Charmed by the CEO

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 1ERIN RACED DOWN THE busy street trying to avoid colliding with any unsuspecting pedestrians. She decided on moving to San Francisco to make a fresh start. After her ex, Brad cheated on her with his secretary and one of her close friends Erin needed to get away. They had known each other since middle school, and they shared the same circle of friends. All except one. Lillian, her best friend who had moved away from Portland, Oregon during her sophomore year in high school. Lillian had never liked Brad and never made a secret of it. As soon as Erin caught Brad cheating, she called Lillian who convinced her to move to San Francisco and apply for a marketing job there. It was a big town full of new opportunity. She landed a dream marketing job at the number one advertising company in the bay area, O’Connell Advertising.

Erin checked her watch for the hundredth time as she hastened down the street. She was so engrossed in what time it was she didn’t see the cyclist cross in front her. His sudden appearance caused her to stumble back and spill her overpriced caramel macchiato with a double shot down the front of her white dress. “Are you kidding me?” She growled shaking the hot liquid from her hand.

“Not my fault you weren’t paying attention, lady.” The cyclist grumbled and kept speeding by.

Erin would have kept arguing, but he was right. She had been so concerned about time she hadn’t been paying attention. Ushering a quick apology, Erin started sprinting down the street in her six-inch heels. It wasn’t the first time, and she doubted it would be the last. No matter how much time she planned for anything she could never be on time. Her mother once told her it was a birth defect when she was two weeks late when being born. She didn’t mean to always be late. It just happened.

Erin sailed into the building with only one minute to spare and went straight for the elevator. She hardly paid attention to the lone desk with the security guard watching her questionably. She didn’t care about running down the street but racing up six flights of stairs would be suicide. Erin listened to the droning ping on the floors she passed as she tried to calm her breathing. It wouldn’t do to be introduced to her boss when she couldn’t breathe, little lone speak.

The door opened, and Erin sailed into the room with confidence. She approached the front desk and pasted her brightest smile she could muster. “Hi-” She looked down at the nameplate in front of her. “Cynthia. I’m Erin Andrews. I’m scheduled to start working today under Henry Sheridan.” Cynthia barely looked away from her computer screen as Erin spoke. Erin could tell they were not going to be fast friends by any means. You don’t become the number one company in the western hemisphere by playing nice, right?

“You’re late,” Cynthia stated in a monotone voice.

Erin looked up at the clock. Sure enough, she was five minutes late. Who knew the elevator ride was going to take so long? “I apologize I’ve had a rough morning.” She indicated with a sweeping of the front of her half brown and white dress. Cynthia didn’t bother to look up from her screen. Erin wondered what was so enthralling on that screen. Curiosity got the better of her, and she started leaning forward to see. Cynthia’s blue eyes snapped at hers, freezing her in place. Cynthia cleared her throat and handed her a packet of papers and an ID badge with a white lanyard on it.

“Fill out the forms and turn them back in by the end of the day. Wear your badge at all times while you are in the building.” With that, Cynthia went back to staring at her screen. Erin opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She made a mental reminder to steer clear of Cynthia in the future.

“Thank you.” She pasted another smile on her face and collected the items left to her. She looked left then right to figure out where to go. There was a set of double doors on either side of her. Which way was she supposed to go? Conceding defeat, Erin looked back to Cynthia. “Excuse me, Cynthia.” Without missing a beat, Cynthia pointed to the right and continued staring at her computer. Erin mumbled a quick thank you and headed for the glass doors to the right. Erin pulled on the door, but it was locked. She pulled a few more times then tried pulling it. Still nothing. This was so not the way she thought this day would go.

“Miss. Andrews.” Cynthia called out. Erin cringed, and half turned back. “Your badge.” She pointed at the little black square next to the doors she hadn’t seen before. Erin nodded and swiped her badge in front of the box and heard a beeping sound and a door click. She pulled on the door and felt it open with ease. Erin felt the heat rise up her neck. This was turning into the worst day ever. She should have known that her badge was more than just a picture of her. There was security downstairs. “Miss. Andrew’s one more thing.” Erin turned back just wanting to get this day over with already. “This company has a zero tolerance policy for tardiness. Try to remember that in the future.” Cynthia turned away dismissing her. Erin bit her lip and rushed to Henry’s desk.

Henry Sheridan was not any friendlier than Cynthia had been. The first words out of his mouth when she walked up to his was “You’re ten minutes late. If that happens again, I will see you fired.” Well nice to meet you too Mr. Sheridan. Did no one notice how disheveled she already was? She was almost run over by a cyclist and had coffee spilled on her. She had an excellent reason for being late. Did they care? No. Erin took a calming breath and jumped into her new role.

“It won’t happen again, Mr. Sheridan. I’m ready to get started.” Henry eyed her up and down and stopped at her chest. He was probably noticing the coffee stain gracing her person. She made a mental note of never wearing a white dress to work again and to always bring a jacket to work.

“You come with an impressive resume, Andrews. Portland was hard pressed to lose you.” Erin remained quiet. There wasn’t anything for her to add to that statement. She had been the top marketer in Portland, and her boss had begged her not to leave. Though her boss understood her reason, it left a ping in her heart at leaving them. They were her first job out of college and taught her everything she knew. She owed them more than a few days’ notice, but she couldn’t remain in Portland with everyone looking at her with sympathy or whispering behind her back. She had to get away.

Erin was not ready to delve into why she left Portland to Henry. No one needed to know about Brad and the fact she couldn’t show her face in Portland anymore. “It was time for a change.” Was all she said.

“As long as you don’t leave us high and dry without the courtesy of a two weeks’ notice I don’t care.” Henry eyed her like she was a bug in a jar. It unnerved her.

“I had my reasons.” She gritted out between clenched teeth. “Why don’t you show me the accounts you are working on, and I’ll jump right in?” Anything to get her out of this topic of conversation.

Henry must have sensed her agitation and quickly changed the subject. He spun around to a pile of manila envelopes on his desk. He took the top one off and handed it to her. “Lucky Ducky Toys, they are a small kid’s toy company. Their numbers have been down for the past couple of years and hired us to boost their sales. Come up with some campaign ideas and showcase their toys. Should be a walk in the park for you.”

Erin took the file and flipped through it. This was a joke, right? There were three pages to it, the sales spreadsheet over the past three years, the background, and a list of merchandise. They set her up to fail. She didn’t think this day could get any worse. Henry watched her with a calculated eye waiting for her outburst. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. She was, after all, nothing but a professional. She was going to give Lucky Ducky Toys the best marketing she could. She would prove herself to Henry.

She sat down at her desk and immediately looked up everything she could on the company. There wasn’t really much information. They started up a few years ago with only 50 toys. Today, they sold more than 200 kinds of toys. She couldn’t pinpoint why sales were down, but she had every intention of finding out. Erin set up a meeting with the owner to walk through the store tomorrow so she could see first-hand what she was getting into. She asked a few questions about the company and their number one selling toys and got together an outline of what she wanted to do. Before she knew it, it was six o’clock, and everyone was starting to head out.

“Come on, Andrews. Can’t having you staying late and making the rest of us look bad. It will still be there in the morning.” Erin looked up from her computer and noticed almost everyone was gone now. She still had at least another hour or two of work left and was reluctant to leave. She could pick it back up when she got home. She had some great ideas on how to help Lucky Ducky, and she put a significant dent in her first day. Erin followed Henry out and waved goodbye. She called Lillian as she walked home. She knew her friend would want to know how her first day went. She answered on the first ring.

“So how was it?” Lillian never bothered with hello most times. She always figured it was a waste of time. Erin felt her first genuine smile all day.

“Let’s see. I almost got ran over by a bicyclist, I spilled my caramel macchiato all over my brand new white dress, I was ten minutes late to my desk, and my boss gave me one of the worst cases to handle.” Erin felt the stress of the day catching up with her. She really just needed to get back to her apartment and relax before jumping back into work.

“I’m sorry sweetie. Your boss sounds like a tool. Want to come over for a drink?”

Erin wanted nothing more than to accept but knew she had a little more work she wanted to get done and relax in a nice hot soak. “Not tonight. I still have some work I want to get done.” It was a lame excuse, but it was all she had at the moment.

Lillian tsked her. “You can’t always work like this, Erin. You’re going to work your life away. You came here for a fresh start. So start by doing something different. There is a total s*x god here in my building. He’s dark and mysterious.” Lillian’s voice took on a dreamy tone. It almost made Erin uncomfortable. Erin didn’t have Lillian’s s****l appetites. She never really even found s*x enjoyable. It was just a task. Lillian must be doing something different if she was always looking the next man.

“Lil, I came here to get away from men not to find another one.” She so was not looking for another man right now. She just moved here. She needed to focus on her career.

“Unless you move to an abandoned island you will be surrounded by men. I wasn’t telling you to run out and get laid. It never hurts to look, though. What’s the saying? It’s okay to window shop as long as you don’t try them on or put on layaway.” Lillian almost sounded offended that Erin would think she was just trying to get her laid, even though it was half true.

Erin couldn’t help but laugh. Leave it to Lil to try and sell her on finding a new man with movie quotes. “I’ll think about it.” She said to deter her friend. She knew Lillian meant well, but she just wasn’t ready to date yet little lone go looking for guys.

“No, you won’t.” Lillian chuckled not at all offended her friend was lying to her. She knew Erin was dealt a devastating blow by Brad. He had been her whole world since 7th grade to have him cheat on her with not one, but two different women was the lowest blow he could deal her. What she wouldn’t give to go back to Portland and give him a piece of her mind. After Lillian had moved away in her sophomore year, she vowed she would never go back again, and she hadn’t. There was nothing back there, but things left best in the past. “Fine, but you owe me, drinks Friday, Top of the Mark. I’ll text you the address.”

“You got it. But only drinks, no men.” She said as sternly as she could.

“Maybe for you.” Lillian chuckled. Once Erin saw some of the men cruising the bay area she would change her mind. You couldn’t compare the guys of Portland with those of San Francisco. Lillian thought of the mysterious man in her building she initially suggested. He was tall, dark, and handsome. He was reticent, and she had no idea what he did for a living. Lillian found him oddly compelling and thought he would be the perfect distraction for Erin. She just needed to get Erin over to her building.

“You’re incorrigible.” Erin teased. She didn’t realize until that moment how much she had missed Lillian. She never knew why Lillian left so many years ago and Lillian didn’t seem to want to share. Whatever it was it had to have been bad. Unfortunately no matter how hard Erin tried she couldn’t get Lillian to tell her why she left.

For the first time today Erin relaxed. She was going to go home, get a few things done for work, soak in the tub and start fresh tomorrow.

“You wouldn’t have me any other way.” Lillian had missed Erin. Neither beat around the bush about anything. It was refreshing from those she had been surrounded by all her life. Everyone was out to gain something from someone. From the first day Lillian had met Erin in 3rd grade, she knew they were going to be best friends for life.

“No, I wouldn’t. I honestly don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t convinced me to move, Lil.” Erin felt tears choke her. She vowed to herself she wasn’t going to cry over Brad anymore, but she just couldn’t control it. Now she was about to break down on a public street in front of everyone. This day really couldn’t get any worse.

“No. Don’t you start crying. He’s not worth it, Erin. He never deserved you. I told you that back in middle school, and it’s still true today.” Lillian said sternly.

“I know.” Erin croaked. She tried clearing her throat but felt another wave of tears flow down her face. “I should have listened to you from the beginning.” If only she had. She could have saved herself years of heartache.

“Duh,” Lillian racked her brain to try and steer the conversation way from douche bag, Brad. DBB for short. Lillian had tried getting Erin to come over to her place already but had declined. “Why don’t I come over, and we can have a few drinks.” She tried suggesting.

“Not tonight, Lil. I’ve had a crap day at work. I just need to go home and unwind. Maybe tomorrow I’ll be more up for it.” Erin hated saying no, but she really needed to be alone right now. She wasn’t very good company at present.

“I don’t think you should be alone right now,” Lillian argued. She loved Erin, but sometimes she could be so stubborn.

“I’m a big girl, Lil. I’m 26 years old. I can handle a night by myself.” She really did want Lillian to come over. As much as she wanted to be alone, she wanted her best friend to tell her everything was going to be alright, but she needed to be a grown up. She couldn’t rely on her friend for everything. She had survived years without Lillian being right down the street. She could do it now.

“Erin,” Lillian growled.

“Lil, look I’m already over at my place. I’ll call you tomorrow after work. I’ll be fine.” Erin didn’t want to argue with Lillian, but sometimes she could be so pushy.

“Fine, my-” Lillian started to say.

“Lil! I mean it. I can’t argue with you anymore. I need a really tall glass of wine and forget about this day.” Erin was hanging by a thread. Any moment now the tears would come spilling out. Again. This day really couldn’t get any worse.

“Alright, I know when to cede defeat. I’ll just talk to you tomorrow.” Erin could hear the defeat in Lillian’s voice. She hadn’t meant to snap at her, but she just needed a moment to breathe. Since the moment she found out about Brad she immediately sent out her resume, moved, and started working. She hadn’t had a minute to process everything. She just needed tonight and then she could worry about going out to the bars and doing whatever it was single people did. She was still young enough that she hadn’t given up on love. She still wanted kids and the white picket fence. She just wasn’t in as big of a hurry as Lillian thought she should be. Brad had been the only relationship she had ever had. Erin had been thirteen years old when they started going steady. Brad was 14 years old. Erin used to get teased for dating an older guy. She figured they would eventually get married and have kids. Her world had come crashing down when she came home from work early, and he was having s*x with one of her friends in their own bed. Brad hadn’t even looked ashamed. He proudly admitted that he was also having an affair with his secretary and her friend and had been for years. He stated that he never planned on marrying her, but she helped maintain his image. Brad worked for the local news crew. Having a posh girlfriend kept his image up.

Erin had been so deep in thought she didn’t see the cyclist coming towards her until it bumped into her sending her sprawling on the ground and slamming her knees on the unforgiving concrete. “You have got to be kidding me.” She yelled. This was quickly becoming the worst day in history.

“It’s not my fault you weren’t paying attention, lady.” The cyclist said.

No way was her luck so terrible that she was attacked by the same cyclist. She looked closer and sure enough. It was the same guy. This was what she got for just upping and moving away with a moment’s notice. For leaving the best job ever with little notice. She didn’t have to tell them why. Everyone she knew found out shortly after it happened. She couldn’t look anyone in the eye afterward. She couldn’t bear to see the pity in their eyes. The ‘I told you so.’

Something in Erin just finally snapped. She shot up to her feet and ran after the cyclist. “It’s not all my fault. Apparently, you saw me. You could have just had easily moved out of the way. How about you pay attention you jerk.” She felt a moment’s pride in herself until the cyclist stopped and turned back at her.

The cyclist looked at her like she had lost her mind. In a small way, she may have. She had never stood up for herself before, and by God, it felt great. She even felt a little head rush from it. Before Erin could do something she would later regret or further embarrass herself, she lowered her head and hastened to her building. Work, wine, soak. She chanted to herself until she reached her building. This day couldn’t possibly get any worse.