CATFISHING THE CEO

6| OFF

Work the next day was uneventful. Zoraida went on with her tasks without a glitch. But each time she passed a corner, she wondered if CEO Scott lurked around. She felt it deep inside that Scottman69 was him.

Last night, he called her out. He knew her smile was fake at the elevator. She had no idea how he found her identity but it couldn't be a coincidence he mentioned fake pleasantries on the day she gave him one.

The day was almost over and she had survived without running into him. This would have to be her new norm, constantly looking over her shoulders for the big man.

All she wanted was her mom's cooking. Something warm that would fill her from the inside out.

She was on her way out of the office when her phone pinged. It was the job's notification system again. But this was no mass news chain.

She saw a little red exclamation mark in her inbox for the app. She contemplated answering it.

Technically, it was past 5. She was off the clock. Nobody could reprimand her for not answering.

It would bother Zo though. She aimed to excel. This was also her second day of work. If someone wanted her to work off the clock, it would only add to her credibility.

She sighed and opened her new notification. The sender was labeled CEO Fraser. Zo's fingers stilled and her phone fell to the floor.

She quickly looked both ways and picked up her phone from the ground. Her nerves were acting up.

CEO Fraser: Please come to my office.

He wanted to see her now. Probably to fire her. Probably to cuss her out and tell her she is a dirty little liar. He wanted payback.

How did he figure it out? She looked nothing like Clare. He didn't even ask for her name in the elevator before he reprimanded her. It couldn't be the eye mishap from last night.

She contemplated going home and seeing him tomorrow. Even though she opened the message, he couldn't fire her for not seeing him out of office hours. It would give her the rest of the day to formulate an explanation. But there wasn't a good one.

She cursed to herself and made it to the elevators. A floor passed. Then another and a stop. She looked at the elevator's floor indication. This was her department's floor.

The doors opened.

She patiently waited for the bystander to make their way inside as she kept reading the message. A heavy presence was felt. The hairs on her arms stood up. She cautiously worked her vision up. The grip on her phone was tight.

She sucked a breath in as the auburn giant stared her down. He walked in. His eyes were the same green hue she saw last. They pinpointed her down.

She wanted to shrink but if she was going to be fired she would do it with a smile again. She would not coward under him. This would be her toughest life lesson.

He cleared his throat and crossed his arms. Arms that looked big enough to strangle. She didn't know why that came to mind.

"You're exactly the person I was looking for," his voice was a deep warning, "Zoraida."