breakfast

Jake's POV

Virginia Sullivan. Well Goddamn, Derek had actually pulled it off.

I mused thoughtfully as I regarded Virginia across the room from me, her gorgeous hourglass shaped figure exposed perfectly even though it was almost completely covered by her clothing. She actually seemed like she could be a lot of fun, in addition to helping to brush up the image of the company.

When Derek had initially come to the partners with the idea of hiring a shared personal assistant, I had been the first to bet against his odds of finding someone who would actually be an asset to the company.

Sure, there were constantly droves of women throwing themselves at the four of us, insisting they could be a great 'secretary' or 'social media manager." But those women were looking for a comfortable salary and a prestigious name.

Virginia Sullivan had already achieved both, without the aide of Derek or his notoriety. If she was willing to take on this job, Derek had to have made it a sweet deal for her somehow. I knew he would have been honest with her as much as possible, too. Derek was many things when it came to women, but he would never manipulate or mislead a woman to do things she didn't want to.

No, if Virginia had made it this far, it was because she knew the job description and was willing to give it a shot. Not that I expected anything from her; but I could definitely see myself wanting her help on some particularly stressful moments in the job.

I suddenly realized I trusted Virginia to actually help me with company projects. And that thought was sexy as hell. I had never trusted a girlfriend to help with thing like that. I couldn't trust them to be loyal. Virginia was different. She understood the industry. She would never aim to gain personally from the company's secret operations. And to boot, she was being paid damn good to follow the rules.

Still, I couldn't wait to work out this schedule with the guys and see exactly when I would be able to start getting to know her. I pushed the idea of the other partners out of my mind.

God knows the four of us were a lot to deal with professionally... let alone personally. I inwardly winced at the possibility that the four of us could get caught in some emotional web of pentagonal love or something with Virginia, but then I remembered she was an employee. There wouldn't be an emotional attachments from any of us.

It was strictly business.

But that's no fun.

Thank god she's not some twiggy skinny thing. None of us like skinny breakable girls. Virginia doesn't lack on the curves department, that's for damn sure. And her creamy skin peeking out above the off-shoulder neckline of that wine colored sweater looked like the foam on top of a cappuccino.

"FRENCH TOAST" I blurted suddenly.

Virginia and Derek looked at me, mirrored looks of confusion on both their faces.

"Excuse me?" Virginia asked, her voice breaking into a slight giggle at the end.

I cleared my throat and repeated, "French toast. That's the breakfast special today. Weren't we supposed to have breakfast together? Real maple syrup and bacon and eggs. Or sausage if you like sausage." I rambled on.

"Hey!" Virginia exclaimed, slapping her hand on the back of the couch. "That's right, I was promised breakfast before the two of you started acting like idiots."

She crossed in front of the couch and plopped down onto it in a huff, crossing her arms in front of her.

The motion pushed her round breasts up further so that the creamy mounds surfaced slightly above her neckline.

I paused for a second in my appreciative stare down as I registered the word "idiots" come out of her mouth. I hesitant glance at Derek showed me that he was more amused than irritated, which was a good sign. But I was still uneasy about this new girl calling her bosses idiots. No matter how much we deserved it.

Voicing exactly what I had been thinking, Derek crossed his arms as well and pushed off the brick chimney where he had been leaning.

"Idiots, Virginia?" He asked slowly, his voice low and serious. I watched silently, taking the beta position of second in command as Derek addressed his newest employee. "I would strongly advise against insulting your new bosses on your first day."

I was pleasantly surprised when I looked back at Virginia to see her sitting bolt upright on the couch, jaw set as she regarded Derek with a cat-like, calculated gaze. She wasn't intimidated by him. Or at least, she didn't show it.

"Yes, sir," she countered, the the thick tone of sarcasm evident in her cool voice.

She didn't say anything else, but held Derek's gaze for several more seconds, calculating, challenging.

I put my hand in my pocket to push down the boner that had been steadily stiffening in my pants for the last few minutes.

Damn she's hot.

"Right, so... breakfast!" I exclaimed with a little too much enthusiasm. Derek and Virginia both looked my way and I gave them a cheesy thumbs up with my free hand to confirm that breakfast was the best distraction from the close quarters of this office.

Derek nodded, the perpetual cocky smirk back on his face as he stood to his full height of 6'4" and gestured for Virginia to lead the way back down the stairs. She obliged, having to brush past me sideways as she entered the stairwell, since I was still standing there halfway in front of it. I didn't move as she neared me, wanting her to have to either say excuse me or try to squeeze past. With delight I realized she was going to choose the latter.

I shuddered as her firm breasts slid across the thin fabric of my shirt, raising goosebumps on my arms, and as she took the first two steps down the stairs, her long fingers lingered on my forearm for stability before she set them on the railing and continued her descent.

I cast a sidelong glance at Derek as he neared the stairs, and as our eyes met he gave me a roguish grin and shook his head.

"Damn, man. Just... Damn." I said, summing up everything I was thinking in two words.

Derek laughed gruffly and slapped me on the shoulder.

"I know, man. I know," he answered, his words carrying just as much meaning as mine had.

I turned to follow Virginia down the stairs, Derek bringing up the rear.

Derek's POV

After entering the dining room, the hostess Tasha led Virginia, Jake and I to our reserved special table on the raised VIP platform that was built over the u-shaped bar that dominated the space.

It gave us complete privacy, but allowed for a constant vantage point of the restaurant, where a huge percentage of our business took place.

At the table, Virginia ordered the French Toast special Jake had been babbling about, as we all did.

When it arrived I had to tear my eyes away from her as her perfect mouth formed an "o" with every bite, and a soft, contented "hmmmm" sounded from her throat as she savored each taste.

I picked at my food, distracted instead by Virginia's obvious enjoyment of her own. I found myself fighting back a pang of envy as she inserted a thick slice of bacon into her mouth and sealed her lips around it before biting off a piece with a "crunch" and sliding the remaining portion out of her mouth.

I sat back, watching her openly as she and Jake shared a lighthearted conversation, genuinely getting to know each other as Jake told her about his culinary training with pastry chefs in New York and Italy, and his exclusive dessert menus that changed regularly.

She was listening with clear interest, making that soft purring sound in her throat again when Jake described his peanut butter fudge bon bons.

As much as I wanted her all to myself, I knew how important this was to the success of not only Virginia's position, but of the company as a whole. Besides, I would be the one driving her home tonight, not Jake or anyone else.

A strong buzzing sensation came from the chest pocket of my flannel shirt, and I fished my phone out to see Austin's name in a text message bubble.

Just pulled up, man. Headed to the stables. I'll meet y'all there.'

Speaking of 'anyone else,' looks like it's time for Virginia to meet another one of the partners.

I waited for a break in Jake and Virginia's conversation, and caught Jake's eye when there was a pause.

He raised his eyebrows at me, indication for me to interject.

"Austin's here, in the stables," I said, standing up and laying my napkin on the table. "Let's give Virginia a quick tour of the grounds as we head down there. She needs to get a feel for the place."

Turning my attention back to Virginia where she sat watching me with those eerie cat like eyes again, I held out my hand to her.

"Virginia, if you'll allow it, Jake and I will show you around some and then we'll head down to the stables where you'll meet our business partner, Austin Adams.

He coordinates and oversees all outdoor and adventure activities for all of our resorts and hotels, from horseback riding to snowshoe rentals.

Ready?" I asked, the question redundant as Virginia had already risen from her seat as I spoke, and her warm hand was now nestled within mine as we descended the loft stairs and headed outside through french doors that led onto the expansive patio.

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Pic of Austin to come in the next chapter, btw.....