Out of the Ashes

by S. M. Lynn

  Gavin must notice my expression. “Darling, you must have designer shoes with a designer gown. And these are the perfect match to that dress. One of a kind shoes for a one of a kind dress.”

  “O-Okay,” I stutter out. Still trying to come up with how to explain this to Ian. Well if he is really upset about the cost, I will just have to dive into the savings I have left and pay him back. So problem solved.

  “Now for lingerie,” Marlene coos. “I see you prefer garters and stockings. So I think this black garter and thong will be just the thing along with some nude silk stockings. See how the beading on the garter and thong match to the beading on the dress and shoes. You’ll be perfect. And with your figure and the alterations on the dress, once I am done you will not need a corset. So I would say this makes you ready to go. I will have it all wrapped and delivered by 4:00 p.m. today.”

  “Thank you,” I say handing her the card, glad that she hasn’t mentioned the total. I’m not sure I could bear to see it.

  “Now where are we delivering these?” Marlene smiles as she hands me back the card and I put it carefully away.

  “Jacobs Enterprises, penthouse. The receptionist will send you up.”

  A look I don’t quite understand cross Marlene’s face. “You’re Mr. Jacobs’ girlfriend?”

  “Oh no, no, no. Nothing like that. I’m his new personal assistant and have to accompany him to a gala this evening.”

  With a knowing smile, Marlene once again assures us that everything will arrive by 4:00 and we head off to our spa appointment.

  It’s so nice to spend a couple hours with Kathleen and Gavin. While at the spa, I’m buffed and moisturized. My hair is touched up and then styled in a side sweep of beautiful loose curls that hang down the back. They meticulously airbrush on my makeup and set it so it will last well into the night. I even have my eyebrows threaded and get a mani/pedi. It takes several stylists working at once to accomplish all this in the time we have but it’s worth all the tugging, pulling and sitting still. As we’re signing out, I pull out my personal card, no way was this going on Ian’s card, when Kathleen clicks her tongue at me and insists this is her treat. A gift to celebrate my new job. Thanking her I leave the spa just in time to catch a cab and make it to the office before 1:00.

  The receptionist, Danielle, only looks up from her desk when I walk in. She gives me a disapproving look and then turns back to whatever she was working on. I make my way over to the elevators to see Connor stepping off the one to the penthouse. “Did Danielle call you?”

  “No, miss, I was just making my way down to wait for you. Mr. Jacobs is running about 10 minutes behind but should be here shortly. He wanted me to make sure you got upstairs and were comfortable.” What is this guy’s job description?

  “Well thanks, Connor.”

  “All part of the job, miss.”

  “Connor, with both of us working for Mr. Jacobs I think it would be appropriate for you to call me Celeste.”

  “Yes, miss. I mean Celeste.” He says with a grin.

  When we arrive upstairs, Connor shows me what will be my desk. Being that the penthouse consists of the conference room that I was in earlier which connects to Ian’s office, I thought I would have a space outside his office door or something similar. That, however, is not the case. He has me set up right in a corner of his office. I have my own desk and space and boy is there plenty of it but the arrangement seems odd. I can tell that there used to be a sofa and some chairs here, like a small seating area before they brought in the desk and files. I guess he figured he didn’t need two seating areas since he has the one in the conference room. I’m still puzzled by the makeup of the rooms on this floor though.

  “Connor, why is my desk in here? Shouldn’t it be set up outside the office?” I walk over to the door that I am assuming leads into the hall only to find a gourmet kitchen.

  “No miss, Celeste, the penthouse is made up of Mr. Jacobs’ office, the conference room and then other half is his private apartment. Though the kitchen comes in handy when he needs catering for conferences and gatherings. Mr. Jacobs stays here most of the time when he’s in the city.” The man does live at the office, literally.

  Connor opens another door. “Miss, Celeste, sorry. I wanted to give the full tour. You already know the conference room. Of course, the elevator opens on this side right into the conference room but if you turn there is another panel that opens directly to the apartment. Here is the key card for the elevator so you won’t have to wait for me everyday when you arrive at the office.” He says with a slight smile like he’s cracking a joke. It’s hard for me to picture this man joking but I give a little laugh anyway. He continues, “It works for both sides of the elevator in case you would ever need to enter the apartment. In the apartment, there are 3 bedrooms and 3 baths along with a living area and then the kitchen, which you already saw. Also over here,” he strolls across Ian’s office to a door around the side where my desk sits, “there is an en-suite for convenience. It would be terrible to have to trek through the apartment all the time to freshen up. So there you have it. If you would like to take a look around the apartment, please feel free. Mr. Jacobs said you should make yourself at home.”

  “Thank you, I think I will start by seeing to my desk and getting settled.”

  He nods, “Well, if there is anything you need, please, let me know; I will be just over in the conference room making a few calls.”

  Wow, Ian and I are going to be working in very close proximity. I hope we get along; well, okay obviously, we know we get along. Crap, that is not what I meant. My thoughts are all over the place but I am quickly brought back to reality when Ian walks through the doorway with Rebecca hanging very intimately onto his arm. Shit! How did I forget about the evil girlfriend last night? Oh yeah, it was probably because you were rubbing all over her delicious looking boyfriend. This is going to be another one of those days.

  “Ah, I see you found your desk.” He says shaking Rebecca off his arm. “I hope this is okay. We are a little limited to space up here so we moved out some furniture to make sure that you had your own space.” Limited in space, I look around the room, which connects to the conference wondering what he is talking about. He must notice my eyes roaming because he smiles and says, “I mean we don’t have any other offices up here.”

  “Oh, this is perfect, thank you.”

  “Very good,” he says turning his attention to Rebecca and I turn mine back to the desk fiddling with drawers feeling very much like I shouldn’t be here right now. “Rebecca, I think that will be all for this morning. Please make sure to have the papers before the gala tonight. Miss Brooks and I need to get started for the afternoon since we are running short on time, as I was late. So if you’ll excuse us.”

  “Of course,” she says running her hand down his arm as she moves toward the elevator. “I will see you tonight.” As she steps onto the elevator, I catch a glimpse of her death stare and it is pointed directly at me.

  Shit. “I’m sorry?” Ian says. Oh my god, did I say that out loud? Shit.

  “Oh, nothing. I thought I had forgotten something but it turns out that I have it right here.” I say rummaging through my bag.

  He gives me another smile. Oh, those smiles are going to be the death of me. “Okay then let’s get started. In your top right drawer are your cell phone and iPad. The iPad also works as the control for most things on this floor. The TV in the conference room, the sound system in here and the apartment, temperature control; you get the idea. If you have a question about something just ask. Our iPads are synced to one another so you have my music library at your disposal but please, if there is something you want add, do not hesitate to do so.”

  “Do you listen to music often?” I say starting to scan his library. Holy cow, he has a little bit of everything. Classical and big band, just what you would expect from someone so cultured, but then there is also classic rock followed by everything from club techno to rock and even some pop.


  “Yes, I like to when I’m buried in a project.” His lips turn up in a smile and his innuendo is perfectly clear. “I find it helps me concentrate.”

  I nod, ignoring the pictures of him buried in me running through my head, knowing just want he means. I do almost everything with ear buds stuck in my ears listening to my iPod. He walks me over to the conference room with his hand on the small of my back guiding me. His touch sends small shivers up my spine. “You’ve been here before but I want to familiarize you with the rest of the room and its capabilities. Behind you is the bar, it is fully stocked, below there is a mini sub-zero along with some storage for presentation materials, the cabinets above have the glasses and some china should we ever have a meeting that requires it. Over here,” we walk through the rest of the seating area and around the large table, “in this cabinet is the television. If you press the button on the pad, it will raise out of the cabinet. Occasionally I like to watch the markets on it, sometimes I even come over here at night to watch movies on it since it is larger than the one in the apartment,” he says with a wink. “It is fully integrated so we can hold presentations, web conferences, etc. on it. And then of course, we have a seating area,” he starts back toward his office, our office. “I find it is much better for getting to know our clients than sitting at that gigantic table. More intimate,” he says almost suggestively.

  “And now we are back in the office. You already know this is my desk and that is your area. The door off your area leads to a bathroom. It is fully stocked but if there is something that you need please let Connor know and he will make sure to stock it. We do have a company gym on the 22nd floor. I use it often but I prefer to shower and change up here. Less crowded.” And there’s that smile again. “Moving on, this door leads to the kitchen and is always unlocked as the emergency stairwell is just through the kitchen. However, down here,” he walks to the other end of the kitchen to the doorway that would lead into the apartment, “we have a drop door to block off the apartment from the office should we ever have functions up here. It is mostly always open as you see it now but I just wanted you to be aware of it and the controls for it are also on the iPad. If you need the fridge stocked with any thing let Connor know. There are two sub-zeros in here. I keep this one mostly for myself,” he opens the door to reveal a very empty refrigerator, “and this one is mainly for the office. So drinks or anything you need for lunches and such will be stored in here. Oh, I trust Connor gave you your key card for the elevator?”

  “Yes, he did,” is all I manage to squeak out as I stare into what is, for all intents and purposes, this gorgeous god’s home. It is decorated very warmly. Soothing tones of green accented with browns and blues. It is really peaceful and I can see why he would enjoy staying here. “Excellent, then let me give you a quick tour of the apartment and then we can start on what I need for tonight’s gala. Which by the way, I see you have already started to prepare for.” He gestures to my hair.

  “Oh yes, after getting the dress squared away; a friend of mine and his mother took me to the spa for some pampering. So once I change, the only things I need to do are slip the clip into my hair and touch up my makeup. It will make things so much quicker later.” I say with a smile realizing that now I am babbling and he’s leading me into HIS apartment.

  “Living room, not much to it. Just off the living room there is a bathroom and then down the hallway are three bedrooms with another bathroom in the master and a shared one for the other two rooms. That is it for this floor. When we are not so pressed for time next week, I will take you around and show the other floors.”

  “Perfect. Now what do you need for this evening?” I ask as we make our way back to his office. He seems distracted all of a sudden and begins looking around the office and opening the closet doors.

  “I thought you said you got a dress and everything you needed this morning. Where is it?”

  “Oh, well…” Shit, I hope this is all okay. “The dress had to have some alterations so Marlene, from MJ Designs, said she would send everything over by 4:00 today.” Then tentatively I add, “I hope that’s okay. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be getting so if I have overstepped please let me know and I can reimburse the company for the dress and accompaniments.” A small smile plays on his lips like he is holding back laughter.

  “No, no I love Marlene’s designs. I’m glad that you went there and that she had something on such short notice that you liked. And 4:00 is perfect. We will likely be going straight from here to the gala.” Then with a wink, he adds, “And don’t worry about the cost or paying the company back your card is on my personal account, not Jacobs Enterprises.”

  His personal account, I feel my new found mantra welling up in my head. What the hell! “Mr. Jacobs, I’m not sure that’s entirely appropriate… I don’t think it is proper for me to spend your money.” He gives me a quizzical look.

  “Celeste, first of all, call me Ian because Mr. Jacobs just makes me feel old and you can’t be but about 4 or 5 years younger than me. Second, whether it’s my card or the company’s, the money is all coming from the same place.” He drops his voice to a whisper as if someone could over hear us, “But this way I don’t have to run the purchases through accounting and can buy whatever I want.” And the smile is back. Damn these sexy panties, they are of no help when your boss makes you a quivering mess between your thighs.

  “So now that that is settled. Let’s get started on what I need for tonight.”

  After going through a list of guests that Ian must speak with and familiarizing myself with them, their companies, their families etc. we start in on the next project he will be working on. Jacobs Enterprises has its hands in a lot of places. Starting out as a small ad agency in upstate New York, Thomas Jacobs, Ian’s grandfather, had built the company to include some very exclusive brands. When Ian’s father, Robert, took over, he thought a natural co-existence with that would be working as a PR agency for various celebrities. Because what is PR except advertising; only instead of selling a product you are selling a person, or trying to keep said person’s bad deeds out of the press. Ian enjoyed something else all together though and was glad to be able to make his own stamp on the company when he decided to work in real estate development. Plus the connections through the ad agency and the PR agency didn’t hurt when he’s trying to sell the properties or obtain tenants.

  His next project is a large estate in England. The house is in horrible disrepair and there’s a lot of work to be done on the landscaping but he wants to turn it into a luxury country resort. The house, if you could call it that, is a large three-story monstrosity that dates back to the late 16th century. It had been updated and well maintained up until about 7 years ago when the current owner abandoned the property. Ian’s plan starts with bringing the house up to date and adding some amenities such as en-suite bathrooms to all of the rooms and then a full service spa and athletic facilities plus indoor pool. The grounds are expansive enough that there will be a few outdoor pools, tennis facilities and basketball courts along with more traditional English activities such as cricket and rugby. Also on property there’s a small lake that once cleaned up and landscaped will make a lovely place for a romantic rowboat ride. He wants it to be an escape from both the city and corporate life; a place where the only things you have to worry about are whether you are having a massage or relaxing by the pool.

  Along with that project he also has several others already in the works. A set of large skyscrapers on the west coast that will be mixed use are the first thing on the list. The buildings will contain some offices and some condos with an underground parking garage and full service amenities. They are almost complete but since this project is so large and on the west coast, Jacobs Enterprises has partnered with another firm to oversee the work. Ian will be going out in a couple weeks for the final inspection, ribbon cutting and after party. Of course I’m expected to attend with him. So booking travel is high on the priority list for next week.

  The
n there are some smaller projects, a housing development, which is still in the planning stages, in Florida and a new office complex here in New York. The office complex is actually a redevelopment. The area is full of large warehouses; many of which are being refurbished and given new life as something else. A few were split up and going to be restaurants and retail space. Another developer was working on converting some into apartments that would sell anywhere from $1 million up to $25 million for the larger units. The grand scheme would be having a whole community where you could live, play and work. Ian bought up the remaining space to turn into office space. He had the commitment from several companies who were looking to move into the space once it was finished. It would be nostalgic but at the same time, he plans to include the latest technology in all of the offices.

  At 4:00 p.m. precisely, Connor escorts Marlene into the office. “Oh there’s my darling boy.” She grabs his face planting a kiss on his cheek. “You must come out for dinner soon. Your sister has been missing you something fierce and of course, I want to see you as well.” A little flabbergasted, I can do nothing but stand there staring at the interaction and I’m sure my mouth was hanging open the whole time.