Free Romance: Working for the Billionaire's Pleasure by Kelli Sloan Page B

as I take a bite out of my lunch in the building café. We've been friends for years and colleagues for longer.
    “I saw him,” I sigh.
    “What did he say to you?”
    “Nothing.”
    “Nothing?”
    “Not a word.  He stared at me with his eyes, judged me and then disappeared.”
    “Not much of a talker?”
    “I don’t think that was it.  You don’t make a billion dollars without the ability to talk.  I think he doesn’t know how to communicate with women.”
    “He could talk to me all day with those dreamy eyes,” Eva looks wishfully away.
    “Yes,” I reply, “He was quite handsome.”
    “Handsome?” she smiles, “He was more than handsome.  He was ‘I-want-to-rip-off-his-clothes type of hot’.  Yum.  I could eat him for lunch.”
    “Do you think he would be…”
    “Be what, Chloe?”
    I give her a knowing look. “You know what I mean.”
    “I do,” Eva smiles.  “But I want to hear you say it.”
    I have always been envious of Eva’s sexually adventurous side.  She is employed to show bands around town, guide them to their hotels and ensure they make it to the stage on time.  She is beautiful and outgoing, which means that she is invited back to every band’s after-party.
    And while she has been partying, I have been working.
    “Do you think he is…” I lean forward and whisper the next part, “Well hung?”
    “Ha!” Eva laughs as I say it.
    “Shhh…” I quiet her down.
    “But to answer your question – yes.  Yes I do.”
    “He was very big, wasn’t he?” I become lost in my own thoughts.
    “Well, you are his assistant now, so you’d better stop drooling.  You’d better get used to staring at that handsome man.”
    I shake myself out of the dreamy daze. “But I don’t want to get used to him.  I was used to Joel.  I was used to the way he worked and the business we built together.  I can’t believe he didn’t even consult me about the sale.  I didn’t even know.”
    “That’s upsetting.”
    “Absolutely.  I have put as much effort into this business as Joel has.  For every hour that he has worked, I have worked.”
    “But you don’t own it.”
    “Apparently,” I acknowledge the truth. “I am just another employee.”
    Eva looks at me.  She wants to sympathize with me, I can see it in her face, but she doesn’t know what to say.  I am so confused about my own feelings that I don’t know what to say either.
    “What are you going to do?”
    “I’m going to have a few glasses… or bottles, of wine tonight,” I smile, “Then I am going to take a deep breath and come back and do my job tomorrow.  That’s what I am paid for.  To do my job.”
     
    ***
     
    After drowning my sorrows into a few glasses of red wine the night before, I wake up ready to work for the first morning with my new boss.  It feels strange walking into an office that I know so well but feels so different this morning.  Joel is not here to guide me today.  I have to get used to life without Joel.
    I have convinced myself that I should be excited about working with Mitchell.  He is a handsome billionaire, after all.  I could do a lot worse than that.
    And it is not his fault that Joel sold the company. 
    I arrive at work early but Mitchell is already here, and his office door is wide open.
    “Morning,” I state as I past Joel’s old office and to walk my desk.
    Mitchell doesn’t respond.
    “Good morning,” I stand at the door and repeat in a slower tone.
    He still doesn't answer.
    I stand at the door for a while before Mitchell finally looks up from his computer.
    “Natalie, you’re my assistant, aren’t you?”
    “Um… no and yes.  My name is Chloe and I am your assistant.”
    “Right.  Chloe.  I need coffee.  White with one sugar.”
    I stare at him, “I think there has been a misunderstanding.”
    “I employ you as my assistant.  I need a coffee.  There is no misunderstanding.”
    Mitchell is as blunt as he is strong.
    I don’t know how to fight