Finding Herself(Surrender, Part 1)(7)

But then she blinked, and that look was gone, and Isabel was hugging her tight. “I knew you’d do it!” she squealed. “You’ve really got it all figured out.”

Once their work was over, Isabel convinced Shirley and Serena to come along to celebrate, and soon the four of sitting around a table in a dimly lit “Dessert Bar”, a place with a small dance floor that served amazing desserts. They shared two gigantic slices of black forest cake and had a glass of champagne each, and Shirley, Serena and Isabel seemed genuinely thrilled for her.

After her second glass of champagne, Emily said, “This is the best day of my New York life so far.”

“It only gets better,” Shirley replied.

Emily hoped she was right.





Chapter Three



On Monday morning, Emily discovered that she had butterflies in her stomach. She woke before it was light outside, and after tossing and turning for a bit, she decided to go and get to the office early.

Knowing that she’d be working at Alpha Investments, and the reality of actually going to work there, were two different things. She’d prepared as best she could – the Prada suit fit her perfectly, and Shirley had shown her how to apply makeup properly so that her freckles were hidden, her cheekbones looked higher, and her eyes looked larger and brighter. It took half an hour to get her makeup perfect, but Emily figured it was worth it. The staff at the diner and Su-Jin had chipped in to get her a “farewell” present – a pair of gorgeous, cubic zirconia stud earnings that looked just like real diamonds. Isabel told Emily that she was welcome to borrow her GHD hair iron whenever she wanted, so now her usually-unruly curls looked sleek and straight instead.

By the time she got to the office, it was just after seven o’clock, and she looked like a completely different person. Emily decided that it was far too early to head upstairs, so she lingered in the ground floor public atrium, and took in her surroundings. Alpha Investments occupied several top floors at 590 Madison Avenue, but when Emily came for her interviews, she’d always rushed through the building and hadn’t noticed her surroundings.

Today, she sat quietly in one corner of atrium and watched a ballet troupe practice their routine on the other side. The dancers’ movements were fluid and graceful, and Emily soon found herself engrossed in their dance.

Just when she was starting to relax, she noticed a familiar figure heading towards one of the elevators. Emily grabbed her bag without thinking, and walked quickly towards him.

Nate was dressed in a dark grey suit, and even from a distance, Emily couldn’t help but feel his magnetic presence. He reminded her of a quiet, powerful predator who relied purely on instinct.

In the past few days, Emily had gone through article after article about Nate Steele. After all, she needed to know about the man she worked for. What she’d found out surprised her – Nate Steele was a man of many contradictions. He ran his business with ruthless efficiency, but he donated generously to various charities. His net worth was extremely high, but he once said in an interview that he didn’t care about luxuries. He was frequently seen partying with celebrities and travelling around the world, but few people claimed to know him very well.

In business, Nate often took on contrary positions in his investments, betting against the common sentiment and often winning. Nate liked to know the companies he held positions in, inside and out, and he had made quite a few enemies along the way.

There were numerous articles about Nate’s personal life. There were quite a few photos of him on the red carpet, escorting some starlet or the other. Gossip magazines speculated about his relationships, or lack thereof – apparently, he was never seen with the same girl on his arm more than a few times. Reading those articles had made Emily feel depressed and relieved at the same time: clearly Nate only dated red-hot airheads, so she would never get to enact her fantasies about him. Which was a good thing, she told herself: she needed a job more than she needed wild sex.

Nate turned around just before pressing the elevator button, and as their eyes met, Emily felt a shiver run through her veins. His eyes: she would never get used to them. They were so dark and penetrating, and they took in everything about her.

In an instant, Emily regretted trying to catch the same elevator as Nate. What had she been thinking? She’d just thought it was a good idea to get some face time with her new boss. It had nothing to do with the fact that she found him ridiculously attractive – she remembered the fantasy of him kissing her, and stroking her, and forcefully pushed those images out of her mind.

“You made it,” Nate said drily, as they waited for the elevator to arrive.