Illicit

Chapter Three

The afternoon flew by as I spent the second half of my first day at Reed Publishing getting acquainted with everyone from the seventy-third and seventy-fourth floors. As I followed the head of HR from office to office, I met more people and learned more than I’d ever be able to retain in my brain. By the time four o’clock rolled around, I’d developed a small headache at the base of my skull.

Still, I was just as excited now as I had been this morning, and though I wouldn’t be able to remember all of their names, the people I’d met so far had been friendly and welcoming.

Now, standing beside Blanca Arroyo, the editorial director, in the elevator, a tingly sense of apprehension settled into my gut as we rode up to the top floor of Reed Tower.

I would soon be face to face with the man I lectured in the elevator.

My new boss.

But not the Cabot Reed I’d envisioned. No, I would not be shadowing a kind old man with such a strong love of reading that he created a magical library downstairs and opened it up to the public so children would always have a safe place to go within the city.

No, apparently, this Cabot Reed was a formidable, terrifying man.

He was also deliciously attractive.

And he’d sent me a gift.

I’d been racking my brain all day and was no closer to understanding why he’d done so, or what the gesture meant.

Or how to rectify it with what I’d learned about him at lunch.

But none of that mattered because I was a lowly intern and he was a CEO.

The gift didn’t mean a thing. It couldn’t mean a thing. And, looking into it any deeper than that would be fruitless. Regardless of which Cabot Reed I would be working for, I was here to learn all I could. When the internship was over in three months time, I would obtain a job in the industry, whether at Reed Publishing or elsewhere. That was it. Nothing more. I certainly didn’t have the time to entertain thoughts about the man behind the gift, monster or otherwise.

The doors opened and Blanca reached forward to keep them from closing, then smiled and motioned for me to go ahead. “Welcome to the seventy-fifth floor, Ms. Blake.”

Like the two floors I visited below, there was a circular reception desk smack in the center of this level, opposite the elevator bay, but that was where the similarities in layout ended. This floor consisted of massive offices, and a conference room that could probably hold the entire two-hundred-plus employees, rather than smaller rooms and tightly-packed cubicles like the floors below.

“This level houses the entire legal department.” She motioned to the right, then pointed to the back right corner. “The CFO’s office is that one, although Mr. Rasmussen is out of town this week so you won’t be meeting him today. You can see that the conference room is there.” She pointed to the massive room behind the reception desk that stretched almost entirely from one end of the building to the other and was lined with floor-to-ceiling glass. “And the CEO’s office is that one in the back.” She motioned to the corner office on the far left of the conference room. “This floor also houses the head of marketing and the head of design. Their offices are over there.” She pointed to the left of the reception area, then smiled and stepped forward. “And this is Mr. Reed’s executive assistant, Stella–”

The striking brunette raised her hand quickly to stop Blanca from speaking, not skipping a beat in her conversation as she waved us onward with a dismissive flick of her wrist.

I offered a smile as I followed Blanca past reception, but the brunette only glared at me. Okay then. Wonder what crawled up her ass and died–

“Follow me,” Blanca said, apparently unfazed by the rude receptionist. “Mr. Reed is expecting us.”

Butterflies kicked to life in my stomach. “Is it…” I paused, considering my words.

“Hmm?” Blanca looked back at me over her shoulder.

“I’m just wondering, um… which Mr. Reed I should be expecting.”

“Oh, of course. Cabot Reed has recently retired. It’s not official yet–there’s been no public announcement–but his son has already taken over. Starting today, in fact. So, you’re joining us in the middle of a bit of a transitional period, but I’m hopeful that you won’t be too adversely affected by any of the hiccups we may run into during this time. Truthfully, the Reed family have been preparing for this for some time now, so the transition should go smoothly.”

I nodded as we reached the end of the hall.

Bracing myself to see the tall, dark, and handsome man I lectured in the elevator this morning, I followed Blanca into Reed’s office.

Decorated in sleek, modern furniture in shades of black and dark wood with hints of glistening steel, Reed’s office was at once understated and luxurious, as commanding as the man currently sitting behind the desk, his chair turned toward the New York City skyline. Blanca knocked gently against the door jamb to alert our arrival.

Speaking in hushed tones, Reed finished up a call without acknowledging our presence.

Shocker.

Blanca offered me a quick smile, then stepped into the office, stopping just inside the door while I remained awkwardly in the doorway. What would he say when he saw me? Would he ask about the gift? Apologize for his rudeness in the elevator?

Embarrass me for my earlier behavior?

Fire me for insubordination?

Sweat began to moisten my palms, so I rubbed them down my pant legs.

His voice was tight and quiet as he ended the call, tension sitting heavily in the air.

Blanca cleared her throat. “Mr. Reed?”

The chair spun slowly toward us and I held my breath.

When his dark eyes locked with mine, my skin erupted in goosebumps.

He dragged his gaze down my body, then back up, a quick once over that left heat in its wake because regardless of who he was or what I’d learned of him so far, my body wanted his. A little twitch of his lip was all he gave me before his gaze flicked over to Blanca. “Mrs. Arroyo. Good afternoon. Who’s this?”

My pulse raced. He knew exactly who I was.

Didn’t he?

Doubt began to creep in around the edges of my mind. Surely he’d been the one who’d sent the limited edition Simona Steele. Who else could it have been? But the way he looked at me now, not an ounce of recollection in his gaze…

And worst of all, not only was there no recollection in his eyes, but there was certainly no warmth. Even during our short time together in the elevator his eyes had shown more emotion than they did now.

“This is Rylan Blake, our fall intern.”

“Rylan Blake.” He repeated the words slowly, tasting each syllable.

My name on his lips created a physical reaction in my body. Fire roared through my veins. It pooled deep in my belly. As our gazes remained locked, my mouth watered.

And then the Smirker was back, watching me in that amused way of his as if he followed every thought, could read every reaction in my eyes.

Hell, maybe he could.

“Welcome to Reed Publishing, Ms. Blake.”

I cleared my throat, pushing aside the unwelcomed desire he stirred in me. “Thank you. It’s a pleasure to be here. I’ve really been looking forward to–”

His cell phone buzzed on the table and he picked it up, bringing it to his ear. “Williams. What an unpleasant surprise.” Reed spun slowly back around, leaving me staring at his thick head of hair over the top of the black leather chair, my mouth open on the words he’d so rudely cut off by answering a phone call halfway through my sentence.

Blanca brushed her fingers over my arm and nodded toward the door.

So that was how Reed wanted to play it? Fine.

I’d known immediately that he wasn’t a likable man, and now I had proof. That, combined with the warnings from my new friends, was enough to strengthen my resolve. This physical reaction to the head of Reed Publishing was problematic, and now I had plenty of reasons to ignore the hell out of it. Self-preservation was all I could think about, all that mattered, and feeling this attraction toward my boss was no way to self-preserve anything.

Thankfully, his beauty was only skin deep. He was truly the jerk I’d originally pegged him for, so ignoring my body’s reaction to him would be a piece of cake.

As Blanca and I returned to the elevator bay, she gave the receptionist a little wave.

Sure enough, the woman ignored her.