Page 15 of Once Upon a Prince
Chapter 9
Ella
“Yes. I have a jet. Have you ever been on one? More importantly, have you ever been a part of the mile high club?”
I shook my head as I walked back to the office after lunch. It had been a few days since Dax had asked me to go to Buenos Aires and it was all I could think about. I was still beyond embarrassed that I had thought he wanted or had implied that he wanted anything more than to be his assistant on the trip.
It had been my own secret desires and fantasies that had gotten the best of me and had me blurting out the most ridiculous idea. Of course, Dax only saw me as an assistant. He might value my work and how easy I made his life, but that was all he was ever going to see me as.
He had been nothing but professional since the moment I had walked into his office. We had quickly set up a shorthand as I learned how to gauge his needs and moods. He wasn’t a hard man to work for, he certainly was easier than trying to keep my stepmother happy, but he could be demanding at times.
He was a hard worker and never expected me to do anything that he wasn’t willing to do himself. There had been rumors that he hadn’t been involved in the company, that all he cared about was being a playboy and partying. After working with him for a few weeks, I could tell he had been involved with the company for years. There was no way he could know everything he did unless he had. He had found a way to work hard but still have time for play. Not everyone had seen it that way and he had put the playing aside to help his reputation. I admired a man who was willing to do whatever it took to make his family proud and to secure his own future.
It was one of the many reasons that I liked working for him. I found what he did fascinating. I liked seeing how his mind worked, how he used his charm and wit to get what he wanted. My stepmother had done the same thing for years but it had always felt more calculated, manipulative even. It wasn’t the same with Dax. He always made sure that everyone got what they needed and deserved out of any negotiations. It helped me to see how I wanted to be if or when I ran my father’s company.
He understood people's strengths and weaknesses, including my own. He was quick to praise me but he wasn’t good about taking praise himself. He had started asking for my advice on projects and he seemed to appreciate my insight. He was constantly amazed at how well I could handle his schedule and complimented me on how well his days ran since I started working for him. He had told me that I was good at talking to people and putting them at ease, but he was even better at it.
Which was why I had assumed he didn’t really need me to go to Buenos Aires except to warm his bed and for him to have someone on his arm. Though I should have realized if he needed that, he could have asked any number of women. He needed me for my brains and how I helped him to look good, nothing more.
I wanted to go. I had never traveled outside the United States and wanted the chance. Dad had gotten me a passport when I was younger but it had never worked for us to go anywhere. I had imagined countless times where I would go if I could. I never thought my first trip would be to Buenos Aires, or with my sexy boss.
While the trip and the chance to see such an amazing city held a lot of appeal, I wasn’t sure if I should be doing that with Dax. I liked being around him. I liked helping him out. I usually found ways to stay later than I needed to just because I wanted to. The attraction I felt for him had only grown in the weeks we had worked together. I had been looking forward to him being gone. I thought it would be good to have some space and time away from him. It would be easier to try and get over my infatuation with him if he wasn’t around.
Instead, he was proposing I spent a week with him in very close company. Normally, I would have jumped at the opportunity. Not only did I want the chance to travel internationally, but having done such work for someone as important as Dax Moore would do wonders for my knowledge and experience when I moved on. Though I certainly didn’t want to think about a time when I wasn't working for Dax.
It just didn’t seem like a smart move for me personally. I wasn’t sure how I was going to handle being around him for hours on end. The idea of being on a private jet was incredible, but I was terrified of what I would think or want if I was alone on a plane with Dax. My mind had certainly come up with enough ideas as it was. It would only get worse being on a trip with him.
When he had asked me to go, he had given me the perfect out. I could just tell him that I had obligations at home. It wouldn’t be a complete lie. I wasn’t sure how my stepmother would react when she found out I had been traveling with my boss. She had been annoyed enough that I hadn’t been around the last few weeks when she had questions about the business, or that she was going to have to wait two weeks before I could get a paycheck. I had no doubt she wouldn’t be any happier about me being in a different country.
All things considered; it would be best if I told him no. I had been telling myself that I would for days now but I hadn’t. It was one of the reasons why I hadn’t told Ara and Layla about it. I knew if I did, they would hound me until they convinced me that I should go. I felt it was best if they never knew about it.
Yet, I still hadn’t given an answer to Dax. It was getting to the end of the week and he needed to know. I couldn’t bring myself to tell him no but I knew I shouldn’t say yes. He had been kind and not brought it up again but it lingered between us.
My mind was still on Dax and trying not to think about the sites I had looked up about Buenos Aires as I walked back into the lobby of the office after my lunch. I was almost to the elevators when I heard two voices that stopped me in my tracks.
“Did you see what that Ella woman was wearing yesterday? What was that?” Tanya said.
It had been a few weeks since I had seen, much less heard from, Tanya. Normally, the Human Resources person would check in with new staff to see how they were doing. I wasn’t surprised that she hadn’t. She didn’t seem to be very good at her job and I wasn’t even sure what she did. I had to email her to follow up on my benefits and make sure she had all my paperwork so that I could get paid. That had never happened when I had been overseeing Taylor Medical.
“Something out of a thrift shop, but not a good one,” Diana said with a laugh. “What is that? Does she not see colors? Maybe she’s color blind.”
“Do you know any woman who is color blind? I think she’s just stupid and doesn’t understand basic color patterns and fashion sense. If she can’t understand that, I’m sure she’s horrible at her job too. You know it was only because she knows Mr. Moore that she even has the job. So ridiculous,” Tanya said.
“Maybe we’ll get lucky and she’ll get fired soon,” Diana said.
“I wish, but if she does, then we can’t look at her and comment on her outfit when she walks in every morning while we have our coffee,” Tanya said.
“True. It’s the highlight of my day. Does she not have any friends? Any money? I just don’t get it,” Diana said.
I looked down at my outfit and didn’t think it was that bad. I had been borrowing a few outfits from Ara after the first day. I had thought the black pants had gone well with the red and purple blouse, but apparently not.
After I sent the money to my stepmother from my paycheck, I was going to take the rest to buy some clothes. Layla, Ara, and I were going to make a day of it. I was looking forward to spending the day with them and going on a mini shopping spree. I was excited about shedding even more of who I was in Nebraska and becoming the woman I wanted to be in New York.
I thought I had been doing that. I thought I did a good job in finding outfits that didn’t make me look like I just stepped off the bus. I thought I had been fitting in. All it took was a few words from those women for all my insecurities to come back out.
When I came to New York, I thought things would be different. I thought I could be different but maybe that wasn’t the case. No matter how hard I tried, I would always be the woman whose parents were dead and her father’s best friend had taken pity on her. I looked around to see if I could find a place to hide so they didn’t know I was there when I saw Dax standing behind me.
I put my hand over my mouth and could feel myself blushing. I had no idea he was there nor did I know how much he had heard. I looked down and wouldn’t meet his eyes. It was embarrassing enough for me to know the women were talking about me. It was beyond humiliating to know that he heard it as well.