Chapter 2 Cullen glared

Cullen glared at him. "Nervousness is fine, but disrespect is not something I tolerate. Ever." He continued to stare the younger man down, and Lucas looked at the floor, clearly defeated before the first shot had been fired.

"I'm sorry," Lucas mumbled.

Ivy realized she'd been wrong about Lucas's grin. It turned out the younger man was just as intimidated by the situation as she was.

And Cullen Sharpe had proven very quickly and efficiently that he wasn't there to play nice or be liked by the people who came to work for him.

He was standing so close to her now that the strong smell of masculinity and cologne drifted to Ivy's nostrils-she was in awe of how much power he exuded.

The awkward moment was soon over with, as there was a knock on the door and a tall, elegant, yet severe blond woman entered the room. When she came inside, Cullen nodded to her and then turned to the group. "Everyone, I'm pleased to introduce your manager, Emma Marks. She'll be taking over from here, and you're to go to her with any questions or concerns you might have."

"Thank you, Mister Sharpe," she said, smiling and batting her eyelashes at him.

Ivy disliked her on sight. Was it because the blond woman seemed almost too familiar with the CEO?

I hate women like her. She's just sucking up to the boss and it's annoying.

But Ivy thought perhaps the reason for her instant dislike of the new manager had more to do with jealousy than anything else. She was jealous that the blond woman knew Cullen Sharpe and was comfortable with him.

"And now, I'm afraid I do have to remove myself from the meeting," Cullen announced. Ivy felt her heart sink. As frightened as she was of the man, something about him was so utterly compelling that she didn't want him to leave.

"I can take it from here," Emma Marks replied.

He moved toward the door and then stopped, as if he'd forgotten some last detail. "Emma, there's a board meeting at ten o'clock. Please make sure you have my coffee to me at a quarter past the hour."

The blond woman nodded again. "Of course," she said.

And then the most surprising and shocking thing of all happened. The CEO turned and found Ivy once more, his eyes locking on her without any uncertainty.

Cullen pointed directly at Ivy as he spoke to Emma Marks. "And I want that girl to deliver the coffee this morning," he said. "Have her bring it to me."

Ivy sat there, stunned, still reeling even after Cullen Sharpe left the room.

His words echoed in her mind over and over again, and she couldn't stop thinking about him.

And the way he'd seemed to remember her, out of everyone else in the room. She couldn't get over the sensation that Cullen Sharpe was planning something for her.

***

When Ivy went to the bathroom during the brief ten-minute break, she found three other temps in there, quietly whispering and giggling about something.

But the moment she entered the restroom, the three young women went deathly quiet and their smiles disappeared.

I've been marked, Ivy thought. Like I have a disease, something catching.

The girls hurriedly left the bathroom and then she was alone.

I should just quit, she thought as she quickly used the facilities and then washed her hands, smelling the strong scent of bleach and cleaning products in her nostrils.

The bathroom was so clean that she would've been comfortable eating off the floor. Everything at Biometrix Pharma was like that-probably because of him.

He made sure everything was spotless, probably walked around the place with a white glove on his hand, checking for dust and dirt on every surface.

Cullen Sharpe.

Just thinking his name was like reciting a magical incantation-dangerous. Why had Cullen Sharpe picked Ivy, of all people, to bring him his coffee?

She didn't want that job.

And she was already deathly afraid of him. Sure, he was handsome-actually he was devastatingly sexy and powerful-which was entirely the problem. Ivy wasn't comfortable around people like Cullen Sharpe...confident, self-assured, successful and smart and rich.

She was introverted, preferring the company of books to most people.

I can always do something else to make money.

She stared at herself in the bathroom mirror, noting the ever-present pale skin, the freckles that she'd always felt certain were unattractive, and the frizzy hair that never quite seemed to stay styled.

There was nothing wrong with her per se, but she always had felt something was just slightly off compared to everyone else.

And coming to Biometrix Pharma proved that she was right in having such doubts.

She quite clearly didn't belong here. Her skirt and blouse combo that she'd purchased a week ago at JC Penny was low rent and tacky compared to the really nice outfit that Emma Marks had on.

Ivy's makeup wasn't perfect, her clothes weren't perfect.

And it was so obvious that Cullen Sharpe demanded perfection in everyone who worked at his company.

Ivy was in the wrong place. She should right now be squirrelled away in some quaint little bookstore in the suburbs, ringing up customers at the register or stocking the shelves. A simple job where she could blend in like she always had, be comfortably in the background, and not have to deal with people like Cullen Sharpe.

"Pull yourself together, Ivy," she whispered. She took a deep, deep breath.

I've never quit anything in my life and I'm not going to start today. I'm not going to let snooty uptight people scare me.

She felt her spine stiffen and her chin rose as she made the decision to stick out the rest of the day at the very least.

I'll bring him his stupid coffee. How difficult is it to hand someone a cup of coffee anyway?

She had to laugh at how ridiculous she was being. Letting the atmosphere of the place get to her-she didn't have to drink the Kool-Aid just because everyone else around here had done so.

Leaving the bathroom, she felt lighter somehow. She had a small smile playing on her lips.

***

They'd finally been moved to the wing of the building where they would be working for the remainder of the project-or until they were fired, which Emma continued to hint might happen at any time.

Ivy was sitting at her own tiny cubicle, which strangely gave her a surge of pride.

It felt like a real office job.

She'd only worked at the local supermarket down the street from her house as a teenager, and then in college she'd done some tutoring and worked again at a supermarket for a short time.

That was the full extent of her job experience, so this was a new environment, and she was settling in a little bit to the idea that perhaps she could hack it after all.

She was already doing the data entry, her fingers flying expertly over the keyboard as she read the hardcopies that needed to be input into the system.

From the groans and mutterings coming from the surrounding cubicles, Ivy had the distinct impression that not everyone was finding the actual work to be as easy as she.

Suddenly, her desk phone rang, insistent and loud in the relative silence of the cubicle farm.

Ivy wasn't sure what to do. Whoever was calling her phone, it must've been a wrong number. She was a temp. There was no good reason for anyone to want to talk to her on the company phone.

But then she thought perhaps her manager was calling, so she answered it hesitantly. "Ummm...hello?"

"Ivy Spellman," the deep voice said. It was a statement of fact.

"Yes, this is she," Ivy replied. "And who am I speaking with?"

"Cullen Sharpe," he replied. "I'm ready for my coffee now."

Her mind froze completely for a few seconds, but then she finally regained her senses. "Okay," she said. "Where do I bring it to-"

But he'd already hung up and she was left speaking to no one.

She stood up in a panic, knowing she needed to find the manager, Emma, to help her. Looking around the rows of cubes, she finally saw the tall blond in the far corner of the room.

"Emma!" she cried out, waving her arms over her head.

Emma Marks approached, her shark eyes glittering with impersonal distaste as she got closer. "What's the problem?"

"Cullen Sharpe just called to tell me he wants his coffee brought to him immediately."

The blond woman sneered. "How thoughtful of him to phone you," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I don't know what to do."

"Of course you don't," Emma said, and she began walking out of the cube farm. She beckoned Ivy to follow and continued walking without slowing down.

Ivy scurried after her.