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He inched closer, the pungent smile of his cologne washing over me, and I stilled. “There were other candidates who were far more qualified, Ms. Auden. But Ms. Alexander pushed hard for you, and when I saw your picture, I decided to give you a shot.”
“Thank you, Mr. Banks.”
“You’re an attractive woman, Ms. Auden,” Mr. Banks continued as if he hadn’t heard me. “I chose you because you are a good representation of what the magazine embodies.”
Bile rose in my throat.
“You should do everything I say.” Mr. Banks’ mouth was next to my ear, his hot breath on my face, and fear raced up my spine. “If you keep me happy, you’ll find that I can be a very generous boss, and you can move up quickly in the magazine.”
I pressed my lips together and said nothing.
Mr. Banks drew back and squeezed my knee. “Do we have an understanding, Ms. Auden?”
I wanted to push his hand away and throw myself out of the moving car.
But I couldn’t.
Not if I had any chance of making a decent living to support myself and my son.
Mr. Banks was deceitful and underhanded, but he held my fate in his hand.
And we both knew it.
Slowly, I nodded and squeezed my eyes shut. He spent the rest of the ride stroking my skin until the car pulled to a stop. As soon as it did, I hurried out and kept my back facing his. He placed a hand on the small of my back and ushered me in through the glass doors. Once inside, I blinked. The fluorescent light making spots danced in my field of vision.
Then I saw him as if he had materialized out of my dreams.
Albin uncrossed his legs, put his phone away, and stood up. He looked over at us, and I saw his eyes tighten around the edges.
What on Earth was he doing here?
Chapter 11
Albin
People were jostling past in either direction and stepping around me, but I didn’t care. Instead, my gaze was fixed entirely on the blonde next to a short, thin-haired man who kept glancing over at her, a predatory gleam in his eyes.
I would’ve recognized her anywhere.
I had, after all, spent the past six years dreaming of her and wondering what had gone wrong that night. After years of reliving our night in the cabin and the way it felt to hold her in my arms and trying but failing to capture the unique, floral smell of her, it felt surreal to have her standing a few feet away, a vision in her knee length black dress with her hair piled on top of her head.
She was even more beautiful than I remembered.
And it felt like the world around me had come to a standstill.
I stirred to life, covered the distance between us, and cleared my throat. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Banks.”
Banks stood up straighter, and his eyes moved over me before he held his hand out. “You as well, Mr. Arkwright. This is my new assistant. Ms. Martha Auden.”
“A pleasure, Ms. Auden. Thank you for the invitation, Mr. Banks.”
Banks looked pleased as he glanced over my shoulders at the ballroom doors flung open to reveal tile floors, glittering chandeliers, and hundreds of well-dressed men and women drawn into conversation. Having arrived a short while ago, I’d taken the opportunity to glance around the banquet hall, pausing at the tables and tables of food lined up before stepping back out.
It was the one thing about my job I didn’t like.
Needing to see the investments for myself was one thing.
Being forced to go to these events, where everyone put on a carefully construed façade and judged everyone else, was another.
