Addicted to the Billionaire

-10-

I get through my work and Im done with the bulk of it by 5pm. I saw Linda when she was going out, winking to me that she had a hot date and would be leaving early. She advised me to check out the cafeteria on the lower floor. "The lobster sandwiches are to die for" , she sighed, licking her lips.

I checked my watch and decided that I had enough time for a quick sandwich, and I try to ignore the voice in my head yapping about calories and whatnot.

I make my way to the elevator and press the button which takes me to the ground floor. I have never really noticed how huge the ground floor is before, but now that I am trying to find where the cafeteria is, I suddenly realise that the ground floor is huge. I stumble around a bit, and I am about to give up when I stumble into a guy and fall on the floor, hard on my butt.

I groan in frustration but I look up to see a blond guy with blue eyes holding out his hand to me. I take it and he pulls me to my feet easily. While I dust myself off, I catch him staring at me, but when I turn round to face him, he acts like he was never staring in the first place.

Weird.

He's hot though. He is easily over 6 foot and he has a fresh and open face. He gives you the vibe of the typical American jock – hot, sporty and cheerful. He looks about twenty three or twenty five. His outfit is casual with black jeans and a white t-shirt with a black jacket.

"Hey doll, my eyes are up here" , he says as I am busy examining his broad chest.

I flush a bit, but I look into his eyes, and I see nothing but friendliness there.

"Sorry for bumping into you" , I say.

"That's no problem", he smiles. "I'm Asher by the way."

I smile. "I'm Candace, but you can call me Candy. All my friends do."

"Candy" , he smiles, "What's  a pretty young girl doing in a place as dull and boring as this."

I laugh a bit. 'My school is doing an internship program for Mr Reyes various industries and I was picked to be his P.A. so here I am"

He laughs a bit and its so infectious that I end up giggling. "Does the big boss keep you working all the time?"

"You have no idea , he's so mean and so cold all the time. Its almost cruel", I whine.

"What  a shame to overwork a beautiful young lady like you", he says in mocking sorrow, and I laugh at his comical expression.

"So I was just about to find the cafeteria, maybe you can help me?"

"Actually   Miss Greene", says a horribly familiar voice behind me, "I think you have some work to do."

I turn around to see Xavier leaning against the wall. My face pales instantly. Did he hear what I said? His expression is angry and I dont know if its because of what I said or the fact that Im late. Asher looks between us, and puts his arm protectively round my shoulder.

"Calm down dude. I was just trying to help her find the cafeteria. We wouldn't be here if you had done your job properly and given her a tour when she got here."

"How  I treat my staff is none of your concern Asher. Don't you have a business to run?"

"Yeah  at least my employees are treated well y'know."

I can see that this is going to cause a huge fight. People are already staring at them in the hallway and, although I just met him, I dont want Asher to get in a fight because of me, so I push myself between them.

"Look Asher, I was late so Ill just go with Mr Reyes now ok"?, I say in a pleading tone.

Asher visibly calms down. "Only because you say so Candy" , he winks at me, and I feel Xavier tense behind me. He puts his hand firmly on my arm and practically drags me to the elevator where we go up to our floor in silence.

When we arrive on our floor, I head towards my office, closely followed by Xavier. I begin to straighten papers while Xavier stays at the door, arms crossed while he watches me which is very unnerving.

Finally, I cant take it anymore. "What are you doing here Mr Reyes" , I say coming across as angrier than I actually am.

"Well, well, I'm surprised that you are talking to someone who is so mean and cold. Do you want me to leave because I'm overworking you", he says in a mocking tone, laced with anger.

I cringe on the inside. He heard everything and he looks mad, really mad. What should I do?

"Mr Reyes, I am sorry that I..."

"You're sorry, you say, for discussing your boss in the presence of a complete stranger. He could have been a competitor and you were stupidly blabbing all my information to him.", he scolds me and I begin to fill anger bubbling within me.

"You're lucky I don't fire you on the spot", he continues yelling. "If  it wasnt my brother you were talking to I probably would fire you. How could you act so foolishly stupid you..."

"Stop  it", I yell, and to my surprise he does. I am so angry right now. How dare he talk to me like an errant child. "What right do you have to yell at me. Did I say anything untrue down there? You are a mean jerk and I hate working for you. I hate you and your almighty attitude. If you had treated me like a human being maybe, I would have spoken well about you but you are too manipulative egoistic to see that this is your fault so fine. Fire me if you want. I never want to see you again."

Xavier is staring at me and his face pale, in contrast to my flaming red one. I have never yelled at anyone and I feel suddenly ashamed of myself, but my pride doesnt let me say anything. Instead I grab my bag from the chair where I have slung it carelessly and march towards the elevator, leaving a truly horrified Xavier staring after me. I wait until the doors close before I sink against the door and cry.

What have I done? I was the one who was wrong, blabbing to a complete stranger who turned out to be his brother. He was probably going to fire me, and that meant that I would have lost 20% of my grade. Why oh why didnt I keep my temper.

When outside, I immediately hail a cab and tell it to drive me home and I try to get myself into the house before Jordan can see me. Luckily, he isnt around and I am able to get to my room and wash my face to hide my red puffy eyes.

I sit on my bed with my phone and my laptop waiting until my parents come home to see the email saying that I've lost the internship. After dinner with my parents, I wait around some more, dreading the email, yet anxious to get it all over with.

The email never comes.