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"THESE PAPERS NEED TObe with Mr. Simonides A.S.A.P."
"I'll get someone from the mailroom—-"
Pippi's boss glanced up with a frown. "No, you won't." Mr. Collins' voice held an unusual note of reproach. "These papers are for ourCEO,Ms. Jones. Do you truly think it's a good idea to entrust such important paperwork to one of our messengers?"
No, she did not, Pippi thought. But what wasnota good idea either was having her come into proximity with any rich man, which she considered herself allergic to.And it did not help at all, she pondered gloomily to herself,that Acheron Simonides was a lot richer than probably ninety-nine percent of the global population.
But an order was an order, and after apologizing for her (deliberate) lapse of judgment, she took the thick folder from her boss' desk and excused herself from the room.
Pippi kept her head down as she made her way to the elevators, a gesture that was frequently misconstrued by her colleagues at work. Half of them thought it was a sign of aloofness. The other half believed it was only because Pippi was a workaholic.
All of them were wrong, though.
Dismay flared inside her when a discreet glance showed that the elevator was close to full when she stepped in and joined the others. No one looking at Pippi, however, would have guessed at her unease. The faintly distracted expression on her face, combined with the speed in which her fingers moved as she typed on her smartphone, lent an impression of not-to-be-disturbed efficiency.
If only they knew, Pippi thought wryly. Appearing busy and avoiding eye contact discouraged other people from making small talk with her, and it was one of the many little tricks she had learned over the years to mask her shyness.
When Pippi reached the lobby, reception had already been given instructions by Mr. Collins, and a security officer was tasked to walk her to the penthouse-exclusive elevator. As far as the rumor mills were concerned, only the company's highest-ranking executives had the chance of visiting the CEO in his personal domain. The privilege was wasted on her, though, and when the elevator finally made it to the 38th floor, she stepped out with ill-disguised reluctance, thick folder clutched to her chest like a shield.
The brightly-lit entrance hall, albeit impressively designed with a mixture of gleaming white marble and antique bricks, was vast and empty.
So this was the place, she thought. A few months ago, a scandal had rocked the office, with executives chancing upon a female manager giving Mr. Simonides a blowjob in this very place. The woman had recently been given a promotion, but Pippi couldn't help wondering if the pay raise was worth the notoriety that came with it. While she wasn't exactly a social pariah - the woman was too beautiful and worldly to let herself be treated as such - she wasn't exactly welcomed in the company's most conservative circles either.
Others would probably think the woman had it coming, Pippi ruminated, but where she was concerned, it was always the rich men that were to blame. Her father, a Chicago-based millionaire, was a prime example of that, and so had been all the failed past loves of her great-aunts.
Thinking about the Jones curse had Pippi gnashing her teeth as always, and she found herself stomping down the rest of the hallway. In her vexed mood, the beautiful artworks that lined the marbled walls lost its power to entrance her, and she might as well as be deaf to the musical magnificence of Franz Schubert'sQuartettsatz in C Minor,which played softly in the background.
Upon reaching the double French doors at the end of the hallway, Pippi made sure to school her expression into one of impersonal efficiency. She could already feel a sea of shyness welling up inside of her, threatening to wash away her ability to be rational and coherent, but she managed to hold on to her control.
Just play it cool like you always do, Pippi reminded herself.Don't give him the smallest opportunity to strike a conversation, and you'll be on your way out before you know it.
Gazing at the doors' panes of frosted glass, she debated whether to knock or use the discreet-looking metal buzzer next to the door entry monitor. Or maybe she should call Reception—-
One of the doors suddenly opened, and she hastily put her professional smile on, thinking it would either be Mr. Simonides' housekeeper or butler.
But instead, she got...Acheron Simonides himself.
"Mr. Simonides!"His name flew out of her mouth in an unplanned and embarrassingly shrill fashion, with Pippi being caught off guard by the CEO's unexpected appearance.
It was her first time to see him up close, and Pippi struggled not to stare at him in dumbstruck silence.Wow. And because no better word came to mind, she found herself thinking again.Wow.Just...wow.
It was rare for Pippi to be so easily bowled over by a man's looks, but even she knew Acheron Simonides wasn't anyone's average kind of handsome. Silky black hair, chiseled features that seemed to have been carved from the same mold as Greek gods, and a ruggedly muscular body that no man who pencil-pushed almost 18 hours a day had any right to possess.
His looks were the type that smoldered,literally,considering how invisible flames now seemed to be tonguing every inch of her skin.
Wow,she thought again, but this time with a helpless, sickening feeling in her stomach. She had the craziest urge to run, more so when she saw his impatient gaze raking over her as he snapped, "Are you just going to stand there like an idiot?"
"I...I..." His voice was deep and strong, so darn mesmerizing it made his insult sound like a compliment. It was a foolish sentiment, but it was also the truth, and Pippi's unease turned into full-blown anxiety. That she was horribly ill equipped to handle a man like him in close quarters had never been more obvious, and she could already feel her heart giving out as shyness tied her tongue in knots.
Don't puke.
The thought - half-warning, half-plea - flashed out of nowhere, and she clung to it for life. She always worked better with a goal, anyway, and with the thought giving her something to focus on, Pippi succeeded bit by bit in regaining her composure.
Clearing her throat, she said in a fairly steady voice, "I'm sorry for the unseemly reaction, Mr. Simonides."Smile. Don't puke.“I was told you wouldn't be home." She saw his lip curl in response, as if finding her words a complete waste of his time, and her temper - so rarely seen it might as well have been nonexistent - started to rise.
"Who the hell are you, anyway?"
Anger had her shyness receding, and she forgot all about being intimidated. All she wanted to do at that moment was throw the folder at his face. Teeth gnashing, she gave him her name and position in his company, adding somewhat icily afterwards, "Mr. Collins believes this should be given to you as soon as possible, sir." She handed him the folder with both hands, but nothing happened.
