The sound of someone punching in the code on the keypad had her snapping back into gear. She loaded up her supplies, careful to place her camera and lenses in last so they wouldn’t get scratched. She could hear footsteps down the hall toward Kyle’s office. Perhaps he was still in the building, but it didn’t matter. She was done for the day. Goodbye. Clocking out.
She snatched up the long canvas strap and lifted it over her head, turning on her high heels and moving in a New York pace through her West Coast office. From the corner of her eye, she saw the silhouette of a tall, suited gentleman down the hall. He moved toward her, but she ignored it.
Before she could escape, her strap snagged a chair and sent it toppling into her shin. She hopped back, gasping at the explosion of pain. A few pencils and papers shook loose from her bag and scattered across the floor. She squatted down quickly, biting back a few choice words and shoving the chair away so it collided with the desk where it belonged.
“Excuse me, miss?”
She could have punched him. Who cared what his name was or what he wanted, couldn’t he see she was getting the heck outta Dodge? She ignored him and gathered her things.
His shiny shoes appeared in her view, and it was clear he was a man with money. Likely a very important man. But what did that have to do with anything? She wasn’t a manager here.
“I’m looking for the gentleman who—”
“Everyone’s gone home,” Elayna said with some of her irritation clearly on her tongue.
“Yes, but if you could help me with something, it won’t take long.”
Help with something. It was the story of her life. But not today; today she was changing everything. She didn’t dare look up at him, or her resolve would crumble.
“No,” she said firmly with one hand held up like a stop sign. “I can’t help you today, I’m s—”
She stopped herself, nearly choking on the apology.
I have nothing to apologize for.
“I’m leaving,” she continued, “but if you’ll come back tomorrow, managers should arrive by 8 a.m.”
She stood, and for a moment, their eyes met. Caught off-guard, his unruly brown hair and vibrant blue eyes were more what she would expect to find on the beach, maybe straddling a surfboard. And his gaze… It felt personal and deep.
With some difficulty, she turned her back to him and strode out the doors with her eyes wide and unblinking. Had she really just treated him like that? That gorgeous man with manners and shiny shoes? A million fears crowded her mind, telling her he was likely to be powerful and even more likely to be angry. She could imagine him telling her he would retaliate, and she’d be fired before she even made it home that evening.
But she shoved her fears away. It was just the old Elayna talking, and whoever that man was, he would come back tomorrow and talk to the managers. She’d probably never see him again.
Chapter 2
Kayson didn’t get a good look at the woman until she’d stood up. For a brief moment, he could see her blonde hair was paired with deep brown eyes and full lips, like an exotic mix of Los Angeles and Miami. But that was as far as his analysis had taken him. She’d turned on her dangerously tall heels and strode from the building, and he was too shocked to notice anything else.
Had she just brushed him off like he was nothing? It had been a long time since someone had treated him like that, back before his mom had remarried a wealthy business owner, and he’d suddenly become important to the world. As a young teenager, that hadn’t been easy. He’d joined with his worst friends and bet against the good ones. And in the last fifteen years, if he was being honest with himself, things had only gotten worse.
But now he was ready for a change. He’d set his goals for the New Year, and they could all be boiled down to one intense meaning. Make his company soar or die trying. No more timid, home-grown Kays; he was in a cage with the big dogs, and he had to show some teeth or be eaten alive.
Whoever that woman was, he hoped he wouldn’t meet her again. She showed him no respect, and he wasn’t eager to demand it, but if she was to treat him like that in a crowded room… He would. Perhaps when she realized who he was and that anyone working for his company was working for him, she’d apologize.
He nodded his head at the empty room, satisfied with his conclusion. But it was ridiculous for a billionaire to be standing alone in a rather insignificant office after having been brushed off like refuse. He lifted his chin and walked out, where his slate gray Lamborghini was waiting for him in an empty parking lot.
The woman’s bit of information was resonating in his head.
8 a.m.? Very well, then.
This time, Kayson made sure his secretary called ahead. He timed it just right, giving their office no more than a few minutes before he walked in the front door. It was just as he liked it. Flushed faces and wide eyes, everyone having likely just endured a torrential explosion of frantic management and a few expletives.
They stood at attention beside their desks, watching him with assorted expressions of wonder and fear.
Perfect.
“Hello, Mr. Blake. I’m Kyle, the manager here. So nice to have you in our office.” A middle-aged man approached, stretching the buttons of his suit coat with his outstretched hand as if he normally left it unbuttoned.
Kayson shook his hand with a grim look on his face. He didn’t want people to get comfortable; instead, he wanted action.
“Hello. Thank you.” Kayson scanned the room again, searching for the woman from the night before, but she wasn’t there. “Yes, it’s nice to be here.” He held back his usual smile. “If we could perhaps talk in your office?”
“Of course.”
He was led to an open and very organized office, which he appreciated. It showed an attention to detail that he valued in management positions.
The manager closed the door behind him and gestured to a comfortable armchair, before scooping ice into two tall glasses and pouring sparkling water for them both. “And what was it you needed today, sir?” he asked, handing him a glass and taking a huge gulp of his water. He cleared his throat and waited expectantly, seeming to remember somewhere in the silence that he should take a seat as well. He shuffled to his chair and sat rather awkwardly, waiting.
“I’ll get right to it, then,” Kayson began. “I’ve recently learned about a man here in your office who has come up with a lens that I think would be very useful in an upcoming project I’m developing—”
“Oh, yes, Jimmy!” Mr. Powell jumped up and rushed from the room, and as he went, Kayson noticed the light reflecting off the man’s sweaty forehead. Perhaps he was being a little heavy on the intimidation tactic. He adjusted a bit in his seat, feeling guilty. But there wasn’t much time for anything else.
The door swung open again, and Mr. Powell towed in a scruffy young man who couldn’t be much older than nineteen. His hair was a strawberry blond and stuck out so much, Kayson wasn’t sure if it was an actual fashion or if he’d just been wrenched from his seat with extreme force.
But he wasn’t shy.
“Hey, sir,” he grinned and smacked Kayson on the shoulder. “This lens is completely epic. You know the one that National Geographic brags about? The one they built an entire jeep around just to transport?”