THE CEO´S SNOWBOUND DESIRE

Sometimes, and only sometimes, my brain feels like it is in another time frame, like it can receive frequencies from a world that is not before my eyes, a world with a very different time frame than this one. Fleeting flashes reach my eyes like the light from a camera flash and after that brief sensation fades I am back here again. Afraid of an uncertain future and the storm that is brewing for me and only me. After him. My imbecile ex...

_ I didn't mean for it to happen, Prudence. I swear!

"You didn't mean for it to happen! You didn't mean to put your-" My words crumble with my sobs. I can barely see Abraham's face through my tears. Tears that haven't stopped since I ran into my bedroom earlier today. Tears that have left my skin raw and tight. And every time I think I'm crying, the image of Abraham and her flashes inside my head and a new wave hits. I wipe my dripping nose against the sleeve of my sweatshirt. I'm way past the point of caring about how I look.

_ Who is she, anyway?

_Nobody important.

She wipes her tears away with the palm of her hand and then reaches up to my face, cupping my cheeks.

_ You are my whole life. You have always been my whole life. Always! Do you know that well? Tell me you know that!

I swallow against the sharp lump lodged in my throat, but it doesn't budge. I knew that. Until today.

_ So why do you break my heart?

His handsome face twitches as if I've slapped him. Something he wishes he had the courage to do.

_ You weren't supposed to find out. Oh my god!

_ Does that make it better?

_ No, that's not what I'm saying.

He hangs his head for a moment.

_ Look, we're getting married next year and then it'll be just you and me. It's been just you and me all these years. And, _ he swallows, hesitates, _this is something I've been thinking about. A lot lately.

_ About cheating on me?

_No! About, you know..._ He shudders. _Sex.

_ Is that what this is all about? Why didn't you tell me? I wish...

_ No, Prudence.

Abraham's face is suddenly stern.

_ You and I, we're doing it the right way by waiting until we're husband and wife. You're so innocent. So pure.

He leans forward, pressing his forehead against mine.

_ It means everything to me that you gave me that on our wedding night. But...- a shy look takes over her face- I'm a boy. It's different for me.

_ How is it different? Who is this person sitting in front of me?

_ Because we're weak! This is something I need to do. I need to get this out of my system, or I'm afraid I'll make a mistake down the road, when it really matters. Trust me this time. You don't want me to stray later on, when we have kids, do you?

I am listening, but I am not believing these words coming out of Abraham's mouth.

_ So we're breaking up?

_No.

He frowns.

_ Not exactly. We're just taking a little break, okay? Just until I can get my head together. But we're meant to be, you and me _ He brushes strands of hair out of my face, like he's done a thousand times _ I'll come back to you. I promise.

I'm so angry and hurt that I can't even face him anymore, so I fix my eyes on the tiny gumball machine promise ring he gave me for my sixteenth birthday, my sobs drowning out the rest of his words.

PRESENT

"Look directly into the camera when you answer questions," the woman commands, her cool blue irises piercing behind a pair of trendy, horn-rimmed glasses. Between that, her honey-blonde bun, fitted black business suit, and four-inch heels, she could pass for one of those librarian/strippers instead of a corporate recruiter. I adjust my handy round, gold-wire-framed glasses. "Okay." She readies the iPhone sitting in the stand to record while I fidget on my stool, tucking unruly strands of my ginger hair behind my ear and smoothing out wrinkles in my shirt. I didn't come dressed for a videotaped interview. I thought this job fair would be like any other; I'd wander around a few basic booths, collect a few brochures, and talk to reps who wanted to be anywhere but a Chicago library on a Saturday. For the most part, that's what it is. But the Star Hotel booth is different. It's three times the size of the others, with smartly dressed recruiters and an on-site interview station behind a screen, to help speed up the hiring process for those who meet the basic criteria. And the only reason I made the basic criteria is because I lied on the paper application I filled out twenty minutes ago. Now I'm petrified of getting caught.

_Full name, please.

I've always hated being in front of the camera. I clear my throat nervously.

_ Prudence Rose White. But my friends call me Prue," I hasten to add. "My mom calls me Prudence, and everyone else in my hometown calls me Prudence after my mom. I never liked it." The interviewer is stone-faced. She doesn't care what you prefer to call me, but my nerves make me talk too much.

_ The position you are applying for?

_ Outdoor maintenance and landscaping? I think that was the official title on the application form.

_ And describe your experience that will be invaluable to us, Prudence.

_It's Prue. _ I force my biggest smile and hope my annoyance doesn't show in the video when they play it later. _Of course. Well, first of all, I love the outdoors. I grew up on a farm and have spent years baling hay, pulling sacks of grain, and hauling buckets of water for the animals. So don't worry, I'm pretty strong.

People don't think I am. My short five foot five stature is deceiving, but one look at my frame in shorts and a tank top will attest that I am feminine yet honed with muscle from long days on the White farm. _I've already provided all of this information on the hand-written application form, but I'm assuming you want the live version as well. _I ran my own landscaping company for five years, operating out of Greenbank, Pennsylvania, maintaining commercial properties with excellence. _I've been pulling dandelions and cutting grass around my little town every summer since I was fourteen. Calling what I do "landscaping" is a farce. But if I get this job, so far from my life, I'll say anything.

_ Were any of these properties hotels?

_ Yes _ Never say "no" in an interview. Always find a way to turn it into a yes.

_ Please tell me about these hotels.