by Lillie Love
“Let’s do this, kid,” John said, smiling at his daughter. “Unless of course, you’ve changed your mind…” he asked, hopefully, wriggling his eyebrows up and down, comically. “Your face isn’t looking too certain.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Nice try, Dad.” She poked his arm. “Come on, let’s go.” Just then her phone buzzed with a bleep of a text message. She swiped her phone to read it, smiling at the message and then quickly tapped out a reply.
“That’s Amber, and she said to hurry up as there’s a bottle of champagne waiting to be drunk.” John laughed at Beth’s renewed enthusiasm and released the handbrake. It was time for her to leave Somerset and head for the bright and beckoning lights of London.
*
A few hours later, they pulled up outside the two bedroom flat in Clapham. Jessica and her boyfriend, Adam, had recently decided to move in together and Amber had relentlessly pleaded with Elizabeth to move in with her and take Jessica’s room. Having all grown up together, the girls were best friends from childhood and Elizabeth had missed them terribly when they decided to move to London a year ago. Still, at first she was hesitant to break away from her home comforts, but having considered her lack of options in Taunton, she decided to take the plunge. Now sitting outside in the car, she was bubbling up with excitement and knew she had definitely made the correct decision.
She rang the buzzer. “Not today, thanks,” Amber giggled into the intercom. Elizabeth laughed. “Let me in, you loon.” The door was buzzed open and Elizabeth stepped into the foyer. The hallway was pretty nondescript, black and white tiled flooring, a shelf for mail and the door to the downstairs flat on the left. She bounded up the flight of stairs to the first floor, and was met with a squeal as the door flew open.
“Beth!” Before Elizabeth could reply, she was grabbed into a bear hug “Hooray, you’re finally here.” Amber giggled, releasing her and doing a crazy happy dance.
“I know; I can’t believe it.” Elizabeth laughed, happy dancing with her friend. “I’m so excited. Let me in!” The girls both walked into the flat after Amber gave John a welcome kiss too.
“This is so lovely, Ambs.” Elizabeth walked into the front room, taking in the newly polished parquet wooden flooring and fresh neutral décor. “So much better than before.” The girls had certainly made it feel very homely yet contemporary, from the big comfortable sofa to the large shaggy rug, the mounted wide screen television and the strategically placed plants and pictures around the room.
“Thanks, hon. It took us a while to get it just right. Luckily, the landlord is really easy going so we’ve had a free reign – and a large part of his budget too.” She winked at Elizabeth as she spun around, showcasing the flat. Elizabeth’s bedroom was at the back of the flat, with a bathroom in the middle, separating her room from Amber’s.
“Come on, let’s get your stuff out of the car and get you settled.”
Amber and Elizabeth raced down the stairs, with John following behind, laughing at their extreme enthusiasm and zest for life. Yes, he and Sally would both miss their daughter very much, but it was plain to see how happy she would be here. More than anything – after everything she had been through recently – he couldn’t ask for more.
A couple of hours later, Elizabeth bade a tearful goodbye to her dad. “Drive safely, Dad.” She looked up at him, stepping out of his arms, her eyes misty. “I’ll call you in a week to let you know how I’ve settled in.”
“Yes, please do, darling. Your mum and I will be thinking of you.” He smiled at his only daughter and took her hand, pressing a stuffed envelope into it and closing her fingers over it.
“What’s this?” She looked at her hand, peering into the envelope and seeing a stack of notes. “Oh, Dad. You’re the best,” she said fiercely, hugging him again. “But seriously, I don’t need this, I’m—”
“Nonsense, just keep this money for emergencies or to help you get on your feet before you get your first pay cheque.”
“Okay… if you insist.” She smiled cheekily at him and gave him another kiss goodbye. “Thank you so much. Love you, Dad.”
“Love you too, sweetheart. See you in a few weeks.”
*
Soon after John departed, Jessica came over and the three girls fell onto the couch.
“I can’t believe you’re finally here, Beth,” Jessica said, grinning at her. “This is so perfect. We are literally going to have the best summer ever.”
“Wait.” Amber got up and went to the small kitchen area where she opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of champagne. She opened it with a flourish and a cheer from the girls as they toasted her arrival.
“To Beth,” said Jessica, holding up her flute, “May you have an amazing summer here with us. May you meet the man of your dreams—”
Beth held up a hand. “Errr, I thought I had, until I realised he was shagging everyone else,” she said bitterly. However, even though she had been very badly hurt by his betrayal, strangely enough, she wasn’t missing him like she thought she would. She was beginning to believe that it was for the best that they’d broken up and gone their separate ways.
“Yes, him,” Amber sneered, her blue eyes flashing with disdain. “What a loser.” She twirled her long brown hair around her finger and sat back on the sofa, looking thoughtful. “You know, there was always something about him that I didn’t like. Hmmm, anyway, his massive loss, the douche.”
“So,” Jessica tactfully changed the subject, holding her glass up high. “To Beth, may you meet a total amazeballs hunk who finally gets you to pop your cherry. Preferably someone who sweeps you off your feet and introduces you to the most amazing orgasmic sex…” The girls broke up, laughing and clinked glasses, even though Elizabeth tried to look offended.
“I don’t think I’m too bothered about meeting a new man, you know,” Elizabeth said a few moments later, sipping on her champagne. “All I’ve ever wanted was a love like my parents and look where that’s got me. Cheated on, because I didn’t sleep with him.” She looked away, suddenly feeling emotional.
“Oh, Beth, hon,” said Amber, rubbing her arm. “I agree. The love your parents share is amazing, but sweetie, it’s just not like that anymore.” She took her friend’s hand sympathetically. “It’s so shitty what Stuart did, and there’s no excuse, but you might need to let go of your fairytale. Perhaps you should just forget about wanting that perfect relationship and instead just have some fun.” She bent her head to look at Elizabeth’s downcast face.
“Beth,” Jessica came closer and put her arm around her. “It’s okay to want the same thing as your parents…but this holding onto your virginity thing? Hon, I wish there were men out there that would wait, but like Amber says, it just doesn’t happen anymore.” She hugged Elizabeth and then said, “Besides, what if you did meet someone that was happy to wait and then you discovered, after you two got married, that the sex was terrible?” She made a horror-like face, which made both Elizabeth and Amber laugh.
“I know, I know,” Beth sighed. “You’re right. I guess I’ve always thought sex and love are the same thing. Is it so bad that I want the fairytale? Urggghhh!” She grabbed a cushion, leaned back against the sofa and dramatically covered her face.
“It’s not like you won’t have guys queuing for you, Beth,” Amber said, extracting the cushion from her. “I mean, look at you.” She swept her hands over Elizabeth. “You have an amazing figure, and I secretly hate you,” she said, winking. “And look at your gorgeous long hair – god, remember when I tried to dye my hair to match the same blonde colour of yours?” She burst out laughing at the memory. “My brown hair did not come out like that,” she said, picking up the ends of Elizabeth’s hair. “And your eyes, honestly, if only you would wear a little more make-up, honey. I could make those emeralds pop out of your head.”
“Okay, enough.” Elizabeth held up her hands up in mock surrender. “I get it, I’ll make more of an effort with my make-up, especially now I’m a London girl,” she
said, teasing and poking Amber in her side.
“Speaking about being a London girl, tell us more about your new job.” Jessica curled her legs under her, waiting for the details.
“Well, it’s only a temp to perm role as a marketing assistant, more likely to be a temp role for at least four weeks,” Beth explained. “It’s a private equity firm near London Bridge.” She took a sip of her champagne. “It’s funny. I received a call from the agency on Monday and they said the job description has somewhat changed.”
“How so?” Jessica sipped from her glass, leaning forward.
“Well, I was supposed to be solely based in the marketing team, but apparently the big cheese CEO is over from New York for two or three months overseeing a big investment. Apparently, I may have to help him out for a few days a week, until he can ship over his secretary.”
“Oooh, that’s interesting,” Amber contemplated, coming closer. “He must be also be the owner, perhaps, to have his secretary brought over for a just a few months? Do you know anything about him?”
“No, nothing much at all. And yes, you’re right, I do recall her saying that he was also the owner as well as CEO. He’s meant to be quite a hard-nosed, workaholic from what she said, but apparently I’m not to worry too much as it will probably just be a few diary movements. His secretary will still be handling most of his affairs.”
“Well, that’s good,” Jess piped in. “Hopefully, he can’t be too demanding of you if it’s just for a few days a week. And it may be fun to break up your week with some other tasks too.”
“Yes, I don’t mind,” Elizabeth agreed. “I just want to get settled into a role permanently, so hopefully it will all go well. Besides, naturally, I’ll impress him with my all-encompassing Goddess skills, so that he won’t know what he has done without me until now.” The girls burst out giggling and then drained the rest of their champagne.
“Right, no doubt about that” said Jessica, stretching and standing up. She looked at her friend, a sly smile on her face. “Adam’s out with his friends all day – some cricket match they’re watching, so let’s celebrate properly by introducing Beth to our local bars.”
“Yay, perfect!” Amber clapped her hands in glee. “I can feel the cocktails calling us.” She stood up, pulling Elizabeth up with her at the same time. “Oh Beth, this is so perfect. I’m so happy you’ve finally joined me and Jess in London.” She pulled her along towards their bedroom. “Come on, let’s raid your clothes to see what we can work with.”
Chapter 2
The weekend flew by and, before she knew it, it was Monday morning. Emerging from the tube and making her way through the busy station, Elizabeth looked around in awe at the speed the commuters were traveling. They didn’t look left or right, they just single-mindedly headed to their desired destination. She was in slight bewilderment of the mechanics of living and working in London, which was very different to the slower pace of life back home.
With a spring in her step and with slightly nervous anticipation, she made her way out of the station and into the glorious sunshine, pulling on her sunglasses, momentarily dazzled by the bright light. Walking the short distance to her new place of work, she admired the sights of London en route, from the already forming queue to the London Dungeons to the recently renovated sight of the very modern looking London Bridge. The river Thames glistened in the morning sunlight and the sound of traffic consumed her senses.
Crossing the road, she finally came to the building, rechecking her paperwork to make sure she was in the correct place. She stepped through the revolving doors and gasped at the sight in front of her. The huge central fountain dominated the foyer and to the right, was the very impressive reception desk, surrounded by a wonderful array of plants and flowers, which made it feel like she was entering a hotel lobby instead of an office building.
She stepped forward, looking around and took into view the glass lifts whizzing up and down as well as the two large escalators. She was still looking up at the lifts and walking towards the reception desk, when she smacked hard against what felt like a brick wall. Winded and totally taken by surprise, she threw her arms out widely, trying to regain her balance. She tried to maintain some sort of dignity as her bright yellow satchel bag and sunglasses fell crashing to the floor.
“Oh my God,” she said, thoroughly mortified, heat flooding her cheeks, not daring to look up yet. “I’m so sorry.” She started to bend down to collect her belongings, when she saw a tanned male hand reach out to steady her.
“Whoa there, steady now.” A deep, American sounding voice had her looking up. She looked at his perfectly manicured nails as his hands lightly gripped her forearms. Her eyes followed the path of his hands up to the outline of hard muscles not quite concealed behind the crisp grey suit he was wearing and then finally traveling up to his face.
Oh my goodness.
She was close enough to take in the woody scent of his expensive smelling cologne, her breath catching in her throat as she looked into his brilliant blue eyes – she had never seen such a handsome man in her life. Her heart hammered so loudly in her chest, she was surprised he couldn’t hear it. She couldn’t get her words out, her face was on fire and her legs suddenly felt unsteady.
She took in his thick dark wavy hair and imagined herself running her hands through it. Just reaching his chest, he was tall compared to her petite frame. Suddenly, he broke her trance by dropping his arms and abruptly letting her go, bending down to help her collect her belongings.
He frowned slightly. “Do you normally walk around with your head in the clouds?” he asked, his eyes flicking to her thighs which were now exposed in her crouched position. She heard his mobile phone beep and he pulled it out of his pocket. He glanced at it, looking irritated. “Bumbling idiots,” he muttered. Her face stung from the rebuttal, and she tried to regain her composure while he was distracted.
“No actually, I don’t make a habit of it. It’s my first day and I’m just looking around,” she retorted, taking a deep breath. She stood. “I’m sorry I bumped into you, it was an accident.”
Head high, she swung her satchel onto her shoulder and walked off towards the reception without a backwards glance. How rude, she thought, feeling quite unsettled. Okay, yes he was obscenely handsome, and probably had girls falling over themselves, but how totally arrogant was he? And hurtful.
She shook her head to clear her thoughts and then announced herself at the reception. Still, as she rode up the glass lift to the marketing department on the fifteenth floor, she couldn’t help wondering where in the building he was based. A small part of her wished she could see him again, or even know his name… if only to prove to him that she wasn’t an idiot. There was another reason she wanted to see him. She wanted to look at him again. Wow. He might be rude, but he’d left her trembling in a way she’d never experienced. Just thinking about him started to make her heart speed up as she felt a faint fluttering low down in her pelvis. Too bad he was an arrogant, pompous dick.
The doors beeped open onto her floor, shaking her out of her thoughts of her embarrassing run in with the mystery guy. By the time she introduced herself to the receptionist, she was herself again.
“Hi, I’m Elizabeth Morgan,” she said, smiling at the young receptionist.
“Oh, yes, hello Elizabeth,” she said warmly, extending her hand. “I’ll buzz Miranda to let her know you’re here. Please have a seat, she’ll be out in a minute.”
Elizabeth went and sat on the brown leather sofa, glancing at the company brochures on the coffee table. She was just about to pick one up, when the door behind the reception desk burst open and an older lady with a mass of red curls, glasses absentmindedly placed on top, came through. She was wearing a fitted beige suit with a bright and colorful scarf tied around her neck. She smiled as she approached Elizabeth, hand outstretched.
“Elizabeth, lovely to meet you,” she shook the younger girl’s hand, taking in her neatly tied hair, minimal make up and basic black s
uit.
“Lovely to meet you too, Miranda,” she replied shyly. “Please, call me Beth. I’m so happy to be here, thank you for the opportunity.”
“We’re happy to have you, Beth. Amy from the agency was very complimentary about you.” She turned and walked back to the doors she came from. “We have a swipe card to enter our department; we’ll make sure you get your photo-card by lunchtime.” She swiped her card and the door released into the Marketing department.
After introductions to her colleagues, she was shown to her desk and given her first task of looking through the company marketing material, which was soon to be updated with new photos of projects that Steele Global Investments had recently completed. She enjoyed reading about the real estate investments across Europe and emerging markets and didn’t realise how quickly the time flew by as it was suddenly lunchtime. She looked up from her desk and peered into Miranda’s office, wanting to let her know that she was heading out. Miranda, still on the phone, caught her eye and held up her finger, signaling her to wait. She put the phone down back into the receiver and then motioned with her hands for Elizabeth to enter.
“Is everything alright?” Elizabeth asked.
“Beth, I was hoping to have you all day, but as you know, Mr Steele is over here for a while and it looks like he needs some help this afternoon, so you will be heading up to the executive floor after lunch.”
“Oh, okay, no problem at all,” Elizabeth smiled. “I’ll just grab a quick sandwich and head up there. Will I be back here tomorrow?”
“I hope so, Beth,” Miranda replied, taking off her glasses and perching them on her head again. “We could really do with the admin help here, but it depends on Mr Steele’s priorities. Come back here in the morning, if he doesn’t say otherwise.”