Free! Chapter One! Ultimatum, A Grumpy Billionaire Romance! Watch me talk about it in the link!

 SL Kirby Author (@sarahduarte282) | TikTok

New BOOK release! ULTIMATUM is awaiting Amazon approval! 

Synopsis

Jesse Steele is the hottest billionaire on the market, but there is just one problem. He’s not a fun boss. He’s strict, pushy, and usually all business and always in a mood. Which almost makes his good looks a total waste. It’s a good thing Sophia Cartier isn’t looking to hook up. But Sophia is all business too, and at least she can consider it safe to work with Jesse without any fear of falling in love and getting hurt. She doesn’t have to worry about designer clothes or make-up or looking perfect for someone like him. She can just dress normal, be her usual hardworking self, show up, work and go home.  Men like Jesse were made to break hearts, not love them. Sophia is focussed on her career and climbing the corporate ladder one day at a time, through her own hard work and sweat and she plans to keep it that way. 

Until Jesse calls her into his office to work on a project and the game changes. Jesse, it turns out, might actually appreciate a woman exactly like her. More so than he realizes!  It doesn’t take long for his first kiss to rock her soul. How long can she try to keep from falling in love? Not long if he keeps looking at her like that. 

Chapter One

The New Project

Sophia

Sophia Cartier adjusted her glasses and clutched her notebook as she stepped off the elevator onto the executive floor of Steele Enterprises. The chemically fresh smell of floor cleaner filled the air as she made her way to the office. They’d just got done doing the floors and they looked nice, but it was so cold looking. She shrugged and kept walking as her heels clicked nervously against the polished marble, the sound echoing in the cavernous, elegant open space of the hall. No matter how nice it was, it was still a visually cold place to work. The acoustics were excellent, though. For a moment she was afraid that anyone inside the plate glass doors could hear her coming. Not that she was trying to hide. She’d been summoned to Jesse Steele’s office. A place she’d only entered twice before, and both times it was for team presentations. This time, however, she was going in alone.

Her stomach churned. Why her? She was a marketing assistant, not one of the senior executives. But when her supervisor suddenly quit, Mr. Steele himself had emailed Sophia directly.

"Report to my office at 8:30 A.M. sharp. We have a critical client project. Bring your notes."

He hadn’t even signed the email. Not that she expected him to. Jesse Steele wasn’t known for pleasantries. He was known for his serious and sometimes blunt demeanor, his sharp business mind, and his intimidating ability to make anyone feel two inches tall with only a look. 

He was heartbreakingly handsome with dirty blond hair, a granite jaw, shoulders that could have been on the body of a powerful college linebacker at one point, and a voice that could make a woman think dirty thoughts against her own will. Not that Sophia cared about that. Not really. Sure, his blond hair always seemed artfully tousled, and his sharp jawline could probably cut glass. And okay, fine, his stormy gray eyes had a way of making her forget whatever she was saying whenever he so much as glanced in her direction. But the man was as grumpy as a bear and about as approachable as a barbed wire fence. Definitely not her type. The good looks didn’t mean anything at that point. 

She held her knuckles up but didn’t knock right away. She so didn’t want to go in there! She collected herself and then rolled her eyes. Just another day at work. Stop it Sophia! 

“Come in,” He spoke, firmly, commandingly.  The smell of deodorant and something cool and wintery hit her nose. She didn’t want to admit that it smelled good and she tried to ignore it. It smelled about as expensive as a full week of gas in her car. 

Sophia pushed the door open and stepped inside. Mr. Steele sat behind a sleek black desk, his big shoulders framed by his six foot four height. His tall, god-like build seemed that much bigger and intimidating with the floor-to-ceiling windows and the breathtaking view of the city skyline behind him. He didn’t acknowledge her. His eyes were glued to the screen of his laptop as he spoke. A navy suit and a tie with a lightning bolt on it was his power look of the day. The tie was actually nice looking and she tried not to look at it either. 

“Miss Cartier,” His tone was shockingly calm, and humane. She had no idea why she expected him to start barking orders. He just looked like that kind of boss. 

“Sit.”

She did so, crossing one ankle over the other. She set her notebook down in front of her. 

“I assume you’re aware of the situation with the Sterling account,” He began, leaning back in his chair. The subtle shift in his posture did nothing to diminish his impressive presence. “And that my assistant, your supervisor, resigned.” 

“Yes, sir. Unfortunately. And I’ve read the brief,” Sophia replied, trying to keep her voice steady. “They’re considering pulling out of the campaign unless we address their concerns about the branding strategy.” She knew Nancy was having some difficulty with stress lately, and wondered if the pressure from this account and Mr. Steele’s intimidating and demanding work schedule had anything to do with her leaving?

“Correct,” Mr. Steele said, his expression unreadable. “This account is worth seven figures annually. Losing it isn’t an option. And since your manager is now gone, you’ll be assisting me directly unless I can hire someone to take her place quickly. But, you already know all the details and wouldn’t need to be trained. I hope this won’t be a problem.” His gruff tone seemed to suggest that saying “no” wasn’t an option. 

Sophia blinked. Assisting him? She’d expected to take notes or maybe draft some emails. Not collaborate one-on-one with the man whose glare could freeze water. 

“Understood, Not at all.” She said, despite the butterflies suddenly wreaking havoc in her stomach. “What’s the plan Mr. Steele?”

For the first time, Jesse’s lips quirked upward in what might have been the ghost of a smile, or maybe she was imagining it. His breath smelled like fresh blue mouthwash even from where she sat. 

“The plan,” he said, standing and walking around the desk to lean against it, “Is to fix Sterling’s complaints and ensure they’re so impressed that they’d rather cut off their own arm than leave us.”

Sophia nodded, though the proximity of his tall, imposing frame made it difficult to concentrate. “I can start compiling.”

“I’m not interested in generic fixes.” He interrupted. His eyes locked onto hers and she felt pinned in place. “I need creativity. Strategy. You’ve been quietly delivering solid ideas for months now. It’s time to show me what you’ve got.”

She subconsciously held her breath. Was that… a compliment? From Jesse Steele?

“I’ll do my best.” She said softly, her cheeks warming under his intense gaze.

“Good,” He said, squaring his shoulders and walking back to his chair. “We’ll start with a meeting this afternoon. Cancel whatever plans you had for lunch. This is your priority now.”

Sophia swallowed, held back a sigh and nodded. “Got it.”

As she left his office, her pulse quickened! Not from fear, but it was from something she couldn’t quite identify. Working with Mr. Steele was going to be an experience, all right. Whether it would be exciting or infuriating, or both, remained to be seen. 

BONUS! Chapters 1 - 3 of the Cursed Wound are Included in the end of ULTIMATUM!