by Autumn, Kyle
How the hell am I supposed to do that?
Chapter 2
Chaz
***Present moment***
“You said what?” Blake asks, incredulous. His eyes are wide, almost bulging out of his head. “That’s not what I meant by ‘pursue,’ Chaz. Are you out of your mind?”
“For fuck’s sake,” I huff, falling into my desk chair. “I don’t know what I’m doing. Women flock to me. I haven’t had to actively try to pick a woman up in forever, it feels like. Jesus.” I put my arms on the armrests. “So I said the first thing that came to mind.”
“Demanding that they date you is not pursuing. It’s practically kidnapping,” he explains from the chair opposite my desk. “God, man. You really messed that up.”
“Well! She was sitting in my desk chair when I got in here. What was I supposed to do?”
He throws his arms to his sides. “Not tell her to cancel all of her plans and go to dinner with you.”
“It surprised me!” I exclaim, mimicking his action. “She was just making herself at home here in my office, and after our little chat, I was caught off guard. It was like I’d walked into an alternate universe where I actually had that family-man shit. Except she was in a package delivery uniform…” I shake my head at the image.
Not that there’s anything wrong with a package delivery employee. Packages need to be delivered. But she, this nameless woman who sat at my desk like she belonged in it, could definitely benefit from my money. And that’s the whole basis of why I’m not currently in a relationship. Why I haven’t been in one in a long-ass time.
Suddenly, Blake shoots up from his chair. “Oh god. What if she goes to the media about this?”
I swallow hard and then scrub a hand down my face. “Shit. I royally fucked this up, didn’t I?”
“We can fix this if we get ahead of it,” he says, turning for the door. “Someone must have her name, and we know where she works. I saw her when she walked in, so I know what she looks like too.”
“You what?” I ask, gripping the armrest tighter with my fingers. “You’re the reason why she was in here, aren’t you?”
In the midst of this chaos, he smirks at me. “I might have had something to do with why she was in your office, yes.” His smirk vanishes and he points at me. “But you have everything to do with why I have to go track her down right now.” Then he exits my office.
I stare at the door as he leaves. I’m confused as hell right now. What the fuck just happened?
Oh yeah. I did what Blake had told me to do. I pursued the first women I encountered. Apparently, I didn’t do it right.
I mean, come on. It’s been so long since I’ve had to do that. So long that it hadn’t occurred to me that someone would say no to me. Everyone knows who I am. What I do. What I have to offer. I didn’t think that woman would have refused.
That gorgeous woman, with her curly, brown hair pulled back into a ponytail in her NatEx hat. That beautiful woman, with strong arms that are probably capable of holding herself up—no help from me needed. Those pouty lips that’d look incredible wrapped around my cock.
I shake my head of that thought. I’m a man, yeah, but I’ve been spending too much time around women who are too quick to give that up. Something about that—a woman giving me head so fast that it makes my actual head spin—screams gold digger.
And everything about the way this woman turned me right the fuck down screams that she’s no gold digger. No, those types wouldn’t in a million years say no when the opportunity has flung itself at them. Not even close.
Yet she said no. Plain and simple. Flipped the script completely and shut me down. Swayed her sexy hips right out of my office and my life. Unless Blake can find her, and if anyone can, Blake can.
Which would be great. Because, even though I screwed it up with her so badly, I still hope I’ll be able to try to make it right. I don’t know what it was, but I think my brain went haywire because of her. I wanted her to agree so badly that I couldn’t even believe she’d say no. And then I demanded dinner.
Blake was right. I’m out of my mind.
Seriously. Who the hell does that?
Apparently, I do. I do that. Because I’m so removed from the game. I have no idea what it’s like to date, how to date, how to ask someone out on a date. Christ. I hope she’ll give me another shot, but holy hell. I wouldn’t blame her if she never spoke to me again. Or if she went to the media screaming about how psycho I am.
No matter how true it is, that can’t happen. I won’t lose my company because I made a ridiculous mistake. I won’t give up everything I worked so hard for because I lost my mind over a woman for a moment. No. Blake will find her, we’ll explain, and everything will be okay.
Except nothing feels like it’ll be okay if she won’t give me a second chance.
***
Shiree
What in the actual hell just happened in there?
As I drive away in my delivery truck, I’m struck with how odd that whole encounter was. Commanding that I date him. Seriously? And who asks how heavy their package is? Did he not remember what he ordered? Or maybe he receives packages from clients and other people so regularly that he had no idea what was in the box. Whatever. All I know is he’s freaking insane.
And so, so sexy.
Shit.
Doesn’t matter. No one demands that I go to dinner with them. Simple as that. I don’t care how rich, famous, or damn sexy he is. Though that last one is kind of pulling me in.
No. Not happening.
When I get back to work, it’s time to punch out and go home. So I meet up with Lyra, my best friend in the whole world, in the employee locker room and give her the rundown of what happened in Charles Masters’s office earlier.
“He said what?” she screeches. Her eyes are wide, almost bulging out of her head, as her short, brown hair swishes around her face.
“I know!” I exclaim as we gather our stuff to leave. “Ordered me to drop everything and have dinner with him. Then told me to leave my address with the receptionist. Who the hell does that?”
“He does, apparently,” she says like it’s the most normal thing in the world. “I kinda figured he’d be that way with everything I’ve heard about him.”
I shrug. “I try not to pay attention to that crap. It has no bearing on my life, so who cares?”
After opening the door to the parking lot, she asks, “So, what are you wearing to dinner tonight, then?”
I stop walking and wait for her to realize I’m no longer at her side. When she turns to me, I say, “You really think I’m going with him, Lyr?” Then I catch back up to her. “I told him no and GTFOed.”
Her hand flies to her mouth. “I bet no one says no to him, so you probably put him right in his place.” Then she bursts into laugher.
Which makes me laugh too. “I must have,” I tell her between giggles. “You should have seen his face. He was all, ‘Did you say no?’”
We both laugher harder as we walk toward our cars.
“It’s a good thing it’s Thirsty Thursday and we’re going out with the girls tonight,” Lyra offers once we’ve reached our vehicles.
“Oh right,” I say as a put my key in my car to unlock it. “Maybe Patti and Zo will have a good laugh at this too.” Then I smirk at my friend. “The usual spot and time?”
“Duh,” she says, winking before she gets in her car. Then she waves and takes off.
My phone rings in my purse, so I grab it and see that it’s my boss, George. It’s after hours, so I consider ignoring it, but it’s not like he calls me all that often.
“Hello?” I say into the phone.
“Hey, Shiree,” he answers. “Are you still here? I need to speak with you about something before you take off for the evening.”
“I just got in my car,” I admit. I do love my job, so if my boss thinks it’s important, I’ll go with it.
“Oh good. Glad I caught you. Want to head to my office? We’ll talk
in there.”
I’m not sure why we can’t speak on the phone, but I say, “Yeah, sure. Be there in two,” anyway.
When I get to his office, though, I can see why he couldn’t speak to me on the phone. Mr. Dates Like A Caveman is here along with the man who told me to drop the package off in his office. I decide to get ahead of whatever this might be about. I’m not losing my job over a momentary lapse in judgment and a broken ego.
“Are you here to get me fired? I only did what I was asked to do, though I know I did a little more than I should have, but still. I didn’t—”
Charles Masters holds a hand up. “I assure you, Miss James. That’s not why I’m here.”
His deep voice washes over me, assures me like he said he was trying to do. In his presence, I’m transported back into his office, where he demanded a date. Which makes me realize that this man thinks I’m dateable. Or was it some act? Does he actually want to date me?
Does it freaking matter though? He’s crazy. So I shake that thought right out my head.
“Then why are you in my boss’s office, Mr. Masters?” I ask, my hands on my hips.
“Why did you think you were going to be fired?” George inquires, staring at me.
“That’s not important,” Mr. Masters says, his gaze also on me. “And, please, call me Chaz.”
“Okay, Chaz. What are you doing here?” I question him. Then I gesture to his suit-clad friend. “And what does he have to do with anything?”
“This is my right-hand man, Blake. He helped me track you down after you left today.”
“Is something wrong with the way Shiree handled your package delivery today?” George asks Chaz. “She’s one of our best employees, if not the best. So I’m not sure what could have gone wrong, but I’ll fix it however I can.”
“No, no,” Chaz says. “I promise you. It had nothing to do with her work. I just had to find her, so I thank you for your help.” Then he points at the door. “Miss James, would you mind following me out so we can talk in private?”
If this isn’t about my sitting at his desk like I’d been to his office a million times, then he better be here to apologize for having gone all alpha caveman on me. And I’ll allow him the time to do so. Though I should probably apologize for my part in this too.
But who demands a date from a woman who was caught pretending like his office were hers? God, this is so ridiculous. A night out with my girls will make this better once this is over.
Blake leaves my boss’s office first. Chaz—is that a nickname for Charles?—gestures with an arm for me to exit next, but I turn to George first.
“Sorry for this. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
“Have a great night,” he tells me, giving me a small wave.
Then I head out.
Chaz says, “I appreciate all of your help in this matter, Mr. Mendez,” to my boss before he leaves and joins us in the hall. “Right this way, Miss James.”
“Where are we going?” I ask. “I already said I’m not going out to dinner with you.”
“I heard you loud and clear the first time you turned me down. Don’t worry. I just want to explain,” he says.
I figure, after I perhaps humiliated him, he’s earned the right to explain the weirdness that went down in his office. Not to mention that I’d like to know too. So I lead us to the parking lot and back to my car. That way, when this is over, I can get right in it and leave. Finally.
Once we’re in a small group near my car, I say, “Okay, so, what do you want to explain?”
He first looks at Blake, who nods at him. Then he looks at me again and begins. “I want to rationalize what happened earlier. I’m not sure I can, but I think, if you hear my side of it, it’ll make more sense.”
His expression makes him appear earnest. He seems to truly think he was in the wrong—which he was. And that makes me want to give him the chance to “rationalize what happened earlier.”
So I say, “Go on,” and motion with my hand for him to continue.
Before speaking again, he glances at his friend once more. Blake gives him a reassuring look to keep going.
“Well,” Chaz starts, “I think we got off on the wrong foot, what with you in my desk chair and all.”
Blake clears his throat, which stops Chaz short. I’m sure that was the point, because his apology was beginning to sound a little blame-shifty.
Chaz shoots Blake a look and then clears his own throat. “Sorry. We’ll just forget that that happened, okay?”
I smirk at him. “Sure. Consider it forgotten.” Then I cross my arms. “Back to your apology? I think you were saying you were sorry for something.”
Blake’s mouth tightens like he’s trying to hold a smile or a laugh back, but we both ignore him.
“Right.” Chaz straightens his posture. “Before I got back to my office, I’d had a meeting with my board members. They seem to think I’m not doing too well as the face of my own company. My private life seems to be too…” He hesitates to find the right word.
So I supply one for him. “Slutty?”
Blake lets a laugh loose before catching himself and shutting up, but he can barely hide the smile on his lips.
Chaz notices this time, shifting his gaze to his friend this time. He shoots him a seriously? look before turning back to me.
“Sure. We can call it slutty if you want to. And Blake here thought that, instead of taking what’s thrown at me, since there is no shortage of women throwing themselves at me—”
“Ahem,” Blake coughs into his fist. Then he gives a slight shake of his head.
Chaz must realize his digression, so he works this from a different angle. “He thinks I should try to find my own relationship. One I’ve started from scratch so I know I can trust it. Because, if we’re being honest, I’d like to settle down eventually…” Then he trails off, looking away from me, perhaps embarrassed that he got personal.
“Okay, so, what does this have to do with me?” I say, readjusting my crossed arms.
“Well, Blake said that I should ask out the next woman I came in contact with, and when he sent you into my office to leave that package, he knew that it’d be you,” he says. “So that’s why I asked you to—”
It’s my turn to hold my hand up to stop him. “Wait. You didn’t actually ask me anything.”
“I know,” he stresses. “Which is why I’m here. I should have asked, but I demanded, and it was rude. You see, I haven’t had to ask anyone out in a very long time. The women I usually spend time with don’t mind being told where to be and when if it means being in my company.”
“And that’s not my style, Mr. Masters.”
“Please. It’s Chaz,” he insists. “And I see that now. It won’t happen again, but I have to be sure you won’t go to the press and tell them about this incident.”
Ohhh. That’s what this is about. He’s not really here to sincerely apologize for being an asshat. He just wants to make sure he doesn’t lose his damn job.
He realized I’m not the type of girl who’ll do whatever he says whenever he says it, but he still doesn’t realize I have integrity. I have morals and honor. No, I’m not swimming in money or enjoying fame, but that doesn’t mean I’d sell a story for money or report what happened to the media because I’m hungry to be famous. I just want to live my normal life and be happy. What’s wrong with that?
Eff this guy.
“I’m not an asshole, Mr. Masters. I’m not some greedy jerk. So don’t worry. Your caveman shit’s safe with me,” I spit out. Then I go to unlock my car.
But, before my key makes it into the slot, his hand is on the door, holding it shut.
“Please. I didn’t mean to offend you yet again,” he insists. Then he removes his hand and stands up straight. “May I take you out to dinner tonight to make up for all of this? You can drive yourself, or I can pick you up myself. No drivers, no media, no demands. Just a shared meal between two people as a way to say I’m sorry for insulting you ti
me and time again.”
I turn toward him to think about his offer. Drinks with the girls or dinner with this man? This sexy man who finally asked for something without making me feel like an object or someone I’m totally not. Is he learning how to play this game? Or is he just playing me? Am I the game?
Ultimately, though, I say, “No.”
“Still?” he blurts out. “I mean, right. Yes. I understand.” Then he starts to back away. “Do I have your word you won’t go to the media about our misunderstanding? I’m not trying to offend you again, but you’ve made it clear that we don’t know each other, so I just want to make sure I know what to expect come tomorrow.”
I adjust my keys in my hand. “See, that’s the difference between us. You always know what to expect the next day. Where’s the fun in that?”
He squints at me like he doesn’t understand what I’m saying.
“Never mind,” I tell him, waving a hand between us. “I already have plans tonight. I won’t break them. It’s disrespectful.”
“Oh, okay,” he says. “I can respect that, then. Have a good evening, Miss James.” He tips his head and then walks past Blake, who follows behind him to the front of the building. Probably to his driver.
As I get in my car for the second time in fifteen minutes, I think over the day and can’t believe how weird it’s been. Maybe there isn’t as much fun in not knowing what to expect each day as I thought.
Or maybe there is…
Chapter 3
Chaz
“You’re just letting her get away?” Blake asks me once we’re in the car. “You left way too soon for that to be the end of it.”
