Page 10 of Once Upon a Prince

Ella had told me she would be in the office early to set up everything for the meeting. I had believed her, she seemed like she was somewhat competent. Still, I was taken aback seeing her in the conference room when I walked into the office the next day.

I walked into the conference room and watched her work. There was an efficiency to her movements as if no motion was wasted. There was a grace that was easy to watch and made it hard for me to look away. My eyes lingered over her body as she worked. I tried not to notice the soft sway of her hips when she worked around the room, but I couldn’t. All I could think was that she was one enticing little package.

Her clothes fit better than the day before but they didn’t look like they were hers. There was something about them that wasn’t quite right. I knew her father had a successful business and she should have been able to afford decent work clothes. I wondered if she had recently lost some weight or what her story was. I didn’t get a chance to contemplate it or why I cared as Ella turned and looked at me.

“Is the room set up to your liking?” she asked.

I hadn’t really been looking at the room, I had been more interested in the woman who was standing in it. Ella glared at me as if she knew what I had been doing and held my gaze. I was used to assistants being a bit meek, to nodding and saying “yes, sir” or “no, sir.” There was something about her look that made me think she wasn’t going to be doing that. She might have done so the day before, but that was yesterday.

“It looks immaculate. I’m sure my clients will be pleased. No problem picking up the order?” I asked.

“No. There are gluten-free options for Ms. Reynolds's assistants, raspberry scones, and cream cheese for Mr. Parker. Hot water is next to the carafe of coffee and there is a blueberry bagel for you, as well.”

“How do you know I like blueberry bagels?” I asked.

She smiled. “It’s my job to know these things. Am I not here to make your job easier?”

I had worked with enough to know what their jobs entailed and how they could either make my life easier or harder. Some had been better than others but I had never had one who was so insightful to my needs or those of my clients like Ella was.

“You are. Whether you will continue to be remains to be seen.” I wasn’t exactly challenging her but I wasn’t letting her off so easily. She could pick up an order for a meeting and set up a conference room. It wasn’t the only thing I would need her to do.

“Fair enough. Did you need something?” She took my comment in stride. I expected her to disagree with me and give me a list of all her qualifications. She didn’t. She knew the best way to show me that she was going to be a good assistant was by doing her job.

“Not at the moment. If I do, I know where to find you.”

I looked once more around the room, taking in how she set it up. I had come in because I was worried if she would even show up, how she would set up the room, and if the order would be right. It looked perfect and I could breathe a little easier.

My eyes lingered on the woman standing in front of me. Her eyes held mine as if she was waiting for a question. There was a slight defiance in her stance as if she was just waiting for me to find something wrong and yet she knew I wouldn’t. There was something about how she was looking at me, how she held my gaze, how she stood when she did that I found sexy. She wasn’t classically beautiful like other women I had known but there was something more alluring to her.

There was a feeling I got deep in my gut as I looked at her, a strange feeling I never had before. It was more than desire; it was almost like longing. Looking at her, I knew I wanted to know more about her. Not only in just a physical way but as a person. I wanted to know what made her smile, why she decided to come to New York, what she wanted to do here. There were so many questions I had and yet, I knew I couldn’t really ask them, at least not yet. I also worried that the more I found out about her, the more I would want to know.

I had sworn off women, at least for the foreseeable future. I had a company I wanted to run and that my father was trusting it in my care. I didn’t have time to be distracted by my assistant, no matter how attractive I might find her. I didn’t say anything more to Ella, but turned and walked out of the conference room. I was determined to not think about Ella and tried to concentrate on my day, but she lingered in my mind.

When my cell phone rang, I welcomed the distraction and smiled as I answered the phone.

“Morning, Dad,” I said.

“Morning, son. How are things?” my father asked.

“Good. How are things with you?” It wasn’t like my father to call me up, especially to just check up on me.

“Good. Good. Can’t complain. Listen, I was thinking about Ella and her being your assistant. I realized I pushed her onto you and I shouldn’t have. If you don’t want her there, I can find somewhere else to put her.”

“No,” I said immediately, almost too quickly.

“Oh. Okay. Things are going well between you two?”

The question was more loaded than it should have been and it took me longer to answer it than it should have.

“From what I have seen so far, she’s a very competent assistant. I think we will work well together. Time will tell, but she seems to have gotten a good handle on everything pretty quickly. You said she was smart and efficient and I’m seeing that.

“You were right, I needed an assistant and she needed a job. I don’t want to disrupt her life or have her get used to someone else when she was just getting used to me. I thank you for your concern and talking to me about it, though.”

“Excellent. I’m glad to hear things are working out between you two. Her father always spoke so highly of her and how intelligent she was. She has a good head for business and one day might take over her father’s company.”

“Really?” This was news to me and didn’t explain why she was in New York working as an assistant. “Then why work for me?”

“I think she needed to get out of Nebraska. She’s lived there her whole life. It was time for her to have a change, see the world, and get new experiences. New York and working with you will give her all of that. I think she can learn a lot from you and how to run a business, but you might be surprised that she might have some insight for you, too.”

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