The Night Before I Knew Him

Chapter Two

I couldn't breathe.

My lungs had forgotten how to work. My feet were glued to the marble floor. Everything around me—the chatter of other new hires, the click of heels, the hum of the building faded into static.

Move. Stop staring at him.

I forced myself to look away. Turned back toward the welcome desk. Pretended to be very interested in whatever the HR woman was saying about parking validation.

"Miss? Your badge?"

I blinked. The HR woman was holding out a lanyard with my photo on it. When had they taken my photo?

"Thanks." I took the badge, my fingers clumsy.

"Orientation begins in Conference Room B on the third floor. Elevators are to your left."

The elevators. Where he had just been standing.

I glanced over. The space was empty now. He was gone.

"Emma!"

Natalie's voice. I spun around. She was standing near the entrance in a pencil skirt and blazer that actually fit her properly.

"What are you doing here?"

She grinned. "Surprise! I got the marketing coordinator position. Found out last week but I wanted to wait and tell you in person."

"That's...wow. Congratulations." I tried to smile. My face felt weird, like the muscles weren't cooperating.

Natalie frowned. "You okay? You look pale."

"I'm fine. Just nervous." I gripped my badge tighter. "We should head up."

The elevator ride was torture. Eight other new hires crammed in with us, everyone making awkward small talk about where they went to college and what departments they'd been assigned to. Natalie chatted with a guy from accounting. I pressed myself into the corner and focused on not throwing up.

Conference Room B was huge. Long table, leather chairs, a projector screen at the front. About thirty new hires filtered in and found seats. I picked a chair near the back. Natalie sat next to me, still talking about her new position and her new manager.

I nodded along. Said "mm-hmm" in the right places. Didn't hear a single word.

The door at the front of the room opened.

A woman in her fifties walked in, gray hair pulled back in a severe bun, reading glasses perched on her nose.

"Good morning. I'm Helen March, executive assistant to Mr. Kane. I'll be running your orientation today."

Mr. Kane.

The name hit me like ice water.

"Before we begin," Helen continued, "Mr. Kane wanted to welcome our new hires personally. He should be joining us shortly."

The door opened again.

He walked in.

Same man, same gray eyes, same face I'd been trying to forget since five o'clock this morning.

My hands went cold.

"Good morning, everyone." His voice filled the room, confident and controlled. "I'm Alexander Kane. CEO of Kane Industries."

CEO.

I slept with the CEO.

Natalie leaned over. "Holy s**t," she whispered. "He's gorgeous."

I couldn't respond, couldn't move, couldn't do anything except sit there and watch my entire career implode in slow motion.

Alexander was talking. Something about company values and innovation and being excited to have new talent on the team. I didn't hear any of it. All I could focus on was the way he commanded the room, the way he looked at the crowd without really seeing anyone.

Then his eyes swept toward the back of the room.

Toward me.

He paused. Just for a second. So brief that no one else would have noticed.

But I noticed.

His expression didn't change. He looked at me the same way he looked at everyone else—polite, professional, distant. Like last night had never happened.

"I look forward to seeing what each of you brings to this company." His gaze moved on. "Work hard, stay hungry, and don't be afraid to take risks. That's how you succeed here."

Don't be afraid to take risks.

I almost laughed.

He said something else about mentorship opportunities, but I had stopped listening.

Alexander finished his speech. Shook Helen's hand. Started walking toward the door.

He was going to leave. He was going to walk out and I could spend the rest of my career avoiding him.

Then he stopped.

Right next to my chair.

"Miss Carter."

My blood turned to ice.

Natalie's head whipped toward me. I could feel the stares of everyone nearby.

I looked up. He was standing so close I could smell his cologne. The same cologne from last night.

"Yes, Mr. Kane?" My voice came out steady. Barely.

"I reviewed the new analyst files this morning. Impressive resume." His face gave nothing away. "I expect great things from you."

"Thank you, sir."

He nodded once. Then he was gone, the door closing behind him with a soft click.

The room was silent for a beat. Then Helen cleared her throat and started talking about benefits packages.

Natalie grabbed my arm. "What was that?"

"Nothing." I pulled my arm back. "He probably says that to all the new analysts."

"Emma, he didn't say that to anyone else. He walked right up to you. Do you know him?"

"No. Never met him before."

Natalie's eyes narrowed. She knew me too well. She knew when I was lying.

But she didn't push. Not now, not with thirty other people in the room.

The rest of orientation passed in a blur. Company policies. s****l harassment training. IT security protocols. I filled out forms, signed documents, smiled when appropriate.

By five o'clock, my head was pounding. Helen dismissed us with a reminder to report to our department managers first thing tomorrow morning. Everyone started gathering their things, chatting about grabbing drinks to celebrate surviving day one.

Natalie appeared at my elbow. "Come on. There's a bar down the street. First round's on me."

"I can't. I need to go home and prepare for tomorrow."

"Emma, you've been preparing for this job your entire life. One drink won't kill you."

That's what you said last night. And look how that turned out.

"Rain check. I promise."

She looked like she wanted to argue, but something in my face must have stopped her. "Fine. But you owe me."

I grabbed my bag and headed for the elevators. The lobby was crowded with employees leaving for the day, everyone rushing toward the exits. I kept my head down and walked fast.

The elevator doors opened. I stepped inside. Pressed the button for the ground floor.

Just as the doors started to close, a hand shot through the gap.

The doors slid back open.

Alexander Kane stepped inside.

My heart stopped.

He pressed a button, some floor above the lobby and moved to stand beside me. Close. His shoulder almost brushing mine.

The doors closed and we were alone.

The elevator started moving. I stared straight ahead at the metal doors, watching our reflections. He was looking at me. I could feel it.

Don't say anything. Don't look at him. Just get through the next thirty seconds and..

"You left early this morning."

His voice was low and casual. Like he was commenting on the weather.

I kept staring at the doors. "I had somewhere to be."

"Clearly."

Silence. The elevator hummed and the floor numbers ticked down.

"You deleted your number from my phone."

My jaw tightened. "I didn't think you'd notice."

"I noticed."

The elevator slowed and stopped.

The doors didn't open.

I looked at the panel. We were between floors. The number display was frozen.

"What.."

"Emergency stop." He held up a small key. "Useful for private conversations."

I turned to face him. "You can't just trap me in an elevator."

"And yet." He slid the key back into his pocket. "Here we are."

"This is insane. You're the CEO. I'm a new hire. If anyone finds out—"

"No one will find out." He stepped closer. "Unless you tell them."

My back hit the elevator wall. He was right there, inches away, looking down at me with those gray eyes that saw too much.

"What do you want?" I asked.

He didn't answer right away, just studied my face like he was trying to figure something out.

"I don't know yet," he said finally. "But I intend to find out."

The elevator hummed back to life and started moving again.

He stepped back, straightening his tie like nothing had happened.

The doors opened to the lobby.

"Have a good evening, Miss Carter."

He walked out without looking back.

I stood there, heart pounding, trying to remember how to breathe.

What the hell just happened?