Finding Herself(Surrender, Part 1)(14)

Emily always had a hard time hiding her emotions, and she knew that Nate could see what she was thinking. She dropped her eyes and said softly, “I’m not sure. I don’t even know you.”

The silence seemed to go on forever, and then Nate said, “I see. Well. This won’t work if you don’t trust me.”

Nate let go of the doors, and was about to turn away, when a flash of anger hit Emily. She grabbed the elevator doors and said, “I don’t trust you? You don’t trust me either. The whole email thing is just a record so I can’t say later that you harassed me.”

Nate was silent for a second, and then started laughing. “You’re not as naïve as you look. Alright then, we’ll forget this ever happened. It was a mistake thinking you ever wanted me.”

His eyes raked down her body, making her feel hot with desire. Get a grip, she told herself.

Emily wanted to say, “I do want you”. But she cared about her future, and getting an internship at Alpha Investments had been a stroke of good luck for her, a stepping-stone to a proper career. She couldn’t lose that. So instead, she said, “Do I still work here?”

Nate shook his head, no. “I was afraid something like this might happen. I’ll have to let you go.”

“That’s not fair. You can’t just fire me – I’m a good analyst.”

“You are, and that’s why I’ll tell my friend Eric at Laurent Investments to hire you full-time. You’ll get your job, and we’ll never see each other again.”

Emily felt her throat go dry. This was exactly the type of opportunity she’d been waiting for. A full-time job as an analyst at a hedge fund. It would lead to bigger things, and the kind of glamorous New York lifestyle she’d always dreamt of.

She should have felt excited and happy. But all she felt was a knot in her stomach, tying itself tighter and tighter.

Nate was staring at her, waiting for her to say something. But the words didn’t come out, they didn’t even form in her brain. Finally, she managed to choke out, “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

Nate nodded curtly, and then he was gone. The elevator doors closed, and Emily found herself making her way to her tiny cubicle.





Chapter Six



Emily went through the day feeling completely distracted. All she could think about was Nate and the terrible feeling in her stomach. Getting her first real job shouldn’t feel like this.

She sat through lunch feeling distracted, barely able to focus on the conversation. All she could think about was that she’d made a mistake. She couldn’t believe that Nate would want to hurt her, and she regretted saying no to him. As soon as she got back to her cubicle after lunch, she emailed Nate:

Sir,

Please forget what I said in the elevator this morning. I’m sorry, I was wrong. I trust you.

I am not interested in the Laurent Investments job.

The requested document is attached.

It was vague enough while being specific. She cursed Isabel for scaring her, and she told herself that Nate would accept her apology.

The day passed terribly. She checked her email every five minutes, but there was no reply.

***

A week passed. Nate didn’t reply to her email. But nobody from Laurent Investments called her either.

Emily went home every day feeling sick, convinced that she’d lost both her first job offer, and the man who made her insides melt. She emailed him again – just one line to check if he’d gotten her first email. But that got no reply either.

Finally, a week after sending the second email, she decided to go up to his office and speak to him. It was evening, and most of the employees had gone home, but Emily had a hunch that Nate would still be at work. When she turned up on the 41st floor, Tiffany stared at her in surprise.

“Is Nate in?” she asked, undaunted by Tiffany’s withering stare.

“Yes, but he’s too busy for you.”

Emily stared at the icy blonde, and then walked up to Nate’s door and knocked.

After a short pause, his voice drifted out. “Yes?”

She opened the door and stepped in. Nate was in a meeting with three men she didn’t know.

“Oh.” She felt foolish and unprepared. “I’m sorry, I thought you weren’t…”

Nate’s eyes were blank and unemotional. “Wait outside,” he said curtly. “I’ll call you in when I’m free.”

“Yes, sir.”

Emily closed the door behind her, and sat on the sofa in the reception area. She stared at her feet, wishing she’d brought her phone with her. Tiffany ignored her studiously.

After a few minutes, the three men Nate had been talking with emerged, and Nate walked them to the elevator without glancing at Emily. He didn’t look at her on the way back either, and simply walked back to his room and shut the door behind himself.