by Iona Rose
“So as you can see, this really is the best all round solution for your business needs,” I finish.
I’ve just been talking to a new potential client, George Hayes, through the way our finance department handles expenditure account work and trying to explain to him why we’re the best fit for him. George is lapping it up because he knows I’m right. He admitted that he’s been to a few other firms and none of them could do exactly what he wanted. We can. It’s that simple.
He smiles at me and nods his head.
“I really think …” he starts.
He trails off as shouting fills my office.
“I’ve told you he’s with a client,” I hear Bernie yelling. “You can’t just barge in there.”
“And who exactly is going to stop me?” a voice replies.
Kimberley. Fuck. Obviously she didn’t get the hint last night.
“I am,” Bernie says.
I can picture her standing in front of the door, blocking Kimberley’s path.
“I’m pretty sure I’m your boss so I suggest you do as you’re told and move aside,” Kimberley snaps.
That does it. She can be a bitch to me all she likes; I probably deserve it. But Bernie doesn’t and I’m not just going to sit here and listen to Kimberley berate her.
“I’m sorry. Would you excuse me for just a moment?” I say to George.
He nods, an amused look on his face. I cross my office with my hands balled into fists at my sides. I can practically feel the steam coming out of my ears. I pull the door open and step outside, pulling it closed behind me.
“Kimberley, what the fuck are you playing at?” I hiss.
“I told you I needed to see you,” she says calmly.
Her calm manner only inflates my anger.
“So you thought you’d come here and have a go at Bernie? Who, for the record, is not your subordinate in any way, shape or form.”
Bernie beams beside me and moves back to sit behind her desk. She mouths thank you at me and then goes back to her computer, pretending she has no further interest in this exchange. Pretending being the operative word. I can practically see her ears twitching.
“She wouldn’t let me in,” Kimberley says as though that excuses her shitty behaviour.
I roll my eyes.
“So I heard. As did my client.”
“You’re really with a client?” she says, looking slightly ashamed of herself.
“Yes,” I say. “If I wasn’t and I didn’t want to see you, I would have just told Bernie to tell you to fuck off.”
It’s a low blow, telling her I wouldn’t even bother having Bernie lie to her to save her feelings, but I’m still pissed about the slanging match Kimberley instigated. It’s a good job George seems to have a sense of humour or he could have just walked out.
“Now either sit down, shut up and wait, or leave. It’s your call Kimberley.”
She looks about ready to blow a fuse, but she can’t deny that I’m right to be angry with her and she sits down, biting back her acidic response. I go back into my office.
“I’m so sorry about that George,” I say.
“Women trouble?” he smiles.
“Oh you don’t know the half of it,” I laugh. “I just get all of the aggro and none of the benefits. She’s not even my girl. She’s just someone I work with.”
“She sounds like trouble,” George laughs.
“Oh believe me, she is,” I say. “Now. Where were we?”
“I was just about to say that I think you’re right. I’m definitely swaying towards using your firm. But you mentioned that it wouldn’t be you personally handling my business. I wondered if it would be possible to set up a meeting with the person who would be? I like to get a feel for a person before I decide whether or not I want to work with them.”
“Of course,” I smile. “You’d be working with Bradley, one of our top accountants. Do you want me to see if he’s free now or would you prefer to come back?”
“Now works for me,” George says.
I call Bradley at his desk and quickly explain the situation.
“Bring him along. I can chat to him now,” Bradley says.
I thank him and hang up the call, resisting the urge to punch the air. It’s in the bag. Bradley knows his way around this kind of conversation and I think him and George will click. I stand up.
“Follow me and I’ll take you to Bradley,” I say. “If you’re happy to go ahead, he can print out the paperwork and get you all signed up.”
“Great,” George says, also standing up.
I lead him out of my office. I notice his amused look when he sees Kimberley sitting waiting for me, her head down. I purposely ignore her and focus on Bernie.
“Bernie, could you please see Ms. Montgomery into my office? I’ll be back shortly,” I say.
“Of course,” Bernie beams.
She’s already standing up as George and I walk away.
“If you’d like to follow me Ms. Montgomery,” Bernie is saying.
Her voice is sweet, fake, dripping with sugar and sarcasm and I grin to myself. If Kimberley is staying here, then she’s going to have to learn to get the stick out of her ass when it comes to Bernie.
I lead George to Bradley’s desk and introduce them. Bradley is already telling George about his processes when I excuse myself, telling George to let me know if he needs anything else from me.
I head back to my office, a feeling of dread in my stomach. Bernie jumps up when she sees me returning and almost runs around her desk to talk to me.
“God Sebastian, I’m so sorry about that. She just wouldn’t take no for an answer,” she says.
“That’s Kimberley for you,” I say. “You don’t have to apologise.”
“Was the client annoyed?” she asks.
“No, he seemed to find the whole thing quite amusing,” I say laughing and shaking my head. “I’d best go and see what her royal highness wants.”
Bernie opens her mouth and then closes it again.
“Don’t be shy. If you have something to say, spit it out.”
“Look I know what she did was unprofessional, but you’re in love with her and …”
“I’m not in love with her,” I interrupt.
“Whatever you say,” Bernie says, waving away my protest and carrying on where she left off. “And she clearly has feelings for you too. That’s why she was acting out. She thought you were alone and just didn’t want to see her. Don’t be too harsh on her is all I’m saying.”
Kimberley was acting out because she’s used to clicking her fingers and having me jump to attention. She doesn’t like it when she doesn’t get her own way. I don’t bother trying to explain that to Bernie. She’d only insist I’m still in love with her. Which I’m not.
I nod my head and go to my office door. I take a deep breath and step inside. The door is barely closed when Kimberley jumps to her feet and starts ranting.
“Why didn’t you answer my call Sebastian? And what was up with that juvenile text message?” she demands.
Her quiet demeanour from outside of my office is long gone and she’s angry now. It makes me even angrier that she gets to burst in here, embarrass me in front of a client and still try to play the victim card.
“Juvenile? Kimberley you burst in here shouting and screaming like a mad woman. You’re the one who said you wanted to keep this professional. What part of the stunt you just pulled is professional? The part where you threaten my secretary and accuse her of lying? Or the part where a potential client gets a front row seat to your tantrum?”
Kimberley sighs and raises her hands.
“Guilty as charged. And I’m sorry about that, really I am. I just … I thought you were avoiding me after the other night.”
I roll my eyes.
“We’re not teenagers Kimberley. We’re adults. Adults fuck and don’t spend weeks avoiding each other. I think we can both agree that what happened on Friday was a mistake. We don’t need it to be aw
kward between us because of that. I’m sure we’re both perfectly capable of being civil to each other.”
“A mistake? Sebastian, it wasn’t a mistake. Or at least it wasn’t at my end.”
“Because perfect Kimberley never makes mistakes,” I say.
“I make mistakes. But that wasn’t one of them. Sebastian, you were amazing, and I don’t regret what happened for a second. We were good together. You know it. I know it. And I’m mature enough to admit that,” she says.
I would never admit it to her, but I can admit it to myself. We were good together. The sex was fucking mind blowing. But it wasn’t the start of something. It was the end of something, something that should have been over years ago. Kimberley gets too far under my skin for me to risk going back there.
“Sebastian? Say something for God’s sake,” Kimberley says. “Just let yourself admit what we did was no mistake.”
“Ok. It wasn’t a mistake. It was a fun time. But that’s all it was. It happening again would be a mistake,” I say.
“No. It wouldn’t,” Kimberley says.
She takes a step towards me. I have to put an end to this conversation right now otherwise I’m not going to be able to stop myself from pulling her into my arms and fucking her right here on my desk. I can’t let myself get wrapped up in Kimberley again. I just can’t.
“Wow. I guess I was amazing, because you’re gagging for it. You remind me of one of those crazy types I occasionally pick up who thinks a one night stand is code for relationship starter. Honestly Kimberley, you’re embarrassing yourself coming here begging me for more sex.”
Her face falls and I can see tears shining in her eyes.
“You absolute fucking asshole,” she hisses, her voice breaking.
She turns and runs from the room. I instantly feel like the most awful person in the world. I can’t believe I’ve made Kimberley cry. I can feel my own heart breaking knowing I’ve hurt her. I take a step forward. I have to go after her.
I stop. I’ll only end up making it worse if I do. And while I never wanted to hurt her, and I know I handled the situation appallingly, I know in my heart I was right. I can’t have sex with Kimberley again. I have to distance myself from her so that I can move on.
Kimberley is tough. She’ll get over this. Hell she’s probably only crying because I embarrassed her. It’s not like she’s actually into me. She proved that when she walked away from me without so much as a glance back.
A gentle tapping on my office door pulls me out of my head.
“Come in,” I say.
Bernie steps in, a concerned look on her face.
“Since when did you start knocking when you know I’m alone?” I say.
She sits down in one of my visitor’s chairs.
“She was crying when she left. I thought maybe …”
“You thought maybe I was crying and you didn’t want to deal with that hot mess?” I grin.
“I thought maybe you would be upset and want a bit of time to process whatever happened,” she corrects me.
I sit down in my own chair and smile at Bernie.
“I’m fine Bernie. Honestly.”
She raises an eyebrow, seeing straight through my lie.
“Ok. You got me. I feel bad for making Kimberley cry. That wasn’t my intention, but other than a bit of guilt, I’m fine.”
“I heard the conversation you two had,” Bernie says.
Why doesn’t that surprise me?
“I bet you tried really hard not to though huh?” I grin.
“Obviously,” she lies with a smile. “Seriously though Sebastian. Why do you keep sabotaging yourself? You’re into her. She’s into you. Why not just give it a go? What’s the worst thing that could happen?”
She could rip my fucking heart out again for starters I think to myself but don’t say.
“Because I can’t go there again,” I say.
Bernie waits for me to elaborate and I sigh.
“You know when you’re with someone and being with them makes you happy, and you become the best version of yourself?” I say.
Bernie nods.
“That’s how it used to be with me and Kimberley. But now. Well you’ve seen it yourself Bernie. Even if I wanted to go there with her again, I can’t do it. She brings out the worst in me. Whenever I’m around her, I turn into this petty, bitter shadow of myself. I end up saying or doing something that hurts Kimberley and then I feel bad about it. And I don’t like who I am around her. I don’t like that guy at all.”
“You just have to let go of the old resentments and hurt and let her in,” Bernie says.
“That’s the thing though Bernie. I can’t do that. Believe me, I’ve tried. This is for the best. We’ve got closure now and we just need to stay away from each other.”
Bernie smiles at me sadly.
“Is that really what you want Sebastian?”
Is it? I think it is. I think it’s what I need to do. I do need to let go of the old resentments, but I can’t do that with Kimberley hanging around me. I need a clean break from her.
“Yes. I really think it is,” I say.
Bernie nods.
“Ok. Then I’ll leave you to it. Do you want me to cancel your next meeting?”
I think about it for a second. I’d like nothing more than for Bernie to cancel my meeting. I could just lie on the couch drinking bourbon and thinking about how my life has gone to hell. But I shake my head.
“No thank you,” I smile.
I’m not going to waste another minute thinking about Kimberley. And I’m certainly not going to let her affect my work.
Chapter Thirteen
Sebastian
I pick up the sandwich and nibble on it. It’s good. Chicken salad on rye. The bread is fresh and the salad is nice and crunchy. Matt was right about this place. For a sandwich bar, it’s not bad.
“Anything in the works then?” Matt asks me.
“I’ve always got something in the works,” I laugh. “Nothing major though. I know it’s been three weeks since we closed the merger, but there’s a still a lot of work to do on it to get things running smoothly. I’ve got an appointment later on today with a new firm though. I’m not sure it’ll come to much. They’re barely more than a start up and I don’t think they’ll be able to afford any of our packages, but still. If I make a good impression on them now, who knows what could happen down the line. You?”
“I’ve got my eye on a new concept restaurant actually,” Matt says. “It’s one of those fusion places, but they claim to be different to anything already out there. I’m going to talk to them tomorrow. I’m thinking maybe some sort of franchise deal.”
“Fusion huh? Like Sushi crossed with curry?”
“It’s a bit more sophisticated than that,” Matt laughs.
“I like something simple personally. Something where I don’t need some sort of degree in food engineering just to work out the menu,” I say.
“So you think we should go for low end?” Matt asks raising an eyebrow.
“No. I think we should stick to what works. Classic dishes that people enjoy in a high end setting with good quality ingredients. But hey, what do I know? I’m just talking as a customer here. You’re the food guy. Kimberley was always into those fancy places. I’d rather go to a bar and grab a steak.”
Matt looks down at his plate but not quickly enough that I don’t see him smirking.
“What?” I say. “You can’t seriously tell me you don’t enjoy a good steak?”
“Who doesn’t love steak?” Matt replies. “I’m not laughing at that. I’m laughing at your mention of Kimberley.”
“Oh that,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Honestly, I’m totally over her Matt. I think I just needed that one last time to really see it. You know, to get closure of whatever. It took a long time, but I can finally see that she’s really not that special. I mean she’s just a girl right? I haven’t even thought of her since she came to my office acting like a brat after we ha
d sex. Until today apparently.”
Matt is openly laughing now and I frown.
“What?” I demand. “What the hell is so funny?”
“You trying to claim you haven’t thought of Kimberley in weeks. Come on Seb. Who are you trying to kid here? She’s all you’ve talked about since that night.”
“What? No she isn’t,” I insist.
Matt raises an eyebrow.
“We were talking about a restaurant and you managed to bring the conversation around to Kimberley,” he says.
“Ok, so I mentioned her once in three weeks. I hardly think that means she’s all I talk about.”
Do I talk about her a lot? No, surely I don’t.
“When we were talking about movies last weekend at mom’s place, you talked for like ten minutes about Kimberley’s favourite movies. You even managed to turn a conversation about Callie’s day working in the library into a conversation about Kimberley’s favourite authors the other day.”
“I …” I start.
Matt cuts me off with another laugh.
“I know you’re going to try and deny it, but really Seb just give it up. You know Chance’s even stopped taking your calls because he’s so sick of hearing Kimberley this, Kimberley that.”
I open my mouth but I don’t have anything to say to that and I close it again. I take a big bite of my sandwich, an excuse not to reply. Matt smiles knowingly at me. Ok, the sandwich trick isn’t working. I’ll have to meet him half way. I chew the bite and swallow.
“Ok. Maybe I didn’t stop thinking about her quite as quickly as I implied. It was a process I suppose. But I’m over her now.”
“That’s probably a good thing really, you know, considering everything,” Matt says.
It’s obvious he’s holding something back and he’s going to make me work to get it out of him. If I refuse to take the bait, he won’t be able to resist telling me whatever piece of juicy gossip he has, but still, I take the bait like he knew I would.
“Considering what?” I say.
“Oh just stuff you know.”
