Alpha Billionaire Obsession by Katrina Ivory Page B

moved
onto other topics, mostly discussing Macy’s new boyfriend and
analyzing their last date.
    When Macy left, Anna went to bed, very
tired, but also slightly more excited about her new job.
    The rest of the week passed by
quickly, and was fairly uneventful. Anna still couldn’t believe how
many emails Brian received and how many meetings filled his
calendar. She couldn’t imagine ever working that many hours. How
did he not get burned out with all those long days?
    That Friday afternoon after work, Anna
went to happy hour with Chuck and a few of their other young
coworkers, Susan, Mike, and Carly. Anna could tell from a few
comments that they made that everyone seemed to share Chuck’s
opinion of Brian, that he had a “huge ego” and was
“intense.”
    “I think he’s coming into the office
on Monday,” said Susan. “You’ll get to meet him, Anna. I mean, if
he goes out beyond the conference room to talk to us.”
    Anna felt a little nervous throughout
the weekend. She still hadn’t stopped thinking about those piercing
blue eyes and that mysterious half-smile. None of her coworkers had
made any comments about Brian’s looks though. Was his personality
so bad that nobody even noticed how attractive he was? And would he
really come into the office without even talking to most of the
people there? Did he really not care about the people who worked
for him?
    Anna tried to push these thoughts
aside and just enjoy her weekend. She hung out with Macy and her
parents, went on a few long runs on her favorite trail, did some
reading, and got caught up on her favorite TV shows. She still
wasn’t quite used to being single; after all, she’d been in her
relationship for three years, but she was enjoying having some time
to reflect and just do what she wanted.
    Yet on Monday morning, Anna knew deep
down that when she woke up extra early so that she could have
plenty of time to perfect her hair and makeup, she wasn’t doing it
just for herself. No, she had to admit, she had a certain CEO in
the back of her mind.
    It wasn’t until nearly 4:00 that Brian
came out of the conference room and into the main office. He’d
arrived that morning, but had gone straight into the conference
room to take phone calls and meet with a few of the managers, and
Anna had barely even caught a glimpse of him all day.
    But now he was quickly walking towards
her, and he didn’t look very happy. His blue eyes were icy and
there was no trace of the mysterious smile from his picture. Don’t
be nervous, Anna told herself, and stood up to shake Brian’s hand.
“Hello, I’m Anna. It’s nice to meet you.”
    Brian shook her hand firmly but
briefly. His hand was freezing. “Anna. Why did I just get an email
from David Owens saying that I missed a phone conference with him?
In your email to me you said the call wasn’t until 4.”
    Anna, taken off guard, stammered, “Oh,
I’m not sure, David told me 4…”
    “David lives in Denver! Mountain Time!
That’s 3 Pacific!” Now Brian just looked frightening. He’d raised
his voice, and Anna could feel everyone’s eyes on them.
    “I’m sorry, it won’t happen again,”
she said, her face flushing with embarrassment.
    “It better not happen again. That was
an important meeting.” And with that, Brian turned and stormed out
of the office, the door slamming behind him.
    “Anna? Can I see you for a moment?”
Julie called, walking towards the break room. Great, thought Anna,
I was just humiliated and now I’m about to be fired after only a
week.
    “You’re not in trouble,” Julie assured
her as they sat down. “Don’t worry. I just wanted to make sure
you’re okay. Brian can be… harsh.”
    “I’m okay,” said Anna, but the moment
she said it, she felt tears well up in her eyes. “That was just so
embarrassing. Why did he have to say it like that? And in front of
everyone? It was an honest mistake!”
    “I know it was, and I’m so sorry he
reacted that way,” Julie said