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  Holly just shook her head. It was disgusting how blatantly biased the man was.

  “Do you have your phone on you?” he asked as she settled into her office.

  “I do, why?”

  “I need to borrow it to try some number spoofing stuff for the robo-calling system. It will also let you talk to people anywhere if you want to do your real phone calls without giving them your real number.”

  Holly rolled her eyes. “Whatever, Troy. I still don’t like this system.” She tossed him her phone and he gave her a satisfied smile.

  “Thanks. I’ll get this back to you by lunch.”

  She spent the morning in a series of meetings to arrange her schedule of appearances for the next few weeks. But she just went through the motions of nodding and smiling as they filled her calendar. The hours dragged on, and she wished for one o’clock to get here so she could go to a meeting that she hoped would forever change her life.

  Chapter Seven

  Elijah pulled up to the agreed-upon restaurant a half hour early. It was a power move, he admitted, but he also wanted to make sure the hostess gave them a secluded table where he could conduct the interview in relative privacy.

  He almost laughed out loud at the thought that this was an interview then mentally kicked himself. An interview was all it was, and he needed to stop thinking otherwise. Holly Sutton was off limits and not just because she was his best friend’s sister.

  Irritated with his train of thought, he was more terse with the hostess than he should have been, so he handed her a twenty after his request for a private table. The woman smiled tightly and led him to a table in the corner of the small restaurant.

  Placing Holly’s file and a binder on the table setting, he walked back to the front to wait for Holly. Fifteen minutes later she arrived, and Elijah sucked in a sharp breath. The dress she wore combined with her dark long locks framing her face made her look like a vixen and an angel all wrapped up in one. The deep red of the curve hugging dress was a sharp contrast to her smooth pale skin, and she wore a shade of lipstick that nearly matched the dress. He’d read somewhere that matching lipstick to clothes was tacky, but he thought it worked in this case. Not that he was any sort of fashion expert.

  Holly stepped close to him and offered a firm handshake. After exchanging obligatory pleasantries, Elijah offered his elbow and led her to the table in the corner. When Holly noticed the items already on the table, she raised an eyebrow.

  “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long, Mr. Barrett.”

  Elijah smiled as he pulled her chair out for her. “Not at all, Miss Sutton. I just arrived a little early to make sure we got an appropriately comfortable table.”

  Holly put her own folder on the table and set a black handbag on the ground beneath her chair.

  “Where should we begin?” she asked as she opened the folder.

  All business today it would seem. Not that he blamed her. Elijah held up a hand and motioned for a server to approach.

  “How about we start with wine and food, then we’ll start the interview.”

  Holly frowned but gave a terse nod of approval, so Elijah ordered them a bottle of red wine and an appetizer while he motioned for Holly to look over the menu.

  “Is alcohol really appropriate for an interview?” Holly asked as she browsed the one-page menu card.

  Elijah leaned back in his chair and watched her. “I really think more would get done if alcohol were part of more meetings, Miss Sutton.”

  This seemed to amuse her because a slow grin spread across her face. Those red lips twitching upward hardened his cock. What he wouldn’t give to see what else those lips could do.

  “Very well then,” she said. “Excellent choice, by the way. I think it will go well with the grilled Portabella.”

  Elijah frowned. “Please don’t tell me you’re a vegan, Miss Sutton.”

  Holly laughed. “That’s rather rude to vegans. But no, I just really like Portabella mushrooms.”

  Elijah gave a dramatic sigh of relief. “Good. I have high hopes for this interview.”

  Holly laughed and sent his pulse racing. It was a melodic sound that he could get used to in his office. Thankfully the calamari appetizer arrived, along with their wine, to prevent him from going too far down that rabbit hole.

  Elijah speared a piece of the fried seafood and flipped open the file in front of him.

  “It says you graduated with honors with a degree in African Studies on top of your marketing degree. Why did you pursue those degrees?”

  “I wanted to do some good in the world. That seemed like the best combination to help me in my humanitarian efforts. I’m passionate about making a difference in Africa, but I know you can’t really do that without money, so I went with marketing. I knew I would be doing some work for the Sutton Foundation, but I also had hopes of being able to work in other fields.”

  Elijah nodded. “Why do you have such a passion for Africa?”

  Holly swallowed and looked at the ceiling. “I knew this question would come up. Even after all these years it’s hard to talk about. My mom did a lot of charity work there. She was more hands on and in your face than I am. I just smile and convince people to write checks. But those checks go to the people like my mom so they can do the real work on the ground. She died when I was young. Survived all kinds of crazy things in Africa, but got killed by a mugger in L.A.”

  Elijah raised an eyebrow. He knew how Holly’s mom was purported to have died, but she didn’t know the whole story. The version she told him now was a very sugar coated one. It jerked at his heart and he fought the urge to tell her what he knew. Patrick wouldn’t like that though and it wasn’t his story to tell.

  “That’s a very noble cause you have then. I admire it,” he said honestly.

  “Thank you, Mr. Barrett.”

  “Elijah, please.”

  Holly nodded and seemed to be waiting for the next question. Their main courses arrived as he was considering what to ask.

  Flipping through his binder, he turned to a page that outlined his company’s current projects, including man made diamonds.

  “Some of what I do could be in direct competition with your father’s company. Does that pose a problem for you?” he asked as he handed her the sheet of paper from the binder.

  Holly looked it over and Elijah could see her warring with herself. When she squared her shoulders and lifted her head to look him in the eyes, Elijah saw determination. “I don’t think any of this will be a problem, Mr. Barrett. My father is a successful man, but his business is just that, his. I’ve never worked for the jewelry company and was only a spokesperson for the Sutton Foundation.”

  Time for another test question. “If I hire you, what kind of role would you continue to have with the Sutton Foundation?”

  Holly eyed him as she sliced her knife through a portion of her food.

  “If time allows, I would like to still be on hand to be the Sutton at various charity events so it doesn’t all fall on my father, but I can assure you that my job would come first. I wouldn’t let my work with the charity get in the way of what you’re doing.”

  Elijah nodded. It was a fair answer that he would typically accept from a prospective employee, but this situation was unique.

  “Would you take the job if I asked you to cut all ties with the Sutton Foundation?”

  Elijah folded his arms across his chest and stared across the table at her while he waited for her answer.

  “I’m not sure, Mr. Barrett. It’s not like I can change my last name. Why would you ask me to do that?”

  Again, it was a fair response.

  “Let’s just say that the Barrett Corporation has fundamental differences of opinion with all branches of the Sutton Business Group, including the Sutton Foundation. It would unfortunately be a deal breaker for me. I can’t have your loyalties divided. I understand that family is family, and I wouldn’t ask you to change your last name. I certainly can’t stop you from attend
ing family functions, but on a business level, I can’t have employees who have business ties to any arm of the Sutton group of businesses.”

  Holly seemed to mull this over. “If I agree to this and take the job will you give me more insight into why that is?”

  Elijah smiled. “A fair question. But I can’t give you a fair answer, I’m afraid. I’m not the only one involved. Your brother Patrick wouldn’t be keen on me spilling the beans. If I told you anything, it would be after your probationary period is over.”

  Holly nodded. “OK. I can accept that.”

  For the next hour, Elijah grilled Holly about her experience and what she could bring to the table as an assistant. In a lot of ways, this job was a step down, but multiple times throughout the interview, Holly reiterated that she had no intention of staying his assistant. If there wasn’t room for upward growth in the company, she had no interest in the job.

  “Mr. Barrett,” she finally said, “My father, as much as I love him, has kept me stagnant and in some ways locked away since my mother died. He has made it clear that the position I’m in at the Sutton Foundation is the farthest I’ll ever go because he wants to avoid the appearance of impropriety. I don’t blame him for that, but I’m also not OK with being dormant. If cutting ties with the foundation means I have room to grow, then I’ll do it. But if you can’t promise to give me a fair shot at promotions and opportunities to learn the business, then I’m not interested.”

  Elijah leaned forward on his elbows and eyed her carefully. She seemed sincere.

  “I believe you, Holly, and I want to offer you the job right now. But I want to put together an official employment contract and package first. I would advise you to read it carefully when I send it because I take contracts like this very seriously and wouldn’t want you agreeing to anything without reading it.

  Holly nodded. “I look forward to seeing what you can offer me.”

  Elijah leaned back again. There was one more thing he needed to gauge her reaction on.

  “There’s one more thing I want to talk to you about. Have you read about a place called Solitaire in the last six or eight months?”

  He watched for any signs of embarrassment or recognition. A faint blush in her cheeks told him that she had indeed heard of the place, but she kept her composure.

  “Is that the erotic playground that opened in Colorado a few months back?”

  Erotic playground? Elijah tried to keep the amusement off his face. “Is that what the gossip columns are calling it?”

  Holly smirked and he let his own face relax into a smile as she gave him a slow nod. “That or evil sex den, depending on the column.”

  Elijah just shook his head. “Because you’ll be working directly with me on almost everything, I need you to know that sometimes you’ll travel to Colorado with me where I have other business. I sit on the board of Solitaire and we have meetings once a month. You would not be required or even allowed to participate in any of the activities, but you would be required to keep up with my calendar of events at the club. Is that going to be a problem?”

  “Why wouldn’t I be able to participate?”

  Elijah nearly choked on his wine. Of all the reactions he was expecting, this was not one of them. Gathering his composure, he gave her a heated look and said, “Simple. Because you’re not a member, and the membership process is long and rigorous.”

  Holly laughed nervously. “Fair enough. I don’t think any of that will be a problem. Would there be a lot of travel involved with the job?”

  Elijah shrugged. “Some seasons are busier than others. Since I ventured into the lab produced diamond industry, I go to a lot of trade shows and I’m in negotiations with a London company to combine efforts. I would expect you to come along to a lot of those things.

  Holly nodded.

  “I think that just about wraps up our business then, Miss Sutton. Again, I want to apologize for my behavior during our last meeting. I hope you’ll forgive me. I’ll have an employment offer and a contract drawn up and get it to you by end of business. You’ll have until the end of business on Wednesday to review it and get back to me with your answer. I’ve been without an assistant for far too long, so I need to get you into the HR pipeline as quickly as possible if you’re taking the job.”

  Holly stood and offered her hand. “I appreciate the time, Mr. Barrett and I look forward to reading your offer. I can see no reason I wouldn’t accept.”

  Elijah took her hand and said, “Let’s just wait until you’ve read it first. I can be very demanding, Miss Sutton.”

  Chapter Eight

  Holly checked her e-mail for the third time in ten minutes. Still nothing from Elijah Barrett. It was nearly five in the afternoon—end of business for most companies—and she was starting to wonder if he had changed his mind. Memories of him promising to call her as she tugged on her jeans flashed in her head and she felt her face heat.

  A knock at her door interrupted her trip down memory lane and she called for them to come in. It was a messenger holding onto a manilla envelope.

  “You Holly Sutton?” the young kid asked.

  Holly nodded and reached for the package he was holding.

  The teenager shook his head. “Gotta have you open this first. Strict orders from Mr. Barrett,” he said as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small white envelope.

  Holly took it, confused, and tore it open. Inside was a single sheet of paper.

  Holly,

  Thank you for a lovely lunch. I would love to do it again sometime. What I really want is to pick up where we left off three months ago, but a real date seems more appropriate first. If I hire you, that complicates those things. Selfish as it is, I want you to consider not taking the contract from the messenger and have dinner with me instead. I’ll understand if you would rather have the job though.

  Elijah

  The paper shook in her hand as her heart raced. Elijah Barrett was asking her on a date again. Asking her to finish what they started. But he didn’t want to hire her if she agreed to a date. What on earth was she supposed to do? There was no way she was turning down this job unless the contract said she had to shave her head and sacrifice her first born. His note said hiring her complicated a date, not made it impossible right? Holly shook her head and flashed a smile at the teenager who was clearly confused. She pulled some cash from her purse for a tip and accepted the package.

  As the messenger was leaving, her e-mail dinged.

  Miss Sutton,

  While the selfish part of me is disappointed that you took the package, I do look forward to hearing your answer after you’ve read my offer.

  Elijah Barrett

  CEO-Barrett Corporation

  The change in tone from casual to professional between the two notes did not go unnoticed, and for a moment Holly felt a twinge of disappointment of her own. The messenger must have been using some sort of mobile app that alerted customers when recipients of their packages accepted them. Elijah sent his e-mail before she could even open the envelope.

  Sitting at her desk, she slowly opened the package and pulled out the contents. The contract and employment offer were thick, at least twenty pages long, so Holly leaned back and propped her feet up to read. What she found was more surprising than she expected.

  For one thing, the salary he was offering was ridiculously high. The contract mandated training and professional development every ninety days to ‘ensure the candidate has sufficient skills and opportunities to advance in the company should they so desire.’

  She definitely desired. As expected, the contract also stated that she would sever all ties with the Sutton Foundation within thirty days of her start date. If they found her to still be connected to the foundation on day thirty-one, that would be cause for immediate dismissal. He was serious about this and Holly wanted to know why. There was also a clause about doing scheduling that included Solitaire events and they would ask her to sign an NDA regarding all things associated with t
he club.

  In fact, there were multiple NDAs she was required to sign to protect secrets about his various areas of research and development.

  The thing that surprised her most though was the probationary period. It was common, but this was a six-month period. Six months? That seemed a little much.

  Holly kept reading and the surprises kept coming. The six-month probationary period wasn’t just for Holly, it was for Elijah too. The only reason Elijah could fire her within the first six months was for breaking her promise to sever ties with the Sutton Foundation or for doing something illegal. She also wasn’t allowed to quit unless she could offer sufficient proof that Elijah or anyone else in the company was harassing or harming her.

  If she quit before the probationary period was up the non-compete clause would automatically kick in, and it would prevent her from working for any company that was considered Elijah’s competition for the next five years. Because there were so many arms to the company, that covered virtually every major corporation in the country that Holly would want to work for including the Sutton Foundation. If she quit after the probationary period was up, the non-compete clause only prevented her from being hired elsewhere for a year.

  It was a strict contract with a lot of demands but there were a lot of perks as well. She was guaranteed to be working on the Africa projects that she was passionate about. The last page was to be signed by an attorney and notarized by an official witness stating that Holly had let an attorney review the contract. Holly wasn’t sure which attorney to go through. Anyone in the Sutton Foundation would balk at the idea that she had to sever all ties.

  Patrick would know who to ask.

  “So, he wants to hire you? That’s awesome, sis,” he said when she called and told him what she needed.

  “I’m excited but nervous as hell,” she admitted. “Do you know of a good attorney? I don’t want to use any of Daddy’s.”