Overworked

by Dark Angel

  Her voice verges on irritation. Normally, there would be repercussions for bringing that kind of attitude to me, but the mention of Nicole has my interest. Last time I saw her, she was getting fucked hard on the yacht.

  “You’re bumming me out here, babe.” I sigh. “Alright, alright. Tell the woman I’ll see her in five minutes if it’s such a big deal.”

  All I wanted was a massage by a hot little island beauty, I think, shaking my head.

  I gotta say I’m pretty curious, though. Nicole doesn’t just send people to see us without reason behind it.

  Last time she sent someone to all four of us, we had the girl walking away bow-legged. She was good and had some cool business ideas, but she couldn’t really handle the four of us—either in the bedroom or out. I got bored pretty quick, but it was a sweet thought from Nicole.

  I run my hands through my sandy-blonde hair, still a little damp from my morning swim. Saltwater makes my hair curl more than usual, but fuck it. I don’t need to impress anyone any more than I would naturally.

  My assistant shows the woman in, smiling but looking anxious at the same time. She knows it’s the time of day I’m usually found sleeping in the hammock in the corner of the room.

  “Spencer, I have Julia here to see you.” She glances quickly from me to my guest. “I’ll be at my desk if you need anything.”

  With that said, she’s gone.

  “Aloha, and welcome to paradise. Chill, and take a seat, Julia. You want a brewski or at least some juice?” I already have the little white minifridge opened and a beer in hand when I ask.

  It’s all small talk, not generally my style—but fuck, is she hot. I didn’t quite expect a girl like this to walk in on my nap time.

  The things I would do to her would shake her to the core. I wonder if she’s ever fucked in a hammock…

  Not the right time for that, I guess. “A bottle of sparkling water would be fine. A twist of lemon if you have it.”

  Her voice is a little uppity for my taste.

  “No lemon, sorry,” I say with a shrug.

  I toss a bottle of Perrier to her, half expecting her to miss the catch. She doesn’t. Nice.

  Her eyes scan around the office. I can tell by her wide stare that this isn’t what she expected to see, but I’m not some Park Ave exec. Sure, I own twelve-hundred-dollar suits, but I wouldn’t wear one to the office. Maybe a funeral, or like, to meet the president, but never the office.

  I take a seat, my feet back on the desk, and twist the top of my beer and flick it into the trash can with ease.

  “He shoots, he scores. Three points!”

  I can tell she isn’t amused at my laid-back personality. Just that brings a smirk to my face. Life is too short to worry all the time, hot stuff.

  Julia doesn’t say anything as she twists the top on her bottle, placing the small lid on the corner of the desk. She takes a big sip of water before speaking.

  “I own a travel agency, and I’m meeting with you and your three colleagues to look at the potential of being partners with my agency. I would like to know a little about your resorts before I recommend it to my own clients.”

  No small talk, no bullshit. Julia gets right to the point about her visit.

  Interesting. I bring the bottle of beer to my lips to take a swig of my own. It’s good and helps me collect my thoughts.

  Of course, I still can’t get rid of this semi hard-on that I’ve had since she walked in the office…

  I would love to take the edge off her personally with my own two hands. And maybe some other body part.

  “Chill, babe, you’re seriously giving off bad vibes right now,” I tell her instead. “You need to breathe a little. Come on, take a deep breath for me.”

  I walk around to the front of the desk, take the bottle of water from her, and wave my hands over her to clear out the negative energy. She’s making the Feng shui of my office all unbalanced.

  “You are way too high-strung,” I continue. “You need to unwind. Do some yoga, or take a meditation class. My friend Bianca, she teaches them every night. I’ll toss you a card. She’ll give you a sweet hookup.”

  I start to text the instructor for Julia, but a quick look on her face cuts me off. She doesn’t seem so interested.

  “I don’t think that is quite appropriate at the moment. I’m here to speak to you about your company and the resort you own, not meditate.”

  Her voice is stern and reminds me of my fifth-grade English teacher. Now, that woman never smiled, never cracked a joke, and never found my humor to be amusing, either.

  I simply shrug. I know when the others see her, they’ll feel the same way: the need to turn her into a personal challenge. I bet she’s just a wildcat in the sack with how tight she’s wound up.

  “Babe—er…Julia. I own a five-star resort, and I didn’t get it there for no reason, as I’m sure you know. It’s totally chill. If you’re looking for a good place, we got you covered. No worries.”

  I take a seat on the edge of the desk closer to her. She looks up at me all serious, but I can’t keep from smiling. I would love to see this chick in a bikini—or better yet, lying on a nude beach, being admired by everyone present.

  Fuck, I’m getting hard again just thinking about her body. I gotta calm it down, being this close to her.

  She shakes her head before speaking. I can tell she’s not buying this.

  “I don’t know, Spencer. I doubt that my clients would find such an…unprofessional nature to be very appealing. It’s rather, well, made for…hippies?”

  I laugh so loud, my assistant peeks into the room at us before closing the door again.

  “Have you at least taken the virtual of the place yet? Looked around at the rooms? We might be chill and relaxed, but everything here is the best. Don’t assume you know before you’ve seen it for real.” I wink at her.

  She might be giving me a serious hard-on, but I can tell she’s high maintenance as fuck. Fortunately for her, that’s just the challenge I’ve been looking for.

  “Tell you what. Let’s chat up the other guys and set you straight with them. They’re more business than I am, and you might like them more. But first things first: you interrupted my regular naptime.”

  I kick off my flip flops and flop in the hammock, yawning.

  Julia stares at me with her mouth wide open, shaking her head, dumbfounded, just standing there. Cute look, and I’ll have some thoughts on that later, but still not the time.

  “Seriously, you’re going to nap?”

  Chapter 5

  Julia

  I stand in the office of this man in absolute awe. And not in a good way.

  How the hell can he drop himself into a hammock in the middle of a meeting? I would never walk away from a meeting to sleep.

  This man is just lazy. How he owns one of the best resorts in the islands acting this way is beyond me.

  I’ve seen some lazy people in my life, but never, ever like this.

  For a moment, I consider leaving, but that’s not going to happen. I’ve never been someone who gives up, and I’m not starting with Spencer.

  I grab the hammock hard and give it a serious shake. I’m pissed off is what I am.

  “Look, I’m not sure about your dysfunction, but I came here to learn about your business, and I’ll be damned if you dismiss me by taking a nap!”

  I place my hands on my hips, my agitation growing. He still isn’t moving. In fact, I think he might be snoring.

  There’s only one way to get his attention, and though it might be wrong, I do it anyway.

  I grab one side of the hammock and yank.

  I try to stifle a laugh as Spencer falls face first into the pillows on the floor.

  “Oh, good, you’re awake. I’m ready for that tour now. Did you have a nice nap?” I ask with an arched eyebrow.

  The look of shock on his face tells me this might not go quite as planned.

  Spencer just lays there, his hands under his head to s
upport his neck.

  “Whoa, Jules, you’ve got balls, little babe!”

  My smile fades quickly. I hate when people call me anything other than my name. Why do they do that?

  “Julia, not Jules,” I say firmly. I reach my hand out to him and pull him to his feet. “So, let’s go talk about this resort you have and how we can help each other.”

  He rubs his elbows as he settles back on his feet. I don’t feel bad for any of it. Being the boss of a company, you don’t act as he does.

  . He brushes his hand through his hair and stifles a fairly large yawn. He’s no worse for wear, I suppose.

  “Alright, then…Julia, is it? Have a seat and let’s talk about this place. Mi casa es su casa. I think I have the reports for last month somewhere on my desk.”

  Spencer rummages through his desk and finally finds the file he was looking for. Some of the notes are written on napkins and torn pieces of scratch paper. Apparently, not a lot is done in spreadsheets or on the dusty laptop on his desk.

  “My assistant usually handles all this, but her aura was bad this week.”

  His voice is laidback and calm, especially for someone who just got flipped on his head. Spencer doesn’t let much affect him.

  I can’t help but think this man is one hot mess. Emphasis on hot…and mess.

  Don’t get me wrong; he’s fucking gorgeous. Tall, blonde, a great tan…even with the pair of silly swim trunks on, he’s a walking Adonis. But his business sense just bugs the hell out of me.

  “How can you keep track of your profit and losses, your capital, and the overall financial structure of this place like this?” I can’t help but ask, shaking my head.

  Somewhere in my mind I know there’s probably some explanation for all of this, but for the life of me, I can’t see it.

  “Julie, sweets, you worry too much. Let life flow around you. If you stress out like that, you bring negative energy to yourself and everything around you. My business runs perfectly. Look at me!”

  I look at him. And I realize I’m about to lose my patience with him. This name game is really starting to upset me.

  I can’t help but sigh. I can only assume Spencer believes that the universe will take care of everything. A twinge of jealousy crosses me as I breathe out.

  I’m the kind of woman who needs to make sure everything’s done perfectly. That’s one of the reasons I’ve never taken a real vacation.

  No one can do my job. How can they?

  And yet this man right here lives life with no regrets. It’s almost admirable, but I can’t help but think that one day, it will all come crashing down around him.

  “I am looking at you, and do you want to know what I see?”

  You make my panties flood! My mind screams at me to tell him, against every bit of my best judgment. You make me ache between the legs! You’re one of the hottest fucking guys I’ve ever seen, and I want you to take me over this mess of a desk and show me what that humungous bulge that’s been staring at me in the face this whole time can really do!

  Spencer sits up in his chair and nods, rubbing the scruff on his chin.

  “I see someone who has no business sense and could be making a lot more money than he is. Someone who needs a keeper, not an assistant!”

  My mind shakes its own head at me. I immediately regret my words, but my expression doesn’t change a bit. I said it, and I’m going to own up to it.

  He laughs. This man is holding his stomach and laughing at me. How dare he!

  “I…um…that wasn’t supposed to be funny…I think?” I stammer out.

  His laughter is infectious, and without warning, a smirk crosses my face. The smirk turns to a grin, which turns to a chuckle. Soon, I’m laughing so hard that at one point I snort.

  I’m shocked at the way I’m laughing. My face must look horrid. I’m having trouble keeping my cool here, which isn’t like me at all.

  I take a deep breath and compose myself. I need to find what I came here for today, not play games with some beach bum.

  “What age client do you cater to primarily?” I ask, interrupting his laughing. “Do you have activities for singles, as well as families? Babysitting services? Are your employees bonded?”

  My line of questions may seem broad, but they’re everything I need to know to promote Spencer’s resort to my clients.

  I’ve built my business on hard work and trust. Most of the clients I have are returning ones from past years. They come back, because they trust that I would never book them somewhere shady.

  “Whoa, Juju, you are going way too fast for me. Slow the roll for a minute,” he says as he raises his hands up in front of him. The magnitude of my inquiries has him lost. “Julia!” I exclaim. Not Juju, not Jules, not Julie, not anything but Julia. I’ll not call you anything but Spencer, so please stop the nicknames!”

  I have to admit, he’s actually pretty damn cute when he calls me those names, but I need to keep this all business. Nicole was right when she said he was hot, but he’s a couple tacos short of a combo plate when it comes to business. This surfer dude mentality is not suitable to conduct any business with, in my opinion.

  Spencer seems amused. He crosses his hands over each other, looking directly at me.

  “Mid to late thirties. Plenty of kids running around with full care facilities. No bonding. All our employees are very well trusted and well vetted, and I won’t insult them with anything like that,” he rattles off before heaving a big sigh and rubbing his head. “You seriously need a fucking vacation, babe.”

  I stare at him, my mouth agape. Did I misjudge him?

  But oh my god, he did it again! Calling me babe this time just pisses me off, but I’m too shocked to even focus on that.

  “Spence, dude, don’t you have this all down in a spreadsheet? Or at least a word document? Can I get this information from your assistant? She must have this information for your board of directors, right?”

  I’m not one to be sarcastic or unprofessional, but maybe he’ll stop if I don’t call him Spencer.

  Spencer grins and walks around the desk. He takes me into his arms, hugging me in a big bear hug.

  I’ll admit that for a second, I feel incredible. He’s well over six-feet tall, and his chest is so chiseled and toned, and oh god, I am melting right here in his arms.

  “I’ll get you all you need from my assistant. Ready for a protein shake and a chat with our other dudes, dude?”

  I can’t even insult this man and have it sound convincing. Should I just go with it? After all, this is my vacation…right?

  I mean, why the hell does he have me laughing more than I ever have in the past? There has to be something in the water here.

  Chapter 6

  Xane

  A business needs to run on rules, schedules, and none of the nonsense. I have no time or care to play games around here.

  The woman sitting across from me crossed that line. She fucked up and cost me money, and mistakes like that add up. Bottom line: I do not tolerate anything but perfection.

  “You’re fired. You’ll find your last check in the envelope in front of you. You’re dismissed, and thank you for your time and service. Have a nice day.”

  I spread out paperwork on my desk, not waiting to hear why she forgot to call back a very important client. Honestly, I couldn’t give any more fucks about excuses.

  I don’t look up till the door closes.

  No need to watch a woman cry. I’ve seen it before, and it didn’t impress me. Today will be no different.

  I’ve worked hard for all I have right now, and nothing will ever change that. I’ve heard the office talk about how nervous the employees feel when stepping into my office. Little do they know I eat that shit up for breakfast.

  A knock on the door breaks my train of thought.

  “Come in.”

  My voice doesn’t waver as three of my personal assistants enter my office. I notice their eyes looking around, struggling to adjust to the lack of light.
>
  My office is simple and minimalistic. I don’t believe in having clutter of any kind, and the darkness feeds my…asshole nature, as people like to say. Behind my back, that is.

  “I have a new assignment for you. I need a new client representative hired. In front of each of you is a stack of fifteen potential employees, five for each one of you. You will cross-check every reference they have listed, call back every past employer, and do an extensive background check, including arrest records, if any.”

  They blink at me in response. Of course, I don’t expect them to say a fucking word to me, just do what’s asked of them and to bring me the compiled results.

  “Group together and pick one out of each set, and discuss the three you end up with to find the best one of them all. From there, you will choose one, and when that’s done, you will tell me exactly why they will be an asset to the company. Remember this, though: if they screw up, you’re fired along with them. You can leave now.”

  They scamper out of the office, not even bothering to protest.

  I lean back in my chair and close my eyes for a moment. I can see everything around me, even though my eyes are closed.

  It’s a little game I play with myself. Each day, I have my lead personal assistant move something in the office. Nothing significant, just a small trinket or even a pen.

  If I can’t figure out what it is, she gets a grand added to her pay. If I can, I get my dick sucked.

  I haven’t lost once.

  I scan the room from memory. The walls are dark, the furnishings black and silver. There are only two chairs in the room. Both black leather with small silver buttons up the center.

  My focus moves to the walls. Japanese art is arranged on the wall directly in front of my desk. Four pictures—two dark, and two abstracts. I don’t like anything floral.

  I tilt my head to the side, a smirk forming on my lips. A vase. It’s moved to the left side of the room. Guess I’ll be coming all over my assistant’s face later.

  Knock. Knock.

  “Come in.”

  I know that knock. It’s Spencer. He always does the same tone when knocking: one hard, one soft.