Page 1 of The Interview (Executive Suite Secrets)

1

KAYLAN

My boss was a madman.

Insane.

Lunatic.

Meddling old woman.

Okay, so maybe he technically wasn’t any of those things, but right now, it felt like it.

But buying a phone so he could download that ridiculous H2H dating app and enter me into the “Cupid Picks You a Date” Valentine’s Day madness without my knowledge was over the top.

I pulled my wool winter coat tighter around me as the wind picked up, whooshing across the top of Mount Adams. The sky was a dreary slate gray, but what did you expect from Cincinnati in February? From October through March, the area rarely ever saw the sun. The sparkling city became a depressing place of cloudy skies, bare brown trees, and dark-gray buildings.

Whatever. This was already going down as one of the weirdest days since I’d started working as an assistant to Sebastian Courtland, CEO of Courtland Enterprises. Actually, I was more of an assistant to his primary assistant, but I had regular dealings with Sebastian. That had led to the nosy man finding out that I was single and had zero plans for Valentine’s Day. Apparently, Sebastian thought I was too young to be sitting home alone on this most hallowed day.

As I climbed the stairs to the Cincinnati Art Museum within Eden Park, I scanned the area for any sign of the person who was supposed to be my date. The picture included in my meet-up instructions had been of an attractive man with blondish-brown hair, blue eyes, and a killer smile.

Fake.

No way a hottie like that was single.

Somebody had to have taken the time to photoshop the shit out of his picture before uploading it to the dating profile.

Of course, my boss had used the photo from my employee badge, in which I was rocking the “deer in the headlights” look in a suit that was too big for my lanky body. Thankfully, I appeared more disillusioned now than surprised, and I could afford suits tailored to my size.

It didn’t matter. I had no intention of going through with this date. The only reason I’d shown up was to tell the guy it was all a mistake. Yeah, dick move, but ghosting him was an even bigger asshole move.

After that, I planned to pick up some food and head home to binge-watch some of my favorite shows until I passed out and had to go to work the next day. And when Sebastian asked about the date, I’d say it didn’t work out and he’d drop it. Quick. Clean. Easy.

Except the date I was meeting actually was a hottie.

The toe of my shoe caught on the lip of a step as I gawked at the stranger and I tripped, nearly face planting no more than five yards away. Catching myself at the last second, I glanced up to find that he’d pushed to his feet from where he sat on a bench and walked toward me. Of course, he’d caught my clumsy act. The tips of my ears burned as I straightened my coat and suit jacket. Great first impression .

Nope. Didn’t matter.

I’d tell him the truth, and we’d go our separate ways. Never to meet again. First impressions weren’t important.

“Kaylan?” the man inquired as he drew closer. His voice was deep with the slightest hint of a rasp. Was that natural, or was he recovering from a cold? Regardless, it was sexy.

The only turnoff was the dark sunglasses hiding his eyes. It was a gray, dreary day. There was zero call for the shades. Probably hiding bloodshot eyes that drooped from his hangover. Hottie needed a few drawbacks before I did something stupid like go through with this setup.

I was still trying to decide if he was hungover or thought himself too cool in sunglasses when I replied, “Yes, I’m Kaylan Baumgartner. You’re Arden?”

“Arden Fischer,” Hottie introduced, extending his hand. I took it and had to suppress a shiver that tried to run wild through my body. Okay, so he had great hair, a sexy smile, and a big strong hand. Fine . He was sexy. Maybe he was sexy enough for sunglasses on a cloudy day.

“I’ll admit, after reading your profile, I didn’t think you’d show.”

Without thinking, I took a step back and shoved my hands into my pockets while once again cursing Sebastian. My boss was turning into the bane of my existence. “What do you mean? What’s in my bio that made you think I’d do something so rude?”

“No!” Arden waved both hands at me. “I didn’t mean it like that. Just…you’re so adorable and hot. I thought this had to be a practical joke. I mean, it’s not like the app can filter out the jokers and the fakes, right?”

“Yeah, no, right?” I babbled, huffing out the most awkward laugh of my life. At least he didn’t sound as pretentious as he looked.

Death to Sebastian.

Death to his fellow minion, Byron Graham . He’d probably helped our boss create this stupid bio.

And adorable? No. Not even close. Maybe Arden was blind, and that was why he was wearing sunglasses.

As we stood there awkwardly, I sneaked another glance up his body. He was dressed in a pair of dark slacks with a heather-gray V-neck sweater over a black T-shirt. His heavy coat hung just below his waist, providing a good glimpse of his muscular body. This was a man who liked to work out. No bulging muscles, but I doubted I’d be able to locate even an ounce of fat on his body.

If this wasn’t some painful setup but rather a random hookup, I’d be happy to go looking for that fat with a magnifying glass.

Well, that said way too much about my priorities. Happy with a one-night stand but not a date? Ugh . Sebastian might be right that I needed to get back out there.

“Well, umm…technically, I didn’t sign up for this,” I admitted. Time to bite the bullet.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

I lowered my gaze to the ground, watching as I traced the toe of my shoe along a crack in the sidewalk. “Someone else put my information into the app and signed me up for this blind date thing.”

My heart skipped at the low, throaty laugh that rose from Arden and I jerked my head up to find him grinning. “Meddling sister?” he asked.

“No, meddling boss.”

“What? Really? Your boss?”

I dredged a sigh from the very bottom of my soul. “Yeah, my boss. He’s one of those types who likes to chat about everyone’s private life and wants everyone to be blissfully in love. It’s weird. Apparently, when he found out that I wasn’t dating anyone and hadn’t dated in a couple of years, he came up with the brilliant idea of setting me up.”

“Wow…I…I…I got nothing,” he finished with a shake of his head. “Seriously, I’ve never known a boss like that.”

I shrugged. “Sebastian can be weird, but he’s a good boss. Cares a lot about the well-being of his employees.”

“Clearly.” Arden chuckled. “But doesn’t that app have to be on your phone? For our date, you had to get instructions on where to meet.”

I lifted my left hand out of my pocket and showed him a battered smartphone. “This is my phone.” Then I lifted my right hand out of my other pocket and displayed a brand-new black smartphone without a case. “This is a new phone my boss bought so he could set me up on a blind date.”

Arden threw his head back and laughed, filling the area with that deep, joyous sound. I swore it created a break in the perpetual cloud cover, offering up the sweetest taste of spring. I dragged in a breath and chortled. There was no stopping it. The happiness falling off Arden was soaking into me, chasing away the chill and the grumpiness.

“Your boss is a riot,” Arden proclaimed when his laughter died off.

“He keeps things interesting.” I shoved both phones into my pockets again and rocked on my feet, feeling a little less awkward but also not sure what to do next. The original plan to brush this guy off didn’t seem so great now. Or at least I wasn’t in such a hurry to move along. Of course, that didn’t mean Arden had any interest in sticking with me after he’d been set up with someone who didn’t want to be there in the first place.

I cleared my throat and forced a smile. “Look, you thought you were getting someone who knew all about this blind date event. I wasn’t even the one who filled out the profile. God only knows what Sebastian put in mine. So, if you don’t want to do this date thing, I get it. No hard feelings. I’m sorry you got sucked into my boss’s insanity.”

“Well,” Arden began only to pause and lick his lips. “Since we’re being so honest.” He reached up and removed his glasses to reveal not bloodshot eyes, but eyes of two startling colors.

“Whoa!” I gasped and then winced at my complete inability to temper my reaction to something less insulting. “Sorry. I mean…umm…cool.”

Arden hooked one arm of his sunglasses on the V of his sweater and smiled. He lowered his head, staring more at the ground than meeting my gaze. “No. It’s okay. It’s called heterochromia. Just one of those things people are born with.”

“Yeah, I knew a girl in college who had that, but…”

The man tipped his head up and smirked, even though he wasn’t quite looking at me. “Not as stark?”

“Yes.” I exhaled. Jennifer’s eyes were brown and light hazel. In most indoor lighting, you didn’t even notice the difference in colors unless you were close to her.

But Arden’s eyes were astounding. His left was a brown so dark that it almost appeared black, while his right was a pale sky blue.

“I usually wear colored contacts on dates for a while, so I don’t make my date uncomfortable. But I didn’t realize that I was out of contacts until I was getting ready this afternoon.”

“I’m not uncomfortable!” My voice jumped a conspicuous octave or two, making me wince and Arden grin. “I’m trying not to stare, but I’m also trying to meet your eyes as we talk and still not stare.”

“The ultimate catch-22,” Arden teased.

“Totally.”

A silence settled between us, but it didn’t feel all that uncomfortable. At least, not as awkward as I would have expected. He seemed like an interesting, easygoing guy that I wouldn’t have minded chatting up while standing in line for my morning coffee. If I were at all brave, I would have hit on him at a bar.

But I wasn’t brave in dating.

Which was why I was in this situation.

A bitter wind rushed through the city, rattling the bare tree limbs and sending dead leaves scratching and twirling along the sidewalk. I ducked my head down and lifted my shoulders while gathering my coat tighter around me. For a moment, I’d forgotten about the gray skies and the bitter cold nipping through my clothes at my flesh.

“Did you have other plans for today?” Arden asked.

“A hoagie, steak fries, and some TV binging. I can’t go back to work, or my boss will know I bailed on my date.”

Arden rubbed his jaw, something like mirth sparkling in his pale eye. “Those aren’t terrible plans. But, you know, since we’re here…would you be interested in wandering through the art museum like we were supposed to? We could list all the ways we’re a terrible match for each other.”

My heart skipped, and I couldn’t stop my grin. “You mean like a reverse interview where you showcase all your worst qualities and why you’d be a horrible match.”

“Precisely. But you can’t make anything up. That’s one of my big turnoffs: dishonesty. These have to be genuine weird traits and quirks.”

Did I want to spend a couple of hours with Arden, trying to scare him away?

Sure. Why not?

There was no pressure to impress him or win him over. Just two acquaintances getting to know each other while appreciating some art.

“Sure. Sounds like fun.”