized that I wasn’t cut out for love. I’d just keep playing the field.

I shook my head and grabbed the cup from my desk, walking out and around to HR. I looked around as I headed there, seeing the way that everyone glanced at me and started to appear busy. I was the head editor and the last one to see all the books that came in, so they worked hard to send me quality pieces to read. I made the final decision on everything and it felt good. I grinned to myself and saw the door to Human Resources, taking a deep breath. My bad luck with assistant editors was going to stop here. Ned hired someone good for me that could work at my pace and heed my demands, and I forced positive thoughts through my mind as I opened the door and walked towards the small conference room that they took the newbies to for paperwork and to go over company policies. I saw that the door was cracked and heard voices as I pushed it open, looking inside to see Hannah chatting with the girl next to her. I didn’t have a good view from here and walked in further, moving to sit across from them as a soft curse word slipped through my lips. I saw the shock on Hannah’s face out of the corner of my eye, staring at the woman from the coffee shop as she gave me a wide-eyed look.

“Mr. Drury,” Hannah said as she shot me a dark look. “This is Isabelle Evans, and she is going to be taking over as your new assistant.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said as I offered her my hand across the table. Isabelle looked flustered all over again and she shook it as she pressed her full, sexy lips together. This girl was more gorgeous than I remembered and I took her in slowly as we shook hands. She did have a firm grip, and I wondered what was making her so nervous.

“Yes, it is,” she stammered as Hannah looked curiously between us. “We ran into one another at the coffee shop, quite literally.” She looked over the pristine white shirt and raised an eyebrow, her eyes bright as she looked at my broad chest. “You did change here at work, didn’t you? You were a mess back there.”

“Your coffee smelled good. Cinnamon?” I asked her as she blushed and nodded. All my previous thoughts about Lana were gone while I stared at Isabelle as the silence filled the room.

“Do you want to go over the job duties while you’re here?” Hannah asked as I blinked and looked at her.

“Yes, that sounds great. I assume that you were told some things during your interview but you will be working directly under me. I am the head editor here and you will be the last one to read the submissions before it goes to me. Prior to that, I have a large staff that splits up the genres and makes a decision whether to forward the manuscript. Are there any that you’re not comfortable with, Isabelle? We’re open to nearly everything.” I watched as she tapped her pen against the table and smiled.

“I am fine reading anything. I find it easy to get to the meat of any genre and make it the best story that it can be. I have been editing all through high school and college and my major was English. I am prepared for this job.” Isabelle sounded confident as she sat up and pushed her generous chest forward, making me want to unbutton that shirt to see what they looked like. I blinked and brought myself back to reality as I nodded at her.

“Ned knows what I look for as far as experience goes and he was impressed with you.” I wondered if he flirted with her during the interview, knowing that dating at work was prohibited. It was a rule that worked all around but one that I was tempted to break with Isabelle.

“That makes me feel good about this. Thank you,” Isabelle murmured as I thought about what else I needed to say.

“I put in overtime when the work gets heavy. Is that an option for you?” I asked as she seemed to consider her answer.

“Yes, it is. I can work around a few things with some notice,” she replied as I wondered what those things were. Was she married? I saw no ring on her long, pale fingers as I looked and then gazed into her eyes.

“Good. I work hard and I work fast. I expect my staff to do the same which is why your salary is generous. I am sure that Hannah has covered the benefit package that we offer?” I looked at the brunette as she smiled at me.

“I was going to get there after she finished paperwork,” Hannah assured me as I leaned back and sipped my coffee as Isabelle looked longingly at my cup. I stayed while the paperwork was finished, listening to Hannah explain everything and adding to it as Isabelle looked between us with an overwhelmed expression.

“That’s wonderful,” she murmured once the process was done, smiling as she looked down at the table. I am so grateful to you for this opportunity.”

“You had the qualifications. I just hope that it works out for all of us.” I told her as she gave me a wary gaze. Her eyes were a soft green but bright as they locked with mine for a long moment. “I’ll take you to your desk and get you set up, if we’re finished here. Hannah?” I looked at her and she nodded, assuring both of us that we were. We stood, and she told Isabelle that we would be out in a moment and to wait just outside. Once we were alone, I crossed my arms and stared at her. “What is it?”

“First, you know the rules here and they apply even more to your own assistant.” Hannah hissed at me as her brown eyes flashed. “Second, she is a nice girl and you are way too much for her. I can’t even imagine the trauma that you would put her though.”

“Anything else?” I asked lightly as she collected the paperwork and slipped it into a folder.

“She’s too much for you, Mason. Trust me on that.” Hannah left the room, and I frowned before following her, telling Isabelle to come with me. I led her out of the office to the main hallway, falling into an easy pace with her as she tucked her purse against her slim waist.

“How many people work here?” Isabelle asked as she glanced around. I could see the curiosity in the eyes of the staff, aware that there was a lot of gossip about me and Nadia, my former assistant.

“We have a staff of two hundred people, being a full publishing company. There are departments for every part of the process and I hired the best people on this coast.” I glanced at her as she nodded and kept looking around, seemingly nervous. “Have you ever done any writing yourself?” I had the sudden urge to know her, longing to ask everything about her.

“I have dabbled, but it’s nothing too serious. I lean more towards the editing side of things and being behind the scenes. It seems like an amazing process to me.” She smiled and her appreciation for reading was obvious as I felt a smile pass over my lips. I’d never sensed that from an employee before and now I cursed the attraction that I was feeling towards her. We moved towards my office and I walked around the large desk that was waiting for her in her own cubicle. I preferred her to have some access to privacy so she could work though I was headed towards getting my assistants their own office.

“Here is where you’ll be working. There’s a top-of-the-line MacBook, an iPod that you can take home to read new submissions if you choose to, as well as the newest Kindle Fire if you prefer that to Apple products. All submissions that pass the test from the others gets to it and you’ll have access to everything. I do have a smaller desk in my office for the times when we’ll be working together, complete with the same computer. I like to have privacy to discuss things at times.” I walked behind the desk and powered the computer on as she watched me with another overwhelmed expression. I showed her our programs as I gave her the seat, leaning over her to point things out as I breathed in slowly.

Isabelle smelled like cherries and I inhaled again to make sure. That was the best scent that a woman had ever worn, in my opinion. I kept going over the software, showing her the company email account that was set up for her over the last twenty-four hours. I made a point of getting her number programmed into my phone so we could keep in regular contact.

I excused myself to let her adjust to the new programs as I walked to the lobby. I saw that the coffee stand was empty and asked the young barista if they offered a cinnamon blend. She nodded, and I asked for a large, slipping her a bill as she rang me up. I watched as she prepared the cup, securing a lid to it as she handed it to me. I thought back to the stain on my shirt and thought that she had some cream, so I grabbed a few containers and a stir stick. I set the cup down and tucked a few sugar packets into my pocket before turning to walk back to Isabelle. She was sitting up, reading something on her monitor as I set the cup down on her desk. I dropped the creamers and sugar into a neat pile as she looked up at me with surprise in her eyes. I handed her the stir stick, and she took it, thanking me softly.

“It’s not from across the street but I know how I feel about my coffee in the morning,” I told her as she smiled at me, her pink gloss smeared from the way that she’d been nervously pressing her lips together.

“It’s a must to get going in the morning,” Isabelle told me solemnly as I told her to take a look at everything before I headed into my office, pausing to tell her to pop in if she needed anything. I gave her a long look before I walked into my office, cracking the door as I headed to my own desk.