Losing Herself: Surrender Read Online Free Page A

with the same girl on his arm more than a few times. Reading those articles had made Emily feel depressed and relieved at the same time: clearly Nate only dated red-hot airheads, so she would never get to enact her fantasies about him. Which was a good thing, she told herself: she needed a job more than she needed wild sex.
    Nate turned around just before pressing the elevator button, and as their eyes met, Emily felt a shiver run through her veins. His eyes: she would never get used to them. They were so dark and penetrating, and they took in everything about her.
    In an instant, Emily regretted trying to catch the same elevator as Nate. What had she been thinking? She’d just thought it was a good idea to get some face time with her new boss. It had nothing to do with the fact that she found him ridiculously attractive – she remembered the fantasy of him kissing her, and stroking her, and forcefully pushed those images out of her mind.
    “You made it,” Nate said drily, as they waited for the elevator to arrive.
    Why did he sound so amused? Nate glanced back at her, and Emily regretted looking so dressed up and different. She felt like a schoolgirl chasing her crush, even though she was only dressed up for work.
    “Thank you for hiring me,” she said awkwardly.
    “Thank HR. They convinced me. And if it doesn’t work, there’s always Brandon.”
    “Oh.” So he still wasn’t sure if she fit in there. She didn’t know what he meant by “Brandon”.
    Emily ’s mind went blank. She wanted to say something charming, something witty and intelligent and insightful, something that would miraculously turn her internship into a full-time job. But instead, she felt confused and tongue-tied. So much for impressing the boss, she thought bitterly, as they stepped into the elevator and Nate pressed “41”.
    There was no-one else in the elevator at this hour. Nate leaned against one of the steel walls, and Emily stood as close as possible to the opposite wall. The shiny box was as large as an elevator could be, but even then, she felt like she was standing too close to him, and the air between them felt hot and intoxicating.
    As t he elevator inched its way up, Emily could feel Nate’s eyes on her.
    Finally, he said softly, “You didn’t need to get all Prada- ed and plastic-ed up just to work here.”
    “I wanted to fit in.” The words were out before she could stop herself, and Emily wanted to kick herself – she sounded like a nerdy girl wanting to hang out with the cool kids.
    The corners of Nate’s lips went up. “You didn’t have to get into debt to buy a suit.” The elevator reached his floor and he stepped out, and then turned to look at her. “You look great either way.”
    And then he turned and walked away, and the elevator doors closed behind him.
    For a very long time, Emily was aware only of the loud thumping of her heart. Nate Steele had said she looked great! Was that a compliment, or did he just say that to all new recruits? The elevator still smelled slightly of his cologne, and Emily recalled the way his eyes twinkled darkly when he smiled.
    And then it hit her – she was stuck in the elevator. She didn’t have an ID card yet, so she couldn’t activate the buttons. She pressed them anyway, mortified by her lack of foresight, and hoped that Nate wouldn’t come back to the elevator for some reason, and find her standing there.
    Emily felt panicked for a few long moments, and then the elevator began to descend downwards. She breathed a sigh of relief – someone must have pressed the button from the ground floor.
    As soon as the elevator reached the atrium level, Emily stepped out and walked past the small group of waiting people. She went to the tiny reception area, and spoke to the woman working there, explaining that she was a new intern at Alpha Investments.
    The woman glanced at her through half-rim frames, and found her name on a list.
    “Here you go,” she said, handing Emily a plain