Mia Eason set the phone down in its cradle and glanced over the paperwork in front of her. Everything was in order, and she was ready to go into the conference room to present her marketing campaign to one of the biggest clients her new company had ever acquired. If she could sink this account, Whitaker and Eason would be on the map.Three years after she’d quit working as Sam Whitaker’s secretary, she and her fiancé, Beau, had decided it was time for them to start their own marketing agency. It had been difficult for her to leave her job at Reggie Smith’s company, Smith and Associates. She’d been so happy working for him for almost three years between the time that she quit Whitaker and Whitaker. Reggie had really taken her under his wing and taught her everything she needed to know about being a successful marketer in such a large market. She’d finished her degree and quickly climbed the ranks at Smith and Associates. Even though Beau had helped her get the job in the first place, t
The waiting room was crowded. Mia Eaton wasn’t sure where to sit. She didn’t really want to get into anyone else’s personal space, but she didn’t have much of a choice. The receptionist barked at her, “I said you can take a seat.” Mia turned and smiled at her, having heard her the first time, but still pondering where to sit. Finally, she decided to take the chair between a large busted blonde and an older brunette who looked as nervous as Mia felt. It was a tight squeeze because the chairs were so close together. With her small build, it was easy to wedge her way in, but it was still uncomfortable. She sat with her legs squeezed together, her meager resume clutched tightly within the leather binder she’d borrowed from her neighbor, praying one of the girls sitting next to her was called back soon. “Linda McKay!” a short woman with a severe haircut shouted from the door next to the receptionist. An attractive redhead sitting across the room stood up and walked
“My name is Veronica Smithers. I’m Mr. Whitaker’s personal assistant. I do most everything for him. It is important that whomever fills this position realizes that it isn’t just about answering phones and sending correspondence. You may be asked to perform any sort of task throughout the day, some you could easily think of, such as making coffee or running to the nearest coffeeshop. Others may never cross your mind until the question is raised.” Veronica turned and looked at her, and Mia nodded, feeling pricks of ice radiate through her veins as she attempted to decipher what that might mean. They were walking through a vast space of cubicles and offices with people working in groups, pairs, and all alone, but Mia was struggling to keep up with Veronica and hardly had a chance to look around her. Eventually, they reached a small office, and Veronica walked in, stepping behind an organized desk with a huge stack of papers on it. She gestured for Mia to take a seat, which sh
“Can I help you?” Mia knew she was staring, that the man with the gorgeous blue eyes was speaking to her, that she’d looked up after the collision but hadn’t backed away, so the foot or so between them was due to him retreating while she still hadn’t found her voice or her ability to move. “Are you lost?” “Uh… yeah,” she finally managed, snapping out of it. She took a giant step backward and ran her hand through her hair. It happened to be the hand her purse was swung over, so when she did that, it swung back and forth violently before falling off of her shoulder. She caught it on her wrist momentarily, but then it fell to the floor. “Dang it!” “Let me get that for you,” he said, stooping to get it, but by then, Mia had already gone to retrieve it herself. She hit her head on his shoulder hard. “Oh, God. Are you okay?” Wincing, Mia rubbed her head. How strong was this man that hitting her head on his shoulder was like ramming
Walking into his brother’s office, Beau Whitaker waited for Sam to get off of the phone before he said anything at all. When Sam finally hung up and looked up at him, Beau wasn’t even sure where to begin. He wanted to seem nonchalant, but the girl he’d met in the hallway—Mia—was so beautiful, so intriguing, he wanted to make sure Sam was aware that Beau wouldn’t mind it if he hired her as his new secretary. In fact, if he had any say in it at all, Mia already had the job. “What’s up, little brother?” Sam asked, making a note on a sticky before attaching it to a file and moving it across his desk. “Need something?” Beau snickered. He didn’t come into Sam’s office often, unless he needed something. There was usually no need to. Sam handled new accounts; Beau handled existing accounts. If they ever needed to meet, their offices had an adjoining conference room where they could discuss whatever they needed to. The view out the floor to ceiling windows o
Mia had her Chromebook open on her lap as she looked through job postings. After the disaster a few hours ago, it was clear to her that she couldn’t let up on the job hunt. The Chromebook was old and didn’t stay connected to the Wi-Fi she was “borrowing” from her neighbor very well, but it was better than looking through the newspaper, which she also did on a regular basis.She was just contemplating contacting a used car dealership, wondering if she could ever really sell cars, when her cell phone rang.Picking it up, she studied the number. It wasn’t familiar to her, and there was no name to let her know who it might be, but she had to answer anyway. It could be one of the other places she’d recently applied to. “Hello?”“May I speak to Mia Eaton, please?”The voice sounded vaguely familiar. It was a middle-aged woman. “This is she.”“Hello, Ms. Eaton. This is Veronica Smithy from Whitaker and Whitaker.”A lump immediately formed in Mia’s throat as she considered she might’ve actual
Mia decided to treat herself to some Chinese takeout since she’d gotten the job and could theoretically afford it. Eating out was something she rarely did since she was on a tight budget, but under the circumstances, a little fun couldn’t hurt, could it? When the doorbell rang, she assumed it was the delivery guy with her orange chicken, but when she pulled open the door, she saw a courier standing there. “Hey. You Mia Eaton?” “Yeah….” He shoved a thick manila envelope her direction and then a clipboard. “Sign here.” Pulling her eyes away from the agitated expression on his face, she scrawled her name across the line, wondering what it was about life in general that had this guy so put out. “Thanks,” she said clipping his pen back on. “Yep.” He turned and headed back toward the stairs, leaving Mia wishing she could do something to make him have a better day. It was too bad that some people were never happy when there was so m
The mirror didn’t lie. Mia checked the length of her skirt one more time and made sure the seam was where it was supposed to be. She’d bought a full-length mirror when she’d gone shopping on Saturday to make sure she fit the specifications of her contract. She was wearing a black pencil-skirt that hit just above her knee, but with the slit in the back significantly higher, she felt slightly exposed. It wasn’t obscene by any means, nothing like that woman had worn to the interview, but it wasn’t something Mia would usually wear. She also had on a white button-down shirt. The top three buttons were undone, as her contracted said they must be, which meant one could see her lacy white bra at certain angles. She wasn’t sure what to think about that. Would everyone think she was some sort of slut? Her heels weren’t that high, but they were strappy, black, sexy and shiny. Her earrings were simple, as also mandated, and she had her hair up in a bun—but not a severe on