Joanna never imagined that a desperate job interview would lead to a whirlwind of unexpected opportunities-and complications. Hired as a personal assistant to the enigmatic billionaire Zac Cross, she quickly learns that working for him means navigating not just high-stakes business but also undeniable chemistry. But Zac isn't looking for help, and Joanna isn't looking for trouble. As their worlds collide, will they be each other's downfall-or their greatest chance at something real?
Chapter 1 THE INTERVIEW
CHAPTER 1
THE INTERVIEW
JOANNA
OKAY. YOU CAN DO THIS. You can totally do this. It's going to be an interview, just like all the others, okay? You've nothing to worry about. Just keep your shit together, and you'll get through and actually have a chance at this job.
As I walked down the street to the building where my latest interview was taking place, I felt that rush of panic consume me once more and tried my best to calm it down before it got the better of me. I needed to play it cool.
I knew I had been way too enthusiastic in my last few interviews over the past couple of weeks. I thought it would be a good thing to come out swinging with such enthusiasm, but I had swiftly discovered that no company seemed to want to hire someone who was almost down on their knees begging for a chance at a job.
Which was why I was going into this next interview totally calm. As calm as they came. If there was a calmer person in this city right now, I would like to meet them. Mainly so I could ask for tips on how not to freak out right now. Ugh. Why couldn't I ever keep myself together when things got tough?
I came to a halt outside the building that was my destination, and I lifted my gaze to look up at the place that stood before me. Tall. Lots of floors. That was a good sign, right? Floors meant upward mobility, and upward mobility meant that I had a chance to work my way up. I didn't care if I had to start at the bottom if there was a hope in hell of me ever getting to the top.
Not stopping to let myself get distracted, I pushed the door open and tried to stride over to the reception area with some confidence. I wasn't sure I was selling it. I certainly didn't feel like I was.
I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, even as I tried to soothe myself. I needed a job, something that told me I wasn't a total waste of space. My heart couldn't take another rejection, and my thighs couldn't take any more of the commiseration sundaes Violet made for me every time I got turned down.
"Hello," I said to the woman behind the desk, my voice sounding way squeakier than it ever had before. "I-I'm Joanna I'm here for the-"
"For the interview." A voice caught my attention, and I glanced around to see a woman striding toward me. She looked to be in her sixties, with a short coif of no-nonsense grey hair and bright grey eyes that seemed to pierce straight through me. My heart twisted in my chest. This must be the woman I was interviewing with.
"Yes, that's right," I replied with a smile.
She extended her hand to me. "Melanie," she said and jerked her head beyond the desk. "Come with me, will you? I want to get started on this so we can get to know each other."
"Sure," I replied, and I realized she was still holding her hand out to me expectantly. I took it.
"And I'm Joanna," I blurted out quickly as I shook her hand with a little too much enthusiasm. "Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, too," she replied, and she led me to a room beyond the reception desk which must have been her office. She opened the door and ushered me inside, and I hoped that I hadn't already done something to make a fool of myself.
I took a seat at the desk in the middle of the room, and she planted herself down on the other side of it, clasped her hands in front of her, and just eyed me for a moment as though she was trying to get a read on me.
I shifted back and forth on the spot, not sure how to react or if I was even remotely comfortable with this.
"Thank you for inviting me to the interview," I finally managed to say, figuring that it was up to me to break the silence one way or another.
She nodded, pressed her fingers together, and finally began to speak. "So, can I ask about your relevant work experience?"
I blinked. What position was I interviewing for again? I had thrown in so many applications that I had forgotten the specifics of this one, even though I had checked the messages before I left. Shit. Well, I would just have to give her everything and hope that it would be enough to save my ass.
"I worked at an art gallery," I said finally. "A couple of years ago. That was the longest I ever worked in one place. I helped organize exhibitions there and contacted new artists and stuff, uh, so I would say I have good communication skills, and if you ever need someone to put together a staff party, I definitely know what I'm doing there and-"
"And why did you leave that job?"
The panic had started to get the better of me, and I bit my lip. There was a thrumming need at the back of my head to just tell her the truth, even though I knew she probably didn't want to hear a word of this.
"My boyfriend got me the job," I confessed. "My boyfriend at the time, I mean. His family owned the gallery. Then it came out that they were involved in some shady stuff, and the business was investigated as part of that, eventually shut down, and-"
I caught my breath."And I lost my job," I finished up finally. She didn't need to hear all of it. She had just asked for work experience, not for my whole damn life story. I really didn't enjoy reopening or even thinking about that period of my life. There was one word for it. Darkness. That was what I felt.
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