Page 15 of The Claiming Series: Collection 1

Callum

I lean back in my leather chair with a sigh, scrubbing a weary hand over my face.

How hard can it be to find a new personal assistant?

I’ve interviewed ten people today alone, men and women alike, and none of them have been a good fit for me or my company.

Three of the interviewees practically propositioned me for the job.

I’ve built my billion-dollar IT company through hard work and determination, and I’m tired of people who think they can suck or fuck their way up the career ladder.

I swivel my chair toward the computer screen, pulling up the résumé for the next interviewee. Mary, my current personal assistant, has vetted them all and arranged the interviews for suitable candidates, so I only give it a cursory scan.

Lily Olsen, twenty-four years old, business degree, qualifying with honors. Two previous employers, both construction companies, based in Houston. She only worked for the latter, Miller Corp., for three months.

I frown, wondering why Mary has put someone through for an interview with no IT field experience. I need someone who knows their way around this industry. Looks like this is going to be a short interview.

Releasing another heavy sigh, I press the intercom on the desk phone with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. “Send Miss. Olsen in, please, Mary.”

“Of course. She’s your last one today,” Mary’s disembodied voice replies.

Thank fuck.

Mary is retiring in less than a week, and I still haven’t found the right person to fill her shoes, despite interviewing candidates for the last two days straight.

A firm rap on the door pulls my attention from the computer screen. “Come in!”

The door opens, and I rise automatically from my chair, a polite smile fixed on my face. The smile freezes in place when a woman I can only describe as a curvy goddess floats into my office.

She’s beautiful. Stunning. Above-average height, maybe five-eight, but I've still got several inches on her. Striking hazel-green eyes, cute nose, full pink lips. Her dark hair is pulled into a soft bun, with a few tendrils floating around her flushed cheeks. She’s wearing a black skirt that flares below her knees and a silky blue blouse that complements her coloring.

Her choice of clothes is entirely suitable for an interview but draped over her delicious curves, they look fucking spectacular.

She clears her throat. “Um, Mr. Rogen?”

I blink, suddenly realizing she’s waiting for me to enunciate actual words—difficult to do when my bottom lip is trailing on the floor.

I clear my throat. “Sorry. Been a long day already.” I hold out my hand toward her. “Please, call me Callum. Nice to meet you, Miss Olsen.”

“Lily,” she says, placing her hand in mine.

Her handshake is firm, and her soft skin sends a bolt of electricity straight to my balls. I hold her hand a fraction too long, reluctant to break the physical contact.

Ah, fuck. I’m in so much trouble. Any idea I had of this being a short interview has evaporated in a puff of lust.

Hypocrite.

Yeah, I am, but what can I say? I’m a stubborn fucker when I see something I want. I haven’t even started the interview yet, and I’m already planning how to get this curvy angel into my life and my bed and keep her there.

“Please. Sit,” I offer, indicating the chair in front of my desk.

I return to my seat, watching as Lily perches on the chair, tucking her skirt neatly beneath her before clasping her hands in her lap.

“Would you like something to drink? Coffee? Tea? Water?” I ask.

“No, thank you. I ate lunch not long ago, so I’m good, thanks. Besides, coffee and tea make me want to pee and—" she stops abruptly, looking mortified. “Sorry. Too much information. I tend to babble when I’m nervous, and the filter between my brain and my mouth stops working.”

Jesus, she’s too fucking cute.

“It’s fine.” I chuckle, waving it off. “Coffee has the same effect on me.”

Lily smiles. “I’m sure that’s not true, but thanks for trying to make me feel better.”

I can’t take my eyes off her. When she smiles, she does it with her whole face, eyes sparkling, cute nose scrunched up, full mouth stretched wide. I wonder what it would look like stretched wide around my aching cock.

“So, uh, tell me a little about yourself, Lily. Are you married? Children?” I ask casually, trying to ignore the massive boner straining against my pants.

“Not married. No kids,” she replies. “Just me and Groot.”

“Groot?”

“My cat. I named him after the character from Guardians of the Galaxy. I’m a huge Marvel movie geek,” she admits sheepishly.

“Sci-Fi’s not my thing,” I reply, making a mental note to download every fucking one of those movies the first chance I get. “So, what made you apply for this position? I see from your resume that your previous job was with Miller Corp. in Houston. What brings you to San Antonio?”

Lily looks uncomfortable for a split second before summoning a bright smile.

“I, uh, needed a change of scenery. I grew up just outside Houston. My biological father died before I was born, so it was just Mom and me until I was eight when she met Joe. He adopted me when they got married. He’s a good man and the only dad I’ve ever known.

When Joe and Mom moved to California with his job, I decided to stay in Houston.

I shared an apartment with Daisy, my best friend, but she had to move back to Colorado, so it seemed like a good time to try my luck in San Antonio and—" she stops abruptly. “Oh, my God, I’m so sorry. I’m babbling again.

Daisy’s always saying I can talk the legs off a chair,” she grimaces, biting her plump bottom lip.

Fuck. Just when I thought she couldn’t get any more adorable.

“Sounds like your mom found a good man in your stepdad. I lost both my parents eight years ago in a car accident,” I say, the words spilling from my lips before I can stop them.

The fuck? I never talk about my parents. It’s still too painful. This woman is casting a spell on me, one that makes me want to share everything with her.

“I’m sorry. It never leaves you, does it, the grief of losing loved ones? You just make room for it,” she says with wisdom beyond her years. “You were obviously close.”

“We were. They never got to see all this.” I wave a hand around me to encompass the business I’ve built.

“They were happily married for thirty years. They only had eyes for each other. Dad treated Mom like a queen, and she thought the sun rose and set on him. They lived their lives by a solid moral compass and instilled those values in my brother and me. They taught us that success comes with hard work and determination. Which is why I won’t ever forget my roots, where I came from. ”

“So you’re not the kind of billionaire who lounges on yachts sipping champagne or dines on caviar in Michelin-star restaurants, huh?” she asks playfully.

I grin. “Give me a dirty cheeseburger any day.”

Lily returns my smile. “Man after my own heart.”

Jesus, if only she knew how close to the mark that statement is—because I think I might be after her heart. She’s weaving her magic around me, making me all fucking warm and gooey inside.

“So, why did you leave your previous job?” I ask, forcing my attention back to business .

Her smile disappears, and she looks oddly nervous again. “It was a great company to work for, but I felt I wasn’t being utilized to my full potential.”

Her words sound stilted, like she’s been practicing them in front of a mirror.

“You haven’t worked in IT before,” I say, pointing out the obvious.

Lily purses her lips thoughtfully. “That’s true, but my skills are transferable to any business.

I’ve done my research, Mr. Rog—Callum. I know you’ve built this company from the ground up and that you developed a new type of angular programming with almost zero rework and less code required whenever a new feature is added.

You’ve encompassed languages and tools for Ruby, HTML, PHP, Perl, and Pascal as standard in your package.

I’m so confident I’ll be an asset to you and your company that I’m prepared to work my first month for free. ”

I stare at her. Fuck, she’s hot when she’s talking about rework and coding. She’s my dream woman. All I can think about is bending her over my desk, fisting my hand in her hair, and sliding into her wet warmth.

“That won’t be necessary,” I say gruffly, glad that the desk hides my massive erection. “When can you start?”

Lily’s mouth drops open. “Huh?”

“The job is yours. When can you start?” I repeat.

“But—you’ve barely asked me any questions. Don’t you want to know about my office skills? Interview the rest of the candidates?”

“I’ve spent the last two days interviewing candidates, Lily.

None of them instilled the confidence in me that you have in less than five minutes.

I’m a damned good judge of character. I’ve had to be to get where I am.

I’m a workaholic. I don’t expect the same level of dedication from my employees because that would involve living, eating, and sleeping the job, but I do expect hard work, loyalty, and dedication.

The job is demanding, and as my assistant, there will be the occasional business trip, which you’ll be required to accompany me on, and for which you will be well reimbursed.

So if this sounds like something you can handle, the job is yours. ”

“Yes, I can handle you,” she says enthusiastically. “I mean, the job. I can handle the job,” she amends quickly, her cheeks turning pink.

I bite back a smile. “Good. Can you start next Monday? ”

She bobs her head in a vigorous nod, causing a few more tendrils of silky hair to break loose from her bun to frame her lovely face. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you so much. You won’t regret it, I promise.”

She’s right. I won’t regret it. The only thing I’d regret is letting her walk out of my office and never seeing her again. Lily doesn’t know it yet, but she’s been claimed. Not for one night. Not for a few weeks. I’m claiming her for life.