“I’m so sorry, Hazel. I thought it might help,” he said. I could tell that he was being sincere, but I was too upset to care. I turned on my heel and left the room.

  When I stepped out into the hallway, I remembered that I had read somewhere this hotel had a rooftop garden. I wandered the halls until I found the elevator and pressed the button labeled “Roof.” The elevator couldn’t move quick enough. I felt like the walls were caving in. I just needed a breath of fresh air, something to distract me from this evening. I shouldn’t have accepted the invitation. I should have stayed home and watched a cute movie while munching on some popcorn. Just a quiet evening, not any of this. I really missed Rachel.

  When the doors opened, I was greeted by a sprawling view of the Chicago skyline. It was absolutely breathtaking. For a moment, I forgot why I had been upset in the first place. I took a seat on one of the small benches in the corner and spent a moment looking down over the city.

  Maybe I had been a little too hard on my dad. I knew that he thought he was doing the right thing. He was trying to make my life a bit easier, and I should probably thank him for that. But he did promise not to tell anyone. I was sure the word would spread quickly, and then, everyone would think that was why I got my job. I guess that wasn’t totally untrue, though. He did help me get the job.

  I sighed and laid back on the bench. Even with all of the lights from the city, the stars were still visible, and it was a perfectly clear night. If anyone came up here right now, they would definitely be able to see up my dress. I sat up quickly and made myself presentable again.

  The longer I sat there, the more I found my mind wandering to Noah. Even if his apology wasn’t actually an apology, he still wanted to make things right with me. Sure, that may have only been because of my dad, but I guess that meant he was a loyal friend, right? I definitely didn’t want him making me take out his trash or get him his tea anymore, so I should probably go find him and smooth things over.

  I let myself sit there for a few more moments, admiring the lush garden against the backdrop of the city. When I felt like I couldn’t put it off any longer, I walked back over to the door to the hotel and pressed the button for the elevator.

  I had only made it down two of the hotel’s thirty floors when the bell rang and the doors opened. I looked up from my phone that I had been mindlessly scrolling and saw none other than Mr. Noah Hyde waiting to get on.

  “I’ll wait for the next one,” he said when he saw me standing there, wide-eyed. He sounded different than his normal confident bravado. He sounded a little more unsure, like he finally realized how much of an asshole he’d been. Maybe that’s why I said, “Oh, no. It’s okay. Come on in.” I scooted to one side to give him plenty of space. Although I might have been okay with him being on the elevator, I wasn’t okay to be close to him.

  He stepped inside, and the air was full of tension. Every ding from the elevator indicating that we had gone down another floor seemed to be further from the last one. The silence was unbearable. But what could I say? Maybe I should clear the air, get it over with. We would be working with each other, and if I wanted things to go smoothly this heavy silence wouldn’t do.

  “Mr. Hyde,” I said. It was now or never.

  “Noah,” he said quickly, almost too quickly, “please call me Noah.” Was he nervous too? Why would he be nervous?

  “Oh, um, okay, Noah.” It sounded strange coming out of my mouth. “I just wanted to apologize for how I treated you at the bar. I was acting a bit immature,” I said.

  He turned to look at me but didn’t say anything. Eventually, he turned back to look at the front of the elevator, still without uttering a single word. Was he mad? Shocked? Angry? I hoped he didn’t want to fire me. I really wanted this job. I needed this job.

  “I think it would be nice if we could start over,” I added.

  When I still didn’t get a response, I sighed and leaned back on the wall. Maybe I really had messed up. I often let my frustration get the best of me and Mr. Hyde, I meant, Noah, may have actually been trying to reintroduce himself. Maybe he wasn’t trying to play some prank on me. Maybe he had been sincere and I just ignored it, walked away.

  Noah turned to me and looked me up and down. “You know you’re not even supposed to be here, right?” I wasn’t sure if he was asking me a question or if it were rhetorical.

  “I—what?” I stammered, confused about where this sudden change had come from. This was not the man who claimed to have wanted to start fresh. Was this really the route he was going? Of course he didn’t want to “reintroduce” himself to me. I was an idiot to think we could start over.

  “This banquet was for VIPs only,” he said.

  “I know…but I was invited by a VIP,” I said. It sounded like he just didn’t like me here. He didn’t care about any of the other guests.

  “Well, you should probably-” he paused and scanned me. I couldn’t tell if he was abhorred by me being here or what? I had no idea what his problem was with me being here. The next word came out a little softer, almost strained, “-leave,”

  I stared at him blankly, unable to find any words.

  The bell rang for the first floor, and I had never been so excited to get out of an elevator. I peeled myself off of the wall in anticipation for the doors opening, but they never did. I looked over at Noah right at the same moment he glanced at me. He pushed the button to open the doors, but it made no difference. He pressed a few more times, impatiently. The elevator didn’t respond. Were we stuck?

  He pulled his phone out of his pocket and made a call. “Marisa, the elevator at the south end of the hotel is stuck. Please get someone to come let us out,” he said. Without another word, he ended the call and put his phone back in his pocket. No farewell or good-bye’s, just a quick command and then hang up. I stared at him. This was who he really was. All business. Never making relationships or friends, just straight business.

  He leaned against the side wall of the elevator and let out a long sigh. “I really don’t have time for this,” he muttered under his breath.

  I leaned against the opposite wall, to face him, but I didn’t offer any response. What could I say? He already had it all figured out. Plus, I wasn’t supposed to be here. So might as well act like I wasn’t there. I closed my eyes and tried to forget how rude and condescending Noah had been to me, and I took a deep breath right as his phone began to ring. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered the call.

  “What is it?” he asked in quite a harsh tone. He paused for a moment to listen to the response.

  “Tell them to hurry,” he said, then immediately ended the call.

  He fiddled with his phone for a moment and then finally looked up at me.

  “It looks like we are going to be here for a while. Something about the electricity to the elevator,” he said with a sigh.

  I nodded but didn’t say anything. I had made an effort to repair this relationship, so the ball was in his court now. I had tried and failed miserably. I knew not to waste anymore time on trying to ‘start over’ if he didn’t do the same.

  We stood there in silence for too long, both of us avoiding eye contact with one another. I couldn’t take the quiet anymore, so I finally decided to say something, more as a distraction rather than to fix anything.

  “So, how have you liked living in the US so far?” I asked, immediately regretting asking such a stupid question. The look in Noah’s eyes when he looked at me told me that he also thought it was a stupid question. He took a long pause before answering.

  “Fine. Except that no one knows how to make tea properly,” he said.

  I wasn’t really sure how to respond to that, so I said nothing for a moment.

  “I’ve never been to England,” I said.

  “Hm.” He grunted, without bothering to look at me.

  I pulled my phone out of my small clutch and sent a text to Amanda.

  “Stuck in an elevator with Noah,” I said.

  She responded immediately with, “Ewww. Don’t let him infect you with his demons.”

  I started to put my phone away when another text from Amanda appeared on the screen.

  “But maybe you should make out with him, just to see what it’s like,” the message read.

  I chuckled and put my phone back into my bag. When I looked up, Noah was staring at me.

  “What’s so funny?” he asked, clearly curious.

  “Oh, nothing. Just a message from a friend,” I said, trying to hold back my smile.

  He grunted and looked away. I continued staring at him for a moment and realized that I had never really appreciated appearance. His jawline was sharp, and he had just a bit of stubble around the lower half of his face. More than just a shadow, but not quite enough to be a beard. His hair was dark with a bit of a wave to it, and there was a bit of grey peppering the hair on the back of his head. Amanda was right about him being a silver fox one day. The way he stood made it clear that he had plenty of muscle under his clothes, and I pondered for a moment what they might look like.

  Noah coughed, and I was instantly pulled out of my daydream, a bit irritated at myself for thinking of him that way. Not only was he my boss, but he was also my dad’s best friend, and nearly twenty-five years older than me. Plus, he didn’t seem to like me, and he was a supreme jerk. The way he had looked me up and down earlier had stuck in my mind, though, and I wondered if he had ever thought of me like that. I shook my head, trying to clear my mind of those thoughts, and I pulled my phone back out to distract myself.

  I still leaned against the wall of the elevator, but I crossed my ankles, which allowed the slit in my dress to expose both of my legs at once. I saw Noah glance over to me, but he looked away just as quickly. The thought of him finding me sexy excited me more than it should have. I knew that I was attractive, and I had never really struggled to get attention from men, but there was something different about Noah. He was powerful and experienced, and I was dying inside knowing that I could never be with him or let him pleasure me. His confidence made me nervous, and I wasn’t sure how to act around him. My usual skill with men seemed to be completely gone.

  I sighed. Maybe I just needed to get laid. Maybe it had been a while and this is why I saw Noah like this.

  We remained in silence for nearly twenty more minutes before Noah was finally the one to say something.

  “That’s a nice dress,” he said. The sound of his voice surprised me so much that I nearly fell over. He noticed my stumble and extended his arm to help stabilize me, but I had already grabbed the handrail.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said, his arm still extended towards me.

  “Thanks,” I said slowly, unsure about whether I was thanking him for the help or for the compliment. Both, I supposed.

  “I mean that sincerely, I hope you know. You look beautiful,” Noah said. He almost sounded sincere, like he really meant the compliment. Was this a real compliment or just him trying to clean up the mess he had made at the start of this elevator ride?

  I smiled but didn’t say anything in response. Noah moved across the elevator and leaned against the wall where I stood. When he reached behind him to grab the handrail, his fingers gently brushed mine. I looked down at our hands, his fingers just barely on top of mine. He lingered there for a moment, then pulled his hand back. Noah looked up at me with his deep brown eyes and smiled. This was not his cocky “better than you” smile. It was a real, genuine smile.

  Suddenly, the elevator bell rang, and the doors slowly opened to the first floor. The silence between us was instantly filled with conversation and music floating in from down the hall. Noah ushered me to the doorway and put his lips close to my ear as I passed him.

  “Good night, Hazel,” he said.

  I couldn’t wait to get home to call Rachel.

  Chapter six

  Noah

  When Hazel stepped out of the elevator, I couldn’t help but watch her leave. Everything I said about her was true. The dress was incredible, and she looked absolutely stunning in it. When I met her outside the bar, I thought she was beautiful, but seeing her like this showed me an entirely different side to her. She was, without a doubt, the most strikingly beautiful woman I had ever seen, and I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t realized it before. I was desperately hoping that the elevator doors would stay closed a bit longer, so that I could get closer to her, but luck was not on my side.

  Throughout the weekend and into Monday, I couldn’t get Hazel out of my mind. I knew what people would think if we were together. Perhaps the fact that she was forbidden made her that much more enticing. Even to be with her for one night would be worth it. The next time she showed up at my office door, I didn’t think I would be able to resist her any longer. I had a vision of holding her by her firm waist, bending her over to have her from behind while we both faced the window. Everyone on the training field below would be our audience, and the thought of it started to get me hard. I wanted to kiss every inch of her body from head to toe and feel her hands running through my hair. She was so gorgeous that I knew she had to have been with countless men, but I wanted to be the one who she remembered forever. I loved when she wore short dresses, which was, unfortunately, a rare occurrence in the workplace. I would have loved to push her dress up and get my head under there to taste her and show her exactly what real pleasure felt like.

  I pondered how to make that happen, but I was met with dead ends down every avenue. I was completely unable to focus on my work, and I was being entirely unproductive, so I decided to leave early that day, something I never did, but I wanted to spend more time thinking about Hazel in the privacy of my own home.

  On my way to meet my driver, I ran into Harry.

  “How’s it going, boss?” he asked as he approached me.

  “Good, mate. How was training today?” I asked, incredibly grateful that he didn’t know what I had just been thinking about.

  “They’re looking good. Ready for the game next week,” he told me.

  “That’s good to hear,” I said, unable to add anything interesting to the conversation. The only thing I could think about was how much I wanted his daughter, something that I obviously couldn’t say to him.

  “Thanks for talking to Hazel the other night. She said the two of you are on better terms now,” Harry said. Why did he have to bring her up?

  “Oh, it was no problem. Even if she wasn’t your daughter, I should have apologized, anyway. I did treat her a bit unfairly,” I said. “Well, I appreciate it, nonetheless. That Hazel can have a bit of an attitude, but she means well,” Harry said with a chuckle.

  I smiled, but I wasn’t quite sure what to say to that. She definitely had an attitude, but it was one that made her undeniably sexy.

  “She’s a woman who knows what she wants and she’s not afraid to say so,” he continued.

  For a moment I let myself fantasize about what that might look like if I ever got her into my bed. My driver came around and opened my door, and I said goodbye to Harry as I got in the car. I spent the drive back to my flat trying, and failing, to keep Hazel out of my mind. I couldn’t remember the last time a woman had enchanted me so much.

  A week passed, and I still had Hazel on my mind more often than not. I thought about what it would be like to kiss her pink lips and touch her soft skin. I wanted to hear her whisper my name and feel her body against mine.

  When I got into work that morning, I finally discovered a way that I could be alone with her. I hardly ever concerned myself with vacations or time off that employees were taking, but I scanned the list of time of requests that had been submitted for various department heads to approve. One of the names caught my eye; Amanda Williams, marketing/social media. She was requesting tomorrow off as a personal day. I sent an email to the marketing department, specifically the social media team, letting them know that I would like to meet with them the next day. With Amanda gone and Todd “working” from home, it would be the perfect opportunity to be alone with Hazel. I couldn’t help but feel a bit proud of myself for coming up with the plan.

  The next day rolled around, and I spent most of the morning coming up with fake reasons for calling the meeting. I was not generally the type of leader who gathered employees for unnecessary meetings, but I made an exception this time.

  At promptly 2 o’clock, Erin paged my desk phone to let me know that Hazel was waiting for me in the lobby of the office. I quickly stood and walked to the door but paused a moment before opening it. I didn’t want to seem too eager. I looked at myself in the mirror of my coat closet and saw that I was looking as incredible as I always did.

  I opened the door and saw Hazel standing and talking to Erin. She was wearing a blue, floral print dress with a white blazer. The neckline of the dress was a deep V, but I still would have liked it to be a bit deeper. She was leaning against the desk in a casual way that made her look so effortlessly beautiful. When she saw me standing there, she gave me a small smile and grabbed her bag. I let her lead the way back into my office, and I resisted the urge to reach out and grab her as she walked by.

  “No Amanda or Todd today?” I asked, trying to sound casual.

  “Todd is working from home, as usual, and Amanda is out. Her mom is in town visiting, and they are spending the day together. So, I guess you’re stuck with just me,” Hazel said.

  “Right, well, that’s alright, I suppose,” I said.

  “You suppose?” she asked, giving me a questioning look.