MOLTEN CHOCOLATE

CHAPTER 1

Jasmine’s POV

‘This can’t be the proposition she was going on and on about for weeks with her annoying ass voice which always makes my damn ears ring! Miss. Rhino can’t be serious!

This has absolutely no benefits nor profits behind it and as matter of fact, if we invest, we would be at a loss!

I’m not interested in this.

Why the hell I hired her?"

He looked at the documents in the folder on his desk I had brought in for him by his Chief Operating Officer, Miss. Rhino.

‘Get Ms. Rhino on the line and instruct her to find herself in my office immediately!"

‘Yes sir," I answered sharply.

‘And Miss. Blackman, reorganize my schedule for the upcoming week. Cancel that nonsensical meeting with Mr. Hoggers since I’m not interested in investing one billion dollars in his shitty business.

Also, fax those documents to the sixth level and proof read these for me before one p.m.

And can you send Julia a bouquet of white roses with a note attach to it which reads ′thank you′ and get my father on the line," he ordered although it may sound like he was asking me.

I nodded yes and took two stacks of paper from his hands and exited his office immediately.

I called Miss. Rhino and informed her that she was needed in Mr. Hollen’s office.

‘Sir, your father is on line one," I said to him through the phone once I had phoned his father.

‘Mmmh," he answered back and took the other line.

I ordered the bouquet of white roses and had it delivered over to Julia’s apartment and began faxing the documents to the sixth level as he said.

Afterwards, I began to proofread the other stack of papers he had given me. I would call Mr. Hoggers lastly because I knew he would request to speak to Mr. Hollen directly and since he was on the phone with his father, and Miss. Rhino was on the way to see him, he wouldn’t appreciate being distracted by Mr. Hoggers’ call.

Evan Hollen was my boss and a very successful, rich and powerful one. I had been working for the company for a total of one year. Finishing college, it was a dragged finding a decent job that paid well within my city but luckily for me, I applied to Hollen Tower when I saw an ad in a newspaper for a personal assistant role.

Hollen Tower was established and operated by his father before him. The company was one of the most successful and well developed organization over the globe. Great Cooperative, solid partnerships and a body of well educated and experienced and trained staff took the company to its highest peak and Evan Hollen stood above it with his father’s relinquished crown and well-deserved titles. He would be damned if someone tried to damage what his father started and worked so hard for. He had the temper of a shark, the personality of a dragon and the untimely patience of a baby.

But let’s not forget about his best features. His dark silver grey eyes were everything.

His sexy lean body always carved sharply in his expensive Armani suits.

Okay, you got me. I had the biggest and most unstoppable crush on my boss and I couldn’t help myself.

Evan Hollen was too fine not to have a crush on.

It’s okay to have a secret crush on a very attractive man, right?

Even if he is your boss?

‘Miss. Blackman! Can I be buzzed in please?"

A voice snapped me right out of my lustful thoughts.

Miss. Rhino was at my desk, pencils and folders in hands and tapping her left foot impatiently on the tiled floor.

‘Yes, one moment please," I responded, putting the images of my boss to the far back of my mind.

I called Mr. Hollen’s line and informed him that she was here. After he told me to let her in, I hit the buzzer and she strolled into his office with her head held high. She always thought she was above everyone else working at Hollen Tower.

I hated the best bone in that woman. She was a tall, slim woman with pale cream skin. She was thirty years of age but she liked younger men like Mr. Hollen. There was once a rumour circulating about the two of them but I found that very hard to believe. She still had the body of a model but she was utterly not his type. The woman had a personality of a beast and she thought she was better than everyone in the company, except Mr. Hollen of course. She possessed a high job position, she was the COO after all, but she still had to answer to Mr. Hollen.

I continued to proofread the documents in front of me, making the necessary changes and corrections. I enjoyed my job because it made life easier for Mr. Hollen. He had a personal assistant but he fired her on the spot when she developed feelings for him and began flirting with him in his office and since then, he hadn’t hired another one. I was the one doing the duties a personal assistant ought be doing plus my secretarial duties, but I didn’t mind or complained one bit in view of the fact that I was being paid double my monthly salary until he hires another personal assistant.

He should get a male assistant who doesn’t have a thing for the handsome boss.

The ladies always lusted and drooled over him, always wanted his attention and time, always talked about him. He was indeed handsome, one of the most handsome men I’ve ever laid my eyes on. His skin tone was perfectly tanned and I always wondered why.

CHAPTER 2

Is his mom a black woman…or does he have black people in his family?

He doesn’t talk about his parents much and he doesn’t like the beach and the outdoors much either, so why the naturally tanned skin?

Half an hour later, I was already finished. I was a quick but assertive employee. I had to be because the boss hated it when his employees were skylarking on the job or persons not meeting his deadlines.

My deadline was one p.m.

I looked up at the wall clock; it showed fifteen minutes to one.

Then Miss. Rhino barged out of his office and stormed passed me with a frown and unpleasant look on her face.

I peeled myself off the chair and knocked on his office door afterwards.

‘Come in Miss. Blackman," he spoke.

His voice was the ‘Shawn Mendes’ to my ears. I heaved a smile and walked into his office.

‘Here are the papers you asked me to proofread. I’ve made the necessary changes and corrections for you. Before I leave for lunch, I would get Mr. Hoggers on the phone because I strongly believe he would request to speak to you."

‘Mmmh. I’ve been thinking about something," he began, leaning back in his big leather chair and stared at me with those beautiful, grey, luminous orbs.

I gulped my fear but his eyes were easy to read. One thing I had quickly learnt when I began working here, was that his eyes were a tell.

I avoided trouble, getting mixed up with gossips and falling in with the wrong crowd. I couldn’t afford to lose my job any time soon. It paid very well and my mom and my younger sister were depending on me.

Mom had a lung failure condition.

My younger sister was still in college and depended on me financially to put her through. It was just us living together at my apartment in the city.

Recently, my mother’s condition had gotten worse but with the medication and treatment I was managing to pay for, she always pulled through and felt better again.

‘How would you like to be my personal assistant and I’ll hire someone to fill your place?"

I was dumbfounded for a moment.

Me? As his personal assistant?

I would be honoured.

PA’s had a higher salary than the basic secretary and I couldn’t do both jobs forever so obviously I was going to pick the one with the higher income behind it.

It wasn’t just about the money though, I had the knowledge, skills and levels to be his Personal Assistant and that was what I had applied for at the very beginning but the position had already been filled, however since my resume was so impressive and captivating, Mr. Hollen didn’t want me to work anyway else but Hollen Tower so he hired me as his secretary.

I worked my tail off in high school and all throughout college. I hardly had time for boyfriends and dates and fun. My mom had the lung condition since the beginning of my high school year but it wasn’t that bad back then as it was now. She managed to work and she supported me in every way a child needed support from their parent. I never knew my dad and mom never talked about him much, she would only mention him when I asked about him but as I grew older, I saw the pain in her eyes every time so I stopped when I understood what he had done.

Bottom line, she was there for me so now it was my turn to be there for her. If I could make enough money, we could afford to get rid of her condition permanently.

‘Thank you Mr. Hollen and I accept," I said to him as I beamed a bright smile.

He nodded and gestured for me to leave his presence. He was a man of very few words, he only spoke to me when he was commanding and he hated repeating himself to people, even to his father and the women he dated.

Don’t get me started on those women he usually dated. He was always spotted with famous celebrities or they were frequently throwing themselves at him like prostitutes.

The last one he dated, he dumped her because she was annoying and nagging and always popped up at his office without notice. He hated those things in a woman and whenever he was done with them, he sent them white roses.

I don’t get why he does it. Roses are nice flowers so wouldn’t it just lead the women on even more?

I took my purse and changed into my flats and went to lunch. I always changed my heels when I left the office. I hated heels, they hurt my feet so much but Hollen Tower had a dress code requirement one must abide by or else one would be out on their ass and searching for another job without recommendation or references from the company.

As I walked out, Julia Starlet, a famous movie actress and the woman Mr. Hollen already dumped this morning, walked in.

Evan’s POV

I stood up at my desk, ready to call my best friend Zack to meet up for lunch. We had been best friends since our high school days and all throughout the years at Harvard University where we both mastered in Business Administration and Management, Marketing, Accounts and Communication. The requirements for being and becoming CEO’s.

‘Hi darling," a voice greeted as I was walking to my private elevator. I turned around slowly, knowing who it was, and she immediately threw her arms around my neck and drew me in for a kiss.

CHAPTER 3

I pulled away gently.

‘What are you doing here?" I asked her.

I wasn’t expecting her and I hated it when people showed up on me unwelcome.

‘I wanted to surprise you and take you out to lunch." She was still cheerful.

How do I shut her down gently? I asked myself.

Julia Starlet was a twenty four year old female actress. Tall, slim, blonde and beautiful to look at. I adored her bright brown eyes and the elegant way she applied her makeup. She was flawless but she was only a one night stand I met at one of my father’s functions and I had no true intentions of having anything solid with those types of women who appeared to be so easy to get into bed and always eager to spread their legs for a rich guy.

For Pete’s sake, the same night I met her, was the same night I ‘bedded’ her. She was like so many others but I was the revelation of myself and I wanted- no, scratch that - I NEEDED to change my lifestyle. Eventually.

‘Actually I’m getting lunch with my best friend," I said, typing into my phone, responding to an email.

‘Well can I come along? And would you stop texting and pay attention to me?"

I heaved a sigh. She was already getting on my nerves.

‘No." I retorted, walking into my elevator. She followed me in.

‘Evan. I want us to become exclusive. Let’s make it official and become a real couple," she suggested with a smile.

My eyes moved from the phone and scanned her.

She must be out of her mind.

‘No," I said again and turned my attention back to my email.

‘So you think that you’re going to sleep with me and dump me the next like a piece of garbage? Who do you think you are?!" She roared at me before snatching the phone out my hands.

‘What the hell! Give me back my phone."

‘No! You’re not breaking up with me!"

She threw the phone on the elevator’s floor and used her heels as a weapon of destruction by stomping repeatedly onto it until it was nothing but bits and pieces underneath her. I looked at the woman acting like a crazy lunatic next to me.

I chuckled and shook my head.

‘Am I funny to you?" she asked, looking at me when she was through with destroying my iPhone with the heels of her stiletto.

‘Listen Julia, you’re a nice girl, really, but I don’t revolve around you. You were just a onetime thing and I have zero intentions of taking you home to my family. This basically means, I have no intention of making you my girlfriend, fiancée, wife and baby mother."

‘But you sent me flowers."

She was about to cry. Her eyes welled up and she was getting red in the face like a steamed lobster.

‘I always do that. That’s how I say thank you and goodbye."

I exited my elevator and informed security to escort her off the premises. I was not in a mood for listening to any more tantrums from an emotional wrecked woman.

I started my Bentley and drove to a near but illustrious restaurant where my best friend Zack was already waiting.

We always met here whenever we decided to have lunch together and catch up on things.

‘You look drained," he greeted, patting me on the back as I sat down at our table.

‘You don’t know the half of it and I just had to deal with Julia."

‘Julia?"

‘Yeah. The movie actress I met at dad’s gala last Wednesday."

‘Oh well she wasn’t so bad. She was very beautiful and seemed friendly and…"

‘Easy." I finished for him.

He laughed.

‘Well, not everyone is the same. The lady who gives it on the first date could very well be the wife material. I don’t think that defines a woman," he put in his two cents while opening the menu which was placed on the table in front of us.

‘Well I do. I wouldn’t trust her if she spreads on the first night, bro. She knows nothing about me, not even my second name but she’s ready to sleep with me and you’re saying ′could be wife material’.

No! I call it gold digging."

‘Evan, you’re twenty five. You’re not getting any younger. When are you going to settle down and find the right woman?"

‘Dude… Don’t you start with me… Please leave those kinds of lectures for my mom. She’s the only one who always preaches to me about settling. I’m not ready for all that as yet. I know exactly when I would settle and what I’ll settle for. I don’t want a famous actress, models or anyone within those categories. I want normal."

We ordered our lunch and a bottle of mild alcoholic beverages. After lunch, I went back to my office and he went back to his. He also managed his father’s firm but his dad was still CEO.

‘Miss. Blackman, order me a new iPhone and have it sent over to my office. Also, you’ll be starting as my new assistant so I want you to get all the secretarial applications and bring them to my office," I demanded to my secretary who was acting as my personal assistant as well since I fired the previous one.