I was uncomfortable. I could feel the eyes of Charles' assistants on my back as I gestured and talked about the departments.Equally awkward were the stares of colleagues that quickly dropped when we neared and then came back as soon as I'd looked the other direction. I tried to point out as many people as I could, forcing them to look up and smile. Some waved or dipped their heads deferentially to the new boss.I knew they were all wondering the same thing that I was.What the heck was I doing there?The penthouse was reserved for upper management and Charles had his own smaller conference room. The assistant's desks sat out in the open floor in front of his office, a barrier of gatekeepers.I'd never been up this high in the building before, and the view of the city below was vast and dizzying. I put my box down on my empty desk and followed them into the glass-walled conference room.Jessica and Amy stood on either side of Charles as he sat at the head of the dark, polished wood ta
“Don’t get me wrong, I immediately said no,” Amy quickly claimed after seeing my stunned face. “The police won’t spill your private information.”“Sure,” I replied with a smile. “I guess…I just didn’t expect him…”"Don't you two have work to do?" Jessica entered the room, another binder in hand. "I don't think she needs anymore praise, Amy. She's already paid just to have a nice lunch and hang out in the copy room.""I'd love to do more," I said. "Please, let me take some responsibilities off your hands.""You wouldn't have the first idea of what to do.""You're right. It's my first day. I'm willing to learn. And just so you understand, I didn't ask for this job. I only wanted to keep my old position.""Please. We all know what position that was."I felt my anger flare. "I have no idea what you're implying, but it sounds ugly."Jessica learned forward and pointed at me. "Sleeping with your boss is a bad idea in general, but keep it at home for crying out loud.""What?""That is totall
I'd made sure to bring an insulated bag with me, so when the doors opened to the penthouse offices, I was sure the coffee was still piping hot.I'd hoped to beat Charles there, but he was already standing in front of the window, answering a phone call. The city skyline was visible out the windows to his right."The fact that you're short-staffed is not my problem..."I was taken aback. I'd never heard him talk like that before.He was intense and dominating, the voice of the Alpha I always knew he was but hadn't seen flexed like this."You will do it this way and move Saturday's staff to Thursday... What?... I don't care. You need to figure that out."He paced back and forth, gesturing as his spoke. His posture radiated power, and I felt my heart begin to race. This side of him was totally new to me."You will call me in ninety minutes to report," he finished. He hung up his cell and stopped, his arms folded. I could feel the energy rolling off from him as he stood still, starting into
"I assume that's something you might add to the official report copy, am I right?" Jessica said to the owner. "You probably don't need to go over that now unless––Charles, do you need that information now?" I felt my neck start to flush. I didn't know there were differences between official reports and the presentations. Jessica had once again highlighted my ignorance. "I'm okay with waiting for the official report, but I think Elena is onto something in that we will need to look at those numbers carefully seeing how we will have multiple events happening at once," Charles said. "In fact," he said, turning to the presenters, his Alpha power beginning to radiate again, "I'd like a few more numbers with that report regarding what Elena brought up. This needs to be profitable or there's no point." Jessica frowned at the mention of my name. "Of course," the manager said. "If we aren't at twenty percent then there's no chance of consideration." Charles' voice was cool. Once again, do
My breathing seemed to stick in my chest. What was he doing here?I put a hand to my messy bun and looked down at my sweats. I cracked the door and put on the most croaking voice I could. I was, after all, supposed to be sick."Hi," I said, giving him a weak smile."Hey. I was just in the neighborhood. Walking. You know how I love to take solitary walks."I nodded, thinking I'd only seen him stride around in the office building, but knew it was best not to argue."Can you just give me a minute?" I asked. "I'm not terribly presentable."This made him smile and he leaned casually against my doorframe. "Take your time."I gently shut the door and rushed to my bedroom, throwing open my closet and digging furiously until I found a cute, casual cotton dress and threw it on. I yanked down the messy bun and retwisted it so the mass of hair that had fallen was now tucked back up.I ran on tiptoes to the medicine cabinet, took out some cold medicine, and placed it strategically on the kitchen co
The chat group was exploding with messages. Some people were trying to confirm it was actually Charles. Others were directly messaging him. Still more were posting photos of Charles from different interviews or articles."I think I'd better sign out," Charles said, grimacing at his screen. Comments were popping up at a rate that made his phone sound like a bubbling fish tank. Is this Charles who played first base on the varsity baseball team? No way, bro! So good to hear from you! Charles, you probably don't remember me, but I sat behind you in algebra. How are you? So excited you're coming, Charles! Save me a dance, please! Xoxoxo I watched the scrolling comments flicker past my screen with disbelief. "Wow," I said, smiling as he signed out. "I think I got a single emoji greeting me and you get a tidal wave of comments." He shrugged. "That world feels like a hundred years ago." He put his phone in his pocket. "Back to more important things." He turned to face me, his blue ey
The mixing of scents was intoxicating. Almost 600 different scents mingling along with the pheromones exuded when we were nervous, excited, or feeling attracted to someone. It was one of the best parts of social gatherings. Pausing for a moment, I could tune in and out, experience them as a glorious whole like a symphony, or conversely, I could hone my senses to focus on a single scent in the crowd. I focused on my olfactory system, searching, exploring ... No vetiver. He hadn't come. Not that I thought he would, but I couldn't help feeling sorry for Cathy and some of those whose reason for attending the reunion was to see him. I, however, was relieved. I didn't know what I was going to tell people about our work relationship, and facing 598 people I never thought I'd have to see again was hard enough. The exception was Cathy, who looked radiant in her wine-colored dress. She was obviously having the time of her life, Charles or no Charles. She'd found a table with two chairs an
A loud scraping jolted me out of my embarrassment. Cathy was scooting her chair away, looking unhappy. "Don't move too far, Cathy," I said, putting out a hand. There was no way I was going to let anyone sideline my friend, no matter how good he smelled. But oh, did he smell amazing. "Charles, there's room here!" A musical voice called from the next table. Jennifer had shifted around, and a half-dozen pairs of bright, beautiful eyes were smiling at the man next to me. "Come on, it's like old times at this table." She smiled a bewitching, teasing smile that made even me sit up straighter. Charles, however, seemed unaffected. He bowed slightly, but called to the table over the music, "I need to talk to my friend Elena, and to thank Cathy for this exquisite party." He sat down between us and turned his gaze to mine, making my stomach clench up. I felt stupid. I'd seen it everyday for the last week. Why didn't it get easier? "Are you enjoying yourself?" Charles asked, looking amused.