Ring! Ring! Ring!
This time, it was her desk phone ringing - the day had officially started.
Victoria turned around and quickly picked up the phone, swallowing another sip of hot coffee.
“Victoria speaking.”
“Hey Vicky, it’s John. How are you doing? How was your week end?”
“I’m busy John. What do you want?” She said while checking her emails.
John had been trying to hit on her for several months already.
“Okay, just to remind you that today we have a new trader in the team…” John said, trying to be as brief as possible.
“It’s your job to welcome the juniors… I don’t deal with them - not until they can show me their performances.” Victoria had a lot of things to deal with and she was still trying to decide which direction she wanted to give to her career. That decision she had to make was still in her mind.
“I know but he’s not a junior. He’s the prop trader we’ve hired together.” John reminded her.
Victoria was now paying attention. “Oh yeah, shoot I forgot. The guy from Harvard, right?”
John sounded embarrassed. “Yeah… I mean that’s the reason why I’m calling you. While you were away last week, the human resources have hired someone else.”
“What about the first guy then?” Victoria asked, slightly frustrated. She had personally validated that candidate and didn’t appreciate that sudden change of operations without her consent.
“He’s not coming… The new one has a better profile and a better track record, therefore his package is much bigger. He took the entire budget for himself actually. We can’t afford to hire anyone else this year… but apparently, he’s worth it.”
Victoria sighed loudly. “I hope so… I shouldn’t be informed at the last minute, this is unacceptable. I want you to set a meeting with the HR.”
Knock knock knock!
Goddamn it! I hate Mondays!
“Ellen!” Victoria yelled without looking up. “I’m on the phone! No visitors until 10:00am!”
“Okay, I’ll let you work Vicky. Just wanted to tell you about the new guy.” John quickly said before hanging up - nobody wanted to stay on the phone with Victoria when she was angry; and apparently, she wasn’t in a very good mood.
The door finally opened and someone entered her office.
“I didn’t say you can…” Victoria started to say as she raised her eyes, when she suddenly felt like she was struck by lightning. “… come in…”
Standing in front of her was one of the hottest man she had ever seen. Not only was he tall and well built, but the way he dressed was simply stunning - he was impeccable.
His cologne, mixed with his body odor, was a turn on - it smelled so good it triggered a chemical response in her guts and she felt butterflies in her belly.
His black hair was slicked to the side and perfectly trimmed, making him look smart and sexy at the same time. His eyebrows were well defined, reinforcing the depth of his intense gaze. His two black eyes were incredibly attractive and mysterious.
He had a strong jaw and a powerful neck, and Victoria’s body immediately reacted to his elegance and charisma. She felt her insides twisting and had to hold her breath for a few seconds.
She instinctively saw him as a potential sexual partner but quickly suppressed the guilty thought - she wasn’t supposed to look at other men; she was already committed to someone.
Yet, she couldn’t help but feel attracted and hypnotized by this beautiful stranger. She kept staring at him until she felt her chest getting tight. Victoria slowly reassessed the situation and realized something unexpected - he wasn’t a stranger.
Yes, she knew him; in fact, she knew him very well. He was the man who had taken her virginity and broken her heart ten years ago.
“What the hell… What are you doing here Enzo?” She said, sending him her killer look.
Enzo gave her his cocky smile and put his hands in his pockets. “Nice to see you too, Vicky.”
“Don’t play with me asshole, I’m not kidding - what the hell are you doing in MY office?! How dare you showing up in here?!”
“Well, I’m just here to introduce myself… I told them it wasn’t necessary but they insisted I had to meet you for my first day in here.” He said calmly.
Victoria slammed her keyboard with her hands. “WHAT?? They’ve hired YOU? You’re the new guy?”
“Yep… I’m the
new guy
… Glad to see that it makes you as excited as I am.”
Victoria jumped on her feet and crossed her arms. He was still the same - cocky and sarcastic.
She turned her back on Enzo and started to walk along the window, trying to keep her composure. She was struggling to keep a cool head in this very unexpected and confusing situation.
Enzo Fancelli had been her very first love. She had met him at 16, in high school and had experienced everything a woman can dream of emotionally - love, affection, tenderness, understanding - and sexually.
She tried not to think about it, but she couldn’t stop her mind from remembering how good Enzo was in bed. He was an exceptionally good lover and Victoria had never felt anything as intoxicating and exhilarating as his touch and his kisses.
Enzo had helped her discover her body and the pleasure she could experience with just a few fingers. He’d shown her how to express her sensuality and her femininity. He’d taught her to let go and given her her first orgasm.
She was a real woman because of him.
“You really got some nerves…” She finally said, but still not looking at him.
“Listen, Vicky. I know how you feel but this isn’t what you think…” Enzo said.
Furious, she turned around and started yelling at him - she couldn’t hold back any longer. Ten years later, her emotions were still vivid and the scar he’d left inside of her was far from completely healed.
“What do you know about how I feel, Enzo?! How could you possibly imagine what it feels like to be betrayed by the only person in the world you’d die for?”
Enzo looked down and kept silent - he didn’t seem to have much to say. “Vicky, please calm down. It’s been extremely painful for me too, you have no idea… I’m not happy about it either, trust me…”
“
Trust me
?? Are you kidding me? This is a word I don’t want to hear from your mouth, Enzo! You’re a coward… I don’t allow you to pronounce that word in front of me…” She said, as her voice started to break.
Victoria needed to let the anger burst out of her chest - after a decade, she was finally able to talk to him. She was terribly confused though - she was excited, angry, surprised, bitter and attracted at the same time. Her emotions were driving her crazy.
She paused and closed her eyes, in order to let go - at least for now. She took a deep breath and saw Ellen outside her office, probably wondering if she needed help. She looked at her and nodded, telling her she was fine.
“Okay, Enzo. Take a seat.” She said calmly, as she sat down and wiped her face. She hadn’t been able to stop her tears but her make-up was still intact.
“I’m sorry…” She finally said when she was able to regain her self-control. “I shouldn’t show you my emotions… You don’t deserve it. And you probably don’t care anyway…”
Enzo slowly walked to her desk and sat down in front of her. Now that he was closer, she looked at him again and clenched her fingers inside her palms - she hated him but he was still damn sexy. There was nothing she could do about it - she was uncontrollably attracted to him. She couldn’t explain it and was mad at herself for being so weak.
His face still looked the same but there was something different. She couldn’t tell what it was exactly - maybe he looked leaner than before? Or maybe he just looked more mature? It wasn’t easy to identify but he was definitely hot. She couldn’t believe how handsome he’d become - he was just
wow
.
His attitude had changed as well. The way he moved and carried himself was totally different from what she could remember. He was much more confident and determined - he was really charismatic.
The quality of his suit, his hair style, his perfume, all his accessories - his watch, his cuff links, his tie, his belt - and the look on his face indicated a man who took great care of himself. And Victoria wasn’t insensitive to it.
Enzo was still silent. He probably felt too guilty to say anything worth saying.
“You look good…” She said, now looking away.
“Thanks. You look great too. You’ve become a femme fatale…”
Victoria wanted to giggle but suppressed the smile that was about to sprout on her face.
“You look different though… Something has changed…” She said, ignoring his compliment. She looked at him again from the corner of her eyes and examined his beautiful face carefully.
“Yeah… It’s probably my nose. I had plastic surgery. It was a long time ago.” He said.
She didn’t know if he was serious or playing with her. His nose was perfectly fine in her memories. “Are you serious?”
He nodded. “Yes…”
All of a sudden, she felt slightly disappointed - this wow factor, it wasn’t natural after all. Enzo had really changed. She looked at him from a different perspective. Now, he appeared like a metrosexual man who was trying too hard to look attractive. What a shame…
Victoria cleared her throat and changed the subject. “So how’s your sister?”
Enzo chuckled. “Lindsay? She’s fine. She’s studying in Europe now, but I can’t tell you what she’s doing. She keeps changing her mind…”
Victoria hadn’t heard him chuckle and laugh for so long - it suddenly brought back memories that she tried to forget immediately.
“I see… Well, she’s young. She needs time.” She simply said.
Enzo nodded. “Yeah… Say that to my dad!”
“She’ll be fine…” She replied - Victoria had no idea what kind of man his father was. She had never met him and had always thought she wasn’t good enough to be introduced. She had only met his mother, occasionally.
“And you? Are you married? You have someone?” Enzo asked naturally. It didn’t seem hard for him to go on that path.
Victoria felt very uncomfortable. For some reason, she wasn’t at ease talking about her private life with Enzo. “Yes, I’ve been with someone for a while now. Fours years, actually. His name is Shane. He’s a prosecutor in Chicago.”
“Wow… That’s impressive. You’re doing really good… Great career, great boyfriend… Congratulations, Vicky…” He said with a genuine smile on his face.
She couldn’t look at him straight in the eyes. How could he be so calm and talk about her boyfriend like they were talking about the weather? It didn’t seem to make him jealous at all.
Now, the same question was burning her lips - was he single? How many girls had he met after her? How many times had he fallen in love? Was he looking for someone?
She was dying to know and it took her a tremendous amount of will power to resist the urge of asking him.
“Hum… Well, I’ve got a lot of work to do, Enzo. You’ve introduced yourself now, so thank you.” She said abruptly to end this uncomfortable conversation.
“Yeah I should be going.” He said as he stood up. “By the way, would you be available for lunch?”
She felt butterflies in her belly. She wanted to say yes but she was really busy - she’d been away from the office for a week and had a lot to catch up.