Eliezer’s Ange by Eden Auclair
X
cassiopeia is nineteen
she is a junior in university
Stepping inside herloft, Cassiopeia couldn’t help the foolish smile etched on her face. Her cheeks warmed as she entered the kitchen, putting her notebooks and nearly finished Starbucks refresher on the island. The memories of yesterday were fresh, replaying on a never-ending loop in her head and she couldn’t stop her racing heartbeat as her thoughts lingered on Eliezer with abandon.
You know you want to be with him again, a voice chirped in her head. Unconsciously, her eyebrows knitted together at her inner thoughts.
Absolutely not,she shot back stubbornly.
If you say so, darling.
She rolled her eyes as she stepped into her small wardrobe and pulled out a black pencil skirt that stopped right above her knee and a gray and white striped masculine shirt. Standing at her vanity, she reapplied her makeup—mineral powder and highlighter—and she couldn’t help but wonder if Eliezer would like her outfit.
Since when did I care what a guy thought about me, she snapped angrily in her mind. Why couldn’t the brute just leave her mind for all of two seconds?
The bell pulled her from her thoughts and she swore in her head, closing her Better Than Sex mascara.
Eliezer’s breath caught in his throat when the door opened, revealing Cassiopeia with a shy smile and rosy cheeks. If you keep doing such things, I’m going to fucking fall for you, ange.
“Eliezer,” she greeted breathlessly.
“Cassiopeia.” He inhaled sharply.
“Hi,” she said nervously, biting her lip to hide her growing smile.
“You are... you are simply exquisite.” His eyes raked along her lithe body. “I’ll have to fire anyone who lays their eyes on you,” he murmured distractedly. His hand lifted to her face and his fingers lightly grazed her cheek while his eyes flickered down to the soft swell of her breasts through her blouse. She gasped at the sensation and his words—though which had affected her more, however, she wasn’t too certain. He didn’t know what possessed him to bluntly express his thoughts, but he had not an ounce of regret seeing her expression—wide, clear irises, slightly parted lips, and flushed cheeks.
Jesus Christ, I want you, a voice drowned out desperately in his head.
“I’m almost done, I’m sorry.” She rushed out, her face beet red.
“Take your time,” he chuckled softly, stepping inside when she held the door open wider. She couldn’t help but follow his physique with her eyes, raking her gray irises over his body—he looked striking as ever in his crisp black suit and white dress shirt. He wasn’t any better. Once he was inside, he turned back to study her figure, who now had her back him as she shut the door. She was truly divine—her small frame, the plump curve of her ass—and when she turned around to face him—her beautiful face, full breasts, heavenly hourglass body, and her luscious-
“I just need to do my hair.” She murmured softly, pulling the bun undone from the top of her head as she made her way to the hall that led to her bedroom.
-brown locks, bon sang! How he wished she’d leave her hair in that messily sexy bun and put on her maroon frames to house her captivating eyes, he’d absolutely lose his mind. And his control, a voice growled in his mind and he felt arousal stir within him at the image in his mind.
A frown tugged at the corner of his lips, missing her already, as he took a seat on her beige suede sofa and pulled out his phone to go over his to-do list for today. His leg bounced up and down, his symptom of being nervous, and he knew exactly why. He kept musing over what later would be like when he introduced Cassiopeia to her office and her position in his company. He knew she was a writer, he knew she took a creative writing lecture and two English lectures—he knew that much. She was going to be his personal assistant, that was certain, but she would also be so much more—he just hoped she liked it.
“Hello again,” came her light, airy voice. His eyes snapped up from his phone and widened. There she stood with her hazelnut hair split down the middle, the Off Script Matte lipstick popping boldly on her soft, plush lips that were fixed in a crooked grin, and a Betsy Johnson backpack slung on her right shoulder. He hadn’t even realized what he was doing until he was standing right before her, towering over her. She looked up at him through her dark lashes and involuntarily bit her bottom lip. Fuck, fuck, fuck, I can’t do this, Eliezer chanted in his head as his control slipped little by little right through his fingers.
§
“Relax, Eliezer,” Cassiopeia said in a soothing, yet worried tone. Her hand found his thigh, immediately halting his bouncing leg and pattering fingers on the wheel. Fuck me, his mind screamed. They were downtown in the midst of traffic and his brooding attitude only made her more anxious than she already was.
Her touch brought a sudden sense of ease to Eliezer along with the scorching fire only she could ever ignite within him. He was already walking on water with his self-restraint and Cassiopeia sitting beside him, being her desirable self was not helping. It was driving him insane and he was torn between fucking her numb now and waiting on her like the honorable gentleman he was. Honorable gentleman, my ass, he mentally scoffed. But I can resist her just for a little while longer, right?
Half an hour later, Eliezer turned into the valet parking lot of Badeaux’s Glasshouse. Cassiopeia felt the unsettling anxiety bubbling in her stomach and she was sure she wanted the ground to swallow her whole.
“Cassiopeia?” he called out to her, sounding far away.
“Ange!” Her head snapped to her right, seeing him holding her door open and looking down at her apprehensively. She shook her head slightly, attempting to push away all of her haunting thoughts.
“Talk to me, what are you feeling?” He questioned worriedly.
“Nothing,” she whispered softly, crinkling her brows. Her gaze was unfocused and he frowned.
“Tell me,” he nearly begged as she took his hand and stepped out of his Audi.
“I’m suppose I’m a little nervous,” she said in a quiet voice, sighing hopelessly, “if they’ll like me or not.” Eliezer felt himself slowly growing furious that she could ever think that of herself.
“Cassiopeia,” came his rough and demanding voice not a second later. Her eyes widened when she realized their close proximity since he pinned against the car caging her body against his. Her eyes nearly rolled to the back of her head feeling his steel muscles. “They’ll love you, sweetheart,” he whispered with so much intensity against the skin beneath her ear, it made her lightheaded as she merely nodded.
§
“This is Starlie, our receptionist,” Eliezer stated with a proud smile, keeping his arm around his girl’s waist as he toured her around the grand building. Starlie glanced at his arm before her eyes flashed to his with a smirk plastered on her face.
I will never hear the end of this later, or forever, Eliezer groaned in his head.
She is your best friend, a voice snickered back.
Fuck off, he fired back.
Starlie’s eyes snapped to Cassiopeia and widened. “Cassiopeia, hi, you are so pretty! I can’t wait to work with you and have you around, God only knows it’s exhausting being one of the only girls here. But I love you already,” Starlie exclaimed excitedly. Eliezer mentally facepalmed at his friend’s rambling.
“It seems like you’ve pulled that pretentious stick out of his ass.” Starlie added a moment later, nodding in Eliezer’s direction, but kept her eyes on Cassiopeia. A soft giggle came from her as Starlie smiled innocently and raised her eyebrows with a nonchalant attitude. Eliezer pouted at his two favorite girls, feeling left out as they literally did act as if he wasn’t there.
“Cassiopeia, let me rephrase this,” he began to murmur, “meet Starlie Mauve, our glasshouse’s most remarkable receptionist, my best friend since forever, unfortunately,” he added bitterly and Starlie rolled her eyes, “and a royalpain in my ass.”
Starlie’s jaw dropped and she was quick to cut her eyes to him and throw her pen his way. The scene unfolding was wholesomely amusing and Cassiopeia burst in a fit of giggles.
“That hurt mama!” He teased in a girlish squeal, and tears clouded Cassiopeia’s eyes from her laughter.
“My God.” Starlie exclaimed exasperatedly. “Leave me alone, you ass!” Eliezer laughed, loving to push her buttons. Starlie narrowed her eyes at him, getting out of her seat and coming around her desk, only to smack him upside the head. Turning to Cassiopeia, who was watching the two with a faint smile, Starlie pulled her in for a hug.
“We’re going to be best friends, forget Eliezer,” she said happily while he grunted. “You’re more beautiful than I ever imagined. Eliezer talks about you endlessly, but even his words can’t do your beauty justice.” Starlie went on animatedly. Eliezer felt his heartstrings tug together, for Starlie’s words couldn’t be truer. But she also needed to shut the fuck up. Jesus Christ, was she planning to tell Cassiopeia I was hopelessly and irrevocably in love with her too?
“Eliezer talks about me?” Cassiopeia asked wide-eyed. Fuck, fuck, fuck!
“Starlie,” Eliezer growled in a low tone. Starlie only smirked, knowing how much power Cassiopeia held over him and his feelings while she had not the slightest idea. The caramel-haired beauty winked at Cassiopeia, making her cheeks flush. “Don’t dwell too much on it, darling. I believe Eliezer has a surprise for you.”
“Okay, we’re leaving now before you ruin the surprise before I even give it to her.” Eliezer huffed, whisking Cassiopeia away in his arms while Starlie’s elated laughs echoed through the hall.
“Let’s go, sweetheart,” Eliezer tugged on her hand as he all but started to run down the nearly empty halls of the glasshouse. Cassiopeia fell into a fit of giggles stumbling to keep up.
Silence loomed over Cassiopeia’s being as she followed Eliezer and stepped into a rather grand office. His hand still held hers as he pulled him into the middle of the office and once they were, he turned back to look at her with a smile. His smile only widened, his pearly white teeth on display, once he saw her gray irises flicker around the office nervously, though in amazement.
“This is mine?” Her voice was full of awe and his smile grew.
“All yours.” He grinned and it made her knees weak. Her eyes brightened as she glanced around, taking in the beauty of the studio. Of the four walls, two had white and gold marble tiles and the other two were ceiling-to-floor windows.
A slate gray, wintry blue marble desk was situated diagonally between the marble wall and the wall of the cityscape view. In front of the desk was a creamy white loveseat and in another corner was a sofa set shaped in an ‘L,’ with a glass coffee table in the middle. Cassiopeia left Eliezer, lost in her own world as she walked over to the desk. There was a huge calendar-slash-agenda pad laying in the middle of the surface and a stack of fresh notebooks, covers whimsically and florally designed, waiting to be written in.
Eliezer admired her, adored her, everything really when it came to her. But his anxiety skyrocketed at this very moment merely because he felt left in the dark with her. He could always easily, read people he came across. But with her, everything he ever thought he knew was nearly unfathomable. She held clear, translucent eyes that should’vebeen easy to read, yet he could only ever describe her as a closed book, a tightly wrapped present.And right now, he was dying to know her thoughts on the office; it was once his own, everything in here was his, but after moving into his new office, this one had remained dormant and untouched for quite some time and only he ever entered it in his idle hours. Once the idea for Cassiopeia to work for him came across his mind, he knew it was for her.
She openly gawked at the two Mac desktops situated on the desk as well. And lastly, a white ceramic console table bookshelf was up against the galaxy-painted wall. She couldn’t help the warm smile on her face as she took in the vinyls hanging on the wall and a Victrola vinyl player much like the one she had in her loft sat on the table. Along with that, on the other end of the table was a violin on a stand, collecting dust and three tiny succulents. And underneath, on the shelves were classic literature novels and poetry books.
“Eliezer, this...” She trailed softly, her fingers lightly grazing the spines of the aged books. She felt as if she were in heaven.
“I hope you like it,” he murmured absentmindedly, staring intensely at her back. She spun around in a split second with a fire in her eyes as she walked up to him with boldness in her steps. His eyes widened.
She took him by surprise, throwing her arms around his neck. “I absolutely love it. It feels like home already,” she whispered happily in his neck. He took a sharp breath, feeling her touch, and wasted no time in wrapping his arms around her waist. Her hands went around his neck and she hummed softly.
He inhaled her scent deeply, feeling his arousal stir within. As if I hadn’t been teased enough, Eliezer grunted silently. Slowly, he walked them over to her desk chair, setting her down gently, and grunted again when his hands brushed against her silky, bare legs. Christ, she is a deadly sin. She looked up at him with a small smile, masking the sparks that resonated inside of her from his touch. Her eyes followed him as he walked around the desk and picked up her bag and brought it to her.
“Thank you, Eliezer,” she said in all her delicacy. “Thank you for all of this.”
“You never need to thank me.” He gave her a gentle smile. “But about your position…” He trailed off, leaning his palm on her desk and Cassiopeia nodded enthusiastically for him to continue.
“You’re my personal assistant.” He nodded.
“I know. I’m going to be answering phone calls, setting up meetings, setting up travels and accommodations, organizing events and deadlines, typing up reports, collating expenses, and such.” She nodded as she pulled out her MacBook from her bag. My, she is divine temptation. Eliezer found himself distracted from the way her lips moved. His mind was running wild with sinful images and thoughts and he let out a low grunt involuntarily. Cassiopeia looked up at him with crinkled eyebrows but he shook his head as if to say ‘not you.’
“I have another… ah, surprise, for you...” Eliezer trailed with uncertainty. What if this is too much, he felt his palms dampen and his heart race meteorically.
“Tell me.” She beamed, immediately calming his nerves when her gray eyes met his.
“My company isn’t just an enterprise, it’s also a publishing house,” Cassiopeia gasped in awe and he continued, “and I want you to be my acquisition editor, read manuscripts, tell me your thoughts on them, let me know if they’re worth it and all.” He smiled nervously and she nodded fervently, not giving it a second thought. Cassiopeia felt like she was truly living her dreams.
“Yes, yes, yes, I would love that!” She responded with excitement gleaming in her eyes and he chuckled lightly.
“The first few days we’ll take it easy since the company just had its close for the quarter. Settle in and maybe I’ll bring you your first manuscript later. And I’ll show you my office later this week.”
“I can’t wait,” she replied in the soft voice he loved so much.
“Don’t miss me too much,” he winked at her before turning on his heels and walking out of her office. In his own office, behind his closed door, he let out a string of curses as well as grunting now and then as he tugged off his tie, unbuttoned his shirt, and walked in the direction of his en suite. He needed a cold shower, and he needed one now.
§
Cassiopeia swiveled around in her chair in a daze with a smile on her face. She couldn’t stop admiring her new office and she was ecstatic; she hadn’t felt this happy in quite a while. Picking up the desk phone, she called her parents’ number and nestled the phone between her ear and neck before swiveling once again.
“Hello?” Cassiopeia heard her father’s gruff voice answer.
“Pai,” she exclaimed.
“Cassiopeia, my sweetheart, how are you?” Cassiopeia could hear the smile in her voice.
“I’m fantastic, and yourself pai?”
“Wonderful now that meu docinho de côco called.”
“My coconut sweet.”
Her cheeks warmed from her father’s endearment for her since she was a baby. “Wha- Cassiopeia?! My baby!” Her father was cut off by her mother’s shrieking and Cassiopeia snickered.
“Cass, minha doce menina, how are you?” Her mother gushed over the phone. Her father grumbled something along the lines of ‘damn woman stole the phone from me’ under his breath and shortly after, a grunt came from him as her mother scowled ‘it’s on speakerphone, relax.’
“Mãe, I’ve been well, what about you and Slater?”
“We’ve all been well darling, though we miss you,” her mother said in a sweet tone.
“I miss you all dearly too,” Cassiopeia said sadly. “I haven’t been home in a while, but I promise to make a trip soon.” She promised with a soft undertone. “How is my little baby Slater?”
Her mother sighed dramatically. “Cassiopeia, your brother is a grandpain in my ass, he doesn’t listen and he is unbelievably stubborn, why couldn’t he be like you, calm and quiet?” She whined and Cassiopeia giggled.
“It’s okay, mãe, not everyone can attain greatness like me,” Cassiopeia said, purposefully sounding pretentious.
“Oh meu Deus, just as arrogant and conceited as your father,” her mother teased.
“But you love it, meu amor,” her father said in the same teasing tone.
The exchange lasted all but seven minutes before Cassiopeia started to say her goodbyes, hurriedly telling her parents about her current job. Her head was in the clouds as she explained very hazily and faintly, leaving her mother and father wondering. The girl was unfathomably enigmatic, sounding all but a chaotic mess. She had no idea why she had become so flustered and when she ended the call abruptly, she practically slammed her head down on her desk with a small whimper. Since when did I become such a mess, she thought to herself tiredly.
Half an hour later, she found herself in better spirits as she scrolled away on her MacBook, getting caught up on her current read. Eliezer hadn’t returned and she wasn’t sure what he wanted her to do yet.
“Cassiopeia.” His dark voice startled her; she almost missed it if she hadn’t been so deeply buried in her book.
“Eliezer,” she smiled, looking up to see him in a fresh suit. He went home?
“No,” he chuckled nervously, “I just showered, in the uh, in the en suite in my office because I... I desperately needed one,” he muttered. Cassiopeia’s eyes widened once she realized she said her thoughts out loud.
“Oh,” she said simply. Her cheeks flushed pink.
“I have a manuscript for you.” He grinned cheekily, extending his right arm with a manuscript between his index finger and thumb. Her eyes gleamed. He walked over to her desk, laying the booklet in front of her and she looked up at him with a smile before flickering her gaze down on the script.
“We Are Made of Stars.” Cassiopeia read the title slowly, her smile widening in the process. Eliezer seemed to be forgotten now as she opened iTunes and pressed play on her playlist, focusing her attention on the manuscript.
We Are Made of Stars
Abrielle Majid (author)
First Draft, Edited
epigraph
it’s real and it’s rare,
love at first sight,
that is.
because it’s easy.
but the challenge
is staying in love,
keeping it alive
and always
kindling the slow,
bright burn of
the sparks flying.
falling in love,
it’s something precarious—
you dive into the ocean
and just hope, with every fiber inside,
they’ll save you from drowning.
true love is
falling hopelessly and irrevocably,
ceasing all the anxiety you both feel,
and replacing it with silky nectar
that’ll flow through your veins.
Cassiopeia immediately fell in love, unable to stop the emotions flowing through her, grasping her every fiber. The soft hum of her music was a faint murmur in the back of her mind as she read, and she loved it. It took her down a nostalgic road—when she used to curl up in her hanging hammock or on her bedroom’s windowsill seat with her nose buried in a paperback. She would alwayshave her vinyl player spinning softly and on rainy days, she relished in the sound of raindrops pattering on the rooftop.
She hummed along softly to 310 Bowery by Chelsea Cutler as she turned the page and began reading. All the while, Eliezer leaned against her doorframe, watching her silently and adoring her gracious beauty.