Dearest Virgins (Complete Series Box Set) Read online

  Dearest Virgins

  Box Set

  Mia Brown

  Copyright © 2018 by Mia

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

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  CEO’S VIRGIN

  LUMBERJACK’S VIRGIN

  STEPBROTHER’S VIRGIN

  President's Virgin

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  CEO’S VIRGIN

  One

  Tim

  “I like you, Tim,” Andrew Mirchoff said, in his cautious tone. “But you’re a small startup.”

  “A small startup?” I replied instantly, taking offense at the description. I was sitting at my desk, looking out at the view outside my window, but I wasn’t really concentrating on it.

  “You’ve only been in business six years.”

  “Which is three years longer than Geo-format, Cal-Greens, and Lip-labs were in business for. If you remember correctly, they tanked within the first couple of years.”

  “Most new software companies do,” Andrew responded.

  “My point exactly,” I said. “We’ve proven this ‘little’ startup of mine has legs. It can go the distance. If you need more proof, I can show you my client list. I think you’ll be suitably impressed.”

  “I don’t doubt your capabilities, Tim.”

  “Then why are you so reluctant to invest?” I asked. “This should be an easy decision.”

  “You’ve been talking my ear off on this subject for almost a year,” Andrew replied tiredly.

  “That’s because you refuse to listen,” I said. “My company is strong. What’s more important, I’m good… I mean, I’m really good. If anyone has a chance of succeeding at this time, in this market, it’s me.”

  “You are an arrogant son of a bitch,” Andrew replied, but I detected the tone of admiration in his tone.

  “You need to be to get ahead in life,” I responded unapologetically.

  “You probably already know that I’m fielding offers from two other companies… startups.”

  “Should I send them a basket of mini muffins with your regrets?” I asked.

  “I wouldn’t be so cocky if I were you,” Andrew said.

  I smirked to myself, glad that Andrew couldn’t see me. “I happen to know the two other companies poaching you,” I said. “First of all, the CEOs of both companies are fucking idiots. They’re not going to last, trust me on that.”

  “And you’ve met them both?”

  “Boris Hanson and Gretchen Harding,” I said immediately.

  There was a second of silence on the other line, and I knew that I had caught Andrew by surprise. He had obviously thought I was bluffing when I said I knew the two other companies trying to win him over.

  “You do your research,” he said, at last.

  “This is my business,” I said. “I don’t miss a beat when it comes to this company.”

  “You specialize in B2B online transactions, yes?” Andrew asked, and I knew I had convinced him. He was going to give me the go around for another few days, I might have to pull out the sales pitch one more time, but I knew I had already won him over.

  “Yes.”

  “And your latest client?”

  “Julius Motors.”

  “Huh…” Andrew said, as his tone shifted again.

  “Impressed.”

  “Reasonably,” he said, trying to sound aloof and mildly interested.

  “They’re not my biggest clients.”

  “You don’t say,” Andrew said. He was silent for a moment before he spoke. “And your staff… how large are we talking?”

  “At the moment I have forty-five people on my payroll,” I informed him. “But with your investment, I’ll have room to expand.”

  “We must have dinner soon to discuss all this.”

  “How about this weekend?” I asked immediately.

  “Saturday night then,” Andrew agreed. “The Rainbow Room at the Ritz. You’re paying.”

  I smiled. “I would be happy to.”

  “I’ll see you then, you slick bastard,” Andrew replied before he hung up.

  As the line went dead, I balled my hand into a fist and punched the air in victory. “Fuck yeah,” I said, under my breath.

  Now all I had to do was schmooze Andrew Mirchoff this Saturday, and my company would have another investor and more room to expand. My elation was short-lived as I glanced at the heap of paperwork on my desk. I may have been talented in the art of persuasion, but my organizational skills were sadly lacking, and I had been left in a sad state when my personal secretary had left my employ a few days ago.

  It was amazing how much had piled up on me in a matter of days. I pressed the red button under my desk that had a direct line to Lauren’s office. I was trying to make some headway with my schedule when she walked into my office five minutes later.

  “Any news?” I asked abruptly, without looking up.

  “About what exactly?”

  I glanced at her impatiently. “I need an assistant… I needed one weeks ago.”

  “Julie left only a few days ago.”

  “Not the point,” I snapped. “You told me you would find me someone. Julie handed in her resignation almost a month before she left… I would have thought that would be enough time for you.”

  “I’ve been trying,” Lauren said, as she sat down in one of the chairs opposite my desk.

  Lauren had been one of the first people I had hired when it became clear that the company was about to take off. She had worked for me for almost five years, and she had proven herself to be efficient, capable, and smart. She was one of the few people who worked for me who didn’t appear to be intimidated by me at all. While that was slightly annoying at times, it was also nice to have someone who I could count on for honesty. Still… Lauren had a habit of being a little too honest sometimes.

  “And?” I demanded.

  “No one wants to work with you,” she said bluntly.

  I stopped for a moment and stared at her. She looked back at me with her clear brown eyes and blinked calmly back at me. “Excuse me?” I asked.

  “I’ve been interviewing assistants on your behalf for the past few weeks,” Lauren replied. “Ever since Julie informed you she was leaving…”

  “But?”

  “Apparently you have a reputation,” she said, with a small smirk that she didn’t bother hiding.

  “A reputation?” I repeated. “As a passionate and hardworking CEO.”

  “As an asshole.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “You’re serious?”

  “A hundred percent.” Lauren nodded. “You had to know this.”

  “I knew it.” I nodded. “I didn’t realize it was so bad that it was actually scaring off people.”

  “Not people… just those people who work directly under you,” Lauren clarified.

  “I pay well.”

  “True.” Lauren nodded. “But you’ve also gone through seven different secretaries in the past few years.”

  “It can’t have been that many.”

  “I guarantee you, it has.”

  “Fuck,” I swore. “People are so fucking incompetent these days.”

  “I think it has less to do with them, and more to do with you,” Lauren said calmly.

  “Meaning I’m the problem.”

  “Well, if the shoe fits.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her. “Why do I ke
ep you around?”

  “Because you’d drown without me.”

  “Do we know that for a fact?” I asked.

  “We do.”

  “Damn it,” I sighed.

  “You need to work to be less…”

  “Less what?” I demanded.

  “Less abrasive,” Lauren said. “Less demanding, forceful… rude.”

  “I’m not rude,” I said.

  “Like hell you aren’t… you talk down to people.”

  “I demand a high standard from people,” I said. “It’s not the same thing.”

  “You need to treat people with respect, particularly those people who work under you.”

  “I’m not here to mollycoddle anyone,” I said, getting annoyed now. “I’m not here to be their friend or to hold their hand through the fucking day. I expect everyone to work and work well. That’s why I pay better than any other budding software company in San Francisco.”

  “You can’t possibly know that.”

  “I do my research.”

  Lauren sighed. “You need an assistant.”

  “I know that.”

  “And you need to keep one.”

  “I know that too.”

  “I’ve spoken to over a dozen people in the last few weeks,” Lauren said. “There have been several decent candidates… young, bright, and thirsty to prove themselves. They call, hear they’re going to be working directly under you, and they freak out and I never hear back from them for the second interview.”

  “Bunch of pussies.”

  “People won’t take shit anymore… no one wants to be stressed at work all the time.”

  “They wouldn’t have to be stressed if they did the job well.”

  “There’s always a learning curve…”

  “Fuck the learning curve. Success requires hard work and strength. You need to be hardcore in order to get anywhere in this world. You think it was easy to start this company on my own? It was rejection after rejection… it was doors in my face and spit in my eye. But I kept at it because I was strong… and I was ambitious. I’m not asking too much… I’m asking for a fucking assistant. That’s all.”

  Lauren regarded me thoughtfully. She was wearing a tight black skirt and a white shirt that showed off a little cleavage. She was an attractive woman, probably around my age if not a little older. I realized suddenly that despite the fact that she’d been working for me for five years, I knew nothing about her personal life. Not that I really wanted to… it was just an off fact that struck me all of a sudden.

  “I have a suggestion,” Lauren said, breaking my strange line of thought.

  “Yes?”

  “Raise the pay for the secretarial position.”

  “Fuck that.”

  “Tim–”

  “No,” I said firmly. “I’m not increasing the pay, that’s ridiculous.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m already offering a great salary,” I said. “I’m not offering more simply because I happen to have a bad reputation.”

  “You have made three of your seven personal assistants cry.”

  “Two.”

  Lauren raised an eyebrow. “It was three.”

  “I remember two.”

  “You remember wrong,” she replied. “There was Cassidy, Millicent, and Fiona.”

  “Fuck… Fiona… forgot about her.”

  “Obviously.”

  “She was only around for a short time though, right?”

  “Three weeks.”

  “How do you remember these things?” I asked.

  “It’s my job to remember…” Lauren replied. “What about incentives?”

  “I’m not giving more than I’ve already given. This is a good job. It offers a ton of experience and a great salary. I’m sure you can find me someone… soon.”

  Lauren sighed. “You’ll need to give me more time.”

  “How much more time do you need?” I demanded impatiently. “Maybe I need to replace you too.”

  Lauren smiled calmly at me. “Will you require me to hire the person you’ll need to replace me?”

  I smiled. “That’s all, for now, Lauren,” I said. “I expect to have somebody at the end of the week.”

  “Give me a month.”

  “Two weeks,” I said. “Or else I’m giving you the job.”

  Lauren stood up. “Guess I better get on this then… for my sake.”

  I smiled as Lauren walked out. The smile faded as I looked down at the pile of papers and figures on my desk. I needed to get a system going; otherwise, I would screw up all my appointments in the next few weeks. I had several meetings set up, and of course, I had to remember my dinner with Andrew on Saturday. I couldn’t possibly miss that.

  I was leafing through my datebook, taking note of the different handwriting that my string of assistants had left behind, and it struck me that I had had no life outside of running my company these last six years.

  I tried to remember the last time I’d been out on a date, and I remembered that it had been cold. My date had worn a thick coat in a dirty red color that made me think of unpleasant things. Maybe that was the reason I had dropped her off at her apartment without accepting her invitation to come inside.

  “Fuck,” I said to myself, as I realized that that date had been about eight months ago, just before Christmas time.

  Then I remembered a few one-night stands that had followed, and I felt slightly better, though only marginally. Casual sex had never really my thing. It never played out as smoothly as it did in the movies. There was always a certain amount of awkwardness, and the sex was never that great anyway. It was more like an itch that needed to be scratched… and in the absence of a relationship, it was my only real option.

  Still my last one-night stand had been a few months ago, and since then I hadn’t even thought about sex. I wondered if that was a bad thing. Surely a red-blooded man in the prime of his life would crave sex a little more? But for some reason, my desires were tied towards ambition, and I had plans for my business. Everything else would just have to take a back seat.

  Even as I thought it, however, a little voice in the back of my head asked, ‘but for how long?’

  Two

  Molly

  “Hi, guys,” I said, as I slipped into the empty space next to Isabella.

  Chris was sitting opposite us, and I noticed they both had drinks in hand and open menus in front of them.

  “Oops,” I said. “I’m really late, aren’t I?”

  “Only by a few minutes,” Chris said politely.

  “Thirty-five to be exact,” Isabelle said.

  “Ugh… I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Isabella said, putting a hand on my shoulder to let me know she was just joking. “We know you had another job interview.”

  “How’d it go?” Chris asked, putting his menu aside and looking at me.

  I suppressed the sigh that burgeoned to the surface and tried to put a brave face on. I loved Isabella; we had been friends since college. And even though Chris was a relatively new friend, I knew I could trust them both. But I felt slightly ashamed of the fact that I hadn’t been able to hold down a job for a significant length of time. In the last year and a half, I had had two jobs, both of which had lasted a maximum of six months. Now I found myself unemployed yet again, and it was starting to feel like this was a personal issue.

  “It went… I’m hopeful,” I said lamely, even though there was little sincerity behind the words.

  “Oh yeah?” Chris asked enthusiastically.

  I could see Isabella looking at me, and something about her knowing gaze made me crack. “No,” I said, in defeat. “I was lying; it didn’t go well at all. In fact, I’m almost certain I’m not getting this job.”

  “What happened?” Isabella asked as Chris gave me a sympathetic smile.

  “I went in without any real confidence,” I said. “I was so nervous through the whole interview that I came off as some inexpe
rienced idiot who didn’t know what she was doing. Honestly… I wouldn’t have hired me.”

  “Maybe you’re over-thinking it?” Chris suggested.

  “Trust me, I’m not,” I said. “It’s not happening… just as well though… I would have had to travel a half an hour every morning and evening. And since I don’t have a car at the moment…”

  “Don’t worry,” Isabella said bracingly. “Something will come up.”

  “I’ve been looking for a job for three months.”

  “Finding jobs isn’t easy,” Isabella pointed out.

  I sighed. “So anyway… enough about me. What’s new with you guys?”

  “Shall we order first and then get into it?” Isabella suggested.

  We ordered quickly, pasta for Isabella and me and a steak for Chris, and then we got down to the conversation. As usual, Isabella went first, mostly because she was never shy about talking about herself and she had the best stories considering her job was a flight attendant for a pretty prominent domestic airline.

  “So there was this guy on the flight to Dallas,” Isabella started the moment the waiter disappeared. “Tall, well built, with the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen.”

  “I have blue eyes,” Chris piped in, and I resisted the urge to smile.

  “He wasn’t wearing a ring or anything… so I decided to go for it,” Isabella smiled.

  “What does ‘go for it’ mean?” I asked.

  “I asked him out.”

  “Really?” I asked. “What if he lives in Dallas?”

  “Obviously, I checked first before I asked him out,” Isabella said. “He was traveling to Dallas on business. He’s going to be back in a week, and we’re going out then.”

  “What’s he like?”

  “At the moment, all I know is he’s cute and he travels for work,” Isabella said. “Which means he’s employed.”

  “Lucky him,” I said darkly.