Mr. Valentine's Heart

New Job

Nervous. Definitely, extremely nervous. I mean, I guess it makes sense to be nervous, seeing as how I’m going to be working directly with the CEO of a major company. Something in me is saying that isn’t why I’m nervous.

If I’m being honest with myself, there have been a lot of emotions swirling around since I met Mr. Caleb Valentine. There’s an attraction there, but there’s also something else that I can’t quite put my finger on. I don’t want to act out of character; then again, I have no idea what my character is.

I don’t know much about myself because I don’t remember much. Everything my supposed husband told me didn't feel right. I couldn’t believe anything he said about me because it all felt foreign to me. I plan to figure out exactly who I am while I’m on this new journey.

I step out of the car and stare at the building in front of me. My life could change simply by walking through these doors, and I’m not sure I’m ready for that. I guess the change couldn’t be worse than my life before I got here. I take a deep breath in and slowly let it out before walking through the glass doors. I stop at reception, and she smiles at me. “I see I’m going to send you to the top floor from now on.” I have no words on deck, so I simply nod at her, and she waves me over to the elevator.

The music is soft and does little to settle my nerves. The elevator doors open, and a guy from the other day stands there. “Morning, ma’am. I’m not sure we were properly introduced yesterday. I’m Roman Norris. I will be in charge of your training.” He holds his hand out to me. I promptly take it, and we shake hands.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Cherise Perry. I hope to be a quick learner, so you don’t have to spend too much time with me.”

“I’m sure it will be time well spent.”

“So, do I see Mr. Valentine now?” Roman steps forward and presses the elevator button before looking back at me.

“We have other things to do before we see Mr. Valentine. If you just follow me, we can get our day going.” I nod and follow him into the waiting elevator car.

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Okay, I know I have no recollection of working. The life I can remember consisted of sitting around all day, doing nothing. There was a lot of physical therapy and doctor appointments, but not much else. I didn’t have any friends, and I wasn’t allowed to leave the compound for anything.

I say all that to say that this can’t be normal. I’m exhausted, my feet are killing me, and I feel like I’m going to pass out. It’s only about to be lunchtime. This can’t be due to my inactivity in the past. This has to be some abnormal setup.

Roman and I have been everywhere. I’ve filled out paperwork, gotten a tour, and met people along the way. I have a basic knowledge of the building and how things usually go. I glanced at Mr. Valentine’s schedule, and it looked packed. Roman says that this time of year is usually like that, and it will thin out after Valentine’s Day.

We are finally back on his floor, probably going to finally see him. A pretty woman is sitting at a desk in the waiting area of the floor. She eyes me, and I’d imagine she’d have words for me if she could. “Ah, this is Breyanne Malone. This is Cherise Perry. She will be me soon.” Breyanne scoffs.

“Why her? Where are you going? If you needed someone to fill in for you, it should have been me, not some random woman.” Hmm, interesting. A feeling I can’t identify washes over me, and I’m overwhelmed. I step to the front of the desk and stare at her. “Can I help you?”

“Do you know me?”

“No, Thank Goddess.” Goddess? That’s interesting and not the first time I’ve heard that today. “Uh, can you back up?” She’s a funny woman, though not stand-up funny.

“You don’t know me and I don’t know you. What you WON’T be doing is talking to me crazy. This little display, this show you just put on, it won’t continue. Be mindful how you deal with me if you know what’s good for you.” I step back and turn, feeling her eyes on my back.

“Aren’t you going to say anything to her?!” A door opens, and I swear my legs are about to give out.

“Is everything alright out here?” I look at the beautiful specimen of a man standing before me and try to remember how to string words together to speak.

“Uh, yes, sir. Everything is fine. I brought Ms. Perry for that lunch you wanted to have with her.” He nods and steps aside, making a sweeping motion toward the door he came out of. I hear a scoff behind me, but I ignore it. She doesn’t concern me.

~Caleb~

I watch her walk into my office and try to keep my thoughts as pure as possible. It’s hard to do when she looks like she does. She’s wearing a baby blue, sleeveless dress with a pencil skirt. It has a cutout in the front, but there’s no show of cleavage. She looks beyond professional and very delicious.

I’ve been anxious all day. I wanted to run into the office this morning and be the first person she saw. Eros talked me out of it and told me that she should handle her training first. Having lunch with her was all my idea, refusing to hear about staying away from her for an entire day. If she is the heartless woman she seems, I want the time with her that I can get before she shows me that side of her.

I heard the back and forth between Cherish and Breyanne, loving every second of it. The tone of her voice brought back so many memories. One thing about Cherish has always been her feistiness. Many didn’t see her as Luna material, saying she was a bit too rough around the edges. I saw it as a side of her personality that I loved to see at any time.

Don’t get me wrong. Cherish always knew how to act when needed. She could be extremely meek and gentle when it called for it. She knew how to be professional in specific settings. Cherish was also the type who wouldn’t let anyone come at her sideways, always ready to use her tongue to dress someone down. I mean, who else would be bold enough to break off their relationship right in your face?

I loved everything about this woman, and I’ve never stopped. If it comes out that she’s even half the woman that she’s always been, I plan to lock her to me for the rest of our lives. There will be no escaping me the second time.

I finally break from my thoughts, having no idea how long I was standing there, lost. Cherish is looking around my office, and I’m glad I scrubbed it over the weekend. I had to get rid of any picture that she was in. I don’t want to alert her too soon that we have a history.

I already had lunch brought in, and I am anticipating this meet-up. I made sure that her favorites were brought in, and I hope I didn’t miss the mark. I walk over to the sitting area in my office and sit on the couch. The food is laid out on the coffee table. I clear my throat, startling Cherish causing her to hurry to me. “How about we eat and chat, hmm?”