Chance

by Rachel Rise

  He walked around the desk and leaned over my shoulder. I was typing what I thought was my password for the six hundredth time and I stopped when I caught a whiff of his cologne. It was strong and did a number on my senses. I froze. “Here…try this,” he said. He pushed a button, a button I didn’t pay attention to. “Now try entering it.”

  I wanted to argue because how could entering it six hundred and one times be the key, but I did it anyway. Only this time, it worked. I stared at my computer screen. “I don’t get it. I tried it multiple times.”

  He shrugged. “Maybe I have the magic touch.” I looked up at him, about to argue that I really did try it numerous times, when he snickered. “The caps lock was on.”

  I felt idiotic. “Oh!” I looked down. “You must think I’m a total ditz.” The words were meant for my ears only, but he was soon commenting on it.

  “Not at all. I’ve done that many times. It’s no big deal.” He shrugged and I felt only a small amount of relief. The fact remained that if I was that computer illiterate, how could I hold down this job? He then looked concerned. “I’m sorry that Francesca is out. It must be the first time she’s been ill for at least a year.” He laughed, but that didn’t make me feel better.

  “That’s fine, but I’m afraid I still have a lot to learn.”

  He didn’t look worried. “We’ll get you through this. Don’t worry.” He winked at me and I was so lost that I couldn’t even bother to remind him that I wanted professionalism and that was on the brink of flirtation. “There is a nine o’clock meeting. Are you up for it?”

  I cowered back in my chair. “Depends! What do I have to do?”

  He laughed. “Take notes or at least pretend to take notes.”

  I chuckled. “I can certainly do that.”

  “Good!” he said. “It’s in Conference room B.” I had to look nervous because he was there to reassure me. “Don’t worry about it, Charity. Just smile and everything will work out. Trust me!” He walked away from the desk and I followed him to his office with only my eyes. I was trusting him, but deep down I was cursing Francesca and wondering how she could do this to me. I turned back to my computer and looked over my emails. Email after email discussed another meeting that I was supposed to set up for Nolan. I felt like a small fish in a big pond and I was just learning how to swim. I just hoped Francesca would be back the next day, but my goal was to get through the meeting.

  CHAPTER 27

  Nolan

  A

  part of me wondered if Francesca called in sick, just to put the jabs in Charity. It wasn’t like Francesca and I really thought it was too much of a coincidence, but as I watched Charity in the meeting, I saw that she was already making big strides to be a great addition to the company.

  Even though I told her to pretend to take notes, it was clear that she really was taking down notes. I kept trying to see what she was writing, but then I would remember that I was supposed to be paying attention to what Travis McAllister said during the meeting.

  I looked up. “So, you have acquired seven buildings that you want us to help with your accounting needs, is that correct?” I then spotted Charity moving the notepad over to me and a nine was circled. “I looked up. “I apologize…I meant nine apartment buildings. Is that correct?”

  Travis nodded. “That is right,” Travis said. I shot Charity an appreciative look. “I have all the bookkeeping notes on file.” Travis removed some paperwork and I looked it over. I couldn’t help but glance at Charity, to find that she was looking just as interested. A smile crossed my lips at that notion. I then focused my attention on Travis and how the company could help him out.

  We came to an agreement on the details and then Travis was already prepared to sign the paperwork. When the meeting was over, I shook his hand and then saw Charity do the same. “It was a pleasure meeting you,” she said. She seemed so poised and in control.

  Travis nodded and then we all left the conference room. I thanked Travis for coming and then turned to Charity. “Thank you again for saving me back there,” I said.

  She shrugged. “That’s what the assistant is for, right?”

  When she called her my assistant I felt a bit underwhelmed and could only shrug slightly. She then dismissed herself and said she had a lot of work to get to. When she left, I turned around and caught her going to her desk. I wondered if she needed my help. Instead of checking, though, I just went back to my office. I figured she would ask if she needed it.

  The morning went on and I didn’t bother her because I didn’t want to mess up her routine, if she had one going, besides I was caught up with my own work and didn’t have much time to do anything outside of work. When lunch came around, I spotted her eating at her desk, when I had to cross the line to leave the office for the business lunch. I stopped at her desk.

  “Have to go out for a lunch meeting. Are you doing alright here?” I asked.

  She nodded, barely looking up from her computer screen. “Will you have time this afternoon to go over your calendar for next month? I just about have it filled.”

  I laughed. “You do?”

  She looked up. “I have thirty-four emails and three calls this morning.” She wiped her brow and sighed. “It’s been rough.” I saw the slight smile appear.

  I chuckled, but then had to ask. “Are you really doing okay?”

  She snickered and shrugged. “At first, I was a little overwhelmed. I won’t lie, but it’s been a quiet day.”

  I arched an eyebrow. “You call thirty-three emails a quiet day?”

  “Thirty-four,” she corrected. She laughed. “Hey, it’s making appointments. That’s the easy part.”

  I understood what she meant by that. She still looked good doing the job. There were many times I had to get my mind out of the gutter when it came to working with her, but I was getting there and trying to hold up my end of the deal. I told her goodbye and then headed out for the luncheon. Thoughts of Charity wouldn’t leave my mind and they didn’t throughout the entire meal.

  When I got back to the office after the two-hour lunch, she was hard at working, putting some filing away. She was a diligent worker, no doubt. I was pleased that it was working out so easily. But when I got back to my phone to find a voicemail from Francesca, stating she wouldn’t be back until Thursday, I wondered if Charity would continue to look so calm.

  I called Charity into my office to break the news and allow her to go over the following month’s schedule. She took a seat, once she was in my office.

  “First off, I want to thank you again for being so amazing today. You’ve really stepped it up today in the absence of Francesca. I appreciate you. You have no idea how much.”

  She smiled, looking up at me, and holding my gaze. “It’s really not a problem. I’ve handled it better than I expected, so it’s all good.” She laughed and crossed her legs. My eyes fought the urge to look at her legs, especially when her skirt inched up a little higher on her thigh. I cleared my throat and forced myself to look into her eyes.

  “I’m glad you feel that way because it turns out that Francesca has the flu and won’t be back until Thursday.”

  She nearly dropped the pen in her hand. “Wow! Really?”

  I nodded. “I came back to a message on my voicemail. If there’s anything I can do, then just let me know. If I need to get you Benjamin’s assistant to help you out, I gladly will.”

  She was a little pale, but she then sat up straight. “It’s fine. As long as she’s on speed dial.”

  I was relieved. Charity was handling it with so much dignity. “Great! Now, let’s go over that calendar.”

  As she read off the schedule, I was little preoccupied with staring at her, but it was because she was growing even more beautiful in my eyes. She was the whole package and I was lucky to have her in my life.

  CHAPTER 28

  Charity

  I

  had two days of training. That was not ideal, but
people couldn’t help they were sick. I had to make the best of it and show Nolan that nothing bothered me, even if deep down I was also feeling sick. It wasn’t too bad. I had a few moments where I was full on deer in the headlights look, but that was mainly when I was trying to fax or use the copier. They were different from the usual office apparatus I was used to.

  I kept things running smoothly, at least I hoped it appeared that way. I was there every morning, usually a half an hour earlier than Nolan and I made sure that everything was accomplished, even if I had to do it over lunch. I just never told Nolan that last part.

  What also happened during the three days that I was working alone I found myself getting closer to him. It happened by accident, but it was like he was a magnet pulling me towards him. And I could tell that he felt the same. He would look at me when he thought I wasn’t looking, but I was always looking. Even a few times I found myself bending over or crossing my legs, just so my dress would inch up higher. He enjoyed it and I enjoyed teasing him. Between work, it became a game of what I could do next to make him notice me.

  Why did I want him to notice me? That was the question I kept asking myself. I went through this whole thing about only being professional, blah blah blah, but the truth was the feelings were still there. After three years I still felt something for the man that took me back to his penthouse. I could kick myself over it, but it was the truth.

  When Thursday rolled around and Francesca came back, I know she was looking for me to say that I was miserable without her there, but I couldn’t say that. I was more comfortable without her there, but I knew there were still several things I had to still accomplish and learn before her official last day the next day.

  We stayed in the office on Thursday night until almost eight o’clock, but when Nolan came to the desk at five, he gave us a wary look. “Are you sure you want to work late? I’m positive that you will get it down by the end of the day tomorrow.”

  I glanced at Francesca. She was persistent that I needed the late night training and I didn’t really mind. “This is fine,” I said. “Have a good evening!” I waved and he reluctantly left.

  Right after he got on the elevator, Francesca asked me the question. “You really like him, don’t you?”

  I had to have blushed, but I tried to play it off as an ignorant statement. “What? No! We’re just employer/employee.” I laughed, hoping she bought it, but she seemed hesitant.

  “Word of advice?”

  Seemed like a silly question. I didn’t really want to get advice from someone that once had a cozy relationship with Nolan, or at least I was pretty confident it was cozy. “Sure,” I finally responded.

  “Don’t mess up a good thing,” she said. “He likes you too, so you might want to stop dragging your feet and just enjoy it.” She looked away from my confused and totally surprised expression. “Now, let’s get back to work.”

  I wanted to ask her how she knew or why she thought Nolan liked me, but I agreed to just get back to work. Although, the thoughts never really left my mind. If it was possible that Nolan really had genuine feelings, then I would be more open to seeing what could come of them. Yet, inter-office relations seldom worked, so why did I think ours could be any different. It was a definite conundrum that I didn’t expect I’d have to face.

  So, we stayed at work until eight o’clock, going over small responsibilities that I never even thought of and when we left the office, I was exhausted. The whole way home I stayed awake just thinking about Francesca’s words. Could I believe her? Did I want to?

  When I got home and undressed for bed, I crawled in between the sheets. I didn’t even take the time to eat supper because I knew I would be out once my head hit the pillow. I was, too. I was out and dreaming about what Francesca told me. It would certainly change everything if I just took the leap and made the choice.

  CHAPTER 29

  Nolan

  I

  steered clear of Francesca and Charity because it was clear that they still had a lot of ground to cover. I didn’t want to make things more challenging for them and when I went to a meeting, expecting to have my assistant by my side, I opted to do my best without having either one of them.

  It wasn’t easy and it definitely gave me room to see how much I relied on the work of my right-hand woman, but it didn’t help that I couldn’t fully concentrate because I wondered constantly how things were going back at the office. I was glad that the meeting only lasted forty-five minutes, then I could get back there and make sure Charity was doing alright.

  When I got back, I found her alone at the desk. I casually approached her. “So, how’s it going?” I fidgeted in place, never being so nervous. “You seem to be looking better about things.”

  She smiled. “Yeah. I’m doing alright. I’m grateful that Francesca is here and I feel things are going well.”

  “Great!” I looked around, clearly not wanting to leave her side for even a second, but it seemed awkward and with neither of us speaking, I couldn’t exactly stand there forever. Then Francesca came back, so that was definitely my cue to leave. I smiled at Francesca. “Carry on!” I mumbled. I hurried past the desk and made it to my office. I think the fact that Charity was so adamant that she wanted things professional and I sensed some uncertainty about that, it made me question everything. I wasn’t going to just assume I was reading her signs though, so we were left with this.

  Unable to focus, I went back to work back at my desk. The afternoon was coming to a close and I had to give Francesca her good luck card, so I was forced to go back to the desk. I grabbed the card from my middle drawer and carried it back out to the desk. They both looked up and Francesca was the first to speak.

  “We did it, Boss. I’m pretty sure that Charity has learned everything I know.” She laughed.

  “Wow! Perfect!” I then handed her the card. She looked at it for a moment, before taking it from me. There were tears in her eyes as she glanced up. “Good luck, Francesca!” I said.

  “Thank you!” she said. I couldn’t stay around because I didn’t want to risk any of my own tears, so I went back to my office. I was only there for a few minutes before Francesca knocked on my door.

  I looked up. “Hey!”

  “Hey!” she said. “May I come in?” There was a different look about her and I nodded.

  When she came inside, she shut the door behind her. “What’s up?”

  She looked painfully uneasy. “So, I’m going to say something and then I want you to do what you think is best with my words.”

  I frowned. If that wasn’t confusing, I don’t know what was. “Okay!”

  “Charity likes you.” When she said the words, I just sat there, waiting for them to sink in. She spoke again. “Charity really likes you. And you can be a jerk and let this all pass by, or you can realize that you like her too and just go for it.”

  I sat back in my chair and cocked my head to the side. “And you’re telling me this because…”

  She sighed and there was a smirk coming out. “You know that I liked you…like you…and it didn’t work out. You didn’t want anything more with me and you can’t blame what your heart wants, but you can go after it. I don’t hold any ill feelings for you because I really just want you to be happy. Don’t pass up this chance to be happy, just because you’re clueless.”

  I opened my mouth, only remotely offended by that statement. She laughed and told me to trust her, then left my office and I didn’t see her again after that. In fact, Charity also left the building, while I was still trying to contemplate if anything that Francesca said was the truth. I wanted to believe her, but I was way too scared to just leap without looking, even if that was what love was all about.

  CHAPTER 30

  Charity

  I

  didn’t really think I could believe everything Francesca told me, but as I sat in my lounge pants and was on the couch, I was overcome with thoughts. If she was right, then all this agitati
on of staying away from him was for nothing. If she was wrong, then I could foolishly go to him and find out that I was making a huge mistake. But, I knew he was sexually attracted to me, so I doubted he would just turn me away.

  I kept looking at my watch and it was becoming later and later. If I was going to do something that night, then I needed to do it. So, after getting dressed in a comfortable pair of leggings and an oversized sweater, I was in my car and heading towards his penthouse. My head kept trying to convince me I was doing a horrible thing and making a huge mistake, but I couldn’t turn around.

  When I pulled up to the valet, the man gave me the eye like he recognized me. I just smiled and pretended that nothing about it was unusual. I went into the apartment building and remembered which elevator I was supposed to get on, but it didn’t occur to me that I would need a badge to get up to his penthouse. However, just as I was about to turn away to find a worker, the door opened and Nolan got off the elevator.

  His jaw dropped when he saw me. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

  “Um…” I nervously looked around. “I came to see you, obviously,” I said. Then it dawned on me that he was going out. “You’re going somewhere?”

  He sighed and nodded. “I was going to see you.”

  “You were?” I asked.

  He nodded. “Want to take this up to my place?” he asked. I smiled and nodded. That was the whole idea after all. He went back to the elevator and pushed the button for the door to open. When it did, we stepped on. As the door closed, he turned back to me. “Is this about work?” he asked.

  I opened my mouth, not really knowing how to respond to that. I then shook my head. “I…you see, it’s like this. I…” Before I could get the words out, he was smirking and then he grabbed onto my waist and pulled me to him. His lips met mine and I was put at ease. He didn’t need me to go on because he knew the real reason I was there. His tongue eased between my lips and I felt everything that could possibly go wrong get washed away.