by Iona Rose
Ashton gets to his feet and comes towards me with his hand outstretched.
I get up quickly and shake his hand. I feel sparks flying up my arm where our hands touch and Ashton holds onto my hand for just a fraction of a second too long. He felt it too. And that makes me confident he has no idea who I am. That’s good. I can do this.
“Great. See you Monday, Elena. I’m looking forward to working with you,” Ashton says. He flashes me a final smile and leaves the room.
I stand in a daze for a second, not really sure what I’m meant to say to Sally and Aaron, but knowing I can’t just leave without saying goodbye to them. “Umm, thanks for your time,” I say awkwardly.
“Welcome to the company, Elena,” Aaron says, looking as shell shocked as I feel. He stands up and shakes my hand.
Sally follows suit with a similar sentiment to Aaron.
I finally leave the room, not sure if I’m on a high or a low. I’ve either just made the best career decision of my life, or the worst, and only time will tell which one it turns out to be.
Chapter Five
Ashton
I knew from the second I saw Elena’s resume that she would be getting the job. I just hoped she would nail the interview and the panel would choose her without me having to get involved. It became apparent quickly that wasn’t going to happen.
I have never sat in on an interview, but there’s a camera and a microphone set up in the interview room so I could watch the interviews if I wanted to. I have never availed myself to the privilege until today. When I saw Elena completely botching the interview, I knew I had to step in.
I think Sally was right. It did sound like Elena had sent out a batch of resumes and just hoped someone would give her a job rather than choosing to apply for this job because she wants to work for Wave. Normally, I would have reacted to this, exactly the same way as the panel did; cut the interview short and mark her as a no chance. But this is Elena.
All the normal precautions and rules are not applicable.
But I would have hired her even if she couldn’t do the job. I know she can do this job. Her resume speaks for itself. She’d always been clever, always organized. I’m just glad she gave me something I could use. And it’s particularly good that it’s something HR will believe. They all know how much I value loyalty and Elena gave me the perfect answer to hire her, based on her loyalty to her last company.
I wanted to hang around after the interview and talk to her, but I knew that would seem even more suspicious. The last thing I want is anyone in HR putting two and two together and accusing me of only giving Elena this job because we went to high school together. Neither of us did anything in the interview to imply that we knew each other, and that’s good. It’s my company and I can do whatever I want, but I have strict hiring policies in place for a reason and I have always prided myself on leading by example and I don’t want that to change now.
But I have to see Elena again, before she leaves today. She gave no indication she knew me at the interview, but I acted the same even though I would have recognized her a mile away, with a bag over her head. I frown. Is it possible she really didn’t recognize me? I thought about it. I had come a long way from that gangly, rough rebel wearing ripped clothes and behaving like a prick.
Even so, I’d made Elena’s life hell. She couldn’t possibly have forgotten that. I can’t be that lucky. But if she remembered me, wouldn’t she have walked out the moment she recognized me. Or she really is desperate for a job.
Instead of going back to my office, I walk towards the waiting area next to the elevators, pretending to talk on my phone. I know Elena will have to come by this way. She shouldn’t be long.
I hear footsteps coming from the hallway, and pause as though I’m listening to the call I’m meant to be on, when really, I’m listening for her footsteps. As she appears, I turn around and my breath catches in my throat. I actually feel my heart fucking skip a beat. How interesting that she still has such an effect on me after all of these years, but I never really did get over her. “Yeah,” I say into my phone. “Catch you later.” I pretend to disconnect the call and put the phone away. I smile at Elena as she draws level with me.
She smiles back. It’s a cautious smile, but that could just be because I’m going to be her new boss.
“Looks like we’re both on our way out,” I say and walk to the elevator with her.
She gives me another cautious smile, but she doesn’t say anything.
I reach out and press the call button for the elevator. “Do you have much of a commute to get here?” I ask.
Elena shakes her head. “No. A ten-minute drive, fifteen minutes at most.”
“No excuses for being late then.” I laugh.
Elena laughs with me, but I get the distinct impression she’s forcing the laugh. She seems much less confident now than she did in the interview room. Surely, it should be the other way around if anything. “Relax, I wasn’t being serious,” I say, giving her my most charming smile.
She smiles back and she looks a little less tense.
The elevator pings announcing its arrival and the doors open. There’s no one else in the elevator car and we step in. We both reach for the button at the same time, and for a very short second, our fingers touch each other. I feel a shockwave of desire flood me.
Fuck!
I freeze and Elena pulls her hand away like I’ve burned her. I don’t know if it’s because she’s so tense, or if it’s because she feels the chemistry between us too. Maybe it’s both.
She laughs awkwardly and gestures for me to press the button.
I do and the doors slowly close. We start moving down. We’re completely alone. The air around us sizzles with electricity. I want to say something, but I can’t think of a single thing to say to Elena.
I can’t keep my eyes off her either. I force myself to look away from her, but within seconds, my gaze flies back to her as if she is a magnet pulling me toward her. My cock starts to hang heavy and hot. I want nothing more than to push her up against the wall and fucking ravish her. I want to claim her mouth, push my tongue into it. I want to shove her skirt up around her hips, lift her up and fuck the life out of her. I imagine her legs wrapped around my waist, her hands groping over my body as I pound into her.
Inside this damn elevator that I have taken a million times before.
She looks up and catches me staring at her. Her face has taken on a slight sheen of sweat and she looks pale. She flashes me an uncertain smile before she quickly looks away from me again. There is a haunted expression on her face as she glances at her watch then at the elevator doors.
“Are you late for something? I hope you don’t have another job interview lined up,” I tease gently.
She shakes her head quickly. “I don’t.” Her voice is shaky. She tucks her hands behind her back and looks down at the ground, then at the red numbers counting down on the floor marker.
This time when I sneak a look at her, she doesn’t look back. I can see her shoulders hitching as she snatches in fast little breaths. Too fast. And that’s when I know for sure that she knows exactly who I am. She knows it’s me— and she’s scared of me.
This isn’t good. This isn’t good at all. I don’t want her to be afraid of me. I want to tell her that I was crazy about her. That I was a stupid kid who just wanted her to notice me.
I don’t know how to ease the tension in the elevator car. Anything I say in this confined space is only going to make things worse. I want to run my hand over her cheek, caress it gently and show her how tender I can be now, and how I want to make love to her. But I know what a big mistake that would be. I clench my hands into fists. I’ll try and talk to her once we’re in the lobby. She’ll probably be less tense with other people around.
The doors open and Jess, a member of the tech team, is standing outside.
“Mr. Miller? I was just heading up to your office with that report you wanted,” she says.
“See you,”
Elena calls and practically runs from the elevator car.
“Thanks Jess, just leave it on my desk,” I say, stepping around her.
“Ok,” she says, clearly a little surprised by how I’m acting. She knows how important that report is and how I would normally be all over it instantly.
I scan the lobby and realize I’m already too late. There’s no sign of her anywhere. Hell, she must have flown like a bat out of hell.
I don’t fancy going back to my office. I feel too restless. My blood is pounding hard in my temples. I make my way across the lobby and step outside. The sidewalk is full of people. I pull out my phone and stand with my back against the wall.
I look through my contacts until I find the name I’m looking for. Billy Sanchez. Billy is my best friend and we go way back. All the way back to Franklin School, and if anyone will know how to fix this thing with Elena, it’s Billy because he was there through all of the teasing. No, it wasn’t teasing. That’s letting myself off too lightly. It was bullying, pure and simple. And whatever my reasons for doing it were, it was wrong. I knew back then and I really know it now after seeing Elena’s reaction to being alone with me so many years later.
I press call and wait.
Billy picks up pretty quickly. “What’s up, man?”
“You’re not going to believe who I’ve just given a job to,” I say.
“The Dalai Lama? Ariana Grande? Oprah?”
“Elena Woods.”
“Who?”
I say nothing and let the name sink in.
“Ohhhh,” Billy whispers. “Did she take it?”
“Yup.”
“Shit man, she must be desperate for a job. You were a fucking demon to her.”
“Yeah, thanks for reminding me.”
“What do you want from me? Kid gloves?” he asks.
He’s right. Of course, he’s right. “It was a long time ago, Billy. I’ve changed,”
Billy’s tone mellows. “I know that. And you know that. Does Elena know that? Why did she apply for a job anyway?”
“I don’t think she realized it was me. She knew me as Ashton Winston. I went into the room where she was being interviewed, and she acted like she was meeting me for the first time. I figured she didn’t recognize me. But then I rode down in the elevator with her... and she was afraid of me.”
“Fucking hell, man what did you say to her?”
“Nothing,” I say quickly. “But she does remember me.”
“Maybe it’s not such a good idea having her working for you,” Billy points out.
“I’ve already given her the job now. I can’t just take it back. And I don’t want to. I still have the hots for her big time and I feel like maybe I’m getting a second chance with her.”
“Yeah right, because you coming on to her in the office isn’t going to scare her at all, is it?” Billy says sarcastically.
“I’m not planning on locking her in my office and demanding she do a striptease or anything, although that would be a damn sight more interesting than what I normally do with my PA s.”
Billy laughs. “I bet.”
I sigh. “I want her to get to know me. To see I’m a different person now. We have chemistry. I’m sure of that. I just need to make her see it too.”
“Maybe you could start by apologizing to her. And then keeping your dirty fantasies at bay until she gets used to the idea of you not being a total ass.”
“You think I should apologize to her straight away?”
“Yeah, I do,” he insists. “If you pretend not to recognize her, then it’s only going to get more awkward. And you definitely owe that girl an apology.”
“You’re right. Then at least it’s out there. And if she chooses to leave after that, I’ll know I tried if nothing else.”
“Exactly. Now I have to run. We can’t all just swan in and out of work when we feel like it.”
I laugh. “Because the whole world stops turning if you step out of your office for a second.”
“You know it.” Billy laughs.
I put my phone back into my pocket and go back to my office, but all I can think of is the haunted look in Elena’s beautiful eyes.
Chapter Six
Elena
I lay awake in bed alternating between staring at the ceiling and checking the clock. It’s now three AM and I’ve started doing that thing where I work out how many hours of sleep I’m going to get if I fall asleep right now. At the minute, I’m down three hours and there’s still no sign of me dropping off any time soon. It’s not even like I’m not tired. I am. I just can’t seem to switch my brain off.
I’m always a little restless like this when I have to get up early for work on a Monday after a weekend off, and I knew tonight would be extra bad because I’ve been out of work for a few months and gotten used to just getting up when I wake up. What I wasn’t banking on was Ashton turning back up in my life and setting my head spinning with thoughts and memories of him.
I can’t get him out of my head, and the picture of him as I saw him on Friday and the picture of him as a merciless school boy mix together in my head causing a strange juxtaposition that leaves me feeling on edge and dizzy.
I know he looks different now, but that doesn’t mean he has changed. All that’s changed is his clothes, his surname, and most likely his zip code. How strange. We’ve had a reversal of fortunes. My dad lost all his money and Ashton looks like he’s now loaded. If the past is anything to go by, money and power can only be a bad thing for someone like Ashton. I pause. I should give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he has changed inside too. The trouble with that theory is I don’t really believe it.
I believe people change as they mature, sure I do. But I think those changes are usually quite small. I’m not sure I believe a person can change who they fundamentally are, and the way Ashton spoke to David in my interview didn’t do much to make me think he’s not the same old douchebag he always was.
I don’t think he remembered me though. If he did, I’m sure he couldn’t have resisted making a couple of digs at my expense, and there’s no way he would have hired me. He hated me. He once described me as nothing. I also think if he has changed, it would make him feel awkward having a constant reminder of his nasty childhood hanging around.
I should just take the job, keep my head down, and get on with my work. If by chance, he ever does remember who I am... I can feign ignorance and just act like I don’t know who he is. The thing is, I’m no longer the quiet little wall flower I once was, and I honestly don’t know if I can keep my mouth shut about it all. I certainly won’t be taking any shit from him like I used to.
Or maybe I should just call the HR department in the morning and tell them I’ve changed my mind about the job. It’s not like they wouldn’t be relieved. But even as I think it, I know I won’t actually do it. The pile of bills in the hallway tells me I can’t do that. This is the last of the bills I can pay out of my meagre savings and there’s no guarantee another job will come along in time. Especially, not if word gets out that I’ve messed Wave about like this.
Oh God, why did it have to be his company that offered me a job? Why couldn’t it have been literally any other one?
I can’t even imagine what it’s going to be like working for Ashton. Not good would be my guess. I never thought I would end up in a position where I gave him any power over me. This is what scares me the most. He will have power over me. He’ll be my boss. This will be direct. I’ll be his personal assistant, working closely with him every day.
My palms start to sweat and my heart races as I think about what that actually means for me. The worst part about it all was the way he kept looking at me in the elevator. He wasn’t looking at me like he wanted to upset me. No, that I could have handled. Instead, he was looking at me like maybe he wanted to fuck the living daylights out of me. And actually, that isn’t the worst part about it. The worst part about it is that I wanted him to do that to me. As much as that bastard made my life a l
iving hell, I still haven’t managed to shake off the crush I had on him.
It makes me feel weak, pathetic even, that after taking so much crap from him, I still can’t help melting when I look into his eyes. I still can’t stop imagining what his lips would feel like on mine, what his hands would make me do roaming over my body. Even now, in the middle of the night when I’m trying desperately to just fall asleep, I can feel my body tingling when I think of him. My clit throbs and my pussy is wet and it takes every bit of willpower I have not to move my hand lower, not to start to touch myself and think of Ashton.
But I won’t go there. Not again.
Every time I succumb to the craving, I feel terrible afterwards.
My mind flashes back to the past. To that first time I did it. It was in our last year. I’d stayed back after school to run track. After my training, I’d gone to the locker room to shower and change. I was alone, or at least I thought I was, so I took a long hot shower, then stepped out of the shower without a towel, or anything to wrap around myself. As I walked across the room to my clothes, I felt eyes on me.
I whirled around and for a second, I was frozen.
My eyes were locked on Ashton’s. He was in the locker room watching me. I didn’t see hatred or disdain. I saw uncompromising lust. I remember feeling a spark of excitement in my body mixed with terror. Why was he here? What was he going to do to me?
He didn’t come any closer nor did he flee when he knew I’d spotted him. He just stood there, his eyes drinking me in. And to my perpetual shame, I did nothing. I didn’t attempt to cover myself. I didn’t scream for a teacher. Instead, I stood stock still, flaunting my body, letting him see what he was missing. What he would never have. My eyes grazed over his body and locked on the hard-on he was making no effort to hide from me. He wanted me. Even if he would never admit it, his body had told me the truth of the matter.
