Chapter 2 – Desiree
I walked into the room. The man in front of me hadn’t looked too happy when he got out, and I was dying to know what I would find. I didn’t know I would find Greg Jefferson standing in front of me. He was the face of the company and one of the two partners that owned it. He was famous, maybe even infamous, and I didn’t dream in a million years that I would be meeting him.
He seemed nonchalant as he asked me my number. I gave him the one written on the card and tried to remain calm as I sat down. He hadn’t even looked up yet, which gave me time to study the man I had seen gracing the covers of every business magazine I’d read. His story of making it from nothing to one of the top CEOs in the country was a story that the press didn’t get sick of writing about.
What hadn’t occurred to me when I had seen his pictures was just how large he was. Even sitting down in a desk that was twice normal size, Greg looked larger than life. When his green eyes finally met mine, I was taken in by him and I knew I had been caught staring. His chiseled face was handsome, yet he had a tight look. His brown hair was short and seemed to complete the picture perfectly.
His face was haughty, but then he looked at me and there was a moment between us. It was clear that he was evaluating me in the same way that I had him, and I hoped that I wasn’t found lacking. I suddenly didn’t care about the internship that I had waited months for. In that moment, I just wanted him to really see me.
Greg’s face clouded but then cleared, and he asked me why I wanted the internship with his company. I had thought of answers to all kinds of questions, and of course that was one of the ones I had rolled around in my head. But as soon as he asked it, I knew that I didn’t have an answer. Not an answer that he was going to want to hear.
“Your company is well-known, and I figured an internship here would help jumpstart my career. I know that I likely won’t get picked, but when an opportunity like this came up, I knew I had to try.”
His eyebrows went up and he finally sat up and really looked at me. There was something unfathomable in his eyes, and I knew that there was another part of him in that moment. It made me pause, but he seemed to be making a decision as quickly as the receptionist had.
“I think you came to the right place, Desire.”
“It’s Desiree.” I said it clearly so that he understood me better.
“Are you sure?”
I felt my face going red, and I wished that I wasn’t so fair skinned. I knew that he could see that he had embarrassed me, but hopefully he didn’t know why. Suddenly I was afraid that Greg would know what I was thinking and what I was wondering. How could I not wonder what it would be like to have his large hands on my body? It was impossible not to think about it when he had such a stormy look in his eyes.
Pulling myself together, I worked hard to actually hear him. “I think you would be a great addition to our team, Desiree.”
I was sure that I was hearing him wrong or that I was hearing what I wanted to hear.
“How would you like that?”
“I’m sorry?” Oh, my mind went to a bad place rather quickly with such an innocent question. I knew that he didn’t mean it the way I had taken it, so I was making sure of what he meant. If I didn’t start acting right, I was sure that he was going to rescind the offer. I didn’t want that, I wanted the job, but the interviewer was not what I had been prepared for. The extra button on my shirt didn’t seem to be needed at all.
“How would you like to start with us as an intern on Monday? I think you have what it takes to make it here, and I would love to see you around the office.”
The last bit sounded a little suspect, but I was over the moon about the rest. In a moment I was able to shake the feelings he had brought up so immediately and process that I had just gotten the internship that I had really wanted.
“Yes, sir. That sounds perfect.”
He handed me a small packet of paperwork and our hands touched for a moment. “Welcome to my company.”
I don’t know why I was shaking when I left the room. Maybe it was because of the electric touch on my hand or the look in his eyes, but something had bothered me enough that my hands were now trembling. It wasn’t just getting the job. It was Greg who had made me feel so different.
Looking back one last time before I stepped out, I couldn’t believe what had just happened. I had the internship, and I was that much closer to having the job that I wanted so badly. I needed to tell Fran, and more than that, I felt like it was time for a celebration. If only to make me forget about the way I had acted in the office with Greg. I knew that I had been close to embarrassing myself to the point of no return.
***
Fran was happy for me, and of course she agreed to go out for a drink. After hearing me worry about it for months, I was sure she was as relieved as I was about it all. We had a drink and then a couple more before I told her about meeting Greg Jefferson and how affected I was by him. It was hard not to be embarrassed by saying it out loud, but Fran knew me and she knew that it wasn’t like me at all. Rarely had I been so entranced by a man before.
“So what are you going to do?”
I wasn’t following what she was talking about. There was nothing to do.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I mean, you’re going to be working with him, aren’t you?”
I shrugged. I hadn’t really thought about it, but I was sure that I was just going to work with the accountants. There was no need for us to really work together, so I didn’t foresee us working closely again. That time with him in the office would most likely be the last time I was that close to Greg Jefferson. I wouldn’t have to do anything or worry about another encounter.
“I don’t think so, Fran. As much as I would like to work with him, I’m sure he has much more important things to do with his time than help accountant interns.”
She gave me a look like she wasn’t so sure, and for a moment I hoped that she was right. Maybe I would get to see Greg again. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it, but part of me hoped for more time with the handsome man who was now my boss. Part of me played out the possible scenarios in my head, but then I realized I was just fantasizing and it was never going to happen. Greg Jefferson was way out of my league.