Heartless: Episode 1

I laughed out loud. “What on God’s green earth are you talking about?”

“Daniel Alexander. He was by far the only guy worth drooling over at that mixer. So, tell me everything.” Her voice rose in pitch with her excitement level. “And I swear to God, Elizabeth, if you leave out a si

ngle detail, I’ll know. My vagina will tell me.”

“Shut the hell up. What is wrong with you?” I whisper-shouted at her through my tight-lipped smile as I leaned in.

She swatted my shoulder. “It’s fine. HR isn’t even in yet. No one’s here. Now, tell me everything.”

“I wasn’t even talking about HR.” I rolled my eyes at my insane assistant, whom I loved dearly.

Even though she was a crazed lunatic, she was my crazed lunatic. We walked into the kitchen, and she grabbed coffee while I piled fruit onto a plate.

“You were right about Daniel. He was hot, so hot,” I informed her.

“Anyone with eyeballs could see that. What was he like?”

I tried to think of how to classify Daniel. What words would describe him best? “I don’t know. He was bossy and arrogant and irritating. He pretty much stalked me all night.”

Sipping her coffee, she almost choked as she quickly swallowed. “Oh my God, you like him.”

“Nope.”

“You do.”

“I don’t.”

“Do.”

“Ugh,” I groaned. “You sound just like him. Maybe you two should date. It would be like elementary school all over again.”

“I’m hurt.” She placed a hand over her heart. “I would never move in on a man you liked. You know I’m not that kind of lady.”

“I don’t even know him. Even though I think he’s hot, it doesn’t matter. You know my rule, Barbara—no guys.”

I wanted to forget about last night. Daniel Alexander could continue living his über successful life up in San Francisco, and I could pretend that he didn’t exist. This was the best option for me anyway, considering I couldn’t get him out of my damn head since I’d walked away from him.

My rules—or one rule actually—consisted of no dating and no distractions until I made a solid name for myself at this company and in this industry. I realized that I’d already made a splash that most people would kill for, but that was because of my age and title, not necessarily because of my work.

Everyone was waiting for me to fail, for the journalistic articles on my talent to be baseless and untrue. Most of the people whom I considered friends at one time had talked shit behind my back. When people spoke about the entertainment industry being filled with those who would step all over others to get ahead, they had no idea how much truth lied in that statement. And the men were worse than the women in that regard. The men would gossip and plot in ways that honestly scared me. I had to keep my wits about me at all times, or I’d be done for.

The worst part was, these men who wanted me out of this position didn’t even know why—other than the fact that I was a female. My work truly did speak for itself, and they all knew it. They simply couldn’t handle it.

All I really craved was respect from an industry that had always been a boys’ club. I wanted everyone to know what they were getting when they worked with me—a talented, on-top-of-things, undistracted, kick-ass executive who could do the job better than anyone had before. So, until that day arrived, there would be no distractions.

Truthfully, up until last night, that rule had been easy to adhere to. I rarely met anyone who wasn’t business-related, and I never mixed business with pleasure.

When I’d happened to meet men, most were intimidated by my success and couldn’t get away from me quickly enough. It usually took all of two minutes into a conversation before a guy would check his phone for messages, looking for a way out.

As disappointing as those times had been, I never let them get to me because I hadn’t been interested in any of those men in the first place. I’d only spoken to them initially to prove that asshole Ben wrong. I wanted to be desired for my ambition and talent, not feared for it. But all I’d ended up doing was proving him right time and time again, and that had only solidified my realization that guys, for the most part, sucked.

That was, until Daniel Alexander had waltzed into my life and made me feel. He’d kissed my lips, and I’d not only let him, but I’d also enjoyed it. Hell, I couldn’t stop daydreaming about it. It was as though this guy had reached into my chest, grabbed my heart with one hand, and squeezed until it started beating again. My heart, which had lain dormant for so long, was now wide-awake.

“Hello?”

The sound of fingers snapping drew me out of my thoughts.

“Earth to Elizabeth.” Barbara waved a hand in front of my face.