One and Only

By Kate Stone

Life in Los Angeles is full of opportunity - and danger.

 

Billionaire James Hutch likes his busy life of work, work, work. He's got no time for dating, not when his international firm is about to land some big-name clients.

 

That is, until she takes the office in front of his and suddenly he's thinking about all the amazing things he'd like to do to her.

 

Alice Scott is a small-town midwestern girl starting her first job in Los Angeles. Everything is a bit overwhelming, including her sexy new boss who seems to keep making excuses to spend time with her. 

 

When James's ex makes horrible accusations about him, will Alice run back to the safety of her small town or will she put her trust in the man she has fallen in love with?

***

One and Only is a steamy hot office instalove romance with a happy ending, no cheating and no cliffhanger, perfect for fans of Frankie Love, Lucy Darling, and Ella Goode

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kate Stone
• Release date: Jun 9, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201842581

Book preview

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

For Mr. Stone, who makes all my dreams come true.

Contents

Chapter One – Alice 1

Chapter Two – James 13

Chapter Three – Alice 24

Chapter Four – James 33

Chapter Five – Alice 43

Chapter Six - James 51

Chapter Seven - Alice 61

Chapter Eight – James 66

Chapter Nine – Alice 71

Chapter Ten – James 74

Chapter Eleven – Alice 77

About the Author 84

Chapter One – Alice

The building was tall and looming, its sides all glass and the corners on large cement stilts. Hutch Associates was the leading architecture firm in Los Angeles and I was its new lead tech support person.

I held my portfolio with a firm grip, my knuckles turning bright white. The sun beat down on my bare arms, the air a hot ninety-five degrees. C’mon, Alice, don’t be such a scaredy-cat, I muttered under my breath. I marched up the front steps and toward the door. I had to click the small buzzer for the receptionist to let me in.

Alice Scott, I said as I stared at the red-haired woman. I was just hired for the tech support position.

The woman clicked a few times across her keyboard and lowered her glasses to look at the screen. Reaching into one of the desk drawers beside her, she handed me a small badge. Up to the nineteenth floor. Has HR already shown you where you’ll be working?

Yes, they have. I took the badge and clipped it onto the bottom of my purple blouse. Thank you.

The elevators were just as beautiful as the outside of the building. One of the walls was glass, giving a perfect view of bustling downtown Los Angeles. Getting used to the big city had been no easy feat for me, a small town midwestern girl. As the elevator dinged, signaling the nineteenth floor, I took a deep breath and stepped outside.

The office was already hectic. People stood at their stations, typing away and phones rang endlessly. My cubicle, at the end of the row, was just outside the glass door of a private office. It had been empty when HR had shown me around, but now I could hear someone through the door.

Can’t you get the damn server fixed? His voice was low and came out in almost a growl. The room went quiet for a moment. His voice went more hushed and became gentler. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t get this angry with you, but we’re losing money. Didn’t you just hire a new woman to fix these problems?

I clenched my jaw and put my portfolio down at my desk, reaching under it to turn my computer on. It whirred up, and I typed in my login information. Clicking around the screen, I found the email button. Instead of opening to what I assumed would’ve been a plethora of messages for my first day, I saw a constant spinning loading icon.

When I tried to get online, I had the same issue. Not an email issue at all, the internet connection was down. I sighed. It could be down for a million different reasons, so I’d better get to it.

The glass door clicked open. Alice, good, you’re here. The woman strolling out had bright red lipstick, which complimented her brown skin.

I stared at her and froze, desperately trying to remember her name. I’d met so many people during my orientation that all of them were running together. Kristen. Right. She was the supervisor for this floor, and I was to report directly to her.

Hi, Kristen, it’s a pleasure to be here, I said as I smiled and stood to greet her.

The glass door swung open again, and a man walked out. He brushed his dark hands across the front of his blue suit jacket. It had obviously been hand-tailored and probably cost more money than my entire thrift-shop work wardrobe.

I stared up at him. He was an entire head taller than me, even with heels on. He wore his dark hair slicked back, but small curls peeked over the edge of his collar.

I peered around his shoulder and saw the nameplate on his door. James Hutch. I assumed the owner of Hutch Architecture would be older, but he was young and handsome. He could’ve been an underwear model or the muse for a nude painter.

My cheeks went warm. Definitely not the thoughts I should have about my new boss.

Kristen motioned toward me. James, this is Alice, our new tech support lead. She then nodded toward James. And Alice, this is James Hutch, owner and boss here at Hutch Associates.

James offered his hand, and I took it. His hand was much bigger than mine as his fingers wrapped around my palm. He squeezed it and gave a small shake. The smile he offered could have been worth a thousand dollars. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alice.

You too, I said as he dropped my hand.

He looked away, out one of the large windows that showed the skyline before he turned his blue-eyed gaze back to me. I’m sure you heard, but we’re already experiencing some technical issues. We’re supposed to be finalizing a deal today with the city — do you think you can get it sorted out so we can get back online?

I nodded. Yeah... Yes, of course. I rolled my shoulders back. I’ll get right on it. My heart thrummed against my chest and my fingers shook so much that I had to squeeze my hands together. I wasn’t expecting to meet him today, not on my first day, and not with one of his offices right beside my cubicle.

"Good, it’s dinner on the company if you can fix it before