Chapter 1
Selena Patterson gunned the 2000 Honda Civic down Main Street, anxious to get to the office before she was registered late again. Twice in one week was treated like a felony, and she was not making enough money as it is to lose a day without pay. So fast was she going she forgot about the traffic cop that was almost always stationed just beyond the off ramp. As she skidded around the bend she groaned as she saw him step out into the street with his hand held up. She slowed the car to a stop and banged her head on the steering wheel as she waited for him to get to her.
He was making slow deliberate steps as if he had no care in the world, while the clock ticked her measly salary away. She earned her money by commission so if she didn't sell any houses, then she wouldn't get paid. Lately sales were slow and she needed to get more aggressive before she went bankrupt.
"Why the hell doesn't he get here quickly so we can just get this over with?" she asked herself as she watched the cop from her rear view mirror making his slow trek to her. As he got to her she rolled her windows down and flashed him one of her brightest smiles. "What can I do for you this morning officer?"
He peered inside her car and made a quick scan of the outside before answering. "Are you aware you were driving thirty kilometres above the speeding limit?"
"Really?" Selena asked with mock surprise. "I am sorry officer, but I was late and I didn't check. I am having a really bad morning."
"Is that so? What's a pretty girl like you doing with a bad morning?"
"Just one of those days. Listen officer, could you please overlook this ‘speeding' this one time?"
"I'm afraid I can't do that." He turned and pointed to a camera positioned just at the ramp. "You were already caught on camera. If I don't book you, well, I will be having a bad life."
Selena groaned loudly now as she waited for the officer to conclude making her morning even worse. She checked the clock on the dashboard and noticed she only had another ten minutes to make a twenty minutes drive to work. "Oh brother."
Finally Officer Slow me Down was finished and as he slipped her the piece of paper that would further dwindle her already meagre funds, she started the engine immediately. "Drive carefully now," he told her as she nodded and forced a smile.
It is official; she will be late again, and by a whole ten minutes this time. Luckily for her the streets weren't as busy just yet so she had a smooth sailing all the way to the office. She hurriedly parked her car and with nervous steps she approached the elevator.
She had initially loved working at Bloomfield Properties, since she got to host open houses and meet different people. The money she made on commission selling some of the most high end residential and commercial properties had enabled her to secure a lovely apartment for herself and some money in the bank. But that seemed such a long time ago; she had either lost her touch or no one was buying anything anymore. She was convinced it was the former reason.
As the elevator bell dinged and she stepped into the passage way that would take her to her office she grew nervous once more. She hoped Mr. Bloomfield was not there as yet, but what did that matter? Megan would be sure to point it out as soon as he stepped in.
"Good Morning Hanna," Selena said as she stepped into the office.
"Selena, hurry and get to your station; he isn't here as yet and neither is Megan," she whispered.
Selena needed no further encouragement as she gave Hannah's hand a tight squeeze and thanked her, and then made a dash for her desk. She had barely sat down and turned the computer on when Mr. Bloomfield walked in. And there he was; Mr. Bloomfield. It was hard not to look at him for he had a striking appearance and a commanding presence to match. All eyes followed him to his office, and as soon as his door closed behind him, the air in the room got cloudy as everyone exhaled at once. All except for Selena. She couldn't deny how handsome he was; how hard his body was because he worked out every day, or how seductive he appeared when he towered over a body and flashed his dimple to reveal perfect white teeth. No, he was near perfect physically, but what happened next was the single most complete reason why Selena avoided him as much as she c0uld.
Fifteen minutes after he had arrived, everyone in the office, male and female alike, seemed to have reason to knock on his door. Megan, who came in five minutes after he did, was the last to go in and took another half an hour before she came back out. She made a deliberate show of fastening her buttons on her top as she did so, and the smile she wore made Selena wonder if she thought she was participating in a noble deed.
Mr. Bloomfield used to be married, and there was no doubt in anyone's mind why that was now past tense. The man was a womaniser, and because he was wealthy, he seemed to get away with it. He flirted with everyone in the office, from Hannah the receptionist to Clover the office helper. He didn't seem to have any limits, and most of the women feared saying no because they needed to keep their jobs. Or simply because no one wanted to say no to all of what he offered.
But not Selena. Just now she saw him leave his office and deliberately walk by her desk. She pretended not to notice him and kept her eyes trained on the computer screen as she searched real estate listings. She had greater things on her mind now than who was sleeping with Ethan Bloomfield.
"Selena," he said as he stopped on the way back. "How's it going?"
"It's going," she said and gave him a half hearted smile.
"Well you're looking pretty today," he told her as he rested on the edge of her desk. He folded his arms and looked down at her, and if she didn't have as much self control, or memory, she would easily fall for him.
"Thanks Sir," she said and looked back at the screen. "I was actually trying to locate some properties that I might sell this week."
"There are tricks to the trade you know," he told her. "Why don't you come to my office and let me show you a few."
"Is it at all possible to show me right here?" she asked.
"No. The tips are located in a file on my computer," he insisted. Selena didn't make an effort to answer that time, but still he remained perched on her desk, winning her some curious stares from the other employees. "Or I could show them to you over lunch," he said.
"I brought something," she responded and didn't make an effort to look at him.
"Alright," he told her, "but it's your funeral. Soon you will become obsolete if you don't sell something."
"I will sell something this week," she told him.
"We'll see," he said as he rapped his knuckles on her desk and walked off.
He had been trying to get her to go out with him for the longest while, and he wouldn't take no for an answer. But it wasn't as if he was short on dates either. By lunch time, a brunette walked into the office and walked back out on his arm. And so was his lifestyle everyday; there was always another woman almost every day. Selena didn't want to become a statistic in his life if even to be a lunch date. Anyone who went anywhere with Mr. Bloomfield would be branded and that was a reputation she didn't intend to carve for herself.
"He and I are supposed to go to dinner later tonight," Megan said to Selena in the afternoon.
"How lovely," Selena said sarcastically. "That will make you number three today." She didn't bother to look up at Megan who seemed to be wearing blinders as far as Mr. Bloomfield was concerned. "Why do you even bother? He has a different woman here every day."
"Doesn't matter," she said like the blonde she was. "When I am with him I get a taste of the finer things in life."
Selena could only shake her head at that rationale.
"So what was he telling you this morning? He was here for an awfully long time."
"Don't worry Megan, I am not your competition," Selena said as she tried to brush the woman off.
"He seems to like you," she said softly.
Selena looked at the woman who stood there looking pitifully at her. "Megan, just go and get some work done. Even if he likes me that would make me woman number one million; I don't see how that should make you feel any better or worse."
Slowly she moved off, but Selena could tell she felt threatened by her, and not the other countless women he dated and slept with. Mr. Bloomfield was a rather spoilt man and was accustomed to having his way all the time. Selena posed a challenge which he had accepted, and she could tell because his advances got more frequent. She tried to ignore him, but he made it a habit to be venture into her personal space, complimenting her about one thing or another.
Selena had seen the women who came to him; they were all beauties, and she could not understand his fascination with her. As far as she saw, she was no more striking than the woman he had gone to lunch with today. She was simple, always dressing conservatively, only light makeup, and her hair was always a free mess of black curls that fell to her shoulders. Her skin was as dark and smooth as chocolate, and she carried herself with pride. But there was nothing about her that should attract Mr. Bloomfield. Maybe her appeal lay in the fact that he couldn't win her over. And that was a game she didn't intend to let him win.