Unexpected Encounter

Pov

Cora

"Bryce Penn, you're the right man."

I cringed. I hadn’t meant to say that out loud, even if it was only a whisper.

No one had heard me, thankfully. I was alone in the copy room. Still, I should've been able to look at a photo of my new boss without losing my head.

But that's what Bryce Penn did to women.

I worked for a total hottie. I'd never met him in person, but I knew every detail of his face.

And I wasn't a stalker, I swear. Celebrity gossip sites posted stories about him every few days. It wasn’t hard to know what the man was like.

Every perfect, chiseled muscle.

My heart raced as I stared at his photo on my phone. Another article about his latest playboy antics was making rounds on social media.

"Bryce Hollis, Los Angeles's most eligible bachelor, spent the weekend with three calendar models — Miss June, Miss July, and Miss August. This business mogul has fun all year round."

I shook my head, minimized the article, and shoved my phone back into my pocket as I waited for the copier to finish.

God, the man was an Adonis. He knew how to command attention, and it wasn't just his perfect physique that did the trick.

When Bryce wasn’t dating supermodels, he was throwing insane parties or pulling daredevil stunts with his buddies. He gave the celebrity gossip sites plenty to talk about.

Lusting over photos of the elusive CEO at my new job was a fun distraction. Nothing more. Hollis Marketing was a big company, and I'd probably never even see the guy.

"Pull it together, Cora," I chastised myself. "Drooling over your boss's photos is weird."

The copier finished with a thud. I grabbed the stack of papers, adding them to my growing pile. Balancing the tower of folders in my arms, I marched out of the copy room.

I could barely see over the massive stack, but I didn’t have time to carry n . in smaller batches like a normal person.

I'd left normal behind a long time ago. Somewhere along the way, my calm and pleasant life turned into chaos. I was just trying to keep up.

My supervisor Dana was waiting for the files. And in the month I’d been on this job, I’d learned that patience wasn’t her strong suit. She always had a look on her face that said, "Make one more wrong move, and you're out."

I might be an intern and only a small step above working in the mailroom, but damn it, that step meant something.

I wasn't losing this job.

My phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket and squeezed it between my ear and shoulder as I rushed down the hallway.

"You dead?" Dana's voice came through the phone.

"No, I'm on my way."

"I needed those files yesterday."

"I know," I said. "I'll be there. I just have to."

She hung up before I could finish my sentence. I rolled my eyes, dropped the phone on top of the file stack, and hurried on.

Dealing with Dana directly was a nightmare. Saying we didn't get along was an understatement. She was a pain in my ass. But I was just an intern.

I was lucky to be getting paid for it.

"Hang in there a little longer," I told myself like a mantra.

"This was temporary, just until someone at Hollis Marketing realized I was capable of more than just filing and fetching coffee. Then I'd be golden."

I tried not to dwell on the fact that I spent four long years in college to land a better job than this. If I hadn’t taken a two-year break after college to take care of my mom, my life might've been different.

But I couldn’t get lost in the what-ifs.

"I was going to keep this ship afloat, no matter what it took. Even if some days felt more impossible than others."

I rounded the corner and picked up the pace, mentally rehearsing my apology to Dana.

Then, bam.

I bumped into someone. Someone big.

I yelped, falling backward. The files scattered across the floor with a loud crash. Great.

"What the hell?" I exclaimed in irritation. I looked up from the expensive suit pants to the broad chest to the perfect face staring down at me.

The face that had been on magazine covers and tabloids for months. The face I'd been drooling over on my phone just moments ago.

The face of the Hollis Marketing CEO.

Bryce Penn, whom I thought I'd never see in person, stood over me. And I was sprawled on the floor like a lunatic.

"Oh, damn," I said, shaking my head. "I mean, I'm sorry. I didn’t realize it was you. My bad."

He laughed and reached down to help me up. I tried—and failed—to look graceful as I struggled with my tight pencil skirt. When I stood, I brushed the blonde hair out of my face and straightened my clothes.

"It was safe to say he was taller in person."

"And handsome. God. Drop-dead gorgeous. Stunning. Wonderful."

Dark blonde hair, blue eyes that pierced my soul, and when he flashed a smile at me, I felt dizzy. He was about to make me lose my balance for the second time.

"Were you never taught not to run in the hallways?" he asked, the corners of his mouth turning up.

"He looked amused, not angry. Thank God. I was sure I could get fired for tackling the boss like that. And for running into him."

Not that I could have done any damage to Bryce. The man was built like a freight train — muscles in all the right places. Solid, tense, delicious.

What was wrong with me? I couldn't lust after the man who owned the company. Not while he was right in front of me.

"I, uh... didn't. I mean, yes. I know I shouldn't run in the hallway. But Mrs. Blevins needs these files, like, yesterday," I shrunk. I sounded like an idiot. "And she's scary." And like a child.

Mr. Hollis chuckled. "Well, let's not keep her waiting then, shall we?"

He knelt to gather my files. I knelt too, picking up the files as he handed them to me. His fingers brushed against mine, and electricity danced across my skin.

Get a grip, Cora.

"Thank you, Mr. Hollis," I said, standing up straight. He rose too, towering over me once more. How tall was he? He had to be over 6 feet.

"Call me Bryce."

I blushed. Like a teenager. "Bryce."

He laughed again. "And you are?"

"Oh, Cora. Rodes. I'm... the new intern."

Why did I say that?

He smiled at me. "Yes, I can tell you're new."

"What?"

He shrugged. "You have that nervous newbie attitude, like you're trying a bit too hard."

Great. He thinks I'm clueless. "I'm just... trying to make a good impression."

He reached out to me, and I stiffened. He brushed a strand of hair from my face.

Oh my God. Bryce Hollis just touched my hair.

"Well, it's working," he said in that deep voice.

I blushed harder. My cheeks were probably scarlet by now. Judging by the amusement in his eyes, I was sure I was right.

"Well, Cora," he said. "It was nice meeting you."

"Technically, I met you," I pointed out breathlessly.

When he raised his eyebrows slightly, I blushed again. I was being a fool. Not only was this man so attractive I couldn't think straight, he was also the company's owner, and a man known to make women faint.

"I have to go," I said and dashed past him. I was fully aware that I was probably being rude, but I was completely at a loss for words.

Did I just have a moment with Bryce Penn?

I desperately wanted to look over my shoulder to see if he was watching me go. But I couldn't. There was no way I could risk the embarrassment.

I pushed Dana's door open with my shoulder and carefully placed the files in front of her.

She looked at me with an unimpressed expression. "You stopped for coffee on the way?"

I shook my head. "I dropped the files. They... might be out of order. I'm sorry."

"Are you kidding me?"

"Can I rearrange them at my desk?" I offered, cringing.

"You've done enough," Dana said with a glare. "Just go."

She shooed me out of her office with a flick of her wrist. I slunk back to my cubicle at the far end of the hallway from where Dana was located. With a groan, I collapsed into my chair.

"She won't be a witch to you forever, you know," Avery said from the other side of the partition. She turned her head to look at me, her red hair falling over her shoulder.

"Somehow, I doubt that," I said. "I don't get the impression she'll take me more seriously if I land a full-time position here."

"She's not that bad once you get to know her."

I wasn't so sure I wanted to get to know Dana Blevins any better than I already did. But I had bigger news to share with Avery.

"You'll never guess who I just ran into," I whispered.

"Who?"

"Bryce Penn."

Avery blinked at me. "Are you kidding me? Where? He's never down here. I mean, he's practically a king, always on the top floor. He doesn't mingle with us, plebeians." She looked around, trying to spot him on the floor.

I shrugged, trying to seem indifferent. Inside, I was reeling. "I'm serious. I ran into him. Literally. I dropped my files and he helped me pick them up."

"Oh my God," Avery said, pressing her hand to her mouth for a moment. "It's like a movie."

"Yeah," I sighed. "Except in movies, the woman doesn't act like a total idiot."

Avery laughed. "What did you say to him?"

"That I'm an intern," I closed my eyes and groaned.

"That's... um. Well, it's not good."

But, I mean, now he knows where to find you.

"Like he's going to try to find me," I said, rolling my eyes.

Avery shook her head, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "What did he say to you?"

"That I'm making a good impression."

"Really? That's good."

I scoffed. "There's nothing good about it. Avery, he probably thought I was a total idiot. I mean, the guy dates supermodels and has red carpet photo shoots with celebrities. I'm nobody. He probably forgot who I was before I walked past him."

Avery shook her head, her face incredulous. "I think it's pretty cool. It's like going to the store and accidentally bumping into a celebrity, you know?"

"I bumped into a celebrity," I pointed out.

Bryce Penn had to be the most famous — or infamous — bachelor the LA business world had ever seen. And he had only been CEO for six months, since his father retired and handed the company over to him.

Avery giggled. "Exactly."

Dana exited her office, walking past our cubicle. Avery ducked behind her partition. We both pretended to work until Dana was out of sight.

When she was gone, Avery vaulted over the divider again, made a face at me, and crouched down.

"Call me Bryce."

It was better to forget Bryce Penn. I probably wouldn't see him again. Even if I did, he wasn't the kind of guy who would notice someone like me. I was nobody. At the bottom rung in this company.

And he was like a Greek god, sculpted by angels and sent to Earth for beautiful, glamorous women. Women who were nothing like me.

Besides, men weren't an option for me anyway. I wasn’t interested in relationships. I had to focus on my job.

I earned next to nothing as an intern. If I didn't land a permanent job soon, my mom and I would sink. Everything was resting on my shoulders now that I was the only one capable of working. Since she got sick, it fell to me to pay all the bills. And our meager health insurance didn't cover everything.

Dating wasn’t in the cards for me. At least not now. Men had never been good for me or my mom. Not my father, who left my mom when she was pregnant with me, and not the few jerks I tried dating in college.

My focus was on one thing: making enough money to keep our heads above water.

Bryce Penn, with his string of supermodel girlfriends, was the last thing I needed to think about.

The rest of the day blurred by. Dana kept me busy running errands for her. Avery, who was a permanent staff and above fetching coffees, left at three to visit a client. As the afternoon dragged on, the office emptied out. Soon, I was the only one left.

My head buzzed after the long day. With a sigh, I pulled out my phone and opened my shopping list. My mom had remote access to the list and added the items we needed. I hoped there was nothing urgent to buy today.

No such luck.

"Toilet paper!!" was added to the top of the list. The exclamation points meant we were almost out.

Damn.

With a deep breath, I opened my banking app. I had an uneasy feeling my account was almost empty.

My stomach tightened when I saw the balance. The little I had left from babysitting jobs over the past two years was earmarked to keep our lights on. I couldn’t make a supply run until my first paycheck next week.

But toilet paper? That wasn’t something I could conjure up out of thin air. And we certainly couldn’t stretch it any further than we already had.

Everyone had already left, right? And the cleaning crew stocked the stalls with new toilet paper rolls every morning before the staff arrived. If I grabbed one or two, no one would notice. They would just replace them in the morning.

I hadn’t been entirely honest with her about how quickly we were burning through our savings. She already had more than enough to worry about. Stress didn’t help with cancer recovery.

Shielding my mom from the truth was another burden on my shoulders.

I got up from my desk and packed up my things before walking to the bathroom. My heart pounded as I made sure all the stalls were empty. A stack of rolls, all wrapped in packaging, perched on the counter. Before I could change my mind, I grabbed two and stuffed them in my purse. The second roll was visible from the top, I realized with apprehension.

When I stepped out of the bathroom, I felt sick to my stomach. I wasn’t a thief. I wasn’t someone who believed they were entitled to something they hadn’t worked for.

"I’ll replace the toilet paper," I promised myself. Even if no one noticed it was missing in the first place.

"I’m just borrowing it."

The elevator doors chimed and opened on the ground floor. I stepped in.

"Cora," a familiar voice said.

My eyes landed on Bryce Penn. Again.

And just like that, he was beside me. So close I could smell his cologne.

"Hi," I said, swallowing hard.

"Twice in one day, huh?" He said. "Working late?"

I nodded, painfully aware of the toilet paper rolls hidden under my coat.

"Admirable. You're doing a great job making a good impression," he said with a wink, his mouth curving into a knowing smile. My insides melted a little.

I cleared my throat. "Thank you. Have a good night, Mr. Hollis."

"Bryce," he reminded me. "And let me walk you to your car."

"You don’t have to do that," I said.

Bryce was gorgeous, but I just wanted to flee. He made me feel like a jittery schoolgirl.

"I insist," he said.

His green eyes locked onto mine as he towered over me like a god. I opened my mouth to decline but couldn’t speak.

Say no, Cora. My lips moved wordlessly, like a fish.

Damn it.

"Okay."

We turned towards the door. As Bryce held it open for me, a cold gust of wind cut through my clothes. I shivered. My arms goosebumped, and I trembled.

"It’s not summer yet," Bryce said, whistling through his teeth. When he looked at me, he frowned. "You're freezing."

"I’m fine," I said, but my teeth started to chatter. God, I was a terrible liar.

Bryce smiled. "Here," he said, taking my coat. In the process, my purse slipped off my shoulder. I watched in horror as the top toilet paper roll fell out and rolled away.

Of course.

I cringed.

Bryce looked down, furrowing his brow. He bent to pick it up. "What’s this?" he asked.

My throat felt like it was closing. "I... uh... it’s toilet paper."

He raised an eyebrow. "I can see that. Why is it in your purse?"

I bit my lip. "I have no idea how that got in there!" My shivering intensified. Yeah, this wasn’t going to work. And judging by the way he was looking at me, he didn’t believe it either.

I let out a sigh. "I took it from the bathroom."

"Are you stealing from me?"

God, he made it sound so personal.