Our Little Secret
"Here goes nothing." I sighed, straightening my company's oversized uniform that I was sure made me look aeons older than I actually was. At twenty, the design was totally not my cup of tea, but as an assistant P.A, I had rules to follow. And according to Eloise, the middle aged head P.A and also my strict supervisor from hell, being in those corporate colours ensured that I looked professional at all times. That and the fact that 'The Boss' had made it a requirement when I had been assigned to train under her.
I never made complaints over it, as working under Eloise placed me in the most coveted office at Hayes Corp. Right at the top floor, working for the man himself. Cameron Hayes. Hot shot billionaire, greek god on legs and owner of Hayes Corporation and also, my forever crush. That more than made up for the terrible fashion sense inflicted on me.
Satisfied with my usual unflattering look, and pasting on a professional face, I pushed at my thick rimmed glasses and swallowed, finally deciding to knock on the charcoal gray door that led to my boss' penthouse.
The click of a key card, however, had me drawing a shaky breath as nerves sent my heart hammering and battling against itself as it always did whenever it was time to step into a world I both loved and hated.
Hated, because I would soon be coming face to face with them. His one night stand conquests. Most times wearing nothing but their usual smug smiles after getting what I had only long dreamed about. I would soon be getting my little heart broken all over again as I played clean up crew to keep his image picture perfect.
But then again, doing this, however heartbreaking, gave me those coveted moments to spend some semblance of quality time with the man who had had my heart from the moment I laid my eyes on him. I loved the satisfaction I got from being needed by him. In a weird way, I loved being the one he called when he wanted to keep this personal part of his life away from the rest of the world. It was like our little secret.
Another deep breath and I thought to myself. "Just don't let it get to you and you'll be fine." I never was, but I guess telling myself that had become a ritual I couldn't do without. And besides all that, I simply loved staring into those electric eyes that were apparently… fuming this morning?
"Miss Taylor, you are late!"
Would it kill you to call me Violet? "I'm so sorry Mr. Hayes, it won't happen again." I switched to my professional tone drilled in me by Eloise. Traffic was kind of hellish. With 'kind of' being an understatement, but Cameron Hayes hated excuses, no matter how justified. Cameron…what I would give to call him that again. What I would give to have those strong hands flexing on something else apart from the door–
"...Are you even listening, Miss Taylor?"
Oh crap! "I’m sorry sir, what?" The rage in his eyes made me stand up straighter and focus. My fantasies would have to wait, because, today was one of those days apparently. One of those I could not afford to make a mistake. The anger and irritation in his voice was a clear sign that last night had not been that satisfying and that meant hell would be raining on anyone caught crossing his path. The extremely unfortunate ones would end up jobless.
And crush or not, I'd do well to stay clear of his path of anger too. Although, it paid to know that he couldn't just fire me even if he wanted to. That fact had been both a blessing and a curse. One I didn't need distracting me when I was supposed to be doing my job right now.
"I uh… I'll just get those." I'd heard nothing of what he had said, but this was like a drill each time he called for me. I slipped past him and stepped inside, eyes zeroing in on my targets. A familiar sight greeted me and it took everything in me to push away the ache in my heart.
"Don't let it get to you." Aiming for the discarded stilettos and under wear, I ignored the intoxicating scent of his shower gel as I breezed past him. That and my own undeniable long pending attraction that easily saw the man past the bath robe he had wrapped himself in. I would chew on that later. In my dreams, preferably.
Working with my usual efficiency, I cleaned up the evidence of last night's escapades before housekeeping came knocking at the apartment. If only I could erase it from my heart too.
"Will this be all?" I popped my head into the bedroom he'd moved to once I started cleaning, waving the pieces of clothing as a means of distraction from those perfectly toned muscles that as usual, he had no business flaunting anymore than I had any business salivating after.
"Should I have been paying attention to how much she was wearing?" Familiar irritation flashed across his face.
If it were me, I would expect so. The thought of his heated gaze on me sparked something in my blood and before I made a fool of myself, I turned away. "I'll just make sure there is nothing more for housekeeping to find." I drawled out as I retreated, opting to check the rest of the rooms than staying to endure that growing tension and my own undeniable attraction.
Knowing there were no more clothes to find, I searched for the damsel instead. The owner of the discarded stilettos was nowhere to be found, however. I made a note to check his bathroom once Cameron left. Perhaps the girl was stuck in there crying her eyes out. That is if she was stupid enough to believe that a night with Cameron Hayes would turn into a morning with Cameron Hayes, or worse…a life with the cold hearted god of Hayes Corporation. I'd come to know that part of his life all too well.
Strings…as simple as the word sounded, was just something Cameron Hayes never did. One night was always more than enough, no matter how earth shattering the experience might have been. I'd seen the misery that came with that realization on many of his date's faces, after they had thought otherwise and it was up to me to pick up the shattered pieces of those girls' dreams once morning came. And I was good at it. Having learned from experience.
From as long as I could remember, my heart had only ever been broken by one person, over and over, leaving me to pick up the pieces each time. Someone could call me stupid for letting it happen for so long, but I loved Cameron and never dreamed of giving my heart to any other. And maybe I secretly hoped that one day I would be the woman who would be enough for him. The one with whom he'd break the stupid 'one night rule' for. If only I could get him to see me as anything more than his assistant's P.A. or his mother's charity project.
Given his sour mood and the absence of the damsel, I knew some off site damage control would be needed. The folder with which I needed to accomplish that was on its usual place. The little piece of paper already bore Cameron's signature just below an insane amount. The figures did not surprise me anymore as they did the first time I made such a delivery.
"I might need you this weekend too. Be available." My heart skipped a beat when that deep rumble sounded from behind me. So close, it caressed my heart and got my blood rushing. But how I wished it came with a confession and not some work related request.
"About that…" I turned to him and swallowed hard at the sight. Did he like torturing me this way? Or was he really oblivious to how he affected me? His bathrob was discarded somewhere on the floor and I struggled to keep from ogling his well defined chest as he dressed up. "I was hoping to get a little time off this weekend, sir." Please say yes.
Because this was one of those open weekends in Cameron's diary I knew I would not be needed, I had decided to reward myself with a trip to an event I'd been putting off for a while now. "If ever you'll need me, I promise to keep my phone on." I added quickly even though I was sure he wouldn't be calling, not for anything. It was his ghost weekend after all. One of those he seemed to fall off the face of the earth.
Even after playing detective for months trying to figure out where my boss disappeared to during those blank days in his schedule, I had come up with nothing. Not even Eloise seemed to know, even though I suspected the older woman wouldn't divulge such info to an assistant like me.
An undecipherable expression met my humble request and I bit my lips in anticipation. Please say yes.
"It better be." He warned after a long silence. And with that, he strode out, leaving me all to myself. “That went surprisingly well.” I sighed before picking up the folder."And now for the fun part." I stared at the already signed cheque. "If only money could fix a broken heart…” I let out another sigh, my heart suddenly aching for both myself and the poor girl.