One year with Mr CeO

The New CEO

EVELYN

My phone rang for the umpteenth time, piercing through my sleep relentlessly. I'd tried ignoring it, but the caller seemed determined to ruin my peaceful slumber. Without opening my eyes, I stretched out my arms to grab the phone from the nightstand, but my hand flailed through the empty air. There was no nightstand.

I fluttered my eyes open immediately as I sat up on the bed. Where was I? My head throbbed as the memories of last night resurfaced-the bar, the whiskey, the stranger.. Oh God, the stranger

My eyes roamed around the room, but he was nowhere to be found. The bed was empty, the sheets rumpled and tangled from our encounter. I felt a flush rise to my cheeks as I remembered the way he touched me, he kissed me, the way he..took me

My phone rang again, interrupting my train of thoughts. I answered without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello"

I said grudgingly

" Evelyn, it's Rose. You're so late for the meeting. Mr Asher is here already and.."

Shoot! The realization hits me like a ton of bricks. I jolted up from the bed. The presentation- Oh no. My eyes flung at the wall clock and I knew instantly that I was screwed. I was already 5 minutes late, and I'm still here..in the bar.

Panic set in as I threw off the covers and scrambled out of bed.

I couldn't afford to make a bad impression on my first day under new management. The previous CEO stepped down and his son, Asher Reed, took over. Rumors swirled that he was cold, ruthless and calculating - not exactly the kind of guy I wanted to face on my worst day, let alone when I was already running late and reeking of last night's whiskey.

"...you need to be here right now"

I had forgotten Rose was still on the phone.

"Yeah, I'll be there at 10, I'm so sorry."

My words tumbled out in a rush as I dropped the call.

I scanned the room frantically for my bag and I spotted it lying in the corner of the room. I had packed new clothes and everything I needed for my presentation with me, hoping to spend the night at Logan's place before he screwed me over. I was relieved I hadn't been too drunk to not come in with the bag. I sprinted to the bathroom to splash some water on my face, trying to shake off the remnants of the previous night. "You got this" I lied to myself, "just pretend you're a functioning adult, not a hungover mess who lost her virginity to a stranger last night"

I walked out of the bathroom and scattered the contents of my bag across the floor. I hastily grabbed my clothes, yanking them on as I smoothed out the wrinkles. I then took my presentation notes and stumbled out of the bar.

I hailed a cab and gave the driver the address to my office.

I took a deep breath once I got into the cab, trying to calm my nerves.

' I got this. I am a professional.'

I chanted those in my head as we sped through the streets.

As the driver pulled into the office parking lot, I caught a glimpse of myself from the interview mirror and I froze in shock. My eyes looked sunken, my skin pale and my hair disheveled. I groaned inwardly, wishing I had time for a makeover. But it was too late now. I grabbed my car and stepped out of the car, paying the driver.

I walked towards the office, trying to exude confidence. I made my way to the conference room, where I knew the meeting was being held. I could hear murmurs of voices as I drew closer and my stomach twisted in anxiety. I took one last deep breath, reminding myself that I could handle it and pushed open the door.

The room fell silent as I entered, all eyes on me. I scanned the room, my gaze locking onto Asher Reed, the new CEO, and my jaw dropped in shock. The piercing blue eyes, the chiseled features, the aura- it was him. The man I had a one-night stand with, the stranger who had taken my virginity, was right in front of me, dressed in a tailored suit like my boss.

My mind reeled as I struggled to process the coincidence. Our eyes met and, for a moment, I saw a flicker of recognition, a hint of surprise, but it was quickly replaced by his signature calm and collected demeanor.

“You're late, Ms Brooks.”

He broke the silence

I swallowed hard, trying to compose myself as I nodded. "I-I apologize, Traffic."

His gaze lingered on me for a moment before he nodded curtly. " Indeed. Let's get started then."

I took a deep breath, probably lost count of the number of times I did that today.

My legs trembled slightly as I made my way to the front of the room. I fumbled with my notes, gathering my thoughts as I began the presentation.

" Good morning everyone. Today, I'll be discussing the marketing strategy for our new product launch..."

I tried to focus on the words on my paper, but my eyes kept drifting to Asher, who was watching me intently. I could feel his gaze on me as I spoke, making me shudder a bit. I stumbled over a few words but was quick to recover.

My mind raced with the thoughts of the previous night, and the fact that the man I had s*x with was now my boss. The room erupted into applause as I finished my presentation. I smiled nervously, feeling a sense of relief wash over me as I made my way back to my seat.

"Thank you, Ms Brooks" Asher said, his voice neutral and collected.

The applause died down, and the next presenter began theirs. I took my seat, trying to focus on the presentation, but my mind kept wandering back to Asher.

What was he thinking? Did he remember last night? How do I fix this?

As the meeting drew to an end, Asher stood up, his eyes scanning the room and landed on me before he averted his gaze.

“ Thank you everyone. I'm looking forward to creating big things with you all. I expect everyone to be at their best. I don't and would not tolerate any form of incompetence, especially late coming”

He said to everyone, but his gaze was directly fixed on me.

I shuddered.

The room erupted into chatter as everyone began to disperse. I gathered my stuff. In an attempt to hurry and escape, Asher's voice stopped me.

" Ms Brooks, can I see you for a moment?