not here for anything other than a great opportunity to learn and be an asset to your team and maybe grow my own skills on the side.”
Nigel lifted one dark thick brow.
“Professional skills,” she corrected, still unable to stop smiling. Oh, he was a naughty guy, and she couldn’t help but like that quality.
“Believe it or not, I need a personal consultant and I take this company very seriously.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets and cocked his head in that sexy, arrogant way. There was no doubt Nigel was a force to be reckoned with. He was known around the world, not just for his charm and good looks, but for the way he’d started a company and grown this reality show with high-class divorcees and launched these ladies to superstardom...including Miranda.
“But since we’re being honest,” he went on. “You obviously have to know you turn heads.”
While she wasn’t vain, she also wasn’t one of those women who feigned being ugly or put herself down in the hopes of gaining compliments. She was also well aware that some men found a plus-size woman unattractive. Those were the men she didn’t have time for in her life.
While it was gratifying to know that he didn’t fall into that category, Sophie didn’t want to get into this topic with Nigel. She couldn’t afford distractions and she certainly couldn’t afford a rumor of the new hire trying to get ahead by flirting, or more, with the boss. Rumors would just draw unwanted attention to her. Miranda couldn’t know Sophie was anywhere near this office.
“Well, now that all of that is out of the way, is the attraction going to be a problem?” she asked, holding his gaze and forcing herself to face this head on. She’d always believed in honesty.
Well, except for her current situation, where she was lying about her name and why she was there. But some things were simply a necessary evil.
“No problem,” he assured her with a crooked grin and that toe-curling accent.
Maybe other people were immune to Nigel and that sultry voice, but she was new here, new to him. She’d have to put up her strongest steel defenses to keep some resolve between them.
“What else should you be showing me?” she asked. “Maybe where my work space is? Or what projects you’d like me to review?”
He stared like he wanted to say something, but she raised her brows, a silent question waiting on him to answer.
“Craig set up an office next to mine,” he told her. “If you’re going to be working with me, then I need you close by. The space is not overly large, but you do have a window.”
“My own office?”
Sophie certainly hadn’t expected that. An office right next to Nigel? This position was better than she’d ever hoped.
Things were lining up almost too well for her. But she had to ignore the pull she felt toward her new boss and concentrate on what she came here to do. She didn’t change her life and her looks just to snag a Brit. Getting the scoop on Miranda was priority number one.
“Does my office come with an elevator?”
Nigel’s lips twitched once again, and she noticed every time he became amused his blue eyes twinkled. So silly to notice such things, but she couldn’t help but study and try to figure out more about him.
“Sure. It’s the one you used to get from the lobby to the reception area.”
Sophie rolled her eyes. “Not what I meant,” she joked.
She turned her attention back to the view. This was certainly a far cry from the Blackwood Ranch and its open skies with fields of green. Still, this was a different kind of beauty with all the steel combined with old structure. Her designer eye took in all the various shapes and colors. The snow seemed beautiful on the buildings and balconies. She wondered what a fresh snow would look like on the busy streets. Probably kids enjoyed playing in it and throwing snowballs.
The wintery white had her thinking about the recent home office she’d decorated in white and soft blues with various pops of green.
“Do you always study your surroundings?”
Nigel’s question pulled her back as he stepped in beside her. Sophie glanced over her shoulder and shrugged.
“Occupational hazard. I love designing and creating, so my mind is always working.”
“You’re perfect for this position,” he stated.
Sophie swelled with pride, but there was a niggle of guilt. She wasn’t here because she wanted to ensure the greater good of Secret Lives. No, she needed to see those precious unedited outtakes with Miranda. Surely there were some that revealed behaviors or hinted at secrets the producers didn’t want the public to see. There had to be something juicy there.
“With this being your first day, I won’t bombard you too much. But tomorrow, you better be ready to work.” Nigel gestured toward the elevator. “What do you say we go check out your office and then I’ll have lunch brought in. Sushi?”
Sophie nodded. “Sounds perfect.”
Nigel shoved his hands in his pockets and stared down at the magnificent skyline. He’d been a complete idiot to bring Roslyn up here earlier. He never fraternized with his staff.
But from the second she’d stepped foot in his office, she’d had a presence about her that had drawn him in. She’d been poised, confident, polished, sophisticated. She’d been witty and that smile had been like a heavy fist to his gut, knocking the air right out of him. She almost seemed too good to be true.
And she had been honest. Brutally so when she’d confronted him about the attraction between them. Part of him was impressed that she’d been so bold, while the other part had secretly wished she would’ve acted on her baser impulses.
Bloody hell. What had gotten into him? He couldn’t act like this, not even in his thoughts. This company was his everything. He’d come to New York wanting to start his own legacy and he had done a damn good job of it. He couldn’t just throw that stellar reputation away because he had the equivalent of a teenage crush. He had to regain control of this situation because Roslyn had been here for one day and he was already second-guessing getting involved with an employee.
He had bigger issues to deal with—like the fact Secret Lives needed a major bump in the rankings.
The cell in his pocket vibrated. There was never downtime where he was concerned, not in his position overseeing the company and not when working with several socialites.
He glanced to the screen and saw Seraphina’s name.
Seraphina Martinez, or Fee to close friends, was one of the ladies on Secret Lives. She had a big lavish lifestyle and a giving heart. There was nothing low-key about her and she was a fan favorite. Especially after she came out with her bestselling cookbook, Not Your Mama’s Cookbook.
Nigel turned from the skyline view as he answered the call.
“Fee,”
