The entire ride I expected him to come over to me so I was focusing half of my attention on my report and was half on guard in case he approached me. Thankfully, when we got to our stop he walked past me without saying a word. I was relieved at first, and then annoyance set in. What an arrogant jerk! Maybe he felt he got what he wanted and now he was done with me. I couldn’t get all worked up about that right then. I would give him a piece of my mind when I saw him the next morning on the train. Until then I had to put him out of my mind and focus on my big meeting that morning.
Chapter 4
The executive floor was everything I had imagined and more. It was absolutely gorgeous. The walls had deep mahogany trim, there were floor to ceiling glass doors everywhere, and the receptionist desk looked like an executive desk in the middle of an enormous waiting room. The waiting room was lined with plush chairs and there was a coffee and tea station set up in the corner of the room. I'm definitely going to have an office up here one day. The meeting started at 10:00 a.m. and we were 20 minutes early. While my boss and I sat waiting to be called into the meeting, she gave me a few words of encouragement. I could tell that she was proud of me and that meant a lot. We were called to the meeting a few minutes later and when we walked into the room there were already 20 people sitting around a large table. My boss told me that she would introduce me when it was my turn to present. I was nervous and excited about this opportunity. Interns never got this kind of exposure. Two minutes later everyone was there and ready to begin. We were just waiting for Joshua Hunter, the CEO.
What happened next, felt like an out of body experience. I was glancing over my notes in front of me when I heard that familiar deep, sexy voice ring out.
"Sorry to keep everyone waiting. Are we ready to begin?"
My mouth fell open as I looked up to see the gorgeous stranger standing at the head of the table. I quickly composed myself as a million thoughts began to run through mind. The f**king CEO? Really? I felt like I was going to lose it so I looked down at my notes and counted to 10. I had been waiting for this kind of opportunity and I was not going to blow it.
I gave my presentation near the end of the meeting and it went flawlessly. I was able to answer all questions that were asked of me and I felt really good about it. As I was leaving the room, Joshua glanced at me and Jim Parker stopped me.
“Wonderful job Sarah.”
“Thank you Jim, and thank you for this opportunity."
I made it back to my desk on wobbly legs since my nerves were all a jumble. The reality of what just happened started to sink in. I was so freaked out by what just happened. The stranger was Joshua Hunter! Owner of the entire company, Joshua Hunter! Billionaire, Joshua Hunter! All kinds of thoughts started running through my head. Could I be fired for what we did? And we did it in the building in the lounge! I was certain it was grounds for termination and I was now scared that I was going to lose my opportunity. I started to panic and then realized that he seduced me. I shouldn't get in trouble at all. But no matter how many times I told myself that, I was terrified I'd screwed everything up. Why did I let him do those things to me? Because it felt so damn good and I couldn't remember the last time anyone touched me like that. He was so sexy and mysterious I didn't want to resist.
I decided to submerge myself in the next project I was working on. I was so worried after learning who Joshua Hunter was that I lost my appetite and worked straight through lunch. Around 3:30 PM, Ms. Statham came to my desk and said Mr. Hunter wanted to see all three interns in his office.
I felt sick to my stomach as I rode the elevator up to the executive floor. This was the end. I had messed up. I was probably going to be lectured in front of the other two interns about what not to do. I was mortified and terrified.
His secretary led me to his office and the other two interns were already there so I took a seat next to them. A couple of minutes later Mr. Hunter came in. He didn't extend any niceties or pleasantries and got right to the point. He told us that he did not make the final decision as to who the company was going to hire. The partners all voted and decided who would be hired after the internship program each year. He told us that he had decided to end the intern program early this year because one person’s work stood out from day one. He told us that we all did exceptional work. The company was looking for someone whose work was extremely accurate and who could quickly grasp the concepts and principles of the company. He went on to say that unfortunately, they found flaws with two interns work. The other intern did an outstanding job.
“Congratulations Ms. Vaughn. Welcome to Hunter International."
I wanted to cry because all my hard work and been validated. I also felt a sense of relief because all the partners had to vote for me so I knew I didn't get this job because of what happened between us. The other two interns thanked Mr. Hunter and left his office, closing the door behind them, leaving us alone.
“So, Joshua Hunter. Why didn't you tell me who you are?” I gave him a cautious stare. I was pissed but I had to be careful since he was now, in essence, my boss.
“You never asked me.”
He was right, but was it really that simple?
“The train. If you have all of this, why do you ride the train? And why don’t you ride with some sort of security?”
“I don’t want to be given any sort of preferential treatment. I want to experience what the average citizen is experiencing. It is important to me that those who work for me feel as they are working with me. I think it has made for a much more positive and productive work environment. But don’t get me wrong. I do have my little indulgences. And I do ride with security. They sit on the first level. I like to have some privacy on the train.” He winked at me when he said that and I could feel my cheeks getting flushed.
“You are going to be assigned to work on the executive floor. There is only one other person who was an intern who got hired and came directly to this floor. He's now a partner and if you work hard, which I know you will, you will have the same career path.”
“Mr. Hunter?” I had to interrupt him.