Then, I found him fucking some other girl in a bedroom.
I was a fool. Did I even want him, or had the constant badgering finally worked?
I want to lose my virginity, sure, and before I am old enough for it to be weird. But thinking that my ex was the right one for the job had obviously been a mistake.
Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome, on the other hand—I shiver just thinking about him. I don’t even know his name, but I know he would rock my world if I gave him a chance. It’s a temptation I can’t give into. I have worked too hard to land my dream job, and since he asked if I had a boyfriend, the implication was that he didn’t have a girlfriend. Which meant he was a coworker, and my newly signed employee handbook was still fresh in my mind.
I could have no romantic relationships with coworkers, and he had to be on staff.
No matter how much my body screams, yes, my head has to make it a firm no. I can’t lose my job just because my libido has finally found itself.
By the time I head into work on Monday, I’m ready to get away from Lee’s teasing, and since the man I can’t get out of my head doesn’t work on my floor, I’m hoping that I’ll be able to bury myself in work and go a few hours without feeling like I soaked my panties through.
I’m deep into some survey results about perceptions of a client’s brand when I hear confident footsteps coming from the elevator, and gooseflesh pops up on my skin. I don’t need to turn to know it’s him. I glance up from my computer, and, sure enough, he is heading into Declan’s office. I note that the woman on my left has also stopped working to look at the office door.
“Who is that?” I whisper.
She turns, a surprised expression on her face. “What?”
“The man who just went into Declan’s office. Who is he?”
She laughed. “I guess you haven’t met him yet. That’s Axel West. He’s one of the co-founders.”
“One of the co-founders?” I squeak.
She nods. “We don’t see him up here very often, though. He’s in charge of the sales team. He’s much better at closing deals and turning cold leads into warm ones than helping with client campaigns.”
“So, what’s he doing up here?”
She shrugs. “Probably wants to make sure he’s not over-promising. From what I’ve heard, he’s insistent that the sales-team never makes promises we can’t keep to make a sale. They’ve probably got somebody asking for a lot, and wants to make sure that it’s within our scope.”
I nod. “I think I get it.”
She chuckles. “Don’t worry. Axel has never let a project that’s beyond our ability to handle sneak past. We might get stretched at the edges to deliver, but we always come through for our clients in the end.”
“Good to know.”
The door opens again, and Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome—no, Axel West—strides back out, a smirk of satisfaction on his face.
“Looks like Declan told him what he wanted to hear,” the woman says.
I blow out a slow breath. “Looks like.” I want to swivel my chair and watch him walk to the elevator, but I somehow manage to restrain myself.
“Come on,” she says. “Back to work. Declan’s waiting on our conclusions from the study.”
“Oh, right.”
She chuckles, and I feel the heat of a blush across my face as she turns back to her own computer.
So he’s one of the co-founders? Now he’s especially off-limits.
I notice Axel more and more over the next couple of weeks. Usually, he’s heading into Declan’s office for some discussion or another, but sometimes he’s out on the floor, working with people from the creative team.
It’s hard to keep my eyes off him when I know he’s around, but it’s even harder when I realize that he noticed me, as well. Every so often, I glance up to see him looking in my direction with the same penetrating stare that left me speechless the first time we met. It has the same effect, too, leaving me squirming with soaked panties and sometimes having to put on my suit jacket to hide my hardened nipples.
I start wearing headphones to listen to music while I work, hoping not to hear his distinctive footsteps so I can be able to focus when he comes up to our floor. But I can always feel it when he’s looking at me.
“Harper, can you come in here, please?”
I look up to see Declan standing in his office door, eyes on me. I remove my headphones and walk over, worry churning in my middle that I’ve done something wrong.
“Take a seat,” Declan says, motioning inside. “We’ll get started in just a few minutes.”
We? I wonder. My three-month evaluation isn’t for another month and a half. Did they notice how I can’t keep my eyes off Axel?
I’m biting my lip and twiddling my thumbs as I attempt to manage my nerves when I hear Axel’s footfalls.
Crap.
He steps into the office, and the door clicks shut. I stand and turn to see him and Declan walking over.
“Axel,” Declan starts. “I don’t think you’ve had the opportunity to meet our newest marketing assistant. This is Harper Sullivan. Harper, this is my friend and one of the co-founders, Axel West.”
I hope my hand isn’t clammy as I extend it. “A pleasure to meet you, Mr. West.”
His hand wraps around mine, sending an electric jolt up my arm. “The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Sullivan,” he replies, a smooth rumble to his voice.
“H-Harper, please.”
He smiles. “Harper. And you may call me Axel.”
I nod. “Axel.”
“Have a seat,” Declan says, as he does just that.
I sit, confused by the reception.
“Harper,” Declan starts. “You’ve shown good work here so far. While you’ve not been on staff long, you’ve demonstrated an aptitude for the job, and I think we’re ready to challenge you with something new.”
I barely restrain my sigh of relief. I’m not in trouble. I’m getting assigned to something.
Declan motions to Axel. “Axel here has informed me that we’re getting the majority of our calls from a few industries, but he thinks we can increase our market share if we do some targeted ad campaigns. I’m assigning you to work on this campaign, with Axel in the role of the client.”
I blink. “You want me to develop a marketing plan for the company?”
Declan smiles. “Not quite, but close. You’ll work with Axel to narrow down a few market segments and tailor a campaign for one. Part one is working with him to discover who to target. Part two is developing the campaign. It’ll give you a chance to take on a project without worrying about a paying client as the recipient. Axel is as demanding as any client, and if you can create a campaign that meets his approval, we can move you onto teams that deal with paid accounts.”
I swallow. It’s a big opportunity, and I know it. But can I work around Axel West?
“Any questions?” Declan asks.
I shake my head. “No, sir.”
There’s the tiniest catch of breath from my left as if I said something unexpected.
“Axel?” Declan asks. “Does this work for you?”
There’s a moment of silence.
“Are you sure she’s up to it?” He turns to me. “No offense.”