I hardly slept and I looked it.
Despite my efforts with the concealer, the bags under my eyes were evident and the stress was manifesting in overly frizzy hair.
Still, I did my best. I wanted to look good for my execution, but had to settle for being on time and not looking like a puppy caught out in the rain.
My hands shook on the lobby door handle. I needed to get some tension out and decided to take the stairs up the four flights to our division.
It was a popular choice. My colleagues liked to stretch their bodies before and during a day sitting at desks, and I could hear a few people a few floors above me.
Getting the blood flowing and my legs pumping helped my nerves. I began to breathe deeply and felt it relax my muscles.
Then I heard my name echo down through the concrete stairwell.
"I don't think Elena would do that," came the first voice. "She's kind of a sheep."
"That's what she wants you to think. She plays all demure, but underneath all that mildness she's sharp. She'd be a perfect Beta, flying under the radar but secretly getting everything done. And done her way."
"But is she sharp in the way that she'd sabotage Craig? I've never known her to be malicious."
"I didn't think so, but you never know how people will respond if they feel threatened."
"It's kind of an obvious play, isn't it?"
I leaned inward trying to see who was above me. All I could see were hands holding the railing. One of them had burgundy fingernails.
"Like I said, desperation."
The rest of their conversation was cut off by a door scraping opening and booming closed.
Whatever solace I'd earned from the little bit of exercise was gone. Now I was trying to hold back angry tears.
I pulled open what I suspected was the same door and walked into my department. Two women stood by the entrance to the cubicles with a few others.
They turned and saw me. The woman with the burgundy nails had the courtesy to look guilty, but the rest looked openly hostile, even the two I'd recently thought were starting to become my friends.
I held my head high and walked by without saying good morning as a voice over the intercom said, "Attention everyone, please gather in the conference room in ten minutes."
I put down my bag, turned on my computer and found the company had stopped sending me anything directly after the time of my meeting with Craig yesterday morning. It seemed they had taken a side, just like my colleagues.
I decided to get a seat at the conference table rather than stand around the perimeter, so I grabbed my notebook and went through the tense, quiet cubicles.
As I neared the elevator, I heard it ding.
Who'd show up late today? I wondered. Only someone especially confident.
The doors opened and wafted a vetiver scent so powerful in my memory that I stopped in my tracks.
Charles Rafe stepped out of the elevator, two beautiful women, one light, one dark, who smelled like pine and cedar, came after him, briefcases, folders, and coffee cups in hand. The group moved like a sleek, powerful pack, and I felt myself stepping back.
Charles stopped and sniffed the air.
He turned slowly and his blue eyes found mine. Even from ten feet away, I could see the pupils in his eyes widen as he came toward me.
The women with him seemed momentarily unsure what to do, so stood watching.
My heart began to pound. His smell brought back years of longing and unfulfilled dreams.
And I thought this day couldn't get any worse.
"Elena Laurentia?"
My breathing stopped and my jaw fell open. He remembered me.
For a moment I simply stared.
Do something you idiot! I raged.
"Hi."
"Hey."
Just like in Mr. Sellers' class.
He took another deep inhale and smiled. "I knew it was you."
He smiled, and I thought my knees were going to buckle. "I'm sorry we have to meet like this after all these years. It's not a fun day for anyone when you have to do layoffs."
I cleared my throat. He was all business now, it seemed. "I imagine it's not."
"I'll see you in the conference room, then."
He smiled and turned to the assistants, gesturing toward the conference room.
I couldn't go in while he was in there setting up. I was almost pinned to the ground by his beautiful, vetiver scent just from the brief encounter. I couldn't imagine being in a smaller, enclosed space with him.
Instead, I watched through the windows as his assistants put his coffee cup at the head of the table and presented him with papers while he checked his phone. They set up laptops and began to gesture and talk about the projection system while Charles frowned down at the notes on the top of the file.
He glanced up and out the glass windows in my direction but I looked away, starting back down the aisle toward my cubicle.
So much for getting a seat.
A few minutes later, the speaker announced that everyone was expected in the conference room.
I joined the crowd filing quietly into the room.
Charles sat, radiating power and looking around, meeting eyes and nodding here and there.
I kept my eyes down and was, as expected, unintentionally bumped and shouldered into the furthest corner, blocked from Charles' blue eyes by taller, wider colleagues.
I was okay with that. For the first time in a long time, I appreciated my ability to hide.
I heard a chair creak and head Charles clear his throat. I assumed he was standing from the sound.
"Good morning. Before we start, can we please get the shorter people toward the front or in chairs so everyone can see? Back there?"
There was a shifting around me and the people next to me looked surprised to find me there, gesturing for me to move to the front."Thank you. I'm sorry to be having to do this."
He continued to speak for a moment about the company's intentions. Then he looked at the blonde assistant who nodded at him.
"An email has just gone out to people I'd like to stay here in the conference room with me. It has the terms of your severance package, which I think you'll find generous, and we will discuss other opportunities or companies in our conglomerate that could be options for you."
He looked around the room. The scent of about two dozen people had suddenly increased and I found myself getting dizzy.
"If you don't have an email, feel free to return to your desks. I'll take a moment while you check your phones."
Everyone's hands and faces jerked as we all grabbed our devices. I opened my mail app and held my breath.
Nothing.
I refreshed the page. Again nothing.
I looked up in confusion, but Charles wasn't looking at me. Very slowly, a few of us began to edge toward the door. I took a few tentative steps, refreshing again just to be sure.
"Sir, I think there's been a mistake." Craig was looking at his phone, his face turning red. He was glaring directly at me. "How is she staying? And I'm not? This isn't right."
"You're right," Charles said, leaning forward over the table. "I'm sorry Elena. I forgot to mention you aren't going to be working here either."
Craig's face set into a smug smirk.
"You'll be joining my team. I'll be needing a third assistant."
There was a simultaneous gasp around the room.
What???
There was a simultaneous gasp around the room.I looked around at the stunned faces. Craig's was beginning to turn purple. Even Charles' assistants looked confused, giving each other quick glances, but then looking to their boss for instruction."Do you think you'll need help packing up your desk?" Charles asked."I ... I'll be fine."He nodded. "Great. Then I'll be by to get you in a few minutes."I went to my cubicle in a daze. People were giving me a wide berth, looking at me with open confusion as I passed.I looked around at my things.There was very little. A photo of me and Cathy. A small mint plant I used to clear my nose when things got overwhelming, (an old werewolf trick).I put an external drive into my computer and began to make sure I had back up files of any work I wanted to keep, then opened drawers and began to pull out office supplies and paperwork.There were a few awards for pieces I'd helped work on, and articles I'd written for other journalists with their names
I was uncomfortable. I could feel the eyes of Charles' assistants on my back as I gestured and talked about the departments.Equally awkward were the stares of colleagues that quickly dropped when we neared and then came back as soon as I'd looked the other direction. I tried to point out as many people as I could, forcing them to look up and smile. Some waved or dipped their heads deferentially to the new boss.I knew they were all wondering the same thing that I was.What the heck was I doing there?The penthouse was reserved for upper management and Charles had his own smaller conference room. The assistant's desks sat out in the open floor in front of his office, a barrier of gatekeepers.I'd never been up this high in the building before, and the view of the city below was vast and dizzying. I put my box down on my empty desk and followed them into the glass-walled conference room.Jessica and Amy stood on either side of Charles as he sat at the head of the dark, polished wood ta
“Don’t get me wrong, I immediately said no,” Amy quickly claimed after seeing my stunned face. “The police won’t spill your private information.”“Sure,” I replied with a smile. “I guess…I just didn’t expect him…”"Don't you two have work to do?" Jessica entered the room, another binder in hand. "I don't think she needs anymore praise, Amy. She's already paid just to have a nice lunch and hang out in the copy room.""I'd love to do more," I said. "Please, let me take some responsibilities off your hands.""You wouldn't have the first idea of what to do.""You're right. It's my first day. I'm willing to learn. And just so you understand, I didn't ask for this job. I only wanted to keep my old position.""Please. We all know what position that was."I felt my anger flare. "I have no idea what you're implying, but it sounds ugly."Jessica learned forward and pointed at me. "Sleeping with your boss is a bad idea in general, but keep it at home for crying out loud.""What?""That is totall
I'd made sure to bring an insulated bag with me, so when the doors opened to the penthouse offices, I was sure the coffee was still piping hot.I'd hoped to beat Charles there, but he was already standing in front of the window, answering a phone call. The city skyline was visible out the windows to his right."The fact that you're short-staffed is not my problem..."I was taken aback. I'd never heard him talk like that before.He was intense and dominating, the voice of the Alpha I always knew he was but hadn't seen flexed like this."You will do it this way and move Saturday's staff to Thursday... What?... I don't care. You need to figure that out."He paced back and forth, gesturing as his spoke. His posture radiated power, and I felt my heart begin to race. This side of him was totally new to me."You will call me in ninety minutes to report," he finished. He hung up his cell and stopped, his arms folded. I could feel the energy rolling off from him as he stood still, starting into
"I assume that's something you might add to the official report copy, am I right?" Jessica said to the owner. "You probably don't need to go over that now unless––Charles, do you need that information now?" I felt my neck start to flush. I didn't know there were differences between official reports and the presentations. Jessica had once again highlighted my ignorance. "I'm okay with waiting for the official report, but I think Elena is onto something in that we will need to look at those numbers carefully seeing how we will have multiple events happening at once," Charles said. "In fact," he said, turning to the presenters, his Alpha power beginning to radiate again, "I'd like a few more numbers with that report regarding what Elena brought up. This needs to be profitable or there's no point." Jessica frowned at the mention of my name. "Of course," the manager said. "If we aren't at twenty percent then there's no chance of consideration." Charles' voice was cool. Once again, do
My breathing seemed to stick in my chest. What was he doing here?I put a hand to my messy bun and looked down at my sweats. I cracked the door and put on the most croaking voice I could. I was, after all, supposed to be sick."Hi," I said, giving him a weak smile."Hey. I was just in the neighborhood. Walking. You know how I love to take solitary walks."I nodded, thinking I'd only seen him stride around in the office building, but knew it was best not to argue."Can you just give me a minute?" I asked. "I'm not terribly presentable."This made him smile and he leaned casually against my doorframe. "Take your time."I gently shut the door and rushed to my bedroom, throwing open my closet and digging furiously until I found a cute, casual cotton dress and threw it on. I yanked down the messy bun and retwisted it so the mass of hair that had fallen was now tucked back up.I ran on tiptoes to the medicine cabinet, took out some cold medicine, and placed it strategically on the kitchen co
The chat group was exploding with messages. Some people were trying to confirm it was actually Charles. Others were directly messaging him. Still more were posting photos of Charles from different interviews or articles."I think I'd better sign out," Charles said, grimacing at his screen. Comments were popping up at a rate that made his phone sound like a bubbling fish tank. Is this Charles who played first base on the varsity baseball team? No way, bro! So good to hear from you! Charles, you probably don't remember me, but I sat behind you in algebra. How are you? So excited you're coming, Charles! Save me a dance, please! Xoxoxo I watched the scrolling comments flicker past my screen with disbelief. "Wow," I said, smiling as he signed out. "I think I got a single emoji greeting me and you get a tidal wave of comments." He shrugged. "That world feels like a hundred years ago." He put his phone in his pocket. "Back to more important things." He turned to face me, his blue ey
The mixing of scents was intoxicating. Almost 600 different scents mingling along with the pheromones exuded when we were nervous, excited, or feeling attracted to someone. It was one of the best parts of social gatherings. Pausing for a moment, I could tune in and out, experience them as a glorious whole like a symphony, or conversely, I could hone my senses to focus on a single scent in the crowd. I focused on my olfactory system, searching, exploring ... No vetiver. He hadn't come. Not that I thought he would, but I couldn't help feeling sorry for Cathy and some of those whose reason for attending the reunion was to see him. I, however, was relieved. I didn't know what I was going to tell people about our work relationship, and facing 598 people I never thought I'd have to see again was hard enough. The exception was Cathy, who looked radiant in her wine-colored dress. She was obviously having the time of her life, Charles or no Charles. She'd found a table with two chairs an