Boss: The Encounter With The Bad Boy Billionaire: Bad Boy Billionaire Romance (BOSS: A Contemporary Bad Boy Billionaire Romance)
Authors: Julie Valentine,Grace Valentine
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A corner office at real estate firm headed by a billionaire tycoon was a far cry from waiting tables and partying every night. How did a woman work herself up from humble beginnings in the mail room to becoming the executive director of marketing in only five years?
Hart Jacobs had a vision and she stopped at nothing to get there. And now, she had a corner office; glass windows all around overlooking the marina at the bay, plush leather furniture, and a mahogany desk that was much too big for one person to sit behind. Hard work definitely paid off. The spoils of success were making all the sacrifice well worth it.
And Hart had sacrificed a lot.
Time. Love.
But what other way was she supposed to climb to the top? She sat behind her desk in her chair, which was practically a throne, running her hands across the fine wood. She now had a six figure salary, an expense account, and her choice of a company car or a driver. When she took the job working in the mail room, she never thought that she would end up here. And yet, here she was, the wunderkind of Ciarelli Reality and Holdings, Inc.
Mr. Ciarelli personally saw to her success. A chance meeting in the mail room led to Mr. Ciarelli suggesting that she go to school for marketing and business. From there he tracked her accomplishments. Her break came when he threw her an account just to see how she could handle it. She came through with flying colors, saving a client account that was sinking.
Deep inside, she always knew that she could be successful. There were others who doubted that the self-professed party queen could turn her life around. But she had done it, and now she did not care much about her naysayers.
Hart committed three years of her life to a relationship, only to have her heart broken. It was the first time she had ever been devastated in her life. Failing at love made it that much easier to fill that empty void with work and career. At first, Hart was afraid that she would become an overworked neurotic woman who shut down every man that approached her for dates and that lived alone with two dogs and a cat. The only thing missing was the animals.
Hart was a classic beauty; brunette hair that highlighted blonde in the summer, green eyes, and a natural olive complexion others had to tan to get. It was not uncommon for her to be asked out on a date. After dealing with heartbreak, she knew that she did not want to make time to nurture a serious relationship. Men needed things that she was not able, and now, not willing to give.
There was no need to focus relationships right now. Hart would have plenty of time for that. She had more than enough to do at work to keep her busy and if she needed any pleasure, she had Tim that she could call on. Having a friend with benefits was well worth it. There were no strings attached, great sex, and no expectations or demands.
She did not need anything else. Her salary afforded her the ability to buy whatever she wanted and travel wherever she dreamed of. But all of the money in the world was not going to make it easy to find love. So it was easiest not to try. It was better to just work and flourish in the career aspect of her life instead of work on something that she could not control.
Hart retrieved her phone from her desk. She scrolled through and found Tim's name. A quick text would set up the night's activities. He was always good for a little dinner, conversation, and an orgasm or two, or three, or four. She was getting wet just thinking about it.
"Ms. Jacobs, your next client will be here in about ten minutes. Can I get you some coffee before the meeting?"
Her assistant's voice over the intercom interrupted her daydreaming. "Yes, Lana. Thank you. And can you bring in the full report as well?"
"I will be there momentarily."
Hart took a second to prepare for the meeting when she heard a knock at the door. It swung open before she could say come in. She fully expected to see Lana, but she was pleasantly surprised by who was there.
"Mr. Ciarelli. To what do I owe this surprise?"
They shook hands before he took a seat.
"So how are you settling in to this office?"
"I can't tell you how happy I am with everything, Mr. Ciarelli."
"Well, you worked hard so you deserve it, Jacobs." The man's presence was still intimidating to Hart to this day.
She waited patiently for him to tell her what he had come to say. She was pretty sure that it was not a social call.
"Well, Jacobs. I know that your time is limited. You are a busy woman. But I have a proposal for you."
She clasped her hands together, leaning on the edge of her desk. "What can I do for you, Mr. Ciarelli?"
"My son, Tony will be working with the company now," he began slowly.
"He is not, how should I say this? Although this is a family business, he does not know that much about it. I would like to have him shadow you for a while and have you show him the ropes."
Hart was confused as to what Mr. Ciarelli was actually asking her.
"Sir?'
"Not that he is in training for anything remotely close to what you are doing, Jacobs. My point is, you have been at the bottom of the company and you are steadily rising. I feel that you would be the perfect person to help him see both worlds."
"Whatever you need, Sir."
"Great." Ciarelli stood up quickly. "Tony will be here in the building this afternoon. I will tell him to come by and introduce himself. Oh, and Jacobs?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Let me warn you that dealing with Tony can be challenging. I chose you because I think that you are up for the challenge. Have a good day Jacobs."
"Good day, Sir."
Hart watched as he walked out of the door, half hoping that he would come back in and tell her that he was joking. But he never did. Instead, Lana entered with her coffee and her reports and let her know that her client arrived. She would have to deal with Tony when and if he ever showed up.
By the time the late afternoon came around, Tony Ciarelli had not shown his face in the office. Hart breathed a sigh of relief. She had more than enough work on her plate. The last thing she needed was to babysit a spoiled playboy due to nepotism. She would do anything for Mr. Ciarelli because he was the reason that she had the opportunities that she had, but taking care of his grown son who did not have any desire or need to work was not on the top of her list.
She straightened out the papers on her desk and sent the last few emails for the day, happy that she was going to be able to head out a little early today. It would be the first time that month that she was not working late. It was not like she had any specific plans, she just wanted to go home and relax with a hot bath and a glass of wine.
"Is she in here?" a voice boomed.
"Ah, Sir, please let me buzz Ms. Jacobs first. Sir."
Hart waited to see who was going to burst through the front door. Whoever it was had some nerve to just come barging in.
A lean, clean shaven, baby faced man came waltzing in to her office. His blonde hair was perfectly coiffed and spiked, his taste in clothing was impeccable, and he brought with him the scent of too much expensive cologne.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Jacobs. He just barged right in." Lana stood in the doorway, almost pleading her case.
Hart held her hand up. "It's okay, Lana. Mister-," she paused giving the stranger the chance to introduce himself.
"Mr. Ciarelli. Tony Ciarelli." When he said his name, his posture straightened and he was gloating with a cocky smirk.
"Ah. Mr. Ciarelli. Your father told me to expect you- earlier today." She hoped that he got the point of what she was trying to say.
"Well, I had things to do. So I'm here. Now can we get started?"
"Thanks Lana. I think I can handle it from here."
Lana gave her an unknowing gaze, to which Hart nodded to give her the least bit of reassurance.
Lana backed out of the office, leaving Hart there with the oversized man child.
"It's so nice that you have finally arrived Mr. Ciarelli. But I am ending my work day as we speak. I was so pleasantly informed today by your father that you would be working with me for a bit, and while I am looking forward to our new relationship, it will not start today. Not at this time. But we can start over tomorrow morning at seven- thirty."
The look that came over him was actually quite comical. His expression dropped and he rolled his eyes before bursting out in laughter. When she actually took a look at him, he was extremely attractive. He was more her type physically than she cared to admit. But the fact that he was a pompous jerk was turning her off.
"Seven thirty? You really don't have to try and play a joke on me because I was late today." His broad grin could be considered charismatic and charming if it had not been for the fact that he was obviously trying to manipulate her.
"Mr. Ciarelli, does it look like I'm joking?" Hart stood stoically in front of her desk. This was going to be way more of a chore than she anticipated.
He put his fingers up like he was pulling the trigger on a pistol. "I got ya. Seven- thirty. First thing in the morning. I'll see you then, Ms. Jacobs."
She smiled slightly, giving him a small wave goodbye, watching to make sure he left. He did not even have the decency to close the door behind him. Tension was rising and she could feel it most in her temples. Hart had to close her eyes for a moment, massing the sides of her forehead in hopes that the tension would reduce.
It did not. As soon as she thought of Tony, all she could see was his immaturity and his inability to be rational. Who on earth would walk in to a person's office, hours late, and demand to get the same amount of attention and care that he would have it he had been on time?
Hart made a mental note to bring some medicine for headaches to work. Unfortunately, wine was frowned upon in the workplace, so she would have to find another way to deal with the storm that was coming.
Once she saw that he was gone, she pulled her phone and her purse from her desk.
A smile spread across her face. Tim replied to her earlier text, saying that he could be ready by six. On her way out, she said goodbye to Lana and made her way to her car.
Her phone rang, just as she clicked the key fob.
"Where are you?" The bass in Tim's voice made her body tingle.
"On my way home from work," she replied.
"Okay. Change of plans. I'm texting you an address. Meet me there."
She loved it when the man took charge, plus she was intrigued. "Okay. How soon?"
"In thirty minutes. I'll be waiting for you."
Tim ended the phone call abruptly before she could ask any other questions. She made an extra stop at home to grab a bag of clothing to take with her just in case their rendezvous turned in to an overnight stay.
With Tim, anything was possible. She knew after years of dealing with him, she should be ready.