We Crashed on a Deserted Island… And My Boss Said ‘Stay Close to Me Tonight’ image My name is Mike. I am 25 years old, and not long ago I found myself sitting on a deserted beach beside my employer, Claire Donovan. She was powerful, sharp, and, to many—including me—a little terrifying. Had anyone asked me a few weeks earlier where I expected to be, I would have joked about fetching coffee or double-checking dinner reservations. I would never have imagined being stranded on a remote island, cut off from the world.
My official title was personal assistant, though in practice it meant managing everything Claire could not be bothered to handle herself: coffee runs, coordinating meetings, taking notes, retrieving dry cleaning, arranging travel. It was not glamorous, but it paid the rent. Claire Donovan, 41 years old, ran Donovan Enterprises, a major financial firm based in New York. She was polished and commanding, as emotionally distant as Arctic ice. From my first day, she made it clear that boundaries were not to be crossed.
