Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 31579 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 158(@200wpm)___ 126(@250wpm)___ 105(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31579 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 158(@200wpm)___ 126(@250wpm)___ 105(@300wpm)
He's intense, stubborn, and used to getting what he wants. He can be downright impossible.
He's also the hottest man on the planet, which adds an extra layer to the difficulty of working with him. Despite all of that, and the wild attraction I feel towards him, I've lasted a year as his assistant. Apparently, Drake likes me well enough, too, considering how many times he's told me I'm not allowed ever to quit.
I can't imagine life without him anymore, honestly. But I'll never tell him that.
There have been sparks between us, at least on my end, since the very beginning, but they were furious sparks at first. I found out about the job opening through a friend of mine and quickly applied for the position of Drake's assistant. I'd been bouncing around from job to job after graduating from business school, and being the right-hand girl of the CEO of a new and wildly successful company seemed like a dream come true.
I got to the interview fifteen minutes early. Drake Evans, on the other hand, was sixty minutes late. I counted.
To add insult to injury, he was also carrying a bag of takeout sushi, which he seemed more than happy to eat in front of me as he conducted the sham of an interview—all the while staring at my bare legs encased in my favorite pinstripe pencil skirt.
When he finally did ask a question, it was inane, and I was so flustered by his behavior that I ended up telling him what an asshole he was. I was kicking myself for giving up the chance at a seemingly perfect job until the next day when an email appeared in my inbox, asking me to show up for work Monday morning.
In the year that followed, I got to know him better. I quickly discovered that Drake wasn't a total asshole but undeniably hard to please. He didn't want a yes man; he wanted someone who could hold her own and think on her feet. And I do, usually. We're a good fit for each other. I keep the chaotic, easily distracted, stubborn climber on track, and he keeps me on my toes. Sometimes, when he is being truly impossible, I don't mind the occasional "Yes, sir."
If I were a little braver, a little more self-assured, I'd even be open to a "Yes, sir. Harder."
The thought makes my face heat, and I raise my hands to cover my cheeks, accidentally knocking my elbow into the arm of the man in the aisle seat, who glares. Right. I need to remain as still as possible to get through the flight.
We planned our trip to the annual conference weeks ago. It’s one of the biggest events of the year in the industry. Dragon Ascent has a prominent booth, and the Dragon Ascent team has a schedule packed with appearances and workshops.
Drake Evans himself has a full schedule, too. I'm still not sure how much of it he's going to drag me along to, but I'm getting a hefty bonus just for coming and my own swanky hotel room. Plus, it's a chance to network and expand my skills.
I just need to make it through a one-and-a-half-hour flight and a week of Drake Evans.
2
DRAKE
Climbing Breaking the Wheel should have been a breeze and a quick one at that. Instead, catching up with friends and an admittedly large amount of chit-chat made the short climb turn into a much longer one, and now I'm pretty sure Elanore White will strangle me.
If I'm lucky, she'll do the strangling with those gorgeous legs of hers, and I'll die a happy man.
Right now, though, she's sitting on the hood of the rented car, her legs crossed and a look of white-hot, unadulterated fury on her face.
She's so fucking hot when she's angry, and she doesn't even know it. I weigh the idea of telling her just to see how much angrier I can make her but decide against it. After all, I did fuck up this time. Not that I'd ever admit it.
"What happened to three hours?" she demands, hopping down from the hood of the sleek white Cadillac and stomping towards me. The group of my mates behind me hoot and holler, but I turn around and give them a look that silences them immediately.
"Time got away from us," I tell her. "It just happens sometimes. You should know this by now. You've been with me for, what, four months now?"
Ellie's eyes pop open even wider, her hands closing into fists. "I've worked with you for a year!"
I know that, of course, but I can't help but push her buttons. "Whatever. Let's get to the hotel."
"Drake, I've been waiting out here for two hours. They wouldn't let me check in without you, so I spent almost three hours there working in the cafe. Which, and I know this is difficult math for you, equals five entire hours I've been waiting for you! Three was pushing it, but five?!"