UNWANTED BRIDE

The First Day at work.

Lila

I stood in front of the gleaming glass doors of Kensington towers, a skyscraper that dominated the upper East Side of the New York skyline. 

I looked up at the big building that I could bet had over Sixty floors with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. 

Today was the first day of my new job as the secretary to Jake Anderson, one of the most influential billionaires in the world. 

Ofcourse everyone had heard of Jake or seen him in blogs and articles. He was well known for a number of things apart from his billionaire status. I had spent the past week and the whole of last night preparing for this day. 

I was certain I had read all the articles written about him in every site including gossip columns. 

He was a tech mogul with a reputation for both being ruthless and a visionary. According to Forbes, whatever Jake touched turned into gold literally. He was also known for his strict work ethic, demanding perfection from everyone that worked for him. 

But Mr Jake Anderson was also known for his stances with women. I was certain I had read an article that stated he never slept with the same woman more than once. 

Women all over the world worshipped him which is why he was always in the arms of different women every night.

I took one last look around before I stepped into the well polished luxurious lobby. 

A woman that looked like she belonged in a runaway smiled at me cheerfully as I approached. 

She was in a black dress with red bottoms, and all of a sudden I felt under dresses as I looked at my tailored suit. 

"Ms Pierce, welcome to Anderson technologies. Mr Anderson is expecting you." the beautiful receptionist said, handing me a visitors badge as she directed me to the private elevator that would take me to his office. 

My palms were sweating profusely and the elevator ride seemed to last forever. My mind raced with thoughts of what the day might hold, what questions was he going to ask me? I had worked as a secretary for the last two years and I knew I was exceptional which is why I had been recommended for this job in the first place, but the stakes were a lot higher now. 

This was the most powerful man in Manhattan and I was going to be his secretary. 

When the elevator doors finally opened, I slowly stepped out of the elevator, my hands shaking. 

This was the most beautiful view I had ever seen in my entire life. At the far end was a set of glass double doors flanked by a tall window that showed the breathtaking views of the city. I took a deep breath and walked towards them, my heels clicking softly on the well polished floor.

His office was huge, bigger than my whole apartment. It was full of natural light and gave the absolute best view of Manhattan. The walls were filled with shelves full of books. It was the first thing I noticed, none of the articles I had read had mentioned anything about him loving to read.

Maybe they were just part of the allure to intimidate people, I thought to myself. 

I didn't spot him at first, my mind was in awe at how many books were in his office. 

I was about to touch one of the books, when a voice startled me. 

"Don't touch that." His voice was calm, deep but calm. 

I turned around and he was standing on the other side of the office, his hands in his pockets. 

He was taller, way taller than I had imagined him to be. His dark hair was neatly laid back which brought out his eyes, especially standing behind the natural lighting, I could see his crystal blue eyes clearly. 

"I am assuming you must be Lila." he said in a deep, calm voice. "I'm glad you finally decided to join us Ms Lila, please have a seat." he added sarcastically as he walked over to the other side of the room and pulled out a chair. 

I quickly sat down across from him, trying to steady my nerves and act like I was intimidated at all. 

" I understand you have the experience to work for me." he said it more as a statement than a question before he looked up at me. 

"Yes sir, I have worked as a secretary for the past…" 

"Then you must have done your research on me and you know I don't like to be kept waiting." he immediately cut me off. 

"I am not late, the meeting said I should be here by eight."

"When it says eight that means you should be here by seven, is that going to be a problem for you?" 

"No sir." 

"Good. You will be handling my schedule, coordinating my meetings and managing confidential correspondence." he said in his businesslike tone, "Attention to detail is crucial and time management. I expect you to travel with me whenever I have out of town meetings, I expect you to be available whenever I need you."

"Out of town meetings?" I echoed him, a little surprised. 

"Is that a problem?" 

"No sir, I just…" 

"Good, I am going out for a few hours and you can use that time to brief yourself on everything you need to know about how I work. I will have my manager brief you and help you with settling in." 

I nodded, taking in his words. I had wanted to tell him I would not be able to travel with him, but by the way he had looked at me, I would have lost the job before I even started it. And I could not manage to lose this job. 

For a moment there, I thought he had dismissed me, I was about to get up when another man walked in, just as handsome. 

"Ms Lila this is Bob, my manager, he will walk you through everything you need to know." 

"Nice to meet you." I said as I shaked his hand. 

"You can go back to your office, settle in, I will come find you." Bob said dismissing me and I quickly got out of there. 

"She is pretty." I heard Bob say as I walked out. 

"You think everyone is pretty."Jake said laughing before he changed the subject.