by Paige Cooper
“This is it. Do you have this in a four?” I asked the attendant excitedly, pushing the dress in his face.
“We do. Do you want me to ring it up at the register for you?” he asked as he pulled the correct size off the rack and gingerly held it up for me to see.
Nothing else I’d looked at would work. Not in my opinion, at least. This was the perfect dress for Nicole.
I thought about how often she opposed me and stood up to me, and I chewed on my bottom lip. What if she hated it?
“Yes, take that dress to the till, please. And the other four I had out earlier. I’m sorry, I know I said to put them away, but I need those, too.”
The young attendant forced a smile on his face and nodded his head as he ran off in search of the other dresses I’d ordered put away.
At least this way Nicole wouldn’t think I was imposing my will on her. She had some options, and she could choose the dress she wanted to wear.
I pulled out a pair of golden strappy heels with rhinestones on the straps that would look gorgeous with the dress I’d picked out. I was going to stop there until I passed the jewelry counter and noticed a necklace and earrings that stood out to me.
So, I added those in, too. I would wait to show her these until after she’d chosen my dress. Part of me was confident she’d like the salsa-inspired dress, but a niggling doubt kept me from being overly assured about the choice.
Hell, for all I knew, she’d hate it simply because I was the one who’d picked it out.
I hurried up paying for the dresses and accessories, needing to get back to the office before lunch was over. I’d timed my shopping spree for when I knew Nicole wouldn’t be at her desk. That way, I could sneak the bags of clothes past her without arousing any suspicion.
Thankfully, when I got to the office, the coast was clear. Ella, at the receptionist desk, raised her eyebrow when she saw me roll in with bags from Bloomingdales. I ignored her pointedly and hurried along to my sanctuary.
Nicole was still off at lunch—I’d asked Abby to take her out and said it was my treat, but Nicole couldn’t know. Abby either already knew that Nicole would refuse if she knew I was paying, or she was so excited that I’d treat them she didn’t care. It was odd behavior for me, but she didn’t say anything and I appreciated it.
I stashed the bags in my closet, hanging the dresses up neatly so they didn’t crease. I was surprised at how much I had enjoyed shopping for Nicole.
Back at my desk, I forwarded Nicole an email for the charity gala. It was a simple form that she needed to fill out and send to them with her name and her food choice for the night. I wasn’t going to give her room to deny going with me, and once she saw the dresses, she had to say yes.
We hadn’t even discussed the horrendous taxi fare she’d left me with, but I didn’t care. In fact, I’d made up my mind to let it go. Maybe it was a chance to show her I was starting off on the right foot with her for a change.
“Hey, little brother,” David’s voice rang out into my office as I pressed the send button for my email.
I looked up at him and threw him and John a withering stare.
“What do you two want now? I’ve been on my best behavior,” I sighed wearily and leaned against my chair.
“Have you? Well, we just wanted to come and confirm with you that you’re coming to the charity gala. All the press will be there, and it’s imperative we put up a united front.” John eased himself into one of the chairs in front of my desk as he spoke.
“I’ll be there. Nicole is coming, too.” I added the last part as an afterthought. If they knew Nicole was coming, maybe she’d have a harder time saying no.
“Oh, that’s nice,” John murmured.
“Maybe you’ll finally realize having a secretary isn’t all bad. I must admit, I had my doubts after you fired her the first time, but you’ve come through, little brother.”
“We all grow up at some point, don’t we,” I remarked, not wanting to admit to my brothers that they were right.
I also didn’t want to tell them how much I enjoyed Nicole’s company. I hadn’t truly been honest with myself yet. I liked her. That much was true.
If my brothers knew that Nicole had been asleep in my bed here at the office, they’d probably throw a fit. This was exactly why I was keeping all of this to myself.
Until I knew how Nicole felt about me and where we were going, I had to hold all my cards close to my chest. That was the only way to play this out.
Chapter 21: Nicole
D inner was ready and on the table, and I knew I’d have a little bit of a fight on my hands tonight. Salad was on the menu, along with a heaping serving of steamed vegetables and a broiled chicken breast.
If it had anything to do with the word ‘healthy,’ Dad turned up his nose at it. Unfortunately for him, eating a better diet was one of the main changes the doctor had recommended. I couldn’t feed him mac and cheese for every meal. Even if that was what he wanted.
“Did you remember to put your jacket back in the closet where you like to keep it? I don’t want to hear you complain that you can’t find it later,” I called out as I set a glass of water down on the table in front of his plate.
Frank shuffled into the room, wearing the jacket in question.
“Of course, I did. What do you take me for? A fool?”
“Then why are you wearing the jacket, Dad?” I asked him, pointing to his torso.
He looked down at his arms and touched the jacket sleeves. Silence descended between the two of us before he shook his head and grunted at me.
“I was cold,” he said simply.
I let it go. This had been a hard week for the two of us, and I didn’t want to spend tonight arguing semantics with him. It only confused and aggravated him. Sometimes, now more than ever, I missed the days before this illness had gotten a hold of him. Today, his edges were blurry. Every now and then, they came into focus, and I tried to hold onto those moments.
“What is this crap?” he asked, holding up a floret of broccoli on his fork and sticking his tongue out.
“Broccoli, Dad. It’s a vegetable,” I said, making my point and taking my own bite of broccoli.
“Where’s the cheese? I’m not eating this stuff. It's going to kill me.”
“On the contrary, it’s good for you. This stuff will make you live longer. No cheese tonight, sorry.”
He mumbled under his breath, something about daughters thinking they were the boss in every situation. I smiled wryly. He could have the world’s biggest attitude when he wanted to.
For several moments, we ate in silence. At least, I ate. Dad pushed his food around his plate, sniffed the chicken that was grilled and not fried, and turned his mouth down at the glass of water I’d given him.
The older he got, the more he wanted junk food and, sadly, the less he could have it. I still made it a point at least once a week to sneak burgers and shakes into our menu, but that couldn’t be dinner every night.
“How’s that new job going?” Frank asked, finally taking a bite of the broccoli on his plate. Despite the sour mouth he pulled, he ate the whole piece and went back for another one.
Joy spread through me for a moment that he’d held onto the fact I’d started a new job. The last two weeks, I had to remind him quite a number of times, but it seemed to have settled into his mind. This was the first time he’d asked about it unprompted.
“The boss is still a giant jerk.”
I didn’t want to tell him that I’d slept with my boss. There were some things a dad didn’t need to know, but it wouldn’t hurt to vent about everything else, at least.
“Sounds like most bosses.” Frank shrugged as he inspected a piece of the chicken.
“No, this one takes the cake. He’s insisting that I go to a charity event after work hours with him. It’s a demand. He didn’t even think to ask me if I had time.”
“And this makes you mad?”
“It infuriates me! He has no right to put demand
s on me and tell me where I’m going or what I should be doing outside of work hours. I don’t belong to him once that clock signals the end of my shift,” I complained, letting my annoyance with Mark show to my dad. I wanted him to understand how awful Mark could be.
“Wow. Sounds like he’s really got you hot under the collar there.”
I threw my dad a quizzical look, wondering what exactly he meant by that comment.
“Anyway. I told him I’m not going, regardless of his demands. I have a standing date with you on Friday night, and I’m not going to miss out on it because he thinks he can control me,” I announced with a flourish, taking the last bite of my broccoli.
Dad pushed his plate away, half-eaten. I bit back my comment. At least he’d eaten some of it this time. Last time, he’d thrown the plate at the wall and stormed off.
“The way you talk about this boy is funny,” he said quietly, watching me as I cleared the table and scraped his leftovers off.
I put the dishes in the dishwasher and kept quiet for a moment. I didn’t know where Dad was going with this, but I knew I’d find out when he was ready to say something.
“Did you hear me?” he asked, raising his voice.
“I heard you, Dad,” I said as I pulled the house keys out of the refrigerator and hung them on the rack by the back door. I tried to conceal my movements as he didn’t like it when he found out he’d fumbled like that.
He must have slipped the keys back there when I was cooking and my back was turned. A worry line crossed my forehead as I thought about our future. I wasn’t ready to give this up.
“You talk about him like you like him.”
“What on earth gave you that preposterous idea?” My back straightened now, and I looked out directly at my dad.
I hadn’t hinted at my attraction to Mark. Only ever complained about him.
“Well, the only other person in this world I know that’s ever made you so angry is me. And you love me. So, it stands to reason, if this Mark chap makes you so angry that you rant about him with me, you must really like him.”
I stared at my dad as if he’d grown two heads. His method had absolutely no sanity to it whatsoever, but he wasn’t far from the truth.
I did like Mark. I liked Mark so much it irritated me that we had to pretend like we’d never slept together, like I was another silly secretary who’d fallen into his trap.
“If you say so, Dad.” I shrugged, brushing him off. I wasn’t ready to admit any feelings out loud. Not yet. Everything that happened between Mark and me was still too new and too fresh. It stung every time I thought about it.
“I do say so. I’m sure there’s more to this man than being an ass like you say.” He fumbled with his jacket, taking it off and propping it over the chair. I made a note to take it and hang it up for him.
“Besides, I have an old friend visiting me on Friday. Maryann helped set it up. So I don’t need my daughter to keep her dear old dad company. I’ll already have company.”
He got up before I could object and shuffled off to the living room, where I knew he’d be fast asleep in ten minutes.
I shook my head behind him. He was right about one thing—he certainly had a knack for infuriating me in the same manner that Mark boiled my temper.
I sat at the kitchen counter for a few more minutes after everything was clean and tidied up. I’d seen Mark’s gentler side. That much was true. He was charming in court, and he was tender the night we’d slept together.
I didn’t like the asshole he could sometimes be, but I felt like that was a wall he kept up to keep others out. For some reason, Mark felt like he needed to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders.
In a split second, I decided I wanted to go to the gala. I had no idea how to tell Mark or what I was going to wear, but I knew I wanted to learn more about him.
I did like him, more than I’d ever liked anyone. It would be silly of me to let that go because he was rough around the edges.
I’d confirm with Maryann that she would be here when Dad’s company came before I said yes to Mark. After all, I couldn’t trust his memory anymore.
A peek into the living room showed me a familiar scene. Frank was passed out on his recliner, snoring softly.
I smiled and made my way to poke him awake. I certainly loved taking every opportunity to aggravate him the same way he loved to aggravate me. Mark could wait until tomorrow.
Chapter 22: Mark
A knock against the glass of my door pulled my attention from the file I was looking at.
“Come in,” I called out, putting the file down to see who needed to interrupt me now.
I’d been in a good flow this entire morning, working steadily with minimal distractions. Since our last argument, Nicole and I had been communicating through email only. It made things a little tough because I missed the sound of her voice, but I tried my best to push her out of my mind.
People depended on me for help, and I couldn’t let my obsession with a woman keep me from helping them. No matter how beautiful the woman was. No matter how good she smelled. No matter how good she sounded.
I closed my eyes, willing away the images of Nicole as best I could.
When I opened them again, Nicole stood in front of my desk with her hands clasped together in front of her. I looked up at her in shock, surprised that she’d come into my office of her own free will.
She’d made it clear that she was upset with me. I was expecting I’d need to have the dresses I’d bought delivered to her door, at the rate our communication was going.
“Yes?” I asked after a beat when she hadn’t said a word.
Why did she have to look so damn gorgeous? She stood in front of me in a simple white dress that clung to her hips and accentuated the curve of her ass. I’d noticed it when she’d bent over to shred some papers when I walked into the office earlier.
I was sure she had shredded those papers to avoid looking at me, but inadvertently she had given me a spectacular view of her ass.
Stop thinking about her ass. She’s right in front of you!
I pinched my wrist underneath my table, trying to gather my thoughts and focus on the present moment.
“I realized that I’m able to attend the charity gala, after all. So I’ll be there with you,” she said nervously, looking down at the ground and refusing to meet my eyes.
Dumbfounded, I looked at her, unsure of what she meant. I’d told her she was coming, so it was expected that she needed to come.
“Of course, you’re coming. I already bought five dresses for you. That way, you can pick which one you like best. But you’re coming.”
“Excuse me?” Nicole screeched out into the space between us and I sat upright in my chair, watching her seethe with anger.
I didn’t understand why she was angry. I’d bought her dresses, after all.
“First of all, you giant ignoramus, you had no idea I was even coming to the gala with you until right this second. It wasn’t a guarantee. You can’t just demand that I do things because you want them. Especially not in my after-hours time,” she fumed.
“Secondly, I don’t need your damn dresses! You probably don’t even know how to shop for women. I have my own clothes that will work. And thirdly, I regret telling you I was coming. Unfortunately, I’ve sent off my confirmation to the event, and now they’ll have a setting and food for me, so it would be rude to not show up. But between you and me, I wish I wasn’t going,” Nicole finished, her nostrils flaring in anger.
I struggled to contain myself as I cycled through various different emotions. The fact that she’d called me an ignoramus both shocked me and made me want to burst out in fits of laughter.
She was fucking beautiful when she was angry, and I found it hard to concentrate on her words, but the sting of her regret made it easier to summon up indignation.
“That’s no way to speak to your boss. You would do well to add respect into your tone.” I glowered at her, rising from my desk and lean
ing over it to look down at her.
“Respect is earned, not simply given. You have done nothing to earn it.”
“You are my secretary and I am your boss. You do not speak to me in that manner.”
“You don’t order me around and tell me where I’m going.”
“It’s part of your job description. If you don’t like it, then walk out.”
“Oh, you’d love that, wouldn’t you? For me to leave so that you don’t have to fire me. Well, I have news for you, buster. You can hate me as much as you want, but I will be outside your door every single day with your coffee and a smile on my face, because knowing that my presence irritates you brings me joy,” Nicole huffed and stormed out of my office, slamming the door so loudly that the glass reverberated after her for a few seconds.
I was thankful the blinds were down and I couldn’t see the expressions of everyone else around me. I didn’t need their judgment. I was sure they thought Nicole was justified in her anger.
I turned away from the door and pulled the file of papers back toward me, trying to focus on work. Nicole had interrupted my flow and made it harder to get back into.
Every time I read a line or a number, I started to think about her all over again. What was it about this woman that mesmerized me this way?
I was a stickler for work, and nothing ever distracted me. In walked Nicole, and it was like my entire world was turned upside down.
A tingling sensation in my chest drew my mind away from work again, and I grasped around my heart. A feeling I didn’t often experience blossomed through me, and I felt overcome by a pang of guilt and remorse.
I didn’t want Nicole to stay here out of spite. I didn’t want her to regret that she’d already accepted the gala invitation. I wanted her to go because she wanted to spend time with me.
The only reason I wanted Nicole to go was because I wanted to know more about her. My day felt incomplete if I didn’t see Nicole. Weekends were hell because I never knew what she was doing or who she was doing it with.
