Wild Girls Rule Read online

  Wild Girls Rule

  An Everly Brothers Novel

  Rosalie Lario

  Wild girls get what they want…

  After moving to New York City, Hailey Thompson lands a job as the assistant to her older brother’s best friend - and her childhood crush - Andrew Everly. Seeing Andrew again both thrills and terrifies her. The lighthearted boy she remembers has grown into an impossibly handsome man, but he’s also become a cold and ruthless businessman.

  When Andrew agrees to hire Hailey as a favor to his childhood friend, he still thinks of her as the fresh-faced girl that he knew growing up. On the contrary, she’s all woman. Temptation in a short skirt. As alluring as she is though, the little beauty is far too flighty for a man like him…not to mention that he’s her boss.

  As Andrew secretly struggles with his self-control, Hailey does everything in her power to crack his rigid façade. After being forced to spend a weekend away together on business, Andrew’s rigorously sculpted mask of discipline begins to slip, and Hailey gladly takes advantage of the opportunity to educate him in the ways of seduction. He can claim all he wants that he likes his women elegant and controlled, but Hailey knows a dirty little secret…when it comes to matters of the heart, wild girls rule.

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  Wild Girls Rule

  Copyright © September 2014 by Rosalie Lario

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  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Cover design by Robin Ludwig Design Inc.

  Editorial Services provided by Chelle Olson, Literal Addiction.

  License Notes

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Books by Rosalie Lario

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  She could do this. No problem. Hell, if Hailey Thompson could bluff her way through a midnight game of strip poker with Rodney Belson, the reigning King of Texas Hold’em, she could do something as simple as showing up for her first day of work.

  So why did ribbons of anxious energy curl around her stomach like an army of frenetic butterflies?

  Suck it up, Hailey. You need this job.

  Really, really needed it. Like, she’d-be-out-on-her-ass-next-week-if-she-didn’t-pay-rent needed it.

  After shoving past a throng of people bustling about on their way to work, Hailey stopped before the reflective glass of a storefront and examined her reflection.

  Her eyes were wild. Too big in her face. Several light brown curls sprang free from the messy bun she’d attempted this morning. She’d have to get better at putting her hair up now that she was going to be working in a professional office every day.

  Tucking the errant strands back into place, she took a deep breath.

  Stop it, Hails. No big deal.

  After all, she was only about to see the object of her childhood fantasies for the first time in eighteen years.

  Yet, Andrew Everly was no longer the adolescent boy she remembered but a man in his thirties. And thanks to a little groveling by her brother, Evan, he was going to be her new boss.

  Well, she’d never been one to back down from a challenge, and she wasn’t about to start now. Even if part of her wanted to hide in shame at the thought that Andrew knew what a royal screw-up she’d grown up to be.

  The offices of Everly Publications were located in a modern, midtown building that could only be characterized as a skyscraper. As she gazed up to the metal spire marking the top, a thrum of excitement sparked in her chest.

  “I can’t believe I’m here,” she whispered.

  The mouth-watering aroma of soft, baked pretzels and cooked onions wafted from the hot dog vendor on the street corner, and the scent of freshly brewed coffee drifted over from the building’s first floor café. Underneath it all was the faint but unmistakable stench of sewage mixed with cigarette smoke. She wasn’t in Kansas anymore.

  Or Tampa, Florida, in this particular case. Though she’d only been here a short time, her hometown seemed like a distant memory.

  “Heh.” Grinning, she gave in to the urge to spread her arms wide and yell, “I can’t believe I’m here!”

  That earned her a few strange looks, but for the most part, everyone ignored her.

  Yep, gotta love that New York state of mind.

  Three weeks into her new life in the city that never slept and the novelty had yet to wear off. She loved it almost as much as it overwhelmed her, and she desperately wanted to stay. Where else could she randomly break into song without immediately being labeled a lunatic?

  That thought alone gave her the courage to elbow her way through the crowd and into the revolving doors.

  After showing her driver’s license at the front desk, she was directed to the thirty-second floor. She rode up with nerves fluttering in her stomach, and adrenaline spiking her bloodstream. So far, this was a far cry from her first job in the city, an ill-fated experience as a fashion blogger for a small, regional magazine. Their office in a second-story Brooklyn walkup had paint peeling off the walls and smelled of Clorox and mold.

  After the ascent, the elevator doors opened to reveal a modern lobby decorated in shades of black, white and cream. Black leather furniture created a seating area, and behind it was a reception desk made of glass and steel. The receptionist, a tall brunette that appeared to be in her mid-forties but had the body and looks of a supermodel, gave Hailey a dismissive once-over.

  “Can I help you?”

  “I’m here to see Andrew Everly,” Hailey said.

  “I’m sorry, but he’s in meetings all day.” The woman slid a blank memo pad and pen across the steel desktop. “If you’ll leave your name and number, I’ll see that he gets the message.”

  The receptionist picked up her phone.

  Whoa, now. The woman was going to dismiss her without even getting her name first? I don’t think so.

  “I’m his new assistant,” Hailey said firmly, sliding the pen and pad back over.

  A flicker of surprise shone in the receptionist’s eyes. She gave Hailey a longer glance, her gaze lingering on the skirt of her dress. Okay, it was more like a mini-skirt, but it was Betsey Johnson and adorable, and Hailey had scooped it up for a steal at a second-hand shop. Every time she wore it, she wanted to spin and spin in circles until she fell weightlessly to the ground.

  “Really?” Skepticism flashed in the receptionist’s eyes as she pressed her finger to the dial-tone but
ton, then dialed a four-digit extension. “Miranda? I have a woman here claiming to be Mr. Everly’s new assistant?”

  Whomever Miranda was, she must have given the receptionist an unexpected response, because her perfectly sculpted brows rose. “Huh. Okay, I’ll send her right through.”

  She hung up and pointed one manicured finger toward a set of glass double doors in the right-hand corner of the room. “Miranda Powers will meet you right through those doors.”

  O-kay.

  Hailey resisted the urge to ask who Miranda was. Something told her the less time she spent around this woman, the better. The last thing she wanted to do was get into a catfight and make enemies on her first day of work. Besides, she’d find out soon enough.

  “Thank you.” With a cheerful wave that the receptionist didn’t seem to appreciate, Hailey turned on her three-inch heels— a funky pair of black and white Kate Spade’s she’d bought on extreme discount— and strode through the glass doors. They led to a corridor containing what appeared to be a whole section of offices. An older woman popped around the corner, her graying hair elegantly coiffed, and her face schooled into a haughty expression that matched the receptionist’s perfectly.

  “God, that hairstyle must have taken you hours,” Hailey blurted without thinking. Compared to her own messy bun, which had still taken her ten minutes of fumbling, the woman’s ‘do was like lacquered-on perfection.

  The woman didn’t comment, merely sniffed. “My name is Miranda Powers, and I’m the head executive assistant here at Everly Publications. You must be Hailey Thompson.”

  “Yes.” Hailey held out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Hmm.”

  That remains to be seen, she might as well have said.

  Miranda gave her hand a brief shake while pointedly looking her up and down. “That’s quite an interesting outfit.”

  She’d thought so when she picked it out for her first day, but now Hailey was starting to question her choice. Compared to the receptionist’s white silk blouse, or Miranda’s conservative, steel-gray suit, her cute polka dot halter dress with its flouncy mini-skirt was starting to look a bit too night-out-on-the-town. But she’d reasoned the short black blazer she’d thrown over it would make it more office-appropriate.

  Maybe not.

  A sliver of shame warmed her cheeks. Clenching and releasing her fists, she forced those unwanted feelings away.

  I will not apologize for who I am.

  Not to her brother, not to the rest of her family, and certainly not to this stranger. This outfit suited her personality, thank you very much. And to be honest, it wasn’t as if her budget was unlimited.

  She forced a cheery smile to her lips. “Thank you.”

  Miranda turned and started down the long, narrow hallway. It was only when she started talking that Hailey realized she expected her to follow.

  Damn. She hurried to catch up.

  “I’ve been the head executive assistant for over fifteen years, starting with the elder Mr. Everly, and now his son, of course. I perform all of his administrative tasks here at the office. You’ll be taking over his more personal matters, such as lunch appointments, coffee runs, dry cleaning, and such.” Miranda’s voice lowered into a murmur, “Though frankly, I don’t understand why he needed to delegate those responsibilities to anyone else.”

  Hailey stifled a wince. She’d known Andrew was doing her a favor by hiring her, but apparently more so than she’d thought. From the sound of it, he’d created a job just for her rather than have her fill a vacancy. Her heart sank at the realization. Evan must have told him every last detail of her miserable sob story.

  Once again, my big brother’s come to the rescue.

  Maybe she should’ve simply agreed to move back into Evan’s spacious home in Tampa until she got back on her feet, but her mind had rebelled at the thought of doing so. It would be akin to admitting she’d made a huge mistake in coming here. Plus, she liked the city and all it had to offer. It was a lot more fun than Tampa, for sure.

  They turned the corner.

  “You’ll be sitting right here.” Miranda pointed toward a steel desk cut into a nook beside a set of dark wood doors. It looked like a miniature version of the front reception desk, complete with black leather chair. In other words, like Corporate America Hell.

  Oh god, what am I doing here?

  Making sure she could actually afford to eat, that was what.

  Oh…yeah.

  “Thanks.” Hailey set her purse on the desk, but Miranda continued without stopping. Rolling her eyes at the woman’s not so subtle power trip, Hailey grabbed the bag and rushed after Miranda once more.

  “This is my office.” Miranda motioned toward an open door almost directly across from Hailey’s nook. When Hailey peeked in, she saw a small room with an elegant desk and a view most people would kill for.

  And she has a direct line of sight to my desk from hers. Awe-some.

  “And these doors lead into Mr. Everly’s office, of course,” Miranda said, moving toward the double doors.

  “Great.” Mindful of the receptionist’s statement that Andrew was out at meetings, Hailey asked, “Will Mr. Everly be in sometime today?”

  Without answering, Miranda gave two soft knocks, waited for several beats, and then slid open one of the doors. The murmur of a low, velvety voice floated to Hailey’s ears.

  Her stomach did a sudden, unexpected flop, turning her inside out. After close to two decades of wondering how Andrew had grown up, she was about to witness it firsthand. That thought was exciting, and more than a little nerve-wracking.

  At Miranda’s curt nod, she stepped forward and through the door. It led her into a large, elegantly appointed office with floor-to-ceiling windows lining two of the walls. An ivory leather couch sat against one of the windows, and an L-shaped mahogany desk had been set in front of the other. However, it wasn’t the scenery that held Hailey’s attention, but the tall, commanding man standing by the desk.

  He wore a dark-blue, tailored suit that probably cost more than Hailey’s last car, and his dark hair was trimmed above the collar. His back was to her, giving her just a hint of his figure beneath the suit, and what she saw so far looked damn good. Unless the suit was cut to conceal his flaws—and no suit could be that good— he kept himself in top physical form.

  He also held himself commandingly, in full control of his body from his head to his feet. No weight resting on one foot or the other, or a hand casually slung in a pocket. No, this man had both feet firmly planted on the ground and spread shoulder-width apart. He owned this space; there wasn’t an inkling of doubt about that.

  Andrew. Had to be. Though she couldn’t see his face, the way her body reacted to his presence made his identity clear. Every cell tingled with awareness, and a tremor of heat flared between her thighs.

  Yum… He can boss me around any day.

  Better yet, she could command him. There was nothing hotter than seeing a sexy, dominant man submit to desire.

  A sleek cell phone held to his ear, the man turned to face her. Andrew’s unmistakable blue gaze speared her, and something flashed in his eyes momentarily, followed by a glimmer of recognition.

  Her pulse skyrocketed quicker than a volley of fireworks on the fourth of July.

  God, he’s even more handsome now.

  At fifteen years of age, he’d been a stunner, with a long, straight nose, angular jaw, and gorgeous light-blue eyes. But the scrawniness of youth had been replaced by hard, sleek muscle, and the firm jaw was now covered with a sexy five o’clock shadow. He was, in a word, irresistible, and her body knew it. It propelled her slightly forward, as if pulled to him by the force of gravity.

  Andrew gave her a brief smile and a nod, acknowledging her presence, but any delight she hoped to see wasn’t there. In fact, he looked decidedly underwhelmed to see her.

  Simmer down, Hails. She forced herself to remain in her spot.

  Whatever response she’d been anticipating,
he certainly wasn’t falling over in lust. Not like her.

  Disappointment quashed the butterflies in her stomach. Apparently, her dream of instant attraction followed by an energetic round of horizontal mambo on top of his desk wasn’t going to happen. Too bad, because the more she looked at the perfectly sculpted body hidden beneath that suit, the hotter she got.

  “That sounds satisfactory,” Andrew said. The low tenor of his voice tore her gaze from the vicinity of his crotch.

  Oops.

  Fighting the inane urge to giggle, she moved her gaze up to his face. His eyes gave a hint of a twinkle, as if he noticed where she’d been looking and maybe liked it. Hopefully so.

  Because I sure did.

  “I’ll see you at lunch then.” With those words, he hung up.

  “Mr. Everly,” Miranda said, smoothly stepping toward his desk, “this is Miss Thompson.”

  He set his phone on his desk. “I remember.”

  When his lips curled into a familiar grin, the anxious pressure in Hailey’s chest eased a fraction.

  There he is.

  The boy she remembered. A trace of him, at least.

  “Long time, stranger.” Feeling suddenly reassured, she hurried forward and stretched out her arms. But before she could reach him, he held out one hand instead.

  Oh. Heat warmed her cheeks and she hastily readjusted, dropping her arms and clasping his hand. It was big and firm and oh so warm, causing a sliver of awareness to trail up her arm. When he touched her, it was easy to see why she’d carried a secret torch for the man all these years.

  Still, the handshake thing was weird.

  She didn’t know why she’d expected a hug. They hadn’t exactly been friends. She’d been ten to his fifteen the last time she’d seen him, and had generally hung out with his littlest brother, Sam. But he had been Evan’s best friend.

  “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Hailey,” Andrew murmured. While he still had that same soft grin, there was something formal in his tone that caught her off guard.