Executive Suite Secrets Series by Jocelynn Drake – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read

Executive Suite Secrets Series by Jocelynn Drake – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.ilovenovels.com Wed, 29 Oct 2025 22:14:21 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 http://www.ilovenovels.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/favicon.png Executive Suite Secrets Series by Jocelynn Drake – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.ilovenovels.com 32 32 The Temptation (Executive Suite Secrets #4) Read Online Jocelynn Drake http://www.ilovenovels.com/the-temptation-executive-suite-secrets-4-read-online-jocelynn-drake Wed, 29 Oct 2025 22:14:21 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/the-temptation-executive-suite-secrets-4-read-online-jocelynn-drake Genre: Billionaire, M-M Romance Authors: Jocelynn Drake Series: Executive Suite Secrets Series by Jocelynn Drake
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Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)

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There was no escape.

Pierce had been running from me for years.

No more.

This time, Pierce needs me to play the role of doting boyfriend to keep his parents from dragging him back to Boston.

With the help of some sneaky accomplices, I’m turning this fake boyfriend into something real.

I will finally understand all his secrets and the haunted look that darts through his eyes every time my brother is mentioned.

Preferably before Pierce learns the truth behind too many of my own secrets.

The Temptation is the fourth and final full-length novel in the Executive Suite Secrets series, which includes a grumpy, too-serious billionaire, a sassy world-class violinist, evil schemes, fake boyfriend, best friend’s brother, snark, teasing, stolen kisses, “helpful” friends, hurt/comfort, caretaking, and finally getting to the bottom of an old mystery so we can have that sweet, forever kind of love

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

PROLOGUE

PIERCE SUTTON

March 4, 2011

Sawyer dropped his duffel bag loaded with dirty laundry on the marble floor of the foyer with a heavy thud. It was so tempting to do the same, but this wasn’t my house, even if I had visited the Millers numerous times over the past three years. It had become as familiar to me as my home, and yet I still clung to the manners my mother had browbeaten into me.

But Sawyer’s noisy entrance paled in comparison to the explosion of colorful balloons and streamers that festooned every inch of the foyer and into the living room. The family was celebrating the birthday of Sawyer’s younger brother, Simon. He was turning thirteen. And apparently, all he’d wanted was for Sawyer to return from college and bring me along.

However, I was confident Sawyer had made up that last bit, but I couldn’t turn him down. I’d first met Simon three years ago when Sawyer’s family had come to see him play baseball. Sawyer was one of the team’s pitchers while I played right field. Since that first meeting, Simon had said barely more than three words to me. The kid with the unruly mop of blond hair and ridiculously large blue eyes kept his mouth shut and his eyes on the ground anytime he was out with others.

That shyness didn’t extend to his older brother. The second Sawyer gave him even a shred of attention, Simon would light up like a Christmas tree in a dark room. He would chatter on and on about every little thing he saw or did, trying so hard to impress his older brother. Sawyer was tolerant and patient with Simon, always listening and nodding to everything he said.

We weren’t in the house long before the clack of someone approaching in heavy heels echoed through the house. Elizabeth Miller was a lovely woman with the same blond hair as her youngest son, and wide blue eyes.

“Oh, thank goodness, you didn’t miss your flight,” Mrs. Miller said as soon as she set eyes on us.

Sawyer smirked as he extended his arms to hug her. “I figured that was why you asked me to bring Pierce along. So I would be on time for once.”

She smacked her oldest child on the shoulder even as she hugged him. “That’s not true, but I consider it a bonus. I’m still hoping his sense of responsibility will rub off on you.”

Sawyer shot me a look over his mother’s shoulder, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from smirking. I could imagine any number of filthy comments crossing his mind that were nothing like what his mother had meant.

Elizabeth released Sawyer and turned to me as I schooled my features into something serious. She pulled me into a light hug and patted my back twice. “It is always so good to see you, Pierce dear. We’re so happy you could join us this weekend for Simon’s birthday. I hope my other son hasn’t been too much of a headache for you.”

“Thank you so much for having me,” I replied politely, avoiding her comment.

Sawyer’s mother released me and stepped away to frown at his bag on the floor. “That’s filled with dirty clothes, isn’t it?”

Sawyer grinned proudly. “Of course.”

“Why did you bring it with you? We pay for a perfectly good service to keep up with the cleaning. Why couldn’t you have left your laundry in Boston?”

“Because I didn’t want you to miss out on the joy of doing mom things for me. Next year, I graduate, and I’m on my own. Don’t you like taking care of me?” Sawyer pushed out a pouty bottom lip and fluttered his eyelashes at her.

“Nonsense! I⁠—”

The front door swinging open cut off whatever scathing remark she’d been about to deliver. A skinny boy bundled up in a heavy jacket and a knit hat stepped into the foyer. If it hadn’t been for the violin case clenched in his left fist, I would never have guessed that it was Simon. How the hell had he managed to grow at least three inches? He was still an awkward boy who reminded me of a scarecrow escaped from his field, but he was more teenager than child now. Something in the sharpness of his cheekbones and the cut of his jaw promised a hardness that would set in as he became an adult.

“Look who arrived in time for your birthday!” Elizabeth announced.

Simon moaned and slammed the door shut behind him. He walked right to Sawyer and threw his body into him. The hug was more of the boy pressing his head into Sawyer’s chest while his older brother wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

“Happy birthday, brat,” Sawyer greeted with a mixture of laughter and love in his voice.

Simon grunted, but Sawyer’s chest muffled it.

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The Arrangement (Executive Suite Secrets #3) Read Online Jocelynn Drake http://www.ilovenovels.com/the-arrangement-executive-suite-secrets-3-read-online-jocelynn-drake Sat, 30 Aug 2025 08:41:40 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/the-arrangement-executive-suite-secrets-3-read-online-jocelynn-drake Genre: Contemporary, M-M Romance Authors: Jocelynn Drake Series: Executive Suite Secrets Series by Jocelynn Drake
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Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >90

With just a kiss, he ruined my life.

I never wanted to see Rome Ashbridge again.

So, of course, I now need his help to save my job at the museum.

Rome has cooked up a scheme to torment me before he’s willing to make the job-saving donation to my department.

But this arrangement is poised to backfire and pull us together in the most unexpected way.

Can we move past the years of hate to find something even sweeter than the friendship we’d both cherished as children?

The Arrangement is the third full-length novel in the Executive Suite Secrets series, which includes a somewhat flighty billionaire librarian, an angry paleontologist, evil schemes, bisexual awakening, snark, teasing, stolen kisses, “helpful” friends, resolving a twenty-year-old argument, and a sweet, forever kind of love

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

PROLOGUE

ROME ASHBRIDGE

Summer, 2004

Cicadas buzzed loudly in the trees, the sound rising and falling like waves hitting the beach. The air was thick and hot. No breeze stirred the leaves or cooled the sweat that beaded up on my skin, but I barely noticed as I peered through the wooden privacy fence three doors down from my best friend’s house. Two girls sat on the swings of an old metal jungle gym, talking animatedly, but we couldn’t make out what they were saying. They slowly rocked back and forth, the metal creaking, just barely rising above their intense conversation. Not that I cared what they were talking about. The important thing was that they were oblivious targets in an endless battle between boys and girls.

Liam let out a hushed giggle, and I hissed at him to be quiet. They couldn’t discover us before we were ready. The ripe water balloon was heavy in my hand, begging to be hurled. We’d spent the better part of half an hour chasing each other around with water guns, water balloons, and even a hose in an effort to fight off boredom and the heat. But we were tired of fighting each other. We needed new targets. Carrie Blake and Lori Armstrong lived on Liam’s block and loved to tease him because he was small for his age. Well, I was there to step in and fight for his honor.

I took one last peek. It didn’t seem as if they were planning to get off the swings anytime soon. This was the best opportunity. With a grin at my friend, I nodded and hefted the fat red water balloon over the fence toward the girls. Liam cackled and launched his green balloon and shifted the orange one to his right hand. His last one followed as a pair of panicked shrieks split the air. I laughed as I chucked my blue water balloon at the girls.

“Liam! You little butthead!” Carrie screamed.

“Rome!” Lori chimed in, twisting my name into a curse.

I peeked through the fence to see them running to the house with their hands on their heads as if to protect themselves from more water balloons. I couldn’t tell if we’d hit them. That would have been great. But I was happy with their panic and anger.

Liam grabbed my wrist and jerked. “Come on! They’re gonna tell their moms!”

Yeah, it was better to get the heck out of there before we were caught. Not that I thought we were going to get in any kind of real trouble, but I wasn’t in the mood to hear yet another lecture on why I shouldn’t be picking on Carrie and Lori. I hadn’t seen anyone give those two a lecture about not calling Liam names.

We darted away from the fence and between the houses, through thick bushes that scratched at our bare legs, until we were in Liam’s yard, where old maple trees extended long, leafy branches across the entire space to create a shadowy haven against the summer heat. Liam jumped over where he’d left his bike in the middle of the lawn and stopped when he crashed into the pale blue siding of his house, just under his window. I landed next to him, panting and laughing like a lunatic. Our plan had been perfect.

I pushed off the house, turned, and leaned my left shoulder on the slightly cool vinyl to stare at Liam. His short red hair was still damp from sweat and our earlier fight. He’d run his hand through his, leaving it sticking up in every direction. Freckles dusted his flushed and tanned face while his hazel eyes sparkled with laughter. Sweat dripped down the side of his face to splat on the shoulder of his white T-shirt emblazoned with Spider-Man. My mom had taken us to see Spider-Man 2 as part of a belated birthday gift and gotten us both Spider-Man T-shirts.

Just watching Liam made my heart squeeze, and fizzy bubbles filled my blood as though it had been replaced with soda. Everything about Liam was so alive and filled with mischievous glee.

“Did you see? Did we actually hit them?” Liam demanded, still gasping for air from our run.

“I couldn’t tell, but I’m sure we hit them with one of the balloons. They were huge,” I replied with a wide grin.

“Do you think they’ll come looking for us? Retaliate? Should we fill up some more balloons to protect ourselves?”

I shook my head. “Out of balloons. Those four were the last ones we had.”

Liam slumped against the house and kicked a pebble with the toe of his scuffed-up sneaker. We were a week away from the start of school, where we’d be stuck in uniforms and shiny dress shoes. Graphic tees and well-worn sneakers would have to wait until we were home.

It felt as though it was pure luck that Liam attended the same private school I did. Bainbridge Academy was stuffy and boring, overflowing with rich kids. Liam was among a handful of kids in each grade who were there because of a special scholarship. Not that I cared. Some assholes liked to pick on those kids, but I’d known when I saw Liam in the third grade that we were destined to be best friends.

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The Complication (Executive Suite Secrets #2) Read Online Jocelynn Drake http://www.ilovenovels.com/the-complication-executive-suite-secrets-2-read-online-jocelynn-drake Thu, 12 Jun 2025 17:27:36 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/the-complication-executive-suite-secrets-2-read-online-jocelynn-drake Genre: Contemporary, M-M Romance Authors: Jocelynn Drake Series: Executive Suite Secrets Series by Jocelynn Drake
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Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 86364 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)

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It was just a fling.
A bit of fun on the weekends. Definitely not permanent.
Not that I wouldn’t love to crack the ice around rich and sexy Declan Foster’s heart.
And he was the last person I expected to ride to my rescue when I found myself suddenly homeless and a father.
Now he’s spoiling my daughter and me at every turn, offering the perfect life on a silver platter.
Should I risk my heart on a man who once said he never wanted kids?
The Complication is the second full-length novel in the Executive Suite Secrets series, which includes a billionaire, a suddenly homeless single dad, snark, teasing, stolen kisses, “helpful” friends, a little princess who’s going to steal your heart, and a sweet, forever kind of love.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

1

DECLAN FOSTER

“Beg for me.”

I crushed Parker against the wall, smashing his cheek as my low growl rolled past his ear. My lips brushed his earlobe, and I caught it, biting down until he hissed.

His husky laugh sounded strained. “Beg? You haven’t done anything worthy of begging yet.”

That could be fixed.

In the low lamplight, sweat glistened on his tanned skin. I licked across his shoulder and bit a meaty chunk of muscle. Each kiss and suck of his skin allowed me to savor the perfect taste of him. My left hand snaked across his waist and slid up his chest, my fingers threading through a sprinkling of dark hair as I traced hard muscles. His breathing caught, and soft sounds of pleasure escaped his throat. Everything about him was an erotic thrill. A beautiful symphony of temptation and allure I could never get enough of.

I gripped one of his ass cheeks, digging my fingers into his flesh so I could press my hard, leaking cock into his crease. The head brushed his hole, and Parker moaned as if I’d stolen his soul away.

“Yes,” he hissed. “Do it. Fuck me raw.”

Those words were more than enough to light a fever in my brain, threatening to burn up the last of my self-control. It had become an obsession since we’d started this sexy pact. To fuck without a condom. To fill his ass full of my cum.

Months ago, we’d exchanged medical information proving all test results were negative. We were both on HIV-preventative medication. We knew we were in the clear, and somehow that made it hotter each time. Wondering if this would be the time I finally cracked and gave in to the temptation despite my claims from the very beginning that it would never happen.

But I still wanted it.

What would the feel of him be like without that bit of latex between us? How would the tenor of his cries change as I thrust into him?

I lifted my hips, rubbing against him, my dick sliding through the lube I’d used earlier to stretch his hole. “I don’t think you can handle my cock bare,” I teased.

“You want me to beg?” His voice was tight and slightly higher in pitch than normal. “I’ll beg for you to fuck me bare. Let me be your little cum slut.”

I rolled my eyes and stepped away, putting some space between us. Parker always had to take it a step too far. Even I could pick up on the mocking laughter dancing between each of his words. There was nothing serious about this man.

My fingers wrapped around his biceps, I pulled him from the wall and shoved him toward the bed. He cackled as he allowed himself to fall onto the mattress. He immediately flipped to his back in the middle of the bed and spread his bent legs, putting himself on display in the most enticing way. But there was no need. Parker was already the best fuck of my life. If he wasn’t, there would have been no point in returning almost every week for a year.

Not saying a word, I crossed to the nightstand and plucked a condom out of the box. I tossed the condom to him so that it landed on his chest. “Put it on me,” I ordered, placing my knees on either side of his hips as I straddled him.

A wide grin twisted his lips a second before he put the corner of the condom wrapper between his teeth and tore it open. He pulled the condom out. With deft fingers, he fitted it over the head of my dick and rolled it down slowly, taking care to stroke me to the edge of coming. A harsh breath left me and I balled my hands into fists at my sides, trying to hold on to my control. As he got it settled at the base of my dick, those silvery gray eyes flashed with mischief. His fingers darted to the head and the bastard intentionally ripped a hole in the top.

“Whoops!” he cried out, his voice full of mocking laughter. “It looks like you’ll have to fuck me bare.”

That firm hand stroked my cock again, the rough, lube-slicked palm teasingly moving from the bare head to the condom-covered skin. Fuck, I wanted to come. He had me almost trembling on the edge of release, and the idea of plunging into him completely bare was so tempting I couldn’t think clearly. But I held on to my control.

I batted his hand away and snapped, “Annoying psychopath!”

I ripped off the broken condom and climbed off the bed to dig through the nightstand for another one. My heart nearly stopped. The box was empty. I scoured the drawer and located one that had fallen off to the side. It would have served him right to be stuck sucking me off after ruining the last condom, but a blowjob wouldn’t cut it tonight. I needed to be buried so deep in his ass. The desperate desire consumed me as if I were trapped underwater, my lungs burning for air that I was only going to get by sinking inside his tight hole.

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The Bargain (Executive Suite Secrets #1) Read Online Jocelynn Drake http://www.ilovenovels.com/the-bargain-executive-suite-secrets-1-read-online-jocelynn-drake Mon, 21 Apr 2025 22:18:46 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/the-bargain-executive-suite-secrets-1-read-online-jocelynn-drake Genre: Angst, Contemporary, M-M Romance Authors: Jocelynn Drake Series: Executive Suite Secrets Series by Jocelynn Drake
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Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)

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He’s a golden retriever with a billion-dollar bank account. Sebastian is a brilliant, thoughtful boss who’s also too sexy for words.

And for some crazy reason he has set his sights on me—his lowly, boring, always-proper assistant.

I should say NO.

I need to say NO.

But YES is so much more delicious and fun.

The Bargain is the first full-length novel in the Executive Suite Secrets series, which includes a billionaire boss, a very proper assistant, a high-stakes bargain, stolen kisses, forbidden romance, meddling friends, and a sweet, forever kind of love.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

1

BYRON GRAHAM

When I’d first begun working as the executive assistant to Sebastian Courtland at Courtland Enterprises, I’d thought my boss was a god. Complete with a shining aura and inhuman good looks, full of benevolence and compassion.

After a few months, I’d discovered he was more like Loki—a being filled with chaos and mischief, out to make my life a nightmare.

Three years later, he was still Loki.

“Stick close to me.” Sebastian leaned in as we walked, his cologne dancing past my nose like a cool breeze. His warm, honey-brown eyes met mine, twinkling and bright with laughter, causing my heart to skip and my breath to catch. He whispered with an enormous grin, “My bodyguards are prepared to take us out of here by force. Just be ready to run the second I tell you to.”

And this was his response to the merger meeting we were marching into like a pair of avenging angels.

It wasn’t a joke. He was serious. Shit was about to hit the fan in a huge way, and the maniacal lunatic who signed my paychecks looked like a kid who’d been sent on a shopping spree in a toy store.

For the past year, Courtland Enterprises and Bluepoint Industries had been in merger negotiations. The companies were roughly the same size, but Courtland Enterprises would have a slight majority after all the paperwork was complete. The one thing that had been slowing everything up was the due diligence conducted by Courtland Enterprises’ massive team of forensic accountants, managers, and God only knew who else Sebastian had hired to dig through Bluepoint’s books, hoping to uncover all their dirty secrets. Sebastian’s father had started Courtland Enterprises, and there was no way in hell Sebastian was going to allow it to be dragged under by someone who had a past with shady dealings. Sebastian might act as though he were insane, but he knew when to be cautious.

We arrived at Bluepoint’s thirty-five-floor headquarters, and two members of the executive team met us. Their smiles stiffened a bit at the sight of the four enormous men in suits who accompanied us, but no one said anything. They might have if they’d realized that Sebastian had another two waiting in the underground garage with his two town cars.

After some excited chatter and glad-handing, they whisked us to the top floor, which offered a near panoramic view of downtown Cincinnati. It was a breathtaking symphony of glass, brushed nickel, and cold marble. As we walked, I caught peeks of Courtland Enterprises’ tower just five blocks away. Ours was a beautiful glass-and-steel marvel with forty floors, a shining crown for our city.

But this was nice too.

At the top floor, more executives greeted us. It wasn’t until we reached the massive boardroom that we faced Chairman Oliver Danvers, CEO Wallace Barnes, and the board of directors. It had been a while since I’d seen such a group of wrinkly, saggy-faced white men. There was only one woman on the board, and the way the others seemed to talk over her and ignore her made me think she was nothing more than a token to trot out in the name of “diversity” while never acknowledging her intelligence and experience.

Now that Sebastian had reached his target, the light in his bright eyes appeared more manic and his grin even wider. The second he sat with a glass of iced water at the head of the table, I moved out of the firing zone to a set of seats placed along the far wall with two of his bodyguards. The other two were waiting at the elevators to protect our escape.

Danvers stood with a broad, fatherly look. “I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am to have you here with us on this momentous day, Sebastian. I’ve known your father…”

Blah blah blah…

Danvers’s voice became a buzzing white noise under the grinding of my teeth. Pompous old egotistical asshole. I knew what was in the due-diligence report. I’d helped the various departments compile it. Listened as Sebastian had incredulously read parts of it out loud to me. Danvers wouldn’t be waxing poetic about the old days for much longer.

When the chairman of Bluepoint Industries was done, Barnes stood up and gave a similar speech about how this was going to create bigger and better opportunities for the combined company and how the employees were going to benefit. This was all overlooking the fact that the CEO’s proposal included laying off fifteen percent of his own workforce to “trim the fat.” Wouldn’t his newly unemployed workers love to know they were regarded as mere “fat”?

The entire time, I kept my head lowered as I typed on my phone. I sent messages to his bodyguards in the garage, keeping them updated on where we were in the meeting. There were also texts to Kaylan, who was technically my assistant, keeping him updated on what was happening. And, of course, there was the usual barrage of emails and reports that needed to be dealt with. Being away from my desk did not mean the chaos stopped for one second.

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The Interview (Executive Suite Secrets #0.5) Read Online Jocelynn Drake http://www.ilovenovels.com/the-interview-executive-suite-secrets-0-5-read-online-jocelynn-drake Thu, 17 Apr 2025 13:10:50 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/the-interview-executive-suite-secrets-0-5-read-online-jocelynn-drake Genre: Contemporary, M-M Romance, Novella Authors: Jocelynn Drake Series: Executive Suite Secrets Series by Jocelynn Drake
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Total pages in book: 18
Estimated words: 16678 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 83(@200wpm)___ 67(@250wpm)___ 56(@300wpm)

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My boss played cupid … And set me up on the best date of my life.My boss meddled.
The app matched us.
And Arden curled my toes with his disarming smile, sweet humor, and bone-melting kisses.
Go on a Valentine’s Day blind date and fall in love with Kaylan and Arden.

The Interview is a prequel novelette for the Executive Suite Secrets series. Read the romance of Arden and Kaylan, then check out the sneak peek of The Bargain, book one of the Executive Suite Secrets

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

1

KAYLAN

My boss was a madman.

Insane.

Lunatic.

Meddling old woman.

Okay, so maybe he technically wasn’t any of those things, but right now, it felt like it.

But buying a phone so he could download that ridiculous H2H dating app and enter me into the “Cupid Picks You a Date” Valentine’s Day madness without my knowledge was over the top.

I pulled my wool winter coat tighter around me as the wind picked up, whooshing across the top of Mount Adams. The sky was a dreary slate gray, but what did you expect from Cincinnati in February? From October through March, the area rarely ever saw the sun. The sparkling city became a depressing place of cloudy skies, bare brown trees, and dark-gray buildings.

Whatever. This was already going down as one of the weirdest days since I’d started working as an assistant to Sebastian Courtland, CEO of Courtland Enterprises. Actually, I was more of an assistant to his primary assistant, but I had regular dealings with Sebastian. That had led to the nosy man finding out that I was single and had zero plans for Valentine’s Day. Apparently, Sebastian thought I was too young to be sitting home alone on this most hallowed day.

As I climbed the stairs to the Cincinnati Art Museum within Eden Park, I scanned the area for any sign of the person who was supposed to be my date. The picture included in my meet-up instructions had been of an attractive man with blondish-brown hair, blue eyes, and a killer smile.

Fake.

No way a hottie like that was single.

Somebody had to have taken the time to photoshop the shit out of his picture before uploading it to the dating profile.

Of course, my boss had used the photo from my employee badge, in which I was rocking the “deer in the headlights” look in a suit that was too big for my lanky body. Thankfully, I appeared more disillusioned now than surprised, and I could afford suits tailored to my size.

It didn’t matter. I had no intention of going through with this date. The only reason I’d shown up was to tell the guy it was all a mistake. Yeah, dick move, but ghosting him was an even bigger asshole move.

After that, I planned to pick up some food and head home to binge-watch some of my favorite shows until I passed out and had to go to work the next day. And when Sebastian asked about the date, I’d say it didn’t work out and he’d drop it. Quick. Clean. Easy.

Except the date I was meeting actually was a hottie.

The toe of my shoe caught on the lip of a step as I gawked at the stranger and I tripped, nearly face planting no more than five yards away. Catching myself at the last second, I glanced up to find that he’d pushed to his feet from where he sat on a bench and walked toward me. Of course, he’d caught my clumsy act. The tips of my ears burned as I straightened my coat and suit jacket. Great first impression.

Nope. Didn’t matter.

I’d tell him the truth, and we’d go our separate ways. Never to meet again. First impressions weren’t important.

“Kaylan?” the man inquired as he drew closer. His voice was deep with the slightest hint of a rasp. Was that natural, or was he recovering from a cold? Regardless, it was sexy.

The only turnoff was the dark sunglasses hiding his eyes. It was a gray, dreary day. There was zero call for the shades. Probably hiding bloodshot eyes that drooped from his hangover. Hottie needed a few drawbacks before I did something stupid like go through with this setup.

I was still trying to decide if he was hungover or thought himself too cool in sunglasses when I replied, “Yes, I’m Kaylan Baumgartner. You’re Arden?”

“Arden Fischer,” Hottie introduced, extending his hand. I took it and had to suppress a shiver that tried to run wild through my body. Okay, so he had great hair, a sexy smile, and a big strong hand. Fine. He was sexy. Maybe he was sexy enough for sunglasses on a cloudy day.

“I’ll admit, after reading your profile, I didn’t think you’d show.”

Without thinking, I took a step back and shoved my hands into my pockets while once again cursing Sebastian. My boss was turning into the bane of my existence. “What do you mean? What’s in my bio that made you think I’d do something so rude?”

“No!” Arden waved both hands at me. “I didn’t mean it like that. Just…you’re so adorable and hot. I thought this had to be a practical joke. I mean, it’s not like the app can filter out the jokers and the fakes, right?”

“Yeah, no, right?” I babbled, huffing out the most awkward laugh of my life. At least he didn’t sound as pretentious as he looked.

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