Hidden Agendas

By Andrea Bills

Have you ever known your life was about to change? That feeling when you know things are going to start to get better? Ava Thorne knew that was exactly what was going to happen when she finally landed her ideal career working for the biggest construction company in the Big Easy. Her first week gets off to a slow start, but when she finally lays eyes on her boss she fears more than her career about to change.
Brian Simmons is all sex appeal with his white t-shirt and his tool belt hung low on his waist. Their attraction is enough to burn down the office building. Ava is determined to meet his domineering nature head on, and resist his flirtatious comments. Before she’s had much of a chance to adjust to it all her apartment and office are broken into and trashed. Brian's convinced that he's the reason she's in danger. He's protective and controlling which both annoys and exhilarates Ava.
They're in a race against time, and bullets in this romantic suspense that will keep you hooked. Will Ava and Brian crash and burn or collide and ignite?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Andrea Bills
• Release date: Mar 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370889501

Andrea Bills

Andrea is a wife, mother and writer from small town West Virginia. She spends her time while she's not dreaming up lovers and villains alike chasing after her two kids and husband. Her overactive imagination and her husband's wacky dreams attribute to her love of the written word. Guilty pleasures include Reese Cups and reading all night.

Book preview

Hidden Agendas

By: Andrea Bills

Hidden Agendas

Copyright © 2017, Andrea Bills

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used factiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Editor: Tayler Bennett

Cover Art: Pro Ebook Covers

My dedication usually goes to my husband. Up until this point in my writing career he has been my steadfast companion. Sometimes, my only companion and supporter. He still is all of those things, and my love and appreciation will continue to be eternal.

However, this book goes to Tayler. You have been more than a friend. Honestly you wear so many hats at this point I’ve lost count. You’re my editor, my sounding board, and biggest supporter. You also leave the best comments throughout my book to give me a good laugh in the midst of editing. I never dreamed I’d look forward to editing, but finding your funny commentary is now something I look forward to.

This book would never have seen the light of day without you. I was so frustrated with my storyline, and pretty much everything. I knew the story was worth telling but it wasn’t until you took it, and found the missing pieces!

I can’t thank you enough for all your continued efforts to help make me a better writer. I love you and will forever be grateful that you told me to send my work over.

P.S. I know you’re proofreading this right now! :)

Until next time much love and happy reading!

Chapter One

The day had come, for Ava’s first day on the job. She had gone out the day before and maxed out her last credit card on a new outfit. Dressing for success, for her administrative assistant position, would hopefully keep her nerves in check. Her brother used to tell her if a person looks good they play good. Technically that was when she was in a youth softball league, but it still rang true. Anytime Ava had a lot of studying to do in college or if she was sitting at home sending out a ton of resumes, she’d get all fixed up. Something about going that extra length put a person in the right mindset to get things done.

Dust flew as Ava pulled into the gravel parking lot to the job site address she had been given over the phone. The office was a portable trailer, but it looked decent enough. It was a paying job, so she was less concerned about the office’s foundation and more concerned about the job. The job was with one of the hottest construction companies in the area. The guy responsible for the company was quickly becoming one of the most talked about CEOs, and was even listed on Forbes, Thirty Under Thirty to Watch list. Ava couldn’t believe her luck when they emailed her back and quickly hired her, after a phone interview.

Possibly one of the richest men in the area, let alone the state, was going to be her direct supervisor. She’d been up all night wondering how he was going to be. Everything she had read online had pointed to him being an arrogant asshole. Ava desperately hoped all the media jargon was blown out of proportion like usual, and that he was sweet. Ava knew it was a long shot though; sweet men didn’t run companies. Men like Brian Simmons dominate them, just like they dominate everybody around them.

With a deep breath she pulled herself together, adjusted her cardigan, and made her way inside. She knocked several times, but nobody answered. With a quick jiggle on the door it flew open, so she wondered in.

Hello? She called, but nobody responded.

Ava started to worry that no had remembered they had a new hire showing up. She walked around the makeshift office. For as small as it looked outside, it was surprisingly roomy inside. There was a receptionist’s desk out front, and then just off the left of that was a hallway with two offices. At the end of that hallway, another hallway cut straight back to a kitchen area, which had another hallway off to the left with more offices. It was a giant square with a huge conference room in the middle.

There wasn’t a single soul in the entire place either. Ava impatiently checked her email and confirmed that she was in fact at the right place at the correct time. She made her way back to the reception area and waited. A half an hour later, a small woman showed up looking flustered.

Ms. Thorne? I’m so sorry I’m late. My name is Kimberly Jones, and I’m the HR director. Let’s go get you set up in your office. Has Mr. Simmons been in yet?

Nope, you’re the first one here I believe.

The woman frowned then but didn’t say anything. Ava couldn’t help but think if anyone had the right to be agitated it was her. She had started to feel like she had been punked. Trying not to let her frustration show she gathered up her things and followed the woman down the hallway. Ava was going to be tucked all the way in the back corner directly down the hall from the receptionist.

This is you. Mr. Simmons is next to you so anybody going to his office will have to walk past you first. We’ve set it up that way in hopes that people will stop at your office first. Mr. Simmons is a very busy man, and he doesn’t have time to be disturbed. You will be in charge of weeding out people who don’t need to continue on.

Ava was going to be the gate keeper. So she’d be expected to handle her workload, plus man the hallways. This was shaping up to look like Mr. Simmons was the asshole the papers led him to be.

I’ll do my best. She quipped when Mrs. Jones kept looking at her expecting a response.

You’ll get the hang of it. It won’t take you long to learn who can go past, and who you need to divert. Mike is the project manager; he can take most of the diversions. His office is down the first hallway.

The day came and went just like that with Kimberly showing her the ropes. More people showed up around 9 am, and Ava learned that on days Mr. Simmons was going to be out in the field, most of his office employees snuck in late. She decided she wasn’t going to be utilizing that sneaky trick for some time even though they all ensured her it was the norm. Ava wanted to make a good first impression so she just smiled and laughed them off. She would be showing up at the proper time from here on out. One thing about CEOs is that they can be unpredictable, inexpertly dropping by the office early in the morning before going to the job site. Ava didn’t want to be caught sneaking in late if that ever happened.

Ava found that she genuinely liked all her new co-workers. The office was small, and everybody had been working with Mr. Simmons since he had started the company. She was the only new comer. Apparently with his recent business growth, the receptionist couldn’t handle the incoming calls and other duties along with assisting Mr. Simmons’ daily tasks.

Ava’s first week came and went fairly quickly, considering she never even got to meet Mr. Simmons. Being the CEO apparently had some nice perks, one of which being that showing up at the office was optional. Into her second week, she saw movement outside her office. With Mr. Simmons, still not in the office she didn’t bother to look up though. She figured with him not in the office, there would be no reason for her to tackle innocent people walking by.

Not but five seconds later, she heard the office door next to hers open. Ava jumped up nervous that somebody had barged into Mr. Simmons’s empty office while she was supposed to be the hall monitor. Kimberly was going to kill her for letting somebody rifle through his things.

I’m sorry sir, but Mr. Simmons isn’t in right now. Is there something that I can help you with?

The man turned around, and the air left Ava’s lungs. He was hands down the sexiest man she had ever seen in her life. He was so tall he seemed just inches from the ceiling of the office. He had on a dirty white shirt that clung to his overwhelmingly muscular arms and chest. It was also tight enough that a hint of a tribal tattoo stared back at her from his chest. Ava was pretty sure at this point her mouth was open, and she was drooling.

His legs were long, and his tight jeans left little to the imagination. To top it all off, slung low on his hips was a tool belt with all the proper tools she could only assume a construction guy would need. Never in her life had she been so turned on just by looking at a man.

Are you done?

Ava’s face flushed red as she realized she had just openly devoured him. He had a cocky grin on his face that left her feeling even more heated.

I’m sorry. I’m Ava Thorne, Mr. Simmons’s new assistant. He’s not here, and I just wanted to see if I can be of some assistance to you.

Ms. Thorne is it. Well I assure you I’m just fine. Thank you, though.

Sir, I really must insist that you leave Mr. Simmons’s private office. The project manager is in; let me take you to his office.

The man continued to grin at her, and then gestured with his hand for her to lead the way. She felt his eyes on her the whole time as she led him down the hall. Ava was pretty sure her legs were seconds away from collapsing. By the time she got to Mike’s office she was surprised she hadn’t fallen.

Mike, can you help this gentleman?

Mike stood up, and when he made eye contact with her gorgeous guest, he broke out in a wide smile.

Oh good, you know him. There you are then. I’ll leave you to it.

Ava hustled out of Mike’s office confident that she had diverted a crisis. She breathed a sigh of relief. As she left Mike’s office she had felt the man’s eyes on her the whole time. When she was finally back in the safety of her office, she plopped herself down on her guest chair. Her palms were sweating, and her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest.

Kimberly popped her head in her office then, to let her know there was a meeting in the conference room. They usually met every Monday morning in the conference room for an update on what everybody was working on for the week. As the new kid on the block Ava didn’t have much to add. Furthermore, she had yet to lay eyes on her boss. They still liked her to attend because a lot of times they needed access to Mr. Simmons’s calendar. She gathered up her stuff, and headed in.

Ava took a seat at the far end of the conference table. When she looked around her eyes landed on the man from just moments ago. His eyes were a deep hazel, and they were staring back at her with an intensity that caught her off guard. She fidgeted under his gaze and set about adjusting her skirt and sweater to occupy herself. His intensity was overwhelming, and she desperately wanted to flee. Her co-workers all filed in, and then what happened next made her knees weak and the world spin.

Hello everybody. Sorry I’ve been a bit of a ghost the past two weeks. We’re finalizing things on our third build site, and we’ve hit a snag. I need all hands-on deck, so we can get this figured out. I can’t afford to lose much time; we are ahead of schedule but only by mere days.

His voice faded out, but she could see him still talking. The gorgeous man with more muscles than Zeus was her boss. She had hounded him out of