Seducing Serenity

Chapter 1

Serenity

I had never believed in love at first sight, and I had certainly never been attracted to someone to the point of distraction. Until now. The moment I saw Gabriel Kingston, my body came alive, and heat pooled between my legs to the point I was afraid it would be obvious when I stood up. I might've enjoyed the sensation had I not been in a job interview.

I'd tried for months to get this interview. Kingston Enterprises was the top advertising firm in the country, and I was determined to get in. After finally divorcing my abusive, narcissistic husband of five years, I was ready for a new beginning. I had moved across the country to California and left my old life completely behind. I was finally free to be me, and I was going to rock it. I knew I was good at what I did, and I was ready to prove it. I knew getting this job was going to be a challenge, but I was ready to start anywhere I needed to, even if it was at the bottom. I would work my way up.

So, here I was, twenty minutes into the interview for my dream job, and I couldn't even remember my name. All I could see was Gabriel's lips and all I could think about was those lips on mine. Realizing he was waiting for an answer to a question I hadn't even heard, I shook my head to clear the fantasy going on in my head.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat the question? I must be more nervous than I thought." I hoped my face wasn't as red as it felt.

He smiled, and that only made it worse. It made him even more sexy, and I struggled to keep my thoughts on the question and had to break contact with his penetrating, fathomless, green eyes. Shit! Focus!

"I was saying that I'm looking for someone who is going to commit to the company long-term. The position I'm interviewing you for is a project manager, but I'm looking for someone who may become a partner in the firm at some point. I see you've just relocated from New York. Are you planning on being here permanently, or will you be going back at some point?" He leaned forward and rested his chin on his steepled hands. I fought the urge to lean in to catch the scent of his cologne and cleared my throat.

"I plan on remaining in California permanently. I would love to work for a company that promotes internal growth and development." I smiled, hoping the answer made sense as I couldn't seem to put together a coherent thought. I couldn't understand what was happening to me. Sure, he was good looking, but I'd seen handsome guys before. I'd never in my life had such a reaction to a man. He seemed calm, cool, and collected, and I was on fire in places I hadn't thought about in months.

That must be the issue. I hadn't had sex with my ex-husband in the last year of our marriage and I had sworn off men since our divorce. I wasn't going to sacrifice my happiness again for a man. I didn't need one to be happy. I was just reacting to him like this because I hadn't had sex in so long. The thought helped me focus, even though I wasn't sure I completely bought it. Maybe I'd have to invest in some self-care toys. I couldn't walk around fantasizing about every hot guy I saw.

"Well, Ms. Monti, the work you submitted with your resume was quite impressive and I appreciate you coming in to speak with me. I'll be making a decision on the position in a few days. We'll let you know either way." He stood and offered me his hand across his desk.

I stood and took a quick glance at the chair to make sure that I hadn't left a wet spot. I was relieved to see there was no evidence of my embarrassment left behind. I shook his hand and thanked him for taking the time to meet with me. "I look forward to hearing from you soon." I said and ran for the door as quickly as I could without looking ridiculous. As soon as the door closed behind me, I took a deep breath and tried to get myself under control. My hand still tingled from the handshake with Mr. Kingston, and I looked at it, almost expecting to see evidence of the feeling. Mr. Kingston's secretary looked up at me and gave me a quick smile.

"Everything go okay?" she asked sweetly.

"Yes, thank you," I said, "just nerves catching up with me."

She nodded and said, "I'm sure you did fine."

I wasn't so sure as I thanked her and started walking down the hall. The people who passed me on my way out all looked happy to be there. I thought that was a nice change from my old agency where everyone always looked like they were overwhelmed. I hoped the gap in my work history wouldn't hurt me. Mr. Kingston hadn't asked about it, and I hadn't mentioned it. My ex, Devin, hadn't wanted me to work the last couple years of our marriage because he said it was time we started a family. He wanted me to be a stay-at-home mother. When I refused to quit my job at a local advertising agency until we actually had children, he'd made my life so miserable, I eventually gave in. It took me two years to finally realize that not only did he never intend to have children but that I also didn't want to have children with him.

I finally got the courage to leave him a year ago and wanted to get as far away from him as I could. My best friend Lena told me to come and stay with her so I sold everything I could and ran away. When I got to California, I took a job as a waitress to make ends meet until I could find a job in advertising. I'd had two other interviews, but both times the gap in my employment seemed to be an issue. I'd tried harder with Kingston by enclosing more of my work. Hopefully that would help, and I hadn't hurt my chances by drooling over Mr. Kingston. My face flamed again in embarrassment just thinking about it.

I had just enough time to get changed and run to the restaurant for my shift. I called Lena to let her know I was done with the interview and conveniently left out the part where I practically undressed the man with my eyes. That could be shared over a glass of wine later.