06 - Emily Harris

Emily Harris

But now I realize I don't have clothes for such a sophisticated place, and I despair when I notice my closet lacks elegance. My friendship with Emma is so deep that I started to believe she might be telepathic. I feel my phone vibrate in my hand with a message notification.

Emma: “Pick something from my wardrobe. Later, we’ll go shopping, and don’t make it difficult, you can pay me back later.”

I send her a happy emoji and rush to her closet, which is enormous. I choose something that suits me well. Heading downstairs, I put everything back in its place and then take a shower to get ready. I need to hurry to reach the company and introduce myself.

In less than an hour, I’m walking through the doors of Mr. Walker's great empire—my boss. The young woman who handed me the badge yesterday smiles as she gives me another one.

“Looks like going back upstairs paid off. Congratulations, and welcome to the team.”

I look at her warmly and whisper a quick thank-you. She points me in the right direction, and I follow her instructions.

I step out of the elevator and find myself in front of a glass door with a large sign: “Human Resources.” Taking a deep breath, I open the door and step into the room with my right foot first, hoping for the best outcome.

A middle-aged woman greets me, and when I introduce myself, her smile widens.

“I thought I’d have to call you again. I sent you an email yesterday as soon as you left Mr. Walker’s office,” she says, jotting down notes on an onboarding form.

Hearing her say that surprises me. It seems I really made a good impression during my conversation with the CEO, those tempting eyes, broad shoulders, and his deep, commanding voice.

“Sorry, I was in disbelief when I left the building yesterday, so I didn’t check my notifications. And this morning, I had a few things to do at home, so I apologize,” I reply.

She starts laughing.

“You’re Emma’s friend, right?”

I nod in agreement.

“She came by earlier and did everything she could to find out if you’d been hired. She said she was waiting for you to complete your admission process.”

That’s why I love that girl!

I finish all the necessary paperwork, and she sends me to my workstation. To my surprise, it’s on the top floor. She leads me to the office next to Mr. Walker’s and introduces me to the people there. The only ones I don’t meet are the CEO and Mike Tremblay, who I learn is his business partner, as they’re in a meeting.

Once she leaves my office, I sit for a while, waiting to find out what they’ll need me to do. But I start getting bored, staring into nothing, so I decide to look at some documents on my desk.

I begin organizing them by priority and get so focused on what I’m reviewing that I don’t notice someone entering the room. Suddenly, I’m startled by the presence in front of me. I lift my gaze to a man who seems very intent on me.

“I thought I might need to send up a smoke signal since you weren’t responding to HR,” he says in a deep voice. I can tell he’s pleased to see me there. “Leave that for now and come to my office.”

I do as he says and follow him out of the room. Mr. Walker kindly holds the door open for me to enter and closes it as I step inside.

I finish all the necessary paperwork, and she sends me to my workstation. To my surprise,

it’s on the top floor. She leads me to the office next to Mr. Walker’s and introduces me to the people

there. The only ones I don’t meet are the CEO and Mike Tremblay, who I learn is his business

partner, as they’re in a meeting.

Once she leaves my office, I sit for a while, waiting to find out what they’ll need me to do.

But I started getting bored, staring into nothing, so I decided to look at some documents on my desk.

I begin organizing them by priority and get so focused on what I’m reviewing that I don’t

notice someone entering the room. Suddenly, I’m startled by the presence in front of me. I lift my

gaze to a man who seems very intent on me.

“I thought I might need to send up a smoke signal since you weren’t responding to HR,” he

says in a deep voice. I can tell he’s pleased to see me there. “Leave that for now and come to my

office.”

I do as he says and follow him out of the room. Mr. Walker kindly holds the door open for

me to enter and closes it as I step inside.

I walk over to one of the chairs facing his desk, keeping my eyes fixed on his, feeling the intensity radiating from him. All this tension causes an unwanted reaction at this moment, and my only response is to cross my legs as I wait for him to say what he wants.

"I’m glad you accepted joining the team. As I explained to you yesterday, you’ll work directly with me and Mike..." I hear him explain.

We talk for a long time, and he explains all my duties and everything I need to pay attention to during the week. I watch his lips moving and can’t help but imagine his mouth sliding over the skin of my breasts.

Even though we’ve been talking for nearly an hour, the only thing I can truly process is when he said I always need to focus exclusively on him.

I can’t help but notice that Mr. Walker always has a sly smile. In the middle of our conversation, we are interrupted by his secretary. Lucy informs him that a woman is on the line. Taking the cue, I excuse myself to start on the tasks he explained.

There’s more than enough work to keep me busy for the rest of the day in my office. I head to the documents and start working...

I can’t stop thinking about how I’ll manage to work with this man, who seems to exert an enormous pull on me. Quitting isn’t an option, especially now that I can’t afford to throw this opportunity away.

Even before I can truly focus, Mike shows up in my office. He walks in holding a box of chocolates wrapped with a red ribbon.

"I’ll give this to you if you give me the number of that woman who came with you yesterday."

I narrow my eyes at him and reach out for the box, noticing there’s a card inside.

"The number first."

I laugh at him, grab a small piece of paper, write something, and hold it out.

"That’s not fair; I gave you the box."

I smile at him and wave the card between my fingers.

"You’d have to give me the box anyway," I say as I watch him reading what I wrote.

I wouldn’t give Emma’s phone number just for a box of chocolates, so I only give him the department where she works. He sighs, and as he leaves my office, I call after him.

"If she agrees, I’ll give you her number tomorrow. How does that sound?" I try to negotiate.

A smile spreads across his face. Now, finally, he leaves, and I focus on everything I need to do. As I’m close to finishing, my bosses and Mike enter my office.

"How about we go to a restaurant to celebrate your hiring?" Mr. Walker asks.

I glance at the clock. It’s still early, and I can notify Emma on the way. I nod, accepting his invitation. Maybe dinner will be the start of a friendship with both of them.

"Alright, I’ll shut everything down here and meet you at the elevator," I say before closing the folder in my hands.

With everything tidied up, I leave my office with my phone in hand, calling Emma to let her know I’m heading to dinner with the CEO and his partner, Tremblay.

Now, it’s time to face the unknown with this CEO who seems eager to uncover every one of my secrets.