Page 7 of Mafia Rules

Arriving even before Stella, I found myself outside the office doors with enough privacy for a decent anxiety attack. Thankfully, not long after, I regain control of my emotions. enough for Stella to greet me with a smile, glance down at my dress, and nod her approval.

"You look very appropriate today, Ms. Stone." Stella nods and uses her body as a shield when she punches the numbers on the keypad to open the office.

“Thank you.” Shaking off the last of my anxiety, my smile grew wide as excited anticipation at seeing Ash again filled my body.

"The boys will be in soon. I'll set you up in Ash's lounge." As Stella flicks the lights on, a cold chill fills the room, creating a different ambiance than it did yesterday.

I eagerly follow her into Ash's space, remembering the first time I opened these doors yesterday.

"You can use the reception desk for now." Stella grabs a Lysol wipe and runs it over all the surfaces.

"What about the blonde?" I ask, fully aware of her name.

"Dismissed." Stella smiles, the kind of smile that tells me she knows that was at my request. "She didn't fit in here."

"Oh." My voice was lower than I intended. Time to change the subject. "Office supplies?" I place my purse on the desk and take off my fitted black jacket.

"You should find everything you need in the desk, if not, come see me." Stella opens a few of the desk drawers and finds exactly what she was hoping for, nodding with a sense of satisfaction or surprise that supplies weren’t taken when Veronica left.

Before I can utter another word, the distant ring of a phone interrupts us, and Stella quickly returns to her desk to handle the call. I'm left alone to take in my new surroundings.

Leaning my head back, I steal a quick glance into Ash's office. The floor is spotless, and his desk is meticulously organized with everything in its proper place. I take a seat at my desk and swipe some more Lysol wipes, drenching everything the blonde could have touched.

"OCD?" I feel Ash's intense gaze on me as he stands at the door, a sly smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Stella left these." I casually throw the wipes into the garbage bin as I stand up, then absentmindedly smear my hands on my new dress.

"You look amazing." Ash comes closer to see what his money had bought.

"This old thing?" I laugh awkwardly, feeling a mix of self-consciousness and flattery as his gaze slowly traces the curves of my body.

"Do you have everything you need here?"

I know he means the desk, but his eyes are on my body. "Yes, and if not, Ms. Stella said I could ask her… for… anything." My voice trails off, overshadowed by the unsettling sight of him running his tongue between his lips instead of listening to my words.

"Perfect." Ash breaks his trance and heads to his office, hastily yanking his tie off and shrugging out of his jacket. The sight of his tattoos, just barely visible beneath the rolled-up cuffs of his white shirt, ignites a fiery sensation in my face that matches my red dress. “You okay?”

"Umm yeah, just first day jitters." I force a smile, my eyes strain to stay fixed on his face, a seemingly simple task that proves surprisingly challenging.

His nod is accompanied by a curious squint, as if he's grappling with the puzzle that is me. "We have a meeting with my brothers this afternoon." He moves papers around his clean desktop, but gets frustrated when he can’t find what he's looking for. Every piece of paper that’s not the right one drifts to the floor.

"Can I help you?" The moment I step toward the desk, his disapproving glare forces me to retreat.

Ash picks up the phone. "Stella, where is the blue project report?" He opens the lower drawer, presumably at Stella’s instruction, his face softens, and he delicately pulls out a coiled report. "Thank you."

With his attention back on me, he scratches his chin, lost in thought. "Can you type?"

"Two-fingered." I punch the air with both index fingers, and a nervous laugh escapes from my lips.

"Umm…" Ash looks around his office. "Stella normally does training…"

"Got it," I answer too quickly. I point to the door and let myself out. I resist the urge to glance back until I reach his lounge door, convinced he'll be there, but he hasn't left his office.

That morning, I worked closely with Stella, side by side. My secretarial skills left much to be desired, and she was far from impressed. “Like a thorn in my side,” she kept muttering.

"I'm going on a lunch break." Stella grabs her purse as soon as the clock hits noon.

"What should I do?" I stand up, feeling antsy and wanting to go back to the safety of Ash’s office.

---