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“As a personal assistant?”
The disgust that covered his face made her laugh.
“Executive assistant,” she corrected, “but that’s irrelevant. I want to work somewhere that is not attached to you and our family. Will you please just be happy for me?”
“I’m always happy for you, Belle, and proud of you.”
Belle.
Port had been calling Cheyanne ‘Belle’ for as long as she could remember. It wasn’t just because of her looks, though he always told his granddaughter she was beautiful; it was also because of her love for Disney movies and books. For quite some time, her favorite movie was Beauty and the Beast. Port loved her so much and wanted her to be as comfortable as she could be in his home, so he had a room converted into a library just for her. Over the years, the literature housed on the shelves changed, but the library remained—even after she moved out.
They continued to have small talk after their waitress came to take Cheyanne’s order. By the time they were leaving, she’d received an email from CJ Enterprises with the compensation package. Even though Cheyanne was pleased with what they offered, she decided not to accept until the next morning. She went home happy and at peace, sure working for Chandler was the right decision.
1
Two Years Later
Chandler
Seven hundred and thirty days later, Cheyanne was still the first thing on my mind at the start of my day. I could say it was because she made up such a large part of my day professionally, but she meant too much to me to downplay her place in my life like that. Cheyanne wasn’t just a part of my brain when it came to business; she was a part of my heart too.
When she first started working for me exactly two years ago, I respected her wishes to keep things professional. Eventually, the discipline it took to not flirt with her became weaker and weaker. The closer we got, the more she handled my business so well, the better she complemented me, the more I fell in love with her. Though I’d never uttered those words to her, I was sure Cheyanne had an idea of how I felt. At the least, she knew I found her insanely attractive because of how I talked to and looked at her. My respect for her boundaries was the only thing that kept me from pursuing her romantically, but damn if I didn’t want more.
We would soon be leaving for a trip to California, and instead of me prepping for my day, I was in my office, trying to think of something I could do for Cheyanne while we were gone. It didn’t matter what I did, bought, or where I took her; baby girl was a tough nut to crack. I pulled out some of my best efforts, and they didn’t seem to ever really impress her. I could admit I wasn’t used to that. There hadn’t been a woman I wanted and pursued and couldn’t have—until Cheyanne.
The light tapping pulled me out of my thoughts. I didn’t have to ask who it was because I already knew.
“Come in, Cheyanne.”
Her beautiful face appeared shortly after. With a raised brow, she looked at me skeptically. My feet were resting comfortably on my desk, with my ankles crossed, as I twirled a pen in my right hand.
“What are you doing?”
“Thinking about you.”
Cheyanne’s eyes rolled as she smiled and shook her head. She probably didn’t believe me. If only she knew.
“Did you forget you have a meeting in five minutes?”
“Shit,” I grumbled, standing from my seat. With a snicker, she walked over to me. As always, she tightened and straightened my tie. As always, I had to keep myself from gripping her small waist and holding her close.
“Did you forget?”
“I did not.”
“Mhm. Since you didn’t forget, I assume you know who the meeting is with and don’t need me to brief you?”
“Uh… I wouldn’t want to rob you of that task, because I know you love it so much. You can tell me.”
Cheyanne gave me a light laugh, and I loved the sound of it. She didn’t laugh enough to me while we were in the office, and I couldn’t wait for the chance to make her do it again. Though I appreciated how seriously she took her job, I wished she made space for us to have the relaxed, friendly exchanges that fueled me and satisfied my longing for her. But at this point, I’d learned to take what I could get.
When she was done giving me the rundown on my upcoming meeting, Cheyanne tried to leave the office, but I grabbed her hand.
“Wait, I got something for you.”
“Huh? Why?”
She was so focused on business she hadn’t noticed what was on the round table to the left of my desk. I led her over to it, and the sound of her gasp was like music to my ears. To celebrate her two-year anniversary working here, I’d gotten her two dozen red roses, two dozen cupcakes from her favorite bakery, and a jewelry set that had a two-carat diamond ring, earrings, bracelet, and necklace.
