In less than three minutes, I arrived at my new floor and made my way up to the receptionist.
“Hello, Nicole Miller, starting my first day here,” I said, giving the receptionist a friendly smile.
She responded with a smile and picked up her phone. “Hey Linda, the new PR Exec. is here,” she said to the phone and ended the call, then turned to me. “Just wait here for a little while and Linda will be right with you.”
“Okay thanks,” I nodded and started observing the room. Everything about the interior radiated class and excellence: grey polished concrete floors with desks made of glass, white furniture and black details. I closed my eyes and breathed it all in. Maybe this was what success smelled like.
“You must be Nicole, hello, I’m Linda, the CEO’s assistant and the general office administrator,” a voice snapped me out of my daydreams. I opened my eyes and proceeded to give a handshake to the beautiful, professional looking blonde in front of me.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Shall we get started?” She asked rhetorically, leading me deeper into the office space.
The next 20 minutes were spent with her taking me through the whole floor, showing me the different conference rooms and meeting some of the other executives that I’d be working with. We continued walking and arrived behind a door.
“And this right here is your personal office,” Linda explained and opened the wooden door. I stepped inside my first own office ever and took a long look. It was just the right size for me, not too big but not too small either, and overlooking the city. The style was similar to the rest of the office space, which I was more than happy with.
“I love it!” I gushed and took a few steps inside. “This is more than perfect.”
“I’ll take you down to the lower floor to meet your team members. As you know, they’ll be answering to you and you only,” she noted. “After that, we’ll go see the CEO and you can sign your contract.”
“Sounds great to me!”
MEETING MY TEAM HAD taken longer than I thought, but I considered that a great sign. Linda had left us to get acquainted and told me to get her from her desk when I was finished and ready to sign my contract.
Every single one of the PR team had been very welcoming and they had asked a lot of questions. It truly felt like we were off to a great start. After saying ‘see you soons’ to everyone, I made my way back to the upper floor and walked straight up to Linda’s desk.
“Ready?” She asked and I nodded, following her to the CEO’s door. “Mr. Chase,” she knocked, “the new PR Executive is here to sign her contract.”
“Come on in,” I heard the reply from the other side of the door, and Linda pushed down the handle, holding the door open for me. Looking at her tall and slender figure, I stepped inside the room with a big smile on my face.
“Hello Mr. Chase, so very nice to meet you,” I said cheerfully. It took me a second before my eyes landed from Linda to my new boss. When I realized who he was, the smile on my face turned into a painful grimace.
Chris was staring back at me with a surprised look on his face. For a moment, we stood there, staring at each other in silence. I felt the tips of my ears burning up from the embarrassment. The silence finally broke when Linda shut the door behind her.
“So, Ms. Miller, how very nice to meet you again,” Chris chortled and walked over to me, reaching for my hand.
“Hi Chris.. I mean Mr. Chase,” I gulped, feeling anxious about the whole situation. My hands felt clammy and sweaty from the shock and I reluctantly shook his hand. I felt mortified. I didn’t want to believe that the boss at my new dream job was the guy who I had made out with and then proceeded to throw up in front of. He had taken care of my drunk self and given me a shower... Oh god, my boss has seen me naked. I wanted the earth to swallow me up right then and there.
“Oh please, call me Chris. It’s not like we haven’t met before,” he winked. “Let’s get these contracts signed, shall we? Take a seat,” he walked back to his seat and gestured for me to sit down as well. I gladly obliged, wanting to get something else than last weekend to think about.
“So, this is an interesting coincidence. Who would’ve thought,” Chris said, reaching for the papers on his desk but having his eyes fixed on mine.
“I know...,” I uttered. “To be honest, this is not the way I wanted to start my first day..I’m pretty embarrassed, if you can’t tell,” I let out a nervous laugh.
“I can,” he laughed. “But there’s nothing to worry about, we can put all that behind us if that’s what you want,” he continued and smiled reassuringly. I responded to his smile and couldn’t help but notice his eyes examining me.
My cheeks felt warm from his stare and I shifted my gaze down. Whatever it was about him that had caught my interest last Friday, was obviously still there. My mind raced back to the details I could remember from the dance floor: how his hard body had pressed onto mine, his scent and how his hands had been roaming my curves. Nicole, get it together, I hissed at myself internally, reminding myself where I was. This was not the time and place to get lost in any unholy thoughts about my new boss.
I cleared my throat, “That sounds good. Where do you want me to sign?” I asked and changed the topic of the conversation.
He placed the papers in front of me and flipped the pages to show where I was to put my name. “This is the same contract that was sent to you via email but look through it again, just to make sure that you know what you’re signing. This is just a precaution for you and standard procedure,” he explained.
I skimmed through the contract, and after verifying that it was indeed the same one I had already read through carefully, I signed the dotted line.
“Ms. Miller, welcome to the company. We’re thrilled to have you here,” Chris said and got up from his seat, walking over to me. I stood up, nervously pulling the hem of my blazer down and flashed him an awkward smile. He shook my hand again, gripping it tightly with his. Right before I turned away from him towards the door, I could see a cheeky smile tugging at the corners of his lips. I felt his eyes hungrily following me as I walked out of his office.
TO MY RELIEF, THE REST of the workday was spent peacefully, getting familiar with my workload and the systems. Not once did I end up seeing Chris again and around five I decided to head back home. It was a lot to process, even without considering the ‘who my new boss was’ aspect. I did some more work at home and turned in early — my body was desperate for sleep.
I spent the next morning psyching myself up. After some optimistic self-talk, I managed to convince myself that everything would turn out just fine. My plan was to continue acting like the professional I was, in the hopes of platonizing my relationship with Chris.
I was in great spirits when I arrived at the office and spent most of the morning working together with my team on a new project. Just when I thought things would be turning up, I got a call from Linda, telling me that Mr. Chase wanted to see me in his office immediately. I had no idea what it could be about and different worst case scenarios were running through my mind as I made my way to his office. Maybe he had thought about everything last night and had decided that hiring me wasn’t the smartest thing to do after all, or maybe he had completely lost respect for me as an employee and didn’t require my services anymore.
Hesitantly, I knocked on his door and stepped inside when I heard him acknowledge the knock. Chris was sitting behind his desk, focused on his laptop and dressed in a dark blue suit that stretch around his muscular arms. Stop thinking about his arms, I thought to myself, pushing the thought aside.
“Hi Nicole, please sit down,” he said, lifting his eyes up from the screen. I obliged and sat down on the seat in front of me. “I hope your second day with us has gone well enough.”
“Yes, it’s gone well, I’ve spent a lot of time working with the team and we have made some progress on the new project,” I told him. “Everyone is super motivated and it’s truly refreshing.”
“That’s what I like to hear,” Chris said contently. Then he sat up in his chair and his tone changed. “There’s something we need to talk about, though,” he continued, his voice not revealing anything.
I looked at him nervously. “What is it?”
“Well, here’s the thing. I understand we’re in a bit of a pickle here, considering that you and I actually met last Saturday and on different terms,” he paused.
“Y-yes, I know,” I muttered, avoiding his eyes. “I was hoping that as time goes on, we’d both forget about it. But I do understand if you’d rather not have me work here...,” my voice trailed off.
Chris looked at me with a bemused look on his face and then chuckled. “No, no! You didn’t think I was gonna let you go, do you? No way, Jose!”
Relief immediately washed over me and my shoulders relaxed. Thank god I wasn’t getting fired.
He reached for his briefcase on the side of his desk. “I just wanted to return this to you,” he said, pulling out a golden bracelet. “You left this at mine and by the time I found it, you had already left.”
“My grandma’s bracelet!” I gasped and took it from his hands. I hadn’t even realized that it was missing. I must’ve been that drunk.
He helped it on my wrist. “But I guess the Universe had other plans when it turned out that my new PR Executive was you”, he grinned. “And so I brought it back to its rightful owner.” His hand touched mine when he retracted it, and it made my skin tingle.
“Thank you so much. So much has been going on in the past few days, I hadn’t even figured out that it was missing,” I gave a nervous but relieved laugh. “This bracelet actually means a lot to me, so I owe you big time. Not to even mention you helping me last Saturday.” I continued. “Is there anything I can do to repay you?”
Chris was deep in thought for a moment and then grinned, “Well, you can buy me lunch. I’m starving. I know a place close by.” He got up and walked over to his door, holding it open for me.
Chapter 7
Chris.
Nicole looked at me with her eyes as wide as plates as I held the door for her. “No one’s ever held the door open for you?” I joked, and she snapped out of her trance, letting out a hearty laugh.
“Fair enough, the least I can do is get you a sandwich!” She grinned and got up from her seat.
We made our way out and on the way, I quickly informed Linda that we’d be going to lunch. We grabbed our coats and got out of the building and onto the busy street. The weather was breezy but luckily the rain had decided to take a lunch break as well.
“So, where exactly are we headed?” Nicole asked, matching my speedy walking pace. The cool air was turning the tip of her nose pink, and I couldn’t help but notice how adorable it made her look. I slowed down a bit to let her catch up to me.
“The place is right around the corner. They have the best hotdogs in Seattle,” I revealed and led us to our destination.
Once inside, I ordered the specials for us and she insisted on paying for the food. I carried our hotdogs to a free table nearby and we sat down. I took a bite out of mine and let out a pleased grunt when the delicious flavors hit my tastebuds.
“Oh, that good huh?” Nicole chuckled and followed my lead, taking a big bite out of hers. Her eyes closed as she was chewing, not giving away her reaction.
“So, what’s the verdict?” I asked impatiently.
She looked at me smugly. “Jeez, you weren’t kidding. This is the best hotdog I’ve tasted!” She licked her lips looking satisfied and I winked at her, both of us shifting our attention back to devouring the meal.
“So, Chris, how did you end up as the CEO of the company?” Nicole asked, her eyes studying my face.
I swallowed and wiped my mouth with a napkin. “Well, it’s a pretty common story. My father was the original founder of the company and I took over a couple years ago, after he retired.” I explained. “But I always knew I wanted to be involved in business. What about you, how was your journey to the top?”
She let out a chuckle. “I guess it’s somewhat basic too. After graduating from college I managed to get an internship in a respected company, which then turned into a full time position. And then I was lucky enough to get hired by your company.”
“I’m guessing luck didn’t have that much to do with it, more so your qualifications and skills,” I replied, looking at her assuringly. Nicole blushed but kept her green eyes fixed on mine, gazing into them with more intensity than seconds before. It was the same look she had observed me with last Saturday, making me feel exposed and excited at the same time.
“You’re not originally from here are you?” I asked, trying to distract myself from sinking into her eyes.
She shook her head and placed a strand of hair back behind her ear. “No I’m not, I moved here after graduating. And you?”
“Born and raised,” I grinned. Nicole smiled devilishly and then licked a drop of sauce from her lips, locking her eyes with mine. It instantly turned me on. Her reaction took me by surprise — I wasn’t expecting anything like it from her. Not after yesterday. She had to be into me as well, that was the only explanation.
God Chris, I said to myself internally. What had I been thinking. Taking her out to eat, knowing damn well I found her irresistibly attractive. Shit, she looked so good. The way her clothes hugged her body, I wanted to do nothing else but to rip them off her.. To hear her moaning my name as my hands felt every single curve...
“Earth to Chris,” Nicole laughed and winked, snapping me back to reality. I could feel my cock getting hard from my thoughts and it took me all of my willpower to calm down.
“Sorry about that, I got lost in my head for a moment there..,” I trailed off, reaching for my drink. She must have realized the whereabouts of my thoughts because I could see her dilated pupils scanning over my body. I took a big gulp and managed to steady myself fully. “So, what do you like to do when you’re not working?”
“A little bit of this and that,” Nicole answered vaguely while looking at me suggestively before deciding otherwise and shifting her gaze away. She regained her composure and continued. “Read, spend time with my friends, exercise..you know the deal.”
I nodded my head and finished my drink. I took a deep breath and made sure my wood wasn’t noticeable anymore. “Ready to head back to work?” I asked and got up.
“Yup, let’s go,” Nicole answered. “Lunch was really nice, thanks for showing me this place,” she smiled as she put on her coat.
“Well, thanks for taking me out to lunch,” I replied. “It was a nice date.”
She was about to protest but then caught the cheeky grin plastered across my face and smacked my shoulder playfully. “Okay Mr. Chase, don’t get too full of yourself now, please,” she laughed and winked. “I see someone’s feeling cocky.”
I put on my best performance before hinting at her, “Oh, you have no idea...”
Chapter 8
Nicole.
When I got home in the evening, I couldn’t get Chris out of my head.
We’d had such a great time getting to know each other over lunch and the whole thing had just felt comfortable and natural. And I could’ve sworn he’d totally been checking me out...not that I’d been playing innocent in the situation either. I’d been flirting with him on purpose. The way he had been looking at me, I had found it impossible to not join in on the flirtatiousness. Shush, Nicole. I wasn’t completely sure if office relationships were even allowed at the company, and here I was, daydreaming about my boss.
But for some reason, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had.. And I was convinced he felt the same way about me. He had to. His eyes had been burning on my skin, devouring me — and as much as I hated to admit it, I’d wished for nothing less than for him to take me then and there. To feel those strong arms wrapping around my body, gliding over my curves.. Even just thinking about it now made my insides flutter. I could feel the heat starting to pool up between my legs, just
like it had over lunch.
Only suggestive looks had been exchanged between Chris and I, and here I was, getting more turned on than I had in years. “Oh wow, I didn’t realize it had been that long since I last had sex.” I sighed to myself, thinking back. But I was right. It had been well over a year.
In an attempt to distract myself, I took my laptop out of my bag and turned it on. Before I would let myself get too carried away with these dirty daydreams, I’d better do some digging around.
I opened the browser, typed Christopher Chase on Google and pressed enter. A myriad of tabloid articles and a Wikipedia page popped on my screen.
“Damn Chris,” I muttered, amazed and anxious by the possibilities that awaited me. I could find out practically everything and anything about the guy, but did I really want to? Considering the amount of trashy tabloid articles, I was willing to bet that there would be some dirt on him too. Plus I wasn’t exactly jumping at the chance to turn into a typical internet stalker.
It took me a minute of weighing the pros and cons before I took a deep breath and clicked on the Wikipedia page. It was something safe and harmless to start with.
The page practically displayed the story of his life. Everything sounded very impressive, which I found positive. He had been academically inclined as a child and heavily involved in sports too. It seemed like everyone liked him. Looks like the reaction is common, I thought to myself, feeling warm inside.
Next, I ventured onto the part about his personal life, which mostly talked about his interests and philanthropy.
Handsome, rich and charitable. I nodded to myself approvingly. Maybe giving him a chance wouldn’t be that bad after all, I thought with a smirk plastered on my face.
Scrolling down I saw a heading titled ‘Relationships’ and gave into the urge to read it through. My grin turned into a frown when I read that Chris was known as a ladies’ man around Seattle, mostly spending his time with models and actresses. The hopeful mood and the warm feeling that I had, dissipated into thin air. Apparently Chris had been a bachelor for years, and was well known for his playboy billionaire ways, often seen leaving restaurants and clubs with a different woman on his arm each time.
Forbidden Attraction: An Office Affairs Romance (My Billionaire Boss Book 1) Page 3