Monday morning
It was a typical Monday morning at the office, and I was already feeling overwhelmed. Zane was making me work like a horse and it was wearing me out. It reminded me of my internship when I used to do nearly all the work for my boss. I had a stack of paperwork on my desk and was busy scheduling meetings and conference calls for Zane. As I was sifting through some client documents, I was summoned to his office.
“Good morning, Mr. Carrington,” I said with a fake cheerful smile. “I hope you had a good weekend.”
“It was okay,” Zane replied distractedly. “I spent most of it preparing for this week. I’ve got a lot on my plate, as you can see.”
I nodded, failing to feel any sympathy for him. After demoting me like he had, I hated him more than anyone else. I couldn’t wait for the remaining three days to end so I could go back to my work. I had started applying for work in other companies as well. “I can imagine. Is there anything specific you need me to take care of for you today?”
He seemed to think for a moment, before handing me a stack of papers. “I want you to review these financial reports and send them to the accounting department. And can you also schedule a meeting with the marketing team to discuss the possibility of a new ad campaign? I want to make sure we’ll be able to launch one next month. Viewers must be tired of the old ones.”
I nodded and took the papers from him. “Of course, Mr. Carrington. Is there anything else you want me to do?”
“You should ensure that the invitations for the company holiday party have been sent. And ask Zora to order some new office supplies. We’re running low on pens and paper.”
My smile faltered slightly, but I nodded. “Yes, Mr. Carrington. I’ll take care of everything. Is there anything else?” At that point, I was ready to bolt. I had not been ordered around for quite a while. Aaron who had been my senior treated me like an equal.
He shook his head. “No, I think that’s it for now.”
“No problem, Mr. Carrington,” I said with a forced smile. “I’m always happy to help out.”
As I left the room, I couldn’t help feeling a little overwhelmed. I had a lot of work to do, and it seemed like Zane was giving me more and more tasks every day. I knew it was part of my job, but sometimes I couldn’t help feeling like he was intentionally trying to wear me out. Still, I was determined to do my best and make sure everything got done on time. Getting fired would be worse than slaving under him. Until I got a good job offer, I had to continue biting my tongue.
Just when I thought it couldn’t get worse, it did. Zane started making me work late with him. It seemed he was a workaholic with no life. I was convinced that he was making me stay longer so that my life could be as miserable as his.
One evening, he made me stay and review the ad campaign with him. That was the first time I enjoyed working with Zane. He didn’t act all bossy, and we went through everything like colleagues. We even found ourselves talking about our lives outside the company. It was weird but it made me feel more comfortable around him, a lot to comfortable I might add. I even laughed at something he said.
“A laugh? This is the first time I’ve heard you laughing.”
“Well, you won’t be hearing much of it when you go back to boss mode,” I said, watching his face. He was really handsome, even more so when he was smiling and relaxed. He looked hot and sexy when he yelled and acted bossy, but he looked nice and sweet when he was calm. If a phone call had not made him return to his office, I didn’t know what I would have done in that moment.
When he went to his office, I drafted an email he had asked me to send to one of the partners. The office was quiet, with only the sound of typing and the hum of the fluorescent lights filling the air.
Suddenly, the door to the office flew open and Zane stormed out. He was visibly upset and I could tell that he had been pacing back and forth in the office because of the movement I’d been hearing.
“I can’t believe this!” Zane said, running his hand through his hair. “I just got off the phone with the client and they’re demanding for a redo the entire project. What kind of incompetent staff work in this company?”
I stood up and tried to calm him down. I was not only worried for me but also the other employees. I had noticed that Zane had some anger issues and who knew what would happen if he lost control. He could fire all of us. “I’m sorry. We can figure this out. We’ll work on it again and make sure it’s done right.”ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .
Zane shook his head. “If this isn’t fixed within a few hours, we might lose the partnership. I don’t know anything about insurance. I should have never bought this company” He looked genuinely sad.
“I know almost everything about insurance and I have the numbers of everyone who worked on the project. We can fix this.”
While speaking, I found myself reaching out to touch his arm in a comforting gesture. But in the heat of the moment, I leaned in too close and our lips accidentally met in a brief, unexpected kiss.
We both froze, my eyes wide with shock. I quickly pulled back, my face flushing red with embarrassment.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Carrington. I didn’t mean to-”
But Zane surprised me by chuckling and waving his hand dismissively. “It’s okay. It was just an accident. Let’s just focus on fixing this project and forget about it.”
I nodded, still feeling mortified. What the hell had I done? Most importantly, where did I get the courage to do that? We spent the next two hours working on the project together, trying to put the awkward moment behind us.
That night, I couldn’t stop thinking of the brief kiss and how it had made me feel. In a few seconds, my entire body had lit up. Although I told myself that it would never happen again, I wished to feel that again. The more I thought about, the more I became convinced that I was infatuated with Jake. I had been crushing on him since the day I saw him. The work he had been giving me had only distracted me from what I felt. Last night’s kiss had brought everything back and I was starting to get worried. This could never end well.
As Zane walked into the room the next morning, my heart skipped a beat. I couldn’t believe the feelings that were coursing through my body. I had always prided myself on being professional and maintaining boundaries in the workplace, but I couldn’t deny the attraction I felt towards my boss. And, it was all because of that damn kiss.
I tried to push the thoughts to the back of my mind as I put more focus on my work, but they kept creeping back up. I couldn’t help but sneak glances at his outline as he moved about his office, and I found myself daydreaming about what it would be like to be in his large arms.
As the day went on, my worry grew. I knew that falling in love with the new CEO would be a huge mistake. He was my boss, and it would be inappropriate for us to pursue a relationship. But as much as I tried, I couldn’t shake the feelings that were growing inside of me.
I knew that I needed to do something about my feelings before they got out of hand. I decided to take some time to focus on work and try to put the attraction out of my mind. It wouldn’t be easy, but I was determined to keep my job and not mess it up because of mere feelings.