5. EVE
5
EVE
I was fifteen minutes early, thanks to the limo waiting for me at Macy's this morning. Inside, on the soft leather seat, there were chocolates, a thousand-dollar coffee card, and a note welcoming me to the McKenzie Group—which I again smelled.
Arriving even before Stella, I found myself outside the office doors with enough privacy for a decent anxiety attack. Thankfully, not long after, I regain control of my emotions. enough for Stella to greet me with a smile, glance down at my dress, and nod her approval.
"You look very appropriate today, Ms. Stone." Stella nods and uses her body as a shield when she punches the numbers on the keypad to open the office.
“Thank you.” Shaking off the last of my anxiety, my smile grew wide as excited anticipation at seeing Ash again filled my body.
"The boys will be in soon. I'll set you up in Ash's lounge." As Stella flicks the lights on, a cold chill fills the room, creating a different ambiance than it did yesterday.
I eagerly follow her into Ash's space, remembering the first time I opened these doors yesterday.
"You can use the reception desk for now." Stella grabs a Lysol wipe and runs it over all the surfaces.
"What about the blonde?" I ask, fully aware of her name.
"Dismissed." Stella smiles, the kind of smile that tells me she knows that was at my request. "She didn't fit in here."
"Oh." My voice was lower than I intended. Time to change the subject. "Office supplies?" I place my purse on the desk and take off my fitted black jacket.
"You should find everything you need in the desk, if not, come see me." Stella opens a few of the desk drawers and finds exactly what she was hoping for, nodding with a sense of satisfaction or surprise that supplies weren’t taken when Veronica left.
Before I can utter another word, the distant ring of a phone interrupts us, and Stella quickly returns to her desk to handle the call. I'm left alone to take in my new surroundings.
Leaning my head back, I steal a quick glance into Ash's office. The floor is spotless, and his desk is meticulously organized with everything in its proper place. I take a seat at my desk and swipe some more Lysol wipes, drenching everything the blonde could have touched.
"OCD?" I feel Ash's intense gaze on me as he stands at the door, a sly smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Stella left these." I casually throw the wipes into the garbage bin as I stand up, then absentmindedly smear my hands on my new dress.
"You look amazing." Ash comes closer to see what his money had bought.
"This old thing?" I laugh awkwardly, feeling a mix of self-consciousness and flattery as his gaze slowly traces the curves of my body.
"Do you have everything you need here?"
I know he means the desk, but his eyes are on my body. "Yes, and if not, Ms. Stella said I could ask her… for… anything." My voice trails off, overshadowed by the unsettling sight of him running his tongue between his lips instead of listening to my words.
"Perfect." Ash breaks his trance and heads to his office, hastily yanking his tie off and shrugging out of his jacket. The sight of his tattoos, just barely visible beneath the rolled-up cuffs of his white shirt, ignites a fiery sensation in my face that matches my red dress. “You okay?”
"Umm yeah, just first day jitters." I force a smile, my eyes strain to stay fixed on his face, a seemingly simple task that proves surprisingly challenging.
His nod is accompanied by a curious squint, as if he's grappling with the puzzle that is me. "We have a meeting with my brothers this afternoon." He moves papers around his clean desktop, but gets frustrated when he can’t find what he's looking for. Every piece of paper that’s not the right one drifts to the floor.
"Can I help you?" The moment I step toward the desk, his disapproving glare forces me to retreat.
Ash picks up the phone. "Stella, where is the blue project report?" He opens the lower drawer, presumably at Stella’s instruction, his face softens, and he delicately pulls out a coiled report. "Thank you."
With his attention back on me, he scratches his chin, lost in thought. "Can you type?"
"Two-fingered." I punch the air with both index fingers, and a nervous laugh escapes from my lips.
"Umm…" Ash looks around his office. "Stella normally does training…"
"Got it," I answer too quickly. I point to the door and let myself out. I resist the urge to glance back until I reach his lounge door, convinced he'll be there, but he hasn't left his office.
That morning, I worked closely with Stella, side by side. My secretarial skills left much to be desired, and she was far from impressed. “Like a thorn in my side,” she kept muttering.
"I'm going on a lunch break." Stella grabs her purse as soon as the clock hits noon.
"What should I do?" I stand up, feeling antsy and wanting to go back to the safety of Ash’s office.
"Nothing. Don't touch anything." Stella grabs her coat, then swiftly turns back to put all the papers on her desk in a drawer and locking it. “Nothing,” she mouths to me on her way out the door.
"I won't touch a thing." I offer a smile, but she does not respond with one of her own.
"Eve?" I hear from behind me.
When I hear his voice, a wave of warmth spreads through me as if my insides are melting. "Yes, Mr. McKenzie."
"Ash is fine. Come." He waves me back into his personal space. "We need to talk about this meeting."
I follow him through his lounge into his office. He closes the door behind us. His desk is back to being organized, with neat paper piles across its surface. I can feel the weight of his hands on the back of the chair as I sit, a subtle reminder of his authority.
"My brothers will be hard to win over." Ash sits next to me instead of behind his desk. I watch as he places his elbows on his knees, contemplating his next words.
I sit silently, waiting for an explanation of what he wants from me. He knows I have no experience; I'm only hindering him at this point.
"My brothers are not on board with how I’ve been handling things in the company, and some of that is rightfully so. But I need them to trust me to close this current deal.”
Wanting him to continue and clue me in on my part of his plan, I say, "I'm not sure what you want me to do. I didn't seem to do anything right today according to Stella."
"That's just Stella's way. She does like you." A sly grin appears on his face.
"Oh, that's what that was?" I laugh, hypnotized by his boyish looks when he isn't in business mode.
"I have no doubt you'll win her over. But first, and more challenging, are my brothers. I need them to think you are my secret weapon in this deal."
"You want me to lie to them?" Squinting, the pieces start falling into place. Wasn't it obvious to him I was incredibly awkward and incapable of lying?
"No. Not lie. Be my backup."
"But I don’t know what business you're even in. All I know are the rumors…" I trail off, instantly wishing I hadn't spoken those words.
"Rumors?" The corners of his lips turn up in amusement.
"Well, you know." I lower my eyebrows. Surely, he knows.
"And are they true?" He pulls his sleeves up more, revealing more of his ink. His eyes are hooded, and his lips are ever so pouty.
Of course, they are fucking true, but I needed this job, so I wasn't about to admit it. "You tell me." I push back into the seat, lifting my shoulders up.
He sits up with a smirk. "Back to my brothers. I need you to agree with what I say, hand out the packets in my briefcase, and take notes."
“How will that impress them?”
"Because you're you, Eve." He takes my hand in his. "Sweet. Innocent.” He shakes his head like he’s said too much. “And you're a terrible fucking liar, and they will see that."
The skin that touches his tingles. His hands are surprisingly soft and give off a certain warmth. I pull back from him, intent on keeping this professional. "I still don't see how this will help you."
"You're honest. That's more of an asset than anything," he offers with a firmer tone. Was he mad I pulled away from him?
Wanting to make amends, I say, "I’ll go. I mean, it’s for my job. I’ll do my best.” Although I’m uncertain I can pull off what he wants when I still don’t understand. And if I miss his mark, what will he do to me then? This seems too important to him to fuck it up.
“Thank you. Keep questions that you have until after, when we are alone. It will make more sense after the meeting.” Ash stands, unrolling his sleeves and putting his tie back on, but it’s crooked. “Would you?” He gestures toward his pitiful tie.
Finally, something I could do. Growing up, I tied my foster father’s tie every morning, even though I knew he fixed it later. Eventually, I learned how to tie them correctly and we’d had some of the best talks when I helped him get ready for work.
I approach him and reach up; he is a good foot taller than my 5?4?. I rest my hands on his chest as I work the tie into form. His body is warm. He has the most incredible brown eyes; they seem to see right through me. “There.” I step back when I’m done, happy with how it looks.
“Thank you, Eve.” With a gentle smile on his face, he looks down at me, his eyes filled with warmth that immediately calms my nerves. His voice, with its gentle and soothing tone, has a calming effect.
The ringing of his phone interrupts the moment. “Yes. Thank you.” Ash puts the phone down. “It’s go time.”