Carrero Bonus Book: Jake's View

He caught sight of a tawny blonde head over Margo’s shoulder, sitting down as they passed the outer desk, a mere glimpse of the replacement as Margo was standing between them. He was caught by the interesting honey-blonde hair color; none of that bottled white-blonde crap of all his father’s employees.

This one looked natural, which was rare in this building. It was rare in his circle. Most girls opted for fakery as soon as they were old enough to hold a makeup brush and a padded bra. He had no idea why that thought hit him as he strolled through to his own office via Margo’s open-plan one.

Women and their guises were not things he ever pondered. If they looked fuckable, and gave him a hard-on, that was good enough for him. PA, remember? ~No-go … No fucking.~ He mentally shook the thought out of his head and aimed for his desk as soon as they were inside.

Margo had been talking nonstop about what he had missed, but he had completely zoned out on her and hadn’t heard a thing. He felt irritated at himself suddenly. Shit. ~When did he ever do that?~ ~What the fuck was he doing?~

Oh yeah, staring at some chick’s fucking hair and having an internal debate on it. ~Get a grip, Carrero.~ ~This hangover is messing with your head.~ Arrick slumped into the low couch under the naked lesbian painting done by Hunter’s cousin. He wasn’t that enamored with it, but the fifty grand he’d paid to give the guy a helping hand meant he had to hang it somewhere.

He sure as hell didn’t want it at home, and no one ventured in here much except Margo and now this new girl. The New York skyline was getting an unobstructed view of tits and ass, anyway. His phone vibrated in his inner jacket pocket, and he pulled it out, still practically ignoring Margo as she read from a clipboard.

All he could hear was “meeting,” “lawyers,” and something about contracts. This was not him at all, and he realized that fighting it was futile. Soon as this was done, he was closing the door and taking a nap. Arrick looked ready to do the same, and he could move the hell over on that couch.

Soldier boy could guard the sleeping duo if he had nothing better to do. “Shall I get her?” Margo blinked his way as he focused on his phone. He waved a hand and smiled as if to say sure. Let’s see what the honey-blonde was like.

He sure could use some focus today, and meeting his new assistant might be that. He had scoured her file on the way over here, and she sounded a little too good to be true on paper. Career girl, smart, no rumors swirling about sexual favors to climb the ranks; young and unattached, so ripe for trips anytime he needed them.

She sounded promising. “Emma, please come into Mr. Carrero’s office. Thank you.” Margo was leaning over his desk and pressing the intercom to summon his future number two; meanwhile, he was reading the text from the chick with the elusive name, wondering how the hell he could see the same girl for a week and not have saved her phone number under an actual name.

He’d saved it as T. Fuck’s sake, Carrero. The name Emma swam in his mind’s eye, and he found himself sounding it out. He liked it. Short and sort of soft, in a way. Easy to remember. ~Do you want to see me tonight?~ ~I really like being with you xxx T.~ “Yes, Mrs. Drake.”

The voice coming back from the intercom distracted him from replying momentarily; sultry and cute if he had to describe it, and he completely forgot what he was about to respond to T. He definitely had some internal reaction to the sound of her, and that wasn’t an entirely good thing.

Frowning it away, he focused back on his phone and typed a response. This one had already met the limit of interest, a week quicker than most, and the thought of fucking her again did nothing for him all of a sudden. Look, sweetheart, it’s been fun. ~Let’s part as friends and agree to see each other around.~ ~x J~

He knew cutting them loose before things got emotional was the best bet, and this one had clingy written all over her. He didn’t do relationships, and he certainly didn’t keep the same chick hanging on for weeks on end. “Ah, Emma, here you are.” Margo purred with a voice laced with adoration.

This girl had his second in command wrapped around her little finger already, which was unusual for Margo. The woman didn’t sway easily. Pushing his phone back into his inner pocket and ignoring the buzz of a reply from T, he inclined his head a little in interest at whoever was winning over his assistant, and his body paused.

Black, sexy-as-hell stilettos, running up creamy, shapely legs to a tight and figure-hugging skirt from knee to thigh, had him almost dropping his mouth open. She wasn’t skinny in that gaunt, supermodel way, she wasn’t even that tall, but she had the kind of curves that were made for holding onto and definitely his kind of thing.

She was pretty tiny as women went, but that only added to the whole effect. Moving further up past that well-fitted and expensive tailored jacket, he caught his breath on the most astounding pair of tits he had ever seen. Not overly huge, just soft and inviting and barely concealed under the low-cut jacket and soft silk blouse.

Not much on show, but enough to pique his interest. If he was being honest, he had a hell of a lot more interest than he had managed to conjure for any girl in a heck of a long time, and that was disturbing. If he had met her anywhere else, but here, she wouldn’t still be dressed right now.

A graceful creamy neck that looked seriously touchable, and he could imagine holding her around it to push her against a wall and devouring that skin. His eyes swept finally to the face that was turned toward Margo, only a profile but a damned perfect one at that, and Jake couldn’t seem to think anymore for a moment. Fuck. “Your new number two.” Margo smiled his way, realizing he was staring; she hadn’t caught him yet, and she sure as hell wouldn’t.

He wasn’t some prepubescent teen with zero skills. Looking down at the floor, he could feel himself instinctively taking calming breaths, regaining composure quickly with all the skill of a seasoned Lothario. Okay, you’re just horny … Obviously! ~And she’s not your usual type.~ ~New and exciting, and you have been bored with the likes of women with forgettable names and no tits lately.~ “Miss Anderson.”

Jake got up slowly, tensing his neck from side to side and extending his hand politely toward her, trying not to react as that face turned his way. She pretty much floored him with the biggest, softest blue eyes he’d ever seen. An internal sort of gut-punching reaction he had never experienced in his life and had no idea what to do with. It momentarily stunned him.

She had a soft pouting mouth that could do a lot of damage if put to use in the right way and delicate, almost childlike, features that somehow worked in a mature face. There was very precisely and expertly applied subtle makeup under a sleek updo of soft hair, yet you could still see the girl was pretty.

God, he would go as far as saying this one was beautiful, and that was rare coming from him. He had seen and bedded enough models over the years to stop being pulled in by symmetrical features and so-called perfection. She was beautiful in another way entirely, not in a fluffed and preened attractive but a real unapologetic, born to make men want her kind of way.

Jake felt suddenly uncomfortable and let his eyes flicker back to that body, hoping to God he wasn’t showing just how much she was affecting him. Her hand felt soft and small in his when she took it to shake, a little too fragile when dwarfed in his, and he suddenly got the impression he might hurt her.

A tense moment of doubt, and he loosened his grip instinctively. Little delicate hands, perfect pastel manicured nails, free from any jewelry. He found himself looking at her hand a little too intensely and let it go abruptly. What the fuck, Jake? ~Seriously?~ ~Hand fetish now?~

“Mr. Car—” That voice distracted him again, drawing attention to that mouth. She had a soft, sultry tone to her voice. Huskiness in the depths yet youthful and girlish. Fuck. “Jake! Please.”

He cut in quickly to get his focus back on track, his brain moving in smoothly from years of self-control and practice to save him from himself. “Margo informs me she’s happy with you so far and will be training you a little more extensively in time to step in fully when she retires. I guess that means we should get better acquainted on a first-name basis.”

Jake smiled involuntarily at the hint of knowing her better. His mind immediately dragged her to his desk and most definitely not being allowed to take it any further.

He needed to get control of the raging hormones and accept that she was fuckable.

He wanted her. She was piquing some primal interest in him, and as soon as he admitted that and got over the fact he would never go there, they could move along.

“I’m really grateful for the opportunity,” she said.

She drew him back in with that voice, and he couldn’t help but notice she wasn’t reacting to him the way women normally did.

He had been too caught up in what she was doing to him to notice, and, now he did, it irked him. What the hell was wrong with him?

Why wasn’t she flirting and pouting? ~It was obvious that there was chemistry.~ ~He could feel it in the air.~

He realized that maybe all that chemistry was possibly one-sided, and irritation hit him hard in the gut.

He couldn’t even remember the last time he had met such indifference in someone so appealing. Maybe Leila when she was like seven, but not any women he’d met since his teen hormones evaporated, and he’d filled out and learned to use what God gave him.

He needed to get his crap together and stop whatever this was. He needed a moment to breathe because those baby blue eyes staring into his soul right now were distracting the shit out of him in all kinds of ways.

“Would you like a drink, Emma? You look a little flushed,” he asked.

That tiny pink spot high on each cheek after he had shaken her hand seemed to be more from being uncomfortable about him touching her than any sexual yearnings, and he was feeling pissed about it.

He had no idea why he was being such an asshole about this. Acting like a spoiled, prissy brat because a girl didn’t fall for his charms.

Maybe because this was completely fucking new to him. “Thank you,” she said. She smiled a little, a hint of one, and he paused for a moment.

It wasn’t full on, but it suggested that she probably had a pretty smile too. The way her cheeks puffed a little, and her eyes softened just slightly from doe-eyed to a little more carefree.

It did all kinds of weird crap to his insides, and he had no idea what was going on with him today.

He was never again drinking that lethal combo of crap he had last night. Fuck, he wanted to see her smile properly.

Jake caught sight of Arrick watching him from the corner of his eye, an obvious smirk and that annoying goddamn phone app game he loved to play blaring away in the corner.

He wanted to throw something at his head for the way he was looking highly amused at his expense.

No one knew Jake as he did, and he could tell something was off. Lap it up, princess, it’s not often I get knocked off my game, and you’re never going to get a repeat.

Jake walked to the minibar and found himself mixing up one of Leila’s cocktails as he looked down at what he was doing, stupefied for a moment.

Literally had no idea how getting her a glass of water had turned into this in his head.

The only thing he could think was that he was subconsciously trying to impress her or, on some deeper level, had decided she simply wasn’t a girl you gave water to.

She was somehow much classier than ice water.

Maybe it had been that heady, fruity, slightly sweet perfume clinging around her that had made him move to start fixing one of Leila’s girly combos for her.

He had no idea what he was doing anymore. Downing a quick gin to get his head straight, he took back the drink to the awaiting distraction.

Margo was regarding him with an odd expression, probably wondering why he was trying to get his new PA drunk if the clinking of bottles was anything to go by.

Be damned if he had a fucking clue. ~He was acting all kinds of crazy.~ “Here you go,” he said.

She looked completely lost in thought, and he felt completely out of his depth.

He was a guy who had no problems with being in the company of the fairer sex, yet he was acting like an idiot.

He decided to perch on his desk, put some distance between them and put all of this down to still being half drunk and crazily horny from last night.

He dated women twice her height; confident, boring models and women with their own money.

Women who knew what casual sex and having a good time was all about, and he knew how to read women effortlessly—until this one.