I caught the bus again to go downtown, toward the Elkus building, as I looked at my clothes doubtfully. I was just doing paperwork, and this would give me a chance to see what the dress code would be, as well clarify a few other things. It was all right to go straight from school this time.
I hoped that I didn’t have to dress like I did for the interview every day, since that could get expensive.
I got off at the stop across the street from the building and walked over as I stared at it. It was exciting to think that I’d be spending my time here after all of my hard work. I glanced over to see Damon walking with a girl who had multi-colored hair in shades of blonde and brown. She looked upset, and he seemed frustrated. I watched as he swung his head around and met my gaze. I looked away and rushed into the building.
I nearly ran to the elevators, bypassing the desk this time, and slipped inside of an empty one as I watched Damon enter the building alone. The doors closed, and I jerked as it moved upward. I hoped that I’d avoid him today, at least. He was too gorgeous to even deal with.
I made my way to the desk on the sixth floor and asked for Brent as the girl at the desk once again looked me over. It was the same girl, with the same expression, making me think that it was a good thing that I wasn’t here to make friends. She typed something into the computer and told me to sit down in the same chairs. I walked over and looked out of the windows, comfortable in my jeans and converse today. I felt like myself. The other day was uncomfortable, but today I was here after seeing all of the other people interviewing.
I’d made it.
Brent came out in Docker-style black pants and a blue button-up that matched his dark blue eyes. He smiled and welcomed with a handshake. He seemed casual and comfortable today as he led me to the corner of the building and into his office. It was spacious, with a fantastic view, and he watched me take it all in with wide eyes. “It’s nice, isn’t it? You’ll have a view in the rooms that you’re working in on the fifth floor as well.”
“Good. I love this,” I said, as I sat down in the seat across from him and smiled. “I’m sorry. This is just…overwhelming.”
“You earned it. Everything about you impressed us yesterday, Elisa. You’ll be a great fit here.” Brent reached for a folder and smiled ruefully as he handed me a pen. There was a lot of the common information needed that I wrote in carefully, as he typed something on his computer. I noticed a section asking for tax information and asked him about it as he smiled at me. “That’s for later, if you get hired. We like to have information on file.”
“Okay,” I replied, as I filled it out and moved on to the next paper. It seemed like forever before I was finished, but, realistically, it might have been an hour or so. Brent gave me a tour of the sixth floor and took me down to the fifth to show me where my break room was located. He also showed me where the restrooms were, introduced me to the team that I’d be working with, and gave me a badge to get in.
My schedule was based on school, so I’d be working a few afternoons and one full day on the weekend. He made sure that I was fine with that, and I loved the idea. Everyone on the team was so kind and enthusiastic, so it would be great to spend time with them, learning. There was a part of me that wanted to ask him why the receptionists were so bitchy, but I bit my tongue.
I left with a smile and hope for my future, knowing that I had a four-hour shift the following day.
Damon
Sharon was a pain in the ass today. Things got out of hand the other night, and we fucked, which was something that I had started to regret. It was never my intention to go that far with her.
Apparently, she got attached in the process and suggested seeing one another on a more serious basis, which I immediately dismissed. I didn’t date like that, and I had only fucked her because I was so turned on by Elisa.
Of course, the sex was good for her. I knew what I was doing, and she liked things rough, but a relationship wasn’t going to between us. It had turned into a fight as I headed back to work from a late lunch, and I looked away for a moment, only to see Elisa going into the building.
Our building…one we would be sharing. She was officially an intern and, more than likely, here to fill out her paperwork. Shit. She looked younger today, and I felt my body respond. “Sharon, I have to get back to work,” I said, as I looked into her angry face. “You’re a massage therapist, and I seriously doubt that you’ve never fucked a guy before. You’ve had your hand on my cock since the very first time.”
“You’re such an asshole. I don’t sleep with clients, Damon. I thought that you wanted something more with me when we did that.” Sharon looked like she was going to cry and I shook my head.
“I don’t do relationships at all. Not with you or anybody else,” I told her, before I turned to hurry into the building. Elisa had run in after I met her gaze and I wanted to catch up with her. I threw away the idea of seeing Sharon again for a massage, but there were plenty of girls out there for that. I could replace her with another warm body. That didn’t matter right now, though, because I wanted to see Elisa.
I was just walking towards the elevators and watching the door close with her inside when someone called out my name. I turned to see one of the investors approaching me with a smile, and I smiled back as I cursed him silently. We shook hands as he launched into his business, and I faked that I was intent on his every word.
We scheduled a lunch the following week to go over one of the events, and I told him to call me to remind me. I was a busy man and, in the state of mind that I was in, I could easily forget and fuck up my company.
Finally, I went upstairs and took a look around. Elisa was gone, and I resisted the urge to check Brent’s office, since he’d chosen her for his team. There was a fight over it yesterday, but Brent won since he had seniority over the others. He was thrilled afterward when he followed me to my office and closed the door with a cocky smile. “She is going to rock the team, Damon.”
“I agree with that. She has an impressive history.” I fed him the general talk, as I walked behind my desk and looked over the city.
“I’m going to call her tomorrow and set up the paperwork,” Brent told me, as I looked at him. “I want her to start.”
I knew that Brent had a steady girlfriend, but I couldn’t help but wonder if he was interested in Elisa. Ryan was the one who pointed out that she was hot, but Brent would have a direct link to her. I felt something inside of me that I was unfamiliar with.
Jealousy. Fuck that. I wasn’t a jealous man.
We decided that Ryan would get Devin on his team, who was right up there with Elisa, only as a Harvard student. He would be a good fit as well and seemed like he had a natural personality.
Everything was set, and I could focus on running the company, even though I wanted to focus on Elisa.
I came back to the present as I went into my office and sighed. I probably wouldn’t see her too much, and this would fade away.
I tried to do some work on the computer and made a few phone calls, including taking the one regarding my upcoming lunch. Lincoln was persistent, or maybe he sensed that I was distracted. Who knows?
I stayed past six and finally gave up on trying to work. I headed out, finding the building emptier than when I had arrived. The sky was darkening as I walked out of the building and toward the car that was parked at the curb. I slipped inside and saw Mark look back at me. “Early night for you, boss man.”
“I suppose it is. Take me to Bait, Mark. I need a drink.” Mark looked at me, knowing that it was a club I frequented. It was a BDSM club, and, though it was no secret to Mark that I was interested in that, I hadn’t asked to go there with such conviction before. I might be done with Sharon, but there was no reason that I couldn’t find another girl.
“On my way,” he said, as he turned forward and pulled away from the curb, I wasn’t dressed for Bait, but I didn’t want to go home first. I wanted to give in to the feeling that came with a woman doing anything that I asked
—anything that I craved. Nothing else mattered right now.
Mark picked me up when I called him a few hours later. I wasn’t drunk, but I’d say that I was tipsy. I had been in one of the more hardcore rooms tonight, and my cock ached from edging so much as I watched the depravity around me. There was a woman with her mouth around my cock while I had another bent over in just a leather thong as I whipped her with a paddle. She cried out with every hit, and I watched her come as she leaked through the edges of her skimpy underwear.
I felt out of control for a moment as I grasped the hair of the blonde on her knees before me. I started fucking her mouth in earnest as she let me slip deeper into her throat, and I pulled away to come all over her face as she looked up at me. I stepped back and went to one of the bathrooms to clean myself up as I stared blankly into the mirror. I didn’t understand what I wanted here. I didn’t know what I was feeling for Elisa.
The other girls weren’t helping me, and I hoped that would change. I wanted to soothe myself the way that I knew worked, the way that I was familiar with.
Elisa
I wore my usual casual clothing to school the following day, excited about my afternoon after my last class. I hurried home to change into a casual skirt and t-shirt, since it had been approved by Brent. If we were meeting with a client for any reason, then we were to dress up a bit more, but, otherwise, it was business casual. The other members of my team wore their own styles, from gamer-nerd to alternative. There was a girl named Autumn who had rainbow hair and the best laugh that I’d ever heard in my life, and then a guy that looked like the singer from Soundgarden. It was evident to me that, as detailed and technical as architecture was, it was also another form of creativity. This company welcomed personal style, and I smiled as I walked into the work room that first day.
“Hey, girl. Good to see you,” Autumn greeted me, as I smiled and looked at the group scattered around in chairs, trying to work on a design.
There was Brianne, a platinum blonde who was a new graduate from Harvard. She was twenty-three and quiet, but I thought that it might take time to get to know her. There was Vince, an unattractive guy with dark hair and big brown eyes who was obviously passionate about his work. He seemed to have an energy level that never faded, at least from what I’d seen. Landon was a surfer type who seemed subtle in his talent, but who was welcoming to me.
The last guy was Michael, and I was convinced that he was a gamer during his off hours. Though it wasn’t my thing, I didn’t judge people for what they did. If it made them happy and didn’t hurt anybody, then they were welcome to it.
We talked as we went over the new project, which was a museum in New York City. It was going to be massive and called for a contemporary design. I already knew that their buildings cost millions, sometimes, to build with all of the detail, and these people who I now worked with did very well doing this job. Elkus was a generous company that worked hard to keep their talent, and not a person that I was watching today seemed unhappy. They seemed motivated, like I wanted to be when I was done with school and working a job.
They came down to a mutual decision, and Autumn started to draw it out as they looked over her shoulder. I sat and watched, caught up in the moment before I glanced out into the hallway and saw Brent talking with Damon, their faces close together. I stared for a moment before I blinked and looked back at the group as they pointed at something and laughed. “Come on over,” Landon told me, and I smiled as I stood.
I felt like a part of them as I watched, and even suggested a few things. We had so many details about the project to work with, and it was fun to discuss, until Autumn dropped her pencil and took a deep breath. “I need a damn coffee. I was up brainstorming most of the night about this shit.”
“Come on. Group break,” Michael decided, as they stood and looked at me. I giggled as we went to the break room and made coffee in the Keurig one-by-one, as we talked about the city and what we did outside of work. I was the only student, of course, but they were all understanding about it.
I walked to the elevator at seven o clock, tired, but in the best way possible. I was smiling when I got in and leaned against the wall as someone slipped their hand between the closing doors. I looked as they opened again and Damon walked inside, staring at me. “How was your first day, Miss Moore?” His voice was rough, and I felt my body respond immediately as I dropped back against the wall.
“It was great. This whole place is so…enlightening,” I told him, as I felt the smile taking over my face. “You can call me Elisa. I practically work for you now.”
Damon looked pained as he pressed the button and we moved down towards the lobby. “Fine, Elisa. You can call me Damon as well,” he choked out, as I looked at him.
“Are you okay?” I asked him, as he dropped his eyes to the floor. He was gorgeous even as pain crossed his face, and I got lost in him. I had a boyfriend in high school, and we did all of the stuff that a couple was supposed to do, so I wasn’t a virgin, or completely inexperienced here. I had an idea of what was happening, but this was powerful. It was consuming, and I blinked as he lifted his eyes to mine.
“I need you to focus on your team and I need to not see you, Elisa. It’s for the best.” The doors opened and he was gone as I stared at his ass that was walking away from me. What just happened?
I stepped off of the elevator and shook my head. Autumn was talking to a tall guy with dirty blonde hair, and she glanced over at me. “Hey, Elisa. This is the other intern, Devin. He’s from Harvard.”
I stepped forward and forced a smile on my face as he reached a hand out to me. “Pleased to meet you, Elisa. I guess we’re the lucky ones.”
Damon’s words played through my head again, and I forced myself to look into Devin’s warm green eyes, darker than mine, and trustworthy. He didn’t look like I was making him ill, like Damon had. “We sure are. I think this is going to work out very well.”
“A few of us were going for drinks. Would you like to join us?” Autumn asked, as I thought about the low balance in my bank account.
“Maybe just one,” I replied, as she grinned and led us out of the door. Devin followed us, and I felt his eyes on me as we went through the door. He was a handsome guy, and seemed kind. Maybe he wasn’t a bad idea, coming from Harvard and all.
We hit up a bar around the corner, where I paid for one drink, and Devin covered the rest. I don’t know if he could see the panic on my face back in the building, but I appreciated his kindness, and I sipped the cocktail as I thought about my budget. This seemed natural to them, and I wanted to be a part of the team. I just needed a few more hundred dollars in my account to keep up with them.
We left the bar some hours later, and I realized that I had spent my cash on the drink and couldn’t get home. My apartment was several blocks away, and I bit my lip as I stared down the street.
A Bentley drove past me on the nearly empty street as I looked over to see Devin and Autumn slipping into separate cabs. They waved, and I smiled and waved back before I turned to start walking. I sighed and thanked my earlier self for wearing flats as I thought about the fifteen daunting blocks to the apartment. I wondered if I could just sleep at the Elkus building for the night, since it was right around the corner.
The couches there were more comfortable than my bed. It was quieter, too.
I walked and knew that the fancy car was still beside me as I stared forward. “Elisa? Are you walking?” I looked over to see a cab with Devin hanging out of it. “Want a ride?”
I looked past the cab to see the Bentley’s window lower just enough for me to see Damon’s simmering eyes. My mouth dropped open.
“Elisa?” I looked back at Devin and smiled weakly.
“I’d love it. I’m out of cash, but I’ll pay you back tomorrow?” I offered, as Devin waved his hand and said something to the driver. At the bar, I’d learned that his family was wealthy and paying for school for him, as well as his apartment and life in general. The cab pulled over, and Dev
in hopped out and opened the door as I watched the window hiding Damon from the world roll back up, the car speeding off into the night.
What the hell was going on? I slipped into the cab beside Devin and closed the door as the driver asked where I lived. I told him, and he pulled away from the curb as Devin slipped an arm around my shoulder. This was a guy who was interested in me, as far as I could tell. A night at the bar wasn’t deep, but he’d paid for several drinks for everyone and chatted a lot with me. I assumed that was how it worked out there, but I was too stubborn to go for it. I was focused on school and the end game, and I worried too much about my mother.
I let myself smile as we drove down the road, music playing loudly as Devin laughed at something that had happened that night. I didn’t want to think about the confusion surrounding Damon, who seemed like he was in pain earlier today, yet appeared to be following me home…in a Bentley! Damon had a driver like one of those crazy rich guys who you hear about on the news, but then I remembered. He was a millionaire in the high numbers and probably close to being more. Family money and success made him a wealthy man at a young age, which was all the more reason for me to get him out of my head.
The cab stopped in front of my building, and I saw the look that Devin gave me as I looked up at him. “Can I walk you up?”
“Sure,” I replied, as I slipped out of the cab and told the driver to wait for a moment.
I saw the Bentley across the street, parked with the window rolled down as Devin slipped his hand over my lower back. I felt scared inside, scared of my feelings as well as what was happening here.
Part 2
Damon
I watched Elisa get into the cab with the other intern and my blood boiled as they drove away. I barked at Mark to follow them and felt his eyes on me as he started the car and pulled out onto the street. “Who is she?” His voice was low, but I knew that he was wondering why I was into Elisa, since I usually kept women separate from any other part of my life. I went to great lengths to do that most of the time, but I felt like a man obsessed as I peered through the windshield to see the lights of the car.
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