Mr. Big Shot: An Enemies To Lovers Romance (Kinda Cocky Book 1), стр. 4
I like this one.
“Mr. Hearthstone?” A tinny voice sounded behind my massive wooden office door.
I reached out for a button and clicked it, effectively dimming my office lights. They were always too harsh. I preferred a warm white glow to bright white ones. Those would do for now, though. Since my secretary couldn't even order the right bulbs for my damn office, I had to make do.
“Come in, Clarissa,” I said.
My door swung open. “Sir, you have a call on--.”
I held up my hand. “No more calls.”
“But, sir. It’s--.”
My eyes whipped open. “Whoever it is can wait, Clarissa.”
She pursed her lips. “Fine, sir. If they want to curse me out, though, I’ll patch them through to your voicemail.”
My voice flattened. “Noted.”
My door slammed closed, and a shiver trickled down my spine. I hated it when she slammed my door. As much as I wanted to fire that woman and her nasty attitude, I couldn't. Not until I had another secretary lined up to take her place. I needed someone out there. The real estate business that Brenden and I were partners in was far too busy these days not to have someone out there in the front office.
Check the online listing. See if anyone’s applied.
My eyes panned over to my computer, but not before rushing over that picture. And when my eyes fell against hers, I stopped. My head fell off to the side as I drank in her blonde hair. Her hazel eyes. The way she smiled so wide that it wrinkled her nose. I felt my hand gravitating toward the picture. It was as if someone else were controlling me. And as I picked it up, I felt darkness fall over me.
Why did you do it?
“Knock knock!”Brenden’s voice sounded behind my office door, and I set the picture down.
I turned it a bit and cocked it out, making sure the light hit it just right. Then I ignored the fact that my secretary hadn’t buzzed in to prepare me for my brother’s arrival. But, that was simply another reason for me to fire the woman the second I could.
“Come in,” I said.
My door eased open. “You busy?”
“I’m always busy, Brenden.”
He stepped inside. “Well, this won’t take long.”
“I’m glad for it.”
I motioned for him to come and sit as he closed my office door. But, once I heard him flip the lock, he had my attention. I raised my eyes to his as he sat down. I braced myself for whatever news he might have for me. My brother and business partner never locked my door unless something important had happened. Something that required us to be uninterrupted.
“What is it?” I asked.
He grinned. “You’ll never guess what I got on the island.”
I blinked. “The island?”
He leaned back. “Uh, yeah. The vacation I just took with Marcie.”
I stared blankly at him. “Who’s Marcie?”
“Marcie! My girlfriend! Come on, man, seriously? You already forgot her name?”
I shrugged. “Last I heard, you were dating a woman named--.”
“Rebecca?”
My brow furrowed and I shook my head. “Uh, no. Started with a… Z…?”
“Zara?”
“That’s the one,” I snapped.
“I dated Zara last year.”
I waved my hand in the air. “And you’ve had, what, six or seven girls since her?”
He scoffed. “No.”
I quirked an eyebrow, and his foot started to jiggle.
“Only four,” Brenden murmured.
I grinned. “What did you get on the island?”
“Another tattoo.”
“I knew it.”
He rolled his eyes. “No, you didn’t! Here, want to see?”
Before I could answer him, he shot up from the chair. Branden untucked his button-front shirt and pulled it up, revealing the massive tattoo splattered against his ribcage. I wrinkled my face as I took it in. The damn thing looked like someone was crawling out of his ribcage. Bones were broken. The flesh was torn away from his sides. I mean, the image looked about as real as it could get for a tattoo.
I motioned with my hand. “You can put that down now.”
Brenden tucked his shirt back in. “How awesome is that? Huh? And it only cost me two hundred. I mean, that’s a damn steal for something like this.”
“Is that a zombie coming out of your ribcage?”
He grinned like a child. “And it’s awesome, isn’t it?”
“Not quite the word I’d use for it.”
Branden flopped back down into the chair. “You’re just an uptight party pooper, that’s all.”
“Holding down the fort while you’re jetting off to islands around the world.”
“Hey, not my fault I’m living the life you are secretly jealous of .”
I lifted a brow. “Trust me, there’s no part of your life I’m jealous about. Including the zombie eating its way out of your ribcage.”
Branden leaned forward. “Dude, come on. You have to start living a little. I mean, if you can’t see it? Our firm’s been doing well for a while now.”
I turned my attention to my computer. “I’m well aware.”
“So, why not enjoy your money a little bit? And by ‘enjoy,’ I don’t mean ‘purchase another suit.’ I swear, I see you in a new one every day.”
I clicked around on the screen. “Hardly.”
“I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen that suit before, man.”
My eyes stayed on the computer screen. “I wore the shell last week. Just with a different shirt.”
“And cufflinks. And watch.”
I navigated to the application website. “You’ve got tattoos. I’ve got my suits.”
He shook his head, folding his arms over his chest. “The point is, you need to get out and live a little. You’re in Vegas, and I barely see you out. Hell, I never see you out!”
“I don’t like going out.”
“Bullshit. This is Vegas. Everyone loves going out.” His loudness was beginning to beat at my brain.
Seven new applicants. “Perfect.”
“Perfect, what?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. Just trying to hire a new secretary.”
Brenden clasped his hands together. “Thank. Fuck. Because Clarissa is a class-A--.”
“Mr. Hearthst--what the?”
My eyes moved over to my office door as the knob jiggled. I heard Clarissa struggling with it on the other side