by Lillie Love
“Sure, will do. Thanks, Miranda.” She stepped out of her office and shut the door gently behind her. Having really enjoyed her morning and genuinely interested in her work, she hoped she would still feel the same way after the afternoon with the rumored ruthless owner and CEO.
*
A short while later, after a quick sandwich break, Elizabeth once again took the glass lift up to the executive sixteenth floor. From the minute she stepped out of the lift, she felt the serene atmosphere and heard soft classical music coming from the sound system. She stepped out onto the thick pile cream carpet, and approached the mahogany reception desk. Looking around, she saw a wall covered with awards the firm had won over the years as well as large canvas photos of their recently acquired developments. The glamorous receptionist, after introductions were made, asked Elizabeth to take a seat on the plush leather sofas whilst she waited for Mr Steele. Expecting to only wait for five or ten minutes, when half an hour passed by, Elizabeth frowned at her wristwatch and walked up to the receptionist, who earlier introduced herself as Suzanne.
“Excuse me, Suzanne.” The receptionist looked up from her screen. “I’ve been waiting for over half an hour now. Just checking that Mr Steel is expecting me?”
“Yes, he should be aware that you are waiting.” Suzanne tapped her keyboard to check his movements. “As far as I can see, he should be in his office.” She knitted her brows, squinting closer at the screen. “Oh I see, I think he is on a call with the office in the States.” She looked up at Elizabeth, apologetically. “Sorry, Beth, I can’t interrupt the call. Hopefully he shouldn’t be too much longer.”
“No worries.” Elizabeth smiled and returned to the sofa. Another ten minutes went by, then another fifteen. She’d been waiting for nearly an hour and feeling slightly restless, she wasn’t sure if she should just keep sitting there or return to the marketing department, seemingly forgotten about by Mr Steele. She had read through the latest brochure detailing the vast investments overseas, drank two glasses of water from the complimentary refreshment corner and checked her phone several times. Tapping her foot and unconsciously chewing her nail, she was beginning to feel quite irritated. She stood up and went to have a look outside the window. Up here, the view was beautiful, with a clear view of the River Thames below, spying a few passenger boats taking the tourists for rides up and down the river. It was still a lovely day outside in the warm June sunshine as she viewed the hustle and bustle down below.
“Beth?” Suzanne interrupted her thoughts. She spun around to look at the receptionist. “Mr Steele has just messaged through and said you could go in now.”
Finally, Elizabeth thought. She made her way around the large desk and knocked on the office door before pushing the handle and entering. She was immediately impressed with her surroundings. Mr Steele, with his back to her, was tapping out a message on his phone. She took a moment to look around his plush office, thinking how fortunate he was to occupy such a wonderful corner of the world from up here. The entire wall behind his desk was one big window, which gave an amazing view of London and the obscure blinds were slightly drawn to keep out the direct sunlight. His large uncluttered desk was constructed of glass and brushed aluminum and to the right of the room was a conference table, also made of the same material. A few cabinets were neatly lined against the wall, holding numerous files and to the left, a small, comfortable looking seating area.
She was about to say something when she felt the hairs rise up on her nape. Mr Steele spun around in his leather chair, placed his phone on the desk and then looked directly at her.
Her stomach lurched as her gaze widened in surprise. She inadvertently gasped. It was him.
Chapter 3
“It’s you,” she blurted and then winced at her outburst. Her face and neck suddenly felt impossibly hot.
“Miss Morgan,” he said dryly. “Please, take a seat.” His hand indicated the seat across the desk. Feeling frozen, her weakened legs were rooted to the spot. “Today would be good,” he remarked, raising an arrogant eyebrow.
This can’t be happening, she thought as she plastered a false smile on her face and approached the seat.
“Please, call me Beth,” she muttered as she sat down.
“Is that short for anything?”
“Elizabeth, but I go by Beth.”
“Elizabeth,” he said, ignoring her preference. “While you waited, I’m sure you had a chance to go through the details of our latest investment project.” He pulled out a folder from the neat pile of papers on his desk, perusing a section without so much as a glance at her. She had never quite met anyone like him and despite finding him ridiculously handsome, which had somewhat thrown her, she felt her anger rise at his blatant disregard of her. He acted as if he didn’t recognize her in the least.
“Mr Steele—”
“Call me Theo,” he said without looking up.
She took a shaky breath, trying to get her emotions under control. “Theo,” she surprised herself with how clear her voice sounded. “Perhaps you would like to give me a rundown of my duties? I understand you are relocating your secretary, but is there any sort of handover folder I should be looking at?”
“I don’t have time for that, Elizabeth.” He finally looked up from the paper he was reading. “As you know, we’re in the middle of a large deal and my secretary, Alison, is project managing a part of it in New York. Hopefully, she will be able to join me in a couple of weeks. At this stage, neither of us can spare the time for any hand holding so you’ll just have to pick it up as we go along. Besides, I’m sure the agency has sent me someone competent. Hopefully your secretarial skills are better than your ability to walk.” He glanced back at his document.
More colour flooded Elizabeth’s cheeks and she averted her gaze from him, clenching her jaw. “Of course.” Now she wished he didn’t remember her.
“Goddammit!” he cursed, slamming his fist on the table. Elizabeth jumped in her chair at his eruption, quickly pulled out of her annoyance. He fell back against his chair and ran his hands impatiently over his face, cradling his chin. “I’m sorry,” he said, his eyes still flashing with anger. “The clause in this agreement should have been taken out, but it appears that my associate did not pick up on it.” His gaze suddenly softened for a fleeting moment, “I didn’t intend to make you jump.” He smiled at her then, and Elizabeth’s heart started doing some kind of crazy dance. My goodness, he was beautiful, she thought. That dimple which revealed itself in his left cheek would be anyone’s undoing. She glanced at his mouth and then reluctantly dragged her eyes to meet his azure ones. She smiled back, relaxing her stiff posture for a moment and delicately licked her dry lips.
“I need to make a call,” he said, picking up his phone. “Your first task will be to fix me an espresso – you’ll find refreshment facilities through that sliding door by the conference table. Bring that through with your laptop and we can get to work.” And just like that, she was dismissed as he started dialling a number.
Quite unsure what to make of him, Elizabeth managed to find her feet and made her way across his office. She could feel his eyes burning into her back as she walked across the room. Non-confrontational by nature, she had a fierce streak of independence in her which rejected his dictatorial attitude and she slightly simmered as she made his espresso. Still, unable to get his sexy image out of her head, she felt out of her depth, vulnerable in his presence and confused at her body’s reaction to him. Overhearing his conversation on the phone, confident and authoritative, she felt sorry for the receiver who was clearly getting crushed for the oversight on the paperwork he had produced.
Locating her desk outside his office, she grabbed her laptop and brought it through with the espresso.
“Sit,” was the first word he uttered as she re-entered. She took a seat in the leather chair opposite him, bristling at being commanded like a dog. Taking a deep breath she opened her laptop and notebook, ready for instructions.
“Tell me briefly what comput
er programs you are familiar with,” he sat back in his chair, giving her his full attention.
Elizabeth told him quickly about her experience which seemed to satisfy him.
“Open up your calendar on the laptop. I suppose I better fill you in on my movements for the next week. A lot of it will also be personal, which you will arrange for me.” She nodded politely as they got to work, coping perfectly well under his rapid-fire instructions. He stretched his long legs, walking around the room, every inch of him breathing self-assurance and command.
Elizabeth, feeling like small prey being assessed by a great white shark, fully aware of his presence behind her, managed to retain her composure as she concentrated on taking notes. Whilst bringing her up to speed with their new investment, she noticed his broad shoulders slightly relax, a spark of excitement lighting up his eyes. This was clearly very important to him, and objectionable as she had found him earlier, she soon forgot about it and enjoyed the communal energy they shared.
The remainder of the afternoon flew by as Elizabeth got acquainted with her new workload. It was almost six o’clock when she finally resurfaced from her tasks and, realising she would be late for the dinner Amber was cooking, she began shutting down.
Just then, Theo walked out of his office, appraising her coolly. “Going somewhere?”
“Um, yes, home?” she answered.
“I don’t believe in clock watchers, Miss Morgan. My staff work hard until the job is done. Unless, of course, you have pressing plans? Do you?”
“Actually, I do.” Sitting straight up, she faced him. “I do believe I have worked very hard today – you will find all the documents you requested emailed to you, along with the amendments you asked for. I’m more than happy to work overtime, but I do value my private life.” She knew she overstepped the mark from the narrowing of this eyes and even though she really wanted a permanent job, she wasn’t about to let anyone dictate the parameters of her life any longer. She had left that girl behind in Taunton when she moved here.
“Excuse me?” He seemed taken aback that anyone would dare question him. “I do believe you are getting ahead of yourself. It’s only your first day, so perhaps you may want to adjust your attitude.” Heart pounding, Elizabeth crossed her arms, heat flushing through her body. Her mouth fell open and in return, Theo raised his eyebrows without bothering to help her out of the awkward tension between them.
“I…I am a very hard worker, Mr Steele, er, Theo,” she stumbled on her words. “If you decide to keep me on, you will see for yourself.” She looked away, at a loss of what to say next.
He approached her desk, slowly invading her personal space, resting his hands on her desk. His woody scent filled the small space between them and her breathing quickened as their eyes clashed, blue on green. Suddenly she was very aware of every inch of her body becoming alive, butterflies taking flight in her stomach and her body pulsing with heat. Everything about him was so intensely male and perfect, she was struggling not to react. Involuntarily, she moistened her lips, parting them.
His gaze darkened as he studied her. “You shouldn’t do that,” he said in a low, husky voice. Stepping back, he turned back to his office. “Be here at eight in the morning.” He spoke over his shoulder, his tone was cool as he walked away without another word.
She took a deep breath. Annoyed, she chastised herself for once again reacting to his close proximity, telling herself that she would have to subdue responses like that if she was to be offered a full-time position here.
*
Turning the key to enter her flat, Elizabeth was greeted with the smell of a Chinese stir-fry – ginger, coriander and other spices invading her senses.
“Hi, Ambs. I’m home.” she called out, as she hung up her satchel. “Sorry, I’m a bit late…yum, smells delicious.”
Amber popped her head out of the kitchen, giving her a broad smile, her arm impatiently brushing her chestnut hair to the side.
“Hi Beth, no worries, was just running a bit late myself.” She opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of white wine. “God, what a day,” she said, sighing as she reached for two glasses and filled them up with the wine. “Here, drink this,” she said holding out the glass to Elizabeth. “I totally need one of these tonight.”
“Thanks, hon,” Elizabeth said, taking the glass and savouring the cold dry liquid as it glided down her throat with ease. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, all okay. Just a tough client who thinks he knows it all.” She rolled her eyes dramatically, shaking her head. Amber was excelling in her career at interior designing and although still in her infancy, she was fast making a name for herself in the industry. Being so young, she was still fighting for her place at the table at the agency, but those clients who took a chance and commissioned her, were bowled over with her fresh outlook and designs.
“Oh no, sorry to hear that,” Elizabeth said sympathetically. “Where’s he from?”
“Some rich banker from Italy, just bought a pad in Notting Hill, thinks he’s God’s gift to women and argues with all my ideas. At this rate, I’m not sure why he even bothered to hire me.” She sat her drink down and rubbed the back of her neck, closing her eyes as she rolled her neck. “Anyway, I don’t want to talk about him. Tell me all about your day.”
They took their plates to the table and enjoyed light conversation over their dinner and wine. Elizabeth gave her a run down on her day, groaning as she replayed her first introduction to Theo.
“Oh my God, B. So he called you an idiot for bumping into him?”
“Uh huh. I think so anyway. But then again he was also looking at his phone so I couldn’t be sure.” She shook her head. “Nonetheless, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced someone so ruthless before. I couldn’t or still can’t believe how arrogant he is!”
Amber considered Elizabeth’s words thoughtfully. They had finished eating and she stood and picked up her laptop.
“What are you looking for?” Elizabeth asked, circling the contents of her glass, still enjoying the last remaining drops of her wine.
“I thought we should look up Theo Steele,” she smiled mischievously at Elizabeth. Curiosity getting the better of her, she moved next to Amber to see what they could find. Within moments, the search had brought up a picture of his face. It must have been taken at a professional event as he was dressed in a sharp business suit, staring directly at the screen. Elizabeth’s heart rate picked up, it felt like he was looking straight at her, intimidating yet so sexy.
“Hot damn!” Amber exclaimed. “He is too fine.” Yes, he sure is, thought Elizabeth - now imagine working alongside him. “You lucky cow, getting to see him every day, even if he is a dick! I mean, wow, look at these pictures.” She continued to scroll down the page, different images of him on the screen, in various poses, some staged, others more natural. She felt like she was spying on him, but yet couldn’t tear her eyes away. “I think I’ll call him Hotness from now,” Amber giggled, her attention totally focused on him. Oddly, Elizabeth felt slightly annoyed, irritated at the way Amber was drooling.
Thankfully, she moved to a different section to read his bio. “Okay, let’s see….so, aged twenty-eight, brought up in New York by English grandparents as his parents died in a car crash when he was three – oh gosh, how sad, the English link must explain his Christian name.”
She continued to read further down, skipping some parts about the business deals he had invested in. “Dropped out of Harvard Business School as he decided his time would be better spent setting up his own company, Steele Global Investments….wow.” She paused for a moment, both of them in awe of his credentials. “No significant other, although from looking at the photos, it looks like he has dated every top lingerie model out there.” True, she scrolled further down and indeed, the most beautiful goddesses were perched on his arm – photos at charity events, dinners, galas, so on and so forth.
Elizabeth felt slightly sick – why on earth did she even dare to entertain any roman
tic notions about him? Yes, he was sinfully drop-dead gorgeous and with the world at his feet, he could clearly have any girl he wanted. She came to the conclusion that no doubt, he was what the girls termed, a man-whore.
Amber continued to search through the pictures, which dated back to a few years ago. “Oh look, hon,” she pointed to a photo of Theo with a beautiful, exotic looking, dark-haired girl looking lovingly up at him. “He seems to be pictured with this one quite a few times over that period, but then it’s like she’s totally vanished.” Indeed, they searched a bit further for more evidence of them together, but they couldn’t find any during the past three years.
“Imagine being wined and dined by him?” Amber sighed dreamily, momentarily lost in her daydream, and then started laughing. “You know what? I’d just say, hell, please just take me to bed and give me the diamonds after.” She fell back against the sofa. “Can you just imagine those strong arms around you, those—”
“Enough, enough!” Elizabeth interrupted, grimacing. “No thanks. Besides you’d be dropped like a hot potato the next day, just another notch to his bedpost.” She shook her head, firm in her response.
“Ah, but what an amazing bedpost I’m sure it would be.” She wiggled her eyebrows up and down making Elizabeth blush at her errant thoughts of being in her boss’s bedroom. She shoved Amber away playfully.
“Oh well, but a girl can dream,” Amber said wistfully, reluctantly closing the laptop. “Hey, don’t you think he looks a bit like he belongs on a movie set?” No, better, Elizabeth thought, but nonetheless agreed with her.
They spent the remainder of the evening lounging on the sofa, watching dull television. “What is it about Mondays?” questioned Elizabeth, “the television offerings are so lame.” She idly picked at her nails, which were recently manicured with a bright pink polish.
“Stop that,” Amber admonished, slapping away her hands, “you’ll ruin your nails.”
“Yes, Mum.” Elizabeth stuck her tongue out at her.