Undeniably His (Undeniable Series Book 1) Read online

  UNDENIABLY HIS

  By Ramona Gray

  Copyright 2017 Ramona Gray

  This book is the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, scanned or distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. Quotes used in reviews are the exception. No alteration of content is allowed.

  Your support and respect for the property of this author is appreciated.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  Adult Reading Material

  Cover art by The Final Wrap

  UNDENIABLY HIS

  By Ramona Gray

  It’s all business until he takes his pleasure.

  As CEO of Dawson Clothing, Luke Dawson doesn’t have time to babysit his new assistant. Her terrible fashion sense, shy demeanor and weird obsession with peanut butter sandwiches should leave him cold. So, why can’t he stop thinking about her? Why does her fragility and sweetness call so strongly to him? And why the hell does he keep having vivid and hot-as-hell sex dreams about her? It’s normal for a boss to want his assistant on her knees in front of him. Right?

  Jane Smith is desperate. Caring for her ailing foster mother has left her broke and starving. Her new job as Luke Dawson’s assistant brings both a pay raise and hope for her dismal situation. Sure, her new boss has a reputation of being demanding and not prone to giving second chances, but a girl can deal with a difficult boss if her only other option is starving to death. It’s just unfortunate that her new boss is also gorgeous and sexier than any man has the right to be. It’s normal for an assistant to want to be on her knees in front of her boss. Right?

  Mixing business with pleasure is bound to get messy…

  * * *

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  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 1

  “Jane? Do you have a moment?”

  Jane looked up from her computer screen, her heart dropping into her stomach at the somber look on Maria’s face. Maria was the human resources administrator for the office and Jane cast a guilty look at the half-eaten sandwich on her desk. She had stolen it from the tray of sandwiches delivered to the office for the executive’s meeting. Dismay rippled through her. She was going to get fired over a damn sandwich.

  “Jane? Can we speak in my office?” Maria prompted.

  “Of course.” Jane dropped her napkin over her sandwich in a futile attempt to hide the evidence of her thievery before following Maria to her office.

  Maria closed the door and sank into the chair behind her desk. She rubbed delicately at her temples as Jane perched nervously on the edge of the chair in front of Maria’s desk. Maria stared quietly at her for a moment.

  “I’m sorry!” Jane blurted out as she twisted a hank of her light brown hair between her fingers. “I’m so sorry. Please don’t fire me. I shouldn’t have taken the sandwich, I know that, but I forgot my lunch and I skipped breakfast and I…”

  She trailed off as Maria gave her a puzzled look.

  “I’m so sorry,” she repeated, “I’ll pay for the sandwich.”

  Maria’s brow furrowed and she glanced at Jane’s hands as if she half-expected to see a sandwich in them. “What are you talking about, Jane?”

  Shit! She should never have opened her big mouth.

  “Uh, I took a sandwich from the lunch tray that was delivered today for the executive’s meeting,” Jane said as her pale skin turned bright red. “I thought that’s what you wanted to speak to me about.”

  Maria shook her head. “No. I wanted to speak with you about the position you applied for.”

  “Mr. Dawson’s personal assistant?” Jane said. “It was posted internally so I thought I was allowed to apply.”

  “It is and you are,” Maria replied. “I’m just curious as to why you want to leave the finance department.”

  Jane cleared her throat. It probably wasn’t a great idea to tell Maria that she applied for the position only for the pay raise. “Well, I thought I would try something different.”

  “You’ve only been here three months,” Maria said. “You’re doing well in the finance department and neither Kyla nor Mark have any complaints with you.”

  “Oh, well, I really like working with finance. I just feel like I’m better suited to admin work,” Jane said.

  “You don’t have any admin work on your resume,” Maria pointed out.

  “No, but I didn’t have any finance experience either and I picked up my current job duties very quickly.”

  She wondered if Maria could hear the desperation in her voice.

  “That’s true but being Mr. Dawson’s assistant is a little more demanding than inputting numbers into a spreadsheet,” Maria said. “It’s not always strictly work-related either. Mr. Dawson is a very busy man and there is an expectation that you will assist him with picking up dry cleaning, ordering his lunch and bringing him coffee.”

  “I don’t have a problem with that,” Jane said.

  “Are you certain?” Maria said.

  “Yes.”

  “Have you ever met Mr. Dawson?”

  “I’ve seen him at the staff meetings,” Jane replied.

  “Have you spoken with him?”

  “No, he doesn’t usually come down to the finance department.”

  Maria sighed. “Jane, can I be honest with you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Mr. Dawson isn’t like your current supervisor, Kyla, or even like Mark the CFO. He’s not unkind, but he does have high expectations of his assistant. He won’t explain things a second time, he’ll want everything done exactly his way and he does not give second chances. Do you understand?”

  “I do,” Jane said.

  “I think you’re too fragile to work for Mr. Dawson,” Maria said bluntly. “I think you could do well here but I believe you would be better off staying in the finance department. There’s room for advancement there in a few years.”

  “I appreciate the advice but I’m tougher than I look,” Jane said.

  “Are you?”

  “I am,” Jane said with a confidence she didn’t feel. “If I don’t get the position, will it affect my current job in finance?”

  “No,” Maria said.

  “Then there’s no harm in interviewing, right?”

  “No, there isn’t,” Maria replied. She eyed Jane’s cheap dress pants and shirt. “Well, if I can’t talk you out of it, I would suggest you wear something a bit more professional and,” she hesitated, “expensive. Perhaps something from one of our lines? That will go over well with Mr. Dawson.”

  “Um, okay,” Jane said. She smoothed her hand over her pants self-consciously as Maria stood.

  “Excellent. You’ll be meeting with Mr. Dawson at eight-thirty sharp. Don’t be late please. He abhors tardiness.”

  “I won’t be late,” Jane said.

  “Good. If you’ll excuse me, I have a conference call in three minutes.”

  “Thank you, Maria,” Jane said. She left Maria’s off
ice, closing the door behind her before leaning against the wall. Her heart was thudding and she felt a little sick to her stomach. If the HR person was suggesting she not apply for the position, maybe she shouldn’t. Maria said that Mr. Dawson wasn’t unkind but she knew the rumours circulating the office. He was demanding and sometimes he shouted. Embarrassingly enough, she wasn’t entirely certain she wouldn’t just burst into tears if he shouted at her. She was always so tired and lack of sleep made her cry easily.

  You won’t, Jane! You can do this. Don’t pussy out now - you need this job.

  That was true. If she got this position, she might actually have enough money to rent a place that had working heat and didn’t have mold growing on the walls. Hell, she could actually buy some damn groceries.

  Her stomach growled and she hurried back to her desk. Feeling slightly guilty, she scarfed down the rest of the sandwich before clicking the link to the company’s website. She scanned the suits, choosing the lowest price option and studying the prices with dread. Even the cheapest suit was way above her budget.

  She twisted her hair anxiously. Maria had suggested a suit from the Dawson line but there was no way she could afford it. She’d have to stop at the thrift store tonight and see if she could find something that wasn’t too cheap looking.

  * * *

  “You missed the meeting, Amy.”

  Luke walked into his sister’s office and studied the bean bag chairs with distaste. “What happened to the leather chairs I ordered?”

  “I hated them,” Amy said airily as she studied the sketches in front of her. “They were super uncomfortable. Just try sitting in one of the bean bag chairs, Luke. You’ll love it.”

  He sighed and kicked at one of the bean bags before leaning against the wall. “No thanks. You missed the meeting.”

  “I didn’t miss the meeting,” Amy said with a grin. “I deliberately chose not to go.”

  “Amy, it was important that you be there. The Board members get nervous when the lead designer doesn’t - ”

  “The Board members don’t give a shit about me,” Amy said. “They just want to talk about the business and the new lines and how much money is coming through and blah, blah, blah. That’s your department, remember? I design the clothing and you run the business.”

  “You should still be there,” he said. “Half the Board members don’t even know what you look like. Christ, half the employees have no idea what you look like.”

  “What for? So I can listen to them blather on about meaningless numbers? The company is doing well and the new line is exploding off the shelves. That’s all I need to know. Besides, you know I like my anonymity. I work better when I’m not disturbed. Hey, what do you think of this?”

  She showed him the sketch and he studied the flowing skirt and the off-the-shoulder blouse. “It looks good but not marketable for us.”

  She laughed. “What do you know about women’s clothing, Lukie?”

  “I know we’ve made our fortune from selling women’s work attire,” he replied. “Not frilly shit like that.”

  Amy laughed again before throwing her pencil at him. “Maybe it’s time we branched out in a different direction.”

  “The Board would disagree,” he said as he picked up the pencil. “Just because you dress like a hippie at the office doesn’t mean other women want to.”

  She studied her long dress and the multiple bead bracelets wrapped around both wrists. “I would have fit in so well at Woodstock, wouldn’t I?”

  A grin crossed his face and she walked toward him and pinched his cheek affectionately. “Do you ever wonder if one of us is adopted? We look nothing alike. You’re so conservative and proper and I’m…”

  “A hippie?” He said.

  “Watch it, mister, or I’ll start wearing flowers in my hair and going barefoot in the office,” she teased.

  He rolled his eyes. “Do you even want to know what the Board had to say?”

  “Nope,” she said as she returned to her sketches. “I assume if they were unhappy you’d be a lot more fired up.”

  “They are pleased with this quarter’s numbers,” he said. “The new line has brought in the highest revenue since last year. They’re open to my idea of expanding internationally. I’ll probably book the Paris trip to meet with the investors.”

  Amy shrugged carelessly. “Whatever you want, big brother. I just make the pretty clothes, remember?”

  Luke tugged at his tie as there was a knock on the door. It opened and Maria stuck her head into the opening.

  “Amy, is Luke in here… oh, Luke, there you are. I’ve been looking for you.”

  “Hi, Maria,” Luke said as Amy waved at the HR administrator.

  “Maria, come in and try the bean bag chairs. They’re sinfully comfortable.”

  “Thanks, Amy, but I’ve got a meeting in five minutes. Another time, okay?”

  “Sure.”

  “Luke, you’re meeting with two internal applicants for the PA position tomorrow. Lisa Moore at eight and Jane Smith at eight thirty. If neither of them is suitable, we’ll do an external posting.”

  “Thanks, Maria.”

  “You’re welcome,” Maria replied. She disappeared, closing the door behind her. Amy arched her eyebrow at Luke.

  “What?” He asked.

  “Why are you getting a new personal assistant? What happened to Elaine?”

  “Her mother isn’t doing well and Elaine is moving to Florida to care for her.”

  “That’s a shame. She was the only assistant you had who didn’t burst into tears on a regular basis.”

  “That’s because Elaine was competent,” Luke said.

  “Also, she was fifty-three and too old for you to scold her.”

  “I don’t scold my employees,” Luke said heatedly.

  “Yes, you do.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Yes, you do.”

  “No, I don’t,” Luke said. “I have to go. Will you be at dinner this weekend?”

  “Oh probably,” Amy said. “I missed last week’s and you know how mom gets.”

  “All right. Later, Ames.”

  “Goodbye, young Skywalker.”

  He rolled his eyes again and left his sister’s office.

  * * *

  “Hello, Jane!”

  “Hi, Tanya.” Jane slowed down and paused at the front desk of the care home. “How are you?”

  “Can’t complain. How are you? You’re a little late today.”

  “I had an errand to run after work. How is she?”

  Tanya hesitated. “It’s been a bad day for her. She’s been confused for most of it.”

  Jane sighed. “Okay, thanks.”

  “Before you go, I have an envelope for you.” Tanya handed her the envelope and Jane took it with a distracted smile and continued down the hallway to the last door on the left. She knocked on the door before opening it and stepping into the small room.

  The old woman was sitting in a recliner chair by the window and a surge of love went through Jane. She hurried over and set her purse and the plastic bag on the floor next to the chair before touching the woman’s hand.

  “Mama J?”

  The woman continued to stare out of the window and Jane smoothed the wisps of white hair back from her face. “Mama J, it’s Janie. I’m sorry I’m late today.”

  The woman turned her face toward her and Jane smiled at her. “Hi.”

  “Do I know you?”

  Sorrow shot through her and she blinked back the tears. “Yes, my name is Jane. I’m your daughter.”

  “You have me mistaken for someone else. I don’t have any children.”

  “I’m your foster daughter.”

  “Foster daughter? I don’t foster any children.”

  “You did, Mama J. You fostered lots of children.”

  “That doesn’t sound like me.”

  Jane tried to smile at her. “It’s true, I promise.”

  She studied the tray of food on
the small wooden table next to her. “You haven’t eaten your supper.”

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “You should eat. You need to keep up your strength.” She pulled a wooden chair up to the recliner and shrugged out of her coat before picking up the plate of food. She held a forkful of potatoes to the woman’s mouth. “Try a bite, Mama J. It’s good.”

  The woman opened her mouth obediently and they sat in silence as Jane fed her. When there were only a few bites of food left, the woman shook her head. “I’m full now.”

  “You ate lots, that’s good,” Jane said. She glanced at the open door before quickly eating the last of the potatoes and chicken. She set the plate down and held both of Mama J’s hands. “I have a job interview for a better position tomorrow. It’s why I’m late – I had to pick up a new outfit. Would you like to see it?”

  Mama J didn’t reply but Jane rifled through the bag anyway and pulled out the suit. “Isn’t it pretty? I work for a company that makes clothing for women and I found one of their suits at the thrift store. It’s a line from a few years ago, but I think it’ll help make a better impression at the interview. It’s a little big and it has a small rip in the skirt but I can hide it with the jacket. See?”

  Mama J was already looking out the window again and Jane touched her hand. “Mama J? Would you like me to read to you?”

  “Who are you? Why are you in my room?” The old woman gave her a startled look.

  “My name is Jane. I’m your daughter.”

  “I don’t have any children.”

  A tear slipped down Jane’s cheek and she wiped it away before stuffing the suit back into the bag. “Why don’t you let me read to you for a while?”

  “No thank you.”

  Mama J turned her face away and Jane reached into her purse for a tissue. She brushed against the envelope that Tanya had given her, and she wiped her face and blew her nose before opening the envelope. She read the single-page letter as her face paled.