The next morning, I got to the office even earlier. Silvia warned me that Michael was usually the first one in the office. He was a workaholic – that much was clear to me. Success, money, and power meant everything to him, and I was determined to prove to him that I wasn’t going to be easily crushed.

Silvia filled me in on my job as much as she could. The rest I would have to just learn as I went along.

I was nervous about seeing him again, but I knew I would just have to get used to the idea now. I’d be seeing him all day, every day, and it wasn’t healthy for me to daydream about that Friday night.

I got to the office at eight-thirty and waited outside his door. I heard the elevator doors ping open and then he stepped out. He was on the phone as he walked down the hallway towards me. I caught the look of surprise in his eyes. He hadn’t expected to see me so early. Nine was the time that most of his employees got in.

“Good morning, Mr. Sole,” I greeted him as he ended the call and stopped in front of me.

“Aria!”

He was looking me up and down, assessing my clothes . . . maybe picturing me naked again. I kept my head up. Silvia’s words kept ringing in my head. She’d seen him in nothing but his swimming trunks . . . 

“You’re early!” he exclaimed and charged through his office door. I followed him in.

“Your coffee is on your desk. Black with one sugar. Silvia filled me in. What would you like for your breakfast today?” I asked as he sat down, eyeing the cup of coffee that was waiting for him. He smoothed his tie and looked up at me. He seemed surprised – like he wasn’t expecting me to be so efficient.

“My usual,” he replied, narrowing his eyes at me. Was this some kind of test?

“No problem,” I replied and made to turn away.

“What is my usual, Aria?” he asked, stopping me in my tracks.

“Toast and scrambled eggs with one strip of bacon on the side, Mr. Sole,” I said like I’d been doing it every day. He nodded his head, taken aback again.

“Looks like Silvia’s done a good job of filling you in,” he commented and switched on his computer.

“Is there anything else?” I asked and he glanced at me.

“Nothing for now. After my breakfast, I need you to confirm my meetings and appointments for the day,” he told me while he started typing something on his computer.

“Yes, Mr. Sole,” and with that, I’d left his office.

I felt victorious as I walked down the hallway. I’d stumped him. If he was expecting me to cower under his advances, he was messing with the wrong girl. I wasn’t so easily spooked.

The rest of the morning passed without incident. He had no complaints about his breakfast, and after that, I sat at my desk, calling up all the names on his schedule for the day and confirming his appointments.

He seemed to be busy. Every time I knocked on his door or entered his office to hand him something or inform him of something, Michael looked distracted. He barely even noticed my presence in the office.

Whatever Mrs. Rafferty and the other girls said about him was true in that he was a demanding boss who liked things done his own way. He was a hard worker, too, and I could see evidence of how and why he had made such a success of himself. All that he’d achieved hadn’t come easily to him. He’d worked at it, and it was well deserved.

The fact that he’d barely looked at me all morning should have put me at ease. I should have been relieved in the knowledge that he wasn’t going to make any more advances. That our encounter on Friday was all forgotten.

But I couldn’t just forget about it. The look in his eyes as he watched my body move was etched in my memory. I could taste his tongue in my mouth still, and every time I entered his office and got a whiff of his cologne . . . I was transported back to that evening in the bar. When he was nothing more than a stranger to me. When I’d taken him back to my place because he had me under his spell.

The telephone on my desk buzzed loudly and I answered. It was him at the other end. “Where is my Shropshire file?” he barked into the phone, startling me. I’d just been daydreaming about him again, and I wasn’t expecting to hear the sharpness in his voice at that moment.

“I left it on your desk, Mr. Sole,” I told him.

I could hear the sound of him rummaging about. “It’s not here. Find it and get it in here right now!” he barked again, and then the call ended. The way he’d screamed at me made me forget all those thoughts of lust and desire I had for him a moment ago. I hadn’t seen this side of him yet. I stood up from my chair slowly, gulping down the rush of tears that was threatening to pour out.

I wasn’t going to cry. I wasn’t weak. I was going to make him regret his behavior.

I looked for the file in the cabinets, even though I knew I’d left it on his desk earlier. A few minutes later, I knocked on his door.

“Come in!” he snapped.

“Mr. Sole, I can’t find the file in the cabinets. May I search your office for it?” I asked in a meek voice. He was typing away on his computer but looked up at me.

“I found it. You can go now,” he said dismissively and returned to his work.

***

Michael seemed to have a busy day. He was in and out of his office the whole time, either on the phone or at a meeting or hard at work at his computer. I tried to avoid his gaze, I tried my best to carry out his commands. The whole time, I felt like I was going unnoticed. I understood why his past secretaries had so many complaints about him. It was a thankless job, being Michael Sole’s secretary.

It was nearly six, time for me to leave, when I saw a woman walking towards my desk. I hadn’t seen her in the building yet, and she was dressed differently than the rest of us. Something told me that she didn’t work here. Blond hair cut sharply in a bob, she wore a bright fuchsia dress and her makeup was set perfectly on her face. She had a supermodel’s body.

She’d walked right up to my desk. “You must be new. Hi, I’m Meg,” she said, extending her hand to me.

“Hi. Yes, I’m new. I’m Aria,” I told her and we shook hands lightly.

“Is he in or in a meeting?” she asked, looking over at Michael’s door.

I checked the lights on the intercom. “He’s in, but he’s on a call right now,” I told her and she shrugged her shoulders.

“I’ll wait, I guess,” she sighed and looked around, drumming her long nails on my desk.

I looked at Michael’s schedule, searching for her name, but there was no Meg on it. “I’m sorry, he doesn’t seem to have an appointment with you today,” I told her and she looked at me with a wide smile.

“Oh, there’s no appointment necessary. He’ll see me anyway,” she declared and proceeded to stare me up and down. I could sense her judging me. What was she judging me for? What was she doing here?

“I’m sorry, it’s just that Mr. Sole is very strict about his schedule. I’ll have to check with him before you can go in,” I said firmly but kept the smile on my face.

Meg smiled. It was a fake smile. I could see that I’d offended her. “You’re new here, so you’re not aware of our little arrangement, Aria. I don’t need an appointment to see Michael,” she said, dragging out her words.

“You might be right. I don’t know the rules here, but what I do know is that Mr. Sole sticks to his schedule. So I’ll check with him, and then you can go in,” I stuck to my guns. I could see Meg’s nostrils flaring.

The light had gone off on the intercom. I knew that he was done with his call, but I was in no hurry to call him. I was curious to find out what his relationship with Meg was, and her attitude had pissed me off. I was Michael’s employee, which meant that I was willing to tolerate his demands . . . but not hers. I didn’t even know who she was.

“How long have you been here? A day? I’ve known Michael for a long time. Trust me, you don’t want to get on my bad side,” Meg warned.

I stood up from my chair. “I’ll go check with Mr. Sole,” I said. I walked to his door, Meg following me. She stood right beside me when I knocked.

“Yes?” we heard him say, and I opened the door.

“Sir . . . ” I began to explain, but Meg had already barged through the door and entered his office.

“Michael, this girl just wouldn’t let me come in here! She said she needed to check with you first!” Meg’s voice had changed significantly as she spoke to him. It was sweeter now, more seductive.

I knew immediately that they were in some kind of relationship. I just didn’t know exactly what it was.

Michael looked at both of us, finally fixing his gaze on me. “Thank you, Aria,” he said, and I gritted my teeth. I didn’t know why I was offended or what I was doing still standing there.

“You should let her know that I don’t need an appointment to come and see you,” Meg carried on as she walked slowly towards his desk. I noticed the way her butt swung in her tight pink dress. I needed no more indication that this was some sort of seductive game between them.

He stared at me and then cleared his throat. “I can’t do that, Meg. Aria was just doing her job, and the fact is that I need an appointment before I can see anyone,” he replied. He was speaking to her, but he had his eyes on me. I couldn’t drag my gaze away from him either.

“That is just silly! I’ve never needed an appointment with you before. You always have time for me, don’t you?” Meg asked, coming to a stop beside him. I could sense that there was an element of worry in her voice.

“Yes, you’ve forced your way into my office before. But you really should stop doing that, Meg. This is my place of work.” He finally turned his eyes to see her pouting lips.

“You’re such a grump when you’ve been working hard all day. What can I do to make it better for you?” She was speaking to him seductively and I couldn’t bear to hear any more.

“Do you need me, Mr. Sole?” I interrupted them and he turned to me.

“No. Thank you, Aria,” he replied and I nodded before I turned from them and walked to the door.

“And Aria . . . good job on your first day,” I heard him say, which made me stop.

I turned to give him a half-baked smile. “Thank you, Mr. Sole,” I told him. Then, I was gone from his office, leaving him alone with Meg — whoever she was to him.

It had been an eventful day, and I left work with mixed feelings. I didn’t know what I felt about him anymore. The only thing I did know was I was dead exhausted!