Wilson's Hard Lesson

by K. Anderson

  For now, though, she had a party to prepare for.

  So, Lindsay began the process of bathing herself and dressing in a nice, black dress for the evening event. In spite of the situation, she was excited for the party. She loved her coworkers, and she liked the idea of meeting the new team in a fun, private setting before they all had to work together. Lindsay applied a light layer of makeup, gathered up a small clutch purse and left her home.

  She had been to the Mills’ home several times, for parties and also for more personal occasions. When she was younger, she had gone there for her friend’s birthday celebrations and all manner of sleepovers. It felt sort of surreal to still maintain contact with them as an adult. Again, she felt a pang of sadness that on Monday, she would no longer be their employee.

  Lindsay pushed her sadness away as she pulled up to their home. She gathered up her small clutch and got out of her car. Several other people had already arrived, some familiar and others not. Lindsay spotted the Mills’, in conversation with and unfamiliar young woman who looked to be about Lindsay’s age, and she walked over to them.

  “Hi,” Lindsay smiled in greeting, hugging each of the Mills.

  “We’re glad you made it,” Mrs. Mills said to her. “We were just meeting this lovely young lady, Cassie.”

  Lindsay turned to greet the other woman and took in her appearance. The young woman was beautiful, with wavy blonde hair and a bright smile. She was a little taller than Lindsay, and she carried herself very confidently.

  “Hi, I’m Lindsay,” Lindsay smiled at her. “I guess you’re from the downtown team.”

  “Yes,” Cassie nodded pleasantly. “They asked for volunteers to work in the new department, and I decided hey, why not? I like meeting new people and branching out a little.”

  “I can’t say I’ve done much of that in my life,” Lindsay laughed, picking up a drink off of the table beside them. “I have to say I’m pretty nervous about this whole thing.”

  “I wouldn’t worry too much,” Cassie shrugged. “I’m sure it won’t be so different from what you already do.”

  “I hope so,” Lindsay said, taking a sip of her drink.

  As the party drew on, Lindsay and Cassie stuck together. Lindsay found that she was growing to like the other woman quite a lot. They had a similar sense of humor and they conversed very easily with one another. Cassie was introducing her to one of their new coworkers when suddenly she looked up and across the room.

  “Wow,” Cassie said, blinking in more than a little surprise. “He actually came.”

  “Who?” Lindsay asked, turning to look around the room.

  “Erik Davis,” Cassie answered. “He’s right over there by the door.”

  Lindsay turned to look, curious as to what the new owner of the company looked like. No sooner did she see him than her jaw dropped. She did not know what she had expected, but it was certainly not that.

  Just inside the door stood a man that looked to be no older than forty. His hair was a dark, reddish brown with subtle tinges of gray at the edges. His eyes were a sharp, clear blue, and his frame was broad and commanding. It was obvious he took good care of himself, and it was made even more noticeable by his tailored suit. Lindsay knew that it was likely inappropriate, but she couldn’t help but feel extremely and instantly attracted to him. She took another sip of her drink in an attempt to cool off.

  “I’ve never actually seen him in person before,” Cassie said to her in a low voice. “But we’ve all heard the rumors that he’s a big playboy.”

  “Oh,” Lindsay said. At a loss for any other words. A part of her was appalled by the knowledge that he participated in that kind of behavior. Another part of her, though, vaguely thought that if he showed even a modicum of interest in her, she would not hesitate to take the opportunity.

  Lindsay watched as he moved across the room toward the Mills, and shook their hands.

  “He was the one who contacted your bosses and made this deal happen,” Cassie explained. “He saw a lot of promise in the company. And when you have money like he does, I guess you sort of have a way of getting what you want.”

  Lindsay made a vague noise of agreement, though she was having a hard time listening to Cassie when her eyes were locked on her new boss. She watched as his eyes began to pan around the room, and she blushed furiously when his eyes finally landed on her. He obviously saw her reaction, and she saw a smile spread across his face that struck her as distinctly predatory.

  “Is he looking at you?” Cassie asked her insistently as Davis began to slowly move across the room toward them. “Is he coming over here?”

  The two didn’t have to wait long for their question to be answered. With cool confidence, the man approached them. Neither of the women knew what to say, and they merely stood there looking up at him for what seemed like a small eternity.

  “Good evening ladies,” he greeted them, his voice a smooth drawl. “My name is Erik Davis. I’m the new owner of this agency.”

  “A pleasure to meet you,” Lindsay managed to speak up and offer her hand to shake. HE took it, and she was slightly unnerved by the strength in his grip. “My name is Lindsay Baker.”

  “And I’m Cassie Talbot,” Lindsay’s new friends said from beside her.

  “Nice to meet you,” he said kindly, his eyes lingering on Lindsay. She felt herself blush as his eyes traveled over her body. “Are you both from Whisper Realty?”

  “No,” Cassie shook her head, beginning to relax more into the situation. “I’m from Ryan and Davis.”

  “And you?” he raised a brow at Lindsay.

  “I’m from Whisper Oaks,” Lindsay nodded, offering a small smile.

  “I heard it was surprising news for all of you to hear about the acquisition,” he said fluidly, moving to lean against the drink table.

  “Well, it was a little unexpected,” Lindsay offered with a shrug. “But I guess they’re right. The company was growing, and they didn’t feel like they were going to be able to keep up with it at the rate they were going. So I guess they had to make a decision one way or the next and that was it.”

  “That’s just business for you,” Davis said, giving her a wink. “And I think the money definitely helped them to finalize their decision.”

  “I’m sure it did,” Lindsay chuckled.

  “Are you ready to take your career to the next level?” Davis asked. Lindsay thought she could see the hint of a challenge dancing in his eyes.

  “I suppose I’ll find out on Monday,” Lindsay laughed lightly, and he gave her a smile, displaying a set of pearly white teeth.

  “I suppose we will,” he said, his eyes traveling once more up and down her body. Lindsay felt her stomach clench and her body shiver slightly at the look in his eye.

  “You two have a wonderful evening,” he said to them, raising his glass and taking a drink. “I’m sure I’ll see you both again before the night is out.”

  Davis stood up and turned to go. Both Lindsay and Cassie’s eyes were locked on him as he easily walked through the crowd to go speak to another few people. Lindsay’s heart raced in her chest and she was surprised at the way her body had reacted to her interaction with him. There was something about him that was just overtly sexual and alluring.

  “Well, if he talked to the Mills’ like he was just talking to us,” Cassie said, her tone more than a little breathless. “I can bet it wasn’t all that hard to convince them to sell.”

  Lindsay could only nod in agreement. Throughout the night, she watched Davis interact with people. Every time he spoke, he seemed to weave a spell and draw people in to him as if by some hypnotic force. Especially the women. Though Lindsay tied to mingle with all sorts of different people at the party, she found that her eyes were constantly drawn back to Erik Davis.

  Every now and again, their eyes would lock, and he would shoot her a smile. Each time, his eyes would dance with some intent that Lindsay could not identify, and she would look away, blushing.

  At
last, the party drew to a close. Lindsay bid a goodnight to the Mills’ and it was with great relief that Lindsay departed. As she drove home, and even as she arrived at her apartment, she could not ride herself of the image of Erik Davis, and she could not get rid of the memory of the feeling of his blue eyes traveling over her body.

  That night, Lindsay barely slept, feeling extremely restless. When she did sleep, her dreams were filled with images of him. She mentally berated herself for her instant infatuation with him. They had not spoken more than once, and he had likely forgotten all about her as soon as he walked away. Even so, she could not school her thoughts away from him, and she found that her next two nights of sleep were no better.

  By Monday morning, Lindsay was feeling frazzled and grumpy from a lack of quality sleep. She made herself a large mug of coffee. She glared at the box of her belonging on the kitchen table, and she was irrationally irritated about having to carry it to her new office. Eventually, though, she sighed and picked it up, moving out toward her car.

  Once she was settled in the driver’s seat, Lindsay took out her phone and typed the address of the downtown office into her navigation system. She listened to the directions as she drove, and in about ten minute’s time she had arrived at the parking garage. She found a parking spot, and with a sigh she gathered up the box of her belongings and tried to mentally prepare herself for whatever would lie ahead of her.

  Unfortunately, all of the deep breathing in the world couldn’t have prepared her for what she walked into.

  In contrast to the calm, relaxed atmosphere of the familiar, old office, this office seemed to be teeming with energy and activity. Lindsay was immediately overwhelmed by the people bustling about doing various tasks. She vaguely felt her stomach clench as her heart pounded in her chest. She had certainly not expected this.

  As she looked around, she recognized a few people from the gathering on Friday night. They noticed her, too, and some gave a polite smile before going back to whatever task they had been working on. She also recognized Scott Reynolds, and held still as he began to move toward her.

  “Good morning Miss Baker,” he said, his tone pleasant but quick. “Welcome to the new office. Let me show you to your desk.”

  Lindsay didn’t have a chance to respond, as Scott immediately began walking, and she had little choice but to follow him as he led her to a cubicle. Once there, Lindsay was pleasantly surprised to see that the cubicles each contained two desks. One of them, her own she presumed, was empty. The other, though, was occupied by none other than Cassie.

  “Hey!” the woman greeted her pleasantly, standing as she saw her.

  “Miss Talbot informed me of her wish to be paired with you,” Scott said plainly. “Is this agreeable?”

  “Of course,” Lindsay nodded, giving Cassie a smile.

  “Excellent,” Scott smiled. “I’ll give a few minutes to get settled into your desk, and after that you can come into my office and I’ll get you all your old files and some new ones we’ve found for you.”

  Again, Scott didn’t wait for her to respond before he was off again. Lindsay found it completely dizzying.

  She put her box down on her desk and began arranging her things on her desk. Even from within her cubicle she saw people bustling around busily, and she couldn’t help but feel tense.

  “Is it always like this?” Lindsay asked, her voice somewhat tight.

  “Well, it’s a little slow because all of you guys are just now getting here and moving in,” Cassie said as she sat back down at her desk.

  Lindsay felt her mind spin. If this was a slow day, she didn’t know how on earth she was going to handle a regular day, much less a fast one. She knew that she would have to do some serious work to keep up.

  She hastily arranged her desk and then shoved the empty box under it. She moved past the other cubicles and knocked on the frame of Scott’s office, though the door was open.

  “Come on in,” Scott waved her over. He already had files in his hands.

  “Here are all your old projects and files,” he said, handing her half of the stack. “And here are some new ones.”

  Lindsay took them, and was surprised at how heavy they were.

  “I know this is a lot different than what you were used to before,” Scott said, his tone quick, but still understanding. “You’ll have to work fast, and I understand that there will be an adjustment period, but I am not going to lower my expectations. I think you have what it takes to make it here, and Mr. Davis agrees with me.”

  Lindsay’s ears perked up at the words.

  “Mr. Davis?” she tilted her head, somewhat confused.

  “Yes,” Scott said simply. “He said he was very impressed by your work, and he enjoyed your conversation with him at the party. He is going to be a lot more present than he has been in the past. He put a lot into this acquisition, so he wants to make sure everything goes smoothly through this transition.”

  Lindsay felt her stomach do a flip with the knowledge that Erik Davis would be monitoring their work. OF course, the Mills had always watched over her work before. But then again, she hadn’t been intensely attracted to wither of them. This would certainly prove to be very interesting.

  “Anyway,” Scott said, clapping his hands together. “That’s about all I have for you. We’re glad to have you, and I will be available for any questions that you might have. Cassie is also great, and I am sure she can help you out as well if you have any problems.”

  Lindsay gave him a nod, and left his office. Just like that, Lindsay began a new chapter of her life.

  Lindsay was quick to adjust to the life of working in a larger business. She was smart and young and she was able to keep up with the hustle and bustle of the office. There was certainly a lot more politics involved here than there was at the smaller office. There was always some drama, and there was also a lot more pressure, with the knowledge that they were expected to maintain a high level of success, or they would be let go. So, Lindsay worked hard to do a good job and stay focused.

  It was hard to focus, though, when Erik Davis was constantly around. He claimed to be there just to supervise the transition. Every time he appeared though, it seemed to Lindsay that he was simply there to make her nervous. He would give her smirking smiles, and leave Lindsay flustered and distracted.

  “Is everything alright?” he asked her one day as she worked hard at her desk.

  “Yes Mr. Davis,” she answered, keeping her eyes on her paperwork.

  “Please,” he said after one such instance, his tone dropping. “Call me Erik.”

  Lindsay looked up at him, unable to keep working as his voice sent chills up her spine. His expression was dark, and his eyes seemed to pierce her.

  “Alright,” she said softly. “Erik.”

  Lindsay saw his eyes flash before he turned abruptly and left her, bewildered and shaken at her desk.

  These types of encounters began to happen more frequently. At first, Lindsay wrote them off as accidents, but as they increased in frequency, Lindsay began to doubt whether or not he was actually planning them out just to get under her skin. Lindsay was beginning to find it extremely hard to focus on her work, and it began to really pile up on her.

  One day, Erik Davis called her into his office.

  “Yes?” she asked nervously as she walked in.

  “Lindsay,” he said, his tone pleasant, but firm. “You seem to be a little behind.”

  Lindsay ducked her head, and her heart sank.

  “Are you having any problems with anything that I should be made aware of?” he asked, his tone not unkind. “I know that these kinds of transitions can be tough. I know you were doing very well at the start, it just seems that you’ve been slightly under speed for about a week now. Is everything alright?”

  “Everything is fine,” Lindsay said, feeling horrifically embarrassed at being called out on her lack of progress, and knowing that it was because she was too buy fantasizing about her boss. “I’m really
sorry about this. I’ll be back up to speed in no time.”

  “I’m sure you will,” Erik smiled at her pleasantly before looking back down at a stack of papers on his desk. “But just in case, I’d like you to stay a little late today and have a meeting with me just so I can make sure that everything is on track. Is seven tonight alright for you?”

  Lindsay blushed at the idea of having a late meeting with him, but she didn’t see that she had another choice.

  “Yes sir,” Lindsay said.

  “Excellent,” Erik smiled. “See you tonight.”

  Chapter Three

  Lindsay said nothing as she made her way back to the cubicle she shared with Cassie. She immediately relayed to her friend everything that had happened, and that she had agreed to a late meeting.

  “I don’t know about that,” Cassie said, her voice obviously suspicious. “That seems like a dangerous game to play.”

  “I know,” Lindsay sighed. “But at the end of the day, he’s my boss. Can I really say no?”

  Cassie frowned and looked down at her desk.

  “I just don’t think it’s a good idea,” she shook her head. “But I guess you’re right. Just… be careful, okay?”

  “I will,” Lindsay promised.

  While Lindsay seemed worried on the outside, on the inside she couldn’t help but be slightly excited by the idea of being alone with Erik Davis. He had been overtly flirting with her at the office for as long as she’d been there. She didn’t know how this meeting was going to go, but she had the distinct idea that is was not going to be strictly business related.

  She knew that was why Cassie was concerned. Little did Cassie know, though, that Lindsay would not mind in the least if the meeting took a more devious turn?

  Determined to catch back up on her work, Lindsay returned to her desk with a firm resolve to be back on track by the next day. She buried herself in her files and different assignments. The day passed by, and eventually people began to trickle out of the office. Lindsay heard Cassie begin to gather up her things.

  “Are you going to be okay?” Cassie asked her, a look of concern on her face.