Catching The Eye Of My CEO

New Environment

I stared at his extended hand, my brain going on overload from what I was just told. I looked to Antoinette for guidance, to know that this was not some sick trick, and she smiled and motioned with her hands for me to go on.

"I-I don't know what to say. I was fully expecting you to fire me, I even packed my desk up and planned out the rest of the month for my replacement," I said looking up at him.

"That was all still neccessary. The empty desk outside my office will be your new place of work, and you will be replaced downstairs certainly," he nodded and inched his hand a little closer to me.

"Go on Ruby darling," Antoinette urged.

I stared at his hand once more and looked him in the eyes with determination in my own green ones, "thank you Mr. Song, for this opportunity. I accept wholeheartedly."

I grabbed his hand and shook it firmly, regardless of how his large hand swallowed my own tiny one.

"Excellent, you may go gather your things and take the rest of the afternoon to get settled in to your new surroundings. The real work begins tomorrow morning, I like espresso black and light meals," he said going back around his desk to sit in his black leather chair.

I bowed and turned to walk away to get my desk thing when his voice stopped me.

"Oh and one more thing Miss Connor, I prefer to be addressed as Roman," he said with a smirk.

Before I could think, my appalachian side showing itself for the second time today, "and I prefer to be called Ruby."

I smiled and closed the double doors behind me. I went to the cleaning closet to gather supplies to clean the desk before I grabbed my box of things to head back up the elevator. I cleaned the desk thoroughly before setting it up and decorating it the way I liked. I logged into the computer stationed there and pulled all of my files and calenders over.

The door to the CEO office opened and out walked Antoinette and Roman. I stood and bowed to them as they exited. Antoinette waved at me woth her gloved fingers, "You are going to continue to exceed my expectations Ruby, darling. I look forward to seeing more of you."

I waved goodbye at her with a sweet smile and right before the elevator doors closed, Roman smirked at me and I heard faintly, "me too."

I shook my head, thinking I had misheard and grabbed my cell phone out of my purse to group call my best friends, Trista and Aiden. "Bitches, we gotta go out and celebrate, I got some s**t to tell y'all."

I arrived at the club, my wavey hair down and wearing a sequined, tan chiffon dress, with nude louis vuitton stilletos. I walked in and noticed my two friends sitting at a table already with drinks in hand. They waved as they saw me enter and I waved back as I walked towards them. Trista, my girlfriend from when I first moved to this city, was my roommate. We were just two broke girls trying to make it big, me in cosmetic artistry and her on broadway. While she never got starred in a broadway show she still performs as the star in every New York Opera. From the valkyries to Carmen, she is the best of the best.

Our mutual friend Aiden, the sassy homosexual with an eye for fashion, dreamed of making it big as a Chanel designer, and seeing his art on the best models on the runway. While he also didn't achieve that dream, he still makes a living as one of Michael Kors designers for their fashion line. We each bonded over time as we failed at our dreams but suceeded, little by little, in a different way.

Aiden flipped his shoulder length blonde hair over his shoulder and sipped his fruity looking drink, "Ok Ruby baby, I need the deets like three weeks ago, what happened that we needed an emergency outing?"

"Yeah, for real, tell us!" squealed Trista, her auburn hair in a coiled bun on top of her head.

I ordered a shot of fireball and a hard apple cider beer and leaned in close to them both, "I just got promoted to the CEO's personal assistant!"

They both screeched at the top of their lungs as they bounce hugged me. "Congrats baby!" yelled Aiden.

"Our little southern belle is growing up," Trista said as she wiped fake tears from her eyes.

"Ain't nothing belle about me darlin," I said as I downed my shot.

"Ok so you literally are the only person I know that says 'ain't' and took a shot of whiskey like it was put in your bottle as an infant," Aiden said matrer of factly.

"Two things, this is cinnamon whiskey, its not the real stuff and to be fair, my mamaw did rub Jack Daniels on my gums when I was teething," I said to back up any argument I thought I had.

"Only someone from the South would say any of what you just said," he said, dramatically waggling his finger woth every word.

"It's Redneck, not Southern," I corrected him.

"Ok booboo same diff, so does this mean you get to stare at that delicious CEO all day?" he laid his head in his hands with his elbow on the table, batting his blonde lashes at me.

"Oh God yes, he is all anyome talks about om Broadway, Ballet and the Opera House," Trista said.

"I guess I do get him all to myself, but its strictly business casual. I just basically get his meals and set his agenda each day, as well as anything else he needs," I shrugged like it was no big deal.

"Honey, I got a snack he could eat all day long!" Aiden exclaimed, pointing at himself.

We all laughed and shoved at him playfully. We got a new round of drinks and stayed at the club for a little while longer before sharing a cab back to my apartment. We continued drinking as I opened a fresh bottle of wine and poured some for us all.

Trista and Aiden were already getting tipsy but I was used to homemade moonshine, a few shots of whiskey and a six pack of beer was nothing for me. Aiden opened a fresh pack of Newport menthol cigarettes and lit one in his mouth. He pointed the pack towards me and Trista.

Trista shook her head, "you know I can't smoke boo, I have to preserve my vocal cords."

I fetched my own pack of Marlboros, lighting one in my mouth, "I only smoke cowboy killers."

"Southern as Hell, Belle," he mocked at me. I flipped him off as I sat down on my couch across from them and blew out smoke.

"It's Appalachian," I smirked at him.

"Oh you mean, Ape-a-lay-shan," he said, teasing her again.

"No. Appalachian like I'm gonna throw an apple atch ya if you say it like that again," I threw a pillow at him and we all laughed.

"You know, Ruby, I bet it felt good to let that womanizing old geezer have it, I wouldve paid broadway money to see that s**t," Trista said as she sipped her wine.

"Ma'am you have no idea, I let him talk down at me a few times before I finally snapped. I called him a f*****g tick," I laughed loudly

"Girl, yasssss," Aiden said as he clapped for me.

"It was just so odd though, I packed all my s**t. Got the calendar scheduled out for the month and left a reference sheet for catering places and everything, like I knew I was fired. And then he called me up and Antoinette was there-" I was cut off by their gasps.

"Oh my God, his mother was there?" Aiden exclaimed.

"Yes honey! I was like oh s**t, im probably going to jail too. But then Antoinette clapped and praised me for how I responded, and Roman's fine ass told me I start tomorrow," I explained as I blew out amother puff of smoke.

"Anything else happen?" Trista said, a bit slurred from the wine.

"Yes! He went 'and by the way, I prefer to be called Roman'" I said in a deep voice, "and y'all I said the coolest thing back to him, I said 'And I prefer to be called Ruby' and then I shut the doors to his office like a badass!" I giggled as I explained.

"Get. It. Girl!" Aiden snapped at me.

"Yasss Queen, I do indeed got it," I winked at him.

We sat around at my place for awhile before Trista began falling asleep mid sentence. I pushed both of my fellow alcoholics to the spare bedroom I have and helped them both get tucked in. I am also a smartass and places small trash cans beside both of them. I like my floors puke free.

I heard a scraping at my fire escape window and saw a white cat, with one blue eye and one green eye. My little secret friend since my lease won't let me have any pets. I didn't have normal pets growing up any way, my family raised Timberwolves, and I had a fox and a littler of bunnies.

I could hear Aiden's smart remark in my head 'Southern as Hell, Belle' and laughed to myself. I went into my pantry and opened a small can of wet cat food and opened my fire escape window to hand it to the feline. He was far too pretty a cat to be abandoned, I just figured he was using me for the good food.

"Hello handsome, coming back for the cheap stuff huh? I bet your owner feeds you that fancy science diet crap they sell at the vet's," I smiled as I scratched behind his ear. The cat meowed back at me, as if agreeing and I watched him eat befoew he stretched and started go up the fire escape steps back home.

"See ya tomorrow, Handsome!" I yelled at the fluffy thing before I shut and locked my window to retire for the evening as well. I had a big and new day tomorrow morning as the CEO's personal assistant.

In the morning, I helped to get Trista and Aiden a cab to their apartments before getting ready myself. I straightened my blacl and aqua hair and put it in a half updo. I wore black flowy pants with a big bow in front, and a white, skin tight shirt with ruffles on the chest. I put my black Louis on and did my makeup quickly before going into my favorite coffee shop.

"Right on time Ruby, the usual for you?" Cadance asked politely.

"Oh definitely, but what else do you have along the espresso line. Like not super sweet either, but like not dull," I asked her and she blinked at me. "It's for my boss, calm down chickie."

She laughed and looked in thought with her hand placed on her hip. After a minute she snapped her fingers, "I got just the thing!"

She went behind the counter and started doing barista sorcery, and moments later came back with a hot cup with the word 'Boss' written on it. "If your boss asks, I call this a black eye. It's espresso and just a small amount of steamed milk on top, but I added this really good dark chocolate cocoa I got from from Malaysia last week. It's bitter but add just a small hint of sweetness that male the espresso and milk not so dull."

"You are the most beautiful soul, in the world, you literal angel. Thank you so much!" I threw a twenty in the tip jar, paid for the two drinks and headed towards the office.

I entered the building and disarmed the alarm before going to the elevator to the CEO level. I threw my purse and coffee on my desk and knocked on the double doors before entering. I gasped at how messy this place was after I had left yesterday. There were papers everywhere, empty scotch and martini glasses on the tables and desk, ash trays filled to the brim, and half eaten food beside the computer.

"Sweet baby Jesus, how did this all happen in the span of two hours!"

I started soapy water in his personal sink in the small bar area and gathered all the dirty dishes to wash, I organized all the papers into a neat pile, threw away the left food and emptied and washed all the ash trays. I vacuumed and dusted the desk and coffee table, and finally was able to comfortably set Roman's coffee on his desk.

I closed his office doors behind me and the elevator dinged, alerting me of his arrival. I bowed respectfully at him, "Good morning Roman, your office is ready for you and I placed a fresh coffee on your desk."

I opened the double doors for him and he looked around for a moment before setting his briefcase down on the coffee table and logging into his computer. He took a sip of the coffee, and I thought I had seen a glimpse of a smile. I must have been mistaken because the only thing that came out of his mouth was, "Hm."

'f*****g brat, you could say thank you,' I thought before his deep, sultry voice snapped me back to reality.

"What is on my schedule today?"

"You have a meeting with a Disney exec. to go over marketable pallettes at nine you have the designer for that, if all goes well, coming in at eleven. After they leave, I will have your lunch ready, I was thinking sushi if that is to your liking, and then two you have a meeting with a tailor for the charitable even this evening involving cruelty free products and donating to local shelters. I will have that check ready for you by the time the tailor arrives," I said politely and eloquently.

"Excellent, I also need a dress made for my date to this event, so please have a dressmaker come at the same time, Chanel or Gucci is fine," he said not even looking up from his computer.

"A last minute designer may be hard to come by, but I do have a close friend that is a designer for Michael Kors, if that is preferable in the odds Chanel or Gucci can't accommodate," I said thinking out loud.

"That is acceptable, as long as it isn't gaudy. Oh and I had sushi last night, pick something else for lunch," he shooed me away with his hand and I clenched my fist behind my back. That asshole dared to shoo me away like a dog.

I watched him take another sip of his coffee and I stated flatly, "very well Roman, sir." I turned to walk out the double doors when his voice stopped me.

"I really like this coffe you brought, may I ask what it's called?"

I turned to see him eyeing the cup, and blushed when he turned his attention toward me.

"O-oh! The coffee shop I go to called it a black eye. Its espresso and steamed milk topped with a bitter dark chocolate cocoa powder," I explained.

"Excellent job on this, I will take this every morning," he smiled faintly before returning back to his computer.

I closed the double doors behind me, maybe he isn't a total brat after all. I walked to my desk and began my work. Behind the office doors, Roman stared at the word 'Boss' written on his cup. He smirked a devilish smirk and tapped tje desk with his index finger.

"We will just have to change that, won't we Miss Ruby," he said to himself.