Authors: Carly White
ROMANCE: BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE: At His Request (Bad Boy Alpha Billionaire Romance) (New Adult Contemporary Alpha Male Romance)
Copyright 2015 by (Carly White) - All rights reserved.
In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.
Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.
Table of Contents
At His Request
Chapter 1
Aria had filled out more applications than she cared to admit to. The summer was only a few weeks away and she still had not been able to secure an internship at a decent business. She was going to a local school and she was in her fourth year. The internship would determine what sort of experience she would have on her resume as she decided if she wanted to keep going for her MBA or start working to recoup some of her losses. That decision lay more on if she could get one of the coveted scholarships to graduate school. But for now, Aria had to worry about finding an internship.
She had checked out most of the new start-ups popping up all over Silicon Valley, but it was becoming tedious work. Aria had yet to get a real call-back, except for the few that were kind enough to reject her. At least those opportunities, she did not have to wonder about. She licked the envelope to the stack of CVs that she was sending out and said a little prayer over the stack of paper. Her future lay somewhere in that stack, she was just so sure of it that it had to be so.
Aria tried to stay positive, hoping that she would catch the postman before he delivered for the day. By the time she got outside of her small apartment that she shared with a friend, she caught him at the mailbox. Aria was going to take the encounter as a sign and that seemed to lift her spirits. Waving to the elderly carrier, she walked back up the stairs to her second story apartment and started to get dressed for work. Even if she got an internship, she would still have to work a full-time job on the side and the very idea of how little sleep she was going to get, made her get dressed a little slower than usual.
Aria paid her bills and most of her tuition working at a small bar on the bad side of town that most people stayed away from. It was frequented by bikers and thugs, but it didn’t much bother Aria. The men were surprisingly protective of the one who had control of the liquor and she had never had much of a problem, beyond the occasionally drunk proposal.
She sighed in the mirror looking at her ‘uniform.’ It was really more like she imagined a hooker would wear. The skirt was black and super short, as well as a top that had too low of a neckline and begged for more attention than anyone every really wanted. She fixed her long blonde hair into a mass of curls on top of her head and she wiped a little makeup onto her face. She was already running late, so she jumped in her car and drove across town to Mickey’s Pub. Mickey was long dead and gone, but his son was just as enthusiastic about drinking and the bar had never been more popular.
Pulling up at last, she locked her door and headed into the loud building. The parking lot was already filling up and she sighed to herself. It was going to be a long night. Aria waved to a few people that she knew as regulars and went behind the bar.
“You’re late.”
“I know, sorry.”
“Oh I don’t care, but you know James is on a rampage, so fair warning.”
Aria groaned and thanked her for the info. Her boss was usually nice, but he had his moments. Aria thought that his insane aggravation had more to do with his wife’s constant nagging to quit smoking. If he was on a rampage, there was a good chance that he was trying to quit again. It just added to the day and Aria tried her best to duck out when he came to the front, but eventually he motioned her over.
“You were late Aria.”
“Sorry boss.” Aria learned a long time ago that giving a reason was like an excuse. It did no good, so she usually skipped that part. It also, usually shut him up as a bonus as well.
“Well you need to pay more attention to the clock Aria.” He turned around and stormed off, angry that she hadn’t given him a reason to be mad. Ashlea smiled at her and nodded.
“I don’t know how the hell you do it. It is like calming the beast.”
Aria turned to the man in front of her and stopped. He was not a regular and she had not seen him around. “What can I do for you Sir?”
He stared at her for several heartbeats before he asked for a Scotch and soda. Aria started making the drink and when she looked up into the back glass of the bar, she saw his eyes on her. There was something dangerous about him that set her radar up. Handing him the glass, he gave her a hundred and she went to the register to get him some change.
Counting it back to him, he set it on the bar and walked away. Aria looked at the ninety-two dollar tip and thought it was a joke for a moment. When he didn’t turn back, she noticed the way his suit was cut perfectly and how much he stuck out in the bar. The man did not belong there. He seemed higher than the lowly place that catered to the blue-collared working men.
Aria thought about him a couple of times throughout the last couple of hours they were open. She also caught her eyes searching for him, but she did not see the dark-haired man again. He had slipped her mind by the time she was counting her tips, but then she remembered him again. It was not unusual to get large tips from men, but usually not that big. Aria wondered who he was and where he was from.
Chapter 2
“I left you a sticky note on the fridge about a call from last night. Did you get it?”
Aria squints her eyes to the sun streaming into her room through the blinds. Her roommate was staring down at her in the no-nonsense way she had come to be used to. “No I didn’t Candace. Do you remember what it was about?”
She could barely think and though her roommate seemed to be happiest at six in the morning, Aria was usually going to bed about that time. It worked well for the two because they never seen each other much, which seemed to help with the harmony of the household. They were also both single that helped to keep the awkward moments out of their relationship. The two women weren’t really the best of friends, but they got along good enough to live together.
“I think it was about an internship, I forgot the company though.” Aria jumped up and was running into the kitchen to check the name and number on the fridge. She did not recognize the name of the company in the beginning, but she figured that she must have forgotten some, as many applications as she had put in. Her day seemed brighter and as she wiped the sleep from her eyes, she found her phone in her large purse after a few minutes of searching and called the number.
A woman answered the phone and she repeated the name on the card. When she gave the lady her name, she was put on hold and waited for what seemed like forever.
“Yes Miss. Blaine. I would like you to come in for an interview. I think you would be perfect for an interning job. I will need an assistant for the summer and I did not know if you were still available.”
Aria’s heart soared and she was close to kicking her feet in happiness. That was the call she had been waiting for and though she didn’t remember the company, she decided she would do an internet search before the interview. “Sounds great. What time were you thinking?”
“I will need someone to start immediately, so how about you come down later this afternoon, say two?”
She agreed and wrote down the address that he gave her. There was something so familiar about the way the man sounded, but she figured it was just her. Aria hung up lighter and before she could take a breath, she was already worried about what she would wear.
Aria looked the company up and though it was not clear what they did or sold, they were tied to several government contracts. She was more confused than when she had started, but at least it was a rather large, reputable company. Even their financial records were sealed, so whatever they did seemed to be important enough to try to hide it. Her interest was piqued and she still could not figure out why she didn’t remember applying to such a large company. They were high on the Fortune 500 companies list and the man in charge was worth billions. Her roommate had written Will on the post-it note, but Aria figured it was just a coincidence. There was no way that William Cain, billionaire entrepreneur was calling her phone for an interview. It just wasn’t possible and he sure wouldn’t have answered to set up the appointment.
“All well, I guess I have put in way too many applications.” She sighed and went to her closet, trying to decide if she wanted to go for sexy or conservative. By the sound of the voice on the phone and the fact that it was a man, made her take the semi-sexy route, as far as she could for a job interview anyways.
Pulling out a tight black pencil skirt and a button up for the day, Aria jumped in the shower and was out on her way in no time. She had a few things to pick up at school that she had forgotten and then she had a couple of hours before their meeting. The few hours were spent worried and nervous, hoping that she got the internship, especially so close to the end of term.
When it was finally time to go in, she had been outside of the building for fifteen minutes. Looking at the gold lettering on the elevator chart, she found Will’s name and pushed the elevator to the top floor. Her heart pounded in her chest and the elevator seemed to move slower than normal. It was that or her heightened awareness came from being so much in need of some good news. If Aria didn’t get the job, she did not know what she was going to do. Aria started to wonder if she should just go home for the summer and find a couple jobs for tuition in the fall.
Aria tried to shut her mind off when she heard the ding from the stainless steel speaker. The doors opened and she walked forward. There was a secretary in her seat and then a few rooms with an empty table in front of one with a computer on top, as well as a couple of phones.
She gave the older woman her name and sat down to wait. Aria ran her fingers through her hair and pulled the hem down on the bottom of her skirt when she caught the disapproving look from the secretary. She felt uncomfortable and almost wished that she would have worn something different. She did not have much time to think though, because the woman was prompting her to go in the office.
“He is ready to see you now Aria. Good luck.”
Aria found her last comment strange, but she stepped forward and opened the heavy wooden door. There was a glass window pane in the door, but it was muddled and she could not see in. Her hands trembled slightly on the door knob when she pushed it opened fully. There was a moment of recognition and then she stopped in the doorway.
“So we meet again.”
Will smiled and gestured towards the chair in front of him. She sat down. “Thanks for that tip last night. I guess I get to eat another week.” She was partially joking.
“I doubt that it is that dire. I have seen your grades and how skilled you are at your marketing projects. I think you are perfect for a new campaign we are in the middle of.”
“For an internship?”
“Yes, well it’s really more a job, so you wouldn’t have to work both places. Your salary here should be more than enough to drop your bartending job.”
Of course it sounded perfect to Aria, but there was something off. She still had that nagging feeling in her gut that she had not applied, but she didn’t want to seem flaky and ask. Aria told herself that she would check when she got home.
“Do you have any questions for me?”
“Me? No. Um, when do you want me to start?”
“Tomorrow morning will be fine. We have checked you out thoroughly, so I feel like I already know you and want to welcome you to the company.”
Aria stood up as he did. She shook his hand, ignoring the electric shock when they their fingers brushed against each other. The she was walking out of the office in a daze. She said goodbye to the secretary and the woman gave her a sympathetic look. Aria rode the elevator down and drove back to her apartment. She booted up her computer and looked down the list of applied internships and found what she suspected. Aria had not applied to Cain Industries.