by Carly White
A woman answered the phone and she repeated the name on the card. When she gave the lady her name, she was put on hold and waited for what seemed like forever.
“Yes Miss. Blaine. I would like you to come in for an interview. I think you would be perfect for an interning job. I will need an assistant for the summer and I did not know if you were still available.”
Aria’s heart soared and she was close to kicking her feet in happiness. That was the call she had been waiting for and though she didn’t remember the company, she decided she would do an internet search before the interview. “Sounds great. What time were you thinking?”
“I will need someone to start immediately, so how about you come down later this afternoon, say two?”
She agreed and wrote down the address that he gave her. There was something so familiar about the way the man sounded, but she figured it was just her. Aria hung up lighter and before she could take a breath, she was already worried about what she would wear.
Aria looked the company up and though it was not clear what they did or sold, they were tied to several government contracts. She was more confused than when she had started, but at least it was a rather large, reputable company. Even their financial records were sealed, so whatever they did seemed to be important enough to try to hide it. Her interest was piqued and she still could not figure out why she didn’t remember applying to such a large company. They were high on the Fortune 500 companies list and the man in charge was worth billions. Her roommate had written Will on the post-it note, but Aria figured it was just a coincidence. There was no way that William Cain, billionaire entrepreneur was calling her phone for an interview. It just wasn’t possible and he sure wouldn’t have answered to set up the appointment.
“All well, I guess I have put in way too many applications.” She sighed and went to her closet, trying to decide if she wanted to go for sexy or conservative. By the sound of the voice on the phone and the fact that it was a man, made her take the semi-sexy route, as far as she could for a job interview anyways.
Pulling out a tight black pencil skirt and a button up for the day, Aria jumped in the shower and was out on her way in no time. She had a few things to pick up at school that she had forgotten and then she had a couple of hours before their meeting. The few hours were spent worried and nervous, hoping that she got the internship, especially so close to the end of term.
When it was finally time to go in, she had been outside of the building for fifteen minutes. Looking at the gold lettering on the elevator chart, she found Will’s name and pushed the elevator to the top floor. Her heart pounded in her chest and the elevator seemed to move slower than normal. It was that or her heightened awareness came from being so much in need of some good news. If Aria didn’t get the job, she did not know what she was going to do. Aria started to wonder if she should just go home for the summer and find a couple jobs for tuition in the fall.
Aria tried to shut her mind off when she heard the ding from the stainless steel speaker. The doors opened and she walked forward. There was a secretary in her seat and then a few rooms with an empty table in front of one with a computer on top, as well as a couple of phones.
She gave the older woman her name and sat down to wait. Aria ran her fingers through her hair and pulled the hem down on the bottom of her skirt when she caught the disapproving look from the secretary. She felt uncomfortable and almost wished that she would have worn something different. She did not have much time to think though, because the woman was prompting her to go in the office.
“He is ready to see you now Aria. Good luck.”
Aria found her last comment strange, but she stepped forward and opened the heavy wooden door. There was a glass window pane in the door, but it was muddled and she could not see in. Her hands trembled slightly on the door knob when she pushed it opened fully. There was a moment of recognition and then she stopped in the doorway.
“So we meet again.”
Will smiled and gestured towards the chair in front of him. She sat down. “Thanks for that tip last night. I guess I get to eat another week.” She was partially joking.
“I doubt that it is that dire. I have seen your grades and how skilled you are at your marketing projects. I think you are perfect for a new campaign we are in the middle of.”
“For an internship?”
“Yes, well it’s really more a job, so you wouldn’t have to work both places. Your salary here should be more than enough to drop your bartending job.”
Of course it sounded perfect to Aria, but there was something off. She still had that nagging feeling in her gut that she had not applied, but she didn’t want to seem flaky and ask. Aria told herself that she would check when she got home.
“Do you have any questions for me?”
“Me? No. Um, when do you want me to start?”
“Tomorrow morning will be fine. We have checked you out thoroughly, so I feel like I already know you and want to welcome you to the company.”
Aria stood up as he did. She shook his hand, ignoring the electric shock when they their fingers brushed against each other. The she was walking out of the office in a daze. She said goodbye to the secretary and the woman gave her a sympathetic look. Aria rode the elevator down and drove back to her apartment. She booted up her computer and looked down the list of applied internships and found what she suspected. Aria had not applied to Cain Industries.
Chapter 3
Will watched the woman leave and smiled to himself. It had been some time since he had been so moved by a woman and he had never expected it to be at a seedy bar. As soon as he saw Aria from a distance, he knew he had to have her. Like most everything else in his life, Will got what he wanted all of the time and he wanted her.
It had not been hard to find out about her, just by sending a name to one of his contacts. The report he got back an hour later, was exactly what he needed to know. Everyone had a weakness and she seemed to have several. It made it all easier for him and Will liked simplistic encounters. There was a question of her fiery disposition, but more than easy, he liked a bit of a challenge. He wasn’t sure which way it would go, but he couldn’t wait for the next day to find out.
***
Aria had stayed up an extra hour that night, researching the company and more importantly the CEO William Cain. His name was prevalent in searches and it appeared that the press was much more worried about his love life, than his billion-dollar business. He had seemed familiar because she had read a few of the stories, interviews from ex-girlfriends that claimed he had some rather strange likes in the bedroom. Aria had giggled at it months ago when she had read it, however the idea of working for the man made it seem more sinister.
But Aria needed an internship or a job and as far as the company went, it would be great on her resume for the future, as well as valuable in an experience sense. She knew long before she stopped weighing the pros and cons, that she would be there bright and early the next day. No matter what, she figured she could at least deal for the next 3 months and see what happened after that. It was a risk, but Aria needed to get her foot in the door somewhere.
When she got dressed for work the next day, Aria set aside the more modest pant suit that she had planned to wear and for some reason, decided on something tighter and shorter. Unconsciously she was already taking the magazine to heart and she was unable to stop herself from putting on the darker red lips stick and the taller heels that made her legs seemed to go on for miles.
Riding the elevator to the 12th floor did not seem as menacing and even knowing who the CEO was and amidst all his tawdry laundry, Aria decided that she was just going to make it work. A little flirting would not be hard with such a handsome man.
“Good morning. My name is Aria.” Aria walked up the older woman and stuck her hand out. They were going to working close together and she wanted to make a good impression. The secretary introduced herself as Shirley and they talked for a few minutes about college, which Shirley had
went to in her own youth. It was when Will walked in from the elevator that both women stopped talking and Aria turned around to greet him.
“Morning Sir.”
He grunted and had her follow him into the second office on the floor. “This is your office. We are connected from that door.” Will pointed to a wooden door on the side wall behind her desk. The large office was a far cry from the chair outside that she had been expecting and she had a moment of giddiness come over her. She had never had an office before, let alone one with a view.
“Thank you. It is lovely.”
Another sound and he rubbed his eyes. “Talk to Shirley about the morning routine, you will have to be here a half an hour earlier to get it all done.”
He turned and walked off. She was left stunned by his abruptness and moreover his dismissal. Aria shrugged after a moment and decided that he was just not a morning person. There was a small kitchen area with a coffee pot and before she went back to the front, she started a pot going, the smell making her feel better. She poured a cup as it drizzled in the pot and put some cream and sugar packs on the side of the small saucer.
Aria knocked and then entered without waiting for an answer. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Will, her hand almost dropping the hot cup. “Sorry, um I thought you might need some coffee for your disposition. I can come back.”
Her eyes darted over the bare expanse of his chest for a moment, before she looked down at the black liquid slight sloshing in the cup from her nervous shake. She had not expected to see him like that and she certainly hadn’t expected such hard lines. Aria could not un-see the image and she knew it would haunt her.
“Just set it down. I am just changing Aria. No need to be so prudish.”
Aria bristled at the word and moved towards him. She set the coffee down and asked how he liked it. “It is current dark and bitter, so it might be just how you like it.”
She wanted to bite her tongue for her remark, but his own about her being a prude still stung. Aria waited for him to answer, her eyes watching his chest being covered as he buttoned his shirt. She got to his face about the time that his own hands reached his neck. “Well?”
“Black is fine. I didn’t realize you were so clever.”
“Ah well I thought that is why you hired me, though I can’t seem to remember applying.” Aria grabbed the tie out of his hands. “Here, allow me.”
She went behind him and looped it around his neck and then started to tie it. Aria was too aware of the hard back that her breasts swayed against as she moved. She heard a hiss from him and she liked the sound. While she tried to think that she did it as his assistance, in truth she just wanted to touch him after seeing how hard his chest was. Touching him was just as good as seeing him.
“There. I will be back after I have spoken to Shirley. I hope your morning gets better Sir.”
Aria walked from around him and left the office without looking back. She didn’t have to see his front to know that he was hard and she didn’t have to see his dark eyes to know that they were burning into her backside.
Chapter 4
Aria did not see Will again until right before lunch. Shirley was a slow talker and the woman apparently was happy to have another female up on the floor to talk to. It was an informative conversation for Aria, who learned much about her new employer, as well as the company. Though, Aria was much more concerned with Will than contracts for machinery that she would never see.
Her job seemed to involve tending to the CEO, more than actually doing anything that pertained to the company. She was to make him coffee, take out his dry cleaning, as well as coordinate his house staff. Aria several times thought of the wasted years in college for the gopher position, but she reminded herself of the company and how it would look on her CV.
“So do you have any questions? I am about to go to lunch.”
“No Ma’am, thank you.”
“Would you like to join me? There is a cute little bistro across town that I usually go to. They have the best French onion soup.”
Aria smiled back at her, though her ears were still ringing for the two hour conversation where she had gotten in few words. “Thank you, maybe tomorrow. I have a few errands to run this afternoon.”
Shirley waved and got onto the elevator. Aria went back to her office and sat down in her chair, rubbing her head. There were several minutes of quiet before she was interrupted by a noise behind her. She started when the door opened and Will popped his head through.
“I thought you had errands.”
Aria smiled sheepishly. “I am ordering out. I will order you something as well. It is a waste of time to rush out and fight the crowds.”
She turned in her chair and he towered over her. It was hard to deny where her face aligned on his body, or the look in his eyes. “So, Shirley gave me the run down, though she didn’t mention anything about a marketing project.”
“Yes well she doesn’t get into that part of it.” Will walked around her chair and leaned against her desk. Aria had the urge to back her seat up, but she figured she had started it and wanted to hold her ground. “I have an idea that I need to run across to a board and I want you to make a PowerPoint presentations for me. Like you did for B Law.”
Aria knew exactly which presentations he was talking about. She had made a series for ones of her classes, but she did not know how he knew that. His close proximity was deafening to her senses and she finally did roll a few inches away, taking a breath of relief. “Sure no problem. When do you need them?”
“Tonight. I also need you to go to the meeting and take notes for me. I record the conversation, but I like to have a secondary record.”
Aria nodded, though she hadn’t realized that the job would involve travel. Will’s hand came towards her face and it took every urge inside of her not to flinch. His fingers pulled at the chain around her neck, turning it till the clasp was behind her hair. He moved back and out of the room, leaving Aria’s neck tingling and the feel of his fingers still on her skin.
***
The rest of the day went by quickly. Aria liked to have a task to keep her busy and beyond making another pot of coffee for Will, she did little else than format his presentation. She did not understand the proposal or really the function of the machine, but it looked good for those that were more familiar with that field of engineering. It seemed important and Aria was glad with the reaction when Will saw it. He told her it was perfect and to meet him out front at five. She agreed and waited nervously, checking her email several times before the clock read five.
Aria tried to calm her nerves, but the unknown made her nervous. There was a knock on the door and she opened it to find Will waiting for her. “You ready?”
She nodded and said good night to Shirley. The woman’s eyes seemed knowing, like she knew what would happen. It sent something into Aria, fertilizer to the seed that had been growing when she read some of the stories made about him. Her employer seemed to have quite a checkered past and that was immediately going to trickle down to her.
Aria followed him out of the building and into a waiting car. Their legs almost touched as his large frame was folded into the backseat with her. Being around him made her flesh tingle and there was a growing heat from the small space between their bodies. He was quiet most of the way and she was left to look out the window. The man was hot to cold and she was just there for the ride.
Her heart started to slam in her chest when their destination came into view. The car pulled down the street and closer to a private runway, tucked behind some trees and attached to a large hangar. She sank in the seat and she was less worried about the actual contact.
“Are you okay?”
Her face was ashen and she nodded her head, though her blue eyes told a different story. There was no sense in trying to speak. Her mouth was dry and she tried to swallow down the large knot that had suddenly lodged itself inside of her. Aria had never flown anywhere and she was scared to death of heights. “Ar
e you sure? You look like you are going to hurl.”
Her eyes flashed to his and she hated the smirk on his face. He enjoyed her discomfort far too much. “If I do, I know what direction to point.” His smile immediately faded and that gave her a reason for her own lips to upturn.
“Seriously though, I don’t fly.”
“Well then it will be your first time. I like the idea of being your first.”
His lips were inches from her ear and his hot breath made her tingle more. She pulled away and reached for the door. She may have been afraid of flying or moreover, the crashing part, but there was a bigger danger in the car with her.
Chapter 5
“I need your assistance in here Aria.”
“Oh?” She turned her head towards him slowly. To get through the take-off, Aria had consumed a few drinks and since she was not used to alcohol, it went to her head almost immediately. She grinned at him and started to get up on her feet. Aria wobbled a little, but she tried hard not to show how drunk she really felt.
Will knew though and found it irresistible to not take advantage of the situation. He was sick of playing games and he had always found the straight-forward approach best in those types of situations. He waited patiently, noting the glaze in her blue eyes and the misplaced blonde strand that covered part of her face.
“What can I do for you Sir?”
“Enough of that Sir stuff. Call me Will.” Aria looked down at his pants that were opened and she could see something bulging out from behind the material, pushing to break free.
“What? Do you want me to hold it for you or something?” Aria laughed but he did not, though a smile went across his face that made her heart pitter-patter faster in his chest.
“I was really hoping for your mouth.”