Meet Scarlett Striker, a bold and quirky journalist for the Seattle Times. She's fun, confident, sassy, and just the right amount of weird. Scarlett is determined to rise to the top, no matter what it takes.
When her boss offers a golden opportunity...
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Today is the day Scarlett interviews the mysterious James Wilson, and I'm practically dying to know what happens. Seriously! The curiosity is eating me alive. I can't wait to get out of here and interrogate her about every detail. But first, work calls. I arrive at Chris's office as usual and hand him his coffee.
"Just the person I wanted to see," he says, taking the coffee from my hand. Even though there's a flicker of attraction—or maybe something more—between us, Matt's threats, his texts, his abuse, linger in the back of my mind, creating a wall I'm determined to keep up. Distance is necessary, but it's hard to maintain when your job involves being close to the source of your confusion.
"I am?" I always ask in surprise when he says stuff like that. It's like he actually looks forward to seeing me, and that throws me off every time.
"I'm super sorry for canceling the interview. I heard Scarlett's stuck interviewing the stone-faced man," Chris jokes, making me laugh despite the nerves buzzing in the back of my head.
"I'm hoping she survives his intense personality," he adds, and I actually fear for her. Scarlett's great, but she's terrible at hiding her awkwardness when she feels intimidated.
"Oh god," I say, sinking into the chair in front of his desk. "She's going to crack," I add, envisioning her struggling to keep it together under James's scrutiny.
Chris laughs, clearly amused. "James tends to do that to people," he says, his tone taking on a more reflective note as he stares off into the distance, sipping his coffee. There's something almost... worrisome about the way he says it.
"Anyway, I'm hoping to reschedule the interview," he continues, bringing the conversation back to safer ground.
"Wow, two interviews with amazing CEOs? She's going to explode," I say, picturing Scarlett's face when she hears the news.
"I'm hopefully not as intimidating as James."
"You kind of intimidated her last time. You saw right through her with all those questions," I remind him of the time he came to our apartment, and Chris looks a little embarrassed, offering a sheepish smile.
"Right, I'm so sorry about that. This is my first interview, so I was trying to find out more about her." What a pair of strange men Chris and James are.
"I get it," I say, though I don't really get it at all.
Then, out of nowhere, Chris drops a bombshell. "I need to ask you—no, wait, I need you to go to Paris with me."
"I'm sorry, what?" I ask, convinced I didn't hear him correctly. Did he just say Paris?
"Paris. I need you to come with me on a business trip to Paris," he repeats, as if it's the most normal request in the world.
"Paris as in France?" I ask, still trying to wrap my head around it. Chris raises an eyebrow, but there's a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Yes, is there another Paris I'm unaware of?" he asks, chuckling at my moment of confusion.
