God, not this again.
Deep breath. In and out.
You want this. You need this. Just because you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into doesn’t mean you can run away like a coward.
Sure. Okay. Not being a coward was now at the top of his mental training list.
Pulling back his shoulders, he got his feet going in the direction of the office.
The corridor wasn’t all that long, and before he was mentally ready, he pulled the door open and stepped into his new domain. The desk had a sleek black top that would be chest-high for most people. Walking around the side revealed a nearly empty work area. A large flat-screen monitor took up a generous portion of the middle, flanked by a multiline phone. The chair looked to be expensive, and he couldn’t resist taking a moment to sit down. Oh yeah, it was pretty damn comfortable. If the hours were going to be as long as Nancy thought they would be, at least his ass wouldn’t get sore.
The lone file folder by the keyboard held a sheet of paper with his username and a temporary log-in password. Before he knew it, Nolan was in the system and setting up his email account. He scanned the appointments, made note of things he should read up on and others that looked to be irrelevant. His headache throbbed less as he lost himself in work. He’d need to get a pad of paper or something for his notes. Maybe they’d approve the purchase of a tablet if he was going to be out and around—
A loud cough made him jump. His gaze snapped to the man standing in the doorway of his office. Zack Anderson. Shit, he hadn’t even noticed that the other man was there. “Sir?”
“What are you doing?” Mr. Anderson’s voice was deep and sent a shiver through Nolan.
His new boss was every bit as intimidating and attractive as Nolan remembered. Mr. Anderson’s dress pants were perfectly pressed, accentuating his thighs and hips. This morning he had on a light-blue dress shirt and a black tie that underscored the aura of confidence rolling off him. Tina would laugh out loud if she knew I got a job and a hot boss.
But like the first time they’d met, it was the intensity of his stare that was a punch to Nolan’s chest. He felt as though Mr. Anderson could strip him bare with that look. He became aware of every imperfection that simmered beneath the surface of his clothes. Instinctively, his fingers found their way to his thigh to rub the ache. God, Anderson might be attractive to look at, but there was nothing about his personality that appealed to Nolan whatsoever.
It wasn’t until Mr. Anderson cocked his eyebrow that Nolan realized he hadn’t responded. Shit, he was really screwed if a single sentence did that to him. “I was reviewing your appointments for the day.”
Mr. Anderson narrowed his gaze, and Nolan found himself jumping to his feet. Time to earn your keep. “You have a conference call in thirty minutes with Ms. Tan from the Singapore office of Raspberry. This is regarding the purchase of new monitors for the Vancouver satellite office. You then have a senior management meeting, followed by your monthly departmental update conference call. I was just making note of the files you would need and was going to ask if you had a preference for paper or electronic?”
Nolan’s heart pounded in his chest, and he had to fight the urge to squirm as he waited for his boss to say something.
The seconds ticked loudly in his head, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being judged. Jesus, help me. His stomach flipped and churned as the tension pulled through him.
“Electronic.” Mr. Anderson’s voice remained stern, cold. “I take my coffee black, one sugar.”
“Got it.” No wonder people quit. In all his years as a trainer, he’d worked with a variety of individuals and no one had been as off-putting as Zack Anderson. “Is there anything else I can get for you before the meeting starts?”
The phone chose that moment to ring. Without hesitating, Nolan reached down and scooped up the handset, thankful for the distraction. “Good morning, Mr. Anderson’s office. Hello, Mr. Chopra.”
In that moment Nolan realized the dragon was human after all. The words were barely out of his mouth before his boss’s eyes grew wide and he frantically shook his head. In a heartbeat he morphed from the indomitable Mr. Anderson, to simply Zack who really didn’t want to talk to the man on the other end of the line. The ice melted, and in a rush of humor, the tension that had built up inside Nolan vanished.
“I’m very sorry, Mr. Chopra, he’s in a meeting at the moment. No, no, I’m afraid I can’t interrupt. Who am I? Nolan Carmichael, Mr. Anderson’s new assistant. Yes, I do value my job. Again, I’m sorry that I can’t interrupt him.” The last time he’d run such heavy interference was when Tina’s ex Malcolm had called, wanting to convince her to give him another shot. So far there was far less swearing with Mr. Chopra, but that was about the only difference. Nolan covered the mouthpiece with his hand. “I’ll bring your coffee as soon as I’m done.”
Zack didn’t move immediately, which made dealing with the troublesome Mr. Chopra all the more challenging. Nolan’s skin tingled where he knew Zack’s gaze roamed. He wasn’t getting a sexual vibe from his boss, more curiosity. As though Nolan was a puzzle that needed figuring out. Stupid, as he was the simplest man in the world. All he needed was to find a way to get on with his life, deal with his anxiety, and convince his sister that he really was a grown-up who could live on his own. If things were really going his way, he’d find a hot guy to climb into bed with on a semiregular basis for sweaty sex. Someone tall and strong, with brown eyes and hair.
A blush started to climb up his neck. God, keep it in your pants.
“Let me check his calendar to see when he might have an opening to meet with you.”
As Nolan retook his seat, Zack spun on his heel and disappeared into his office.
“Are you even listening to me?” Mr. Chopra’s voice rang in his ear.
“Yes, sir. Now it looks like Mr. Anderson is free a week from Thursday.” Figuring out his boss would have to wait until later. Nolan had a job to do.
Zack had finished his meetings for the day over an hour ago. Mondays were always long, filled with updates and check-ins from his global staff. It was an exhausting way to start his week, especially when he had to break in a new employee.
It had been frustrating to say the least. Not because Nolan had done anything wrong. If anything, his new assistant had been far more adept at handling tasks than Zack had assumed he would. The timidness Zack had witnessed in Nolan back in the bathroom was nowhere to be found. He’d dived into the meetings, emails, and reports that had been waiting for him. Zack had watched as Nolan would stare at something, shake his head, and plow through.
And yet.
Zack had been annoyed.
Every time Nolan tackled some task or other successfully, he’d smiled. Each time his lips curled up, something inside Zack had prickled. It wasn’t even rational to be annoyed with someone for doing their job. To be rankled by another’s success.
And yet.
This was proof that he was better off on his own. In the end, he would probably do Nolan a favor by letting him go. He’d save Nolan and himself a world of trouble; Nolan could find another job, and Zack could go back to doing what he wanted—being a prick.
For years, Zack had been the one who got things done. The heavy hand dragged in on a moment’s notice to fix other people’s screwups. At first it had annoyed him. He was a tech guy, never intended to be the corporate muscle. Then he took on purchasing for the department, then purchasing for all technology company-wide. With each successive task that had landed on his plate, Zack had begrudgingly taken it on and eventually owned the hell out of it. His success rate grew, and with it came promotions. Three years ago he’d achieved the ultimate prize, the role of chief technology officer for Compass. Not bad for a computer guy with a business bachelor’s and anger management issues.
Sure, he’d stepped on a few toes to get where he’d wanted to be, but those individuals had caused the company problems in the first place. He’d never once intentionally sabotaged someone’s career to get ahead. He didn’t need to. Patience was his virtue, and competence was his sword; he fixed everything and got Compass back on track.
It was dark outside, the only light coming from the harsh glow of the overhead fluorescents. His office door was open, and from his desk he had a clear vantage of Nolan’s chair. It was empty, and he hadn’t seen hide or hair of Nolan since before his last conference call. Annoyance prickled like fire ants beneath his skin. While his decision to hire Nolan might have been impulsive, the inevitable firing wouldn’t be. It wasn’t fair of him to place unrealistic expectations on his assistants, but he was who he was. If they couldn’t handle it, then it was better for all involved to sever the relationship quickly rather than both of them suffer in protracted agony.
Nolan disappearing before Zack was done working on day one was a fast track to a pink slip.
Zack pushed to his feet, ignoring the muscle cramps racing through his back. The outer office was empty, but Nolan’s computer was still turned on and the screen saver was flashing. A half-filled coffee mug held watch on the desk, flanked by the notebook Nolan seemed to have in his hand all day. Ridiculous for him to have a pen and paper method of keeping track of things, given he was the CTO’s assistant. If Nolan survived through the first month, Zack would have to do something about that.