Layer by Layer (Riggins Brothers Book 1) Read online

  “Thank you, but no. My new employer sent a car for me. Or they are supposed to.”

  “Nice.” I nod even though she can’t see me. Like a puppy, I follow her to baggage claim. I only have my one carry-on, but it’s more time with her.

  “That’s me.” She points to a large black suitcase. When it gets near us, I grab it from the belt. “A true gentleman.” She smiles up at me. Her green eyes hold nothing but ease, no lingering fear from the flight.

  “You seem to have that effect on me,” I say, reaching out to tuck her hair behind her ear. It wasn’t in her face, but it gave me an excuse to touch her. “I’d like to see you again.” The words sound foreign, but I mean them. “I could show you around the city.”

  A slight blush coats her cheeks. “I’d like that.”

  “Hand me your phone.” She pulls it from her pocket, unlocks the screen, and hands it over. Quickly I program Royce Plane Guy as my contact name and enter my number. “It was nice meeting you, Sawyer.”

  “You too, Royce.” She glances over, and there is a man in a suit holding up a sign that says, Sawyer Gibson. “That’s me.” She points over her shoulder.

  “Good luck with your new job. I can’t wait to hear all about it.”

  “Thank you.” She smiles and steps closer. She falters before taking another step and pressing her lips to my cheek. “Thank you for saving me.” With that, she turns, a bag in each hand, and walks away.

  I watch her until I can no longer see her. I want to insist she let me drive her wherever she needs to go. Pulling my phone out of my pocket to call her and do just that, I realize I don’t have her number. Like an idiot, I didn’t text myself from her phone. I don’t have a choice but to wait for her call. I’m not a patient man, but for Sawyer, I’ll have to be.

  Chapter 1

  Sawyer

  My heels click against the tile floor, echoing throughout the quiet lobby. I keep my head held high and try not to fidget. Today is my first day on the job, and to say that I’m nervous is an understatement. Stopping at the reception desk, I wait until I have the woman’s attention. “Sawyer Gibson for Gail Hines,” I say with a surprisingly steady voice.

  “Of course, Ms. Gibson. Gail is expecting you. Take the elevator to the tenth floor. She should be at the desk, just around the corner as soon as you exit.”

  “Thank you.” I give her a polite smile and turn for the elevator. It’s completely made of glass and offers a view of the city. Royce would appreciate that fact, not liking enclosed places and all. Shaking out of my thoughts, I board the elevator. Once inside, I watch as the numbers climb. I can’t seem to make myself turn around and look at the city from above. My fear of heights won’t let me. Instead, my eyes are glued to the numbers until I reach the tenth floor, which also happens to be the very top floor of the building. The top floor where I’ll be working as the administrative assistant to the CEO. It’s not a far leap from my old job, but I’m still nervous. When the door slides open on the tenth floor, I exit, and round the corner to find Gail waiting for me at a reception desk.

  “Sawyer, good morning.” Gail stands from the chair behind the desk and walks around to greet me. She extends her hand, and I place mine in hers in greeting. This is our first face-to-face meeting. My interviews were done via video chat, which I’m thankful for. No way would I have wanted to have to fly here twice. Flying. My mind immediately goes to Royce. I’ve been doing that a lot the last three days. What are the chances that I’d meet a kind, handsome stranger on the plane? I haven’t called him yet, but I plan to tonight. I spent the weekend getting settled into my new apartment, thanks to the help of Hadley and her fiancé, Derek. Hadley tried to get me to call yesterday, but that makes me seem desperate, right? There’s a three-day rule for a reason. At least that’s what I tell myself. Part of me feels like the moment was too magical to be real.

  “Good morning.”

  “This is where you’ll be working.” She motions to the huge workspace/reception desk. “The drawers and cabinets lock. I think Samantha, that’s who you’re replacing, placed her personal items—her purse and what not—in this bottom drawer.” She points to a drawer to the left of the computer under the desk.

  “That’s perfect. Thank you,” I say politely.

  “So, as we spoke in your interview, Samantha is no longer with us. We knew she was leaving, but not as soon as she did. We thought we had time to replace her and let her train the replacement, but that baby of hers decided to try and come early, so she’s on bed rest.”

  “Oh, no. That’s awful. I hope that they’re both okay.” It’s the polite thing to say, and I really do hope they are all right.

  “She’s doing great. Her fiancé is driving her crazy, but you’d just have to meet Jase to understand,” she says with a wide smile. “Anyway, she’s going to be working with you virtually. She insisted since she’s just sitting around, that letting her train you remotely would keep her sane.” Gail smiles fondly. It’s obvious how much she liked Samantha.

  I smile at her and nod. I’m nervous as hell. My previous job was as an administrative assistant at a law firm. I spent my day answering phones, scheduling meetings, and fetching coffee and snacks for meetings. The firm was one of the largest in Seattle, and yet they seem small compared to this building that houses Riggins Enterprises. Riggins has locations all over the United States. This is a big jump for my career. It’s also good for my bank account as it’s a significant pay raise, and I can let the worry of kicking my old boss in the balls and quitting my job fall to the wayside. He deserved it. Trust me on this one.

  “As we discussed, your position will be mainly to support the CEO. However, the other four executives have their offices on this floor as well, and you will also provide support to each of them. They are not nearly as needy as the CEO as he runs the entire operation. Oh, and they’re brothers.” Gail grins.

  “That’s going to be confusing calling them all Mr. Riggins,” I say with a nervous laugh.

  “Oh.” Gail waves her hand in the air. “They all go by their first names. It’s a laidback yet professional environment. They all say that Mr. Riggins is their father, Stanley, not them. He started this company all on his own.” She waves again. “That’s a story for another day. I have a printout here that has a picture of each of them with their names so you can keep them straight. Samantha actually created it and sent it over. I believe her exact words were, “It’s hard as hell to keep those Riggins boys straight.”

  “So, I work for all five of them, but the CEO is the one who needs the most support?” I ask to clarify, taking the folder that I assume has the images of each brother that she’s trying to hand me.

  “That’s correct. Your title is Executive Administrative Assistant, and your overall job is to provide support to the executives, which also happens to be all five Riggins brothers.”

  “Got it.” I think, but I’m not going to tell her that. As long as I can learn each brother’s face and their roles here, I should be fine. I’m not against a little homework to give me an edge in the position.

  She smiles. “It sounds more intimidating than it is. Trust me. They’re all big teddy bears. As I said, the CEO is the one who needs the most support, and he’s the one most upset about Samantha leaving us.”

  “Oh.” I’m not sure what to say to that.

  “Jase is his best friend.”

  I stare at her blankly. I don’t know who Jase is.

  “Jase is Samantha’s fiancé. Royce is not impressed that his best friend hit on his assistant and got her pregnant, and now he’s replacing her after five years. Once he took over, it took him a while to find an assistant that he meshed with. Royce isn’t one to like change. He likes routine and hates surprises.”

  Royce.

  I’ve gone twenty-six years never knowing anyone with that name. I move to Nashville, and suddenly there are two in a matter of days. What are the odds? Wait... Royce said he had four brothers. No. It can’t be. Can it? I realize tha
t Gail is watching me, waiting for a reply. “Good to know,” I say with a smile, making her laugh. I’m glad she’s unaware of my internal freak-out. Could Royce, my Royce from the plane, be my new boss?

  “We are a large corporation, but family-owned and operated. Riggins Enterprises doesn’t have the feel of a large organization. Sure, we occupy this entire building, as this is the main headquarters for all of the locations.” She chuckles when she sees the look on my face.

  This totally feels like a large corporation to me, and I’m still freaking out about the possibility that my savior is the same Royce. My boss.

  “Trust me. Once you meet the boys, and yes, I call them boys—I changed their diapers, and I’ve earned the right.” Her smile is genuine. “When you meet them and get to know them, you’ll see what I’m talking about. Even Royce loosens up when he’s with his brothers. Those five—” She shakes her head. “You just have to see for yourself. You’re going to feel like you’ve been here for years in no time. None of that funny business you had to deal with at your previous employer.”

  I nod. I’m impressed with her memory of my situation with my previous employer. Then again, I’m sure it’s not every day that the candidate you hire tells you that she kneed her old boss in the junk before telling him he could shove the job up his ass. In case you’re wondering, that candidate is me. Just so we’re clear.

  The elevator dings, alerting us to an arrival on the floor. I stand still and watch as a man in a white dress shirt comes around the corner. My knees go weak at the sight of him. I watch him closely as each step brings him closer to where I’m standing behind the desk with Gail.

  “Good morning, Royce,” she says, her voice chipper.

  Royce.

  My Royce.

  “Gail.” He nods, then turns his gaze on me. Something flashes in his eyes that I can’t name. “What are you doing here?” His voice is deep and sexy, sending tingles down my spine.

  I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. He looks the same, but he’s… harder than my Royce.

  “If you’ll take a breath, I’ll introduce you,” Gail chastises. “Royce Riggins, this is Sawyer Gibson. She’s Sam’s replacement.”

  Royce stares at me with those brown eyes that seem to twinkle under the fluorescent lights. It’s awkward, and I realize he’s probably waiting on me.

  “Sawyer Gibson,” I offer my name even though he already knows it, knows me. I hold out my hand for him anyway. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I will my hand not to shake and chastise myself for not wiping my sweaty palm on my skirt before offering it to him.

  My hand stays suspended in the air for about four heartbeats, and yes, I count before he extends his long arm and takes my hand. My eyes drop to our hands and take in the tattoos that cover his. The same hands that cradled my cheek and talked me down from a panic attack. The same hands I’ve imagined touching every inch of my body since the moment I walked away from him at the airport.

  Those hands.

  His stare is intense and intimidating. It’s not at all what I was expecting from him. What happened to that kind and endearing man? He wants me to think he’s this stiff responsible CEO, but I know another side of him. The side that, along with the tattoos on his hands, tell me another story. They tell me that he might be serious, but there is a wild side, a free artistic side to him as well. To me, it makes him less intimidating, and I can feel my shoulders begin to ease. My smile grows at the thought. I’m sure he would not be impressed with that admission. Considering today is my first day, I think I’ll keep that little nugget of knowledge to myself. He can’t be mad at me for not telling him because I didn’t know.

  My eyes move back up to his to find him watching me intently. There is a look on his face that I can’t describe, nor do I get the chance to when Gail speaks up.

  “Your nine o’clock canceled. I’m waiting for confirmation on the rescheduled date.”

  Royce blinks and looks down at our hands that are still joined and pulls his out of mine. I already miss the warmth of his skin wrapped around mine. “Why didn’t she handle that?” he asks.

  “She is standing right there, and she also has a name,” Gail says sternly. “Sawyer has been here maybe fifteen minutes. It’s not her job to handle it. Not yet. It will be. I’m going to be working up here with her, and Sam is going to be training her remotely.”

  “Can she do that?” he asks, raking his hand over his hair. It’s dark brown, almost black, and cut short. He has a few days of beard growth, and the overall look is causing me to think thoughts about my new boss that I should not be thinking.

  “Of course she can. Conrad set her up to work remotely. She has full access to everything she needs. She has her company phone and laptop with her, and I have all the faith in the world that she will do just fine guiding Sawyer in her new role.” Gail gives him a look that dares him to argue with her.

  “Fine.” One single reply before he glances at me, and stalks off down the hall.

  “Um, should I worry that he doesn’t seem happy that I’m here?” I ask Gail. I leave out the part that we’ve already met, and over the last two days, I’d convinced myself that he could be my soul mate. My romantic heart twinges at the loss of our potential happily ever after.

  “Nonsense. He needs an assistant, and you were by far the most qualified candidate. Now, let’s get started. I had Conrad, who is one of the brothers,” she taps on the folder she handed me earlier, “set up all of your usernames and passwords. Normally, that would be something we would let the IT department handle. However, I pulled in a favor from the CIO.” She winks. “You will be supporting him as well. Otherwise, we could have been waiting a while until everything was signed off on.” She takes a seat and motions for me to take the chair she was sitting in when I arrived. “You ready to get started?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.” I take the offered chair, put my purse and phone, which I already made sure was on vibrate, into the drawer to the lower left, and pull out my pen and notebook. “Let’s do this,” I say, grinning. I’m not going to let Royce’s broody behavior keep me from doing my job. Nothing happened. We were two strangers on a plane who enjoyed each other’s company—end of story. We’re adults, and we can act as such. At least I know I can. The jury is still out on Royce.

  “That’s what I like to hear. You know, maybe we should start with a tour of the floor. Maybe get an introduction to the others if they’re not busy.” Gail stands from the chair she just sat in and motions for me to follow her.

  “This is Royce’s office.” She points to the office that’s closest to my workspace. “He’s the oldest, and as you know, the CEO of Riggins Enterprises,” she explains.

  “Gail?” a deep gruff voice asks.

  “It’s me,” she says, sticking her head through the open office doorway. “I was just giving Sawyer a tour. Do you need something?” Gail asks.

  “No. Just heard voices.”

  She chuckles. “Nothing gets by this one. I’m going to show her the rest of the floor, maybe meet the others and we’ll be back at her desk if you need us.”

  “Thank you,” he replies politely. It’s not at all the reply I was expecting from him, but I’m glad to see he still has manners. Apparently, just not when it comes to me. Then again, maybe it’s because it’s Gail. There seems to be a strong connection there, not just with Royce, but from what she’s told me with all five of the brothers, and their parents. Gail is chatty, so I’ve learned a lot in a short amount of time.

  We take a few steps down the hall and stop at another door. The name on the wall reads Owen Riggins, CFO.

  “This is Owen’s office. He’s the second oldest. He’s our CFO, the Chief Financial Officer.” She points at the nameplate and smiles. “His door is often shut as he locks himself away with his numbers and spreadsheets. He’s very good at what he does, and rivals his older brother in the serious department.”

  “Their positions are important. I can only imagine the p
ressure of running this entire operation, and being in charge of the financials would be a lot of stress.” I had it all on my shoulders at the law firm, and I was always riddled with anxiety. Then again, that probably had more to do with my skeevy boss than it did me performing the jobs assigned to me.

  “You’re right, but all work and no fun leads to a life of regrets. These boys need to loosen up a bit.” She shakes her head as if she’s disappointed and continues our tour. We turn the corner, and she stops at the next door. “Knock, knock,” she says, walking on into the office without invitation.

  “Gail, what can I do for you this fine morning?” a deep, sexy, flirty voice asks.

  “Always the charmer,” she comments, and I can hear the playfulness in her voice. “I want to introduce you to our new executive administrative assistant. This is Sawyer. She’s taking over for Sam.” Gail motions for me to step into the room. I’ve just been hovering in the doorway.

  The man, who has a strong resemblance to Royce, stands and walks around his desk, offering me his hand. “Grant Riggins, middle brother, and most charming. It’s nice to meet you.”

  I’m immediately at ease. “Sawyer Gibson, likewise,” I say, keeping it professional.

  “Grant is our COO, Chief Operating Officer. The director of each Riggins branch reports directly to him.”

  Grant leans back on his desk, crossing his legs at the ankle and his arms over his chest. If he’s trying to be intimidating, he’s failing miserably from the smile that lights up his face and those sexy eyes. “How are you liking it so far?” he asks me.

  “It’s my first day.”

  “And?” he prompts, grinning.

  The view is nice, and your brother and I had a moment. “So far, so good. Gail has been amazing and getting me acclimated.”