“Yes, sir. I am on my way.”
I closed my email and shut off the screen. I stood up and shot a quick glance at the photograph of me and Amelia on my desk, along with the special card she made for me, wishing me luck for today. A smile formed on my face as I left my office, ready for the new responsibilities. I walked with confidence down the wide hallway, the offices and their glass doors passing me on my way to the large conference room at the end of the hallway.
Six years I had been at M&S Media and had earned four promotions. I was the youngest marketing director in the history of the company, and at the risk of sounding conceited, I was damn good at my job.
Most of the senior management was already inside the conference room, making small talk and chuckling over their golf handicap during their country club trip last weekend. I had been invited to join them several times, and they continued to invite me every time, but I had too many responsibilities to join them on their trips. Not only at work, but at home as well.
“Hey, Chris.”
Donna Fletcher, one of the senior managers greeted me, standing beside Lloyd Brown.
“Hey,” I nodded at them.
“Are you ready for this meeting?” Lloyd asked me.
“Of course. I was born ready.”
“I hear George is making a big announcement,” Donna said with a wink.
“I wonder what it is,” Lloyd said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Chris has worked his butt off, so pipe down,” Donna scoffed, fobbing Lloyd off with a roll of her eyes.
“Thank you, Donna,” I chuckled and placed my hand against my chest.
At that moment, the door opened and George entered the conference room, followed by a small group of people whom I had never seen before. I assumed they were from the marketing start-up, and I had to commend them from looking so professional. Some of them seemed a bit nervous, but that was probably normal. Our senior management had the tendency to look a little intimidating.
Actually, funny story, most of us would put on our ‘management faces’, as we liked to call it when new employees or interns started to work there. It was just for a week, although some of us liked to torture the new interns on a daily basis. Honestly, it was all in good spirits, and after a week we’d go back to being ourselves. I took a seat next to Lloyd, and when I glanced up, my whole world froze for a moment, along with my limbs.
There she was.
Hollie Jameson.
Her shoulder-length light brown hair was lightly curled and framed her face the same way it had eight years ago. Her light pink dress accentuated her curvy body and made her skin glow.
Even though it had been eight years since the last time I saw her, she still looked the same, apart from her hair. It was shorter, and a bit lighter than I remembered. Everything else was still the same.
Even my hatred towards her.
In all fairness, I didn't hate her, I hated what she did. Because of her insecurities, we both lost our internships at Colton Advertising eight years ago, and to be honest, I never really forgave her for that. Or maybe I didn't really get a chance to since we broke up and I refused to take her calls – not that she did.
I watched as she sat down on the other side of the conference room, and I narrowed my eyes, wondering what her reaction would be if she saw me there.
Maybe she already knew.
Knowing Hollie – or at least how I used to know her – she would have done extensive research into M&S and surely, she would have come across my face. It was an M&S policy to have profiles of their middle and senior management, and this also included a very professional looking photograph.
So she knew I worked here.
Why the hell was she here? Had she come to make my life a living hell again? Was she going to jeopardize my career again?
Fuck that, I wouldn’t let her.
Not again.
“Good morning everyone,” George suddenly said, causing me to break my stare and while myself back to the current moment. “As you all know, I am George Marlow of Marlow & Steede Media. I would just like to take this opportunity to welcome and introduce the marketing team of Advegis Advertising. All the senior staff will be at your disposal if you need anything. We are so happy to have you all here with us. This merger will mean great things for both our companies and I am truly excited about our road ahead. As you all also may know, we have the Lamont account, which is the largest account ever seen by Marlow & Steede. Of course, with a big account comes big responsibility and we strive to only have the best of the best in charge of such an account.”
A smile formed on my lips – cocky? Perhaps, but I had every right to be – and straightened my shoulders.
“Who better to lead the project than our very own, Christopher Kinnison,” George announced and motioned to me to stand up and join him in front.
I nodded at the applause in the room and joined George in front of the conference room, with a smile on my face.
“He will be joined by the very talented, very resourceful, and very passionate, Hollie Jameson.”
My jaw dropped as I glanced at George in disbelief as another applause erupted around me. This time, however, I didn’t feel like I was on top of the world any longer.
Hollie stood from her chair and walked towards me and George. Her eyes flickered for a moment as her gaze met mine, but she didn’t react at all.
“They’re both in charge of the Lamont account, and will work together in perfect harmony, as I know they will,” George said proudly and smiled. “I am pleased to present to you all, the dream team that will secure the Lamont account and see it through right until the end,” George announced.
I shifted my weight and as the applause died down, I returned to my seat. I was filled with anger and disappointment over what had just happened. How could George do this to me? He knew I worked better alone. I had worked my fucking ass off to get to where I was, and I was not going to allow Hollie to get in the way of that.
That senior Vice President position was mine, and I would fight to the death for it.
I didn’t even listen to the rest of the meeting, the voices and the room simply blurring around me as I tried to compose myself. I couldn’t afford to lose my cool or let anyone or anything distract me.
When the meeting ended, and the group filtered out, I stood from my chair again. Before I could retreat, George called me over. Much to my annoyance, George called Hollie back. She glanced at me for a second before turning to George.
“Christopher, I would like you two to officially meet. This is-”
“Hollie Jameson,” Hollie spoke in a confident voice and held out her hand towards me.
“Christopher Kinnison,” I said in an equally confident voice, with a hint of dominance. “Everyone calls me Chris, but you already knew that.”
“Do you two know each other?” George asked and glanced at me.
“We went to college together,” I answered vaguely, which wasn’t a lie. I just didn’t want to make it a big deal, even though it was.
“Oh, that’s great! That means that you’re a shining example of cooperation. I am so glad that I chose you two! You’re going to be a great team,” George beamed and patted us both on the shoulder before he left the conference room.
I glanced at Hollie for a moment, and even if I hated to admit it, she was even sexier than she had been in college. The past eight years had been good to her, and even though I still had that hatred inside me from what she had done, I couldn’t help but feel turned on by her, standing in front of me. Her pink dress hugged her figure in all the right places, accentuating her hourglass figure and all the other curves on her body. She still smelled of flowers in the springtime and her blue eyes practically penetrated my soul in the deepest parts.
Fuck, I had to stop.
All those thoughts vanished when I thought about the fucked-up thing that she did, and how it ultimately led to the demise of our eleven-month relationship.
“Well, this w
as unexpected,” I muttered.
“Absolutely,” Hollie agreed. “Although I knew before today that you worked here, I don’t think it really prepared me for seeing you again. But, we’re both adults, and professionals, so it would be best to focus on our jobs and not let the past get in the way of that. Don’t you agree?”
“Yeah,” I muttered and glanced around me, angered at her words, her careless nonchalance and her innocent eyes. “I’ve worked hard to get to where I am today, despite getting screwed over by you, and I am not going to let you do that again.”
“I’m not here to screw you over, Chris. We have a job to do, and-”
“And let’s just keep it that way,” I growled.
Hollie looked stunned and I may have upset her, but I was upset too. I spun around and stormed back to my office, not caring if I looked like a spoiled little kid throwing a tantrum.
2
Hollie
Monday
Oh my god.
I knew that it would be difficult to see Chris again after all these years, but I didn’t expect the wave of attraction that crashed over me. He looked really good, especially in that black suit, and it made me wonder whether he still looked as good without his suit as he did eight years ago.
I shook my head as I opened the door of my new office, which was right next to Chris’ and I stepped inside. Closing the door behind me, I found myself to be even more breathless than I had anticipated.
The office was bigger than any office I had ever had, and it had an amazing view of the city. The windows were large, allowing sunlight to fill every corner of the office and bounce off the glass doors. The desk was set close to the window, as per my request, as I worked better that way. It reminded me of college days when I sat on my broad windowsill while studying for finals, with only the light of the moon – and the streetlight below – to light the way.
A small and satisfied smile formed on my lips and I drew in a slow breath as I walked to the window, taking it all in. I had worked so hard to get here, and I was finally in love with the life I had.
It had been a long and painful road, but it had led me to the place where I was.
A sudden knock on my door caused me to spin around and, in the doorway, stood my best friend, and co-worker, Melanie Johnson. Her flawless blonde hair hung down her shoulders, along with her perfect face and perfect body. We had been friends for nearly five years and she sometimes knew me better than I knew myself, which was both a blessing and a curse.
“There’s my superstar!” she beamed loudly and approached me with open arms.
Yeah, she was the loud one, the over the top one, but I loved her so much, and couldn’t imagine my life without her.
She hugged me with an excitement that caused my own body to vibrate happily. “Congratulations on getting to be in charge of the big account,” Mel sang excitedly. “Even if that means sharing the honor.”
I forced a smile, and even though I was happy that I was chosen to be in charge, I couldn’t truly smile or be ecstatic the way I thought I would be. “Yeah. Go, me.”
Melanie’s excitement faded as she noticed my enthusiasm didn’t come close to hers and she frowned. “What’s wrong? I thought you’d be over the moon about this. This could lead to amazing new things for you, Hollie. If this account goes well, you might even get promoted and hang out with the big shots of the company. I hear they go on vacation to Bali at least once a year. What is better than that?”
I drew in a breath and pursed my lips.
“What is it? Did your new co-worker give you trouble? What’s his name again?” Melanie asked.
“Chris Kinnison,” I muttered and crossed my arms. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
“Oh god. What’s wrong? Did he say something to you? Because if he did, I can-”
“He’s my ex-boyfriend,” I blurted out and Melanie glanced at me in disbelief.
“Mr. Dark-and-broody is your ex-boyfriend?” she asked.
“Yeah, we dated in college.”
“Oh my god, Hollie. You never told me that. You just mentioned someone you dated in college, but never told me any specifics.”
“That’s because it was messy as hell,” I muttered and ran my fingers through my hair.
“Will you tell me about it now?” Melanie asked.
I drew in a deep breath and through the glass wall that separated my office with Chris’, I saw him at his desk, his jaw clenched and talking on the phone. He looked pissed, and I didn’t blame him. I wasn’t oblivious to why he was upset, and I understood his anger. He had not expected to work with me again, ever, and he was being his usual drama-dude self, throwing a tantrum when things didn’t go his way. That was the way he had always been.
His one hand waved in the air as he spoke, and I wondered who he was talking to.
Melanie noticed my inability to answer and glanced over her shoulder to follow my gaze. “Oh no, you don’t.” She marched to the window and lowered the wood blinds to cover the glass, cutting me off from seeing Chris.
“Tell me.”
I sighed and dropped my hands down to my sides. “Chris and I met at a party off-campus. We hit it off right away. He was hot and charming and so smart. Not at all what I was expecting from someone so attractive.”
“The man is hot, I’ll give you that.”
“We started dating, it got serious. I spent nights in his dorm room, and he spent some nights in mine. Things were good for about ten months. We spent the summer together in Florida, it was amazing. Then we went back to college in the Fall, and we were both given internships at the same advertising company. It was fun working together at first, but then I noticed that he became really competitive,” I explained. “I mean, he was always competitive when it came to sports or games. Poker nights were a nightmare with him. He was such a drama-dude.”
Melanie scoffed and crossed her arms.
“During our internship, we were paired up on a project for a new client. An in-depth presentation on how to maximize their distribution, and their profits, of course,” I said, speaking slowly, while the emotions came flooding back. “We disagreed over tactics, contents, facts, number, everything. Things became so competitive between us. Who had the better idea? Who did the most work? It was crazy. He dismissed all my ideas, and I didn’t like that.”
“I wouldn’t have liked that either.”
“Right before the big presentation, I switched all the materials and the slideshows to the ones I worked on by myself. They were better than his, without being biased at all. Honestly, we would have lost that account. I did what I thought was right. Everything went down in flames after I started with my presentation. We openly fought and screamed at each other in the conference room, in front of a room full of potential clients,” I said, and Melanie cringed heavily. “Needless to say, we lost our internship and broke up on the way to the parking garage. We fought over our mutual friends, the stuff we collected throughout our relationship, even our classes.”
“That sounds messy, Hollie.”
“It was. We didn’t want to be around each other, and he claimed that I ruined his life.”
“Looks like he did pretty well after that though,” Melanie muttered as she motioned to the space around her.
“Right,” I nodded. “I even transferred to another college, because I couldn’t stand being on the same campus with him. I swore never to talk to him again, or think about him. Now I’m here, working in the same place as he does. My office right next to his, and we’re paired up on a life-or-death project.”
“I can see why you’re upset,” Melanie sighed. “Didn't you know he worked here though? I know you, and you do your research way too thorough to not know that.”
“That’s the crazy thing, Mel. I did. I knew he worked here, and I am happy for him. This has been his dream for so long. But’s it’s been my dream too, and he should know that too. I’m not going to back down.”
“And you shouldn’t have to, but you’re g
oing to have to find a way to work with him and put your personal issues to the side. You have too much riding on this. If this account is secured and your client is happy, this could mean great things for you, Hollie. You can even become Senior VP if you wanted to.”
I knew I could, but that was the job I knew Chris wanted.
“I know, but maybe it just might be too hard,” I admitted. It was a bitter pill to swallow to admit that I wasn’t able to do something.
“Hey, look at me,” Melanie said to me. “If anything happens, if tensions build, I’ll run interference. I promise. I don’t want you to lose your job because of that jerk. You’re amazing at what you do, and no-one is going to stand in your way.”
“I don’t want to get you involved in our shit.”
“Your shit is my shit. I would do anything for you, you know that.”
“Thanks, Mel.” I was truly grateful for having such an amazing friend in my corner. I drew in a deep breath and finally said, “I’m just going to make the best of this, and if it means trouncing Chris along the way, then so be it. Nothing is going to stand in my way of nailing this account. Not even him.”
“You’ve got this, Hollie,” Melanie smiled happily and raised her hand towards me.
I high fived her with a chuckle and immediately felt my confidence and determination build up again.
“I’ve got this,” I confidently said.
“That’s the spirit. Do you want anything from the deli across the road?”
“No, I’m good. I’ll see you at lunch. Okay?”
“Okay,” Melanie nodded with a wink and motioned to the wood blinds, “and keep these closed, okay?”
“Absolutely,” I scoffed.
She chuckled before she left my office and shut the door behind her. As soon as I was alone, my smile faded and despite wanting to seem positive in front of Melanie, I was worried.
Worried that I didn’t have everything, myself in eluded, under control.
But I had no choice, I had to be okay.
Forbidden First Times: A Contemporary Romance Collection Page 2