By Monday, I’d tried to put Friday night’s incident on the back burner and just carry on. I was grateful I had friends like Clara and Suzy to remind me that I didn’t need to feel so embarrassed. What were the chances I would ever bump into that guy again? If I never saw him again, it would all be as good as forgotten.

This was a new start, and I was determined to make a good impression on my first day. I’d gone shopping with the girls over the weekend. I bought myself a new pencil skirt and a silk blouse. I was wearing high heels and new makeup, too. I’d done everything I could to prepare myself with confidence. Mrs. Rafferty had told me that Mr. Sole was a difficult boss, but she’d also told me that I could handle him. I was going to do just that.

I arrived early at the office and introduced myself to the receptionist. She was a girl my age – maybe a little older – named Rebecca, and she said she would be happy to show me up to Mr. Sole’s office. He was already at work.

“Have they told you about him?” Rebecca asked as she walked with me to the elevator. 

“Mrs. Rafferty, who interviewed me, warned me that he can be difficult and demanding,” I replied and Rebecca rolled her eyes.

“I guess those are some ways to describe him,” she said and we stepped in together.

“What are the others?” I asked and Rebecca sighed.

“Well, just remember that there is more to him than meets the eye. It’s not all green eyes and handsome smile with him,” she told me and I looked at her confusedly.

“Why? What’s wrong with him?” I persisted as the elevator pinged on the top floor and the doors slid open.

“I don’t want to scare you on your first day or give you the wrong impression. I guess you’ll see for yourself.”

Rebecca led me to the door at the end of the swanky office floor. I walked behind her, keeping my head down. Everybody seemed to be hard at work, their serious faces on. This office was definitely much different from the other places I’d worked at, which were usually more easygoing.

Rebecca reached the door, which had his name emblazoned on the front: Michael Sole, CEO. She knocked on the door and then popped her head inside.“Sir, the new girl is here to start,” I heard her say while I stood behind her with my hands clasped. Mrs. Rafferty had warned me already, but Rebecca’s words made me nervous. I didn’t know what to expect. Was he just a difficult boss, like Mrs. Rafferty said? . . . Or was he two-faced and unpredictable like Rebecca was hinting?

Rebecca swung the door wide open and turned to me. “He’ll see you now. Best of luck,” she whispered before she quickly walked away.

I cleared my throat and smoothed the front of my skirt before I stepped in through the door.

“Good morning, Mr. Sole.” I added a chirpiness to my voice, accompanying it with a happy grin.

The office was a neat minimalist space, very modern with a glass wall behind the desk. The desk was large, and behind it sat a man who was hunched over a file. He looked up, and before I even met his eyes, I recognized him.

Startled, I took a step back. It was him! It was the guy from Friday night. The one who’d undressed me and had his fingers between my legs. I nearly choked on the shock.

He met my eyes now, dropping the file from his hands, a wide smile spreading on his face. “You’re the new girl?” he asked, sitting far back in his luxurious leather chair.

I was horrified to see him again. To see him in daylight. The shock of finding out that he was my new boss was arresting my system. I couldn’t move and I couldn’t say a word.

“Now you know my name,” he continued, while I remained frozen to the spot.

“Y-yes, Mr. Sole,” I managed to reply.

He was still smiling – wider than he had that night. He was finding this amusing. This was all some kind of joke to him while I was melting into a puddle in my shoes!

“Come here. Don’t be scared. I won’t try and pull down your panties again,” he said and laughed.

I gritted my teeth, gulped, and lifted my chin up in the air. This was bad. This was very bad. I had two options. I could either turn around right then and run. Or I could go forward, make the best of a bad situation, and move on with the job. The first option was tempting. It would be so easy to just run away. The old Aria would have done it in a heartbeat.

“Aria Lawson.” I stepped forward with my hand stretched to him.

“And that’s your name,” he said, his voice low and husky. I could see it in his eyes: he was picturing me naked. He had seen everything there was to see about me. He didn’t need to imagine anything. “It’s a small world, isn’t it?” he continued and I kept my chin up.

“Sir, I’m here as your secretary. Here to do my job. I would prefer it if we didn’t discuss our past encounter,” I said firmly. I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to speak this way to my boss, but I had no other choice. The only way I could continue working at this office would be if we moved on from the ‘incident.’

Did he even want me here?

“’Encounter.’ That the word you’re going with?” he asked and then broke into a laugh.