Shawn is taking me with him to Switzerland? I can't believe my ears.
He's never brought me along on his business trips before. Why now? Why all of a sudden? If he was planning on bringing me along, he could have told me weeks ago. I've already made all the arrangements. He didn't think of it then, so why think of it now? What made him change his mind?
"I know it's a bit sudden," Shawn tells me. "But I've realized that this trip is even more important than I thought. I've never handled an acquisition this big. I want to be prepared for anything, so I need you there."
Perfectly understandable, but I still can't bring myself to believe it. My fingers clutch the edges of the tablet in my hands, afraid that like this dream come true I've just been handed, it might slip away and shatter.
Can this be real? Is it really alright for me to go to Switzerland with Shawn? I mean, we'll be traveling together and we might find ourselves alone together. What if I lose my composure again like I did last Friday? What if he notices that I'm attracted to him?
What if I make a mistake and embarrass him?
"Of course, if you don't want to come or if — "
"I want to come," I blurt out as I find my voice.
What's wrong with me? I've been waiting for an opportunity like this ever since I started working here. I've been wanting to travel to Europe ever since I can remember. Why am I hesitating now? What am I so afraid of? So what if Shawn and I are going to Switzerland together? It's a business trip. We'll be busy. If ever we're alone together, we'll be working. And I won't lose my composure again. I won't make any more mistakes.
I clear my throat and hold my chin high as I regain my bearings.
"I mean, if you need me there, then I'd be happy to go with you and help you in any way I can...Sir."
Outside, I'm trying my best to stay calm. Inside, I'm bursting with excitement. Fireworks have gone off in my head. My heart is leaping out of my chest, as if wanting to get to Switzerland ahead of me. My toes are curled inside my pumps. My feet are itching to propel my body off the floor, my shoulders yearning to do a little dance.
I can't wait to go to Switzerland.
"Good." Shawn leans back in his chair. "I trust you'll make the necessary changes."
"Yes, sir."
He nods. "That will be all for now."
I turn and walk out of the room even though I feel like skipping. As soon as I'm back at my desk, I sit down and clasp a hand over my mouth to hold back a scream. Then I do my dance in my chair, unable to contain myself any longer.
I'm going to Switzerland!
—
"I'm so happy for you!" Jess, my friend from marketing, sounds almost as excited as I am as she gives me a hug dring lunch. Beside her, my other friend, Randy the IT guy, is still gaping, speechless for the first time since I met him.
"Thank you," I say. "I really am thrilled."
I actually want to go home and start packing — I already have a list of all the stuff I'm bringing in mind — but I know I can't.
"I know you'll be there for work," Jess says. "But promise me you'll go around when you have the chance. I want to see nice pictures,"
"I will." I tell her. Hopefully, I can get some time for sightseeing.
"I don't care where you go," Randy says, finally getting his voice back. "Just make sure you don't come back here without a box of chocolates with my name on it."
Jess raises her hand. "Me, too, please."
"And remember, I don't like chocolates with nuts," Randy adds. "Or nougat. Raisins is fine, but nothing citrus. I don't like a coconut filling, either. But I love caramel. Also, I love white chocolate."
Jess snorts. "Talk about picky."
Randy's eyebrows furrow. "Which is wrong because?"
"White chocolate with raisins or dark chocolate with caramel filling," I speak up before they start arguing "Got it."
Randy rests his head on my shoulder. "You are such a good friend."
"I'm just glad you didn't ask me to pack a Swiss male model inside my suitcase," I tell him.
His eyebrows go up. "You can do that?"
Jess shakes her head. "Don't."
I was just kidding anyway.
"'Speaking of gorgeous males, you know why I'm so envious of you right now?" Randy asks me then answers, "Because you're traveling with Shawn Colby."
"Of course she is," Jess says. "She's his sidekick."
"I bet you'll be riding in his private jet," Randy says.
I pause a moment to think, "I think so."
That's why I didn't have to book tickets.
"And you'll be staying at the same hotel, right? Are you sharing a suite?"
"No," I tell him. "We're staying at the same hotel, but separate rooms."
Though they are right next to each other.
"I'm still envious, " Randy says.
"I mean, you're in the same hotel in a city far, far away where no one knows you. Anything could happen."
He gives me a broad wink.
"Oh, stop it," Jess tells him. "Felicity isn't like you."
"Yup," I agree. "Not gonna happen. You know Shawn is my boss. Our boss, actually."
"'So if he wasn't your boss, you'd let him fuck you?" Randy asks me.
The question takes me by surprise and I struggle to answer.
No. I know the answer. I just don't want to admit it.
"You're blushing," Randy points out. "Which means you would. Don't be bashful, I would too. For that matter, so would Jess."
"Hey, I'm not like you, either!" Jess complains.
"But he is our boss, which means I wouldn't," I say firmly.
End of topic.
"And I have to go," I add as I glance at my watch. "You know me. I have a ton of things to do."
"We know," they answer at the same time. I send them a smile before picking up my tray. I deposit it in the appropriate cart before heading to the elevator. After a quick stop at the restroom to freshen up, I go back to my desk.
I really do have a lot to do. I have to make adjustments to Shawn's schedule. I have to print out documents to bring with me.
I have to brush up on my French and German, too, and do some research on the best sights around Zurich. And the best chocolate shops.
But first, I have to go through all these papers on my desk. I don't want to go away knowing I've left a lot undone, or come back to find my desk buried under paperwork.
When I reach the bottom of the pile, I stop. My eyes fall on a familiar-looking notebook.
Very familiar.
Right. I left my journal on my desk. I was going to grab it and shove it inside my purse before anything else, but I got sidetracked with other stuff.
Then Shawn called me into his office, and after he told me he was bringing me to Switzerland, the journal completely slipped my mind.
I grab it now. Once it's safely inside my purse, I let out a breath of relief.
There. No harm done. Once I get home, I'm going to put it on my nightstand, never to leave my apartment again. Nope, I'm not bringing it to Switzerland.
Definitely not. After all, I'l have better things to do than scribble my thoughts in my journal. I'll just take mental snapshots of my trip and write them down when I come back.
A smile forms on my lips.
Last Friday, when I was writing in my journal, I felt so alone and lonely, like my life had no meaning, Now, I feel like my life has just begun.
I draw a deep breath as I stare at the wallpaper on my computer screen, which I've already changed to an image of the Matterhorn.
Switzerland, here I come.
The flight from Chicago to Zurich takes a little less than nine hours.I spend the first half hour marveling at the inside of Shawn's jet - well, it's owned by the company, actually, but this one is for the exclusive use of the CEO.It's a Gulfstream, or so Henry, the lone flight attendant on the plane, tells me. It's supposed to carry only eleven passengers, so I thought it would be small and cramped. Boy, was I wrong.Sure, it definitely looks like a dwarf on the outside compared to the gigantic commercial planes, but inside there's enough space for a kid to run and kick a ball around. And that's just the seating area. There's a dining area with a bar, a kitchen, a bathroom with a shower and a conference room.More than the space, it's the atmosphere of luxury that has me gasping and gaping in awe. The soft leather seats that come with neck massagers and convert into flat beds. The thick, burgundy carpet. Ambient lighting. My own 15-inch TV. Then there's the service designed to make
"I don't think I've ever eaten anything quite like that," I say as I dab my lips with the table napkin. "Is this what you eat all the time?""Not all the time," Shawn answers. "But it's one of my favorites. The chef who designed this, he was serving his food in a small hut when I first met him. Now he has an empire not just all, over Asia but all over Europe, to — ""And he's here?" I ask with arched eyebrows."No. He hates flying, But the chef who cooked for us this evening trained under him, among many others. He's very skillful,"I put my hands up. "No need to convince me. If the next dish is as good as this, I'll be very happy."Shawn grins. "I think you will be."Moments later, the second course arrives — a pair of pot stickers with a bit of salad on the side and a dark dipping sauce.The moment I see it, my chest tightens. I grip it as I draw a deep breath."Is something wrong?" Shawn asks me.I shake my head but fail to conceal my emotions. "It's just that this is one of the th
I guess those heaps of energy ran out.I turn off the light above Felicity's seat and press the button to push it back a bit further so she'll be more comfortable. She stirs but remains asleep. I drape the fleece blanket over her, Wrapping it around her shoulders. She gives off a sound of contentment like the purring of a cat. It makes me smile, but at the same time I feel a sliver of anxiety as I stare at her sleeping face.Felicity, what am I going to do with you?I've never met a woman who could make me feel so many emotions all at once. Earlier, while she was working, I couldn't help but admire her for working so hard. Her fingers were punching the keyboard like crazy, her eyes boring holes into her screen. It made me feel almost ashamed because it felt like she was working harder than I was. But it also inspired me to keep working hard myself. At the same time, I wanted to wrench her laptop away from her and tell her to stop working so we could continue with the conversation we h
The first thing we do is take a cruise across the sparkling lake, which is right next to the hotel.Afterwards, we head to the Old Town. We explore it on foot, starting from the Bahnhof on Main Street. Then we take a stroll past the colorful houses on Augustinergasse, drop by the Lindenhof and stop by the Uraniastrasse Police Station to see the vibrant murals by Augusto Giacometti.Through it all, I notice that Felicity still seems wary of my company. She keeps her distance from me and doesn't speak unless spoken to. Every now and then, she slips and drops her guard, especially when something interesting catches her attention and she forgets that I'm there, but when she remembers, she's quick to put it up again.I still don't understand why, but I don't mind. I'm still glad I decided to accompany her. It's evident she's excited to explore Zurich, even though she's trying her best to hide it, and the more she sees, the more she seems to fall in love with the city. As she takes in the s
I shouldn't have offered to share my umbrella with Shawn.It was a bad idea, a recipe for disaster. My umbrella is designed for one person, not two, and Shawn is a big guy, so right now my shoulder is getting wet from the rain, which means it's getting cold, though I'm trying hard not to draw Shawn's attention to it.Also, Shawn's taller than I am, more so since I'm not wearing heels, so he's the one holding the umbrella. In one way, that's good: I think my arm would fall off if I was the one carrying it. The problem is that every time the breeze blows, drops of rain land on my cheeks. Thank goodness the rain isn't that hard — a gentle shower rather than a downpour — or I'd be completely soaked from head to foot by now. But that's not why I think I made a bad decision.Shawn wraps his arm around me and pulls me closer to him.His hand rests beneath my armpit, close to my breast. "You're getting wet."I pull my arm tighter towards my chest so it doesn't bump against his firm stomach in
I smile at him. I give up. There's no way I can still act so composed around him when he's just seen me with caramel between my teeth, nor can I act distant towards him when he's just told me an embarrassing moment from his past to make me feel better. I don't know why he's being so kind, but I know I have to return the favor."Don't worry." I tell him. "I won't tell anyone about your mustache if you don't tell anyone about my...""Chocolate tooth cap? Deal."He glances at the display. "So, do you want to try something else? I'm guessing you're not buying the one with the caramel.""I am actually," I reply. "But not for me. For a friend.""A friend?""Randy from IT."Shawn's eyes narrow. "I thought you didn't have any friends from work."I touch my chin. "Did I say that?"I don't remember."You just haven't mentioned anyone before," Shawn says.Well, until last night, we'd never really talked about each other's personal lives."But I'm glad," he adds. "I'm glad you have friends."I no
"That was lovely," I tell Shawn after dinner as I dab my moist lips with the table napkin. It may not have been a four-course meal at a fancy restaurant, just a hearty main course — a flavorful pork stew - and a simple dessert — the best apple strudel I've ever tasted — at a cozy little place by the side of the road, but it was just as satisfying."I know," Shawn agrees. "I can't believe I've never eaten here before.""I can." I reach for my glass of wine. "Don't you usually eat in restaurants where they have at least four sets of utensils?"He leans back in his chair. " Believe it or not, the most expensive meal I've had was a single platter of sushi which I ate with a pair of chopsticks.""And the least expensive?" I ask curiously after taking a sip. Shawn touches his chin as he pauses to think."I bet you've never had a burger and fries from a fast-food chain," I tell him. "Or eaten at your school cafeteria.""I did eat at the school cafeteria, actually. "I lean forward. "Let me g
"Good night," I tell Felicity once we reach the door to her hotel room.No smile. No further niceties.No stalling. Just the usual parting words we give each other when our day at work is done, and we have to go our separate ways."Good night," she replies.I walk towards the next door. My hand slips into my pocket to retrieve my key card."And thank you," Felicity adds. "For accompanying me around the city today. I had fun."My lips almost curve into a grin. This from the woman who was insisting on going alone earlier. I want to tell her that I also had fun, but I'm afraid if I say another word, it will lead to all the other things I've been trying not to say. Or worse, if I spend another minute with her, I might end up kissing her, because that's what I want to do right now. I want to pin her against that door and kiss her thoroughly, then go inside her room and do other things to her with my mouth, my hands, my entire body.I'm doing my best to hold back right now, but I don't trus