𝐀𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐲𝐚
I'd sworn off of love and men after the fiasco that was my last relationship. Until I spent one steamy and passionate night with a dark haired stranger. A man that I thought I'd never see again. Until I found out that he was my new boss...
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Fuck. It was her. The same woman that had been starring in my recurring dreams for the past two nights. The same woman who'd just left me with a fucking note as if those few hours hadn't meant anything to her. Because it meant something to me. And that knowledge stung. But I could be professional, right? Especially now, knowing that she would be working with me - for me. The whole reason I'd gone out alone that night was because I had wanted to forget. Forget about how in a couple of days time, a whole ass company would be my responsibility. How I'd have to live up to the great Benjamin Miller's reputation. It had been fate when I'd seen Aaliya and flirted with her. I hadn't planned to take her home, but the allure was too tempting. It had been the perfect solution to get away from real life problems. Until bitter reality hit again the next morning, in her absence and a flimsy note. I had never expected to see her again, despite wanting to, but here we were.
I pretended to ignore her, as I entered the room, knowing that I wouldn't be able to take my eyes off of her if I did. The moment I'd seen the back of her head, I'd known something was familiar about her. That smooth, silky brown hair tied up in a pony. The tanned skin that was now covered in a formal blouse and pencil skirt. It was torture. The pure shock on her face was worth it though. The way her lips had popped open in an 'o', surprise evident on her face. She had recovered quickly, I had to give her that. Aside from that initial reaction, she had given nothing away.
I'd only introduced myself and welcomed the new joinees, letting Mac take over since he was the head of HR. Ever since Dad had started Dellite Inc, his main focus and emphasis had been on being a team, rather than just boss and employee. Hence, why he was the one who liked to welcome new employees onboard. I didn't get the logic behind that but okay. Benjamin Miller was still a man who believed in the power of personal connections and contact - something that he attributed to the success of this company. Which was fair, since we tended to have the happiest employees and minimum labor turnover. Who was I to complain?
We hadn't broken the news yet, save for the people in front of us right now, but Dad was going to step down as CEO and founder, wanting to pass it on to his one and only son. He'd been pestering me for the past year to take over and I'd only given in after his diagnosis. I'd been used to stuffy boardrooms and uptight directors and content with working as Head of Finance after graduating summa cum laude 9 years ago and getting a double Masters degree from Columbia before the age of 25. Overachiever much? Probably.
To be honest, It wasn't much of a difference here. The only thing would be that I'd be working as CEO and CFO instead of just one position, seeing as we hadn't found anyone qualified enough to fill in the vacant position of Chief Financial Officer. Which obviously meant that I would be Aaliyah's boss. And yes, I may or may not be reading the employee sheet right now while Mac droned on beside me, my eyes roving over Aaliya's name and her position. I kept staring at the loose sheet of paper, hoping that it would spout more details about the woman who'd plagued my thoughts for countless hours now. The woman who was an enigma to me.
