I was typing away, sending out form responses to the few people I knew Oliver wouldn’t be interested in speaking to, when the phone rang.
“Hello, Oliver Paulson’s office.”
“Hello?”
A woman’s voice came through the line, and she sounded distressed.
“Can I help you?” I kept my tone as neutral as I could, but I shuffled in my seat a little, settling in. No doubt, this was one of Oliver’s women, ready to drop some drama straight into my lap.
“Is that Oliver’s assistant?” the woman asked, and I cocked my head to the side, intrigued.
“Yes, it is,” I confirmed. “Can I help you with something?”
“What’s your name?” she asked, and I furrowed my brow.
“Mona,” I responded. “My name is Mona.”
“Mona,” the woman repeated, as though she was affixing the name to her memory. “And you work for him? For Oliver?”
“Yes, I do,” I confirmed, I was beginning to doubt that this phone call had anything to do with business. Leaning back in my seat, I waited for the woman to continue.
“Don’t let him fool you,” she warned, her voice dropping slightly, and I felt a jolt run through me.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, sitting up in my chair.
“I know he’s charming, but you can’t let him fool you into thinking there’s actually something between you,” she went on, and it sounded as though she’d rehearsed what she was going to say to me.
“Who are you?” I demanded, but I already had a good idea.
“I’m his last assistant,” she snapped without a hint of amusement. “Jeannie. Haven’t you heard about me?”
My stomach dropped. I closed my eyes and swallowed, bracing myself for the rest of this unpleasant exchange.
“How did you get this number?” I asked, stupidly, then quickly corrected my question. “Why are you calling?”
“I wanted to warn you,” she replied, as though it should have been obvious. “I know what he’s like. I was there too, and when I found out he had hired a pretty, young girl to be his assistant.”
“How do you know he hired me?” I demanded.
“I still have friends there, Mona,” she reminded me, and I shivered, wondering if she had been keeping tabs on me the entire time.
I looked around, as though someone might be watching me at that very moment.
“And they told me that you’re exactly his type,” she went on. “I was, too, and after we hooked up-”
“You guys were sleeping together?” I interrupted. I guessed I had suspected that was what had happened between them, but that didn’t make it any easier to stomach.
“Of course we were,” she scoffed, and I was beginning to get irritated at the way she was speaking to me. “He was pretty much the best I’ve ever had. I got hooked on him.”
“Right.” I allowed her to my stomach turning somersaults inside me.
“After we had sex, everything changed,” she sighed sadly. “I knew it would, but I thought we could overcome it. God help me, I thought he actually wanted to be with me.”
“And he didn’t?”
“Well, I think you’d know about me if he did,” she shot back, sarcastically.
Why was I still on the phone with this woman? I could have hung up ages ago, but I didn’t want to. I had to hear what she had to say.
“And what happened?” I pressed.
I had no idea how long it would be until I’d get called away by something or someone else, and I felt like I had a right to know.
“They got rid of me, of course,” she went on, as though it should have been obvious. “Or else, you wouldn’t have my job, right?”
“Right, right,” I spoke carefully, suddenly aware that Jeannie might just be pissed that she had been fired and was hoping to sabotage my job here, as well.
“Don’t let him near you,” she warned. “Don’t let him seduce you. Don’t let yourself fall for him because all you’re going to end up with is an unemployment check and…”
She trailed off, falling quiet for a moment and then continued, “Memories,” she said at last. “No job, just memories. It’s not worth it. Trust me.”
“I’ll take that under advisement,” I replied, trying my best to appear neutral.
“Promise me,” she begged. “Please.”
I could have promised her nothing would happen between Oliver and I. They were just words, after all, and the chances of her ever finding out one way or another were slim, but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t promise her. I wouldn’t.
I hung the phone up, my mind swirling and my heart pounding in my chest.
What did it say about me that I couldn’t just tell her nothing would happen? I knew why. It was because somewhere at the back of my brain, I knew I hoped it would.
Was I so desperate for a man that I would go against the advice of someone who knew from recent experience that it would be in my best interest to stay the hell away from him?
There was just something about Oliver. From the second I’d laid eyes on him I wanted him. I wanted him badly, and not just physically because if it were only that, I would have had no trouble getting him into my bed. I was not without my charms as they say. No, it was a hell of a lot more than that, and there was no denying it any longer.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, forcing myself to slow down. My thoughts were humming at record speed, so fast I was sure I might start levitating if I let them go on any longer.
Nothing had changed. It wasn’t like Oliver knew how I felt. Only Jeannie, a woman who had sat in this seat before me knew what I was feeling. She was the only person who could fully understand what it was like to be next to Oliver day in and day out, seduced by his charms.
Maybe I should take Jeannie’s advice. She ended up losing her job. It was so unfair. Did the company made a habit of canning anyone who got too close to the higher-ups? I had no clue, but it definitely happened with the last woman who occupied this office.
Things wouldn’t happen like that for me. I had to strengthen my resolve. I had to harden myself to his charms, to ignore those looks he gave me when he was sure I wasn’t looking. I had to make sure he knew nothing would ever happen between us.
It would have been simple but Jeannie’s phone call only served to pique my interest. I knew I was being reckless for even thinking it, but if there was any way to get me interested in a guy, it was to hear from his ex-lover that he was the best they’d ever had.
This woman had ruined her career to be with Oliver. What kind of genius in bed must he have been for her to have risked her career, and how could I not be thinking of all the tricks he could pull between the sheets?
I realized with a start that Oliver had finished his phone call next door. I had no idea how long ago he’d hung up, but I got to my feet at once, as though he was going to burst in the door and scold me for slacking.
To my surprise, I heard a knock. He didn’t normally come into my office, and I stumbled over my words for a second before I responded.
“Uh, come in,” I called, sounding a bit frazzled.
He opened the door and walked in, and there was an odd expression on his face, as though he had somehow been privy to the conversation I’d just received.
“Everything alright?” I asked, smiling.
I knew I looked flustered. I was reddening from the chest up, and I wrung my hands together in a way that probably looked neurotic to him.
“Yeah, sure,” he said, nodding and eyeing me curiously, as though trying to put his finger on what was off. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I am,” I assured him, taking my seat back behind my computer and looking up at him expectantly. “What can I do for you?”
“Could you push back the meeting I have with Neil ’til five thirty?” he asked. “I need a little more time to put my proposal together, and I don’t want to rush it.”
“Of course,” I replied, smoothly, checking his schedule and
pulling up Neil’s email so I could let him know. “Anything else?”
“Were you just on the phone with someone?” he asked, cocking his head at me.
I froze. Would it be better if I told him? I brushed my hair from my face, buying time, as I tried to come up with an answer.
“Oh, yeah.” I replied. “My Mom, she was calling in to check on me.”
“Oh, okay, he said, shrugging, even though he looked at me with a cock-eyed glance that suggested he didn’t buy it for a second. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Yes, certain,” I replied as firmly as I could. “I’ll rearrange that meeting for you.”
“Thanks.”
He ducked out, and my shoulders softened with relief. Being in a room alone with Oliver was even more difficult knowing what I now knew.
I undid my hair and let it fall down over my shoulders. I massaged my scalp, as I attempted to force the thoughts of Oliver from my head.
I just hoped that he had more restraint than I did.
Chapter 10
Oliver
This last month had been one of the most productive I’d ever pulled off in the history of my career. I had my nose so close to the grindstone it was in danger of getting scraped. I practically had to be wrestled from my office at the end of each day so the cleaning service could get in and get their job done.
I knew it wasn’t good for me to work as hard as this, but the sweet smell of success was an intoxicating reason to go on. I’d forgotten how it felt to be challenged like this, to have to plan carefully and strategize every move I made to ensure that it was drawing me closer to landing the Masterson account once and for all.
They were a British company and, as such, they were somewhat old-fashioned. This was unusual for a tech firm, but I could work with it. I only had to tweak my attitude to make sure I wasn’t coming off too hard or “American” for their liking.
I would do anything to get them on board. I’d be looking at an expansion for the company that would take us from a solid, national brand into a dominating, international one.
Neil was right though when he said we didn’t need it right this second, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to try to chase it down if I could. Landing something like this now would be a big win any way you sliced it.
I also knew, with absolute certainty, that I couldn’t have come as far as I was now without Mona’s constant support both professionally and as a friend. I had never had an assistant even half as good as her, one who seemed to anticipate my every move and work around it to make sure I was getting the most I possibly could out of every single work day.
This was a woman who knew how to strategize, one who knew how to work hard, fast, and efficiently, and she was applying all that knowledge with great effect and with a confident and calming disposition.
She didn’t seem to mind coming in before the crack of dawn to cover the dozens of emails I’d have from my overseas correspondents. She didn’t bat an eye when I requested she stay late as I finished up calls from people across the world so she could organize my schedule for the next day. She had done an incredible job of making sure that no one got too ticked off at me for putting the rest of my life on hold to chase down this account.
I often heard her on the phone, talking calmly but firmly to whomever was on the other end of the line and laying out the facts for them in that professional but aggressive tone that let them know that she understood their concerns but wasn’t going to give in to them, not for anyone.
In fact, sometimes I found myself sitting there listening to her, glancing up at the ceiling and letting the smooth sound of her words wash over me like an incoming tide. It was so refreshing. Almost soothing.
She would accompany me to meetings now, too. Not all of them, but it was useful to have someone there with me who was a little less sleep-deprived, someone who could fill me in on details I might have missed in my overworked state. She was there to offer me the information I needed in a competent, confident tone. I could have listened to it all day.
Her contributions to the company were definitely not going unnoticed.
“How long has she worked here now?” Neil asked, jerking his head toward Mona’s office, which was currently empty as I’d long-since sent her home.
It was a Friday night, and though she’d offered to stay in as long as it took to get everything done, I’d practically chased her out with orders to get some rest and forget about office-related stuff for a few days. She had reluctantly left, making me promise to go home at a reasonable time that evening and not to spend the rest of the night refreshing my email to see if anything new had come in.
“I think a couple of months or so?” I said, doing the math in my head. “Why?”
“She’s…” Neil looked over at the office, as though she might walk out of it at any second. “She’s good, that’s all. Really good. I think she’s a major asset to the company.”
“Yeah, she’s a pro,” I agreed, fondly, feeling a small swell of pride, even though her being hired here had nothing to do with me. “I’m glad to have her around. Keeps me on track when I feel like I’m getting buried under it all.”
It had taken Neil a while to come around to the concept that I was going after the Masterson account, but in the last week, he finally agreed it seemed like the best course of action, especially when he saw how damned close I was to landing it for good.
I could see that glow in his eyes. He had started coming down to my office more regularly for updates on how things were progressing. He was as excited as I was, and I couldn’t say I blamed him. This could be huge for us if we pulled it off. Enormous.
“Yeah, you might need to slow down a little,” he remarked, but he he knew it was falling on deaf ears.
I didn’t play those kinds of games. I was either all in or all out, and right now, there was nothing he could have done to yank me from the roll I had found myself on.
“Good luck with that,” I said, grinning.
Neil paused for a moment before he spoke again. I could see the cogs turning in his brain as he thought about the best way to phrase whatever it was he needed to get out.
“What is it?” I demanded.
“You’re spending a lot of time with her,” he replied. “Nothing’s happening, is it?”
“No!” I exclaimed, a little too defensively.
He raised his eyebrows at me, and I rolled my eyes.
“Seriously, Neil,” I said again, this time making sure to keep my attitude in check, so he didn’t have any reason to doubt me. “I know how it looks to you, but nothing like that is happening with us. You really think she’d look twice at someone like me?”
“Yes,” he responded, bluntly, catching me off guard.
I took a deep breath and continued.
“I’m too busy right now to think about pursuing anything with anyone, let alone Mona,” I assured him. “Nothing’s happening, nothing’s going to, either. Is that good enough for you? She’s worked here for weeks now, and there hasn’t been a hint of anything. I don’t know what else I can do to convince you.”
“Okay.” Neil eyed me again, suspicious. “Whatever you say.”
“You want a drink?” I asked, changing the subject and turning to the small drinks table behind me. “I could sure use one.”
“Hell, yes,” he agreed, and soon enough, the two of us were shooting the shit about our time in college, all talk of Mona forgotten.
He left after one drink and a good hour of conversation, and I returned my attention to the screen in front of me, and paying no attention to the nagging, little voice at the back of my head that was telling me I should have left for home hours ago.
The conversation Neil and I had shared about Mona was still thrumming around my head, and I couldn’t shake the thought of her once again. That was why I had picked up this fucking account in the first place, to get my mind off her. I hadn’t accounted for the fact she was going to turn out to be one of the most painfully efficient
assistants in the history of the company, and that meant spending even more time around her than usual.
How on Earth was I meant to keep my attraction to her on the down-low when I spent what felt like every minute of every day in her company?
I wanted her more than ever. The more she showed herself to be competent and controlled when it came to business, the bigger and stronger my attraction grew. We still exchanged those looks, those moments, those little dashes of desire that neither of us could verbalize. I was telling the truth when I said nothing had happened, but I wasn’t sure if I could honestly say that nothing ever would.
I made my way into her office, almost without realizing I was doing it. The place smelled lightly of her, and I felt a little creepy for even recognizing what her scent was. I couldn’t help it, though. It felt that, despite my best efforts, I’d absorbed this intimate knowledge of Mona – how she smelled, the way her eyes scrunched up when she smiled, and how she yawned while tilting backward so she could stretch her back that got sore working in that chair all day.
I brushed my hand across the back of that chair, imagining what if would be like if she were here. She would turn to look up at me and give me that bright, beautiful smile, maybe ask if there was something I needed or something she could do.
And maybe this time, instead of asking her to shift around a meeting or switch up a schedule, I would tell her the truth – that she was the only thing I needed, that all of this was only an attempt to distract myself from her and how utterly and completely perfect I was sure we’d be for each other if we just gave things a chance.
But I needed to hold myself back from this as best I could. Even if it hurt, even if every fiber of my being told me it was wrong for me to fight these feelings.
I walked out of her office, and without missing a beat, scooped up my coat and headed straight for the stairs. I didn’t want to be here anymore, not without her.
Jesus. I hoped she had a better grasp on her self-control than I did because things were bubbling over inside of me and I didn’t know how much longer I could hold off.
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