I bit my lip, realizing what I had just thought. He's the CEO and technically my boss. It's highly offensive to comment like that about him. I pulled out a chair and sat down.

Mr. Richmond tilted his head and watched me with an intimidating gaze. Gosh! His predator eyes were capable of piercing someone's soul. There was a mysterious aura behind his cold, penetrative, and domineering gaze. He cleared his throat and spoke, "You will be working in the Sales department as an Assistant Product Manager Intern for three weeks. Based on your performance and reviews, I'll decide if you get a permanent position in this company. Ryan will guide you on your tasks, schedule, and what you have to do. Any questions?" He finished.

All this time he was speaking, I was so mesmerized by his voice that I had a hard time focusing on what he was saying exactly. His gaze, his face, the way his lips moved. Just perfect!

"Ms. Meyers?"

He snapped me out of my daze. "Yes? Sorry?" Shit! What was I thinking?

"You weren't listening?" He said calmly, making it hard to tell if he was angry.

"No, I was." I racked my brain to recall his words. "Um... Who is Ryan?" Was that all I could say? Focus, Evelyn!

"Ryan is the Chief Product Manager and your senior. Room 14C6," he replied in an enticing voice.

"Okay." I nodded.

He glanced me up and down and quirked his eyebrow. Under his tantalising gaze, I felt myself shiver. There was a hypnotic effect in the way those captivating blue orbs stared at me. For a moment, I just forgot to breathe. My eyes widened. "Ms. Meyers?" He called. What's wrong? Am I supposed to say something?

"Yes, Mr. Richmond?" It came out like a squeak.

"Do you have any questions?" He asked again. I shook my head. I actually do, but what? I don't know. "Then you may leave," he said in a cold voice.

I stood up at once. "Thank you, Mr. Richmond." I bowed and turned on my heels, keeping my gaze on the grey carpet. My head hit the door. "Ow!" I yelped, holding my forehead.

"You okay?" Mr. Richmond asked.

"Yeah, I'm good," I said and opened the door, dashing out of the room.

Luckily, Kate was still waiting outside. She saw me and spoke, "What took you so long?" She questioned me.

"Where's the restroom?" I asked.

"There," she pointed to the left with her forefinger.

I grabbed her wrist and dragged her with me. "Come with me."

Once inside the bathroom, I slumped on the counter and breathed rapidly. "Whoa! What happened?" She asked in surprise.

I swallowed hard. "God! He is so... you know..." I just couldn't bring myself to say it out loud.

"Hot?" Kate spoke my mind with a smirk playing on her lips. I nodded. "Told ya," she chuckled. "So what did he say?"

"He said I'll be working in the Sales department as an Assistant Product Manager intern under Ryan," I replied.

"Ryan?"

"The Chief Product Manager."

"Yeah, I know that. But..." She hesitated.

"But what?"

"Well, Ryan is not a nice guy. He is a total flirt. Just stay away from him as much as possible," she said.

"Oh!"

"Anyways, tell me, did you like Eric?" She asked with an excited grin.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Eric?"

"Mr. Eric Richmond, whom you met just minutes ago," she reminded me.

"Oh, okay." So Eric is his first name. So sexy! Stop there. "Why would I like him?"

"Why not? Have you seen those blue sexy orbs, his gaze, his hair..."

"Hey hey... stop there. He's the boss. We can't talk like that about him," I said.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on! What's wrong with saying that? He is very hot. You have to accept it," she insisted.

"Yeah!" I blurted out. "I mean..."

"Ahaa! Looks like someone is having a weak heart," she teased, pointing her finger at me.

I pushed away her hand and hopped down on the floor, fixing my hair. "Bullshit! Yeah, he is hot. But he must be a lot older than us and probably married with kids," I guessed.

"Hold on, babes. He isn't married. And he is just 33 years old," she informed. My hands stopped.

"That's past the marriage age," I recalled.

She scoffed. "So what? Maybe he hasn't found the right one yet."

"Maybe. Or maybe he is a casanova and doesn't believe in serious relationships?" That's highly possible.

"That's a very strong comment against someone whom you just met for the first time, Eve," she said seriously. "And moreover, I've never seen him with any woman. He doesn't socialize," she informed.

I straightened my skirt and picked up my purse. "How do you know if he has a secret lover or not abroad or in his mansion?" I said jokingly.

"God, Eve! What's wrong with you?" She gaped.

I sighed. "Nothing. It just doesn't fit right. He is so wealthy and good-looking and has no flings. That's impossible." As I spoke, images of him replayed in my mind. "I'm pretty sure girls worship him for his wealth and looks. He can't be a saint," I commented. Kate remained silent. I looked at her and found her staring at me. "What?"

"I have never seen you being so judgmental about anyone. What happened to you? Why are you thinking so negatively about him?" She argued.

I realized then what I said. Kate was right. I spoke very negatively about him. But I just can't wrap my head around the fact that given his position and looks, how can he be so clean? He must have his secrets. "Ouch!" Kate slapped my arm and jolted me.

"What are you thinking?" She inquired.

I shook my head. "Nothing. I need to meet Ryan. I'll see you later." Why should I care about him? It's his personal life. Forget it.

As Kate explained to me, the first two digits are the floor number, the next letter is the tower-there are five connected towers named from A to E-and the last digits are the room numbers. I was standing on the 14th floor of Tower C in front of Room 6. Before I could knock, the door opened abruptly, and I jumped back.

"Oh! I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" The guy spoke in a fluent British accent with a charming smile.

I shook my head. "No, I'm okay." I hurriedly replied.

He gave a soft nod and was about to walk away when I remembered.

"Are you Mr. Ryan?" I asked.

"Yes," he nodded.

I smiled. "Mr. Richmond asked me to meet you. I'm Evelyn Meyers, the new Assistant Product Manager Intern." I introduced myself to him.

He chuckled before stretching his hand. "Oh! So you're the one. Nice to meet you, Ms. Meyers."

I took his hand with a pleasant smile. "Nice to meet you too, Mr. Ryan."

His gaze lingered on my face for a bit longer, and his thumb rubbed the back of my palm softly. A chill ran through me, from that point to my neck. I tried to loosen my hand from his grip, and somehow he realized that too. He pulled away and opened the door to his office. "Please come in."

Once inside, Ryan pointed at a chair, and I sat down with a soft "Thank you."

"So, this is your first day?" He asked.

I nodded.

He went through my application. "Excellent. You have the skills and two years of experience in Marketing. You're talented," he commented.

"Thank you, Mr. Ryan," I said in a shy voice.

He closed the file and looked at me, his lips twisting into a smirk. "You can just call me Ryan, Evelyn." His tone sounded flirtatious.

"Okay," I said softly.

"So..." He sat upright and pulled a drawer under his table, searching for something. "Found it!" He exclaimed and placed a folder on the table. "It's your first day, Evelyn, so I won't give you too much work." He pushed the folder towards me and continued. "This has the names of all our lines of businesses. Research them on your laptop. Update me by today EOD." He spoke very fast.

I simply nodded. "Okay."

"Oh, and your room is 14C4. Just a room next to this," he informed.

"Thank you," I smiled and stood up.

"See you later," he beamed at me in a way that felt very... corny.

*****

To be continued...