I stood in the empty lobby with a notepad in hand, writing down stuff I’d need to get from the grocery store while waiting for Vivienne who’d gone to take a pee. It was way past dismissal but I’d stayed back to finish the manuscript I’d been working on all day and turn it in to Mr. Sturm for final inspection before it would be sent to the publication team. Almost everyone had gone home.
“Hey, Elaine. Don’t you think it’d be a great idea if the two of us go out for drinks tomorrow to celebrate your first week at work?” Vivienne suggested the minute she came out of the bathroom, adjusting her skirt. “Consider it a treat from me. You don’t have to worry about paying anything.”
“Ah.” I pause, thinking hard on my schedule. Cora had said something about a date with Terry last night while we were chatting, and frankly I didn’t want to leave Finn in her care for yet another afternoon. It wasn’t fair, and I could see how much the date meant to her when she told me about it. “It’s not a bad idea, but let me see if I can get out of another arrangement. I might not be able to make it so no promises.”
I would have loved to go, but honestly, I knew I couldn’t.
“Oh come on,” she elbowed my side, sauntering over to close the windows behind her desk. “What’s got to be more important than a celebration for your first week working here? I can have some friends come with us. Not a crowd, surely. It’s going to be so much fun.”
“What’s all the excitement about, girls?” Mr. Sturm asked from behind us. We turned to see him walking down the stairs with his briefcase in hand. I hadn’t seen him all day and my mouth instantly goes dry as I take in his cerulean blue Armani suit the exact same color shade as his eyes that fitted him perfectly. He’d changed the black frame of his glasses to a light, watery blue, giving him a sexy good boy look. My body was plunged into a spell and I had to avert my eyes to keep from staring too long. He simply looked too beautiful and the last thing I needed was to feed this crush on him. He placed his briefcase on the table and thrust his hands into his pockets.
Vivienne is equally tongue-tied. “Um… Elaine and I… I’m offering to take her out with a few friends for drinks tomorrow. It’s to celebrate her first week at work here.”
“Cool,” he smiled politely. “I’d love to come but we’ll see.”
Oh no. “It’s okay, Sir,” I eyed Vivienne closely. “I don’t think I can make it myself but Nessa’s insistent.”
He raised a brow in surprise. “What? Why?”
“I, um,” I searched my brain for a suitable answer but found none. “I have some… work I need to get to tomorrow. It’s something I can’t wiggle my way out of, I’m sorry.” I glanced at Vanessa apologetically.
She nodded and my shoulders sagged in relief. Phew. “I understand. Maybe another time then?”
“Wait, wait. Hold on a second,” Mr. Sturm turned to me, his blue eyes intense. “What’s the work that you can’t get out of? If it’s the manuscripts then surely you can forfeit them just for tomorrow. Vivienne is only being a good friend offering you this. The least you can do is stay for at least an hour.”
I bit my bottom lip in contemplation. He was right. I could stay an hour. “Alright, Sir. I’ll be going.”
– –
We were six in total sitting around a wooden table close to the glass walls of a fancy roadside restaurant called Dreams. Vivienne had invited friends from the office Ivy, Parker, and the new janitor; Kiera along with Mr. Sturm who’d surprised us all by coming. Vivienne had gone to get our food and drinks while Ivy entertained us with witty tales about her love life escapades before she met her husband. Whenever Mr. Sturm chipped in a word of contribution, everyone was attentive but none really noticed that his eyes were solely on me. He talked as though I was the only one listening, making it obvious all the more that he was very much into me. When he wasn’t talking, he leaned back and blatantly stared at me with a lopsided smirk, while I burned to know what was going on in that head of his.
Could it be that he was watching me closely to tell if I was the same girl he met in Manhattan?
Probably.
So far I was doing my best to act indifferent to his presence but it’s proving way harder than normal. The sexual tension in the air was palpable – nothing like I’d ever felt before. And everything I ever wanted to feel with the man of my dreams.
He felt it. I felt it.
We both felt it. We both knew what it meant. All week I’d tried to stay out of his way but a certain magnetic field keeps pulling us both together. It was crazy.
“Ya’ll on social media?” Ivy said, whipping up her phone to her face to take a shot. We all nodded, listing the platforms we were on. “Since everyone is on Instagram, let me get your handles.”
They began adding each other and I was thankful that I didn’t have an Instagram account. It was a dead zone for me as I saw no point ogling celebrities or watching funny reels when I had a lot to do to secure my boy’s future.
Ivy leaned close. “What’s your handle, Elaine?”
“I’m sorry but I don’t use Insta,” I shook my head, beaming politely. Her face fell, then she snapped her finger in glee.
“But you use Facebook right? Give me your name and I’ll add you there.”
Bummer. “Same name. Elaine Matthews.” I forced a smile. It’d been ages I last used that account and I hardly had any personal friends there.
“What about you, Mr. Sturm?” Ivy’s voice wavered as she glanced at him expectantly. “Do you have a Facebook account as well?”
I took a peek up at him through my lashes, letting out a relieved breath when he shook his head. He might have come here of his own account, but that didn’t invalidate him as our boss. Ivy was being too forward, I felt embarrassed for her sake.
Parker stood up now. “Sorry guys,” we all looked up at him. “I have to go. I have an important appointment to keep up to.” He shook my hand and I flushed. He looked so much like Liam Hemsworth. “Congratulations once again, Elaine on your first week at work. We look forward to many years with you.”
“Thank you, Park.”
“Oh.” Vivienne said as she placed the trays down on the table. “Leaving already? At least sit and eat with us.”
He shook his head. “I’m so sorry Vivi, but it’s an emergency. My mother’s in the hospital.”
“So sorry,” we all chimed in consolation.
“Yes.” He sighed. “So she’s asking of me. I’m so sorry about the food. I promise that I’d take us all out sometime, okay?”
“You don’t have to feel sorry. We understand. Go take care of your mother and tell her we say hi.”
“Very well,” he nods courteously, then exits the restaurant.
“Poor guy,” Vivi said as she started passing us our respective plates. I inhaled my pasta with meatballs, catching Max staring at me through the corner of my eyes. “Heaven.”
He averted his eyes when I lifted my face, clearing his throat. “Ahem. That reminds me, Elaine. We have an important place to be tomorrow. Just the two of us.”
Panic flooded my system. “W-Where are we going, Sir?”
“It’s a conference. I’ll send you the details later,” he took a long sip of his Moscato, still watching me over the rim of the glass cup. “Don’t be nervous. I’m not firing you.”
I relaxed a bit. “Okay, Sir. Can I meet you there?”
“No, no. I’m taking you. In my car.” Then his voice dropped below a whisper and I almost didn’t catch what he said next. “Alone. The two of us.”
I practically melted in my chair. At this point, I couldn’t wait for tomorrow to come.