Keep It Professional

Chapter 1: Admiration

  Admiration - something regarded as impressive or worthy of respect.  

Click, clack, click, clack. 

The sound of her shoes echoed through the office halls. Her long, slender legs went on for miles and miles. Her skirt tantalizingly reached just above the knee. And her golden tresses bounced with every confident step. I felt my jaw tick, knowing that when she wanted something, she almost always got it. The question is, what did she want? 

Her looks played a huge role in her success, there's no doubt about that. But it was her quick and savvy personality that made her such a commodity. She had a response for anything, and her eyes revealed everything. Those deep blue eyes that were reflective of the ocean. You could say I knew her. Well, at least I think I did.

But girls like her, girls like her never change.

"Nicholas," her lips slowly turned into a smirk, "long time no see."

I remained expressionless, "All in good reason, Emilia."

She leaned in and gave a quick peck a centimeter too close to my lips. I had learned long ago that the one way to tick her off would be to act as if she had no effect on me. She was so predictable, but at the same time, I never knew what to expect. A contradiction as they call it. 

I could see her demeanor change when she noticed I didn't care for her flirtatious welcomes. She was always like that: craving for attention. She never said it outright, but a woman like her always stole the spotlight. She did it unknowingly, but that didn't make her any less desirable. But I remember when she wasn't like this, when she was more free and sincere with her movements. Now it all seemed so calculated, or maybe I'm only just now seeing it. I'll never know.

"I heard you two go way back. I figured you wouldn't mind working with her. She is the best, as you probably already know." said the little dip shit that called himself my partner.

I smiled sincerely, "I look forward to working with the both of you."

That was a lie.

"I'm sure we'll all get along well."

That was a massive lie.

I could see the confusion in Brad, the dip shit's, eyes. He was the average mid-20 year old that wanted nothing other than to climb the social ladder. He was fresh out of university, and raised in the upper-class of Virginia. Everything about him pissed me off. From the clothes he wore to the way he styled his hair to the way he drank his coffee. With cream and sugar, like a little bitch.

That may have sounded harsh, but I knew his type. He wouldn't last a year in the business. He'll either be one of the boys that got emotionally invested or obsessed with the money. I only have a 6 year experience head start compared to him, but unlike him, I didn't have mommy and daddy pull any strings. I knew the ins and outs of buying out companies because I had started from the very bottom, while this kid only read about take overs in text books. 

 And Emilia, she was on a whole other level. She knew how it felt to struggle. Matter of fact, we struggled together. I had no doubt in my mind she would get the job done, but I had a less than perfect history when it came to her. Our relationship was no secret. She used to bring lunch to the office every week, and she'd sit on my lap talking among my co-workers. She'd go to the holiday parties and she'd be my number one supporter. And that just slowly stopped. 

I'll never forget what her excuse was. Her excuse of me becoming complacent. All I had wanted was to seek financial stability. I wanted the house and the kids and the mini-van, but that security I was trying to find took longer than I thought. She was only 23 and already thinking about kids? That's insane. She was still pursuing her master's and I had just gotten the internship at the company at 25. She didn't understand that a job in a business corporation was a lot harder than one in marketing, which ultimately ended up with a slap to the face on my part.