by Mia Ford
“I’m off, Jesse. Hope you have a nice day. I love you,” Belle said as she grabbed her purse off the floor near the door. Jesse made no movement, but had his face pressed into his pillow. She heard a muffled goodbye and opened the door.
She closed the door gently behind her and took the steps two at a time as she rushed outside. This was too much to handle. Her first day at a job and also Jesse’s mood swings. She wasn’t sure what bothered her more.
Jesse had been her middle school crush, back in their hometown. They went to the same State college, and her feelings for him returned. It wasn’t until the last year, when they happened to bump into each other at a house party, that they actually started talking and went on a few official dates. When Belle told him that she was moving to New York, Jesse declared that he loved her and would move with her.
So they had officially been a couple for no more than three months, since they moved to New York. No more dates at restaurants, or going for movies or sharing milkshakes. Real life and real responsibilities had come tumbling down on them, when they were least prepared for it. While Belle had a plan for her professional life, Jesse had none and so the hunt had begun and he kept hitting a brick wall.
All the romance that should have existed in a young relationship, between two twenty-two year olds never made an appearance. He was too upset about finding a job, and every day ended with him falling into bed exhausted and uninspired. Belle gulped as she hurried down the busy New York streets towards the subway. Starkly aware that tonight wasn’t going to be the night either, when Jesse might make a move and be the first guy to make love to her.
Belle
Bell looked up at the forty storied building and licked her lips nervously. She had only been here once before, when she came in for the interview. It was exciting for her to be working there, but at the same time she wasn’t sure what her first day was going to be like. She had been hired to intern with the marketing team at the advertising agency, and she had no prior experience in it. The only reason she had even been hired, Belle assumed, was because of her professional and cheerful personality. The interviewer seemed to like her go-getter and proactive attitude.
Belle pushed open the glass doors and stepped into the lobby. She knew that Rymer & Mills had their offices across five of the top floors, so she went straight for the elevators. Her heels clicked against the marble floors loudly as she walked, and Belle began to wonder if she was even dressed appropriately. She pressed the elevator button and stood with her hands clasped together in front of the double doors.
She caught a faint reflection of herself in the polished steel doors. She had picked out a gray professional looking pencil skirt that reached her knees and accentuated the curves of her hips. She’d tucked in a white shirt neatly on top and picked out a pair of high black stilettos to complete the look. She had spent a considerable amount of time on her hair, to achieve the perfect fishtail braid and now she was happy with the way it lay on her shoulder, just about reaching the top of her breasts. For her lips she had chosen a chocolate brown color to match her coffee brown eyes.
When she sensed someone come and stand beside her, Belle straightened her shoulders. She was self-conscious now that someone had caught her staring at herself. The elevator doors pinged open just that very second, and she stepped aside to let the people out.
When the carriage was empty, she looked to the side and noticed that a man was holding the door open, gesturing her to take a step inside.
“After you,” he said in a calm deep voice and Belle felt her cheeks flush. He was an incredibly attractive man, and she didn’t want to stare. So, she quickly stepped into the elevator and pressed her back to the cold metal wall. The man stepped in after her, and stood to the side.
He seemed older, at least in his early forties and had dark short hair with some smattering of white near the temples. He was much taller than her, and was dressed in a sharp black suit, with a white shirt and a rich red tie. His eyes were a clear sparkling blue, which he turned to her, and a soft smile grazed his lips.
“Which floor?” he asked, and Belle realized that she had indeed been staring at him.
“Thirty-five,” she replied nervously and she noticed that the man arched an eyebrow. He pressed the button, and didn’t press another one. She gulped. So, he worked at her new office! And she had just been staring at him like an ogling teenager.
Belle looked away, hanging her head towards the floor, but she could sense that he was looking at her.
“First day?” he asked, as the elevator started up. She jerked her head to look up at him, fully aware that her cheeks were burning up by now.
He had a hand thrust into the pocket of his pants, and the other one clutched a brown leather briefcase.
“Yes,” Belle replied meekly and the man only smiled.
“Nervous?” he asked, after a few seconds of silence and she shifted on her feet.
“Little bit. It’s my first job too,” she said and took in a deep breath.
He nodded his head and then looked past her towards the changing lights on the elevator.
“I’m sure you’re good at what you do if you’ve been hired at Rymer & Mills,” he added and Belle breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t looked at it that way before. She had got the job. Even if it was an internship. She had been handpicked out of hundreds of applicants and she knew she was ambitious and confident enough to survive the six months of internship. So, technically, he was right…she had nothing to really worry about.
Belle let out a small laugh and their eyes met. His blue eyes were kind and sharp at the same time, and she wondered what position he held at the agency. If he worked there at all.
“What do you do?” she asked him, when he hadn’t said anything for some time.
“Ah, nothing at the moment. I’m hoping I’ll find something to do today,” he said and Belle’s mouth opened slightly. She couldn’t believe that he had been so polite and encouraging towards her, when he was just on his way to a job interview.
“Oh, best of luck with that,” she said and the man smiled and nodded.
“Thank you,” he said politely, just at the doors pinged open again. He gestured to her again to lead the way, and Belle stepped out, smiling as she passed him. She felt their clothes graze gently and there were instant goosebumps on her skin. There was something magnetic about this polite stranger, and she whipped around just as he was stepping out of the elevator himself.
“I’m Belle Freedman, I hope you get the job,” she said and stuck out her hand to him. The man looked quizzically at her hand for a few moments, before lifting his head to look at her again.
“I’m Devon Rymer. Welcome to my agency,” he said and took her hand in his and gave it a strong shake. Belle’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open. She knew she had never felt more embarrassed before.
Devon
Devon was smiling as he shook Belle’s hand. He knew he had an iron grip and an intimidatingly strong handshake, but this girl didn’t seem to be affected by it. She only looked surprised, because she hadn’t known who he was.
She was the one to draw her hand away, and Devon took note of her huge brown eyes, the way her neat braid lay delicately over her shoulder. She was sharply dressed, especially for her age. He assumed that she was in her early twenties, and he tried to remind himself not to stare.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I had no idea,” she said, taking a few steps away from him. Devon smiled and shook his head.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about. I know I’m a private person, there’s no way you could have known what the partners of the agency look like,” he replied, pushing his hand into his pocket again. He was expecting the girl to blush, or turn her eyes away from embarrassment, but she stared back at him with an unwavering gaze.
“Well, thank you for your kind words earlier,” she said, and Devon realized that she was thinking of taking her leave now. For some reason, he wanted to keep talking to her, but he couldn’t think of
anything to say to her to make her stay.
“Have a nice day, Ms Freedman,” he said instead and she smiled widely. He noticed how bright her eyes were when she smiled and how her lips lifted up on the sides as she did it. He couldn’t bring himself to look away.
She nodded to that and then walked away, towards the reception area. Devon stood in front of the elevator doors for a few more seconds, watching her walking away, before he breathed out a deep sigh and started making his way towards his own office.
His secretary Lily found him soon enough, and intercepted him in the corridors.
“Mr Rymer, we have two meetings set up for you before lunch. You are supposed to meet with Pat Lynch & Sons first thing,” Lily was walking with him, keeping pace. She also had his double shot Americano in her hand, which she eventually handed to him.
Devon’s mind was occupied with thoughts of Belle instead, and he stopped abruptly in front of his office doors.
“Lily, do you know about a Belle Freedman, who has been hired as an intern? It’s her first day today,” he said and Lily looked back at him with some surprise in her eyes. She didn’t expect him to be talking about an intern that early in the morning. In fact, Devon, rarely ever spoke about interns to begin with.
“Well, I don’t know her personally. But is there something you want me to find out? I can ask Susan, she’s in charge of all the interns,” Lily said, fixing the files and papers in her hands.
Devon was thinking, and he wasn’t really looking at Lily.
“Have her come over to my office, maybe between the two morning meetings,” Devon said. Lily nodded and turned on her heels to walk away. “Oh, and also ask Susan to keep a close eye on her, and give me a report at the end of day about her work,” he added, before pushing open the door to his office and walking in.
Once inside, Devon placed his coffee on his desk and walked around to the glass wall that overlooked the Hudson River. He had his jaws clenched as he watched people walking over the bridge. From the thirty-fifth floor, they looked nothing more than just tiny dots.
He couldn’t get Belle Freedman out of his mind. Not only was she gorgeous, but there was something comforting in her voice. She seemed sweet and cheerful, and he wondered if she was from a small town. He was sure that she wasn’t from New York, and he suddenly felt worried if the city might affect her. If in a few months, Belle might turn into a completely different person.
The phone on his desk beeped and he walked over and pressed a button.
“I’ve set up a meeting between you and Ms Freedman for eleven fifteen, Sir,” Lily’s voice came through.
“Good, thanks Lily,” Devon said.
“And I’ve told Susan what you said. She said she’ll come in and have a word with you at the end of the day,” Lily added.
“Thanks Lily,” he said again.
“Also, she was wondering why you’ve taken an interest in her, and if there’s a problem. She was worried that she might have made a bad hire,” Lily continued.
“No, Not all. There’s no problem and please tell Susan that she’s made a great hire. I like Belle, she seems enterprising and bright,” Devon said and with that he ended the call and sat down on his chair.
He steepled his fingers on his desk and narrowed his eyes as he thought about it some more. He couldn’t put a finger on the exact reason why he had taken an interest in Belle. It wasn’t just her looks was it…? Because he knew he could have any number of beautiful young women he wanted, in fact he tried to keep his distance from them as much as possible, so that a relationship didn’t come between him and his work. Besides, wasn’t Belle a bit too young for him?
There had to be something else about Belle that he had noticed. Just during their five minute conversation in the elevator, he was instantly drawn to her. To her smile. To her innocent confidence.
Devon shook his head, to drive the thoughts out of his brain. He had an entire day’s worth of work to get through and he wasn’t going to allow a girl to occupy his mind.
He pressed the buzzer again and got through to Lily in an instant.
“Set up the board room for the first meeting, I’ll be there in five minutes,” he said and with that, he took two large gulps of his scalding coffee.
Belle
She was nervous as she walked towards Devon Rymer’s office. Her team leader, Susan, had informed her that Mr Rymer wanted to personally meet with her at quarter past eleven, and Belle had no idea what for. Susan couldn’t give her the details of the meeting either, so Belle had spent most of the morning fretting over what she had done wrong.
As far as first days at work go, Belle assumed that it had been going well. She had been given the task of conducting some simple market surveys, and she had spent the morning doing that; completing her task well before the eleven fifteen meeting with Devon Rymer.
So, now she walked self consciously towards his office, as directed by Susan and found his secretary sitting at the end of the corridor behind a desk.
“You must be Belle,” the middle aged woman said, looking up at her from over her crescent shaped spectacles.
“Yes, I’m here to meet with Mr Rymer,” Belle said and stuck out a hand to the woman.
“I’m his secretary, Lily. Nice to meet you Belle. Mr Rymer will be with you shortly,” Lily said and shook Belle’s hand weakly.
“Sure,” Belle said and took in a few deep breaths. Try as she did, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that she had conducted herself wrongly in some way. That Mr Rymer wanted to talk to her to tell her off. Maybe it had something to do with the way she was staring at him!
“Don’t be nervous. He told me that he thinks you’re an enterprising young woman,” Lily interrupted her thoughts. Belle looked at her and forced a smile on her face.
“Really?” she asked, surprised to hear that. Lily shrugged her shoulders and smiled.
The phone beside her on the desk rang and she pressed a button.
“You can send Ms Freedman in, if she’s arrived,” the deep voice said and Belle instantly recognized the voice to be Devon Rymer’s.
“You can go in now,” Lily said kindly and Belle nodded.
She took small slow steps as she walked down the corridor towards the only door that was located at the end of it. Devon Rymer’s office was isolated from the rest of the floor in one corner. She couldn’t even imagine how wonderful the view had to be from that room.
She knocked softly on his door, and heard his voice asking her to come in.
Belle turned the knob and pushed open the door. Devon Rymer was sitting behind his desk, signing a sheet of paper. He looked up at her, and she was struck again by how intensely attracted she was to him. Belle gulped.
“Take a seat, Ms Freedman,” he said, straightening himself in his chair.
Belle closed the door behind her, and walked nervously towards the desk. His office was made of only glass walls, so bright sunlight flooded the room. She noticed the sleek, minimalistic decor of the office, the eggshell white leather chairs, the large oak desk, the potted plants. He had a pretty simple room, with no paintings or additional decor. It seemed like Devon Rymer was a no-fuss kind of man.
Without a word, Belle took the chair across from his desk, and realized how intimidated she was in her surroundings now. Despite what Lily had told her outside, she wasn’t feeling too confident. She couldn’t think of one good reason why he had called her into his office.
“How has your first day been going so far?” he asked, breaking the silence. His clear blue eyes were trained on her, and he was looking at her with an intensely fiery gaze. Belle could barely find the strength to keep looking at him without blushing. He seemed to be the kind of man who knew everything about everything.
“It’s been going well. I’m learning a lot. I’ve been conducting some market research for clients who sell teenage magazines,” Belle replied, shifting in her seat. Her hands were clasped together on her lap and she was pressing her fingers together.
/> “Good. What would you say has been your one major finding?” he asked, sitting back in his chair. Belle gulped before answering. She noticed how broad his shoulders were, he didn’t have his suit jacket on and she could see the muscles rippling under his thin white shirt.
“I would say that teenagers will only subscribe to magazines if they get free samples of products with each copy. Otherwise, they just have the internet for everything,” Belle replied, and tried to match his eyes with a confident gaze.
A soft smile was grazing Devon’s face. He looked handsome, with rugged features, in the bright light of the room. Belle wondered if she had ever seen eyes as blue as that before.
“You’re picking up fast,” he said finally, and she nearly breathed a sigh of relief. She had prepared herself for an onslaught of complaints. She smiled at that, and he smiled too. Despite how intimidated she was in her surroundings, she couldn’t help but admire how comfortable he had managed to make her feel.
“You’re not from New York, are you?” he asked and she was slightly taken aback by that question. Belle cleared her throat and lifted her chin in the air.
“I’m from Little Canada, Minnesota,” she replied and Devon Rymer’s eyes narrowed.
“Where did you go to school?” he asked.
“Minnesota State, Mankato,” Belle said and now he nodded his head.
“Are you living by yourself in New York? Ms Freedman,” he continued.
Belle shook her head and tried to force a smile on her face.
“No, I live with my boyfriend, and please Sir, call me Belle,” she replied and felt her cheeks burn up. Across from her, Devon Rymer’s features darkened and he clenched his jaw tightly. Again, she wondered what exactly he was thinking and if she had done something to displease him.
Devon
He couldn’t control the rush of jealousy he felt the moment he heard the words escape Belle’s beautifully luscious chocolate brown lips. She had a boyfriend! What was he thinking? How could he just presume that she was single? Then the thought struck him, that she was an employee at his agency. He was her boss. There was a code of conduct he had to maintain. Devon cleared his throat and picked up a pen from the desk.
