Saved: BBW Contemporary Romance (Seductive Interns Book 1)

by Ashe, Karina

  SAVED

  Seductive Interns Book One

  KARINA ASHE

  Copyright © 2015 KARINA ASHE

  All rights reserved. No part of this story may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without express written permission of the copyright holder. This book contains sexually explicit content which is suitable only for mature adults.

  Credits Resplendent Media, Craft Write Editing

  Chapter One

  “Come on, Sadie, maybe they aren't even going to call tonight. We’ve been waiting forever.” I heard her whining voice behind me.

  I turned around to find my best friend and roommate, Delilah, standing behind me. She had been waiting to go out for the evening, but I was praying I would be getting a phone call for a new job. I was a recent graduate and I was determined to find my place in the music industry as a producer. It was the only thing I had ever dreamed of since I was a kid. Making music and other people’s dreams come true. The phone call was for an internship with a band that would take me touring for a year. The very thought of it made me almost nauseous with excitement. I wanted the job so badly that I hadn't slept very much the entire week. I needed that job. It would help my career so much, plus, I needed the money.

  “Just hold on, will you? I'm sure he's going to call, I can feel it. I don't want to miss it. It's a little more important than the club right now.” I knew I was being snippy but I didn’t care. This was important, the moment I had been waiting for.

  “Last time I checked, you have a cell phone, so let’s just go and you can take the call later if it comes in.”

  She had a point there, but I just had a feeling that I should stay and take the call in the comfort of my home. What if I got drunk and had to answer? The last thing I wanted was to make a fool of myself and lose the opportunity. But maybe I wasn't getting the call at all that evening. People got busy and it was getting pretty late. “True, but I don't exactly want the club atmosphere booming in the background when I'm trying to take a professional call.”

  “Pllleaaase Sadie! It's torture just waiting here. What if he doesn't call? Then we ruined our whole evening. Not to mention, he’s in the biz. If you’re not out, he might wonder what’s wrong with you.”

  I thought about it momentarily. “Okay, let’s go. I'm in.”

  I grabbed my purse off the counter and headed towards the door. My phone started ringing and I fumbled frantically through my purse to find it. I looked at the number on the screen and squealed.

  “It's him! Delilah, oh my god! It's him!” Jumping up and down, I almost forgot to answer it. I clicked the answer button and calmly said, “Hello.” I was so smooth.

  “Sadie?”

  “Yes.”

  “It's Dan, the manager for Love’s Addiction. We talked earlier this week?”

  “Oh yes, of course. How are you?” I could barely breathe.

  “I'm stressed, Sadie. The reason I'm calling is I would like to offer you the intern position. The other girl we liked didn’t even make it a day. I hope you can last longer than that.”

  My breath caught in my throat and I thought my heart would explode. I slowly released the air that I was holding in my lungs and said, “That's incredible. I mean not that she quit, but that you want me! Thank you very much. You have no idea how happy you have made me.”

  He continued, “Well that's good to hear. As you well know, we are due to go on tour again so I know this is extremely short notice, but I'm going to need you to pack your stuff up tonight and get over here. Eli will need his stuff packed as well before we head out. That will be your job.”

  “Oh gosh. Umm...sure that is no problem. I will get started and be there as soon as I can. Thank you so much.”

  “Sounds good Sadie, we will see you soon.”

  I clicked off the call and stared at Delilah, unable to find words, and then I broke into a grin. I was on cloud nine and I doubted that I would be coming down from it anytime soon. Could this be the start of all my dreams coming true?

  “Oh my god, you got it, didn't you. You lucky girl, I can't believe it.”

  I began twirling around the room, slowly taking it all in. “Oh yeah baby, you know it. You are officially looking at the new intern for Love’s Addiction. Hello!”

  We both started jumping up and down screaming with excitement. Pure joy entirely filled my body and mind. Finally! Finally, I was on my way! So much hard work, sweat, and plenty of tears finally got me to the place that I had been dreaming about.

  “I have to go pack,” I said, startled, and headed towards my bedroom.

  “What? Wait!” Delilah stammered. “You're leaving already? I thought we would have time to say goodbye.”

  I turned and looked at my friend, my very best friend. She had been my rock through some pretty hard times in my life. I didn't know how I would ever have gotten to where I was without her. I would surely miss her, but that internship was an opportunity of a lifetime. I needed to do it. I needed to be someone; to show the world I wasn't that poor big girl anymore. I wasn’t someone to pick on or mess with. I was going to be somebody.

  I hugged her tightly. “I love you, Delilah, and I'm going to miss you, but it's not forever. It's just a tour and, hey, we can Skype.”

  “You better believe we are going to Skype, girl. You need to show me all those rock stars you're going to be touring with.”

  I burst out laughing. “Yes! Yes, I will.”

  Delilah followed me into my bedroom. “Actually, I'm going to get those last two beers out of the fridge and then I'm going to help you pack. One more beer before you hit the road.”

  I smiled. “Sounds awesome.”

  When she left the room, I sighed deeply and took a look around. I was going to miss this place. It was home to me. But in other ways, I wasn't, because I hoped I was coming back as a different person and to a better life.

  Everything furniture-wise in my room was shabby and worn. My dresser had initials on the top of it of all the boys I had crushed on growing up. There was a small thirteen inch TV on the top with a DVD player made from a company I had never heard of. I used a step stool as my bedside table, and my bed was on the floor because I didn't buy the frame when I got the mattress. I didn't have nice things. I had been raised by a single mom who tried hard, but wasn’t really the parenting type. She didn’t send me out into the world with much, except the drive to work my ass off to have it better than I did growing up. We talked occasionally. I would definitely call her to tell her I finally got my big break, but then we wouldn’t speak until the holidays again.

  I grabbed my suitcase and began filling it with clothes as I was saying goodbye to the low income apartment that Delilah and I shared. One day I would have my own studio apartment and then I would know that I had truly made it. Delilah had mentioned my possible leaving to a few friends and had gotten some interest in sublet while I would be away. She was out of a job herself and would not be able to take on the apartment alone. I worried about her and hoped that she would be okay without me. We had always been a team.

  She returned with the two beers and handed me one. “Let's cheers,” she said.

  “To what?”

  “To you making it big. It might just be an intern job now, but it's one more step towards making your dreams come true.”

  Tears welled up in my eyes. “I'll cheers to that.” We clinked bottles and I took a swig.

  “Speaking of which, Delilah, what are you doing to make your own dreams come true?”

  “Dreaming is your thing, Sadie. I'll just be happy to find a job. I have two interviews next week tho
ugh, so cross your fingers.”

  I smiled. “Will do, I'm sure you will do great. Keep me posted, right?”

  “Yeah, of course, you're not getting rid of me that easily.”

  “I wouldn't even think of it.”

  We drank our last beer together for a while as she helped me pack my things. I wasn't entirely sure how much I should bring, or for that matter, how much I was allowed to bring. But I could always pick up things along the way. Thankfully, it was a paid internship and doing a little shopping along the way should be doable.

  I laid out all the clothes on my bed that I was sure I needed to bring. Delilah was in the bathroom, clearing off my shelf. I would need everything in there for sure. A girl needed to look her best.

  “What do you think of this stuff?” I called out to her. She came back in from the bathroom and looked at the items on the bed.

  “Looks good. What should I do with the clothes you left behind?”

  “I may get you to ship them out to me at some point, or I'll get them when I come back, but in the meantime just toss them in a garbage bag and leave them in the closet. Is that okay?”

  “Of course. We’ll just pull them back out when you come back. You are coming back, right?”

  I smiled, “I hope so. I will just have to see where I'm at by then. Maybe we’ll be moving into a nicer place with our fancy jobs.”

  I packed the items in the suitcase that I had. It was faded and had a few tears, but the zippers were still solid.

  “I better get going. I have to pack up Mr. Oliver's clothing as well.”

  Delilah snorted. “Are you serious?”

  “I couldn't be more serious. Did you really think that famous rock stars packed their own clothing?” I paused and sighed. “I better get going.”

  I wrapped my arms around her tightly. “I love you.”

  She hugged me back. “I love you too. Be safe.”

  “I will.”

  We let go and I grabbed my suitcase. I headed out of the apartment with tears in my eyes. I wasn't sure if they were tears of sadness or tears of joy.

  Chapter Two

  Eli Oliver lived in an executive condominium in one of the best areas in the city. Just looking up at the tall high-rise was enough to make me feel dizzy. I had never been in such a nice place before and I immediately felt insecure.

  Calm down, girl, you can do this. They wanted you, remember? Okay, after that other girl, but still. Hold your head up high.This is just one of many adventures coming your way.

  Feeling inspired once again, I headed straight for the doorman and announced myself. He made a call to verify who I was and I was immediately escorted to the elevators. I was to go up to what was the equivalent of a penthouse suite in the condo world. He informed me that he would take care of my luggage and make sure it got to where it was supposed to. Relieved, I thanked him and headed on my way.

  As I headed up in the elevator, my stomach began to churn. Maybe that beer had been a bad idea after all. I was terribly nervous and the drink was threatening to come back up. I hadn't eaten much that day either due to my nervousness with waiting for the phone call. Wouldn't that be something to see? The new intern throwing up on herself. Not the best first impression, that was for sure. Not only that, but if they decided to keep me after, I would surely never hear the end of it. Getting a nickname like Pukie was not appealing to me in any way. Come on, iron stomach, you can do this!

  The doors opened right into the apartment and I stepped out hesitantly. I didn't have anything with me at that moment except my purse, and showing up with my worn out luggage would have been a little mortifying. I would try to buy some new stuff as soon as I could. I didn't want to look like a complete pauper in front of these people. Judging by the castle/apartment I had just walked into, these people were living the dream.

  I saw Dan coming my way at high speed. Wow, it was a busy place. There wasn't one person milling around doing nothing. Everyone was frantically moving like busy beeswith a mission in mind. Dan had told me during my interview that he ran a tight ship. The band was an enormous success and he planned on keeping it that way. Lazy people were just not welcome on his team. He had to focus on the band members, and having the best team in place made the band that much more successful. I was fully determined to be a part of that team at any cost. This was all a learning experience for me. I had dreams of being a famous producer, and learning all I could by being amongst the band was going to help me get there. Plus, it sure didn't hurt to have this particular internship on my resume.

  “Sadie, thank God you're here. So happy to have you. No time for chitchat I'm afraid. I need you to find Eli's room and get to packing up his stuff. We will catch up when we are on the road, okay? We are on a very tight schedule, so show me what you got. Impress me.” He walked away from me without another word.

  I stood there, dazed, wondering where I would find Eli's room. I probably should have asked but between him walking off and the need to show Dan that I was competent, it left me wandering around the very large condo on my own and very much lost. Impress me. Impress me. Impress me. The words haunted me as I walked through the cavernous space.

  My mouth hung slightly open as I moved around the condo; it was hard to believe that there were people out there that actually lived like this. The beauty of the room was displayed in the high ceilings, expensive art on the walls and even a grand piano that sat just inside of a balcony so big I had to wonder how it managed to be part of the condo itself. I never wanted to leave the place; could this all be mine one day? Could I be just as successful and famous?

  It became obvious to me pretty quickly that the lower floor was for entertainment and business purposes. I headed to a winding staircase that led me upstairs. I slowly walked up the staircase made of marble, trying to process it all as I went along. The upstairs was just as breathtaking as the lower floor; the hallways were wide and there were band prints and more art showcased on the walls. I headed down the hallway and faltered once I realized just how many bedrooms Eli had in his apartment. How on earth am I ever going to figure out which one is his? It was obvious that other people were staying there as well, so it was hard to determine which rooms were guest rooms and which one was his. Even the guest rooms were large and luxurious.

  Damn, I should have asked for help. What is wrong with me? My mother always told me that it is always okay to ask for help if you need it. Why do I never listen to that woman?

  I stepped into an unused guest room and sat on the bed. I put my head in my heads and breathed deeply. Everything is alright, Sadie, it's not a big deal. You are just going to go into each room and see if there are any clues. I couldn't possibly ask Dan now where the room was because he would wonder why I had wasted so much time in the first place. In fact he would probably fire me on the spot. I can't lose this job, I just can't. It was everything to me.

  I stepped out of the bedroom and looked over the hallway railing to the rooms below. People were buzzing all around and asking them for information would just seem like a nuisance to them. I couldn't appear as if I needed a babysitter. That would be a disaster. No. I needed to fix this on my own. How hard could it really be? I heard a noise behind me and turned to look in the room again. Was someone in there? God, had someone seen me moping on the bed? I would just die.

  I walked deeper into the room and gasped as Eli came out of the guest bathroom in nothing but a towel. I recognized him immediately from the tabloids. Luxurious dark hair and bright green eyes made him even hotter in person. Steam wafted out of the bathroom and surrounded him. He clearly had just showered, and his dark hair hung damp against his head. I gazed at his tight, exposed chest and felt like I couldn’t move.

  “Oh God, I am so sorry. I didn't think anyone was in here.”

  Eli cracked a grin and came towards me.

  Chapter Three

  “Well, hello there. It's not every day that I find a woman waiting outside of the shower for me. I mean some days, sure, but it’s
usually expected then.”

  I smiled. “I'm really sorry. I thought the room was empty.”

  “No apology needed...and you are?”

  “Lost.” I laughed. “My name is Sadie. I'm the new intern.” I had a hard time believing that it was the first time he found a woman waiting for him outside of the bathroom, but I decided to keep that part to myself.

  “It's nice to meet you, Sadie.” He stepped towards me and held out his hand. I shook it and he said, “I'm Eli.”

  “I know.” I smiled warmly. “I'm actually supposed to be packing up your room but I can't find it. I'm a little turned around, I guess. I didn't realize how big your place was. This can't possibly be your room, right?” I looked at him, my brow crinkling together.

  “No. No, sometimes I just need to get away from all the people. They rarely find me in an empty guest room,” he chuckled. “I just wanted some alone time so sometimes I use this room to just get away. It's funny that you found yourself in this very room.”

  Funny? What did he mean? Was he flirting with me? No, that was impossible. Get your head straight, girl.

  “I think I was actually looking for sanctuary.”

  “Haha...I don't blame you. Anyways, it's really nice to meet you, Sadie, and welcome to our crazy team.”

  I smiled. I couldn't believe how nice he was. It was no big surprise that there were many celebrities out there that were jerks just for the reason that they were famous and believed they were better than everyone else. Eli seemed so laid back and easygoing; he made me feel instantly comfortable. I was beginning to think that working for him was going to be more about pleasure and less about stress.

  “Thank you, Eli. I'm so pumped to be here. It's all very exciting.” Pumped? Ugh, who says pumped?

  “Well I assure you that even though you are working, you're going to have a blast. That much I can guarantee you.”

  “Sounds great.”