PROLOGUE
London...
ANTONIO ARCURI GESTURED for the petite brunette to slide into the limousine ahead of him. He might be accustomed to ushering women he’d only just met into his chauffeur-driven town car, but not when it was business. Never when it was business.
Yet there had been no other option. His morning meeting had run unacceptably late, and now he could neither cancel this last interview for a new PA nor be late for his meeting with the other two members of the Winners’ Circle—the racing syndicate he co-owned.
Antonio had been waiting almost a year to see his closest friends Dimitri and Danyl, his brothers in more ways than blood could ever account for. So he had been forced to multi-task. And Antonio hated nothing more than having his hand forced.
So far, the brunette—Ms Guilham—had yet even to raise an eyebrow at the somewhat unusual relocation of their meeting, which boded well. The way that she struggled with the wayward hemline of her skirt as it rose up over toned, creamy thighs the moment she sat back on the plush leather seat did not. The hemline that when she was standing bordered on the overly conservative was now a sincerely unwanted distraction.
Settling into the seat beside her, Antonio studied Emma Guilham from the corner of his eye. She was petite. Beautiful, he conceded, then filed and discarded the fact. Whether a future PA of his was attractive or not was irrelevant. At least she had finally stopped fidgeting with her skirt.
The limousine pulled away from the dark underground parking area of his London office, emerged into pale wintry sunlight...and into busy central London traffic. He cursed silently and resisted the urge to glance at his watch. He knew what time it was and he was cutting it fine.
‘Your driver should take St James’s and then Pall Mall. Christmas and Regent Street don’t mix well.’
She locked her hazel eyes on his and Antonio felt a sudden start in his chest. Her gaze held no desperate eagerness to please, no fevered excitement, nor the sensual assessment he often felt when women looked at him. He knew he was attractive and took full advantage of the fact—though never with his employees.
But, most importantly, there was no pretence in her eyes. And that was both unusual and—to him—invaluable.
Compared to the three other interviewees he’d met, she was, on paper, the least impressive. At barely twenty-two, Emma Guilham was young. But while the other candidates had varied in age from late twenties to early fifties, she currently seemed the least flappable. He didn’t need to look at her CV. His quick mind recalled all the pertinent information and he proceeded with the interview for the position of his new PA.
‘You graduated with your International Business Studies degree from SOAS after attaining four A levels. You can type one hundred and twenty words per minute, you like travelling and reading,’ he stated, somewhat disconcerted to see the hazel flecks in her eyes transition into sea-green foam. ‘You are hardworking—a fact repeatedly attested to by the CFO of my London office, where you have been working full-time for the past few months, and part-time for the year before that. At the same time finishing your degree—another thing my CFO repeatedly emphasised.’
A quick nod of the head was Emma’s only reaction, which drew a frown to his forehead. Usually candidates like to expound on their virtues when he raised the opportunity to do so. He left a second, a breath of space for her to speak, but she remained silent.
‘The position is in New York. I deal in high-stakes, highly confidential business acquisition and I expect long hours, absolute focus and complete discretion. Both in business matters and personal. I am not always present in the New York office, but your presence will be required there full-time.’
‘Of course.’
He continued to watch for the smallest change in expression. She had yet to display the excitement or even the badly supressed shock and awe that he had so irritatingly witnessed through the previous interviews.
‘You don’t seem to be engaging with this interview, Ms Guilham.’ He had no patience for time-wasters. And he had no need for a ‘yes’ woman, but still. This was...unique.
‘You have yet to ask me a question, Mr Arcuri,’ she said, with no trace of accusation or offence in her tone. ‘May I speak plainly?’ she asked, and he gestured for her to do so with a swift swipe of his hand.
‘Mr Arcuri, I have attended three preliminary interviews for this position—one with UK HR, one with North American HR, and one with your previous PA. I am under no illusions as to my limited experience in comparison to more seasoned applicants, and can only conclude that your willingness to squeeze me in to your “commute” is a gracious courtesy. It is one that I appreciate.’
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At this, the brunette rapped on the window to talk to the driver.
‘Left here, then second right,’ she said, before turning her gaze back to him. ‘I believe at this point your choice comes down to personality. And as far as you’re concerned, as my future boss, I don’t have one. You want someone to live and breathe Arcuri Enterprises? That I can do. You want someone to handle an international diary? I can do it with my eyes closed. You want someone to bar the way and dissolve anything that might prevent your valuable time from being spent as you wish? I’m the one you want. Anything else your background checks can uncover or you don’t need to know. I want to work for you because you’re the best. It’s that simple.’
The limousine glided to a stop outside the grand building of the Asquith Club in London just as Antonio was digesting the rather impressive and somewhat surprising speech that had filled the car.
Ms Guilham smiled, not unkindly.
Antonio felt a small smile pull at the edges of his lips in response.
‘I have one question, Ms Guilham.’
‘Yes?’