Page 3 of The Billionaire's Accidental Daddy Duty
“I’m sorry. I should’ve told you about my connection to Mr. Windsor.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“You don’t think I can do this.” I approached her desk, already regretting this plan to get close to Louisa.
“It’s not that.” She hovered her fingers over the keyboard and tapped a key with a perfectly manicured nail while she eyed me up and down. “I’m obviously not going to go against the owner’s wishes, so yes, you’re hired. And I will do everything I can to ensure you succeed in your new role. But thereare a few things you need to know about Mr. Noble. Have a seat.”
I sat across from her. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach because I couldn’t wait to meet my new boss. I started to ask when I would actually get to see the fixer in person, but Casey raised her hand and stopped me in my tracks.
“You’ve read the tabloids, I assume.” She cocked an eyebrow.
“Yes.” All. Of. Them. Including the ones that always showed him with a different hot blonde hanging from his arm, sometimes even two.
“Don’t believe everything you read. Yeah, Declan plays hard. But that’s because he works hard. And I mean that. When he’s in town, he’s in the office by seven. That means your butt needs to be in your chair no later than six thirty. He prefers pencils, not pens. Yes, you will be sharpening his pencils. He takes his coffee black. I will leave you with a list of lunch items that will need to be delivered to his desk no later than one, but not before noon.”
I sat there for a good twenty minutes with my mouth slack while Casey went through all the things Mr. Noble preferred—a schedule printed on a A5 paper, an essential oil diffuser with exactly three drops of each, wild orange, peppermint, and lavender to help with his mood and focus, a black coffee with lion’s mane. I wrote it all down on my phone, putting in parenthesisGoogle coffee with lion’s mane.But later Casey explained lion’s mane was just a type of mushroom. I didn’t ask why. The more details Casey added to the long list, the more I was convinced Declan Winston Noble was a total bastard—a beautiful bastard—but a bastard, nonetheless.
“And one last piece of advice that’s not admin related. Women flock to Declan because of his looks and money, sure. But once you meet him, you’ll see it’s more about his energy than anything else.” Her features softened, and I got the impression that maybe Casey also had a huge crush on her boss. Something I could totally relate to. She cleared her throat. “Do you want to know how I’ve managed to stay on his team for so long?”
I had read that Declan got the job done because he expected the best from his employees. When he saw employees didn’t deliver, he had no qualms firing them on the spot. According to the company’s website, Casey had been with Declan since he started his IT company over ten years ago.
“Please. I love advice.”
“Our relationship is strictly professional. There will be no late dinners after work, or googly eyes, or any kind of ridiculous flirting. He hates all that. Anyone who works for him is expected to do just that…work. Work hard, be a professional, show him you know your shit—because you do—and you’ll land not just the position you really want, but also his respect.”
“That’s all I want.” I beamed at her, trying to keep my cool by not bouncing on my toes. “I’m the most professional person you’ll ever meet. I promise. You’ll see.”
“Then welcome to Noble IT Consulting.” She offered me her hand, and I shook it.
2
MAKE IT A DOUBLE
Isla
After five grueling hours of learning everything Declan Noble expected from his executive admins, Casey finally decided it was time to go home. As it turned out, Casey was Declan’s right hand in London, where Noble Consulting was headquartered. She was scheduled to return to the UK the following day, which was why she had asked me to stay and get the express version of the usual training curriculum she had for Declan’s temporary assistants.
“What’s going to happen to the original admin you had hired?”
“I’ll find her something to do in the London office. I can use the help, and she’s already fully trained.”
“Why are you not staying to run the project with him? I mean, you already know everything.” I waved toward my iPad, where I had at least ten pages of notes on all the daily tasks I was required to complete.
“I have too much to do back at home. Plus, the change ofscenery helps. Usually, by the time Declan returns, he’s done with the States and the team and he’s extra nice to the rest of us.”
“Hmm. I guess distance makes the heart grow fonder.”
“Something like that.” She chuckled.
Something in the way she dipped her head and busied herself with the last of the files she had prepared for Declan made me wonder if she hoped Declan’s heart would do way more than just grow fonder. Declan was hot, but he was a total jerk. Who would fall for that kind of guy? Casey needed to get out more. We had just met earlier today, but I could tell.
“Hey, so my boyfriend and I are going out tonight. He got invited to this super exclusive night club in Midtown. Wanna join us?” I made to reach for her shoulder to tap it but then realized we had practically just met. Not to mention, I was still here because the owner of the company made her hire me on the spot.
“I don’t want to impose.” She shook her head.
“Not at all. Steve won’t mind. Come on. You had to stay late because of me. On a Thursday night no less.”
As soon as I mentioned my boyfriend’s name, my phone buzzed with a message from him.
