Ali
This is it,my big chance at making something out of my gap year before heading off to college. I’m so nervous that I had to do my makeup twice and hair three times but managed to piece myself together to something semi-presentable but am still all jitters as I walk through the front door of the Francis Construction building where I’ll be undertaking my internship.
The tall glass panes gleam in front of me as I step up to the front door. The perfectly landscaped and hydrated grass on either side of me reminds me of just how much money and resources this place commands. Compared to the old rundown apartment my mom and I share, this is a kingly palace.
Don’t ask me how I got the job. All I know is that I did, and hopefully the real-world experience will look great on my applications and teach me a lot for my psychology major.
Not to mention the last thing I wanted to do after graduating was dive right into another four years of school. Still, I’m so nervous I’m shaking as I reach out and take hold of the door handle.
I close my eyes, fill my lungs with air, and replay my mom’s advice that she always gives me when I’m nervous about anything.
“Take a breath, focus, and remember that everything will be all right. It could be worse, after all. You could be living somewhere without food or have hideous boils all over your face.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
In a way, she is right. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen? My new boss thinks I’m terrible, that he made a huge mistake hiring me, and immediately fires me? No big deal, right?
Ugh.
I take a deep breath, which doesn’t really seem to help, open my eyes, tug open the door, and step into the building.
The sound of my footsteps echoes ominously as I cross the lobby to a front desk. As I reach it, I notice it’s empty and stand there a few seconds before a voice calls from my right. “We lost Emma.” I turn to see a security guard sitting on his phone by a door marked restricted. “You need something?”
“Yeah, I-I’m Ali, the new girl?”
“Ah.” He smiles. “You need to see Zander. Take the stairs.”
He motions casually to the stairs leading to the second floor, then goes back to whatever he’s doing on his phone – a game, I suspect from the explosive noises I hear as I take the first step.
I realize I’m fidgeting as I take the stairs, tapping my fingers against my legs anxiously like I always do when I get nervous, and flicking my tongue back and forth between my teeth. Technically, I already have the job, but I haven’t officially met anyone in person, and Zander Francis, the CEO, also has quite the reputation as a stud and a womanizer.
Is that why they lost Emma?I wonder as I reach the second floor.
In-office romances often end badly, and it certainly isn’t going to be the CEO of the company who leaves when it’s over, that’s for sure.
My best friend Mel actually thinks I should be exploiting Zander’s reputation, using “womanly charms” to work my way up the company ladder, but Mel has quite a bit more experience with men than I do, and by quite a bit more, I mean infinitely more because I don’t have any.
The closest I’ve come to having any experience with the opposite sex is dancing with Colin Flannagan in 10th grade when he put his hand on my butt and I totally freaked out and ran away from him and hid in a closet for the next three songs until Mel came to rescue me. Other than that, I’ve been pretty much too awkward and shy for all eighteen years of my life.
If Mel was in my shoes, I’m sure she could use her womanly charms to make something happen. She’s always been confident and able to get guys to do whatever she wants them to, whether it’s getting them to pick her up late night McDonald’s or act like her personal Uber driver for no reciprocation. I have no idea how she does it. She and I are complete opposites in many ways. Maybe that’s why we’re such great friends.
When I reach the second floor, my heart is racing, but I take a few more deep breaths and do my best to stay calm. I have a vague idea of what Zander looks like from the photos online, but when I see the magnificent Adonis in the charcoal suit step out of the office door and walk toward me, I know immediately it’s him.
My heart skips two beats. My body immediately goes hot.
My jaw drops, but I quickly close my mouth again so as to not look stupid.
Oh my God…
Handsome doesn’t even do him justice. In an office building filled with men, Zander stands out like a single swatch of color in a black and white photo.
He moves with the confidence of a ruler, a king, man without a worry on his mind. Like someone who owns the world. His suit hugs him with complete perfection, highlighting each and every line of what is clearly a flawless physique underneath.
I can feel my pulse between my legs.
And wetness too…
He strides confidently over to the desk of one of his employees, stops, and says something to him, then looks up and sees me.