It’s ten ’til five and I’ve managed to avoid running into Alex all day, quite possibly because I’ve had the door to the office shut and locked. 

Just as I’m gathering my purse, there’s a knock. I freeze in place like a wounded gazelle being stalked. The handle jiggles, then comes another rap against the wood. A thin layer of sweat beads on my brow as I imagine Alex throwing the door open, marching right to me, and tossing me down on the desk. I clench my thighs and curse myself. No man has ever had the ability to reduce me to nothing more than animalistic urges—most definitely not an arrogant prick like him. Frustrated doesn’t begin to touch how I feel.

“Lily, are you in there?” Mary’s soft voice comes from the other side of the door. Clutching my chest, I exhale the breath I’d been holding.

“Sorry,” I say when I pull it open. “I was just trying to avoid distractions.”

“Understandable.” She shoves a petite redhead who’s beaming with hope into the room. “This is Meredith. She’s the new PR manager. She came highly recommended.”

Mary is only saying that. I know for a fact the highly recommended PR managers all passed on the offer this time, but I smile and extend my hand anyway, my heart aching for the poor little thing. “Nice to meet you. I’m Lily.”

“You’ll be working closely with Lily on any…" Mary’s pencil-thin brows quirk and she clears her throat. “…issues that may arise.” 

One of the staff pokes his head into the room, calling for Mary’s attention to some snafu with a fundraiser. She excuses herself into the hallway, leaving the unsuspecting girl with me. 

Meredith fiddles with the sleeve of her blouse for a moment before lifting her gaze to mine. “How long have you worked here?” she asks.

“Two weeks.”

“How do you like it?”

With a sigh, I lean back against the desk, contemplating whether I should lie to Meredith or not. Finally, I settle with: “It’s…all right.”

Meredith gives a swift nod. “Is he as awful as they say?”

“Unfortunately.”

I expect a scowl, but instead, a wide grin spreads across her face. “Terribly arrogant?”

“Awfully so.” I tilt my head when her smile deepens. She claps her hands. She’s either insane or sadistic, possibly both. “Are you looking forward to working with an arrogant nightmare?”

“I’m looking forward to being the woman who finally tames him.”

“Oh.” That garnishes a snort from me. “Good luck with that. Alex is, at best, a man-child with a mind that revolves around himself and sex.”

“I don’t believe you mean that.” I cringe at the sound of his voice. Meredith goes pale. Alex leans against the doorway looking ever so suave in a navy suite and white button-down, his bright-red tie undone and hung around his neck. 

“Call the devil and he shall appear…” As tempted as I am to start a round of childish banter with him, I refrain. Smoothing my hand over my shirt, I motion toward Meredith. “Alex—”

He holds up a finger. “Ah, ah, ah. Manners, Lily. Prince Alex.”

“Prince Alex.” I narrow my eyes at him. “Your Royal Highness. Playboy extraordinaire and royal majestic ass, this is Meredith, your new PR manager.”

After a sly smirk, he pushes away from the doorframe and struts toward Meredith with an amount of swagger you'd only expect a rock star to possess. Her chest rises in rapid swells, her cheeks flush pink. His charm nearly has her in a puddle on the floor. She doesn’t stand a chance. 

Alex takes her hand, lowering his head as he kisses over her knuckles like the charming asshole genius that he is. “You must be the most beautiful PR manager I’ve ever had.”

She giggles like a tween, and I throw my head back. “It’s so nice to meet you, Your Highness.” Her voice suddenly sounds more like a phone sex operator than the bubbly professional she was two-point-five seconds before he waltzed in here. 

“You’ve come just in time,” he says, dropping her hand back to her side. “I’m going to Vegas next week.”

“What!” I blink. “Why are you going to Vegas?”

His eyes twinkle with mischief. “I need a vacation.”

“Oh!” Meredith says. “Do I get to go with you?”

“You get to go everywhere with me, love.” He swipes a finger over her cheek. She giggles. Again.

Alex in Vegas—a city brimming with free liquor and cheap women—is not a good idea at all. That man will rack up at least fifteen scandals within a twenty-four-hour period. Miss Giggle Box isn’t going to be any match for the raging manwhore in the City of Sin. And I don't have the strength to deal with the legalities of that shitshow.

“You have a fundraiser next week.” I cock my hip to the side, then cross my arms.

“My brother, Andrew, has taken that over.”

“Fuck,” I mumble, which warrants a smirk from Alex. 

Without another word, he places his arms around Meredith’s cinched waistline and turns her toward the doorway. He throws a wink in my direction before they slip into the hall. “Allow me to show you around.”