The Ex-Girlfriend (Closed for Cbelle02)

[Bill525]

Shane Lewis was finally living the life he had always imagined himself living. It seemed that things would never turn around for him, but today, everything seemed to be pointed in the right direction. He was currently working at Johnson and McDavid, a local financial firm that held some of the biggest clients in the city. He was loving his new job, and was quickly moving up the corporate ladder so to speak. He had a steady girlfriend, Meghan, who he had met through some friends. Shane and Meghan hit it off when they first met, and currently they were living together and moving in a direction that Shane knew would lead to marriage. Everything was finally working out for him.

Shane's past left him a little scarred. In college, Shane thought he had life figured out. He was a good student, and met a girl that he thought he would be with forever. Unfortunately, the girl turned out to be bad news. She cheated on Shane, and no matter how much he knew getting away from her was the right thing to do, she had a power over him that he could not get away from. He took her back, anytime she wanted. The pain of her constant cheating was never enough to break the hold she had over him. As his years in college continued, his grades began to slip. He struggled, but once he finally graduated, he distanced himself from his ex.

Today was a big day. Shane was going into work and meeting with a big client. His boss, Mr. Anderson, was letting him be the lead with this new client. It was his first big project and he was excited. It was the morning, and Shane was nervously rushing around to get ready. Meghan, always the calming force in his life, made sure he had everything set. As he finished putting on his black suit, he walked into the kitchen. He smiled as Meghan had breakfast and coffee waiting for him. "Thanks babe, I know I have been a pain this morning," he said as he walked up and kissed her. Meghan smiled as they sat down to eat breakfast.

"This is a big day, I could go from just another employee to an important piece in a short period of time. Things are looking up." Meghan smiled, "You will do great, but you better get going, you will be late," she said. Shane finished his coffee and got up, kissing his girlfriend one more time before leaving the apartment. He got into his car and headed toward the office. The only thought on his mind, was how today was going to be a great day.

 

[cbelle02]

Samantha Briggs stood in front of the huge office building that would be her new place of employment. Today was her first day as a secretary for Johnson and McDavid and she was damn proud of how far she'd come over the years. Sure, secretary didn't sound glamorous but the company held high status in the community with high level clients and getting a position there took more than a few mediocre credentials.

She took a deep breath and walked into the building. She'd met with her employer a few times prior to her first day so she felt well prepared to take on her duties. First, she stopped by her boss Janet's office who led her to her own office to help her get set up. It was particularly spacious and she was proud to have a place to call her own.

"You'll be working closely with a couple of our best representatives here." Janet told her. "We're set to get a huge new client today that we're excited about. So I've put our best guy on it. Mr. Lewis should be in shortly. He'll meet with you and let you know any specific needs he has, otherwise, you'll be fielding calls, updating client appointments and making sure everything is running smoothly. Most importantly, make sure our clients feel welcome and appreciated when they arrive. If you need anything, just ring me at 4051."

Samantha nodded and took a deep breath as Janet left. Lewis. It was a common last name, yet it still brought old memories to mind. In college, Samantha had dated Shane Lewis. She had really cared for him, but she was young and loved being able to have her choice of men while another was faithfully wrapped around her finger and loved her regardless. It wasn't exactly something she was proud of, and her ego had taken a hit when he'd finally broken it off for good. But that was years ago. A lot had changed since then.

Currently, she was single and she was comfortable with that. She'd had a few relationships that had fallen apart, and through them realizing that the only person she could truly control was herself.

She shook any thoughts of her past boyfriends, including Shane, out of her mind and pulled up the client schedule for the day. She perused the list of clients and who they had appointments with. The first, the one they were apparently all excited about, was scheduled for nine a.m. Then, there, quite literally written in glaring red was the name of the representative that the client was meeting with. SHANE LEWIS.

"Fuck..." She breathed.

 

[Bill525]

Shane pulled into the parking garage connect to the office building and parked his car. He smiled as he got out and grabbed his briefcase. "One day I might have a parking spot," he said to himself as he headed toward the elevator. Today was an important day, so he was glad to get in early. He pushed the number to his floor, and took the elevator up. He wanted to visit with Mr. Anderson first, just to make sure everything was all set today.

As he got off the elevator he walked to his office. He put his bag down and checked his email. It was all clear for once, and he smiled, "Good start to the day." He headed out towards Mr. Anderson's office, knocking. "Come in," the voice said behind the door, and Shane entered.

"Hi sir, just wanted to stop in and make sure everything was all set for today." Mr. Anderson smiled as he stood and shook Shane's hand. "Everything is all set, we got you some help with the client, a new secretary that Janet just hired. She will be doing anything you need, working very closely to with you make sure the client is happy."

Shane shook his head in agreement, "Well I can't wait to meet her, I am sure we will work well with each other." Mr. Anderson smiled as he lead Shane to the door, "Her office is 845, you should head up and see if she is all set for today."

Shane grinned and shook his hand again, "Thank you sir." He left the office and headed toward the office, wondering who the new secretary was. As he got to the office he knocked gently, waiting for an invite in.

 

[cbelle02]

Samantha had tried to relax. Surely, it wasn't the same guy from her past. There had to be a lot of Shane Lewis' in the world. After all, what were the odds that he'd settle in the same city she had, hours from their alma mater.

But what if it were? What would she say? Nothing? Apologize? Pretend nothing ever happened? Eventually, she'd convinced herself that there was no way. That would just be ridiculous.

Then the knock came and she looked up. She hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and stood. She cleared her throat and in her most confident voice said "Come in."

Then she held her breath as the door opened. It was him. It'd been a few years and he'd aged a bit, but it had only made him more attractive.

"Shane..." She said softly, but not moving from behind her desk. It was all she could say as she stared at the man before her.

 

[Bill525]

Shane heard the voice from behind the door. He reached down and opened the door, stepping into the nicely sized office. He was smiling, but as he looked at the woman behind the desk, his smile disappeared into shock. It couldn't be? How is this possible? All the thoughts rushed through his head.

Shane felt his eyes move over her, wanting to make sure he was correct in his assumption. "Samantha?," he asked. She looked very good, she had always been attractive, but it was like she had gone from an immature to a mature look. Shane felt his eyes continue to look her over, he knew he shouldn't, but they had a past, and that past was racing into his mind.

He finally shut the door behind him and walked to the desk, "What are you doing here?" He put on a smile, still in shock, but he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable. He walked around her desk, and opened his arms for a friendly hug. "It has been a very long time...."

 

[cbelle02]

Samantha moved from behind her desk as Shane approached. She forced a smile to her face as well. "Never thought I'd see you again." She said as she walked into his hug. She was surprised at the friendly welcome, considering how they'd left things last time they saw each other.

She pulled away from the hug. "Crazy, huh?" She laughed softly. "So...looks like we'll be working together. I hear there's a big client you get to meet with today." She allowed herself a moment to look him over. "So um, you look really good, Shane. How have you been?"

 

[Bill525]

Shane gave Samantha a friendly hug. He heard her comment about never thinking she'd see him again. "I know, I thought the same..." he admitted. He broke the hug and walked back around to the front of her desk. He smiled at her as he looked her over once more.

"So, this is a small world...... I hope it is not too much of a shock for you," he said as he took a seat in the chair across from her desk. "Yes..... we will be working with a big new client, so I was told to come check to make sure you were getting settled." He smiled at her, still surprised it was her that was hired to work with him.

"Thanks, I have been really good..... my life is starting to hit the up tilt," he said smiling at her. "It's been a nice turn of events around here." He shook his head, "you look good as well Samantha, what has been going on in your life?"

 

[cbelle02]

Samantha took a seat behind her desk, sliding closer. She clasped her hands on the desk, looking over at Shane.

"That's good to hear. I'm glad things are going well for you here." She smiled at him, leaning toward him slightly.

"I've actually been doing pretty good myself. I was working for another smaller firm over in Brantley, then I heard about the position here. I couldn't pass up the opportunity and the pay increase. So...here I am. I just never would have imagined I'd be working with Shane Lewis. You're right, small world and all that." She leaned back, glancing at her computer.

"I guess we should actually get to work here." She said, choosing to not bring up anything about their past. They had to work together, and closely, so it was better to make it the least uncomfortable as possible.

"So...Bridgeport is coming at nine. Are you ready for them? Anything you need before they get here?"

 

[Bill525]

Shane watched Samantha as she leaned forward slightly. He couldn't help his eyes move over her as she did. He smiled, "I am glad that things have been good for you as well. You sure picked a great place to come work, we are a close knit group here." He leaned back in the chair across from her, trying to keep himself under control. They were co-workers, she wasn't here to ruin his life.

"Yes..... work...... I am prepared for Bridgeport, they are all I have been working on for the last few weeks. How about you? Did Janet give you the packet to catch you up on all the numbers and stuff?" He smiled at her, "This is a huge deal, one that we probably will have to work real hard to keep them happy, at least in the early stages of this arrangement," Shane spoke confidently, it was evident that he knew this group pretty well.

"We just have to set the conference room up around 8:30, shouldn't be too hard...... then we just have to make sure we don't mess anything up," he said laughing.

 

[cbelle02]

Samantha nodded and patted the manila folder on her desk. "Yeah, i've reviewed everything in here and she sent me some other info by email. She told me you guys are all excited, that you've been trying to get these guys for a while. She also told me you were her best guy. So...you know, no pressure there." She winked.

"Looks like you've got your work cut out for you. But I'm sure you'll blow em away, in a good way. I'll help in any way I can. Whatever makes your life easier is my job to do." She laughed a little. "After all, I probably owe it to you." She said quietly and then shook her head.

"So, I guess I should probably get started setting up the conference room, yeah?" She said, standing, grabbing the small portable phone she was given to use for calls when away from her desk. She clipped it to her side. "I'm sure you have work to do, i'll let you know when they're here."

 

[Bill525]

Shane smiled, "Good, I am glad that you got all the stuff, it is very important." He watched her as she talked about how Janet told her he was the companies best guy. "Oh great, they are talking me up already, setting me up for failure."

He laughed at her comment, but then heard her get quiet after her last comment. He smiled, not wanting her to be weird about their past. "Oh don't worry, I know you will do everything you can to help. As I remember it, you were always good at helping me relax," he said wondering if that came out inappropriately.

As she got up, he stood as well, "You have some time, no need to rush off if you don't want to." He hoped that he hadn't said something dumb, or that she wasn't embarrassed by her comment. He began to walk to the door. "I can leave you to your work if you want."

 

[cbelle02]

"As I remember it, you were always good at helping me relax." He'd said. And it was true. Samantha had a brief flash of memories. She had truly cared for him, and always hated to see him stressed, even when it was she who was causing that stress. She always had calming words, touches, activities...and other things...that could bring him around again.

She smirked a little. "Well...I'm glad you remember some good things about me." She said as he started to walk to the door.

"Thanks. I think I'll get started, want to make sure it looks extra nice for our clients. Gotta do what it takes to keep them happy, right? Present ourselves well."

Samantha stopped for a moment. "You really do look well, Shane. I'm happy for you. You deserve it." And she believed that.

After he left, she took another deep breath. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. She exhaled and walked out to prepare the conference room.

 

[Bill525]

Shane smiled as she spoke, "You really do look well, Shane. I'm happy for you. You deserve it." Shane believed her words, she seemed like she was talking from the heart. "Thanks Samantha.... I am glad that you are here, I am sure you will be a great asset to the company."

With that, Shane left her office and headed back to his office. He shut his office door and sat behind his desk. He leaned back in his chair, taking a deep breath. He couldn't believe that Samantha was back in his life. He never would have thought that she would be a part of his life again.

He shook his head as he closed his eyes, his mind racing about thoughts of how easily manipulated he used to be with her. There was something about her, something that allowed her to control him. He tried to fight images from coming back, but he thought about all those times he wanted to break up with her, but she used her ways to bring him back to her. He sat his desk, lost in thought for a while.

 

[cbelle02]

Samantha walked into the huge conference room. Her job was to make sure everything was set up, refreshments were ready and every seat had a copy of the highlights and talking points that Shane would made in the meeting.

She walked around, making sure all chairs were straight, placing copies on the table in front of each chair, and setting up the refreshment and snack table. She pulled the big whiteboard to the front of the room, so that Shane could use it if needed.

Satisfied that all looked as it should, she went back into her office. There would still be a few minutes until the Bridgeport representatives arrived, so she took that time to do menial office tasks, emails, and take a few phone calls.

Her thoughts would wander to Shane. It was odd, having him around again, and in this capacity. He would essentially be her boss, at least in the sense that she would be his assistant. That probably wouldn't be so bad. And like a bad habit, thoughts of how she could get him to go easy on her, popped in her mind. After all, she knew Shane, she knew how to get what she wanted with him. He was easy.

Stop it, Samantha. She scolded herself. You've both grown up and are over these childish games. She brushed the thoughts aside her phone buzzed to let her know someone was here. Standing, she straightened her skirt and walked out to greet them.

She smiled, shaking hands with each of them, then led them into the conference room. Once they were settled in, she walked to the door.

"Please, help yourselves to refreshments. I'll let Mr. Lewis know you're here and he'll be with you shortly."

Then she walked out and over to Shane's office. She could have just buzzed him, but she decided to see him personally. She knocked on the door and at his command, she entered. "Bridgeport is ready for you."

 

[Bill525]

Shane heard the knock on the door and yelled out, "Come in." He straightened up in his chair, his mind was wandering and he tried to compose himself. As Samantha walked in, he smiled. Then he heard her, "Bridgeport is ready for you."

Shane leaned back in his chair, his heart racing. "Wow.... already..... guess I am a bit stressed and nervous," he said staring at her. He didn't know why she came to his office. She could have just buzzed him, but seeing her made him realize how real this situation was.

Shane felt his eyes moving over Samantha, looking over her body as he tried to get the nervousness out of his mind. This was a big deal, one he didn't want to screw up for the company. He had a lot riding on this one deal.

 

[cbelle02]

Samantha smiled softly as she walked in his office and shut the door behind her. They had a couple minutes to spare.

"You'll do fine." She said reassuringly. "Fantastic, even. There is a reason you were assigned these guys. They are tough but you are the best." Walking up behind him, she slowly placed her hands on his shoulders, gently rubbing. It was a move she did often when they were dating, to help him destress.

"Relax. You were given this because if anyone can handle these guys, it's you. And trust me..." She leaned down to whisper in his ear. "They don't look so tough."

Then she backed away. "You've got this. Let's go."

 

[Bill525]

Shane smiled at Samantha as she gave him some words of encouragement. You'll do fine, fantastic, even," she said. He sighed as he felt her hands on his shoulders. As she began to rub his eyes closed a bit and he felt his body relax. A sigh escaped his lips as he heard her whisper in his ear, her lips close to his ear.

As she backed away, Shane came back to reality, feeling a little better. "Yes, don't want to keep them waiting." He got up and followed Samantha out of the office. They headed toward the conference room. As they got to the door, he smiled at Samantha, "Here we go."

He entered and smiled, "Hi everyone, thanks for coming this morning." He shook hands with everyone in the room and then introduced Samantha. "I am sure you already met her, but this is my assistant, Samantha, she will be working specifically with me to ensure that you get what you are looking for out of Johnson and McDavid."

Shane went to his seat and sat down. "Now, lets look through the packet we have prepared for you, this is a way to show what we can do for you as a business. We want you to know that while we are a financial advisory firm, we are here to please you, so anything specific you are looking for, we can try and make happen."

The rest of the meeting went well, and although Shane was nervous and stressed, he handled it well. He felt comfortable having Samantha there. Her presence alone, helped relax him.

 

[cbelle02]

Samantha placed her hand on Shane's back as a last minute sign of comfort as he opened the door to walk in. She dropped it as soon as they entered the room, taking her seat near him. Her small laptop sat on the table before her as she took notes throughout the meeting. But she couldn't help but stare at Shane. The way he took control of the meeting, his confidence, his professional demeanor...all made it difficult to look away. She struggled, but managed to maintain focus on the meeting and do her job.

Afterward, she wanted to give Shane a bit of alone time with the clients to wrap things up. She dismissed herself, making sure to shake all hands and thank them all. As she walked toward the door, she touched Shane lightly on the arm. "Great job. I think you got 'em." She grinned and walked back to her office.

The meeting had gone well and she genuinely felt excited for Shane and the company. As she waited for him to finish up, she got back to work. It had been so easy to fall back into familiar ways with Shane. Using words and touch to calm him down. And it still worked. Maybe he hadn't changed so much after all.

 

[Bill525]

Shane smiled as Samantha got up to leave. As she walked over and placed her hand gently on his arm, he heard her words of encouragement, "Great job. I think you got 'em." Shane smiled as he watched her exit, and then finished off the meeting.

As the meeting broke, he walked the Bridgeport group to the elevator, and shook their hands one last time. "Thank you for your time, I hope we both think of this as a partnership. We are incredibly excited for this opportunity." He smiled as they disappeared in the elevator.

After they left, he walked, heading towards an office. However, it wasn't his office, it was Samantha's. He was still stressed out, but excited at how well the meeting went. He knocked on her door, and when he heard her tell him to come in, he entered. He shut the door behind him and walked over to the chair in front of her desk. He sat down, sighing, "Oh my god.... that went so well...... but I am still stressing about everything!"

 

[cbelle02]

Samantha grinned when she saw Shane and laughed as he plopped down in the chair.

"Oh come on! You did a great job! I bet I'll be getting that email from them by this afternoon. You killed them!" She laughed and came around the edge of her desk, leaning against it, half sitting, facing him.

"Stop underestimating yourself. It's over! No reason to stress anymore! Just sit back and wait for their response." She pushed herself off the desk and walked around behind him. "What ever did you do before I came here to calm you down?" She asked playfully, gently rubbing his shoulders again. The thought that such touches, even as innocent as they were, would be inappropriate for a work environment never crossed her mind. It was just something she easily fell back into with Shane.

"So...the woman I saw in the picture on your desk...is that your wife?" She'd wanted to ask when she saw it, but decided to wait until a more appropriate time.

 

[Bill525]

Shane watched Samantha come around the desk and he laughed. "I know it went well..... it went real well, but you aren't stressed about all the work we are going to have?" He watched her lean against her desk as he sat in the chair in front of her. "Or the consequences if we mess something up?"

As she walked around behind him, he felt her hands move back to his shoulders. He sighed as she began to rub, his eyes closing a bit. "Ahhh that feels good," he sighed. His head falling back as her hands helped his body relax.

"So... the woman I saw in the picture on your desk..... is that your wife?," she asked. Shane's mind lost on how good her hands felt. He again let out a sigh, "ahhh.... wife? No thats Meghan, shes my girlfriend."

 

[cbelle02]

"You were always worried about the what-ifs. I, for one, look forward to the challenge. It's where I thrive. And if we screw up, we'll fix it. But we won't screw up." She said confidently, rubbing his shoulders a little more deeply.

"Oh." She said, when he mentioned his girlfriend. "Well...she's very pretty. And very lucky to have such a successful guy in her life. Things are really going well for you, it seems. I'm glad you're happy."

But she couldn't help the sudden feeling of jealousy. Why? She hadn't seen Shane in years. But still, he was successful, attractive, and had his life together. Part of her felt like she'd let him a good thing get away.

Sighing, she pulled her hands back and walked back behind her desk. "I'll let you know if I hear anything back from them today." She pulled up the schedule on her computer. "It looks like you have your next meeting after lunch at 1 with a Robert Daniels."

 

[Bill525]

Shane felt her hands rubbing his shoulders more deeply. He smiled as he heard her, "You always were someone that liked challenges..... that is for sure." He grinned, as he remembered how she was always one to rise to a challenge.

As she stopped rubbing his shoulders and walked away, he sighed. "Thanks for the shoulder rub, it helped relax me a bit." He grinned at her as she sat down behind her desk. He listened to her talk about his next meeting. "Thanks, so I have some time to try and go over that presentation and make sure I did everything I wanted."

He winked at her, "Thanks for everything, you were great today." He looked at her, part of him was glad she was around, it was nice having someone from his past that knew him. However, another part of him looked at her and allowed his mind to drift to the past. Samantha always knew how to relax him, but she also always knew how to turn him on and get him wrapped around her finger. He sighed, he tried to shake those thoughts out of his mind.