by Hazel Kelly
I nodded and offered a knowing smile. Even though I didn’t know. I had no a clue what he was like when he was in a salty mood. He’d never been anything but pleasant around me.
I watched Emily waddle around the corner and made my way to his office door. Then I knocked too loud in an effort to boost my confidence.
When I heard a noise from inside, I pushed the door open and stuck my head in. “Good morning.”
“Is it?” he asked without looking up from his desk.
“Do you have a minute to talk?”
He looked up at me. “Are you sure you want to talk?”
I stepped in the room. Everything was black and chrome and the blinds over the enormous window behind him were half closed. “Yes. I’m sure.”
“You don’t want to think about it for a second?”
“No.” I closed the door behind me. “I came all the way here just to talk to you.”
He sat up in his chair and laid down the thin stack of papers he was looking at. “I just don’t want you to change your mind- oh I don’t know- after we’ve already started talking.”
Shit. He was pissed at me. “Do you mind if I sit?”
He raised a hand towards the black leather chairs in front of his desk.
“Thank you.” I could feel him watching me while I sat down. It was so quiet in the room, I was sure he could hear my heart beating.
“Well?” He leaned back in his chair.
I smiled.
“I suppose you’re here because you feel you owe me an explanation for your behavior?”
“Actually that’s not why I’m here.” I crossed my ankles and sat up as tall as I could.
He raised his eyebrows.
“I don’t feel that I owe you an explanation in the slightest.”
He fixed his eyes on mine. “I disagree.”
My neck felt hot. “That’s your right, but I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Perhaps we value integrity differently.”
“Integrity?” Was he fucking kidding me? “Mr. Abbott, there is nothing wrong with my integrity.”
“You don’t have to go all Mr. Abbott on me.”
I took a deep breath and tried not to be distracted by how sexy he looked with a bit of stubble.
He looked at his watch. “So why are you here?”
“I wanted to discuss the possibility of extending my contract.”
He laughed and folded his hands on the desk in front of him. “Oh right.”
“You said we could talk about it today.”
“When did I say that?”
I swallowed. “After the party.”
He furrowed his brow. “Gosh. We spoke so briefly after the party I hardly remember.”
He was starting to tick me off.
He picked up a pen and twirled it in his fingers. “So tell me- since you came all the way down here to talk to me- exactly what position do you see yourself in at this company.”
“I’m confident that I could be an asset planning meetings and events for your most exclusive clients year round.”
His steely eyes squinted at me. “Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“That’s not the position I’d like to have you in.”
I stood up. “I didn’t come here to be mocked, Will,” I said, turning towards the door.
“Sit down.” He said it so loudly it startled me.
I stared at him over my shoulder with wide eyes.
He nodded towards the chair. “Please.”
Chapter 4: Will
I don’t know why she was being so damn difficult. I was only trying to joke around a little, but she took everything so seriously. At least where her job was concerned. Which had its benefits, but it wasn’t making it easy to convince her that I could be much more than her boss.
I waited for her to get comfortable in her seat again. Or at least as comfortable as she possibly could in the high necked blouse she was wearing. Did she really think if she came in here in a conservative outfit I wouldn’t picture her naked? That I wouldn’t be reminded of what went down between us after the party?
“I suppose now you know how disconcerting it is when someone doesn’t take you seriously,” I said.
Her whole face scrunched up. “Is that what that was? You were trying to teach me a lesson?”
I shrugged.
Her face was red, but not in a good way.
“After the party-”
“Do we have to talk about that now?”
“I think we do.”
“Why?”
“Because good communication is the key to good business, and we seem to have a few inconsistencies that need to be ironed out.”
I could see that she was struggling not to pout.
“May I continue?”
She nodded once.
“After the party, there was something that I wanted, wasn’t there?”
She was as still as a statue.
“I wanted you to take me seriously. I wanted you to trust that I knew what I was doing.”
It looked like she’d stopped breathing.
“Ella?”
“Yes?”
“Are you following what I’m saying?”
“Yes,” she said softly.
“So when you left the way you did, not only did I feel that you weren’t taking me seriously, but it felt like you didn’t trust that I knew what I was doin-”
“It’s not that I didn’t think you knew what you were doing.”
I raised an eyebrow. “So what was the problem?”
She hung her head for a moment and folded her hands in her lap before looking up at me. “I need this job.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“I didn’t want to jeopardize being able to continue working here.”
I lifted a hand to my chin.
“I enjoy the challenge of it. And the people. I don’t want you to think my interest in this role is based on anything other than my professional sincerity.”
“Do you really think so poorly of me?”
“Excuse me?”
“Do you think I would disrespect you that way? Do you think I’m not smart enough to separate your professional persona from your personal one?”
“Well no but-”
“But what?” I crossed my arms. “Have I ever disrespected you in any way?”
For a second I thought she smirked, but she gathered herself quickly. “No.”
“Do you think I make sexual advances towards every woman that works for me?”
“No.”
“Nor do I think you develop feelings for every boss you’ve ever worked with.”
“I don’t have feelings for you, Will.” She shook her head. “Not like that.”
“Whatever you want to tell yourself.”
“That’s the truth.”
I put my hands flat on my desk. “Ella.”
She looked at me.
“You and I both know your body already gave you away.”
She swallowed.
“Let’s move on, shall we?”
She straightened in her chair. “Please.”
“I’m going to do for you what you didn’t do for me.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m going to take you seriously and trust that you won’t ask for something that you can’t handle.”
She pursed her lips.
“I’m listening.”
“I told you already. I want to be responsible for coordinating events for your elite clients at this hotel.”
“What are you expecting to earn?”
“Seventy thousand dollars a year.” She almost choked as she said it. “And your respect.”
“You already have my respect, Ella.” To be honest, I was so sick of showing her respect it was killing me.
“Thank you. That means a lot.”
“Are you sure you really want to work for me though? I obviously make you uncomfortable.”
She o
pened her mouth for a second and then looked up to think before answering. “Working for you does pose challenges that I’ve never had to deal with in the workplace, but I’m prepared to handle them as they come.”
I cocked my head. “What kind of challenges?”
“Well the fact that you’re hell bent on seducing me for one.”
I smiled. “What else?”
“Your extremely high standards.”
“Go on.”
“Your incredible vanity.”
My mouth fell open for a moment. “Surely you mean my handsome good looks?”
She smiled. “If that’s what you heard then I’m doing better than I thought.”
“Oh I heard what you said. I assumed you misspoke.”
“No. I was just being professional.”
“I see.”
“You should try it sometime.”
I liked her so much more when she was being feisty instead of nervous around me. The Ella that was in front of me now was exactly the one that I so desperately wanted to pound into submission.
“So?” she asked.
“So what?”
“Can I have the job?” Her eyes were big and hopeful, but I couldn’t give into her that easily. Not when she’d failed to give in to me.
“I have to think about it.”
Her face fell. “What?”
“It’s a big decision,” I lied. “Plus, the seventy grand will have to come from somewhere.” Probably my spare change drawer. “I need some time to make sure you’re the best person for that role.”
“I’m willing to do anything.”
“You’re not, actually. You’ve made that quite clear.”
She rolled her eyes. “Regarding the job.”
“I’ll be in touch,” I said, picking up the papers I was looking at when she came in.
“What should I do in the meantime?”
“Oh I don’t know. Maybe you should freak out and run on home. You’re good at that.”
She stood up and walked towards the door. When she reached it, she paused and turned around. “I thought you were better than that.”
I looked up. “If you gave me a chance, you’d know exactly how good I can be.”
She put her hand on the door handle. “I’m never going to sleep with you, Will.”
“I won’t hold you to that,” I said, looking down and waiting until I heard the door close.
Then I leaned back in my chair and sighed.
It was bittersweet that she’d decided to show up.
If she hadn’t come, I would’ve been disappointed, but I probably would’ve been able to convince myself that she wasn’t the gutsy girl I wanted. Perhaps I could’ve moved on then.
Instead, the fact that she came and drove me crazier than ever meant that we would have to continue this charade until I finally got her to open her legs for me. Fortunately, that was going to be all the more sweet because she’d played hard to get… even if she was convinced she was playing Not Gettable.
But I knew better. She was one Will Abbott orgasm away from totally sprung. Soon she’d be gagging for it, and it would be nice to say I told you so.
Not that I would say it. I would humbly continue to let her think everything that happened between us was all her idea. It had been effortless enough so far. And it didn’t matter if she thought she was in control.
All that mattered was that I got what I wanted.
Chapter 5: Ella
To say my meeting with Will was embarrassing would be an understatement. I couldn’t believe what a jerk he’d been. It kind of made me question his motives all the way up to the night of the party. I mean, he’d been flattering on many occasions, but he never made me feel like I was being a tease before, and I didn’t appreciate it. Especially since I was just trying to be professional.
If he was going to be a pouty baby just because I didn’t sleep with him, maybe he wasn’t the man I thought he was. Maybe he was just a stubborn boy like the rest of them.
Of course, I knew I was partly to blame. I willingly went up to the room with him against my better judgment and let him kiss me. And I didn’t exactly throw a fit when he worked his hand up my dress, but at least I had enough self-control to stop it. Thanks to me we hadn’t made a mistake that could have severely jeopardized our working relationship. I deserved a freaking medal.
And yet he was acting scorned and cranky.
Perhaps because despite having some time to cool off, he hadn’t recognized my gesture for what it was. Clearly, he didn’t think it would have been a huge mistake for us to mix business with pleasure.
I couldn’t help but wonder if he was right. Maybe our meeting would’ve gone differently if he had been allowed to assess more than my professional qualifications. However, while my life experience was limited, I knew enough to know that sex always complicated things. It never made situations simpler. And I didn’t want complicated right now.
I wanted a straight forward career path in a place where I could grow. I didn’t want romance, I didn’t want sex, and I certainly didn’t want love. Not that I was saying he would love me if I let him get close. I didn’t know if he was even capable of loving anything besides himself and his hotel.
He hadn’t been shy about wanting me for my body, though. Which was weird. No one else had ever acted like it was that much of a prize. I hadn’t exactly made any jaws drop. Most of my exes never even bothered to get me completely naked when we had sex. It was more trouble than it was worth when the goal was to have a simple quickie in the back of a car.
No wonder Will wanting to explore what was behind my clothes made me uncomfortable. I had neither implants nor abs to impress. He’d probably be terribly disappointed with my modest tits and my soft stomach. Meanwhile, I knew from Googling him that he had abs you could cook pancakes on.
Speaking of my body, though, I couldn’t stop thinking about him saying that it gave me away. I knew he was right, and it gave me chills. After all, I could lie to him until I was blue about not wanting him, but I was only kidding myself.
Still, curiosity was one thing. Just because he couldn’t handle his urges didn’t mean I couldn’t handle mine. I could fantasize about him all I wanted, but from now on I had to keep my legs together. Even if he was dead set on sliding them apart.
And something told me he was only making me wait to hear about the job to make a point. Then again, maybe he wasn’t and he’d rescind the offer. If that happened, it would really stink, but at least I could find a job where I didn’t have to constantly worry about bending over in front of my boss.
I was actually looking through wanted ads online at a coffee shop when his email came through.
Ella,
Sorry I was difficult this morning. You deserve better. Please allow me to redeem myself by taking you to dinner tonight anywhere you want.
See you at eight o’clock.
Kind Regards,
W
I took my sweet time finishing my smoothie and then called him.
“You’ve reached the desk of William Abbott. This is Emily, how may I help you?”
Shit. “Emily, it’s Ella.”
“Hello.”
I clenched my face. “Could you put me through to Will?”
“Sure. One moment.”
“Ella?”
“Will.”
“I trust you got my email?”
“I can’t do dinner tonight.”
“Oh.”
“I’m just kidding, but it would be nice if you didn’t just assume I could clear my schedule for you.”
“Noted.”
“And I hope you’ve suggested it because you have good news for me regarding my future at the hotel.”
“As always, your optimism is refreshing.”
I rolled my eyes. “That better mean you’re going to make my day.”
“Anything else?”
“Kind Regards was a bit much.”
“Everything else I thought of seemed in
appropriate.” I could hear his crooked smile through the phone. “I was trying to be professional.”
“Well in that case I really appreciate it.”
“And you forgive me for earlier?”
“Sure.”
“It’s just that I’m used to getting what I want when I want it.”
“I’m sorry for any world shattering I may have caused.”
“Forgiven. Where can I meet you tonight?”
“Have you heard of Saltera?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“I’ll email the address to you.”
“Sounds good.”
“You don’t want to know anything about it?”
“Not at all. You have excellent taste.”
“Thank-”
“Terrible judgment,” he added. “But excellent taste.”
“I hope you’ll bring your sharp wit to dinner.”
“If you insist.”
“And good news on the job front.”
“Me too,” he said. “Otherwise dinner will be rather awkward, don’t you think?”
“Yes.”
“See you later.”
“Will?”
“Yes?”
“Do you think I could maybe have your cell phone number so if I need to call you for any reason I don’t need to bother Emily?”
He laughed.
“It’s not like that.”
“I thought I made it perfectly clear that you could have a lot more than my phone number.”
“You were doing so well.”
“You’re the one that got personal.”
“I didn’t get personal. You know what, forget it. If-”
“I’ll send it to you,” he said. “I’d love for you to get in touch.”
“I’m hanging up now.”
“Ella?”
“What?”
“Just because I’m attracted to you doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wear something nice tonight.”
“Good bye, Will.”
It wasn’t until I hung up that I realized my cheeks hurt from smiling. What was this power he had over me? He seemed to be able to make me blush at will, even when he was being deplorably sexist and forthcoming.
And yet, here I was, blurring the line of professionalism by accepting his invitation to dinner. It was only then that I realized it was sort of a date. Well, it was and it wasn’t. I assumed he would be telling me whether I got the job I wanted. So it was kind of business related, but he could have told me that anytime. He could’ve told me in an email. Or on the phone just now.
