“Yes, sir,” I said. “It’s important that we sort out your image. It’s not just about Kason here. It’s about making sure that everything goes smoothly for this election. You have a lot of the public backing you, but you have a whole lot that don’t agree with your ways. We need to sort you out so that you can gain their trust. We’ve got this; I know we do. We just need to smooth out the rough edges.”
I noticed that Ralph was beaming at me, but that Josh was scowling. He laughed ever so slightly and stood up. If he was trying to act intimidating, it wasn’t working.
“Well, thank you very much for coming in. Now, if you’ll both excuse me, I have a very important meeting to get to, and I don’t want to be late. Reagan, I’ll see you tomorrow, and we can start my transformation then.” His last words were said sarcastically, but I didn’t mind. I knew that he wasn’t going to be the easiest person to change. I’d dealt with much worse in my life, and I was always ready for a challenge.
I smiled at him, ignoring his sarcasm completely. “Wonderful. I’m looking forward to it.”
Chapter Seven
Josh
There was a lot to get through in the upcoming month, so I decided to go to work early that morning. It wasn’t an unusual thing for me to do. Even without all the stress, I often liked to come in before everyone else. I liked working when the office was quiet, before the madness set in. There was one big open workspace that I had to walk through in order to get to my office. Some mornings, when I got in late, it took me forever to just get to my own office because people kept calling me to talk. Sometimes I liked to go in early just to avoid that.
I parked my car and made my way up. Even the secretary at the bottom wasn’t in yet, and I relished the quiet as I walked to my desk. I almost jumped up fright though when I saw someone sitting in the open plan office, paper all around them. It was that new girl, Reagan or something, and I inwardly groaned. She was the last person I wanted to talk to at the moment, especially after the minor confrontation that we’d had the day before. For a new person, she really hadn’t held back. I couldn’t avoid walking past her, but she looked like she was concentrating so hard on the task in front of her that there was a big chance she wouldn’t even see me. I walked quietly, barely breathing as I navigated my way to my office.
“Oh, Josh, I almost didn’t hear you come in,” she said.
I stopped and turned to look at her. There was no way I could continue to ignore her.
“Reagan? Oh, I didn’t see you there,” I lied. “People don’t get to the office so early. Are these your work hours?”
She chuckled. “No. But I’m an early starter. I always have been. I get my best ideas while everyone else is still sleeping.”
“Yeah, so do I,” I said. “Well, I’ll see you later.”
“Wait, can we talk?”
“Oh, well . . .” I started. I wasn’t sure what to say, and she had already stood up. For someone that wasn’t even tall, she really had a presence about her. I tried to concentrate on getting to the office and not on how pretty she was. “I’m pretty busy.”
“It will only take a minute,” she said and followed me as I walked.
I sighed. Did this woman always get what she wanted? I wasn’t used to people being so forthright with me. Even some of the staff members who had been around for years were still a little scared of me. We got to my office and I sat down behind my desk.
“Take a seat,” I said.
Reagan sat down, notebook in hand, and I couldn’t help but admire her legs as she crossed them. She was wearing slim black trousers and a thin white blouse that made me wonder what was underneath. Her head was down as she wrote something in her book, and even though her long blonde hair was tied up, a few strands had come down as she wrote. She was absolutely stunning. I shook my head to bring my attention back at hand. Her looks had nothing to do with what was going on.
“So, are you enjoying your time here? How was your first day yesterday?” I asked.
She looked up and laughed. “It was chaotic. But it was exactly what I expected it to be. I did enjoy it, actually. Everyone is very nice. And Ralph is an old friend of mine, so it’s good to work with him again.”
“Oh yeah? You were at college together he says.”
“We were. He’s a great guy. So, back to the matter at hand,” she said, and I wondered if she was always this business-like. “I’ve been going through some of your files, and I see that you and Kason are very close. Of course, I knew that already, mostly from old media clippings. I’ve been interested in politics for a very long time, so I probably know more about your life than the general public does. Also, Ralph has told me a fair bit as the more I know right now, the better. So, as I was saying, you and Kason are close.”
“I don’t see what my friendship with Kason has to do with anything, to be honest. I know that you were here to help sort out the mess that we’re in, but my personal life shouldn’t really come into it. And things with Kason and I shouldn’t have anything to do with you, either.”
She sighed and looked up, her bright blue eyes looking at me without falter. “Josh, your personal life has everything to do with your political life. Things are different now. People don’t just relate to your political views, but they relate to your personal views, as well. They follow someone based on how much they like them. The world of social media has changed a lot of things, and it’s important to be aware of that.”
I wasn’t sure if I was annoyed with how much of a straight talker she was or if I was intrigued by it. In a way, she was a lot like myself, always getting to the point without messing around. I decided I liked it. It was refreshing.
“Yes, we’re very good friends. And he’s a great guy, despite the things you’ve probably heard about him.”
“You don’t need to defend him. Everyone has a story, and everyone has a side. I’ve discovered that the hard way in life. Anyway, right now I’m here to learn as much as possible about the two of us so that we can figure out how best to represent you to the public,” she said.
“So you want to lie?”
“No, not at all. Quite the opposite, actually. You never lie to the public; that’s the worst thing that you can do. We live in a society where the truth is easily revealed, so it’s always better to stay on the side of truth. But it’s all about highlighting certain areas and ignoring others. Like a magician, it’s all about misdirecting the public’s eye to one place so that they don’t concentrate on the other.”
“Clever. Yes, so . . . how about we go for dinner tonight?” I said. I was actually enjoying my conversation with Reagan more than I thought I would. I wanted to see how far I could push her. I offered her a big smile, one that I generally only reserved for people that I was flirting with.
“Sorry?” she asked. She looked completely taken aback by the question.
“I’ve always wanted to have dinner with the president,” I said, teasing her.
“Excuse me? I don’t understand.”
I was glad that I was finally able to ruffle her feathers a bit. It was nice to see her break out of her poised demeanor even for a few seconds.
“President Reagan,” I said and chuckled to myself. I’d been wanting to say that to her since the moment I found out what her name was.
She wasn’t laughing. “Oh, like I haven’t heard that one before.”
I raised my eyebrows. “So you don’t think it’s funny?”
“Not particularly. It’s my name. And for some reason, it’s something people always say to me the first time they meet me. Not very original really.”
“Ouch,” I said and chuckled. She was a hard nut to crack this one. “So you don’t want to go out for dinner then?” I said.
“Do I want to go for dinner? I’m confused. Why would I want to go out to dinner with you?”
“Don’t you like eating?” I said. I was having fun with this, and I liked watching her squirm in front of me.
“Do I like eating? What kind of a question is that
?” she said, and I could tell that she was getting annoyed with me. Her face had gone slightly pink now, and I resisted the urge to tell her. “Of course I like eating. I love eating. Doesn’t everyone? But it’s Thursday morning, and the last thing we should be thinking of is dinner. Especially when we have so many pressing matters at hand.”
“Exactly. That’s the point I’m trying to make. We do have so many pressing matters at hand right now. And what better way to get to know each other than at dinner? Soon the office will be swarming with people, each of them wanting to talk to me. It can be a madhouse here. You’ll see. It won’t take long for our conversation to get interrupted. But at dinner, we can talk and get to know each other without all the distractions.” I personally thought that I had made an extremely valid point that she couldn’t deny.
“We have one month to get ready for the campaign. I don’t have time for dinner, and neither do you. Tell me, Josh, what do you think about me being here?”
I looked at her, surprised that she hadn’t cracked a smile yet at my dinner proposal. I shook my head. “What do I think of you? I don’t know. You seem nice.”
“No, not about me personally. What do you think about the fact that Ralph hired me for damage control? Do you think you need a public relations officer right now to help out?”
“You know me; I believe I can do everything by myself. So I guess the answer would be no. But don’t get me wrong, it probably won’t harm matters. And right now, we really do need all the help we can get.” I added in the last part just to appease her. But I really wasn’t sure that she was necessary at the moment. We had more important things to worry about than hiring new staff, and I now wasn’t sure if Ralph had just hired her because she needed a job.
“Ah, I thought so. Well, you do need me here, and the quicker you come to understand that, the easier things will be for us. Thank you very much for inviting me to dinner, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to decline the offer. We have more important things to worry about and very little time to sort them out. I hope you realize just how much you are dangling on the side of not getting elected,” she said. Reagan stood up and looked me in the eyes. “Josh, I have tons to do today, but I do hope we can sit down later to discuss matters. If not, I’ll happily get all the information from Ralph. I’m actually here to help you and to help this campaign, even if you don’t see the importance of me right now. I’m not here to make friends or to make you like me. Have a wonderful day.”
She walked out, and I watched as she made her way to her desk, shaking her head. She sat down and immediately started working on something without looking once back up at me. It was hard to deny how beautiful she was. She looked so soft and demure on the outside, and yet on the inside, she was tougher than anyone I’d ever met. I thought back to some of the other members of staff and how intimidated they had been of me on their first day. It had been written all over their faces, and I’d seen it in their trembling hands. But not Reagan. Reagan was not intimidated at all by me. Not even in the slightest. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I wasn’t used to it at all.
Chapter Eight
Reagan
“Want to come in for something to eat? I have a few things I need you to test out,” Dana said over the phone.
“No can do. Sadly. I would like nothing more than to sample your food right now, but I’m actually in the office.”
“In the office? Today?”
“I know. I know. But there’s so much to do before the big day.”
“Hardest worker I know. So, are you enjoying it? Is it what you hoped for?”
I looked around at the empty office and a strange feeling came over me. A feeling that I hadn’t had in a very long time. I couldn’t figure out exactly what it was. A sense of purpose perhaps? “I’m happy here. It’s all a little crazy, though, hence the Saturday work. But you know how I like a challenge. And this is definitely a challenge.”
“And what about that Josh guy. What is he like? Is he there?”
I laughed. “No. It’s Saturday. Nobody is here but me. He’s probably on the golf course or something. He’s . . . well, to be honest, he’s kind of a prick.”
Dana laughed. “I had a feeling he would be.”
“Yeah. It’s a pity because if he lost the attitude, I’m sure he’d be very nice. But right now, he’s more annoying than nice. And part of the reason why I’m working so hard is because he’s not the easiest person to speak to. I tried to get information out of him the other day, and instead of giving it to me, he asked me out for dinner.”
“What? Are you serious? Did you go?”
“Of course I didn’t go. The idiot. I’m not here to go out for dinner with him. I think he’s so used to flirting with women that he doesn’t know how else to act around them. But it’s okay. I can do my job without him. Somehow.”
“Sounds like you’ve got your work cut out for you,” Dana said.
I laughed. “Yeah, something like that.”
“Well, don’t work too hard. And if you feel like a break, come over.”
“I’ll do that. Thanks, Dana.”
I put the phone down and continued working. I actually liked having the office so quiet. Unfortunately, I didn’t get an office to myself, which meant I had to put up with all the chaos from around the room, which seemed to grow with each passing day. I would have to figure out a way to drown it out, but for now, I was making the most of the silence.
I was trying to dig up as much dirt as possible on Josh, not because I wanted anything against him but because the more I knew about him, the better. I thought back to the scandal that Kason had cheated on his wife. If Josh had known about it, he could’ve handled the press a lot better that day, but he had been out of the loop and left looking like a fool. Now, the media was zoning in on him, wondering what sort of person he was. After all, if he was such good friends with Kason, there was a chance that he was a cheater too. At least that was what the media was saying. It wasn’t fair, but since when had the media been fair? The problem was that without Josh telling me about himself, I was left to learning about him through searching online. And I was sure there was more to him than what I was discovering. An idea came to me, and I quickly fished my phone back out from my bag.
I dialed the number from an old college friend, Mack, who had since become a private investigator. I’d always laughed about one day needing his skills and expertise, but I never truly thought that I’d need it.
“Reagan? Good to hear from you. Let me guess; you need my detective skills.”
I laughed. “How did you know?”
“Oh. I was just kidding. Are you serious?”
“I’m serious.”
“I knew you’d need my help one day.”
I chuckled. “Well, here I am.”
“So, what can I do for you?”
“I need you to dish up as much dirt as possible on Josh Maxwell.”
“Josh Maxwell? Isn’t he running for the Senate? He’s that senator that everyone is always talking about. The one all the girls love.”
I pulled a face. “The very one.”
“Why on earth do you want to know about him? Don’t tell me you’re in love with him too. I didn’t think he’d be your type.”
“Gross. He’s not my type. He’s much too full of himself. I could imagine we’d spend our dates with him looking at himself in the mirror. No, this isn’t about me liking him. Actually, I’m working for him now.”
“No way!”
“Yeah. I got the job the other day. I’m here as the public relations officer to help them with the upcoming election. And to get them out of the mess they have found themselves in. I’ve also been asked to help clean up Josh’s image, because right now he’s both loved and hated by the media. I need them to all love him.”
“Good luck with that one. He doesn’t sound like the kind of guy that takes well to orders.”
“Oh, he’s not. But then again, I’m not the sort of girl that takes well to or
ders. So maybe he’s met his match.”
“Good for you,” Mack said. “So, you want as much information on him as possible?”
“Yes please.”
“Why do you need a private investigator for someone you’re working with?”
“Because I need to be a step ahead of the competition at all times.”
“And that’s why you’re the right person for the job,” he said. “Although, I’m not sure you’re going to want to tell Josh what you’re doing. He doesn’t strike me as someone that will take kindly to this. Then again, I don’t think anyone would take kindly to knowing that they are being investigated.”
“Good point. Yeah, I’m not telling him a thing. Ooh, I hear a noise. I think someone is in the office. I better go.”
“I’ll call you as soon as I have some more information,” he said.
I put the phone down and frowned. I was certain that I had heard a noise coming from outside the office, but I didn’t see anyone. I was just about to stand up and investigate when I saw Josh walk through the doors. Oh, great. He was heading straight to his office, but when he saw me, he stopped in his tracks.
“Working on a Saturday?” he said.
“Yep. I don’t think we can rest right now,” I said. “And anyway, I always work better without people around me.”
“Yeah, so do I,” he said in a way that suggested he wanted me to go.
I put my head down and continued with my work, but when I looked up, I saw that he was still staring at me. It had been a very long time since anyone had exasperated me as much as he was at that moment.
“Do you need help with anything?” I asked as sweetly as possible. Kill them with kindness had always been my motto.
He shook his head. “No, I don’t need anything, but there’s no need for you to be here.”
“No need? I’m working,” I said and gestured to the papers all around me. Surely I could be there if I wanted to? Wasn’t it a good thing that I was working so hard for him during this busy time?
“And I’m about to start working too. Thanks for coming in and I hope you got some work done, but it’s probably better if you go home now.”
Dirty Boss (An Office Romance) (The Maxwell Family) Page 5
