Elle

Chapter Eight

At lunchtime on her second day, Elle was left to her own devices. She had hoped that Dean would accompany her like the day before, although she assumed that he'd simply done so as part of her induction 'tour'. Alas, her boss had a scheduled lunch out with an investor, leaving her to head down to Investian's cafeteria alone. Without queue jumping like she had with Dean, Elle got her lunch and found a seat at a table, content in watching everyone else go about their business.

As men and women in suits and smart clothing passed her, she found herself wondering what each of them did for the company, and if Dean had hired then for 'strength of character' and whatever else he had said rather than conventional qualifications. As her eyes swept her colleagues, the chair beside her was pulled out, its legs scraping against the tiled floor.

"Hope you don't mind, but most other tables are taken," said a soft, feminine voice.

Elle's attention turned to the stranger, eyeing them with keen interest as they sat in close proximity like they weren't just meeting for the first time. The very first thing she noticed was the woman's red hair, which framed her delicate features and seemed to have a life of its own. Iridescent in the light, every strand of it was a different hue as she c****d her head with a humourous smile.

"I'm Harriette," she said, holding out a slim hand. "You're the CEO's new PA, right?"

"Elle," she said, taking the woman's hand to shake it firmly. "How'd you guess? Am I giving off a 'newbie' vibe?"

"That and you're the first new face I've seen around here in a while."

Taking her seat, Harriette slid her tray on the table. The woman had a pleasant enough air about her, and both her interest and amiability didn't seem feigned. Fakery didn't bother Elle any - she saw it as a marker of their personality rather than being due to a flaw in her own - but she thought it would be rather nice to meet a woman who didn't regard her with envy at knowing she reported to Dean.

"What do you do here?"

"I'm PA to Richard Nelson. He's on the board of executives, so I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of each other," Harriette answered as she munched on a carrot stick. "I'd much prefer to work for Mr Wallace, though."

"Why's that?" Elle asked. She didn't want to assume it was for his impossibly good looks, but it was evident from the dreamy look on Harriette's face and the blush that swept across it that they played a part somewhat.

"He's somewhat of a legend here, not just because he's Mr Big Boss. He's a good man. You see him with the purple tie?" Harriette asked, gesturing subtly to a man a few tables away. "That's Gerry. Before he worked here, he'd spent 6 years in jail. He was wrongly accused of a crime, but that's a whole other story. When they found new evidence and released him, nowhere would even consider giving him a job. He applied for one here as his last hope, and after a long chat Mr Wallace hired him on the spot."

With every passing minute that she spent at Investian, it was becoming clear to Elle that Dean wasn't a typical boss. The profitability of his business hadn't gone to his head, and it seemed as though he valued every employee equally. Alarmed by the warm feeling of affection seeping through her stomach, Elle concentrated herself on the warm soup and bread before her.

"Is that something he does often?" She asked. "Hiring people who would have difficulty elsewhere, I mean."

"Yes. Stories like Gerry's aren't too rare here. There are lots of employees with stories with the same moral - Mr Wallace gives chances to people based on what he sees in them. Of course, that's not to say he doesn't pay attention to people's experience and qualifications, but it's all part of a bigger picture for him."

"That's admirable, if unconventional," Elle said, withholding the fact that she, too, had been hired under that business ethos.

The two woman ate lunch beside one another, taking the topic of conversation away from her boss and towards what Elle could expect from her time with the company. Harriette filled her in on office gossip, reveling in everyone else's business whilst Elle made a mental note of those it sounded like she should avoid. Becky's name came up a few times, never painting her in a particularly good light. It didn't come as a shock.

"Some of us are going out on Friday night after work," Harriette announced as their lunch hour came to an end. "You should come. It's mainly other executive personal assistants, so it'd be good for you to get to know them. Plus, I think you'll be great fun."

"Sure, that sounds good."

Elle would have to call upon her friend Steph to look after Trent for the evening, given that Mae's ill health made it difficult to attend to an exuberant 8 year old boy, but she was sure it wouldn't be an issue. It had been a long while since she'd let her hair down and had a night out, and God knows she deserved it.

Back at her desk, Dean had left her a note asking her to have a read through some of the investor files he'd placed there in an attempt to get to know some of his more important clients. Elle read them until her eyes unfocused, tiredness getting the better of her. When each word began to blur into the next, she took the opportunity to get herself a coffee to restore her energy.

The machine was hesitant to obey her, making a whirring noise that tested her already fraying patience. With a defiant thump of her fist, Elle turned to return to her desk without the caffeine she so desperately needed, and in her haste collided with something, or rather someone. Her hands flew out to assuage what it was she'd crashed into, and met with the devastatingly hard and inviting chest of her boss.

Dean's hands fell to her hips to steady her, her blouse riding up just enough that his fingers skirted across delicate, bare skin. Before she could help it, she let out a sigh at the forbidden touch. Dean's eyes burned into her own, searching her for something with a furrowed brow. His gaze dropped momentarily to her lips, chest rising and falling rapidly against hers. They stood like this for only seconds, but it felt like an eternity until he pulled away to face the window.

"I'm sorry-"

"That's okay," Elle mumbled, a scarlet blush seeping across her cheeks. "My fault - I'm clumsy."

As Dean let out a low laugh, Elle pondered why his touch had affected her so very much. Whatever the reason, she was already desperate to feel it once more.