The playboy's virgin
By: Mia CarsonHe had lied. He had glanced away at the last sentence, and his eye had twitched. She knew he thought her designs were great. Her latest works blew even Tim away, but Greyson was too arrogant to admit that she had talent. He didn’t think an assistant like her could be anything more, even if she was working her ass off. Either way, she was sick of him and it’d only been a week.
“Belle? Can you come in here for a minute?” Greyson’s voice echoed over the intercom.
She gritted her teeth but pressed the button. “One minute.”
Part of her hoped he had reconsidered. All day, she had given him the cold shoulder in the hope he would at least realize he was ruder than necessary yesterday, but as she stepped into his office, he didn’t even look up. Instead, he picked up his coffee mug and held it out to her.
“Mind grabbing me a refill? And add some sugar. Oh, and I need you to call my mom and let her know I have to cancel my plans for this weekend. I have a date I can’t avoid.”
The curl to his lips told her exactly what type of date it was. She’d heard enough rumors around the office to know what type of man he was with the ladies. He’d even flirted with her a time or two, though she’d pretended not to notice.
Calling his mom? Does he really think I’m that desperate for this job? she thought, but another voice whispered in answer, what else are you going to do?
Greyson tapped a few more keys before he glanced up and frowned. He was still holding his mug, and Belle hadn’t moved from the door to take it. “Belle? Did you hear me? Coffee and phone call, come on. I don’t have all day.”
“No,” she said before she could stop herself. He might be damn good looking with his beard and rugged demeanor and a voice she could listen to all day long, but she had not taken this job to be treated like this.
He set the mug down slowly and stared at her with one raised brow. “No?”
“No. I came here to learn about your company and understand the ins and outs of what it takes to create an MMO and other games,” she said, taking a step forward. Her voice grew louder with each word as her annoyance spilled over. “I’m done playing your secretary.”
“That’s what you were hired for,” he told her. “You were to work here as my assistant—”
She argued, cutting him off. “The internship was to work with your team of designers and learn from them. You changed the job to benefit your needs! You’re selfish and arrogant and, my God, do you really think you’re so good at what you do that you can look down on everyone else’s hard work?”
She yelled her last words, and behind her, she heard the subtle talk throughout the office fall silent. She should’ve stopped, apologized, and done what he’d asked, but watching him stare at her openly and smirk as if he was going to come out on top of this infuriated her.
“You have this job for college credit, and you’re being paid a stipend,” he informed her simply. “Take it for what it is, do the work, and reap the benefits. I don’t see the problem.”
“Of course you wouldn’t,” she snapped. “You don’t know what it’s like to come from nothing, to work up from nothing.”
“You think you know everything about me?” he argued and pushed to his feet.
Belle didn’t back down, and her hands fisted at her sides. “I know enough to recognize a self-fulfilling, arrogant bastard who can’t find the good grace to be nice!”
“I have been nice,” he growled. “What have I done that wasn’t nice?”
“Everything! The first time you spoke to me, you dismissed me like I was just some girl who happened to be working in your office!”
“Aren’t you?” he shot back, and Belle threw her hands up in frustration.
“No, I’m not, and you know that. You saw what I can do, and this is what you’re going to do with me? Have me get you coffee and call your mother?” She shook her head and laughed sharply. “Who the hell does that?”
“I do because I’m the CEO and can do whatever the hell I want!” He leaned on his desk and glared steadily at her.
The predatory look in his eyes revealed that he did always get what he wanted. His company was where it was because of that attitude. He had numerous female employees hanging around him all day at the office as he flirted, and he was wealthy enough to buy whatever he might ever desire. He treated everyone in his office with respect except her.
“Is this because I refuse to flirt with you?” she asked quietly.
He swallowed hard and straightened. “This has nothing to do with that.”
“Sure it doesn’t, because you always get what you want,” she muttered. “Get your own damn coffee and call your own damn mother. I’m done playing games. I need serious work so I can learn and this place… you? You’re just not cutting it.”
Her heart pounding and mind racing in disbelief, Belle stormed out of his office, grabbed her bag, and rushed through the office to the stairs because she didn’t want to wait for the elevator. She shoved open the door and made it to the bus stop just as it pulled up. As it drove away from the curb, she turned back to the office building. The romantic in her wanted to see him rushing out the doors to catch her, but he wasn’t there. No one came after her, and Belle sank down in her seat.
The ride back to campus was short, but it was long enough for immediate regret to fill her about what she had done. She would have to call her old place of employment at the library and see if she could get her job back. Money would be tight again, and she would have no time to do her homework. Not that this internship really opened up any, but at least she felt like she was working towards an end goal. What if he told other companies about her blowup? They’d never hire a hot-head.
She opened her dorm door and found her roommate there, working on her laptop across the room. Belle didn’t say a word, just stomped inside and flopped down face first on her bed.
“What’s your problem and why are you home?” Carrie asked. “It’s the middle of the day.”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Belle replied, muffled by the pillows.
“Is that code for ‘I messed up big time?’”
Belle shrugged and heard Carrie’s sigh. “Wasn’t my fault.”
“Was it your temper?”
She sat up and cringed. “It might have been part of it,” she admitted, playing with a thread on her comforter to avoid eye contact.
Carrie closed her laptop and pursed her lips. “You want to talk about it?”
“I don’t know. Are you going to lecture me?” she replied. She had no family, no one except her friend Carrie. They’d met freshman year, and since then, they were like sisters. Though Carrie did like to pry into every aspect of Belle’s life, she did it for her own good. Belle liked having at least one person who cared about her, even if it was over the top.
“You need a night out,” she decided and stood, clapping her hands together.
“What? No, we have to work the gallery in the morning,” Belle argued, but Carrie was already buried in their small shared closet, tossing clothes out over her shoulder. “Seriously. I don’t want to be hungover tomorrow.”
She turned and winked. “So don’t be hungover. We’ll just have a few so you can relax. You don’t do enough of that.”
“I have too much homework to do this weekend,” she said, trying a different approach.
“You’ll find the time. You always do.”
“One of these days, I might not,” she said quietly. “Carrie? I really think I messed up this time.”
Her friend stopped her puttering around their room and frowned. “Does this have anything to do with that smoking hot boss of yours that you’ve been drooling over all week?”
Belle’s cheeks burned, but she nodded. “I don’t think I’m going to see him again—ever.”
Carrie walked over and sat down on the bed beside her, giving her a one-armed hug. “Then you definitely need a night out, and I have just the outfit for you to turn some heads. Maybe you’ll actually have a little dessert… if you know what I mean.”
“Oh no, you’re not hooking me up with anyone, not again,” she muttered and leapt off the bed. “The last time was a disaster!”
“He tried to kiss you, and you freaked out and ran off,” Carrie argued with a laugh.
“I wasn’t ready,” Belle stated firmly, though she didn’t meet her friend’s eyes.
“One of these days, you need to be. I promise I won’t send anyone your way, but we are going out,” she said. “And you’re wearing your hair up for a change. I can’t stand it always covering your face.”
Belle smirked and looked at her reflection in the mirror. “Whatever you say.”
***
The workday came to a tense close around the office, but Greyson noticed everyone reporting to Davis’s desk to pick up their winnings from the pool. Fourth assistant in a month gone, and he’d had hopes for Belle. She had lasted a week. Managed to get him completely back on track, organized his damn office, and had a good head on her shoulders. The rest of her had been nice to look at all day too, but now she was gone.
