by Shayne Ford
I let my hair down, and perhaps that’s part of the problem. Plus, I went all the way with the makeup, the chocolate brown eyeliner, nude lipstick and curled eyelashes highlighting my features.
Small, drop shaped earrings dangle from my earlobes.
“I don’t know what I was thinking. I should’ve picked a suit.”
“What’s the problem with the dress? Christine wears them all the time.”
“I don’t want to look like I’m going to a party.”
Connor lifts an eyebrow, catching my eye in the mirror.
I turn to him.
“What say you, Connor? You’re a man. Do I look desperate?”
He brings his fingers and thumb of his right hand together raises them to his lips, kisses them lightly and tosses them into the air, smiling appreciatively.
Elsa whips her gaze back to him.
Swiftly, he shifts in his seat and turns back to the table. His eyes root to the computer, his fingers running on the keyboard.
“He says I’m good,” I say, deadpan.
“You are,” Elsa says, a bit frustrated with my indecision.
“Okay. I’ll put a jacket on.”
She snatches it from my hand.
“You leave that home. You have your coat on.”
“Not when I work.”
She cocks an eyebrow and shoots me one of my mom’s pissed looks.
I raise my hands in the air.
“Okay. Okay...” I say, shrugging my short coat on.
“People will start to talk,” I mumble as I collect my purse, keys, and phone.
“It’s too late to be worried about that. Let him take care of it if someone bothers you.”
I let out a small chuckle.
“Good advice, Elsa. That’s what I’ll do,” I mutter, and kiss her on her cheek.
“Bye Connor.”
He waves at me.
Elsa walks me to the door.
Just before I leave, I turn to her.
“Treat him nicely,” I whisper, motioning in Connor’s direction.
She smiles.
“Don’t worry. He likes when I tease him.”
I take the stairs down.
Moments later, I climb into my car and slowly, back away out of the parking lot. It’s a beautiful October morning with clear, crisp air, and a scent of smoke, damp ground and dying leaves.
The sun shines brightly, sadly not bringing much warmth to the earth. Taking a deep breath, I fill my lungs with the cold air.
Mmmm... I love it.
The fall, the fact that I am back, but most of all that I’m in love.
These past few weeks have felt like a dream.
Every day I fall in love with him over and over again. There’s no ending to the things he says or does to surprise me.
Not calling him after he left London was the hardest thing to do. It was also my first test for him.
I’ve never doubted his commitment, but I wanted to make sure his words mean something to him.
Close to nine o’clock, I pull the car to a stop in the main parking lot of the tall building. My heart starts racing the moment I turn the ignition off.
I look up at the walls of glass, hoping for some answers. Today is my first day of my new job. With a new boss. Who is also my old boss. And the man I love.
My head starts to spin just by trying to make sense of all of this. I push my thoughts to the side, check my face in the rearview mirror and absently, I run my hand over my dress.
Taking a deep breath, I clamber out of the car and put my coat on.
My legs feel a bit unstable on my heels as I head to the entrance. I ride the elevator up and walk on the last floor along with a group of people, some of them new hires like me.
A few minutes later, Christine shows me around the Account Executives Department and also directs me to my assigned desk.
A half hour later, I grab my tablet and walk down the corridor to the last room, where all new hires are set to gather.
I take a seat somewhere in the back and start checking my phone when the door opens, and Lex walks in. I don’t catch his eye as he tilts his head to the side and listens to something that Sheila Lane conveys to him.
He walks to the front of the room, and soon after, she makes the trip back. Within seconds his gaze sweeps the room, looking for me. A soft smile glints in his eyes the moment he finds me.
I look down to hide my grin.
He starts speaking, his voice coursing through me as if it’s liquid fire. It doesn’t even matter how business-like his tone is his words how proper, the rush of heat keeps going through me.
A moment later, James Sexton and Edward Preston walk into the room as well. Lex introduces them, and they each say a few words.
This whole new division has been purposely created to expand their business, which by all standards is one of the most prosperous in the state.
Lex steps to the side as they speak and casts me a furtive glance.
No matter how discreet he is, a couple of heads swivel at the front. Women. Young. Pretty. New hires like me. One of them catches sight of me as I’m tearing my gaze away from Lex’s.
Ten minutes later, the three men clear the room and the training commences.
16
DAHLIA
The first week of training is grueling, and by the end of the second one, I finally start to breathe.
Lex and I establish some rules–– mainly suggested by me in hope to curtail the gossip.
We keep things professional at work, and since as an Account Executive I don’t have much business in his office, I only get to see him once in a while in the conference room, when he addresses the whole group or down the corridor, when he comes in or leaves the office. We don’t talk on the phone during the day for the exact same reason and keep the text messaging at a minimum.
Even so, once in a while I feel the scrutinizing stare of a few women who are taken with him.
It’s not easy overhearing them in the break room talking about him and swooning over him, sometimes getting particular about the things they’d like do to him or have him do to them.
I usually make myself busy with my food or Christine, but sometimes we share a table and then all I can do is to smile absently.
I never thought it would bother me so much especially since he doesn’t give them a reason to be fixated on him, but it does.
“Let them talk,” Christine says under her breath as Kayla and Maxine, exchange tips on how to make him pay attention to them.
These are the same women who set their eyes on him the first day of training. I’d look their way but my eyes might give me away, and I don’t want to give them the satisfaction.
“There’s not much they can do,” she says.
“I think they do it on purpose,” I say quietly.
“That’s probably true.”
Furtively, I steal a glance in their direction.
Kayla is a blonde with green eyes while Maxine is a brunette with curly hair and dark eyes.
Kayla seems to be the most determined of them. For the past few days, her dresses got increasingly flashy. They fit her snugly, drawing attention to her fit body.
All the male Account Executives have their eyes on her. For good reason, I might add. Unfortunately, all their attention encourages her to be even more fixated on Lex.
Today she wears an emerald dress beautifully adorned with silver details.
She shifts in her seat, the lascivious motion of her legs attracting the attention of at least half of the males in the room.
“She just gets on my nerves,” I say.
I take a swig of water and try to shift my attention away from her.
“He’s not gonna bite,” the third woman at their table says, and my ears perk up.
He’s not gonna bite what?
“I doubt,” Kayla says confidently. “I’ve never run into a hot-blooded man who says no a woman kneeling behind his desk.”
“What??” I mouth,
and Christine’s eyebrows shoot up.
The piece of walnut I pick from my salad goes back to my plate.
I set the fork down, and Christine slides her hand on top of mine.
My nostrils tremble with fury.
“There’s nothing she can do,” Chris says.
She’s right, but say that to the storm of emotions barreling through me.
A couple of people enter the cafeteria and leave the door open.
“Speaking of the devil,” Kayla says, and both Christine and I whip our gazes to the door.
Lex and Sheila Lane are parked in front of the break room, not far from us.
He seems to be coming back from lunch most likely, his clothes different than this morning.
He sports a dark suit, white shirt, and scarlet tie. His blue eyes look like the ocean. I manage to pull my mouth closed when I hear the women behind my back daring Kayla to try her luck with him.
“Mmmm... He dressed up for me today,” she says, and my teeth grit, my hand curling up into a fist.
Christine shoots me a warning look, swaying her head side to side.
“She can’t do anything,” she says again.
Just to contradict her theory, the chair behind me scrapes the floor as the women clamor.
“Go, Kayla,” says her friend, and they all laugh amused.
Discreetly, I swivel in my seat and glance at her. Lex is no longer in our sight. He’s probably in his office.
Kayla pulls her shoulders back and arches her spine, her butt lifting as she struts on her stilettos.
My eyes stay on her as she sashays across the room garnering a few appreciative smiles from the males in the cafeteria.
Christine's stare burns my face.
“I’m gonna kill that bitch,” I growl under my breath.
“Take it easy,” my friend says, a smile rolling to her lips. “Shit. Dahlia. I’ve never seen you so worked up.”
I bite my lip to push back another curse.
“She’ll be back. You’ll see,” she says with a reassuring voice.
Minutes pass by. I try to resume eating. My food has lost its flavor. I swallow hard.
I check my phone.
“It’s been ten minutes,” I say.
Kayla’s friends start chuckling behind my back. Apparently, she sent them a text message.
I plop the napkin on the table.
“Where are you going?” Christine asks, concerned.
“To take care of some business.”
“Don’t do anything stupid,” she hisses at me as I pull away.
I stop and turn around, and then I snatch her ice tea off the table.
“I’ll buy you another one,” I say.
Pacing myself, I walk out of the cafeteria, turn left and head to Lex’s office.
Must’ve been at least fifteen minutes now.
I halt and take a deep breath in front of his door. Holding the ice tea in one hand, I knock with the other.
Without waiting for his response, I knock and enter at the same time.
She stands not far from his desk, all arched. Chest perked up, a smile stretching ear to ear, her eyes fucking him relentlessly.
He’s on the phone.
The moment he sees me, he interrupts his conversation.
“James? I’ll call you back.”
He sets his phone down and locks my eyes.
It takes him a split second to get the gist of what’s going on. The slightest brush of a smile lights up his eyes.
Only for me to see.
“Yes, Miss Fox?” he asks.
Cocking an eyebrow behind Kayla’s back, I purse my lips.
My expression prompts him to tilt his chin down and glance at his phone as if an important message has just arrived.
He barely withholds his grin.
“I’m here for Miss Henderson.”
The woman turns to me, surprised.
“Yes?”
“Someone is asking for you at the front. A man,” I add as she gives me a baffled look. “The receptionist didn’t know where you were so I offered myself to fetch you.”
A shadow flits through her eyes. She doesn’t buy my shit, but she can’t come up with a decent way to pull out of it, so she has no other choice but to head to the door.
Helpful, I swing the door open and stand in the doorway as she walks outside. I catch the exact moment when she passes by me and jerk my hand. Half of the ice tea spills on her dress.
“Oh. I’m so sorry,” I say and walk in, slamming the door in her face.
I lock it, turn around and set the cup of tea on a side table.
Pressing his lips to push back a smile, he leans back in his chair.
“What happened, baby?”
I’m fuming for a few moments, unable to unclench my teeth. He starts to laugh softly.
“You look as if you’re about to spit fire.”
He brings his hand to his neck and loosens his tie. The suit jacket drapes on his chair.
“What did she do to you?”
I finally find my voice.
“It’s not about what she did to me. It’s about what she wanted to do to you.”
“What was that?” he mutters, quirking an eyebrow.
The grin dancing in his eyes tells me he has a pretty good idea.
“What did she say to you?” I ask.
He runs his fingers through his hair, evading my eyes. To keep his mug under control, I suspect. He looks as if he’s grappling with a peal of laughter.
“Not much. The phone kept ringing, and she mumbled something about working here. Some nonsense. I was about to fetch Sheila when James called, and you popped in saving the day,” he says, and then bites his lip.
“It’s not funny, Lex.”
He locks my eyes.
“No. But you are adorable walking in like a Ninja ready to slice her open. What stirred you up, baby?”
“She made a bet with her friends that she could suck you off in your office.”
His smile freezes for a moment before he starts chuckling.
“Did she?”
“Yes, she did.”
“And you believed her?”
“She seemed determined to give it a try at least.”
“Why would she do something so stupid?”
“She said she’d done it before and men never said no to her.”
“But that’s not what you thought about me?”
“No, of course not.” His lips curve into a slow smile. “It’s just that I can’t stand her,” I say huffing and clasping my hips, sounding like a five-year-old standing her ground.
He pushes out of his chair, stops in front of me and leans against his desk. His arm snakes around my waist. Mine go around his neck.
“I like you when you get all feisty and territorial,” he says softly, his fingers brushing my neck. “But you don’t need to worry. I can defend myself,” he says, a slight humor in his voice.
My knees begin to shake.
I lean into him and hug him.
“I missed you, baby,” he says quietly, and my heart swells.
“I missed you too,” I mutter, my eyes captivated by his gaze.
He slowly strokes my face.
“You don’t have to worry about me or you when it comes to other women,” he says, a lazy grin curving his lips.
We share a stare for a few moments before he lowers his mouth, and loves my lips.
For a moment, I forget where we are as his soulful kiss pulls me into a different world. My body warms up as my mind empties of the dark thoughts, and my heart fills with him.
We kiss, completely removed from the reality of our surroundings. Without caring that it’s eleven o’clock in the morning and we are in his office, the door locked.
Anyone could knock on the door at any moment, and yet we don’t stop.
“You want me to take you home, Miss Fox?” he murmurs. smiling against my lips.
I break away from him, my skin burning, tingles runni
ng down my legs, a pull tightening in my belly.
“No... it’s... um... It’s only noon... Besides, it would be so obvious,” I mumble, raking my fingers through my hair, breathing heavily.
Grinning, he crosses his arms over his chest and observes me while I struggle to keep myself together.
“I, um... have to go now,” I say, pointing toward the door, not making the slightest step in that direction.
He tilts his chin down, still grinning.
“Okay.”
“I’ll see you tonight?”
“Yes,” he says.
And that’s pretty much when my resolution dissipates.
Laughing, he opens his arms, and I fall in his embrace.
“Home it is,” he says, and we start kissing again.
17
LEX
The wind howls at the windows, cracking one of them open. A squall of rain follows shortly.
“If it keeps this way, we’ll have the first snow soon,” I say as I pull the window closed.
The sound of a crackling fire drifts through the air.
“Do you want another drink?” I ask.
James shakes his head.
I sink into an armchair next to the couch where he sits.
“It’s been a good year,” he says in a contemplative mood looking at the fire.
“Yes, it has,” I mutter.
Almost a year ago, we spent that infamous week in New York. James was a different man then.
Dark, and angry.
Rain had a different life as well. He thought she was forever lost to him. He also thought he’d never find in her the woman he had fallen in love with.
Training my eyes on the blazing fire, I muse.
I, on the other hand, thought that our lives would remain the same, the fortune we had built in such a short time enough to keep everything else still.
But none of that happened.
I imagined that more summers and winters would come and the three of us, James, Ed and I, would never have anything but an adventurous life ahead of us.
The year was also good for business.
We’ve made more money than any other year before. Part of it was James, and part of it was me. And even Ed, who seems never to work, has had record profit on his slice of the business.
“Things good at your end?” James asks, pulling me out of reverie.
