New Boss Old Enemy.: An Enemies To Lovers Office Romance Read online

  “Yes,” I say.

  I think for a moment and then I write on the card.

  “If I wait for eternity for you, you’ll still be worth the wait A x.”

  I pay for the flowers and leave the shop with a genuine spring in my step. Whatever happens today, I have a feeling it’s going to be a good day.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Ashton

  I drive across town and pull up outside of Elena’s place at around eight twenty-five. I don’t know what to do now. Do I text her? Beep the horn? Go to her door? I’m afraid going to her door will look too formal and pushy, and a beep or a text will be too much, like I’m trying to hurry her up. I am saved from having to make the decision when Elena’s front door opens and she steps out.

  She looks amazing. She’s wearing a pale pink knee length dress with a white jacket and white strappy shoes. Her hair is loose around her face.

  I want to push my hands into her hair and kiss her hard to greet her, but I hold myself back as she gets into the car. “Morning,” I say.

  “Morning,” she replies. She looks at me and smiles a little uncertainly.

  I realize it’s because I’m just sitting here and she’s wondering why we’re not pulling away. I return her smile and pull away from the curb and she relaxes a little bit. This tells me she probably doesn’t want to talk about last night, which is all I want to talk about, to relive. I suddenly find myself completely lost for something to say to her that won’t either make her uncomfortable or be about work.

  Again, she saves me from having to come up with something. “You’ll never guess who sent me a friend request on Facebook this morning. Archie Maynard,” she says.

  I never would have thought of him at all before now. “Archie Maynard as in the dumb kid whose parents donated so much money to the school that they didn’t dare suggest he leave for a less academic school?” I say, surprised.

  “Yeah,” Elena says. “I guess he got the last laugh on that one though. He’s an actor now and he’s just landed a role in a big movie.”

  “Good for him,” I say, meaning it. Archie was like me at school; the kid everyone knew didn’t really belong there. Unlike me though, he didn’t find a way to fit in, a way to make the other kids like him, and he was always a bit of a loner. It’s good that he’s found his place in the world, and yeah, it’s good that he can give the middle finger to all of the staff from Franklin School who all thought he’d never make anything of his life.

  We chat a bit more about Archie and a few of the other kids who we went to school with, and by the time we pull up in the office car park, any awkwardness between us is gone. We still haven’t talked about last night, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. If Elena regretted it and didn’t want to give us a chance, she would surely have said something by now and not just pretended everything was normal and kept me hanging. Right? I sure hope so.

  We get out of the car just as Beatrice’s car pulls up.

  Beatrice and Karen get out of the car. Karen doesn’t seem too interested in Elena and me, but Beatrice grins widely when she sees us together. I guess she knows who my date last night was with now. That will be around the office before I’ve even have a chance to take my jacket off. I don’t care. I don’t care who knows Elena and I went out together. Hell, look at her. I want the whole world to know this perfect woman chose to give me a chance.

  “Well, it looks like someone chose the right restaurant.” Beatrice grins after we say good morning and are heading towards the office doors.

  Elena blushes slightly next to me.

  I look at Beatrice sharply. “Beatrice, that’s not really an appropriate thing to say,” I tell her.

  “Oh relax, I’m just messing with you.” She laughs.

  I want to say more, to make her see that Elena and I are not going to become a piece of office gossip, but if I say anything now, it’s only going to make Elena more uncomfortable, so I bite my tongue. At least Elena and I are both wearing different clothes from yesterday. If I had stayed over at her place, it would be totally obvious now.

  Beatrice rummages in her hand bag for a moment. “Oh dammit,” she says. “I left my phone in the car. You three go on and I’ll catch up to you.” She turns and walks away. She’s acting strangely again. Her voice sounded kind of shaky and she wouldn’t look at any of us.

  I have no idea what’s going on with her. Maybe she’s just embarrassed because she realized her comment crossed a line.

  “Which restaurant did you go to?” Karen asks as we cross the lobby. “I swear, I’m not looking for gossip fodder. I have a date this weekend and I want to go somewhere nice.”

  I tell her where we went.

  Elena just walks, looking straight ahead of her.

  We get into the elevator and I’m glad when a few other people get in with us. By now, Beatrice has likely retrieved her phone and texted half of the company about our arrival here this morning, but it doesn’t seem as obvious when we step out with a throng of other people. We head along the corridor and Karen stops at her desk.

  Elena and I keep walking.

  “Are you ok?” I ask her when we’re out of earshot of the secretaries’ cubicles. “I’m sorry about that back there.”

  “I’m fine,” she says. “And it’s not your fault Beatrice has nothing in her life except gossip. I guess I’m just a little embarrassed. How long before everyone here thinks I only got the job because something was going on between us?”

  “Screw what anyone else says. You got the job because you’re good at what you do,” I say. Is that entirely true though? I mean she is good at her job, but would I have entertained someone who tanked their interview like that when I had other candidates who were as well qualified as her if she hadn’t been the love of my life for as long as I can remember? Maybe. Maybe not. But it doesn’t matter. It’s no one else’s business.

  “Yeah, fuck them.” Elena smiles. “There’ll likely only be Beatrice that has a problem with it, and she seems like the sort of person who finds a problem with everything and everyone.”

  “You don’t sound like you like Beatrice much,” I say.

  Elena shrugs. “It’s nothing personal. I just don’t like her type. You know the gossipy type who seems to know everything about everyone.”

  “She’s harmless really,” I say, more to try and make Elena feel better than from any loyalty to Beatrice.

  “Yeah, people tend to take those types with a pinch of salt anyway. If she sees two people in a car together and assumes they must have had sex, that really says more about her dating life than mine,” Elena says.

  “You think maybe her and Karen were getting it on last night?” I grin, wiggling my eyebrows.

  Elena laughs and gently shoves my arm. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

  She’s still laughing when we reach the end of the corridor and split off to go into our separate offices.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Ashton

  I run over my day’s calendar and notice the first thing on the agenda is a meeting with the secretaries. I gather up my notes for the meeting and make my way through to the smaller conference room, conference room B. The secretaries and Elena are already in there when I arrive. Someone has poured me a coffee which I pick up and sip gratefully. “Thank you whoever did this,” I say, holding the cup up a little.

  “You’re welcome,” Beatrice purrs.

  I begin to run through the points on my list. Elena takes notes beside me and I’m more than aware of her knee occasionally brushing against mine beneath the table. I’m tempted to put my hand beneath the table and run it up her thigh, beneath her dress, but I’m not sure how she’ll take it and so I don’t.

  The meeting goes smoothly enough, although I do notice Beatrice giving Elena and me some strange looks through it. I just can’t fathom her out. She’s definitely acting like she’s jealous of us, but I can’t decide if it’s because she does have a thing for me after all, or if it’s mor
e like what Elena said, and Beatrice is worried that Elena will get preferential treatment.

  I don’t have time to dwell on it. After the meeting, I have a brunch appointment with a client. The meeting goes well and I come back into the office in a good mood. To be honest, if the meeting had gone badly, I think I still would have come into the office in a good mood because of Elena. I return to my office and begin responding to emails.

  There’s a quiet knock on my door and I look up. My heart skips a beat when I see Elena standing there. I smile and beckon for her to come in.

  She comes in and gives me a smile and then she bites on her lip for a moment. “I just wanted to say thank you. For the flowers,” she says. “They’re beautiful.”

  “No. You’re beautiful,” I say.

  She blushes a little but she looks pleased.

  I decide now is as good a time as any to broach the subject of Elena and me “I had a great time last night Elena,” I say.

  “Me too,” she agrees.

  I decide to take a chance and I get up and move over to my bookshelves. I beckon to Elena. “Come over here a minute. I want to show you something.”

  She walks over towards me and looks up at me.

  I grin at her.

  “What?” she asks.

  “This here is a great little corner,” I say. “Because no one can see us through the glass.”

  “Really,” Elena says, smiling up at me. “It would be a terrible shame to waste that knowledge.”

  I’m still smiling as I lean down and kiss her. Our lips meet and it feels right, like they were always meant to fit together this way. She moves closer to me, pressing her body tightly against mine. Her hands roam over my back, tugging my shirt loose and moving underneath it.

  My cock is instantly hard at her touch and the tighter she presses herself against me, the more turned on I am becoming. I want so badly to turn her around, bend her over and take her right here. I can’t do that though. It would be awkward enough if a member of staff, or worse, a client, catches us kissing like this, let alone anything else.

  Elena seems to come to the same realization because she pulls away from me.

  I groan, a sound of frustration. I want her back in my arms... to have my mouth back on hers.

  She giggles slightly when she sees the effect she’s having on me.

  I shake my head but I smile. “You’re making me crazy, Elena.”

  “Oh, okay. Maybe we’d better stop meeting like this then,” she says.

  I shake my head quickly. “I didn’t say being crazy was a bad thing did I?”

  She laughs softly and starts to move away. “Well, some of us have work to do.”

  I can’t take my eyes off her ass as she walks towards the door. She’s swaying her hips more than usual, inviting me to watch her walking away.

  Pausing at the door, she looks back at me and grins. “You might want to tuck your shirt in.”

  Then she’s gone as quickly as she came, leaving me reeling once more.

  I SIT NERVOUSLY WATCHING my phone, waiting for it to beep. I’m waiting for Elena to text me. I know she will. I’m just nervous about what she will say.

  I did something stupid, something daring. It felt like a great idea at the time, but now I’m not so sure it was. I ordered some lingerie for Elena and had it delivered to her home. I paid extra to have it delivered by 10am Saturday, and it’s now 10.30. I’ve had a message from the company confirming the package was handed to the resident, so I know she received it.

  The lingerie is sexy, but in my opinion, classy too. I didn’t want to send her something she might think looked trashy. I opted for a pair of cute little lacy black panties with deep purple detailing and a matching, low cut bra. I was very tempted by the corset, but I’m not sure if Elena would be into that kind of thing. At least by playing it relatively safe I know she’ll at least be able to wear my gift – even if it offends her that I took a leap of faith and sent her underwear.

  I don’t think it will offend her though. I really hope it won’t. It’s not like she’s been shying away from me. Since we went to the restaurant, we’ve had many stolen kisses in the office and we’ve been out for dinner two more times. I know she’s starting to let her guard down around me. It’s driving me crazy being around Elena, holding her, kissing her, and not being able to go any further.

  I don’t want to rush her, but she just turns me on so much, and holding myself back from her all of the time is killing me.

  Once I knew Elena had received the gift, I sent her a text message telling her I would love to see her wearing the underwear. That was twenty minutes ago and I haven’t heard back from her yet. It’s worrying me a little bit, but I try to keep myself in check. Maybe she was on her way out and hasn’t had a chance to open it yet. Or maybe she just hasn’t seen my text message yet.

  I’m confident she’ll reply. Even if it’s just to tell me there’s no chance of that. This is what I’m really afraid of. If she feels like I’m pushing her too fast, panics and takes a step back.

  Come on Elena. Just put a man out of his misery I think to myself as I continue to stare at my still silent phone. The blank screen stares back at me, and I feel like it’s mocking my torment.

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Elena

  I have just stepped out of the shower when my doorbell rings. Dammit. I’m not expecting anyone and I debate just ignoring the door, but I know if I do that, it will bug me not knowing who it was or what they might have wanted.

  I pull my robe on and belt it shut as I run down the stairs. The doorbell blares again, as I run down the stairs. Now I’m definitely glad I decided to start coming down to answer it. It really would have bugged me who I’d missed when they’re this insistent. I reach the door after what feels like forever but really can’t have been more than a minute or two, and pull it open.

  A man stands before me with a box in his hands. “Elena Woods?”

  “Yes,” I say, a little cautiously.

  “I’ve got a delivery for you.”

  “I didn’t order anything,” I say. My suspicions are being raised, and I’m conscious of the fact I’m naked underneath my thin robe.

  The man doesn’t seem in the least bit fazed by my caution. He shrugs his shoulders. “Says here it was sent by an Ashton Miller,” he informs me.

  I relax. It’s a gift from Ashton. I nod, acknowledging I’ll take the delivery.

  The man hands me a small machine that looks like a card reader. “You just need to sign that to say I delivered the package.”

  I awkwardly scribble my name using the little grey stylus he pushes into my hand, although my scribble comes out looking nothing like my real signature. The man takes the stylus and his machine back and hands me the box. It’s light, so light, I can’t even begin to fathom out what might be in here.

  “Have a good day,” the man says, walking away from the door.

  “Thanks, you too,” I call after him.

  I close the door and go through to the kitchen, excited at what might be in the box. I get a knife and cut carefully through the packing tape and then I put the knife to one side and open the box. Layers of snow white tissue paper sit on the top of the box. I push them to one side and gasp slightly when I see what Ashton has sent me. Inside the box is a gorgeous black and purple lacy lingerie set. I pull them from the box and hold them up to look at them. I love them. They’re sexy in an understated way. They say classy woman who wants to look good in the bedroom rather than whore who just wants to fuck. Ashton seemingly has very good taste.

  As I’m studying the underwear, I hear my phone beeping from upstairs. I smile to myself, almost certain it will be Ashton asking if I like the gift. I put the underwear back in the box and take it upstairs with me. I go to the bedroom and grab my phone. It is indeed a text message from Ashton. My pussy clenches when I read it, my breath catching in my throat.

  I’d love to see you wearing those x.

  I sit down on the edge o
f the bed to think. I was determined to take it slow with Ashton, and already, things are moving faster than I imagined they would. But it’s not as though Ashton is pressuring me. I’m as into him as he is into me, and he’s not the only one who instigates stolen kisses in the office. And he’s not the one who spent dinner last night running his toes up my leg. Nope. That was all me. I knew the effect it was having on him, and I loved it, but the truth is, it’s having the same effect on me. I’m not sure I want to go slowly anymore. I don’t think I want to keep waiting. I’m not sure I can.

  Did I ever imagine myself here with Ashton? Nope. Well, not in any realistic way, only in a teenage fantasy way. But now I am, and although I know I’m falling for him fast, is that really such a bad thing? Would it hurt to indulge myself a little?

  I mean Ashton has definitely grown up. He’s not that same little kid who was so desperate for my attention that he made me feel like crap. He’s even apologized for all of that, and I knew when he was explaining it to me that he regretted handling it the way he did.

  Fuck it, I think to myself. I’m going to do it. If he wants to see me wearing this, then he will.

  I’m smiling to myself as I go to my dresser. I dry my hair and apply a little bit of makeup, and then I slip my robe off and put the lingerie on. It’s a perfect fit and as soon as I put it on, I feel empowered and sexy. I look at myself in the mirror. I look good, even if I do say so myself. But something is missing. I think for a moment and then I go to my underwear drawer.

  I pull out a suspender belt in black and a pair of black stockings. I put them on, my heart racing and my pussy wet. The silk of the stockings against my legs feels good, but not as good as I imagine Ashton’s fingers would feel running up my legs. I move to my wardrobe and take out a pair of patent black leather high heels. I slip them on and go back to the mirror.

  I nod to myself. Now my look is complete.

  I think for a moment and then I move to my bed. I pull the duvet straight and run my hands over it, getting out any creases. I grab my phone and lay down on the bed. I pull my knees up and open my legs a little and then I take a picture. I get to my knees and bend forward, posing on all fours. I have to raise one hand to take the picture, but I don’t think the effect is lost. I arch my back and pout then take another picture.