"Rise and shine, sleepy head."

Slowly and reluctantly, Evelyn uncovered her face. She blinked, closed her eyes, and blinked again. Streaks of sunlight penetrated through the window, blinding her.

"Evelyn?"

She rolled over in the warm sheets. Sadly, she had nobody to cuddle and share this moment with besides her pillow.

"Wake up," a familiar voice reached her ears.

Her sister? How did she get in?

"Go away, Alex," she groaned, and hugged her pillow.

"Come on, Evelyn, wake up."

She didn't stir until she was literally being pulled out of the bed.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Half-opening her eyes, Evelyn adjusted them to the bright daylight and met her sister's blue eyes. They were almost the same color as Evelyn's. Their hair color was the same too, dark brown and long. People said they looked twins. Only Alex was six years older, taller and a little more tanned than Evelyn.

"I thought you had a job interview?" Alex popped up her perfect eyebrows.

Evelyn groaned, closing her eyes, she dropped on the bed again. "It's on Sunday."

"It is Sunday."

Her eyes opened like two flashlight beams. "Wait, what time is it?"

"Seven thirty."

"Shit!" She woke up faster than a cat in ice-water.

"Oh god, I'm late, I'm so so late." She panicked, throwing the sheets away. "How the hell did I get late? I'm never late."

Alex scoffed. "Who told you to drink last night?"

"I am supposed to be there at eight." Evelyn threw her palms over her face. "I'm such an idiot."

"Hey, you've still got thirty minutes. Hop into the shower. I'll make breakfast real quick," Alex chirped.

"Well, I'm not going."

Evelyn looked back at her sister. A narrow beam of sunlight pouring into the bedroom fell over Alex. Even without make-up, she looked effortlessly beautiful in her short, floral dress, which being a high school teacher, she didn't normally wear every morning.

"Why?"

"Steve said that his friend, Sean Martin, apparently hates late comers. I'm losing this job anyway."

Steve had just laughed at her when she'd told him she'd never heard of Sean Martin. How would a girl from Michigan, hardly ever interested in business and politics, possibly know about the high and mighty business tycoon from Los Angeles?

Discovering her lack of knowledge, Steve had filled her up about the man. It appeared Sean Martin was not just some ordinary guy. The man was a fucking billionaire and the CEO of Martin Securities, one of the world's largest security companies. He was also the founder of the Will Martin Foundation. He owned several other business entities including hotels and nightclubs all across the US.

However, one thing she'd learned about him was how ruthless of a person he was when it came to professionalism, and being late for a new job interview was anything but professional.

"No, you won't, don't jinx it," Alex said. "You go on and take that shower. I'll make pancakes."

Miss eternal optimist!

"I don't think I have time for breakfast."

"I'm not going to let you leave the house without having your breakfast. And you can take my car today."

Evelyn jumped from the bed and opened the wardrobe. "I can Uber. I don't know the directions that well."

Besides, she hated driving other people's cars. She was too scared to damage it in any way.

"Well, hello, welcome to the twenty first century. There is a thing called GPS."

The last time Evelyn had relied on GPS to visit a supermarket, she'd ended up in the middle of nowhere.

"Fine!

Alex smiled. "Great! I'll get to the pancakes then." She stopped at the doorway and turned. "What was this job again?"

"Chef," Evelyn answered. "A personal chef, actually."

Alex's eyes widened. "In LA?"

"I know right? Crazy."

Steve said the man, her potential future employer, needed a new chef for his residence immediately. He didn't tell her why, only that he recommended her because he'd promised he'd help her. And what was better than working as a fucking personal chef for a billionaire?

"Well, get ready, will you?" Alex said. "Oh, and wear something nice. It's not everyday you meet a billionaire."

Evelyn glanced at the clock on the bedside.

7:35.

She threw her clothes on the bed and rushed to the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, she stood in front of the vanity, showered and dressed, shoving her feet into her flat ballets. As she dried her wet hair, she swirled her head towards the watch.

7:50.

She turned to the mirror, "ow, ow," she cried when her hair got stuck in the hairdryer.

She turned off the device and carefully released the strands of her hair. She bit back a curse when they pulled at the roots.

"What am I doing?!" She looked down at her broken hair and groaned out loud at the royal mess she'd made.

***

After leaving the house at seven-fifty, it precisely took an hour for Evelyn to reach the correct location after wrong twists and turns. She rounded the white Camaro into a fancy looking neighborhood in Beverly Park and took another turn and drove a mile long road, then slowly came to a halt in front of a...

It was not just a house, it was a fucking mansion.

Shifting on the seat, she nervously touched her hair, re-applied her lipstick and hopped out of the car. She glanced down at her phone. She was an hour late.

Bad. Very bad.

Thankfully, one of the security guards at the gate let her inside the premises and led her through a long driveway. Evelyn looked around the house amazed by the architectural creation before her eyes. She'd never seen a place so spectacular.

The morning sun tinted everything gold, making the place appear almost magical, like a castle from a modern fairy tale.

Now the only question was... Did it hide a knight in shining armour or a beast?

As they climbed up the grand stairway that led to the main entrance, Evelyn glanced at the extremely tall man beside her. He was like those dangerous looking, poker faced kind from the Bond movies.

"You work for Sean Martin?" she asked curiously.

"Yes, Ma'am, I do."

Ma'am?

"Evelyn." She smiled, flushing slightly. "Evelyn Reed."

"Miss Reed." He nodded firmly, not even a flicker changed in his face. No smile. Nothing. It was almost like he was carved from stone. Her gaze instantly fell over the scar running down the side of his face. It made him look less approachable, a little scary, and she wondered how he got it.

"So, what do I call you?"

"Walter is fine," he said, his voice professional. "Wal is you like," he added shortly after.

"What exactly do you do here, Walter?" she asked, deciding on calling him Walter. The man looked like a bodyguard or someone who belonged in the military.

"I work closely with Mr. Martin, Ma'am."

Jeez, again Ma'am?

"It's just Evelyn."

Walter barely nodded. They came at a stop right in front of the entrance, and he turned to leave. Just then the doors opened and a golden ball of fur scurried out.

Evelyn's heart dropped.

Oh dear.

Her heart dropped. Oh, God...

A dog.

A dog...

"Umm... Walter?" She took a shaky step back, then to her left, then back... the side of her body collided with a wall. No. Not a wall.

The golden retriever dog touched her legs, barking and sniffing.

She shut her eyes and held onto whatever her hands could find. "Ah!"

"It's alright, she's harmless," came a voice, a deep, husky manly voice. It was close, too close. "She's just smelling you, relax."

Her eyes flew open to meet the most beautiful blue eyes she'd ever seen. A silent gasp left her lips and didn't her eyes widen just a little?

"Are you okay?" Someone rushed to their side, the question directed at Evelyn. It was the same man, Walter, but Evelyn could hardly take her eyes off this new mystery man. 

A man rushed to their side. He was the same guy, Walter, but Evelyn could hardly take her eyes off this new mystery man. His eyes staring into hers lost their curiosity, and narrowed in surprise. Then they softened and sharpened all at once.

"Take her away, will you, Walter?" said her mystery man, but his eyes never left hers.

The man - Abby - grabbed the dog, but Evelyn barely noticed as she watched the man... she couldn't think of the right word.

He was handsome, yes, but in a forbidding, fear-inducing, menacing kind of way. Tall. Dark hair. Sharp features. Golden skin. Eyes so blue she felt she was staring right into the deep, mysterious ocean. And as his ocean eyes kept staring right into hers, he shifted a little. The scent of his cologne and aftershave reached her senses. It was fresh, sexy, just like him and her dormant hormones - seemed to come back to life and pay attention.

Everything about the man screamed sex.

Fire.

Danger.

"You know, the dog is gone," he said, his voice slow and seductive. "You can let go of my shirt now."

As though a spell broke, Evelyn snapped back on earth. Her gaze lowered and she found that her hands were tightly holding onto the front of his black shirt.

Flushing, she quickly released his shirt and stepped back, disoriented and lost.

The man looked a little wild too, disheveled in a sexy sort of way, but he didn't look disturbed though. No, he looked intrigued, and if she was not mistaken, amused.

"Evelyn Reed?" he asked, in a deep, raspy, yet gentle voice.

Evelyn was an ordinary enough name, then why did it sound so sexy coming out of his lips?

"Yes."

After a moment of cold silence, he spoke in a deep, dark, sensual voice. "Come in."

He took a step back, his movements sure, confident. Her gaze trailed down his long, hard body and landed on his shoes. They were clean, shiny, expensive.

Evelyn lifted her head to meet his eyes. Being short, she always had to look up at people, both men and women, but strangely, this man seemed taller than the most, and bigger, wider. He wore a black suit that was tailored impeccably for his muscular body, the fine fabric stretched at his biceps and shoulders. Her gaze trailed down his long, hard body and landed on his shoes. They were clean, shiny, and expensive.

"Are you going to just stand there and stare?"

His voice crashed through the cool breeze causing her to flinch in her place.

She thought for a moment about what he'd said to her. Oh yes, she was standing there staring. Wait, what?

"I'm sorry?" She felt herself flush. "Who are you?"

His icy cool eyes suddenly flashed with something very close to surprise. He arched an eyebrow and she got a sense of arrogance. She didn't know if her question made him angry or mad, but she did know of his kind. The kind who had the world falling at their feet. The kind who never waited for anybody or anything, and certainly not the kind who needed an introduction.

"Martin," he said, with an air of authority, "Sean Martin."

A gasp left her lips, a scintillating chill shot down her spine.

This was Sean Martin?

"Yeah, I know who you are," she rushed out, nodding lamely. 

Suddenly, his shoulders snapped up, his eyes sharpened. "Have we met before?"

She just stared back at him, absorbing his otherworldly beauty for another moment. How could she ever forget meeting a man so beautiful? When he cleared his throat, she blinked and blushed even more. 

"No," she replied. "I don't think so."

What the hell was wrong with her? Why was she acting like a silly, infatuated little girl?

He arched an eyebrow as if he didn't believe her. "Please, come in."

Come where?

"Yes?"

A faint furrow appeared between his brows. Now, he looked slightly annoyed, a little bored even. "You're late, Miss Reed."

"Yes... I... "

Her voice trailed off because the words seemed to fly out of her head. She'd never been a smooth talker, especially with the opposite gender. And she had faltered before attractive men before. Yes, yes, she had, but not like this. Never like this. What was it about him that made her a living and breathing wreck? Why was she suddenly hunting for words?

The man let out an impatient sigh. "Alright, Miss, listen up."

His voice was low, smooth, like a sexy rumble. It made her listen, alright. In fact, it made her feel a lot of other things.

"You're late, very late, and I don't have all damn day. So, if you would please come inside and stop wasting my time any further, you'll make me a very happy man. Understood?"

With that, he turned and left Evelyn standing at the door with her mouth hung open.

What an insolent, arrogant–

"Are you coming?" He looked over his shoulder, directly in her eyes.

Evelyn felt that he just pulled some kind of power play. He was the boss here. Surely she was late, but who talked to people like that? She didn't like needing his help, but she needed the job.

"Yes!" she called. "I am."

***

A/N:
Please vote if you enjoyed! <3<3

I have a new update schedule- new update every day or every alternate day.