The Midnight Dwellers

Chapter 3

That night, Elora tossed and turned, plagued by strange dreams of dark shadows and piercing blue eyes.

When she woke, she had a pounding headache and wave after wave of nausea. She wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and made her way to the bathroom where she fished a bottle of Ibuprofen out of the medicine cabinet. She carried the bottle to the kitchen where Lila and Ryan sat at the breakfast bar chatting over plates of eggs and bacon and steaming mugs of coffee.

"Morning, sunshine!" Ryan called cheerily.

Elora didn't respond. She poured herself a cup of coffee, added a healthy helping of cream, and used it to wash down her Ibuprofen. As she joined her friends for breakfast, she buried her head in her hands.

"I am never drinking again," she grumbled.

"I don't know, El. It looked like you were having a great time with Mr. Sexy and Mysterious." Lila said, nudging Elora for details.

A wave of shame washed over Elora and a blush crept up her cheeks.

" I don't think I'll be seeing him again. He got weird and left abruptly."

"Hmph. Asshole." Lila said.

Elora sighed. There was no use dwelling on it. There was no chance that someone as handsome and successful as Kieran Sgail would ever really be interested in her. Even so, Elora couldn't shake the feeling that last night was not her last encounter with Kieran. She hoped she was wrong.

After a full breakfast of scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and two cups of coffee, Elora felt well enough to get dressed and start her day. She had things to do, and a hangover was not part of her plan. Back in her room, Elora shed her ratty pajamas and pulled on a pair of jeans, a green cashmere sweater that brought out her eyes, and a pair of converse sneakers. She brushed her hair and pulled it back into a low ponytail, pulling some strands out in the front. Then, she went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Once she was ready, Elora grabbed her water bottle from the fridge, threw her laptop into a backpack, and headed out the front door. The local library was only a five-minute walk away from her apartment and she loved nothing more than spending a Saturday afternoon browsing the stacks and getting a head start on next week's work.

As she walked into the library, she waved at the librarian, a kind, elderly woman with snow-white hair and a warm smile. She headed to her favorite corner, pulled out her laptop, and began working on her article from last week. The article was on rising levels of pollution in the city. It wasn't the most interesting topic, but Elora was never one to turn down an assignment. As she researched and wrote, Elora found her mind wandering. More than once, she found herself thinking of Kieran and his icy stare. The thought alone was enough to make her weak in the knees. No one had ever made her feel like that before, and it was unwelcome after his obvious rejection.

Enough Elora. Put that man out of your mind.

Nevertheless, Elora quickly typed his name into a Google search and was greeted with multiple articles about the business mogul. His subtle smile graced the cover of more than one recent magazine, and he could be seen shaking hands with the likes of politicians and celebrities.

Jesus Christ. The man was rich and famous.

Elora groaned and shut her laptop. Frustrated, she resolved to forget about Kieran Sgail. She packed up her bag, despite not getting much actual work done, and headed to a nearby coffee shop. A nice cup of tea and a chocolate croissant would surely pull her out of her foul mood.

Seated at the café, Elora sipped her chai tea, savoring the spicy flavor. The chocolate croissant was just as delicious and Elora could feel her funk lifting. She had a nice weekend and fun week ahead of her, and she would be damned if a rich, pompous asshole was going to ruin it.

Thankfully, Elora was able to put thoughts of Kieran out of her mind and spent the weekend hiking with her sister, Katie, who was visiting from Seattle, ordering pizza and watching a movie with Lila and Ryan, and catching up on all her guilty pleasure shows. That Monday at work, Elora found herself working efficiently and finishing up her article well before the deadline. Pleased with her work, Elora stretched in her chair and checked her email where a message from her boss was waiting for her.

Shoot.

Elora sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She had completely forgotten that she was expected to attend a luncheon with her boss and the rest of her team. Some corporate big-wig had recently purchased the company and had requested a meeting with the full staff. Glancing at her watch, Elora realized she had less than two minutes to get herself upstairs. She threw her laptop and phone into her purse, and ran to the elevator. By the time she reached the top floor, it was 12:03, and she was officially running late. She ran down the hallway and skidded to a stop in front of the conference room where the luncheon was taking place. She opened the doors and noticed that everyone was already seated.

Of course.

Elora crept in quietly, grabbed a slice of pizza and an apple from the buffet table and took a seat next to her co-worker, Janine.

"Did I miss anything?" Elora whispered to Janine.

"Not yet. The man who bought the company is late too. Typical." Janine rolled her eyes.

Just then, the double doors opened, and three well-dressed men strode in. Elora looked down at her plate as one of the men took a seat at the head of the table and the other two stood on either side of him.

"Pardon my tardiness," the man at the head of the table apologized. His voice was as silky and smooth as chocolate and it made every hair on Elora's body stand up.

No. It can't be.

Elora looked up at the man speaking and locked eyes with none other than Kieran Sgail. As she did, the corners of his mouth turned up in a knowing smile and Elora snapped her head back down. Her heart was racing a million miles a minute. Of course, Kieran Sgail was purchasing the company she worked for. Tears pricked in her eyes, but she blinked them away quickly. There was no chance in Hell that she'd let her new CEO know the effect he had on her.