The NØ Frat Clause
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| Naughty Office Romance |
Fresh out of college, Lexi Wideman, lands a level entry job at a lucrative recruiting firm. Only six months into her tenure, she’s offered a major promotion—Executive assistant to Roger Kent, the company’s coveted corporate headhunter. Older, irresistible, ruggedly handsome, Roger Kent, turns her into a liquid pool of need with just one smoldering glance but the opportunity is just too good to pass up, this early in her career. Lexi must find a way to remain professional while panting after her boss.
Roger Kent is thrown off guard when the company’s execs all of a sudden decide he needs an assistant. Perhaps he does but Lexi Wideman is not the girl for him. She’s smart, young and gorgeous. It’s hard enough trying to keep his eyes off her. Working in such close proximity, day after day, it would only be a matter of time before his hands followed.
So much for the No Frat Policy.
Excerpt:
The minute Ms. Wideman shut the door, I tossed my pen onto the conference room table. “I don’t know why you guys are browbeating me into this. What the hell do I need an assistant for?”
“Roger, we’ve talked about this. You are too busy now not to have a personal assistant. You’re accruing more clients by the day. As far as I’m concerned, the perfect candidate just walked out the door. We don’t need to continue with the process.” Ray Diamont screened the other execs, who all nodded in agreement.
Well, fuck!
“We’ve all watched it happen, Roger. Over the last six months, since Ms. Wideman joined the firm, the two of you have stepped up the game. You’re magic together. It just makes sense.”
“But don’t you see, you’re about to piss off half the employees who have been here for years. They’re going to revolt if you give Ms. Wideman this job. She hasn’t even been with us a year. She’s only just finished her six-month probationary period.”
“But she’s earned it, Roger,” my friend as well as associate Dave Portman said. “You have to admit it yourself.” Reluctantly, I nodded. “Everything else aside, she is the best person we have to fill the position as your PA. And that’s what we’re doing. We’re going to put the best person in that spot. It’s what we do on a daily basis. Why should it be any different for our own employees? No one else out there”— he pointed to the outer office — “fits as well as she does. You two have chemistry. I’ve watched you. We all have. It’s like she reads your mind. She has things done or in place and in your hands before you even ask. This is a no-brainer, Roger. I honestly don’t understand why you’re fighting us on this.”
“Well said, David. Shall we take a vote?” Ray Diamont asked.
All hands shot up but mine.
I exchanged a look with Dave and thought back to the first day Lexi Wideman had stepped into the office.
I’d been in the break room, watching the new recruits. I’d already introduced myself and we’d exchanged pleasantries.
“Something wrong, Roger? Not happy with your latest batch of acquisitions?” Dave had slapped me on the shoulder as he passed by on the way to the coffeepot.
“Not at all, it’s a promising crop,” I lied smoothly.
“Hey, isn’t this the group with your coveted Lexi in it? Which one is she?”
“The statuesque blonde on the right in blue.”
Dave observed the young woman, then turned his shrewd gaze back to me. “Huh, she’s not at all what I expected.”
Me either. And that was the problem.
The moment she’d walked into the room, she’d snagged my attention, even before I knew who she was. It was one of those instantaneous reactions that was purely physical.
It probably didn’t help that I knew so much about her. She’d impressed me from a professional standpoint for years. But now, matching the qualifications to the face, I found myself a little shell-shocked. Perhaps bringing her here to work for us wasn’t the best idea. Idiot me, I’d practically groomed her for this firm, handing her off to another employer before I got a chance to see if my impeccable instincts had done it once again. It just didn’t sit well.
Always looking for potential recruits, it was my hobby to scour the colleges and universities for quality stock. At the time, she was a sophomore, at the top of her class. I bookmarked her and kept tabs on her advancement. She came along exactly as I’d hoped, and the minute she graduated with honors, I made sure Locklin, Diamont, and Kent was the first place she applied fresh out of college. Even then, I knew she would be an asset to the firm.
“Have you decided what you’re going to do with her, Roger?”
“I’m going to put her through the admin pool, as I would any new acquisition.”
“Really? I’m surprised by that. I thought you had big plans for her.”
“We’ll see. She needs to prove herself. Just like everybody else.”
It didn’t take long though to realize Lexi was my go-to staffer. She was a go-getter, she went above and beyond in any task. For weeks, she was the only one I approached. Clearly intelligent, she learned quickly, and it took only a matter of days for her to assimilate to my specifications. We worked side by side, like a well-oiled machine, right up until the day I wanted to fire her on the spot.
My intuition of her on paper was purely cerebral. My first impression of her by appearance was entirely corporeal. It was physically working with her that made me realize I could have serious feelings for her, if I allowed myself to. If things stayed as they were and she remained in the admin pool, even with the strict no-fraternizing policy, I could possibly ask her out. If I became her boss, it was categorically out of the question. What made it all more difficult is that I was sure Miss Wideman was on the same page. We’d been dancing around each other for weeks trying to keep things professional.
“Hold up just a minute.” I called a halt to the proceedings before anything was set in stone. “Give me a minute.” I excused myself and hurried down the corridor.
“Ms. Wideman? Lexi?” She turned as I caught up to her.
“Are you sure you want this position?” I had to know once and for all.
She stared straight into my eyes and said, “Yes sir, I do.” There was no hesitation. She was committed. I guess it was all I needed. I appreciated her conviction and her drive. I admired it. And I would strive to be professional as well.
“Then the job is yours, Ms. Wideman. Congratulations.” I held out my hand.
Her lovely face lit. “Thank you, sir.” The minute she placed her small hand in mine and we were palm to palm, I knew I was fucked.
I left her there and barged back into the boardroom and said, “Motion carried.”
“Excellent,” Ray said. “Congratulations, Roger”
I sat in the high-backed black leather chair as the room cleared, except for Dave. He squeezed my shoulder. “It’s not a bad thing, Rodge. What’s up? I’ve never seen you like this. Everyone’s just trying to make life easier around here for you.”
“I’ve never asked for help. I can do my job.”
“Of course you can. There’s no question. You’re the best headhunter in the firm, hell, maybe in the entire country, but you can be even better with some assistance. Especially when you’re out on the road. Now tell me what’s really going on. I noticed you didn’t engage with Ms. Wideman at all. Is there a problem? If so, you should have spoken up before the vote.”
“No, there’s no problem. She’s just as qualified as the rest,” I said unemotionally, but I was anything but dispassionate when it came to Lexi Wideman.
“Well, that’s good then. Congratulations, Roger,” Dave said before exiting.
“Yay me,” I said to the empty room.
Working with Lexi so closely on a daily basis was going to be pure torture, and I didn’t need faultless intuition to know it.
“Roger, we’ve talked about this. You are too busy now not to have a personal assistant. You’re accruing more clients by the day. As far as I’m concerned, the perfect candidate just walked out the door. We don’t need to continue with the process.” Ray Diamont screened the other execs, who all nodded in agreement.
Well, fuck!
“We’ve all watched it happen, Roger. Over the last six months, since Ms. Wideman joined the firm, the two of you have stepped up the game. You’re magic together. It just makes sense.”
“But don’t you see, you’re about to piss off half the employees who have been here for years. They’re going to revolt if you give Ms. Wideman this job. She hasn’t even been with us a year. She’s only just finished her six-month probationary period.”
“But she’s earned it, Roger,” my friend as well as associate Dave Portman said. “You have to admit it yourself.” Reluctantly, I nodded. “Everything else aside, she is the best person we have to fill the position as your PA. And that’s what we’re doing. We’re going to put the best person in that spot. It’s what we do on a daily basis. Why should it be any different for our own employees? No one else out there”— he pointed to the outer office — “fits as well as she does. You two have chemistry. I’ve watched you. We all have. It’s like she reads your mind. She has things done or in place and in your hands before you even ask. This is a no-brainer, Roger. I honestly don’t understand why you’re fighting us on this.”
“Well said, David. Shall we take a vote?” Ray Diamont asked.
All hands shot up but mine.
I exchanged a look with Dave and thought back to the first day Lexi Wideman had stepped into the office.
I’d been in the break room, watching the new recruits. I’d already introduced myself and we’d exchanged pleasantries.
“Something wrong, Roger? Not happy with your latest batch of acquisitions?” Dave had slapped me on the shoulder as he passed by on the way to the coffeepot.
“Not at all, it’s a promising crop,” I lied smoothly.
“Hey, isn’t this the group with your coveted Lexi in it? Which one is she?”
“The statuesque blonde on the right in blue.”
Dave observed the young woman, then turned his shrewd gaze back to me. “Huh, she’s not at all what I expected.”
Me either. And that was the problem.
The moment she’d walked into the room, she’d snagged my attention, even before I knew who she was. It was one of those instantaneous reactions that was purely physical.
It probably didn’t help that I knew so much about her. She’d impressed me from a professional standpoint for years. But now, matching the qualifications to the face, I found myself a little shell-shocked. Perhaps bringing her here to work for us wasn’t the best idea. Idiot me, I’d practically groomed her for this firm, handing her off to another employer before I got a chance to see if my impeccable instincts had done it once again. It just didn’t sit well.
Always looking for potential recruits, it was my hobby to scour the colleges and universities for quality stock. At the time, she was a sophomore, at the top of her class. I bookmarked her and kept tabs on her advancement. She came along exactly as I’d hoped, and the minute she graduated with honors, I made sure Locklin, Diamont, and Kent was the first place she applied fresh out of college. Even then, I knew she would be an asset to the firm.
“Have you decided what you’re going to do with her, Roger?”
“I’m going to put her through the admin pool, as I would any new acquisition.”
“Really? I’m surprised by that. I thought you had big plans for her.”
“We’ll see. She needs to prove herself. Just like everybody else.”
It didn’t take long though to realize Lexi was my go-to staffer. She was a go-getter, she went above and beyond in any task. For weeks, she was the only one I approached. Clearly intelligent, she learned quickly, and it took only a matter of days for her to assimilate to my specifications. We worked side by side, like a well-oiled machine, right up until the day I wanted to fire her on the spot.
My intuition of her on paper was purely cerebral. My first impression of her by appearance was entirely corporeal. It was physically working with her that made me realize I could have serious feelings for her, if I allowed myself to. If things stayed as they were and she remained in the admin pool, even with the strict no-fraternizing policy, I could possibly ask her out. If I became her boss, it was categorically out of the question. What made it all more difficult is that I was sure Miss Wideman was on the same page. We’d been dancing around each other for weeks trying to keep things professional.
“Hold up just a minute.” I called a halt to the proceedings before anything was set in stone. “Give me a minute.” I excused myself and hurried down the corridor.
“Ms. Wideman? Lexi?” She turned as I caught up to her.
“Are you sure you want this position?” I had to know once and for all.
She stared straight into my eyes and said, “Yes sir, I do.” There was no hesitation. She was committed. I guess it was all I needed. I appreciated her conviction and her drive. I admired it. And I would strive to be professional as well.
“Then the job is yours, Ms. Wideman. Congratulations.” I held out my hand.
Her lovely face lit. “Thank you, sir.” The minute she placed her small hand in mine and we were palm to palm, I knew I was fucked.
I left her there and barged back into the boardroom and said, “Motion carried.”
“Excellent,” Ray said. “Congratulations, Roger”
I sat in the high-backed black leather chair as the room cleared, except for Dave. He squeezed my shoulder. “It’s not a bad thing, Rodge. What’s up? I’ve never seen you like this. Everyone’s just trying to make life easier around here for you.”
“I’ve never asked for help. I can do my job.”
“Of course you can. There’s no question. You’re the best headhunter in the firm, hell, maybe in the entire country, but you can be even better with some assistance. Especially when you’re out on the road. Now tell me what’s really going on. I noticed you didn’t engage with Ms. Wideman at all. Is there a problem? If so, you should have spoken up before the vote.”
“No, there’s no problem. She’s just as qualified as the rest,” I said unemotionally, but I was anything but dispassionate when it came to Lexi Wideman.
“Well, that’s good then. Congratulations, Roger,” Dave said before exiting.
“Yay me,” I said to the empty room.
Working with Lexi so closely on a daily basis was going to be pure torture, and I didn’t need faultless intuition to know it.
NØ Frat Buy Links:
Evernight Publishing
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Amazon BookStrand All Romance
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at All Romance
until January 31st
On Sale @ EP for the next 2 weeks
Amazon BookStrand All Romance
Evernight titles are on sale [25% off after rebate]
at All Romance
until January 31st
