Bound by Desire

Chapter 2: The First-Day

Sophie felt like her heart would burst out of her chest as she walked into the colossal Blackwood Enterprises building, her new employee badge clipped smartly to her blazer. As of today, she was Ethan Blackwood's personal assistant, and she was going to make a real impression.

The lobby throbbed with energy-a bustling stream of neatly-dressed professionals hurrying to their destinations. Sophie adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder and joined the flow toward the elevators. She wasn't late-not by a long shot-but this fear of making a misstep followed close behind.

The elevator ride to the 48th floor was the longest today. She was feeling renewed kind of nervousness these days instead of that petrified feeling she had while giving her interview. Proof was not only needed to be proved to Ethan Blackwood; Sophie now appeared to everyone who worked beneath him for faultlessness.

Claire stood there with a clipboard in hand when the doors opened her face was unreadable.

"Miss Greene," she said briskly. "Follow me. Ill walk you through the morning routine."

Claire's strides were long, purposeful, and had Sophie speed up to keep up. They walked through a series of hallways with open offices that were full of staff already stretching their necks to dig into work.

"Mr. Blackwood expects his personal assistant to be punctual, precise, and proactive," Claire began, her tone leaving no room for negotiation. "You'll need to keep his schedule updated to the minute, anticipate his needs before he has to ask, and maintain complete discretion at all times. Understand?"

"Yes," Sophie replied, quick-nodding her head.

Claire led her to give her a small office just outside Ethan's. It was furnished minimally with just a sleek desk, a desktop computer, and a view of the city that Sophie didn't have time in which to appreciate.

"This'll be your workspace. Everything you need is on the desk or in the drawers. If it isn't, ask me." Claire turned to face Sophie, her piercing eyes narrowing. "Mr. Blackwood doesn't tolerate mistakes so I suggest you learn fast."

Sophie swallowed hard. "I will."

Claire nodded curtly. "Good. Mr. Blackwood's been told he should interview with you to brief him on the meeting he's about to have. In ten minutes, he'll be here - be ready. Don't keep him waiting."

Laying her voice to rest, Claire left Sophie standing all by herself in the small office.

Sophie settled at her desk and set up the computer, quickly locating Ethan's schedule for the day. Every open slot had been filled and crammed with meetings, calls, and reports. She scanned down the list and racked her brain trying to process the information.

Her concentration was broken when the sound of the glass doors to Ethan's office swung open. She looked up, and there he was, striding into the office with his commanding presence as usual. He was clad in charcoal-gray, and the suit looked like a second skin fit for him, while his sharp features bore an expression of quiet intensity.

"Miss Greene," he said without looking at her, his voice sharper than a knife in the air.

"Good morning, Mr. Blackwood," Sophie quickly rose, grabbing her tablet and stepping into his office.

Ethan stopped before his desk and turned to her, locking his piercing blue eyes onto hers. "Do you have my schedule?"

"Yes, sir." Sophie held out the tablet for him, scrolling to the relevant section. "Your first meeting is with the head of acquisitions at nine. After that, you have a conference call with the board at ten-thirty, followed by lunch with-"

"Summarize," Ethan interrupted, his tone clipped.

Sophie blinked, astonished by the command and quickness of its realization. "A meeting about the Westbridge merger, a call to finalize the Q1 projections, and a lunch with the investors from Sterling Ventures."

Ethan studied her for a moment before nodding. "Efficient. I like that."

A small swell of pride filled Sophie with drama, but that was for only a moment.

"And the briefing documents for the Westbridge merger," asked Ethan, seating himself behind his desk and opening his laptop.

"They're here," Sophie said, giving him an extremely neat and organized folder which she had found in the shared drive of his assistant.

Ethan opened the folder and took a fast flip through it. "You have twenty minutes to prepare the conference room for the meeting. I expect everything to be ready when I arrive."

Sophie nodded. "Sure."

"Dismissed."

She rushed out of his office and into the conference room. Here, she set the documents in place, arranged the chairs, and made sure the technology was working. She checked and rechecked every detail because her nerves will not let her take anything less than absolutely perfect.

At precisely nine o'clock, the meeting started with Ethan at the helm. Sophie was there, observing him while jotting down notes with everyone else in the room. He had a commanding presence in the midst of all this while his sharp intellect cut up the argument into pieces. Intimidating, yes, but also inspiring.

"Sophie retreated to her desk after the meeting finally came to an end, her mind still very much reeling from the high tension that had shaped the whole morning." She barely had a chance to breathe before the voice of Ethan crackled over the intercom.

"Miss Greene, in my office. Now".

Sophie rushed inside, still clutching the tablet. Ethan stood by the window, his back to her, the city skyline stretching out before him.

Without facing her: "The Sterling Ventures lunch. What do you know about the investors?"

Sophie paused for just a moment before recalling research she skimmed that morning. “Sterling Ventures specializes in renewable energies and has diversified into technology. There is a cautionary ambition built into the CEO, Paul Sterling.”

Ethan turned, his expression inscrutable. “Impressive. Most people don't bother going past the basics.”

“Attention to detail is part of the job,” Sophie replied and smiled a bit.

The gaze of Ethan fell on her for a time before he returned to his desk. “Keep it up, Miss Greene. You may just survive here.”

The rest of the time flew as a blur of tasking, meetings, and problem-solving. Sophie left the office that evening with her feet sore and brain feeling like mush.

As she stepped into the evening's cool air, she drew a long breath. The day had drained but exhilarated. She held her own in a world demanding nothing less than perfection, and she had earned him an even so little glimmer of approval from Ethan Blackwood.

But on her way to the subway station, Sophie couldn't shake the feeling that her new boss was more than just another demanding CEO. There was something weighty about him, a tension hinting toward something deeper.

Whatever it was, she felt it would make her job much more complicated—and much more interesting—than she'd anticipated.