Cosmic Trifecta

by Anna Lewis

  She stepped onto the elevator and immediately regretted her casual look and her loose hair. No doubt Richard had told Eric Furst that Shawna was unprofessional and a waste of space. She hadn’t meant to show up looking like the part.

  The elevator dinged long before she was ready, and she stopped off the elevator car and straight into a large office with an empty desk.

  He’s not even here.

  A door opened behind the large desk just as she had those thoughts and a young-looking man with short brown hair and hazel eyes looked at her and waved her in.

  “Sorry,” he said. “I’m between personal assistants right now and I’m having to greet my own visitors.”

  She followed him through the door, then almost gasped aloud when she walked into a huge room that looked like a page straight out of a magazine.

  “Nice, right?” he said, gesturing to a chair across from him.

  He sat on a low sofa and only a coffee table sat between them. She was hoping for the large desk off to her left, but apparently, Eric Furst liked to be a lot less formal.

  “So, I hear you’re leaving us, and I wanted to find out why that is,” he started, offering her a cup of coffee, which she waved off.

  “I got fired,” she said.

  “I knew that,” Eric said, his eyes twinkling. “I guess I was hoping for some insight about what you think we could do better to help support someone like you in the future. I don’t like losing employees, even when they’re,” he paused, looking down at a piece of paper and reading, “‘grossly incompetent.’”

  Shawna sighed. She didn’t want to have this conversation, but she also didn’t want him to think that she was all the things that Richard likely accused her of being. Her pride wouldn’t let her admit to being useless when she wasn’t.

  “I’m not incompetent. I might not be the fastest typist, or the best secretary, but I busted my ass every day and I worked so much overtime without so much as a thank you.”

  “We don’t do overtime at Furst Industries,” Eric interrupted. “I like my people to have a healthy work-life balance.”

  “Well, no one told Richard,” she said, feeling bold.

  “I’ll have to look into it,” he said, and Shawna rolled her eyes before she caught herself. “You don’t believe me?” he said, his expression amused rather than angry.”

  “People make promises that they don’t intend to keep, and since I’m leaving, you have no reason to follow up.”

  “Fair enough,” he said. “But I am going to follow up, just so you know. What about your time here outside of your experience with the things you’ve mentioned. How did you like working here?”

  “I loved it,” she said.

  “That’s good to hear. Where did you work before?”

  Her stomach dropped. She knew that he could probably look that information up, but for some reason, she didn’t want to admit to him that she’d been working fast food jobs since her parents died when she was sixteen. Alone and with no one to help her, she’d worked full-time and continued paying on the old ramshackle house that they had lived in her entire life. When the landlord found out that she was living there alone just after her eighteenth birthday, he’d kicked her out without much fanfare and bulldozed the old house to make room for a small apartment complex.

  It was a painful memory and she didn’t want to rehash that for this man who had never been through what she had.

  “I see I’ve hit a nerve. You don’t have to answer that. Anything outside of here isn’t my business and you don’t owe me your story.”

  His gentle smile and the softness of his voice soothed the pain the memories had brought up in that instant and she knew that he wasn’t angry at her reticence.

  Why couldn’t I have worked for him? she thought, wishing things had been different. She would still have a job if she worked for Eric.

  “I have figured out what you did wrong and why you’re no longer working with us, if you’d like to know so you can adjust the sails and succeed at your next endeavor. I’m assuming that you haven’t found employment yet?”

  “I’ve been calling around, but as soon as they found out I got fired, they all but hung up in my ear.”

  “I’m not surprised. Most people fight hard to stay here and only leave if they’re fired, die or retire. It takes a lot to get let go from Furst Industries, so it’s no surprise that the companies that you’ve already called were not eager to hire you.”

  Shawna’s face colored a soft pink and she wished that she hadn’t engaged this man in conversation. She wanted to leave and to end this conversation as quickly as possible.

  “You were saying that you know my problem,” she said, cringing at the suggestion that she was even remotely responsible for being treated so poorly.

  “I do, and I think that you’ll agree when I tell you that changing this will change your life, though I doubt it will get you employment in this area.”

  “I’m not going to give up until I have a job,” she said.

  “That’s good. Your issue is power. You don’t know your own power, and because you doubt your worth, others doubt it, too. When you realize that you are worthy and that you have complete power over yourself and how others treat you, then you’ll be able to change how you’re treated. Until then, people will continue to walk over you and you’ll waste a good deal of time at entry level jobs when you could be so much more.”

  “Are you trying to manipulate me into being a success?” she asked, looking at him suspiciously.

  He laughed.

  “No ma’am,” he said, propping his feet up on the coffee table.

  Shawna realized then that he was wearing cowboy boots with his suit, the fine leather polished and conditioned until it was perfectly supple.

  How Texan of him, she thought, almost laughing.

  “I’m trying to get you to see that you’re more than you give yourself credit for, but no one can force you to see your worth.”

  Shawna nodded.

  “I really have to be going,” she said, changing the subject.

  “I understand. You have to run off so you can hang out at your apartment and pity yourself this weekend, then you’ll hit the job search hard and spin your wheels all week and come up empty. This money isn’t going to last long.”

  “I’d like to leave now,” she said.

  “I don’t think you want to. I think that you loved it here and you want to stay.”

  “I didn’t know that was an option.”

  “It usually isn’t, but I like you.”

  “Great.”

  “Look, you’re not a good secretary, and you really don’t have the skills to be an effective personal assistant, but I have a job I need filled and maybe you would be interested.”

  “What is the job?

  “Well, I need a date this weekend.”

  “You can’t be serious? I’m leaving.”

  “Hear me out,” he said. “I’m not talking about having sex or anything like that. I have a charity event to go to tomorrow night, and I need a beautiful woman on my arm.”

  “I don’t know the first thing about charity events,” she said.

  “I really just need you to look pretty, laugh at my stupid jokes so I don’t look foolish, and slow dance with me a few times. The dinner is subpar but still delicious, and I’ll provide the evening gown, which you can keep.”

  “I don’t really have a use for an evening gown.”

  “I would be paying you as well,” he said, arching an eyebrow.

  “How much,” she said before she could stop herself.

  “Five thousand.”

  “For the night?” she shook her head. “No way, I’m not having sex for money.”

  He laughed again.

  “I’m not asking for sex, though I won’t turn you down if you want it. But it’s a long night, and I want to make sure that you’re taken care of while you look for a job.”

  “Why?”

  “Because there’s
something special about you, Shawna, and I don’t want to see that light fade because of a bad work experience.”

  “Can I think about it?”

  “Of course, you can. Remember, you’re the one with the power here.”

  “But you have the money.”

  “Money is only powerful if you give it that power.”

  Shawna laughed sarcastically and shook her head.

  “You wouldn’t say that if you’d ever been poor.”

  “You’re right,” he said. “I’m horribly out of touch, but I admit to that shortcoming. Will you let me know by eleven in the morning?”

  “Sure,” she said, standing up.

  He handed her the check.

  “It’s been a pleasure, Shawna,” he said, shaking her hand and lingering for a moment longer.

  Shawna’s stomach was in knots again, but she smiled through it, leaving the office quickly without saying goodbye and clutching the check in her hand.

  She was all the way home after depositing the check when she realized that she didn’t know how to contact him in the morning.

  ***

  Shawna’s phone rang at exactly eleven the next morning, and she rolled over in bed, still exhausted after a long, sleepless night.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, Shawna. It’s Eric.”

  She sat straight up in bed, shocked to be hearing from him on her personal cell phone.

  “Hi, Eric,” she said quickly.

  “Have you decided?”

  “Um,” she said, then wanted to kick herself.

  “I still need some time to think,” she said.

  “You can take a few more minutes, and I’ll let the driver know that you need a moment.”

  “Driver?”

  “There’s a limo outside your apartment, waiting to take you shopping.”

  Shawna closed her eyes, then opened them slowly and walked to the window. She saw the limo right away and rolled her eyes. So much for him waiting to hear her choice.

  “You can still say no,” he said as if reading her thoughts.

  “No, I’ll do it.”

  “Are you sure, because you sound thrilled.”

  “I am thrilled. What could be more thrilling than dressing up and pretending to be someone I’m not around a bunch of Dallas’ elite.”

  “Are you going by a different name tonight?”

  “No.”

  “Then you’re not pretending to be anyone. You’re Shawna Jones, and I’m sure that even Shawna Jones likes to wear pretty dresses. Pick something green to match your eyes. The cut and length are up to you.”

  Before she could say anything back, the line went dead in her ear and she was left holding the cell phone, staring at it.

  He’d noticed the color of her eyes?

  Shawna got dressed quickly, running a brush through her hair and brushing her teeth and heading out the door at a run. She was starving, but that was going to have to wait.

  A man appeared out of the limo and opened her door, offering his hand to help her inside.

  “Are you hungry, Miss?” he asked.

  “Starving.”

  “Lunch is on Eric, so pick your place.”

  She thought about it for a moment, then settled on a quick lunch from Free Birds.

  “Good choice,” he said as if she’d chosen some posh joint downtown. “Burritos sound wonderful.”

  They pulled away from the curb and Shawna looked out the tinted window at the apartment building. As she expected, every curtain was drawn to the side and faces were watching out the windows, trying to catch a glimpse of who was in the limo through the tinted glass. If someone had actually seen her get in the limo, the entire building would know by suppertime.

  Great, she thought. Just great.

  ***

  “You look beautiful,” Eric said, squeezing her hand reassuringly from his seat beside her in the limo.

  “Thank you,” she said, smoothing an imaginary wrinkle from the front of the satin dress and smiling. “The stylist was a nice touch. I don’t think my hair has ever looked this good.”

  “I want you to feel confident,” he said. “If you feel good about yourself, it shows.”

  “I feel like a million bucks, so maybe I’ll fit in,” she teased.

  He laughed at her lame attempt at a joke, then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a six-inch square box and smiled.

  “I know that you won’t accept this as a gift, but you need some jewelry to wear, and you can give it back at the end of the night if you’re uncomfortable keeping it.”

  He opened the box and Shawna gasped.

  “What if I break them?”

  “I’m not worried about it,” he said. “Turn around.”

  She did as he asked and he slipped the delicate chain around her neck and fastened it. The diamond was heavy and cool against her skin. The chain was short, and the pendant hung halfway between her throat and her cleavage. Eric put a matching bracelet on her wrist when she turned back to face him, then he reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

  “I wish they’d left your hair down, but it’s alright this time. How do you feel? Are you ready?”

  “I’m not sure. What if they know I’m a fraud?”

  “Don’t be silly. You’re Shawna. Don’t try to be anything else.”

  “Are they going to know that I’m not your girlfriend? Is that going to look bad?”

  He shrugged.

  “I can’t imagine that I care what other people think of me,” he said lightly.

  “That sounds liberating.”

  “It’s wonderful,” he said. The limo stopped and the door opened beside Eric. “We’re here,” he said, stepping out and reaching for her hand. “Enjoy the night. There’s nothing more beautiful than a woman who’s having fun.”

  “I’ll try,” she said, smiling through the nerves in the pit of her stomach.

  “Trust me, you won’t have to try.”

  He smiled at her, leaning in and kissing her softly on the cheek just as the flash of a camera went off. She jumped, as much from his touch as from the photo, then smiled at him as he pulled away.

  “Let’s do this,” she said softly, her green eyes sparkling as she took his arm.

  “Yes,” he said warmly. “Let’s do this.”

  A pair of smartly dressed men in crisp, white tuxedos opened the double doors and Shawna gasped softly.

  “This is amazing,” she whispered.

  “Wait until you see the actual ballroom,” he teased.

  “This is so amazing.”

  He led her through the hall and out to a balcony that looked down on the ballroom below. Grabbing two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter, he handed her one, then held his glass up in a toast.

  “To new beginnings and to finding your power,” he said, gently tapping his glass on hers.

  “To new beginnings,” she said, taking a sip and smiling at him over the glass.

  Their eyes locked, and she stared into his hazel eyes that were almost honey-colored and felt herself blushing. He was so handsome, and he had a presence about him that she couldn’t quite name. He was comfortable in his own skin, she decided, and she envied his confidence. Shawna would give anything to walk through the world knowing who she was the way he did. He was untouchable and unbothered by the pettiness of others. She had no doubt that he would have handled Richard Lange completely differently than she had, and she was starting to regret not being bolder when she’d been fired. After all, what had she had to lose?

  It’s the champagne talking, Shawna, she admonished herself. You’ll wake up tomorrow a few thousand dollars better off and you’ll still be the same old person.

  “What?” Eric said, pulling her out of her thoughts.

  “I’m sorry, I was just thinking.”

  “I can see that.”

  “Don’t laugh,” she said, laughing with him. “It was serious stuff.”

  “How serious?” he asked, and
for a moment, she was sure that he was actually interested in an honest answer.

  Why does he care what someone like me thinks? Shawna wondered, but she shook it off and decided not to answer truthfully. She didn’t want him to realize that internally, she was a nervous mess. She was here to be arm candy and to help the time pass. He wasn’t paying her to worry about what she should have said to Richard Lange. It wasn’t like she could go back in time and fix that mess anyway.

  “I was wondering how a man as young as you was already a millionaire.”

  “Technically, I’m a billionaire,” he said, and Shawna almost choked on her drink.

  A billionaire? she thought.

  “But you’re only what, thirty-five?”

  He chuckled.

  “Do I look that old?” he teased.

  “Thirty-five isn’t old.”

  “It is when you’re thirty.” He winked at her and she felt her cheeks color again.

  Put down the champagne, she told herself, sure that wasn’t helping her at all.

  “Enough about me,” he said, setting his glass on the tray as a waiter made his way around the room and gently taking Shawna’s glass from her, too. “I want to know about you. Who is Shawna Jones, and how did you end up coming to work for Furst Industries.”

  “I don’t want to talk about that,” she said. “Let’s dance.”

  “You dance?” he said, eyebrow raised.

  “Doesn’t everyone?”

  He held his hand out with a tilted smile that tugged at Shawna’s heart. In another world, and another lifetime, she wouldn’t want this night to end. But this wasn’t her life, and reality was going to be a huge slap in the face come Monday morning. She knew it would be easier on her if she didn’t get too attached to Eric Furst. He was just her boss, and it was only for the night.

  He led her to the dance floor and she stepped into his arms as the band ended a moderate waltz and slid right into a slow dance that Shawna almost recognized but couldn’t name off the top of her head.

  “I’m not going to bite you,” he said, obviously bothered by the near foot of space Shawna was keeping between herself and Eric.