Tempted by My Billionaire Boss(7)

Ethan Bloomfield was not interested in anything serious with anyone.  Selena had seen the many women traipsing in and out of his office on a  daily basis. Even in the office everyone was all but aware of the length  of time it took Megan each time to leave the office whenever she went  in. The fact that she had to behave like a mother hen towards Selena  when she thought she was stealing Ethan away was testament to that fact  that they had been intimate.

She held herself in higher regards all her life, and it had taken one  dinner, one dance and one kiss to crumble the morals she had built her  life around. Now she would be like every other tramp he ever slept with.  Who knows who he might be sleeping with the following night? What was  even worse was the jealousy she now felt as she thought about it. She  hurried through her shower and alighted, feeling fresh but not renewed.

With the intention to get coffee from the machine in the lobby, she  donned a navy blue pants suit that she thought would hide her femininity  and cloak the secret she so desperately wanted to hide. She checked the  clock before she walked out and saw that she was just five minutes shy  of eight; even without speeding she could get to work on time.

When she got to the office, she was pleased to see that Ethan...Mr.  Bloomfield was not there as yet. One quick glance told her Megan wasn't  at her desk either and she hastened to hers without any adulation. She  had only just began to browse real estate listings when the door opened  and he walked in. Usually she would sneer and look away; now it was as  if her eyes were drawn to him and she couldn't stop looking. He glanced  over in her direction, and without even an acknowledgement he looked  away.

Selena started to fume as rage clouded her eyes. But what else should  she expect? She held the pencil so tightly in her hand it threatened to  break.

"Why the sour face?" she heard someone croak next to her.

She turned and saw Megan standing there. She groaned and turned her  attention to the computer screen. "Don't you have something or someone  to do now?" Selena asked.

Megan leaned over and brought her face close to Selena's. "I can smell him on you; he fucked you didn't he?"

"Megan, get out of my face!" Selena asserted.

Megan started laughing. "And here you were all this time pretending as  if you were better than any one of us here. At least I wasn't pretending  to be something I'm not," she sneered and walked off.

Selena could scream, and she almost did, but not at Megan's words. No,  she was mad at herself. She forced her way through the morning, staring  at the computer screen but seeing nothing really. By lunch, she was  sorry she hadn't taken up the offer and stay home. She didn't want the  cafeteria food today; she needed the air and the walk so she strolled  down Fifth Avenue until she got to the plaza deli at the corner. She  loved eating here; something about watching traffic roll by while she  ate soothed her. Well, it usually did. But not today.         

     



 

Selena sat with her foot long barely touched as she chewed on the one  bite she took one hundred times until it tasted bad in her mouth. She  tried drinking the milkshake, and even though that went down easier, she  didn't taste anything. Her thoughts flowed like the traffic now, and as  it came to a standstill, so did she. How could she deny she had been a  fool? Could she hope that it could lead to more? She couldn't help but  feel an uncanny attraction for him now and she now found it hard to  believe that he had treated everyone in the same way as he had done with  her. Maybe there was the small possibility that she meant more to him  than the others.

With renewed hope came a burst of appetite and she hastily ate her  lunch. She planned on seeing him when she got back to put her doubts and  concerns to rest. She has ten minutes to get to the office and she all  but ran as excitement surged through her. But it flipped inside out when  she got close to the office door and saw him and a brunette walk out.  The woman was hanging onto him and he was whispering something in her  ear. He didn't see Selena standing there as he leaned over and kissed  the woman's face. Her heart raced out of control and she felt like she  wanted to throw up. She was not so special after all.

The woman got into the car as Selena opened the office door and before  she could get to the elevator he caught up with her. "Selena?"

"Mr. Bloomfield," she said as she cleared her throat.

"What's the matter? You look pale."

"It must be what I had for lunch," she told him and punched the number  for the elevator to get moving and rid her of this foul man. How could  she be so stupid? This was what Ethan Bloomfield did all year round and  she had been silly to think he would give it all up for her.

"Would you like to go over those tips in my office now?" he asked.

Selena didn't want him to be aware of how deeply he had affected her so  she smiled and agreed to meet with him. She didn't bother going to her  desk but went straight with him to his. "So," he said as he closed the  door behind them and offered her a seat. "How are you?"

"I am fine, thank you," she told him, though she wasn't aware of what he was asking her. "How about those tips?"

He rummaged through his drawer and took out a file filled with deals he had closed. "Take a look at those," he told her.

Selena creased her brows and looked at him suspiciously as she took the  file from him. "What are these?" she asked him as she flipped through  one sale after another.

"Those were the first deals I made when I was just starting out. What do you notice about them?"

Selena looked, but she couldn't detect what it was she was supposed to  see. At her wit's end she closed the folder and gave it back to him. "I  don't get it."

"That's right Selena," he told her. "There was nothing to see because  there is no single way to sell a piece of property. You have to behave  as if the house or business is yours and you really want to get it off  of your hands. You need to tell those prospective buyers anything they  need to hear in order to convince them they need the property. And you  can't have the same sales pitch for all age groups; each has their own  needs and things they are looking for. Honey coat everything you say,  and make it specific to the people you meet. It doesn't always have to  be about the house; make them feel like you are their friend."

Selena sat there as Ethan spoke, and for the first part of what he was  saying she heard nothing. Her mind was still recovering from memories of  the night before, but she heard enough to understand what he was  saying. He reached across the desk and took her hand in his and she  pulled them back before she got scorched once more. His face changed  expression as he wondered what that was about. She had every intention  of asking where he thought last night would lead, but after the brunette  she was no longer interested. And she still hadn't faced Krystal as  yet.

"Thanks for the tips Mr. Bloomfield," she said as she scraped her chair  back to get up. "I will make sure and use them as well as you have."

Ethan got up and walked around the table and confronted her. "What's with the attitude? I was sure that after last night..."

"Last night was a mistake that won't happen again," she cut him off by saying.

"What...Selena, what are you talking about? I thought you enjoyed..."

"I have to get back to work Mr. Bloomfield. Thanks again." She held her  head straight as she exited the office and was careful to wear her poker  face just in case anyone thought she had just made out with him. It was  everyone's perception that he did that with all the females in the  office.         

     



 

At day's end Selena was one of the first persons to race from the office  and she coasted down the already busy street as she headed home. But  she wasn't less anxious as she mentally prepared for the barrage of  questions she was sure to get. When she got home both Krystal and  Melanie were already there waiting for her. Krystal wore a knowing smile  while Melanie wore a frown.

"Don't start guys; it's been a long day."

"And an even longer night as I recall," Melanie added.

Selena didn't answer but walked directly to the elevator and pressed the  button for her floor. Both girls tried to squeeze in multiple questions  along the way but she pretended not to hear them.

"What do you want me to say?" she asked as she closed her apartment door  and tossed her bag on the sofa. "We went out, had dinner and then we  went back to his place. He was really debonair and I saw a different  side to him; a side that drew out my sexuality. We had mind blowing sex  and then I came home and that was that. Did that answer all of your  questions?" she asked as she stormed into the kitchen.

"But how could you let him get to you?" Melanie asked.

"It wasn't as if I did it deliberately," Selena whined. "I was expecting  to be with this chauvinistic animal that spoke to everyone in a  condescending manner and behaved as if he was God's gift to women. He  wasn't any of that; he was sensitive and considerate and normal." Then  Selena looked at Krystal who was flipping through the channels on the  television. "And why are you so quiet about it."