Magnets

Chapter 3

Four Years Earlier: 

Kate met Bryce nearly four and a half years ago. She had just graduated from college with a Bachelor's Degree in English from Pennsylvania State University. She had an interview with Nancy James, owner of America Daily, the only exclusively online newspaper in the country. She was nervous. It was her dream job. She didn't love to write, but she loved to help writers in their process. Building their stories into the best that they could be. This editing job was definitely a stretch for someone with no experience. She was thrilled just to have gotten an interview.

The building, located in downtown Philadelphia, was huge. America Daily rented out two of the middle floors. She had researched the building and learned that there were a few law offices scattered over the floors, a fertility clinic, and that the top four floors were occupied by Artificial Intelligence Technical Industries or A.I. Tech. This was the largest artificial intelligence company in the country. She wad decidedly uninterested in technology so she hadn't read any further on the subject.

She checked in with the receptionist, who offered her a bottle of water and told her to take a seat. She was ten minutes early. Well on time to show that she was serious about the job, but not too early that she seemed desperate for it, even though she was. She went through the papers in her large tote bag that she had bought from Target, specifically for this interview. She had her CV, letters of recommendation and a list of thoughtful questions to ask at the end of the interview. She was overly prepared.

Kate checked her watch for the thousandth time, but she still had five minutes before her scheduled interview time. She had finished the bottle of water she received from the receptionist. Not her best idea, she was definitely going to have to pee in the middle of her interview. Shit, she thought to herself. How could she have been so careless. Nerves.

Returning to her seat, she waited patiently, trying not to fidget. Every-time the elevators buzzed she sat straight up and tried to look as professional as possible. Her business smart black skirt and matching blazer with a simple white button down at least made her look the part. She had on sensible pumps with a small two-inch heel. She sat with her feet flat on the ground, knees together, hands folded in her lap. The temptation to pull out her cellphone was strong, but she had read that there was nothing interviewers liked more than seeing a candidate on their phone when they walked into the lobby; so, she resisted the urge.

The elevators chimed again calling Kate's attention back to them. She knew what Nancy looked like from the pictures on the company website. It wasn't Nancy who stepped out of the elevators, but the two most attractive men Kate had ever seen in her life.

They were both tall and muscularly built and were dressed smartly. The one on the left was in a black suit with white button-down and red striped tie. The other seemed less formally dressed in grey trousers and a blue shirt and simple navy tie. The one in black had olive skin with jet-black hair and dark brown eyes. His jaw was angular and he looked all business as he strolled through the lobby. The one in grey who walked next to him seemed more relaxed. He had a swagger about him. His piercing blue eyes caught her attention first. His dark brown brown hair was long enough to show the slightest hint of curl, giving him a younger more playful vibe. And Kate was immediately turned on. Squeezing her legs together she tried to decrease the tingling she felt through her entire body. They both seemed to look at her at the same time, looking her up and down and smiling as they walked past her. They were still chatting as they walked by her. Something about the way they interacted lead her to believe that they weren't friends, but rather business acquaintances. There was no easy banter, or lightness to the way they spoke. 

She was still distracted when Nancy walked up to her and introduced herself. She recovered gracefully, at least she hoped so. She shook Nancy's hand firmly before walking next to her towards the elevator bay. They made small talk about the weather and Kate's college experience as they headed up to the fifteenth floor.

Her interview lasted exactly 90 minutes and went exceptionally. Nancy was very enthusiastic about Kate. She said she saw a lot of herself in her and that just because Kate wasn't experienced didn't mean she wouldn't flourish at American Daily. Nancy wanted to contact her references and there were other candidates, but she'd know before the end of the week if she'd landed her dream job or not. Escorting Kate back to the elevator she shook the young woman's hand again before waving her off. 

Kate felt like she was floating as she got on the elevator. Pushing the button for the first floor she pulled out her phone to text Ellen and Stacy about how well it went. She was distracted when the elevator stopped, paying attention to her phone and not where she was walking, when she walked into what felt like a wall. She took a step back, startled as she felt two strong arms grab her by the elbows and steady her. "I'm so sorry," she said, flushing red. She looked up and saw one of the men who had been exiting the building while she waited in the lobby. His blue eyes were mesmerising this close. They looked the color of the ocean and she couldn't look away.

He released her as he asked, "are you okay?"

"Oh, fine. Nothing hurt but my pride," she chuckled.

The man laughed and said "we've all been there. Just be careful, wouldn't want to stepping into traffic looking at that thing." Kate smiled at him. She couldn't help it. He was gorgeous and friendly.

"Connor, there you are," a man said coming around the corner. "Oh, hello," he said to Kate.

"Hi," Kate replied rather shyly, much to her surprise.

"I'm Bryce," he said reaching out to shake her hand. It was the same man who Connor had been walking with earlier. His eyes so darkly brown that she could barely distinguish them from the pupil.

"Kate," she replied simply.

"And I do believe you are on the wrong floor?" Connor who's name she only learned because Bryce had called him by it, smirked at her.

"Yes, I thought this was the first floor. I had an interview with American Daily and was trying to leave."

"So, if you get the job we'll be seeing a lot more of you," Connor said.

"Hopefully," Kate answered, but she wasn't sure if she meant hopefully she'd be getting the job or hopefully she'd be seeing more of him. The elevator chimed again and Kate stepped in, pushing the button for the first floor again. "See you guys," she said as the elevator doors closed. She hadn't realised that she'd been holding her breath. She also had totally underestimated their attractiveness when she was in the lobby.

Walking quickly to her old Honda Civic she climbed in and drove the short drive to the downtown apartment she shared with her two best friends from college, her now roommates, Ellen and Stacy.

Kate wasn't really focused on the drive. Her thoughts were filled with images of tall strangers and elevators and strong arms. As she parked her car in underground lot of her building she was imaging him asking her out and had almost an entire future mapped out with him. A very sexy future. Shaking her head at herself she sighed; she was losing hit. It'd been a year and a half since she broke up with her college sweetheart halfway through junior year. Cheating was a dealbreaker. Not on her, just on his finals fall semester. It made her question his character and she hadn't regretted a single thing about breaking up with him. Never the type to have casual sex, that also meant it had been nearly 18 months since she'd had sex. That's all the fantasy was, unused sex hormones.

Calling out for Ellen and Stacy, she quickly checked to make sure she was home alone before stripping naked and pulling the vibrator out of her nightstand drawer. She was still wet from her conversation with the two men as she rubbed it around her clit, squeezing her boobs and already starting to moan. She'd never been turned on so fast in her entire life.

She let her fantasy unfold. Images of his mouth on hers, of his mouth on her clit danced through her mind. His strong arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her to him as he fucked her. She was wet enough that she didn't need lube as she pushed the vibrator deep inside, imaging his cock stretching her, taking her inch by inch. She held the vibrator in place, the little animal ears humming on her clit as the shaft vibrated inside her. She came hard and fast, clenching the sheets with her free hand, at the image of a man she had talked to for less than a minute. A man she would start spending a lot of time with. A man who wouldn't end up being her husband. She was fantasising about Connor and his ocean blue eyes.