CHAPTER 11
Maddox had almost forgotten it was Mila’s first day as his second assistant. Almost.
It kept coming to mind, and he didn’t know why. It wasn’t anything special. She’d probably work with Parker more than him anyway.
But when Mila stepped inside his office behind Parker for the first time, he had no regrets about what he’d done. After all, he planned to make her useful. And now she was in his power and would have to behave. It was a win-win.
“I thought I should introduce the new assistant,” Parker said as they stopped in front of his desk. Parker had seemed puzzled by this turn of events, but Maddox didn’t need to explain it to him or anyone. “This is Mila Nelson.”
Mila hung back a step with her hands clasped in front of her. She looked demure but Maddox knew better.
He smiled brightly and Mila smiled back though it didn’t make her eyes sparkle the way he’d seen with other people. “I’m sure Parker will train you well. You can start by getting my coffee.”
Parker didn’t flinch. But he could sense Mila tense. When she didn’t respond, Maddox arched his eyebrows at her.
Her eyes widened slightly. Then, she said in a strained voice, “Yes…sir.”
Maddox smiled in satisfaction. “You’ll do just fine.” He waved at Parker, who guided Mila back toward the door. He caught her glower over her shoulder as Parker led them out and shut the door.
Maddox laced his fingers behind his head and grinned. He would enjoy every minute of this. Immensely.
A few minutes later, Mila came back alone and carefully set a white coffee cup on his desk. “What took so long?” He didn’t glance up as he said it, but he could see her mouth part and then snap shut.
She clasped her hands again. “I’m sorry, Mr. Cross. I’ll try and be a quick study.”
He set his pen down and looked up. When he did, he was taken aback by having her so close. Her mahogany waves were pinned up away from her face, which he didn’t like as much. But the figure-flattering blouse and pants she wore made up for it. For a second, he completely forgot what he wanted to say.
After a moment, Mila added, “Is there anything else, Mr. Cross?”
Maddox blinked and shook his head, mostly to try and clear the cobwebs. Clearly, he did need coffee. “When I ask for something, I want it now.”
She hesitated briefly but said, “Yes, sir.”
“Good.” When she didn’t leave, he added, “That’s it. I’ll call when you’re needed.”
She nodded tersely and filed out.
He sat back in his chair after she left. Mila didn’t look like somebody’s assistant, nor did she feel like she belonged in that position. And that should probably bother him. For now, he would ignore that and enjoy having her in his power.
Mila marched back to the break room where Parker waited for her. On the walk, she took deep breaths to purge her desire to break something.
Of course, Maddox Cross would take advantage of this situation and purposely act like a boar. She should have seen it coming. She could only hope this situation would be very temporary.
Parker stood up when she entered the room. “Was he mad? You were gone longer than I expected.”
Mila shook her head. “I took too long but it’s fine. I don’t expect this to be easy.” For more reasons than he could understand.
Parker dug his hands in his pockets and seemed like he wanted to say something.
“Is there something else I should do?” Mila asked.
Parker shrugged it off. “No. He’ll be occupied for now, so let’s go over some basics.”
The basics included coffee, other beverages, food, and a bunch of mundane things. “I guess you’ll be happy to ditch the grunt work,” Mila said as she copied numbers and instructions into her phone.
He laughed lightly. “It’s fine either way. But I promise I won’t expect you to figure things out on your own.”
Mila looked up from her phone. Parker’s soft features had scrunched up into a partial smile. “I’m glad to hear it. This is somewhat new territory for me.” She’d felt nervous with her original assistant position at the fashion house, but the environment was much more laid-back.
“I know,” Parker told her casually.
Mila raised her eyebrows curiously. Did Parker know who she really was? It hit her that he might, which was disconcerting.
“I mean,” he added quickly, “I was told you don’t have a lot of experience.”