Forbidden Fantasies

Chapter Ten

I pulled myself from the bed looked for a note. But, of course, there wasn't one and my heart sank. After the amazing night we had, I thought that we were heading in the right direction but I guess I was wrong. I quickly hopped into the shower to wash his smell off of me before getting ready for work.

As I walked into my office, Sam greeted me with a warm smile.

"Good morning, Abigail. Great news." I giggled at his upbeat tone.

"And what would that be?"

"Mr. James thinks that you are ready for something a little more challenging, so today, you will be shadowing me and we will be collaborating on a few things." My heart sank at his name.

I was happy to be taking on more. The training cases were quite boring. But I didn't like that it was Noah who suggested it. It made me feel dirty. I felt like I was only moving up because I was fucking my way to the top. And last night certainly didn't help the situation. I felt like because I gave him what he wanted in bed, he was giving me what I wanted in my job and that made me feel like a dimestore hooker.

"Abigail? Are you okay?" Sam's voice pulled me back.

"Huh? Oh, right. Sorry. That's great and I'm really looking forward to collaborating with you."

"Great! Why don't you grab a notebook and a good pen? I'd like you to take notes for me at our division conference this morning."

"Of course." I gathered up a few things then followed Sam down to one of the board rooms on the fifth floor. The room was already filled with people from the Traffic department. I saw a few familiar faces from around the office but most people I had never seen before.

Sam and I took our seats at the long table and I reached into my briefcase that was sitting on the floor next to my seat and retrieved my notepad and a couple of pens. When I looked back up, my breath caught in my throat and my heart dropped. There he was, Noah James, standing at the head of the table, looking directly at me. I frowned and quickly averted my eyes from his. I couldn't stand to look at him.

"Good morning, everyone. I think we're all here, so I'd like to get started." His voice was loud and assertive, yet soft and tender at the same time. "First, I'd like to introduce our newest member of the team, Ms. Abigail Hayes." He gestured to me and I froze. All eyes were on me and I awkwardly nodded, acknowledging everyone. "She has just graduated Law school and has found her way here. So please, make her feel welcome. Ms. Hayes, glad to have you onboard." He gave me a tender smile and my heart melted. My eyes were locked with his and, for a moment, I forgot the way he made me feel. But that moment passed, and I once again diverted my eyes from his.

The meeting continued and we discussed reports, various cases, statistical analyses, and strategies for cases. It was very interactive and everyone got to pitch in their word. It was very interesting to see everyone at work. Noah was clearly a very good boss because this team worked together like a well-oiled machine. The way he interacted with everyone warmed my heart. He was such a caring, compassionate man. He was interested in what each person had to say and fed off their ideas and helped better them. He was encouraging while still being strict on what needed to be done. I was in awe of him and I found myself staring more than I should have.

"I think that just about covers everything. Also, just a reminder that quarterlies are coming up. So be sure you have everything ready for inspections. You are all dismissed." He started gathering up his notes as everyone began funneling out of the room, returning to their offices. I packed my notes and placed them into my briefcase and started following Sam out of the room when I heard his voice call from behind me.

"Ms. Hayes, may I have a word?" I stopped in my tracks and took a deep breath.

Sam looked at me quizzically. I nodded for him to go ahead then turned to face Noah. He waited for everyone to leave before closing the door and turning his attention to me. I stood there, staring at my hands.