~DIMITRI POV~

Adrian drank his coffee slower than normal and looked more irritated than I had seen in awhile but I couldn't help but feel somewhat proud of myself for managing to get his ass out of bed before one in the afternoon. The reason? Today was the day I would interview Rose, a favor for Lissa.

This favor wasn't one that I'd be thrilled with the least but she had managed to guilt trip me and bargain that if I didn't think Rose had what it took for the job, then I didn't have to hire her. I highly doubted that she would have the necessary skills but I saw no point in not giving her the opportunity.

"I'm not saying to give her the job but it sounds like she's pretty damn desperate. Maybe if she gets an interview at your company, she will have enough confidence to try for another job." Adrian said as he took a sip of his coffee as he lazily let leaned against the door of my car. I closed the door on the driver's said before slipping my jacket on.

I ran a hand through my hair before saying "I know you don't think what I do is important but being editor in chief of a book publishing industry, that I own, by the way, is not a bad job to have. It's better than wearing the tightest jeans available, mixing drinks, and praying that someone is so drunk that they mistake a hundred dollar bill for a five."

I didn't try to hide the fact that I was slightly insulting his career. Don't get me wrong, I was glad that he was doing something other than sleeping on my couch and complaining about his latest breakup, but I hated when he acted as if my job was of the least importance. Especially when I'd been the one to get him his job.

"Dimitri." He groaned and I looked over at him with my eyebrow raised. "You know what your problem is?"

"If you are implying once again that my irritation has anything to do with my physical activities, you can walk home." I growled and he held his hands up like he was trying to calm a wild animal.

He let out an amused laugh before saying "Okay, I won't bring it up."

I allowed myself to relax a little but this was shortly lived as he said "You know I'm right though. This Rose chick sounds pretty hot from what Lissa was saying and she sounded pretty desperate. I'm sure she'd do anything for a job like this."

I usually prided myself on my self-control but Adrian was testing the limits of it at the moment. I couldn't deny that Rose was attractive and that, under normal circumstances, I would have asked her to dinner and hoped for something more intimate. However, the idea that I would use her desperation to get her into my bedroom was an assumption that caused my blood to spike.

"Adrian," I said very calmly, despite the feeling of my blood boiling. I looked down at him, making sure to emphasize just how much taller than him I was and allowing this to intimidate him. "I don't believe in using another's misfortunes to get what I want. I hope you pick up on this lesson very soon."

I walked past him then and made my way into Starlight Publishing. Not the name I had originally planned but when you let your fourteen-year-old sister pick the name of your company for a birthday present because you forgot it was her birthday, this tends to be the outcome.

"Good morning, Mr. Belikov." Mia said as she greeted me with her normal smile and a cup of black coffee. Her blonde ringlets were pinned back for once and I was able to see her bright blue eyes shining under her deep black mascara and sparkling blue eyeshadow.

I smiled politely as I said "Good morning, Ms. Rinaldi. Are the copies on my desk and did you get my approval sent to Mr. Carter to go ahead with the approval of the Jones' book? What was the title of it again?"

I took a sip of my coffee as she followed closely behind me as she said "Yes. Yes. The book was called Escaping Houdini. I actually sat down and read the copy of that one."

"Thank you. I'm expecting an interview in a few minutes and would appreciate it if you would just send her straight up to my office." I told her as I unlocked my office, careful to keep my coffee from spilling on me.

"Interview?" Mia asked and I didn't have to look at her to see the confused look on her face.

"We're hiring?"

"No," I said in a firm tone as I opened the door and walked to my desk. I set the coffee on my desk before saying "Ms. Dragomir and her sympathetic heart have managed to convince me to give a girl an interview."

"In other words." Adrian said as he walked behind Mia and entered my office. He gave her a sly smile before saying "Lissa bugged the shit out of him until he said yes so he could get his work done."

Mia gave a nod before saying "Oh. Well, I'm sure that it will be a short interview but hopefully a good one. I wouldn't mind having a female co-worker to befriend."

"I assume this hinting that Mr. Ashford is driving you absolutely insane." I told her as I sat down at my desk and began pulling up the online files and sites needed to email the other editors.

Mia said nothing but the blush on her cheeks was enough of an answer. The day she and Mason finally admitted that they liked each other would be the day I finally had peace in my office. Until that day, I would have to deal with their constant flirting and bickering. While this didn't interfere with their work, it still wasn't something I liked to put up with.

Mia and Adrian made their way out of my office and I felt myself relax as I heard the door close. I leaned away from my desk to look out at the view of the city. My office didn't have the best view available but it was better than most. I also loved that the only window in my office was the one that gave me the view of the city.

I heard the door open and waited until it was closed to turn towards the person and felt my throat close up as I saw who it was. The Rose from the diner that had been wearing torn jeans and a t-shirt with the diner's logo on it was standing in my office. Her attire had greatly improved though and I couldn't help but notice the deep burgundy dress complimented her figure. It was long sleeved but stopped just above her knees and she had done her make up today. I didn't fail to notice that she was also wearing a pair of black sneakers that looked old but not too worse for wear. Her dark brown hair was hanging over her shoulders and I had a flash of what was unmistakably lust go through my body before getting a hold of myself.

"Am I in the right office?" She asked and I felt a smile pull at my lips. She ran her hands through her hair before saying "I'm not even going to waste either of our time. I'm not getting hired and you aren't the least bit interested in interview me, let alone hire me."

She started to walk out of the room when I stood from my chair and said: "Wait."

I was surprised as she stopped walking and put her hands on her hips. She had an argument ready for whatever I would say and I took my time to walk over to where she stood. I didn't realize just how small she was in comparison to my towering figure but I reminded myself that she was stronger than she looked.

"Why would I not be interested in hiring you?" I asked as I raised an eyebrow at her.

She crossed her arms over her chest and said "Three very basic reasons. I'm not your idea of an office assistant because I don't fit the look around here. You are an uptown rich guy from Hoffman Estates that would rather not deal with me. Finally, you know I'm not going to put up with bullshit and I'm pretty sure you want someone who is going to do whatever you say."

"Then I'm glad to say that you are wrong on all three occasions. I knew that you were the one that I was interviewing before you called this morning to confirm your appointment." I didn't hide my smile as she looked up at me surprised.

"What do you want, Dimitri?" She asked and I gestured for her to sit down in the seat in front of my desk.

I made my way to my desk and sat down before placing my hands on the desk. I made no move to speak to her and I knew that if I could hear her heart beating right now, it would be racing. I could tell by the way she gently tapped her knee, almost as if she were playing piano and I found myself curious to know if she did play. I shook the thought from my mind and gave her a coy smile before I decided to answer her.

"I want to give you a chance to improve your life."

***Well… if that isn't uncomfortable I don't know what is. Curious if Rose is going to take the job? Is she going to storm out? You never know with Rose. I hate that it has been taking me so long to update but I am a full time student in college with finals coming up so things have been a little crazy lately. I will however be updating as often as possible and hopefully more often. Thank you all for the reviews on the last chapter and I can't wait to see what you all think of this one. R&R and thank you for reading.