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Chapter One

Olivia MacKenzie was certain she would have been offered the job if she hadn’t punched the boss during the interview But knocking the man senseless turned out to be a real deal breaker

The CEO of one of the largest invest questioned by an FBI agent He wasn’t cooperating The agent had taken Jorguson to the opposite side of the terrace and was trying to get hiuson was busy screa to have her killed and also sue her because she’d broken his jaw She hadn’t done any such thing, of course TheShe’d s TERRY pinned to his black vest stood next to her trying to soothe what he referred to as her extreme case of nerves She wanted to punch him, too

“You’re in shock,” he told her “That’s why you look so calropes you, and it’s only natural for you to go into shock Don’t you think? That’s why you’re not crying and carrying on”

Olivia looked at him “I’m fine, really” Now please leave me alone, she silently added

“Hey, look,” Terry said “They’re arresting Jorguson’s bodyguard What’s the guy doing with a bodyguard, I wonder” A few seconds later he answered his own question “He must need one Especially if he attacks other woo out with me sometime?”

She smiled to ease the rejection “I don’t think so”

“You’re still in shock, aren’t you?”

Olivia was angry, not hysterical She stood by the table with her arms folded across her waist as she patiently waited for the FBI agent to get to her She had been told it wouldn’t take long

Terry tried twice e her in conversation She was polite but firet personal

She watched the agents while she tried to figure out how she had gotten into this bizarre situation Job hunting wasn’t supposed to be dangerous She had already intervieith three other Fortune 500 coone to those interviews, however, she had done quite a bit of research She didn’t have that luxury with Jorguson Investments Because the position had just become available, she’d had less than a day to study the company’s prospectus She should have looked reed to the preliminary interview Should have, could have, she lamented

She hated job hunting and all the inane interviews, especially since she really liked her current job and the people she worked with But there was talk of cutbacks Serious talk, and according to some of the other employees, Olivia didn’t have seniority She would be one of the first laid off It was important to her that she stay in her current job until she accomplished what she had set out to do, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen The only constant in Olivia’s life right noas the e It had to be paid, no matter what, which hy she had to have job options

She had gone to the office an hour earlier than usual this , finished two case files by noon, and headed over to Seraphina, a lovely restaurant with a stunning view The five-star restaurant overlooked a ically placed under a canopy of tree branches Beyond was the river Lunch was going to be a treat She’d never dined at Seraphina because of the expense, but she’d heard that the food onderful Grossly overpriced, but wonderful No peanut butter and jelly sandwich today

The hostess showed her to a table on the south side of the terrace It was such a beautiful day with just a slight nip in the air, perfect for lunch outside

The preliminary intervieith Xavier Cannon, the coht, but he hadn’t answered soested instead that she ask Jorguson Cannon also uson liked her, he would offer her the job during lunch

Jorguson aiting for her She spotted him across the busy terrace He held an open folder in his hand and was reading a paper inside it As she drew closer she could see that it was her résumé

For about twenty seconds she thought he was quite a char ht, white smile

He stood and shook her hand “Bring the lady a drink,” he snapped i waiter

“Iced tea, please,” she said

The waiter had already uson could come around t

he table to assist her

Jorguson’s cell phone rang, and without offering an apology or an excuse for the interruption, he turned his back to her and answered His voice was low and angry Whoever he was talking to was getting a dressing-down His vocabulary was crude

So ht She tried to focus on her surroundings while she waited The linen tablecloth draped all the way to the ground, and in the center of the round table was a crystal bowl of fresh-cut flowers in every color She looked around her and smiled It was a really pretty day

Jorguson finished his call He slipped the phone into his suit jacket and gave her his full attention, but the way he was staring at her quicklyrong when he said, “You’re stunning Absolutely stunning”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re very beautiful,” he said then “Xavier mentioned how pretty you were, but I still didn’t expectthat is to say, I wasn’t prepared”

Olivia was horrified by his close scrutiny His leering inspection uson wasn’t just unprofessional; he was also creepy She opened her linen napkin and placed it in her lap She tried to turn his attention so he would stop gawking at her

Typically she would have waited for hi, but the aard silence and his inappropriate behavior compelled her to speak first

“ThisI had a few minutes, and I pulled up your prospectus Your company is quite impressive,” she said “But there was a note that last year you were investigated by the FBI—”

He rudely cut her off with a wave of his hand “Yes, but of course nothing came of it It was simple harassment” He continued, “They didn’t like some of my clients and wanted to make trouble, which was ridiculous I should have sued, but I didn’t have the time”

Sue the FBI? Was he serious or just trying to i

“You’re a brand-new attorney, aren’t you?” he asked

“Yes, that’s correct”

“Only two people ranked higher than you on the bar I cannot tell you how remarkable that is Still, you don’t have much experience with contracts”

“No, I don’t,” she agreed “How did you find out about my scores? That’s confidential—”

He waved his hand in the air again, disesture irritated her She ad about the man irritated her