Page 7 of Once Upon a Prince

“Apologizes, Mr. Moore. It’s been a busy day and I got involved in getting settled and then getting your day set up. I hadn’t had a chance to eat. I was about to and was figuring out what was around the office when you walked in.”

It explained why she had been on her phone when I came in. I didn’t like the idea that she felt the need to stay as long as she did that she made herself hungry.

“You should have taken your lunch. You need to take your breaks. Part of the duties in your job is to be able to manage yourself and your time efficiently,” I stated.

“Yes, sir. Absolutely. It won’t happen again.”

“There should be menus in your desk of restaurants and bodegas in the area. There should be a company credit card in the top drawer to charge the lunches. If you are going to be working through your lunch, which I expect you will do often, the company will pay for your lunch. Sandy’s down the street has excellent pasta and pizza options and the bodega on the corner has good sandwiches and soups.”

“Thank, thank you sir,” she stammered.

“I think this is a good first day for you. As the day is almost done and you have worked through it, you are free to go,” I said.

“Thank you, sir. I’m more than happy to stay. I was about to call Broadway Bagels to set up an order for your meeting tomorrow morning. I have confirmed that there should be ten people there. Was there anything specific you wanted to have besides the green tea that Mrs. Reynolds prefers?”

I didn’t let it show but I was again impressed by Ella. I had no idea how she knew that Ana Reynolds preferred green tea but I was glad she had figured it out. I had been worried I was going to have to follow behind Ella as she did her work. Impressing clients was important but so was making sure we didn't do anything to anger them or think they didn’t matter. I could see that Ella wasn’t going to do any of that.

“That should be more than enough. Thank you.”

“I will be there to pick it up and get everything set up tomorrow morning. Was there a specific bagel or pastry you wanted, sir?”

“Have the food delivered, it will be easier,” I said off-handedly.

“With all due respect, sir, I would prefer to pick it up myself. It ensures that the order is right and they can’t try and pawn off anything we don’t want, thinking we won’t be able to object.”

“Okay. The meeting starts at seven A.M., is that going to be okay for you?” I wasn’t sure why I was asking. She was my assistant. She should be available whenever I needed her to be around, no matter the time.

“I’m an early riser and will be here around six A.M. most mornings to get the office and everything ready for the day.”

“That isn’t necessary,” I said.

“I work best in the morning and it’s when I will be the most productive. It’s always easier to get things done before everyone else shows up and the office gets busy.”

She wasn’t saying it exactly but I was getting the impression she was talking about needing to get work done before I came into the office. It was subtle but she was putting me in my place. I had thought she was a waif of a woman when I first saw her. I was slowly seeing there was more to the woman than met the eye. I had underestimated her; I had a feeling I wouldn’t do the same thing again.

I needed an assistant who could do her job, who would make my life easier, and help me to secure my future in my family’s company. I had been worried that Ella wouldn’t be up to the task. She had proven to be more than efficient in her job duties and I wondered what other attributes she could bring to the company and me.

The more she had talked, the more I had seen what she could do, and the more attractive she had become. It was unlike me to be attracted to a woman simply because of how she acted or what she could do. I had made it a point to never get involved with any of my employees. Sitting across from Ella and seeing her mind work and admiring her sexy body, I was suddenly looking forward to working with her. Though it created a new set of problems that I didn’t need or want to deal with.

Chapter 5

Ella

The day could have gone worse. Though I wasn’t sure how. Just when I thought everything was going to work out great, I had gone and been an incompetent fool in front of my boss. My very sexy and angry boss.

I wasn’t one who was affected by how good or bad a man looked. I had always been more interested in personality than looks. My stepmother and her children were incredibly good-looking people. They knew it and they used it to their advantage. They were evil and horrible and used people with little regard as to how it might hurt them. The more I knew about them, the uglier they had gotten. It was because of who they were and how they had treated me that I was wary of anyone who was good-looking.

Considering the trauma, I had from my stepmother and her children, I should have been immune to the looks and smiles of a man like Dax Moore. It only took one look from him for me to see that I wasn’t. I had forgotten how good looking he was and as I looked at him, I didn’t think of my stepmother, even if he looked as angry as she had at me at times. I should have been afraid of him. I had half-expected him to fire me on the spot.

I took it as a kindness that he allowed me to tell him what was going on. I was a good worker; I would be a good assistant. I knew what was required of me and I could do my job well. I just needed a chance to prove it to him. I could see by his body language that he was impressed with me. It wasn’t enough for him to give me a compliment but he didn’t look or act like a man who gave them out easily.

It was fine. I didn’t want them, nor did I need them. I was there to do a job, collect a paycheck, send it home to my stepmother, and enjoy the city I had heard and seen so much of when I was younger. That was all I cared about. I certainly wasn’t going to think about how sexy my boss was or how I could easily get lost in his deep blue eyes.

At least that was my plan when I went to meet my friends for drinks, but of course, they had other ideas.

“So, tell me, just how sexy is Dax on a scale of ‘I could do complex math problems around him to I couldn’t even form a coherent sentence.’” Ara asked.

“That isn’t a fair comparison. I hate math. Layla was always better at it,” I said.