Mailroom Delight

by Khardine Gray

  It may turn out to be my best acquisition yet.

  Paige

  What an asshole.

  God, I didn’t think I’d ever met a more arrogant man, and I bet that arrogance resonated from the fact that he knew he was good looking.

  Why did all the good-looking ones think they needed to behave like Neanderthals?

  I sighed and rested my head against the back of my door as I closed it.

  Okay, maybe not all the good-looking ones were like that.

  Paul was handsome. I liked how he looked too, but I felt guilty I never looked at him the way I did Mr. Jason Dempsey.

  And, I felt bad for my other reactions too. The heat I felt when he teased me.

  Maybe it was loneliness. I wasn’t sure.

  These days my life was one where I got from one day to the next on a whim.

  I just did the best I could to make each day count.

  And today I was working from home. There was no way I was going to any damn meeting with that man to discuss my column.

  He’d get the shock of his life at four when he’d see that I’d left for the day.

  There was one person I had to call though.

  Bernice’s phone nearly rang out to the voicemail again. I was about to hang up when she answered.

  “Paige.”

  “Bernice you are a terrible friend.” I screamed down the phone. “You left me at work to sleep when I went to the damn mailroom to cheer you up. Do you have any idea what I’ve been through in the last few hours?”

  It was my embarrassment and frustration coming out. I couldn’t help it.

  To my surprise I heard her giggling and then there was a man’s voice in the background saying, “Come back to bed, baby.”

  “I will, give me a minute. This is my best friend.” Her voice sounded faded like she’d moved the phone away from her ear.

  “Bernice, who is that?”

  “Paige. I took your advice.”

  “What advice?” I didn’t know what she meant.

  “I found the hottest guy and made sure he saw me. We’re at the Four Seasons.” As she spoke the memory of what I’d said came rushing back, and I bit the inside of my lip.

  Jesus Christ, I wouldn’t have given her that advice if I wasn’t drunk.

  Thinking clearly now I would have just stuck with what I’d said first about her doing better than Cody, and simply forgetting him. But all that other stuff I said was definitely an Ask Paige response. It was juicy and absolutely what I would have told my readers if someone wrote in.

  Bernice giggled again. “I won’t be at work today.” Her voice came across the line and then faded again.

  “Bernice.” I panicked because I didn’t know if she was safe. She couldn’t just go to some random place and pick up some guy. But she did because I told her to.

  “Paige, I have to go.”

  She hung up before I could respond. The line simply went dead.

  I was left open mouthed and more shocked than what I’d gone through with his majesty, Jason Dempsey.

  I couldn’t believe Bernice actually took my advice.

  I closed my eyes, sighed, and moved over to the sofa where I sat and gazed out the window.

  Damn it. What a messed-up day.

  I had Jason on my back and poor Bernice was off with some guy at the Four Seasons.

  I sighed feeling frustrated and stood up.

  I needed that bath. A long, hot bath where I could soak.

  I was going to push aside all the craziness for today and tackle it tomorrow. I suspected I would have Jason to deal with first thing and I would need my energy for that.

  Chapter 4

  Jason

  I knew she wouldn’t turn up.

  Or rather I knew she would leave.

  It was just a hunch, but one that panned out. I went to her office anyway to check, finding it exactly the same as every other time I’d tried to see her.

  Empty.

  I’d arranged a total of five meetings with this woman in my super busy schedule. Each time she’d been called away or was running some errand. Today I knew for sure she was avoiding me.

  That meant I had to up my tactics.

  I laughed to myself at the horrified look she’d give me if I did something like turn up at her house. The thought had occurred to me last week to do that, but I knew that would be completely inappropriate, even for me.

  I pushed the barriers. That was how I’d gotten to where I was today. By pushing and stepping outside my comfort zone to the point where it no longer existed.

  I also knew when to reign in my emotions and desire for success.

  I was one of the first people to meet with Elizabeth to discuss the sale of Portrait.

  She was offering far too low a cost for such a prestigious magazine.

  There was one thing she didn’t tell everyone when she announced the sale of the place. But she told me, maybe because she knew if I bought it I’d keep the same dream alive she had when she first set up shop.

  Unknown to everyone Elizabeth had been suffering from depression for years. She’d tried to hold it together for the magazine and all that she’d put into it, but it ended up affecting her, and more than her, her family.

  What she wanted was someone who wasn’t going to take advantage of the cheap offer she placed on the place. She wanted someone who could put their heart and soul into working here. Just like she had.

  I could do that. I wanted to anyway, for the time I was here.

  I was leaving for Hong Kong in six months to start a new business venture. Luxury apartments this time. I was looking forward to that because I hadn’t worked with property in a while.

  Business development and improvement was my thing. I’d take over existing companies that were suffering and make them better.

  I worked predominately with magazines because they tended to need help the most, but in the past, I’d worked with property developers and wealth management companies. All fell into this category I classified as the abyss. They’d get sucked into what the company specialized in and forget to pay attention to what the company was actually doing. By doing so they ended up spending unnecessary money in areas that they didn’t need to. That meant in times of market fluctuation, or recession they were screwed and didn’t have anything to fall back on.

  Usually I’d work alongside these companies and help them to have a more stable footing, but sometimes I bought. Like I did with Portrait.

  Aside from the interest I had in the opportunity the place had, the location was perfect.

  I was originally from San Francisco and there was a chance I would settle here. Just not yet, or maybe not in the near future.

  I had too much zest in me to settle just yet and there were ideas pouring out of my head for all the things I wanted to do.

  That’s why when Elizabeth told me she wanted a hundred thousand for the place I seized the opportunity, but I didn’t buy the place for that cheap rate. I gave her a million dollars because I knew that was what it was worth.

  I knew a sale of desperation when I saw one, and that was exactly what she was. Desperate. Desperate to hand over the magazine to the right person, offered it cheap to attract people who may have wanted the opportunity, but couldn’t afford what it was really worth, and most of all desperate for preservation.

  When she handed over the company to me I gave her something she hoped for. Peace of mind.

  As for me, my plans were to set the place up to be solid. There were very few things wrong here, which was great. All they needed was someone to fill Elizabeth’s shoes. My research showed me she was a great leader, one who inspired people.

  The general vibe I got about the people here confirmed that.

  Except with Miss Paige.

  I felt she’d been given too much free reign over her content. I was surprised to see there was no control over what she put out each week and the woman basically did and said what she wanted. It made the magazine millions but that wasn’
t the point. Why make millions when it could be billions? With just a little more quality and sensitivity that could happen.

  She was talented and knew how to handle herself. I liked that. I liked it too that she didn’t care who I was.

  Paige seemed stuck in her own ways and was definitely the kind of no nonsense woman that mesmerized me.

  I finished for the day and headed over to San Francisco Bay to meet Hunter. We went way back, and I caught up with him every time I came back to visit my family.

  It had been just over eight months since we saw each other.

  Hunter was a business man, too. He ran an adventure experience business that suited his adrenaline junkie personality perfectly.

  As I pulled into his driveway he was coming out of his garage. Inside the garage I could see he was working on an old racing car and I wondered what he was up to. Back when we were teens he used to race cars and bikes a lot.

  It got him in a lot of trouble, and he ended up in juvie a few times.

  He came from a broken home where his dad had abandoned him and his mom when he was twelve.

  I’d come from a home where my parents loved each other and were happy in their marriage. It would be forty-five years in the summer. I was the youngest of three. I had two brothers who were one and two years older than me. I was thirty-six, but they still treated me like the baby. The younger brother who needed help.

  It was annoying as hell sometimes, but when I made acquisitions like Portrait, it showed what I was capable of.

  Our family business was wealth management. My dad and my brothers ran the company, but I had decided to fly solo six years ago.

  I’d shocked them all when I made my first million, and my income only went up every year after.

  “Dude look at your car. What the hell? I can race that with ease.” Hunter beamed seeing me. He ran his fingers through his thick beard, large brown eyes looking over my Lamborghini with keen fascination as I got out.

  “You can have it when I go.” I smiled and moved over to him, clenching his hand in or normal greeting.

  “You’d give me a Lambo?” he chuckled shocked.

  “Yeah, sure. But, no racing.” I teased because I knew he wouldn’t be able to resist.

  “Don’t be an ass. You expect me to have a Lambo and not race?” He huffed.

  I shook my head. “No, I actually don’t. How about you just use it as a get around? You know like buying your groceries and taking your mom to the salon.”

  “Asshole. You know this car is either for racing, or a chick magnet. Since you don’t race I’ll go with the latter for you.”

  “Not picking up chicks today Hunter.”

  “Yeah right man, that’s original.” He laughed at me.

  I supposed I deserved that. I wouldn’t even bother to deny I was a playboy. I knew I loved women too much, and that might not be the best representation of myself, but that was me.

  I wasn’t a dog though. I didn’t cheat. I didn’t get involved with anyone I felt was looking for something serious, and I reckoned my interests in women would be like this until the day came when I met the magical being who could fill my every waking thought.

  We went out to the terrace where Hunter fired up the barbeque and tossed on some burgers.

  “So, Portrait, is it good?” Hunter turned over the burgers on the grill.

  I adjusted myself on the deck chair, turning so I could look at him.

  “Perfect, except for the pain in my ass advice columnist.”

  “Ah, yes. The lovely Ask Paige.” Hunter smiled.

  “You read her column?” I had to hear this. I couldn’t imagine my adventurous friend reading the juice from a women’s advice columnist.

  “Nah, don’t need to. She’s popular man, also the last woman I dated ditched me on her advice.”

  I was surprised to see he looked annoyed.

  “What advice was that?”

  “She said I couldn’t have been into her. I genuinely had to cancel our dates because I went to Australia and caught a terrible bug. She thought I’d made it up and was using it as an excuse to string her along. Apparently, Ask Paige thought the chances of catching a bug in Australia were slim. So, that was my ass handed to me. Nice girl too. I liked her.”

  I figured he must have if he could talk like that. Hunter and I were terrible when we were younger with women, and I guess we’d both calmed down. Him more than me. He’d become the “serious relationship” kind of guy.

  As I looked him over and saw him take a swig of his beer I couldn’t help but notice the sadness in his eyes.

  “How long ago did that happen man?”

  “Months. Just after I last saw you.”

  “Sounds like you’re still hung up on her,” I joked.

  “Maybe I am.” He smirked. “But anyhow, why’s the lovely Ask Paige being a pain in your ass.”

  I told him what happened, and he nearly hit the floor laughing. Talking about it made me realize just how funny it was.

  It was definitely hilarious and would have been funnier if I could forget the damn letter she wrote. That and meeting her in person.

  I usually used charm to mellow out a fiery woman, but this woman seemed excessively fiery.

  She required work outside charm. Work I wanted to put in because she’d peaked my interest.

  “You devil, you like her don’t you?” Hunter pointed the long fork at me.

  “She has my attention.”

  “And what are you going to do about that attention. She’s a real ball buster my friend.”

  “I can handle her.” I could. I did earlier. That’s why she walked out mid conversation.

  “Well if you get a handle on her, tell her to ease up some on the crazy advice I’ve heard she gives.”

  “I plan to.” This was exactly what I meant. The fact Hunter even knew of the lovely Paige showed how popular she was.

  I could imagine her popularity must have gained her mixed reviews. I knew how I felt, so she would be the first thing I planned to tackle when I went to work tomorrow.

  Her face the next day when she saw me sitting in her chair in her office was classic.

  I was reading her notebook. It contained all the plans she had for the upcoming months. Along with her column was an article she wrote every week. Next weeks was titled, “How to lose a guy who’s dead weight.”. The week after that was, “Have sex like a man.”.

  “Have sex like a man. Exactly how do you plan to explain that.” I took my feet from on top of her desk, my eyes never leaving hers.

  “You read my notebook! How dare you?” she snarled.

  Her hair was down today, flowing down her shoulders in long graceful waves. The dark locks complimented the golden hue of her skin, and the sharp green color of her eyes.

  I liked it and loved what she was wearing too. A camisole that gave me a pleasant view of her perfect cleavage and wrap around mini skirt that showed off her legs as she stormed towards me.

  “Is this for me?” I made a show of moving my hand around.

  “Is what for you?” she glared at me.

  “What your wearing. It’s very sexy.”

  “Get out of my office and give me my notebook!” she balked

  “Wouldn’t it be better to give you the notebook first, before I leave the office? I mean I’d either have to throw it to you or you’d have to come with me to get it once I left.” I smiled at the look of sheer annoyance that flushed her beautiful face.

  “Something is wrong with you.”

  “Sweet Thing, there is nothing wrong with me. Think of it this way. All you have to do is meet with me. Then that’s job done. We meet, talk about your column, we plan, we take it from there.”

  Eureka! She actually looked like she was considering it. I wondered what else she’d consider. I’d really love to get a chance to see what pleasure looked like on her face.

  “A meeting would really get you off my back?” She finally spoke.

  “I don’t know abou
t getting me off your back. There is still that issue of your letter we have to discuss.” I couldn’t help the excitement I felt when her cheeks flushed. “A meeting is a start though, and like I said we’ll take it from there.”

  “What time?” she straightened her shoulders up and shifted her weight back on her heels.

  “Now. We meet now.”

  “No, I’m busy we can’t meet now.” She shook her head.

  “Baby, I don’t know if you realize this, but I’m your boss. If I say we’re meeting now, then the only person you’ll be busy with is me.” I almost laughed at the put-out way she looked. I didn’t mean to go all I’m your boss on her, but I was too busy for a rerun of yesterday.

  I had interviews lined up for an assistant manager. The person I hoped to leave in charge when I went to Hong Kong in the fall.

  I couldn’t be chasing Paige today.

  “I want my chair back. Or, are you the boss of that too?”

  I stared straight at her, liking the nervousness I saw in her eyes the more I looked. It was a stark contrast to the harsh expression she tried to maintain.

  “Come get your chair, Sweet Thing.”

  She walked around the desk to me and looked at me expectantly when I didn’t move.

  “You sure you don’t want to sit in my lap, Sweet Thing?”

  “Do you want a sexual harassment suit in your lap, Sweet Thing?” She smiled at me and probably thought I’d get all worried by the threat.

  I simply laughed and pulled out the letter she wrote me from the inside of my jacket pocket.

  A pained expression crossed her pretty face.

  I loved this exchange between us far too much. I knew I could be very arrogant at times and I did my best not to act on it, but she was like temptation for me. She was fueling the arrogance and fueling my interest in her. So, it was her fault not mine.

  I cleared my throat and started reading the letter.

  “Dear Jason, blah, blah, blah it sounds like you need to get laid, or possibly have a sex marathon. Blah, blah blah, I will gladly show you what I mean so call me if you need clarification on any of the matters discussed. I look forward to meeting you. Paige. You don’t have a hope’s chance in hell of a sexual harassment lawsuit. I’d just be the innocent male who acted on what he was being told to do.” I feigned innocence by placing my hand to my heart.