Chapter 11
Beth is digging through her closet trying to find something to wear for her first day at her new job. She’s been at this for almost 20 minutes and has already tried out at least five outfits. She needs the perfect blend of smart and sexy. She grabs a satin button-up shirt and a mid-length black skirt. Then jams her feet into her favourite black pumps. She looks at herself in her full-length mirror. It looks decent.
She goes easy on the makeup, pulls her hair back into a ponytail, and in fifteen minutes, she’s completely dressed. A personal best.
She runs out of her room and into the kitchen. “What about this?”
Iris glances at her over the fridge door. She volunteered to make breakfast which was usually Beth’s responsibility so Beth could have all the time she needed to get ready. “Yeah. That’s the one.”
"Thank God.” She glances over at the clock on the fridge. “Crap. It’s past 8:00.”
She returns to her room to get her heels and tries to put them on while hopping around and gathering her things. “I’m going to be late for my first day at work.”
“Calm down. You won’t be late if you leave in a couple of minutes. So sit your ass down and eat something.” Iris slides a plate of toast and scrambled eggs across the counter.
Beth stuffs her mouth as fast as she can and takes a swig of her coffee. When she clears her plate, she grabs her purse and heads toward the door.
“Wait, let me see you before you leave.” Beth twirls while Iris nods. “All good. Remember, we’re having lunch together!” Iris insisted that they preserve that tradition and Beth happily agreed.
“I’ll be there,” Beth calls back to the house as she hurries down the hall of the building.
“And remember to text me with updates!” Iris calls from the door of their apartment.
“Yeah, yeah. See you later.” She waves at Iris and walks out of the building.
****
Just smile and be confident, she tells herself when she receives the once over from every last person who files into the elevator, men and women alike. There’s nothing offensively leering or critical in their looks– it’s like they all just quietly know that she doesn’t belong.
That fact only grows more obvious as the elevator starts moving. Despite all heading to different floors, everyone begins chatting casually. They smile and laugh as they talk about their weekends – about finally trying that new restaurant down the street, or escaping to a friend’s house in the Hamptons. Everyone here clearly maintains a certain lifestyle and knows one another.
Except for her.
She looks away after catching someone’s eye and hearing him drop his voice to a mutter. “Who’s that?” he asks his colleague, who responds with something she can’t hear. Whatever it is, it prompts them both to laugh Suddenly, she feels a hush fall over the small space and she feels a strange little shift in the air Then comes the first, “Good morning, Mr. Dane.”
Adrian’s electric stare is pinned on hers from the door. Her pulse jumps, but with a flick, he returns his gaze to the man who greeted him. They exchange a line of polite conversation before Adrian moves through the small huddle of suits. She watches the way everyone swiftly changes around him. They stand at attention, present themselves better and she can practically hear everyone’s posture creaking straight. It’s kind of fascinating.
“Good morning, sir.”
“Morning, Mr. Dane.”
He acknowledges each greeting with a nod before finding his way to the back corner. Her cheeks are on fire but she does her best to maintain professionalism as she looks him in the eye and smiles.
“Mr. Dane,” she says.
“Ms. Parsons.” She can feel the attention of the others on her as he greets her by name. Just like that, an invisible spotlight is cast upon her. “How are you this morning?” he asks her, speaking with the utmost professionalism.
“Very well, thank you,” she responds, allowing herself a peek at him.
Oh, Lord.
He’s wearing a dark blue suit and tie with cufflinks worth more than my savings. He’s effortless beauty as usual, and she has to concentrate on breathing steady around him.
The elevator opens again to let in a few more. The huddle shifts wordlessly to make room, and she bites her lip when she finds herself pressed against the back wall, Adrian standing directly over her. He indulges in a second-long glance at the undone button of her shirt revealing a bit of cleavage, but he swiftly averts his eye when she asks, “How are you?”
His eyes lock on her. “Better now as well. Thank you.”
She blushes. Everyone in the elevator is as quiet as mice now, sneaking the occasional glance at Adrian and her through the mirrors.
“Ready?” he asks as the doors open on the topmost floor.
Beth looks up at him and feels an overwhelming wave of desire but somehow she manages to nod.
They walk out of the elevator and he leads her through a lobby decorated just like the one she’d seen last week and into his office. The generous office space also adopts the modern décor of the rest of the building. Behind his desk, there is a floor to ceiling glass window giving a breath-taking view of Midtown. His desk is neat, a gleaming surface that holds only his desktop, his planner, one folder, and one pen. His shelf is a towering display of books, awards, and baseballs enshrined in glass cases.
Adrian unbuttons his jacket and sits down, brows raised. “Is something wrong?”
She realizes then that she hasn’t moved an inch from the office door and has been frozen still since she entered.
“Oh. No. Nothing’s wrong,” she says as she perches on one of the chairs across from Adrian. “Why am I here, Mr. Dane?”
“A brief welcome meeting.”
“I’m going to guess that not all new employees get this particular ‘welcome meeting’ with the CEO.”
The corners of his lips lift slightly. “That’s quite perceptive of you, Ms. Parsons.”
He leaves his seat and walks over to her. He stands in front of her and leans on his desk, his palms flat behind him. He stares at her for several seconds, and she’s itching to know what he’s thinking. His tone is low when he speaks. “I guess you’re right. This ‘welcome’ is reserved for particular new employees. Really just this one employee. Whom I can’t seem to stop thinking about.”
"Oh."
He steps forward and leans toward her, a hand on each of her armrests, caging her. “Whose lips have been the object of many of my sexual fantasies.” He moves even closer, his hungry stare sending a thrill through her body.
“Mr. Dane, your ten o’clock is here. Should I send him in?” His assistant’s voice echoes from the intercom.
They freeze, startled by the interruption.
“Christ,” Adrian mutters, his eyes clenched.
Beth’s cheeks turn a terrifying shade of red once realization sets in. “I-I should probably leave,” she stutters, attempting to regain her composure.
“Hold on.” He places a hand on her shoulder, stopping her momentum. He returns to his side of the desk and presses one finger on the intercom to respond. “Have him wait a few minutes. Please come to my office.”
The woman who Beth her to the conference room on the day of the interview walks through the door after a quick knock.
“Amy will show you your office.”
Beth grabs her bag and stands on shaky legs. The dismissal is so abrupt coming from someone who was just about to kiss her. But she’s determined to appear in control, so she leaves Adrian’s office without sparing a backward glance at him.
“Right through here,” Amy says, gesturing to the door of an office with glass walls.
Beth smiles at her. “Thank you.”
She returns her smile before leaving.
There’s a "Welcome, Beth!" card next to one of those fancy corporate gift baskets on her desk. She wonders absently whether it was Adrian himself who’d initiated the gesture. She gets an answer when she flicks open the card. It’s signed “the team at Triad Technologies” in a distinctly feminine scrawl. Beth tosses it back on her desk.
Setting her purse down, she surveys her workplace and lets out a little squeal as she takes in the view from the floor-to-ceiling windows behind her desk. She mentally compares it to her own steel desk at her old job. It’s hard to believe that so much spacious luxury is here for her benefit.
But she isn’t complaining.