2. William

"Thank you so much. I really appreciate this," Ryan said over the phone.

"It's not a big deal, man, seriously. She's your sister and I would be happy to help."

Happy was a strong word. I wasn't pleased about welcoming Ryan's sister into my company but she needed the job and Ryan was my best friend. I'd known him since I was a teenager and I'd known his sister since she was a bratty ten-year-old. Jane was annoying as a kid and she'd somehow grown more annoying with age.

"You're the best! I gotta get back to work now but she should be arriving soon. I know you guys don't like each other but please…"

"Don't rip each other"s hair out?"

Ryan laughed. "Exactly. Thanks, again."

I said goodbye to Ryan and leaned back in my chair. I hadn't seen Jane in a little over five months. The last time I saw her was at Ryan's birthday party where she'd ‘accidentally' gotten icing all over my suit jacket. I had no way of proving she did it on purpose but I was almost certain she did. We got into an argument at the party and I ended up storming out because I didn't want to deal with her. Now I'd signed up to deal with her every day.

I groaned as I leaned forward. "This was a bad idea," I said aloud, but I knew there was no going back. I'd given my word and my grandfather had taught me that my word was the most important thing I had. It was sacred, so I had to respect it.

I decided to focus on work instead. Jane wouldn't be here for another hour or so. I should use that time to get some work done.

An hour later I heard a knock on my door and a shiver ran down my spine. I already knew who it was. If my physical reaction was any indication, I really wasn't looking forward to working with Jane, but it was too late to turn back. The knock came again and I realized that I hadn't said anything.

"C-come in."

What the hell? Why was I stuttering? If anyone should be nervous, it was her. I cleared my throat and rose to my full height. I reached to adjust my jacket as I waited for her to walk in.

The door opened and Jane walked in. Her eyes remained fixated on the floor allowing me to see the tight bun she'd wrapped her hair in. She wore a simple blue skirt and a white top. It was simple but she filled it out in a way that made it look almost seductive.

Being around her was making me feel things for her I'd never felt and those feelings left me unsettled. It was never supposed to come to this. I could never allow myself to feel that way about Jane.

I cleared my throat again and Jane looked up. Her big expressive eyes revealed everything she felt. She wasn't happy about being here. I could tell from the cold look in her eyes, the thin line of her mouth, and the tension in her shoulders. She didn't want to be here.

Well, that made two of us because I didn't want her to be here either.

"Mr. Aldaine," she said, her voice curt and professional.

I rolled my eyes. She had never called me Mr. Aldaine before. Instead, she liked to call me ‘Willy' cause she knew how much I hated it. Strangely enough, I also hated hearing her call me Mr. Aldaine. It was too professional. As if I hadn't known her since back when she wore braces. Or like I wasn't there when she had her first heartbreak.

I still remember when Toby Blits broke her heart in high school. I also remembered breaking his nose in return.

"Jane."

She stiffened at my use of her first name but she covered it up quickly. She offered me a tight smile as she approached my table. Her skirt rose higher with each step she took and I had to forcefully pull my gaze away from her legs. I focused on her face. Her heart-shaped face, her full lips, and her pretty eyes. I may not like Jane but I knew a beautiful woman when I saw one. And Jane had always been beautiful.

She stopped in front of my table. Her tight smile morphed into a wide inviting one but I could still see the irritation in her eyes. I opened one of the drawers on my desk and brought out a folder without taking my eyes off her. I handed it to her.

"What's—"

"It's your job description. It contains everything you need to know about being my assistant and the contract you need to sign."

"Oh." Jane scanned the document before slowly descending into the seat beside her. She paused and looked up at me. "Do you mind if I…"

I shook my head and took a seat. "Of course not."

Jane and I spent the next few minutes in silence. She reviewed her contract while I did my best to focus on work. Having her here made focusing a lot more difficult. There was always something about her that put me on edge.

"There's absolutely no way I'm doing this," she said suddenly as her head snapped up. "I came here to be your assistant, not your maid."

I straightened in my seat and gave her an impassive look. I knew exactly what she was complaining about but I feigned ignorance. "What do you have a problem with?"

"You listed laundry as one of my requirements."

"And?"

I'd added laundry to the list just to mess with her. I didn't actually expect her to handle it. Consider it payback for the cake incident. It was petty but I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel good. I was going to drag this out for as long as I could before I confessed that she didn't really have to do it. The look on her face was too priceless to give it up too soon.

Jane's face turned a light shade of red. She glared at me and frowned. She was livid. "I'm not handling your laundry, William."

It was the first time I'd heard her call my name in years. Even when we met at Ryan's party, she called me Willy. I hate that nickname.

It felt strange hearing my name on her lips. It did things to my head that I was better off ignoring. "You won"t be handling it. The dry cleaners will."

"You know what I mean."

"No, I don't believe I do. What exactly is the issue?" I asked, keeping my tone neutral even as hers rose slightly. It felt good to get justice for the suit she ruined. I'd had it dry cleaned but it just wasn't the same anymore. I had enough money to buy several new ones but that didn't mean it didn't hurt to lose one.

"I'm not doing your laundry!" she said, exasperated. She looked like she wanted to throw the papers in my face. The slight red color had grown bright red and covered a good portion of her face. She looked like a tomato.

I couldn't help it. I laughed. A small one but it was enough for Jane to realize I was only messing with her.

She shook her head. "You're unbelievable."

"Welcome aboard."

The first few days with Jane as my assistant were… tasking. And that was putting it lightly. She struggled to adjust to everything. From the time she should get to work to when she should leave.

"You're late," I said on the third day since she started working with me.

"No I'm not. I'm supposed to come in by eight."

"It's 8:02."

"2 minutes is not late," she said adamantly. We argued about the staples of punctuality for a good thirty minutes that day.

Jane also struggled with organizing my meetings. Ryan had told me she worked as an assistant for three years so why was she so bad at it? She focused more on unimportant things like bringing me coffee and less on the things that mattered like reports and scheduling meetings. I knew it would take some time for her to settle in but I didn't expect it to be this difficult.

After five days of working with her, I desperately wished I had my old assistant. Mrs. Johnson had to leave because her grandchild was born and she wanted to help her daughter take care of her new baby. I'd tried to bribe the woman not to leave me but she'd laughed and refused. Mrs. Johnson was great at her job. She did everything the way it was supposed to be done and when it was supposed to be done.

With her, I didn't have to worry about getting late for a meeting because my assistant forgot to remind me of it. My blood still boiled at the memory of the incident. I received a call from the CEO of the finance company I had a meeting with. I'd agreed to the meeting the day after Jane arrived and I told her to put it on my calendar but she forgot.

She forgot. One of the most important meetings I'd had this month and she forgot.

My finger tightened around my phone as Jane walked into my office. She looked completely innocent as if she hadn't almost destroyed my professional reputation.

"You called for me," she said.

"Did I or did I not tell you about my meeting with Victor Nelson today?"

Her brows scrunched together and she bit her lip. "I don't—

Jane paused and her confused expression changed to a horrified one. "I was supposed to put it on your calendar."

"Yes, you were."

"I… I forgot."

It took everything in me not to toss my phone across the room. "You forgot?"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It was a mistake."

"Which is all you seem to do these days," I said as my anger increased. Remembering every other mistake she made was adding to my current annoyance.

"I'm sorry," she repeated.

Sometimes, I wondered if Jane was doing this on purpose. Was she making my life difficult because of our personal issues? I hoped that wasn't the case. Personal issues aside, she was here to work and she needed to do her job diligently.

My gaze drifted to the clock in the corner. Its dull ticking was the only sound in my office. That and the faint sound of traffic down below. My office sat on the highest floor of the building so the traffic was far away but I could still hear it. The intense blaring of the horns told me that it was late. People were trying to get home as quickly as they could.

I checked the clock. Eight p.m.

I sighed. It was time to close for the day. I packed my things and walked out of my office, half expecting Jane to have already left. As my assistant, she was supposed to leave when I left or worse a few minutes before me. But Jane seemed to struggle with my late evenings at the office.

Today I met her at her desk, with her head laid on it. Her body rose and fell slightly and her shallow breaths filled the quiet office. I was almost certain everyone else had gone home. Jane's brown hair spilled over her desk, no longer bound by the tight bun she kept wearing it in. It looked so lush and soft that I was tempted to run my hands through it and find out if it was just as soft as it looked.

I shook my head.

Where did that thought come from? The last thing I wanted to do was touch Jane's hair. Who knows if she even washed it?

I tapped gently on her shoulder and shook her slightly. Jane's head shot up. She blinked several times as she stared at me. For a moment, her eyes held no indignation and in that moment, I saw just how beautiful they were. Light blue eyes stared directly at me.

In a split second, her resentment returned, along with a look of confusion. "What time is it?" she asked.

"Past eight."

"Wow."

Jane packed up and I waited for her. I planned to offer her a ride but she rushed off the second we stepped out of the building.

"William!" a loud sing-song voice floated through the hallway, breaking through the barrier my door created and settling in my ears.

I sighed. I knew that voice. My door opened shortly after and my mother, Kiara, walked in. Her blonde hair was styled in a beautiful bob that partially covered one eye. She wore a big cream coat and white gloves that made her look like British royalty.

"William," she said again as she beamed at me.

"Mother."

"Oh c'mon, don't say it like that. You almost sound like you're not happy to see me."

"Of course I am."

Jane rushed into my office as I finished my sentence. "Sorry, I wasn't at my desk when she entered."

"It's fine. This is my mother. Mother, this is Jane. Ryan's sister. She's also my new assistant," I said.

My mother's smile brightened. "I didn't know Ryan had a sister! You're so beautiful, dear."

Jane blushed fiercely. I'd known her for years but I never knew that she blushed so easily. It's barely been a week since she started working for me and I've seen her blush twice.

It was unsettling to see her like this. Unexpected and strangely attractive. I shook my head and focused on the discussion. That wasn't the way to think about my best friend"s sister. I needed to keep thoughts like that very far away.

"Thank you, ma'am," she said. Then she excused herself and closed the door behind her.

"Where's Mel?" my mother asked, referring to my former assistant.

"Her daughter gave birth."

"Oh wow. That's lovely. I wish I had grandkids." I sighed. I knew she would bring that up. "Don't make that sound. You know I want grandkids and it's not like I'm pressuring you like your grandfather. I only bring it up every once in a while. By the way, Ryan's sister is quite pretty. I'm sure she'd-"

I cut her off before she could finish. I did not want to hear where that sentence was going. "Why are you here, Mother?"

"I just wanted to check in on you. I'll leave now so you can get back to work but think about what I said. She's a really beautiful girl."

"Goodbye, Mother."

She left but her words stayed with me. I couldn't believe she actually pictured Jane and I having kids together. If only she knew there was a greater chance of us killing each other than having kids.