Mundo de ficçãoIniciar sessãoThey say wine gets better with age. And being the assistant to the most powerful CEO in the country is far from easy… but I love it. Andrew Tanner is a good man, someone I deeply respect, and I’ve always kept things professional—no matter how dangerous it is to admit that he’s also incredibly attractive. He’s much older than me, and I know my place. Or at least, I thought I did… until a private email lands in my hands by mistake, changing everything. After nearly twelve years at the top of the company, Andrew never imagined that his greatest temptation wouldn’t be a billion-dollar deal, but his assistant—young, brilliant, and far too close. When someone from his past resurfaces with a dangerous blackmail, threatening to destroy everything he’s built, Johari becomes his strongest support… and his greatest weakness. A relationship between them is taboo. Forbidden. Andrew is nearly forty-five. Johari is twenty-eight. He’s her boss. She knows it. They both feel the attraction. Can they keep their feelings a secret… or will desire expose them both? **** ©Work registered with Safe Creative.
Ler maisI'm not exactly the kind of woman who turns men's heads. I don't have long blonde hair, nor do I possess striking sky-blue or green eyes. My body isn't like those runway models, and I don't have pronounced curves that highlight my hips or waist. I don't come from a family with a well-known last name, much less from a privileged socioeconomic background.
In short, I'm an ordinary girl… or at least that's what I think.
I won't start by narrating my life from the very first day in this world, of course not. I'll skip all those childhood, early years, and teenage details and focus on the beginning of my adult life.
I live in an apartment with my best friend: Oriana. We split the expenses and the cohabitation is peaceful.
The rest I can sum up by saying that my first jobs were somewhat complicated. I have a degree as an executive secretary and yes, thanks to that, I had several good positions with more than decent salaries, but unfortunately, I had the bad luck of having the worst idiots as bosses. Each one worse than the last because they didn't just treat me like a “maid”—some of them even tried to cross the line with me, and yes, I mean sexual harassment. Thank God none of those guys ever went beyond verbal sexual innuendos; if it had gone further, this would be a very different story.
After quitting my last job, I spent several months looking for a new one. Then one day Oriana mentioned she saw an ad in the newspaper looking for a secretary (a personal administrative assistant), so I called the number in the ad and went for an interview. Two days later they called to tell me the position was mine. So yes, for the past two years I've been working at a renowned company in the automotive industry.
I work as the personal assistant to one of the country's most important CEOs, and I love my job. I enjoy making CEO Tanner's life easier. He's a good man and I respect him… a lot. Of course, I'm keeping proper boundaries because, Jesus, he's hot too—even though he's quite a bit older than me—but I know how to behave and our relationship has always been strictly professional… or so I thought until, by mistake, I came across a very private email… And suddenly, everything changed.
(...)
How do I even begin to describe my life?
If I tried to go into every tiny detail, this would turn into a last will and testament—and that’s not the point. So I’ll keep it brief…
As the famous saying goes, something like “born with a silver spoon in my mouth.” Yes, I come from a family with far more than just comfortable means. My father built Chrome Machine from the ground up—a company that’s now prestigious and well-respected in the automotive industry. I was that kind of kid: diligent in school, a bit of a loner. That stayed with me from early childhood all the way into adulthood.
During my final year of university, my father fell seriously ill. From that moment on, I started helping him with all kinds of responsibilities at the company. Naively, I thought it would only be temporary—the next in line to take over was supposed to be my older brother. I was completely wrong.
After a year and a half fighting a terminal illness, my father took his last breath. My mother was devastated, my brother too, and I was the one sensible enough to keep both the family and the business afloat. A month after his passing, his last wishes were read, and it hit like a thunderbolt: I was the one left in charge of Chrome Machine. Of course, it came as a huge relief to my brother—honestly, he’s not exactly the kind of man built for that level of responsibility and pressure. That’s the big difference between Francis and me. Still, it’s never been a source of conflict between us; on the contrary, we have an excellent relationship.
It took me a full year to learn every little detail of the company. During that time, my mother developed a rare respiratory illness. Sadly, she passed away too.
The years that followed brought new lessons, experiences, and hard-earned wisdom. I turned into someone completely devoted to work—so much so that I sidelined my personal life almost entirely. Yes, I’ve had several relationships along the way, but no one ever truly understood my dedication and passion for what I do…
I’ve seen it all in this life. It comes with the territory when you’re the man at the top. After nearly twelve years running the company, honestly, the hardest thing these days is being tempted by my highly efficient, stunningly beautiful, and very young assistant. Things start to twist when someone from my past shows up with some kind of blackmail… and suddenly, my assistant is right there by my side. That’s when everything changes.
One week before everything became complicated, far from his assistant’s watchful eyes, he spent nearly an hour reflecting on his life outside the company. Truthfully, he didn’t have much of a love life, aside from a few casual encounters with people he had met along the way.None of his relationships had ever lasted very long. The longest one had barely reached five months, which was already saying quite a lot. Honestly, he didn’t consider himself cold or emotionally distant. When he was with someone, he did everything he could to keep that person satisfied. Yet whenever things began to move forward, toward the next stage of a relationship, they would simply… leave. The truth was that he wanted something stable. He wanted someone waiting for him at home or, why not, stopping by his office to have lunch together. He wasn’t asking for much, was he?His mind betrayed him, pulling him back to fleeting memories of his last “long” relationship. He had met her at a business dinner. Lucía was
She was still trying to process what she had just seen. Her mind seemed to have short-circuited, and for a few brief seconds she stared blankly at some random spot in the reception area. But when she looked again at her boss’s face, frozen on the screen, those sky-blue eyes openly betraying lust and arousal, a strange sensation took hold of her.No matter how hard she fought against her instincts, she found herself unconsciously wishing she were in the filmmaker’s place.Reality hit her when her personal phone began to vibrate loudly inside the desk drawer.She muttered something inappropriate under her breath as she opened the drawer and grabbed her phone. Her best friend’s name flashed on the touchscreen. Before answering, she slipped a single earbud into her right ear.“Are you still at the office?”She blinked several times, silently grateful for her friend’s call.“I… yes. Yes, I am. There are things I still need to organize,” she replied, part of her mind still trapped in the vi
She was almost impressed by how quickly her boss managed to lock all his emotions behind a professional mask.“No. Just a few things on my mind. It will pass. To be honest, I haven’t been sleeping very well, and I think I might take the next hour for myself. Maybe I’ll take a short nap.”“In your office? Do you need anything?” she asked, now surprised herself.“Actually, reschedule this afternoon’s meeting for Monday first thing in the morning.” Narrowing his eyes slightly, he nodded. “Thank you, Johari.”The surprise was still written all over her face as she watched her boss walk stiffly back into his office. Since when did her boss, a workaholic who barely knew the meaning of a good, proper night’s sleep, take naps in the middle of the day? The very idea was even more worrying than knowing that something was bothering him. One thing was being upset about something, but to pair that with such unusual exhaustion? And yes, she knew her boss didn’t sleep well. She knew it from Francis,
Saturday was not her favorite day of the week when it came to working at the office. Usually, her presence wasn’t required unless something last-minute had happened the day before, and that was exactly what had occurred. Naively, she had thought it might be an urgent meeting with a few executives or business partners, but when she checked the schedule, she realized that all the relevant meetings were still set for the following week.Honestly, there wasn’t much more she could do than simply be there and stay alert in case anything came up. Besides, she had noticed a change in her boss over the past few days. She had no idea what had happened, but the normally calm and serious nature of CEO Tanner had shifted into something gruffer and almost silent. She had even received a growl that morning when she greeted him, which was incredibly out of character. Her boss wasn’t a talkative man, but he wasn’t rude either. And it felt wrong to justify his sour mood by the fact that he’d had the pl
Another day, another lunch at her desk, but she couldn’t complain, not really. The morning had been fairly calm. There had been no meetings or unexpected visits, and she knew that, thanks to that, her boss was in a good mood. Still, from time to time, both she and her boss had to work through lunch, and she would end up ordering food by phone from one of the many places her boss usually chose for lunch. As for her, she settled for the packed meal she brought from home and a few snacks she kept in the cabinet in the break room. And that was exactly what happened today. She ordered a full, three-course healthy meal for her boss, plus an extra dessert.She couldn’t say for certain what had put her boss in such a sweet mood. That morning, she had seen him arrive impeccably dressed and groomed, as always, but she immediately noticed the unusual sparkle in his sky-blue eyes, one that almost hinted at mischief. In turn, that made her calm heart beat a little faster in her chest, seeing him m
When the elevator stopped on the fourth floor and the doors opened, Johari walked down the hallway, carrying a stack of documents in her hands.The floor, which was her workplace, had two offices, a break room, and the reception area. The main office belonged to her boss, while the other served as a meeting room. Between the two offices was the reception desk, with a large desk occupying most of the space. Its surface was impeccably clean and organized, holding a computer, an intercom, a phone, and a multifunction printer.She walked around the desk and placed the documents on it. The day was just beginning, and she sensed it would be long and hectic.Her boss, Andrew Tanner, would not arrive for another hour, which gave her plenty of time to organize all the documents, files, and the day’s schedule. Once she had completed half of her work, she decided to take a short break and head to the break room to make herself a good cup of coffee. With the cup in hand, she returned to her works





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