The Night Operator Book 2: An Ex-CEO
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Constance Marounta
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âWhat are you doing here boss?â she asked.
âIâd be your boss anytime you wantâ he smirked. âAnd on any surface of your liking.â
She never expected to run into her ex-boss on vacationâespecially not looking this good. Once, they were fire and gasoline, igniting boardrooms and bedrooms alike. Then, he disappeared, leaving her to clean up the mess. Now, heâs back, smirking like he owns the place, and sheâs not sure if she wants to slap him or kiss him. He claims heâs here for a fresh start. Sheâs not buying it. But when the summer heat rises and old sparks reignite, resisting him might be the hardest thing sheâs ever done. And maybe, just maybe, giving in will be worth the risk.
Prologue
Book 2: An Ex-CEO
NOAH
âBoss?â she choked out.
He shot her a puzzled look. This was a new one for himâbeing mistaken for someone else. That was something that happened to regular folks, not Noah Ryder.
âWhy are you here, boss?â she asked again.
Pushing his bewilderment aside, he focused on her radiant face and moved closer. She retreated, but he continued to advance, guiding her toward the bamboo wall of the beach bar. His intention was to corner her against it.
And he did. She collided with the wall with a soft thud. A tiny yelp escaped her as she looked up at him, her face still etched with confusion. Whoever she was confusing him with, he was determined to make her forget by the end of the night.
âIâd be your boss anytime, anywhere you want,â he smirked, resting his hand near her head but careful not to lean on the fragile wall. âOn any surface you prefer,â he added.
For a moment, she looked taken aback. Then her expression shifted entirely. She leaned into him, her lips tantalizingly close to his but not touching, her breath warming his face. He found it enticing, and his body responded in kind.
âBut youâve already been my boss,â she purred. âFor about a year before you abandoned everything, including me, and left.â
Her words took a moment to sink in. When they did, he jumped back in surprise, looking her up and down. It couldnât be.
It just couldnât be. But the more he studied her face, her dark blue eyes, and her multiple ear piercings, he realized it could beâand it had already happened.
Oh, shit!
LILLIAN
All she wanted was two weeks of lounging makeup-free on the beach. And she was determined to get it, one way or another.
Her boss had refused her request. Thinking she had the power to do so, Lillian wasnât about to back down. She would get her summer vacation, come hell or high water. She deserved it. She even deserved a raise for putting up with her current boss, but she wasnât going to push her luck. Not yet.
One thing at a time.
Her boss wasnât against her taking leave; she just didnât agree with the timing and duration. But that wasnât Lillianâs problem. She had the right to choose when she wanted to take her leave. It wasnât stubbornnessâit was her right. All employees got to choose their summer leave, and it was the supervisorâs job to accommodate it.
In her case, it shouldâve been easy. She worked alone, so there was no conflict with other colleagues.
âI have ten important business meetings in July, seven of which coincide with your requested leave,â her boss had said, giving her a disapproving look. âAnd you should do something about your appearance. I canât keep making excuses for you at every meeting.â
Her boss always found a way to bring up her appearance. Lillian was on the verge of telling her to take a hike, but she bit her tongue. It was a miracle sheâd kept this job for three years, and she wasnât about to get herself fired. She also wasnât about to change her persona just to please her boss.
It had worked for her so far, and having a female boss wasnât reason enough to change. Her boss could be gay for all she knew (though unlikely), and there were plenty of men in the company. Being ogled or hit on wasnât her thing. And if it happened, sheâd have to take action.
Not that she hadnât received inappropriate glances since she started working at the company, but they were far from flattering. Ignoring them had become second nature. She had to overlook a lot to keep this job, considering how lucky she was to have landed it in the first place.
She wasnât about to take her vacation time lightly. Sheâd made that mistake the previous year. If her boss wouldnât budge, sheâd have to try a different approach.
To increase her chances of success, she decided to tone down her makeup. Her black gel liner was nearly used up anyway, and she needed to buy more. For now, she simply drew a thin black line above her dark purple eyeshadow. She opted for nude lips and swapped her usual assortment of hoop earrings for simple studs.
Her outfit was the same as any other day, but she hoped these subtle changes might be noticed and work in her favor.
âMove my next meeting back thirty minutes. Iâm going out for lunch,â her boss announced around noon.
âYes, Miss Coleman,â she replied.
Her boss looked at her, slightly taken aback.
âArenât you going to ask if Iâm meeting a man or something?â
âNo.â Lillian shrugged, doodling on her notepad.
She usually asked just to annoy her boss, not because she actually cared. But today, she was determined to play nice. It wasnât her business if her boss was sleeping with anyone, though she had a hunch she wasnât. If she were, sheâd probably be less grumpy.
âSince when are you so discreet?â her boss scoffed.
âSince you stopped answering that question. Plus, we still havenât settled the issue of my vacation time. I canât be worried about your love life right now.â
âAs far as Iâm concerned, itâs settled,â Miss Coleman said flatly. âYouâre taking your vacation in August, like most of the staff. Itâs the most convenient time considering our workload, and you shouldnât make a fuss about it any longer.â
Before Lillian could respond, her boss had clicked her heels and walked away. Lillian sat, fuming at her bossâs attitude. Then, she realized it was a good time for her to grab lunch as well. She didnât leave the building, though. She just took the elevator down to the companyâs cafeteria. Thank goodness the food was decent.
After lunch, she returned to her desk, more determined than ever to resolve this issue. When Miss Coleman returned, Lillian jumped up from her seat and followed her into her office. She didnât ask for permission, which was bold, but she was still frustrated.
âWith all due respect, the summer vacation isnât convenient for me. I need it earlier,â she said as calmly and firmly as she could.
Her boss gave her a surprised look before regaining her composure.
âAnd I need my personal assistant present during meetings. As you can understand, my needs are more important than yours at any time because Iâm your boss. So, youâll take your vacation in August and not a moment sooner. Dismissed.â
Lillian walked out of the office without another word and slumped in her chair.
âAs you can understand, my needs are more important than yours at all times,â she mimicked in a low voice. âWell, I beg to differ, bitch boss.â
She sat up straight and unlocked her computer screen. She bit her lip, hesitating for a moment. But there wasnât much more to consider. Sheâd done her best and given her boss a chance to approve her vacation request. Her boss had chosen to deny it again.
âNew emailâŠ,â she murmured softly. âHmm, letâs see⊠Yes, thatâs it⊠Here we goâŠâ
Subject: Lillian Astaire (Europe Branch) â Summer Leave.
To: Asher Ryder.
Dear Mr. Ryder,
My name is Lillian Astaire, and I am Miss Colemanâs personal assistant. Before that, I was Mr. Noah Ryderâs personal assistant. Iâve been working at your company for three years.
I apologize for bothering you with such a trivial matter, but I didnât know who else to turn to.
As you can see from the subject of this email, thereâs an issue with my summer vacation, and I canât seem to find common ground with Miss Coleman, who is otherwise an excellent boss.
She snorted at the last sentence she wrote, but it was necessary to show that she wasnât trying to badmouth her boss. If Ryder thought she was doing this out of spite, heâd either ignore her or reprimand her.
She paused for a moment to arrange the postponement of the next meeting, then continued typing.
Iâm hoping to take my two weeks of summer leave in mid-July, but Miss Coleman is pushing for August. She says it aligns better with the slower pace of that month. But I really need to visit my family in July. Theyâre setting sail on a cruise in August, and I wonât be able to join them.
I get that July is a busy month, but I thought we had some flexibility in choosing our vacation time.
Iâve been here for three years, and Iâve always taken my leave in August. Itâs always been the best time for the company. You can check the records if you want. Iâve tried to work this out with Miss Coleman, suggested other options, but nothingâs worked.
Could you maybe take a look at this? Or point me to someone who can?
Sorry to bother you with this.
Best,
Lillian Astaire
She hit Send, her fingers crossed, wondering if she should have gone to HR before emailing the CEO. This could go one of two ways: Asher Ryder could think she was overstepping and ignore her, or he could help her out, which would probably tick off Miss Coleman.
Actually, there was a third option: he could send her to HR.
Normally, she wouldnât know what to hope for, but right now, she was rooting for option two or three. She could handle Miss Colemanâs wrath, but she was not going to miss seeing her family.
If she didnât get the time off, sheâd call in sick. Sheâd figure out how.
She needed to be away during that time, and she wasnât lying about the cruise. Her whole family would be gone all of August, and she wanted to be with them before they left.
Being around the people who loved her most, where she could be herself, would do her a world of good.
Nothing had turned out the way sheâd planned in this big, exciting city. Not a single thing. But she couldnât tell her family that.
Theyâd want her to come home, and she couldnât do that. She loved her hometown, but not enough to settle there. Sheâd always dreamed bigger, wanted to see the world.
Thatâs why sheâd jumped at the chance to work for this company, even if it meant moving continents. When sheâd applied, sheâd hoped for a position in the States, but there were no openings.
So sheâd taken the job here, and her dream of seeing the world was put on hold.
Ironically, her family was about to live her dream.
Sheâd moved to the city for school, then moved again after her first couple of paychecks to be closer to work. Leaving the city where sheâd studied to chase a good job didnât feel like she was giving up anything important.
Sheâd been seeing someone, but he wasnât worth risking her future. No man was.
Had she ever been in love?
No.
But she had her whole life ahead of her, so she wasnât too worried.
