The meeting went off without a hitch. I sat next to the CEO running his slides as he presented to the table full of crusty old men. Standing before them, speaking so smoothly and confidently, the juxtoposition of his youth and power against the rest of them was not lost on me. He moved with the kind of grace and power you'd expect of royalty, commanding the attention and respect of everyone in the room.
At the end, as the board members filed out into the hallway, he came up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder. I flinched beneath his touch.
"Meet me in my office in half an hour."
I pursed my lips, a spike of fear coursing through me. Had I done something wrong? Was I getting fired? It would officially be the shortest temp job ever. What would my friends say when they heard I'd gotten canned on my second day?
"Yes, Sir," I squeaked.
He swept out of the room, and I heard him laughing and joking with the other men as they moved down the hall. I put my head down and packed up his notes and laptop, trying to get my shit together as I worked.
Calm down, Isa. What will be, will be.
I pictured those cool eyes staring at me as he mouthed the words "We're letting you go," and felt a shiver creep down my spine. For some reason, the look of disappointment I pictured on his handsome face was the worst part.
***
I rapped on the mahogany door at the end of the executive wing, and tried to steady my breathing.
"Come in."
"Here goes nothing," I whispered, and entered the office, trying to hold my chin high.
Mr. Drake looked up at me, his green eyes intense, but the emotion behind them unreadable. Was he angry with me? Had I embarassed him somehow? I was so inexperienced, I was positive it wasn't good.
"Ms. Willcox, come here."
I smoothed my hands over my skirt and took a few steps toward the chairs in front of his desk.
"Did I say you could sit there? Come here. To me."
I paused, shifting uncomfortably on my feet.
"Are you deaf? I said come here."
His sharp tone sent a shiver down my spine. I set my jaw and walked around the desk until I was just inches away from him. He spun in his chair toward me slowly and leaned back, a smirk playing over his handsome face. For a long moment, he just looked me over, appraising me, then staring into my eyes to see if I would look away, I suppose.
I didn't.
"Take a seat here. On the desk."
His voice was a low whisper, his eyes intense.
I hesitated the briefest of moments, but then a little voice inside my head said He's messing with you. He wants to see if you're afraid. I glared back at him. I needed to show him he didn't intimidate me, no matter how rich and powerful he was.
I hopped up on the edge of his desk, and crossed my bare legs demurely. His eyes roamed over my exposed skin, stopping at my hem line, before moving up my body to my br**sts, straining beneath my blouse. I tried to keep my breathing steady, but I felt so vulnerable this close to him, especially when he looked at me like that.
"What do you know about me, Isabeau?"
He leaned forward, and I forced myself to stay still instead of shying away. He was so close that I could smell the subtle notes of his cologne: musk and wood with a hint of leather.
"My apologies … May I call you Isabeau?" He smiled up at me, dazzling me for a moment.
"Of course." My voice sounded high and breathy. I gripped the edge of his desk, trying not to fidget.
"Good. What have you heard about me, Isabeau? What do you really know about me?"
What did he want me to say? That everyone said he was an ogre? Or that they all wanted to sleep with him anyway?
"I … "
"Go on. You won't hurt my feelings."
He was still smiling, slight dimples visible in both cheeks. The sight was destracting, to say the least.
"I know that you're the youngest CEO and partner in the company's history, and I know that you earned the spot by working your way up after graduate school instead of using your inheritance as a crutch."
"Everyone knows that. What do you know about me? The real stuff. None of this press release bullshit."
I looked down at my hands, anything not to have to look up at his face so close to me.
"Um. People say … they say that you're scary. And that your assistants don't last long."
He laughed, a deep, warm sound that seemed to fill up the office. I glanced up to see him smirking at me. I relaxed my grip on the desk a little. Maybe I wasn't being fired after all.
"What else do they say?"
Oh, God. He can't possibly want me to tell him everything. Does he? The look on his face confirmed that he did. It was clear by the way he looked at me that I wasn't leaving this office until I gave him exactly what he wanted.