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Chapter 5

  • Sebastian-

"Bucky, I want you in my office at noon. NO LATER! Don't try me." I snarled.

I hung up the phone before he could respond. Barnes is getting on my last nerve. He never seems to take anything seriously. If he wasn't so damn good at his job, I would've sacked him long ago.

I sighed and leaned back in my leather chair, staring out the window of my high-rise office. The city stretched before me, a maze of towering buildings and endless possibilities.

I closed my eyes, trying to force the incoming headache out of my brain when my phone rang.

"Yes," I answered sternly.

"Mr. Cross. Ms. Greene is headed to the conference room with your 10:00." my assistant said on the other line.

Fuck! I forgot about that. I would have liked to have a quiet morning.

"Ok. On my way." I hung up and took a deep breath. Might as well get it over with.

I headed to the conference room on the other side of the office and stood by the windows. I always loved this room. I made it all windows, so I have something to look at during those boring meetings.

I heard the door open behind me but didn't turn around. I wasn't interested in meeting whoever this was. Morgan thought I needed an "Executive Assistant" to lighten some arbitrary things I said I would but never had the time to do it. This is me humoring her.

"Mr. Cross. This is Jianna. She's here to interview for the Executive Assistant position."

I turn around, and my breath catches in my throat. Standing before me is the most stunning woman I have ever seen.

Her long, dark hair cascades down her back in loose waves, and her almond-shaped eyes are light green.

She's dressed in a simple yet elegant black pencil skirt and white blouse that hug her curves in all the right places.

I clear my throat and extend my hand. "Hello, Ms. Spencer. I'm Sebastian Cross."

She takes my hand, her skin soft against mine, and smiles warmly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Cross."

I can feel my cheeks flush at the sound of her voice. I clear my throat again and motion for her to take a seat.

"So, Ms. Greene tells me you're here to interview for the Executive Assistant position?"

She nods. "Yes, sir. I have several years of experience in administrative work, and I am fluent in Spanish, French, and Italian." I could tell she was nervous. I see her fingers fiddling underneath the desk.

"Impressive." I thought.

I can feel myself getting drawn to her every word.

As I sit there, listening to her speak, I can't help but feel a growing attraction to Jianna. It's not just her stunning beauty but something about how she carries herself. Confident, yet humble. Assertive, yet respectful. I want to learn more about her and everything there is to know.

"Tell me more about your experience with international relations," I asked, genuinely interested.

If she was going to be my assistant, I need to know that she can... let's just say...hold her own.

Jianna's eyes light up as she begins to speak. I can tell this is one of her interests.

"Well, during my time as an administrative assistant for a multinational corporation, I handled all of the company's communication with foreign clients. That included coordinating meetings with interpreters and ensuring that all documents were translated accurately. I also had the opportunity to travel to several different countries and immerse myself in the local culture."

I can feel my heart racing as she speaks. There's something about the way her words flow so effortlessly that's incredibly captivating. I realized that I'm staring at her, and Morgan smiled discreetly.

"Wow! That's impressive. May I ask about your personal life, if you don't mind?" I asked impulsively.

She shifted in her seat slightly, and I noticed her breath hitch like she was uncomfortable telling me about herself.

"Ummm...I don't mind. What did you want to know, Mr. Cross?" I'm starting to like how my name rolled out of her tongue.

"Where is your family from?" I started.

"I don't know," she said. I can see a glimmer of pain in her eyes.

"You don't know? What does that mean?" clearly curious.

"Oh. I have no memory of my family or much of my past. All I remember from my life was being in a foster home when I was 17 and my foster parents kicking me out the day I turned 18." She looked down like she was trying to remember something she had kept locked in for a long time.

"I've been by myself since then." she finished.

I was amazed that she didn't cry while telling that story. I glanced at Morgan and saw her inconspicuously wipe a tear from her eye.

"I'm sorry. That's got to be hard." I said sympathetically.

I reached out to touch her hand. And she flinched at the interaction.

"Oh. It's fine," Jianna said uncomfortably. She snatched her hand back quickly.

Morgan saw the interaction and took that as a sign to end the interview.

"I think that would be all that we have for you today, Jianna," she said, standing up from her seat. "We'll be in touch." she extended her hand and shook hers.

"It was a pleasure to have the opportunity. It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Cross," she said, extending her hand.

I looked at it, and it took all my strength not to take her hand and pull her to me.

"The honor is all mine, Ms. Spencer. And please, just Sebastian." I said, straining.

"Oh. Umm… ok." Jianna looked at me with her green eyes, confused.

She tilted her head slightly and parted her mouth to say something, but she stopped herself.

"God! That's gorgeous!" I thought

"I'll walk you out." interrupted Morgan, going between us.

As she ushered Jianna out, she looked back at me and gave me a stern look. I knew what that meant. I'm going to hear about it when she gets back.

Better hide from her.

I returned to my office and picked up my phone for my assistant.

"Let me know when Bucky gets in," I said. "Anyone else? I'm not available."

"Yes, sir. And Ms. Greene?" she asked.

"Especially Ms. Greene," I replied sternly.

"Of course." she hangs up.

My eyes scanned through Jianna's resume, taking in her impressive credentials, and I'm awestruck. I can't help but whisper to myself in admiration, "You are remarkable, Ms. Spencer. Truly remarkable."

I couldn't get Jianna out of my head. Her face seemed to be imprinted in my memory, and I kept hearing the sound of her voice over and over again. I tried to focus on work, but my mind kept returning to her.

My phone rang, and I picked it up immediately. My thought of Jianna interrupted.

"Mr. Cross, Mr. Barnes is here." my assistant said on the other line.

"Send him in." I curtly replied.

I get up and button my jacket. My annoyance for Bucky renewed. He enters my office with that arrogant walk he had and sat down on one of the couches I have by the wall.

"What's this about Cross?" he asked, sounding bored.

"Right to the point. I guess you don't have time in your busy schedule for pleasantries. What happened in the subway?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" he asked, trying to play innocent.

"You know what I'm talking about, Barnes. What. Happened. In. The. Subway?" I repeated. Enunciating every word.

"Nothing. I just helped some lady. Isn't that what we're supposed to be doing?" he said, perturbed.

"Yes, but not when a million people are watching!" I exclaimed. "You went viral!"

I tossed my phone at him, showing the video of him almost killing a man and walking out of the train station with an unknown woman in his arms. The woman's face was buried in his chest, shielding her face from the cameras. He finished watching the video and tossed the phone back to me.

"If this is what you called me down here for, I'm going back upstairs to train. If I'm not mistaken, you want me to go on another stupid mission with your little gaggle, and I will need all the strength and patience for that." he angrily got up and headed for the door. He stopped and looked back at me.

"I don't even know what you're complaining about anyway. You wanted to save the world, right? Are you mad because it wasn't you, is that it? I don't give a fuck about who sees or who knows. Someone needed my help, and I helped. Now get off my case or fire me." he hollered, knowing I couldn't fire him. He left the office with me, and I called him to come back.

"WE'RE NOT DONE, BARNES!" I growled, but he was at the elevators already.

I saw people peeping out of their cubicles at what was happening, so I returned to my office and slammed the door.

The rest of my day has been clusterfuck after clusterfuck of things that elevated my blood pressure, so I cannot wait to go home.

It wasn't until later that evening, when I was sitting alone in my penthouse apartment, that I realized how much I wanted her. I couldn't stop thinking about how she had looked at me and how her voice had sent shivers down my spine. I knew I had to see her again.

So I did the only thing I could think of: I called Morgan.

"Morgan, it's me," I said when she picked up the phone. "I need you to do something for me."

"What is it, Sebastian?" she asked, sounding guarded.

"I need you to learn everything you can about Jianna Spencer."

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