Page 24 of Faking it With the Player Next Door

Falling for My Best Friend’s Brother Next Door

H aving a crush on your best friend’s brother creates complications.

Being his assistant? Even more so.

Having him next door? A whole new level of tempting.

Christian Carr has always been my secret love.

Landing a job as his assistant was supposed to get me back on my feet.

Instead, I’m falling head over heels all over again.

Seeing him in a vulnerable moment on my first day makes my heart race.

He’s tender, supportive, and utterly off-limits.

We’re navigating close quarters, both at work and home.

I’m helping him heal from a breakup while hiding my feelings.

But Christian’s parents are determined to reunite him with his ex, Aurora.

Family expectations and corporate ambitions threaten our budding romance.

Can our love survive the pressure from his parents and his past?

Or will our chance at happiness slip through our fingers?

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Here is a Sneak Peek:

Chapter One

Fiona

Many things could be considered a big deal; one of them for me was meeting Christian Carr. The last time I saw him, we were kids, and my mother was driving us out of Laketown for good.

Was I nervous? Yes, but my desperation to excel at this job was bigger than whatever might come out of meeting Christian Carr. My sole objective at the meeting’s conclusion was to persuade him of my value to the company.

Allison, Christian’s younger sister and my best friend in the whole wide world, has assured me that her brother really did need an assistant. He knew I was coming and was thrilled to have me on his team.

I took another deep breath as I locked the door to my new apartment behind me. The job was going to be mine. It was the whole reason I moved back to Laketown, and it helped that my hometown was easy to fall back in love with.

When we left Laketown, my mother and I had hoped to find greener pastures. Mom’s cafe wasn’t doing as well as we’d hoped, and I also didn’t last at any of the jobs that I got. I was going to do any and everything to make sure that Christian Carr took one look at me and knew that I meant business.

I would be the secretary he could rely on, and I would keep this job, and he would worry less, and everyone would be happy. I would be the one who brought life and light to his company.

Success all around.

I flew in quite late yesterday, and all I managed to do the entirety of last night was talk to Allison about how nervous I was to meet Christian after all these years. I managed to give off the impression that I didn’t care too much about Christian the entire four years of college. Allison and I went to college together, after having been best friends in Laketown.

Christian and I both lived on Winston Street. Even though, as kids, the Carrs lived over at Grayson Street. A very long distance from here.

I stepped out of the tiny black gate in front of the house. This was going to be a great day for me, I was going to meet Christian, and we were going to rule the corporate world together.

I walked up the street towards Christian’s house. Over and over, I repeated the affirmations I spent the entirety of last night learning. Nothing was going to catch me off guard. I wasn’t going to be the one who got a job and quit it. My mother wouldn’t have to worry about me anymore.

She worried a lot.

I got to the house number and stood just outside the black gate. It was the same as the one in front of my house. But it wasn’t the gates that made me stand still; it was the toned muscular man wiping down a black car.

I’ve seen a lot of naked men in my days, but this had to be one of the best. I would have been drooling if the man didn’t turn around to face me. It was a struggle, I’d admit it in a heartbeat, to tear my eyes away from the body before me to look up at the face of a person who religiously worked out to get their body to this state.

My words stuck in my throat as the face stared unmoving at me. I ran through the list of words I could be called in that moment. Pervert sat atop the list.

“Fiona?” The man said, his thick brows furrowed. “Fiona Reece?”

I blinked once and then again, my eyes falling this time to the lips my name fell out of. An amused look settled on it, and I’ve spent a lot of my childhood looking at those lips to which I could immediately tell who they belonged to.

Christian Carr, as I lived and breathed, stood there with biceps that I wouldn’t mind having me in a hug. And I realized, albeit lately, that the thing about childhood crushes was they never really went away.

“Hey, Christian,” I said, barely even recognizing my own voice. I cleared my throat. “Hey.”

“Look at you! Long time no see.” He smiled widely, taking several steps until he was standing in front of me.

I’d hug him if he wasn’t showing so much skin. When I took the trip back to Lakewood, the last thing I expected to see was my future boss looking like a thirst trap. And while I knew he had no idea what he was doing to me, it was still hard to come to my senses.

“Allison said you’d be expecting me,” I said, giving his body a once over and trying to look nonchalant about it.

“One minute,” was all he said before disappearing into the house.

It was a lot longer than one minute when he came back outside with less skin showing and no sweat. “I’m sorry. I thought I’d have some more time before you showed up.”

Half-naked or clothed, the man was still a danger to my health. I cleared my throat again and offered him a small smile.

“I got excited about working for you, so I came over a little earlier.”

I saw him now that there were less body parts to focus on. His brown hair was slicked back, and his jaw, defined like it was sculpted by some god. The corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled. As if I didn’t already have a crush on him; I needed to forget about that.

And because he smiled at me, it was only natural that I smiled back. My heartbeat was going off the charts, and I attributed that to the fact that we hadn’t seen each other in so long. I was thrilled to see him. And if the butterflies in my stomach took off after he hugged me, it was all because of the immense happiness I was feeling.

“How are you doing?” He asked. The scent of his cologne wafted into my nose. Talk about manliness.

“I’m doing fine. I was actually trying to figure out your address.”

“ Oh, you found it.” He pointed at the duplex that was just adjacent to my house. A couple of houses past my house, but it was so close that I could see my house from where I stood.

“Ah, I didn’t know we were neighbors!” I wryly chuckled.

“I didn’t know either.” He grinned.

His teeth weren’t perfectly aligned, but they were white and pretty. Christian Carr had pretty teeth.

“It’s fine. I’m glad I didn’t have to walk too far.”

“Really?” he asked, tone teasing.

And I took the bait and nodded. “I’m just down the street. Anyways, I’m thrilled to be working with you.”

Christian grinned in response.

“Yes, about that. Can we go in so I can put you through some fundamentals?” He said, tucking his phone in the left pocket of his maroon pants.

My response must not matter, or he must trust me to follow instructions because he turned on his heels and started walking into the house.

I was impressed, but I was even more so when we got inside the house. The living room was so large, I wondered how he wasn’t lonely living alone. An exquisite chandelier dropped graciously from the center of the ceiling, and the velvet upholstery was sure to catch anyone’s attention.

I made myself comfortable on the sofa while he excused himself to fetch some things. I had known the Carrs to be very wealthy since I was a child. And presently, their business is flourishing more than ever.

Though Allison was hardly home, she still reached out to me whenever she could, and I was grateful.

Christian’s smell pervaded the house’s atmosphere, penetrating my senses. I could tell that I was being swayed by it. However, now I was no longer the bashful young girl I used to be. I was a twenty-four-year-old woman capable of having a job and keeping it.

I admitted Christian Carr was a man I always admired. Everything about him charmed me; he exuded this chivalry that most men did not possess. It made me appreciate him more. From what I had always known about him, he was kind, tender and supportive.

Now, here I was in his living room, almost unsuccessful at concealing my childhood emotions.

“I’m back,” he announced as he walked into the living room. It was almost like it was his runway. “I’m not sure if Allison told you everything about what we do, but Robust Technology is a tech company that uses AI to improve people’s health. Through food, but we’re trying to branch into pharmaceuticals.

He handed me a couple of documents. “Here’s a brief report on what we do.”

I nodded slowly as I took the documents from him. He considered four documents brief? Looked like I’d be doing more studying.

“Thank you,” I said, and then Christian was off to work while I had ‘brief’ documents to go through and find out what the company was about and what was required of me.

***

On Christian’s insistence, I resumed work the following morning.

Robust Technology had high ratings and, therefore, was top-notch. The employees were so uniform in their professional attitude that you would easily recognize them amidst clients and strangers. They strictly followed the company’s code of conduct and were very diligent at their respective departments.

I heard that Christian was recently appointed CEO, and his father, the Chairman Sebastian Carr, was retired.

His office was situated in a long, quiet hall conducive to treating critical matters in the company. My desk as PA was just outside his door, and an intercom buzz called my attention to him whenever he needed me.

I totally fell in love with my desk on the first day of work. Christian had asked for a vase of fresh flowers to be placed on it. It added a touch of color to the polished, monotone surface, and I was thankful for his thoughtfulness.

When the intercom buzzed for the second time that morning, I gently stood up from my seat, smoothed down my skirt, and quietly walked inside his office. His office was like a study with books stacked on shelves. His cologne overwhelmed the entire space, marking it as his territory.

The walls around the room were paneled in rich mahogany, and a thick, plush carpet ran endlessly across the space. Towards the end of the room, Christian’s desk backed the window from which light rushed into the room. It had a sublime view.

“You called for me, sir.” I stood in the middle of the room and kept my arms by my side. The etiquette class I took on YouTube taught me this much. I’ve lost so many jobs; it was only a matter of time before I started looking for help and I started online.

“Yes, could you please come forward?” He softly said. I came close enough to see his smooth face shine resplendently against the backdrop of the scenery. It was glorious.

“I think this is enough distance; you don’t have to stay so far away.” He said.

“Alright, sir.” I agreed. I actually didn’t want to stand so far away from him, either. I was merely being polite.

“Yes, thank you. Here, have it.” He handed a flash drive to me. “There is certain data that needs to be sorted and organized there. I hope to get a report by...” He glanced at his expensive silver wristwatch. “Eleven am.” He ended.

“Definitely.” I prepared to leave.

“And I need a cappuccino.” He added.

“I’ll get that right away.”

“Thank you.”

A few minutes later, when I returned with the coffee, he was already on a call and out of his desk.

“Thank you.” He mouthed and continued talking on the phone.

He was so calm, yet he looked disturbed and irritated. I found myself lingering on the spot. Suddenly, he turned to me, and our eyes locked. I panicked and quickly walked out of the room. When I was behind my desk, I wondered if I had crossed a line. His gaze had been rather sharp. However, I tried to put my mind at rest.

I inserted the flash drive into the computer system and immediately began the task. I was not used to it, but it was quite simple.

This whole experience would be a breeze.