She Holds Elevator For Him, Unaware The Rushing Man Is A CEO Who’ll Never Stop Thanking Her
A New Role and an Unexpected Assignment
Three days later, Paige received the call. She got the job. Her start date was set for the following Monday.
The weekend passed in a blur of celebration with her roommate. She went shopping for work-appropriate clothing she could barely afford. She obsessively organized her tiny Brooklyn apartment as if that might somehow organize her life.
Monday morning arrived with a drizzling rain that threatened to undo the 45 minutes she’d spent on her hair.
Clutching her umbrella and new leather tote bag, a splurge that had eaten into her first month’s rent money, she entered Winchester Tower at precisely 8:15 a.m.
The elevator bank was crowded with Monday morning commuters.
As she waited, a familiar voice behind her said, “I believe I owe you an elevator ride.”
Paige turned to find Ryan Grayson standing there. Today, he was in a charcoal suit that made his eyes look more green than hazel.
Unlike their first meeting, he appeared completely composed. Not a hair was out of place.
“Mr. Grayson,” she stammered, suddenly very aware that several people were watching their exchange with undisguised interest.
“Ryan, please.”
He gestured toward an opening elevator.
“Shall we? 22nd floor, right?”
Paige nodded, shocked that he remembered.
They entered together. Several other employees who had been waiting longer stayed behind, clearly understanding that when the CEO chose an elevator, you waited for the next one.
“Congratulations on the position,” he said once the doors closed.
“How did you—?”
“I may have asked Patricia in HR about the editorial assistant interviews.”
His admission came with a slightly sheepish smile.
“I wanted to know if the person who saved my morning got the job.”
“That’s—”
Paige wasn’t sure how to respond.
“Thank you.”
“I had nothing to do with the decision,” he clarified quickly. “That would be inappropriate. I just inquired after the fact.”
The elevator slowed at the 22nd floor.
“Have a good first day, Paige,” Ryan said as she stepped out. “And thank you again for last week.”
The doors closed before she could respond.
Paige stood still for a moment, processing the interaction before making her way to her new department.
Her first week passed in a whirlwind of training sessions, introductions, and information overload. She learned the publishing workflow and memorized the names of editors and their genres.
She discovered the unspoken office politics that govern the floor. By Friday, her head was spinning, but in the best possible way. She loved every minute.
She didn’t see Ryan Grayson again that week, though she found herself scanning the lobby each morning, just in case.
It was silly, she knew. A brief encounter and one follow-up conversation didn’t constitute anything meaningful, especially not with someone whose name appeared on the building directory.
The following Tuesday, Paige was working late. She was helping prepare materials for a major acquisition meeting.
At 8:30 p.m., she headed to the elevator bank. Her arms were loaded with manuscript boxes that obscured her vision as she fumbled for the down button.
A hand reached past her to press it.
“Need some help with those?”
Ryan Grayson stood beside her, suit jacket over his arm, tie loosened slightly.
“I’m fine, thank you,” Paige replied automatically.
Then, she promptly dropped the top box. Paper scattered across the floor.
“Clearly,” Ryan said with amusement, crouching down to help gather the pages.
“Big project?”
“Acquisition meeting tomorrow. I’m just the pack mule.”
She knelt beside him, frantically trying to organize the pages.
“These need to be in order. Page numbers are a wonderful invention,” he noted, efficiently sorting his stack.
The elevator arrived, but they let it go, continuing to organize the fallen documents.
“There,” Ryan said eventually, handing her his neatly arranged pile. “Crisis averted.”
“Thank you.”
Paige added his papers to the box, noticing how their fingers brushed during the exchange.
“I didn’t expect to see the CEO helping pick up papers at this hour.”
“I’m not always the CEO,” he said, pressing the call button again. “Sometimes I’m just a guy trying to leave the office at a reasonable hour.”
“Define reasonable,” Paige challenged, glancing at her watch.
“Fair point.”
The elevator arrived, and he held the doors for her.
“Ground floor, please.”
As they descended, Ryan asked about her first week, seeming genuinely interested in her experiences.
There was none of the awkwardness she might have expected given their respective positions in the company hierarchy.
“You often work this late?” he asked as they reached the lobby.
“Not usually. Big meeting tomorrow.”
“Can I give you a ride home? It’s late, and I’d hate to think of you on the subway with all these boxes.”
Paige hesitated. The offer was tempting, but the thought of struggling onto the subway was not appealing. She was acutely aware of how it might appear.
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll be fine,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to start office rumors about the new assistant getting special treatment.”
Ryan nodded, respecting her decision.
“In that case, at least let me help you get a cab.”
Before she could protest, he was walking with her to the building entrance and signaling to the doorman. Within moments, a taxi pulled up.
Ryan took the boxes from her arms and placed them in the back seat.
“Thank you,” Paige said, fishing her wallet from her bag.
“Already taken care of,” Ryan said, closing the taxi door before she could object.
Through the window, she watched him step back into the lobby, raising a hand in farewell as the taxi pulled away.
The acquisition meeting went smoothly the next day. Paige was too busy running between departments to give much thought to her evening encounter with Ryan.
It wasn’t until Friday, when her supervisor, Martha, called her into her office, that she had reason to think of him again.
“Paige, I’ve got an unusual assignment for you,” Martha said, peering over her reading glasses.
“The executive floor needs someone to help organize their library. Apparently, it’s become something of a dumping ground for years of publishing records and manuscripts.”
“They asked specifically for someone with knowledge of our catalog and good organizational skills.”
“The executive floor?” Paige repeated. “As in the 38th floor?”
“That’s right. It’s a special project directly for Mr. Grayson’s office.”
“Normally we wouldn’t loan out one of our assistants, but when the CEO asks, we accommodate,” Martha shrugged.
Paige felt a flutter of nervousness.
“Did Mr. Grayson ask for me specifically?”
“Not that I’m aware of. His assistant just contacted HR for someone with your qualifications.”
Martha handed her a key card.
“You’ll start Monday. Three hours each morning, then back to us in the afternoons. Should last about two weeks.”
