Chapter 1 - THE WRONG OFFICE
“For what?”
Claire Bennett stared at Dominic Moretti as though he'd just offered to purchase the moon.
One hundred and twenty thousand dollars.
A year.
She had forty-three dollars left before her checking account went negative.
Her car payment was six weeks overdue.
And the most feared man in Chicago had just offered her a salary that could change her entire life.
Dominic leaned back in his chair.
“To work for me.”
Claire blinked.
“That is an extremely vague job description.”
Behind her, Marco made a sound suspiciously close to laughter.
Dominic ignored him.
“I need an executive operations manager.”
“For what operations?”
“Scheduling. Personnel. Vendor relationships. Events. Property management.”
Claire folded her arms.
“Those sound suspiciously like legitimate business activities.”
“They are.”
“Mostly?”
Dominic's mouth twitched.
“You ask a lot of questions.”
“I've found that people who dislike questions usually have interesting answers.”
His mother laughed.
“Oh, Dominic. Hire her immediately.”
“Mama.”
“What? She's delightful.”
Claire looked between them.
“I'm sorry, but I think we've skipped an important part of this conversation.”
Dominic raised an eyebrow.
“Which part?”
“The part where I decide whether working for you is worth potentially appearing in a federal indictment.”
The scarred man coughed.
Marco turned toward the window.
Dominic stared at her.
Then he laughed.
It was quiet.
Brief.
But unmistakable.
His mother looked delighted.
“There he is,” she whispered.
Claire didn't understand the comment.
Not yet.
Dominic stood and walked around his desk.
He was taller than she'd realized.
Six-foot-three, perhaps.
Broad shoulders.
Dark eyes.
The kind of presence that made expensive rooms feel smaller.
But he stopped several feet away.
Giving her space.
“I own seventeen legitimate companies,” he said. “Restaurants, commercial properties, transportation services, and a private events division.”
Claire studied him.
“And the illegitimate ones?”
His expression didn't change.
“You wouldn't be involved in anything illegal.”
“That's not the same as saying nothing illegal happens.”
“No,” Dominic admitted. “It isn't.”
Claire appreciated the honesty.
She also found it deeply inconvenient.
“Why me?” she asked.
Dominic looked at her résumé.
“Because you walked into a room with three men who frightened you, and instead of pretending you weren't afraid, you told the truth.”
Claire frowned.
“That sounds more like poor judgment.”
“You identified a problem, refused to flatter me, and demonstrated that you can manage chaos.”
“I'm excellent at chaos.”
“I noticed.”
He placed a business card on the desk.
“Think about it.”
Claire looked at the card.
Then at him.
“I have another interview.”
“Suite 1406.”
“Yes.”
Dominic nodded.
“Go.”
She blinked.
“That's it?”
“I don't hire people who feel trapped.”
His mother smiled.
“See? Occasionally he remembers his manners.”
Claire picked up the card.
Then she turned toward the door.
“Mr. Moretti?”
“Yes?”
“If I take this job, I don't fetch coffee.”
Dominic looked amused.
“Neither do I.”
“Good.”
She took two steps.
Then stopped.
“And I don't tolerate being yelled at.”
“Neither do I.”
Claire glanced at Marco.
“Does he always answer questions like that?”
Marco smiled.
“Only when he likes someone.”
Dominic's expression darkened.
“Marco.”
Claire laughed.
Then left.
Ten minutes later, she arrived at Suite 1406.
The receptionist apologized.
The interviewer was running late.
Claire sat in a plastic chair beneath a motivational poster that said SUCCESS BEGINS WITH ATTITUDE.
She looked at the stained carpet.
The flickering fluorescent light.
The receptionist arguing with someone about unpaid invoices.
Then her phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
Miss Bennett. You forgot your umbrella.
—Dominic Moretti
Claire stared at the message.
She hadn't brought an umbrella.
A second message arrived.
You should have. Chicago weather is unforgiving.
Claire laughed.
Then typed:
Are you always this bossy?
His response came immediately.
Only on Tuesdays.
She smiled.
And for the first time in six weeks, the future didn't feel entirely hopeless.
May you like
She had no idea that accepting Dominic Moretti's offer would place her at the center of a dangerous family conspiracy.
Or that the man everyone feared would eventually become the one person who made her feel completely safe.
