The TROUBLE With BILLIONAIRES: Book 1 (2 page)

              “He's damn lucky Venus was in the sky last night,” I said to Annie, my roommate, falling beside her on our coral-orange couch, a cup of hot chocolate in my hand—even though it was summer. I couldn't quite shake the chill I felt after being stranded in the woods.

              With her curly red hair tied into a loose bun, Annie tilted her head to the side. “Kind of ironic that the planet named after the goddess of love was the one that helped you find your way back. How exactly did you do that, by the way?”

              “It took me a little while, but I eventually remembered Venus was in the eastern sky, so I went in the opposite direction, to the western woods where the sundial was. I knew how to find my way back from there.”

              “You don't think he left you to die?” she asked, speculating out loud.

              “No, not purposefully. But I could have!” My voice rose out of anger. “God, what a mistake. I've learned my lesson. Don't sleep with strangers.”

              “Or next time you do, just bring them home like a normal person.”

              I adjusted my position, trying to get comfortable, though I wasn’t sure it was possible in my outrage. “See, that doesn't make sense to me. It seems more unwise to bring a stranger home to where you live and all your valuables are. A neutral place like the woods seemed perfect for a romantic one-night stand.”

              “That's where you went wrong, girl,” Annie claimed, shaking her head. “There is no such thing as a romantic one-night stand. When you're with a stranger, sex is just sex.”

              I glanced down, defeated. “So much for wild abandon. That's one fantasy ruined.”

              “But I thought you said it was hot.”

              “Oh, it was,” I confessed. “I doubt I'll ever experience an orgasm like it again. But that's no excuse for leaving me alone in the woods. I mean, what kind of person does that?” I was angry again.

              Annie stood. “I'm sorry, Madison, but I have to get to class. We didn't all graduate early and land the perfect job at Cepheus Scientific, you smart bitch you. But we'll chat more when I get back, okay?”

              “Okay,” I relented, watching as she picked up her backpack and headed for the door.

              “Love you, girl,” she called over her shoulder. “Take the day to recover. You start work on Monday. You need your mind in top gear.”

              “Love you, too,” I said as the door closed. Then, even though she was gone, I mumbled, “Avoid the men in the park. They can't be trusted.”

***

              I was running late.

              Monday came faster than expected. Unable to stop hating the man who'd stranded me in the woods, I'd wasted a lot of the weekend thinking of how I'd strike him down with a bow and arrow. It felt poetic, but it left me with very little time to prepare. My new job was a big deal. I enjoyed the science of astronomy, but I didn't want to spend the rest of my life behind the dusty shelves of academia, so I had minored in business. Cepheus Scientific combined the two together perfectly, satisfying my curiosity and my drive. It really was the perfect job.

              I was starting at an entry level position, working as an assistant, but the person I'd be assistant to was the Vice President of Product Development—Ms. Aurora Goldstein, one of hottest names in science and one of the hottest scientists anywhere.

              Aurora Goldstein had appeared in Vogue's list of
Awesome Females in Their Thirties
. She had the three B's—brains, beauty, and body. I still wasn't sure how I'd landed the job, except that during the interview, Ms. Goldstein claimed I had perseverance and a dedication to science. I guess that was industry talk for I chose to study over getting laid…most of the time.

              I'd planned to wake up early today, Monday, but somehow I'd managed to sleep in, and I still had to go over the notes Ms. Goldstein had forwarded me for a new product launch involving a high tech accelerator of some sort. I didn't know the full details because I hadn't read all the notes. Realizing I had to leave if I wanted to catch the last bus that would get me to work on time, I grabbed a plain bagel from the kitchen and stuck it in my mouth, using my hands to flip through the notes as I walked towards the door.

              “Ummm, Madison, you're forgetting something,” Annie announced as I felt for my keys from the bowl near the door.

              “What?” I mumbled through my bagel. “I don't have time for riddles.”

              “Your clothes.” She lifted a finger from her coffee mug and pointed.

              Annoyed she was stalling me, I glanced down. “Right. That could have been embarrassing.”

              I had put on my white dress pants, but I'd forgotten to put on a top. I was about to open the door in my bra.

              Seeing my panic as I turned to look at the clock, Annie quickly took her own purple blouse off and threw it at me. “It looks better on you anyway,” she said. “It shows off your tits, but in a classy way.”

              “Thanks,” I muttered, pulling the blouse over my head. “Feel free to help yourself to my closet.”

              “You mean your rainbow of hoodies? No thanks.”

              I didn't have time to be insulted. I shot out the door and down the steps, regretting my decision to live on the fourth floor. Running down the road, dropping my bagel along the way, I barely made the bus. I had jumped  onto the metal steps of the bus, as it started to pull away. With rush hour traffic, there was still a small chance I'd be a few minutes late for work.

             
So much for arriving early on the first day
, I thought, taking a window seat where I could see my reflection. At least I had a healthy glow from the run. I hoped my red face would be mistaken as a caffeine rush. Or better, as enthusiasm.

              On the journey downtown, the bus passed by the park—the city's largest. Though the colleges around town were officially back in term, students were already placing blankets around the grassy fields, trying to absorb the last of the summer rays before autumn turned the city into a red and gold frost land.

             
I won't be going back there anytime soon
, I thought irritably.
I won't give Mr. Leo the satisfaction.

              Downtown, I hopped off the bus and walked the block to Cepheus Scientific. The building wasn't the tallest in the business sector, but it was certainly one of the most impressive, with the constellations of the stars engraved into the marble steps leading up to the revolving glass doors. In the foyer, busts of the world's leadings scientists—Copernicus, Newton, Marie Curie—greeted all who entered. They were meant to be stately, but I actually found the busts to be kind of creepy, like floating ghost heads.

              “First day?” the security guard asked. He was a big man with a gentle smile. I'd been told to check in with him. “You have the wonderlust.”

              It was meant to be wanderlust, but I didn't correct him. One, because I didn't want to be tossed out of the building on my first day. And two, because it was accurate enough. I did feel a sense of wonder being here. “That I do,” I admitted. “I'm Madison Miller, Ms. Aurora Goldstein's new assistant.”

              He checked a list. “That's right. Einstein's girl.”

              “Goldstein,” I corrected.

              “Here, we call her Einstein. She doesn’t mind. In fact, I half-suspect she created the pet name.” He reached inside his desk and produced a badge. “Wear this. Every day. I have a short memory. And it helps the other employees know if you're competition or not. They're constantly looking over their shoulders so that others don't steal their ideas. You'll love it.”

              It sounded like sarcasm, but I couldn't tell for sure. “Thanks,” I said, taking the badge. The picture was decent. I took it at a passport photo booth and mailed it in. It'd taken three tries to get the expression I wanted—friendly yet fierce, like I was a girl they could depend on for legitimate input.

              “You know where you're going?” the security guard asked.

              “Sure do,” I chirped, heading for the elevators. “All the way to the top.”

***

              Aurora Goldstein was just as glamorous as I remembered her, with wavy auburn hair that hung down her back and liquid blue eyes that were so dark they were almost black. She had a fair complexion, which contrasted nicely with her bolder features.

              “Madison, welcome to the team,” she said, meeting me at the reception desk for the Product Development Department, one floor from the top. “I'm afraid I'm off to a meeting at the moment, but Russell will show you around. He's the lead assistant. You'll be working with him most of the time.”

              “No problem,” I told her, and she rushed away.

              The brunette girl behind reception giggled. “You have no clue who Russell is, do you?”

              I leaned against the desk. “Was it that obvious?”

              “Not obvious, just predictable. Einstein is a genius, but she's a bit of a scatter brain. She often forgets important details, like informing people she has several assistants. I think it’s why she's only Vice President of Product Development and not president.”

              “Who is president?” I asked.

              “A man named Rawn Jackman. He is one tough... I want to say cookie, but there is nothing sugary about that man, except how good looking he is. So I'll say captain. He is one tough captain. Like Captain Hook—but without the scary claw hand.”

              I laughed, already liking this girl, who looked only a year or two older than me. “Mellissa?” I asked, reading her name plaque.

              “That's me,” she sang sprightly.

              “I'm Madison. Nice to meet you.”

              “Same here. So Madison, now that we're friends, I hope you'll forgive me for pointing out that your blouse is inside out.”

              I was mortified. “It is?” I asked, scanning the reception area for a mirror. Ms. Goldstein had already seen me in it!

              “See that door over there?” Mellissa pointed to the corner of the room. “That's a bathroom. Go get yourself ready for the rodeo. You have time. Russell is always late. Einstein allows it because he's usually here at the office well past closing time. All assistants around here are. I hope you realize that you signed away your social life in your contract.”

              “Totally worth it,” I called as I hurried to the bathroom to fix myself up. Along with turning the blouse the right way, I applied a dash of lip gloss and mascara. I had hoped the makeup would add some years to my face so that others in the company would take me seriously, but it only enhanced my sun-kissed skin, making me look pretty but younger—usually a good thing, but not today.

             
Wish me luck
, I prayed silently to my sister, wherever she was. This was the real world now. No more school girl whimsies. When I walked out of here, I was a professional.

             
Professional ass kicker. Move over, Russell. Madison is in the building.

              I walked out of the bathroom full of confidence, but it wavered as a young man with glasses and a latté in his hand rushed into the reception area. “Follow me,” he barked, walking by me.

              “Have fun,” Mellissa murmured. “Try to survive.”

              With no time to respond, I followed who I assumed was Russell into a smartly decorated corridor, with printouts of sound waves of classical songs hung on the walls, and into a spacious office with floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the city. Three desks formed a crescent around a much larger one, which looked as if it'd been hit by a hurricane, with papers scattered everywhere and the stapler lying on the ground.

              “We share an office with Ms. Goldstein?” I asked, surprised.

              “She's hardly ever here, so it makes sense,” Russell said, setting his messenger bag and latté down at a desk with the best view of the city. “You take that desk there.” He indicated the one farthest from him in the crescent—on the opposite side of the room.

              “Who sits in the middle?”

              Russell sat and took a laptop out of his messenger bag, refusing to look my way, already in work mode. “No one for now. It's been a while since Aurora has filled all three positions. If you do your job well, she won't have to, if you catch my drift.”

              “Got it, less competition,” I deduced, taking a seat at my new desk, admiring the fine wood, allowing myself a moment of levity.

              “And less people for me to train,” Russell grumbled. “Take out your laptop. I need you to organize a contact list for the product launch tomorrow. We have to ring everyone later to confirm their RSVP.”

              Pursing my lips together, I stared down at my empty hands, afraid to answer. “Yeah, so, I don't have one.”