Page 7 of Just a Little Tempted

I’d known Kurt for years, but somehow I’d never actually met Raina. She was a few years younger than us, and our paths had simply never crossed. I’d heard bits and pieces about her over the years, enough to know she’d worked as an executive assistant before, which was promising. But I also knew that job had ended badly. Kurt had mentioned she’d been fired under questionable circumstances and hadn’t been able to land another position in six months.

Six months was a long time to be unemployed. There had to be a reason.

“I don’t know…” I shook my head slowly. “If she’s been out of work for half a year, that’s a red flag.”

“She got screwed over by a vindictive boss,” Kurt said, an edge creeping into his voice. “The guy’s been actively sabotaging her job search. It’s not a reflection of her work.”

That gave me pause, but it didn’t erase my concerns entirely. Beyond the employment gap, there was still the matter of Kurt.If I ended up firing his sister—and based on my track record, that wasn’t exactly an impossibility—would he resent me for it? Would it poison a friendship that was incredibly important to me?

But maybe… maybe that was exactly what I needed. Maybe if I had Kurt’s friendship hanging in the balance, I’d be forced to actually give his sister a fair shot. A real chance to prove herself instead of looking for reasons to push her out the door. It was risky. If she turned out to be terrible at the job, I’d be stuck in an impossible position.

But I was already stuck. My workload wasn’t getting smaller, and I was running out of options. Either I gave Raina a chance, or I called a temp agency and ended up with some random person who might be completely unqualified. The thought of that made my skin crawl.

I turned the idea over in my mind, examining it from every angle. “How about a ninety-day probationary period?” I finally said. “We see how things go for three months. If it’s not working, for either of us, we part ways professionally, no hard feelings. And you don’t hold it against me.”

Kurt studied my face for a moment, then nodded slowly. “Fair enough. I’ll let her know.”

“Fine.” I picked up my beer, already half-regretting the decision. “But I’m warning you, I’m not going to go easy on her just because she’s your sister.”

Kurt’s smirk returned. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

The second period started, pulling our attention back to the game. But my mind kept drifting to this sister I’d never met, this unknown variable I’d just agreed to let into my carefully controlled professional life.

I told myself it was just ninety days. Three months to see if she could handle the pressure, meet my standards, and prove she was worth trusting.

Realistically? I expected her to be gone before the probation period ended. If she even lasted that long.

CHAPTER FOUR

Raina

The offices ofPowers Investment Group were located in a sleek, modern building in the heart of Manhattan. My palms were damp as I walked through the lobby, a leather bag over one shoulder and a plastic container clutched in my other hand—chocolate chip cookies I’d baked at two in the morning because I couldn’t sleep.

When Kurt called yesterday to tell me he’d found me a job, I wasn’t sure whether to feel grateful or mortified. I’d never met Simon Powers, but I knew he and my brother had been close since college. They went way back, which meant Kurt had almost certainly leveraged that friendship to push Simon into hiring me without so much as an interview. The man didn’t even have a copy of my résumé.

I felt like a charity case. Like I hadn’t earned this. But I wasn’t about to refuse the job offer. I’d gotten nowhere on my own in the past six months, and I couldn’t let pride stand between me and a paycheck. I just needed to prove myself—to Simon, and to myself—and then I’d feel better about all of it.

The cookies were meant to break the ice. Kurt mentioned Simon had a sweet tooth, and showing up with a homemade gift seemed like a harmless way to start things on the right foot.

After checking in with the security guard at the lobby desk, I rode the elevator up, watching the numbers climb. When the doors finally opened, my first thought was howbrighteverything was. Natural light poured through floor-to-ceiling windows, spilling across white oak flooring. The walls were asoft champagne color, and the furniture matched the light, airy aesthetic.

To my right, a conference room with glass walls held an oval table and a massive screen for video calls. A side table waited with an empty water pitcher and glasses, the whole space pristine and unused, ready for important people to fill it with important business discussions.

Directly ahead, a short hallway lined with abstract art branched in two directions. Kurt had given me the general layout and mentioned Simon’s office was to the right. I headed that way, my heels clicking softly against the polished floor, until the hallway opened into a wider space.

A casual seating area occupied one corner, two leather couches flanking a low coffee table where magazines likeForbesandThe Economistwere neatly fanned out. Across from that and out in the open was a desk with clean, modern lines. Nothing on its surface but a computer. My workspace. It had to be.

I set my bag in the ergonomic chair behind the desk, then turned toward the door beside it. A nameplate gleamed on the front with the nameSimon Powers.

The door was closed, not exactly an invitation, but I didn’t mind because it gave me a moment to prepare myself to meet my new boss. I drew a deep breath, straightened my spine, and pulled my shoulders back. My grip tightened around the plastic container of cookies.

You’ve got this. You’ll be great at this job. Just show him what you’re capable of.

I fixed a warm, confident smile on my face and knocked.

“Come in.” The voice was low and gruff, carrying an undercurrent of impatience.

I pushed open the door and stepped inside.