Chapter 1
It was 6:30 A.M. and I was running late for work. I had recently graduated from college at the age of 32 and I was determined to be a huge success. I had landed a coveted summer internship (although it was unpaid) with Hunter International, a global investment banking and securities firm, and this was only my third week. They usually only accepted students going into their senior year of college for the intern program, but they made an exception for me because of my non-traditional background and my academic record. There were three interns in the program and we were all vying for the same permanent position in the investment banking unit of the firm. The other two interns were young college students. I was hoping my age and life experience would give me an advantage over the younger students. I was extremely focused and prided myself on my attention to detail. I really wanted to make a good impression so that my boss would hire me on full time at the end of the internship. I busted my butt at the office doing whatever anyone asked of me and helping out in any way possible.
I felt so proud to have landed an internship with Hunter International because the CEO, Joshua Hunter, had a stellar reputation. He wanted to be seen as a regular person and did not flaunt his wealth. I had heard that he rode the train to work every day with his security detail so that he could experience what the average citizen experienced riding to work on a daily basis.
I had also heard from people around the office that he was an extremely conservative, serious and driven person. He was fair but very strict. He was an eternal bachelor, never married, no kids and apparently no girlfriend. In my experience, people like that always had another side; they had a different edge that they didn’t want anyone to know about. Maybe I was wrong this time. It didn’t matter. My goal was to be offered a permanent position, and not to speculate about the private life of a billionaire.
Mine wasn’t the typical story where you go to high school, go straight to college, graduate in four years, and then try to find a job as a fresh faced 21 year old. I had been out of high school for several years now and I had spent the last few years raising my two younger brothers. Our parents were hit by a drunk driver on their way home one night, the summer after my senior year of high school. I didn’t want to get out of bed after our parents died but I knew I had to take care of my brothers. We didn’t have any other family, it was just us. I immediately put college, and the rest of my life, on hold and took care of them. They both graduated from college, found great jobs and were living on their own. After I knew they were going to be okay, it was time to focus on myself.
My love life was on the back burner for the time being as I focused on my career goals. That’s not to say I wasn’t interested in finding someone special. I’d had boyfriends along the way, but no one serious. I was an extremely sexual person and I did miss sex. My battery powered friend was the only thing giving me that special satisfaction between my legs and it was time I found the real thing. I would have to figure that out soon but for now I was focused on making a great impression at work. I wanted to be a partner with Hunter International one day and landing a permanent position with them would be my first step to the top. I planned to soak up as much knowledge as possible during this internship and then somehow I was going to get them to hire me on full time.
I had an apartment in the suburbs, because it’s cheaper to live there, and I commuted in to downtown for work. I liked to get into the office early before most other people so I took the 7:05 train every day. I had overslept that morning and was rushing to make the train. I grabbed my purse and my keys and ran out the door. The train was just pulling up to the station when I got there and I ran to the third car, my heels clicking on the pavement. The commuter trains were so much nicer than the city trains. I liked to sit in that train car because it had the largest bathroom and I occasionally used it to finish getting ready if I was running late.
The train had two levels and I preferred to sit on the second level which was almost always empty…except for him. I saw him on the train every day for the last three weeks and he literally took my breath away. He was so gorgeous. Men that gorgeous usually had several women in their rolodex, and if he was rich too? There was no way I could get a man like that, he was way out of my league and I knew it. Don’t get me wrong, I was no slouch. I was fairly attractive and relatively fit, although I had a penchant for butter pecan ice cream which left a few extra pounds on my backside. But I knew I wasn’t his type so I just enjoyed my own little fantasy life with him for 30 minutes each morning and lately, at night too.
I was hoping he wouldn’t be there today because I had zero makeup on and I’m sure I looked a mess. I wanted to get to the bathroom so I could finish putting on my makeup and look presentable for the day. I casually walked up the steps trying to look nonchalant and not the hurried mess that I felt inside just in case he was there. I hit the top of the landing…and there he was. My stomach jumped into my throat when I saw him. He always sat in the last row. He was so gorgeous and so masculine. He had thick dark hair, and broad shoulders. I quickly noted his expensive suit. He reeked of money. His cufflinks gleamed in the ray of sunlight peeking through the window. Those were probably platinum and cost more than I made in a week. He glanced up at me with piercing dark eyes and I felt my cheeks flush and mouth go dry as I quickly looked away and rushed past him to the bathroom.
As weird as this may sound, I loved this bathroom because it was pristine and it wasn’t a matchbox. There was actually room for me to change and a hook to hang my clothes if I needed it. I had just finished applying my makeup and was brushing my hair when just as quickly as the door opened, it shut and the gorgeous stranger was looking back at me in the mirror. I tried to turn around but he leaned in and whispered for me not to. He was so close I could feel his body heat against my back.
He looked at me in the mirror as he spoke to me. “For the past three weeks I’ve noticed you watching me.” His warm breath on my ear made me weak in the knees. I was stunned into silence and didn’t know what to say. The cool porcelain of the sink felt smooth beneath my hands as I held on to keep my balance. “I can sense your need.” His hard body pressed against mine as he brushed my hair away from my neck. He leaned down to plant a soft kiss on my neck and his lips felt like butter. I must be dreaming. “Tell me your name beautiful.” Beautiful? Maybe I was dreaming.