Imperfect Match (Elixir Bachelor Billionaires #1)

Recognition sparks in his ice-blue gaze before drifting to my surroundings and immediately returning to me.

Maybe it was the previous discussion of my jerk-supreme ex, but I can’t help comparing Charles’ disinterest in others to Jax’s habit of focusing more on my friends whenever we were with anyone.

“God, he’s gorgeous,” Willow mumbles. “Those Hawthorne genes must be magic.”

My friends don’t even realize they’re leaning on the table, their elbows resting over the wooden surface and their faces cradled in their hands, completely taken by my boss.

“And you call him an asshole,” Willow adds in the same stunned voice.

“You call him what?” The horror in Elodie’s voice can’t be tamed as she gapes at me.

“Not to his face. I just stick with Charles A. Hawthorne.”

“Yeah, Charles Asshole Hawthorne,” Willow comments without looking away from him.

“Daze, that’s genius. He can’t even object, since you could always explain that you meant Charles Ashcroft Hawthorne.” Violet beams as if I’ve discovered the cure for world hunger and not just nicknamed my boss.

“How did you find out his full name?”

She scoffs. “Come on. There’s news about him in the gossip columns every day. Half of them are made up, but half are still kind of true.”

“Vi, gossip columns aren’t even real news! As a graduate in journalism, aren’t you supposed to only publish and support the truth?” Elodie lightly taps on Violet’s arm, who just shrugs in return.

Slowly, the attention of my friends returns back to our table as a staff member carries two pizza boxes outside and hands it to Charles’ bodyguard. Of course that’s why he’s here. He must have lost some bet with his cousins, and it’s his turn to get dinner.

Before his car pulls away, Charles nods at me, and I respond with a silly wave like a five-year-old. A corner of his mouth quirks up, and before I can further embarrass myself, my boss is gone.

“Have you ever seen Charles with someone?” Violet turns in her seat to face me.

“Vi! I’m not going to spill my boss’ personal life to a gossipmonger like you.”

“Hey, I’m not going to share it with anyone. It’s just for my own curiosity.”

“Forget it! And if you think Charles Hawthorne doesn’t have NDAs signed by everyone within a ten-mile radius, you know nothing about him. Breathing the same air as him practically requires an NDA.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m not asking for his jacking-off schedule.”

“You’re nuts. How would I even know any of that anyway? Do you think Charles is some kind of perv, getting off behind his desk?”

Great, now I can’t get that image out of my head! Not just the act but the way his face might look—serious, maybe a curl fallen onto his forehead from his otherwise perfect hair. A bead of sweat travels down my spine, and I attribute it fully to the burning fireplace beside our table.

“Just tell me, how many girls have visited his apartment or his office? In four years, you might have seen a few.” Violet’s insistence snaps me out of my daydream about my boss, which is totally unprofessional with a capital U.

“Um, none,” I reply.

“Really?” Elodie interjects. “But he’s so secretive. Never seen in public much without his guards. I always thought he had a secret service on speed dial for hiring girlfriends.”

Before I can respond, Willow leans forward. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if Charles already has a secret fiancée or wife—maybe a daughter of some equally rich family, if not European royalty.”

My heart sinks a little at her words and the thought of Charles with some rich snob.

I know he doesn’t have a steady girlfriend. With the detailed information I have on his daily schedule, it’d be impossible for me to not know if he were in a relationship.

But it won’t be like this forever, Daisy, especially given all the heat the media is sending his way about his bachelor status.

I rub my temples, imagining Charles with anyone else.

I don’t know why, but suddenly a feeling of possessiveness rolls over me. Maybe because I’ve seen him with people he allows in his life. Despite being a demanding boss—hence my nickname for him—he’s one of the kindest people I know. I still can’t believe how much money he secretly sanctions every year for anonymous Christmas gifts at the hospital without a second glance. But more than that, he’s so personally invested in all the donations.