by Rita Sawyer
~* * *~
Patsy fled the building in such a huff that the light snow falling did nothing to brighten her mood. Normally she loved the magical glittery look of the fresh accumulation. In the mood she was in right now, she was surprised the snow wasn’t instantly melting beneath her feet. So what if he didn’t like her perfume? She loved it and that was what ultimately mattered. The scent was light and cheerful, and smelled like a sensuous breeze filled with tropical fruits, flowers, and a setting sun. Her grandmother had picked it out for her on her sixteenth birthday. The loving old woman had said the second she smelled it, Patsy had come to mind. She’d worn it ever since, and whether he liked it or not, she planned on wearing it forever.
With a smile, Patsy decided since she was going to be working for him for eleven weeks, or until he fired her, he’d just have to get used to it.
8 Ways Onto The Naughty List
Chapter Four
Patsy stood in the middle of Dexter’s office and inhaled deeply. The light floral mixed with citrus scent coated the air, and it only got stronger as she walked over to his desk. Wanting to make sure the smell lingered, she applied a liberal amount to his chair. Hopefully, with a little bit of luck, he’d sit down long enough for the essence to stick to his clothes and haunt him all day.
She looked down at the half-empty bottle in her hand and grimaced. It had been almost full when she’d tucked it into her bag this morning. She walked back to her desk, wondering if would be ethical to replace it with money from petty cash, since technically she’d used it on the office. Every room had been given a light, but effective application so there’d be nowhere he could go to get away from it. She bent over in front of her desk and stuffed the bottle in her bottom drawer.
Blowing a breath past her lips, she headed into the kitchen to start the pot of the disgusting weak ass coffee she’d been giving him all week. She still couldn’t believe he hadn’t fired her on the spot for that one. Maybe if she’d stuck around last night instead of rushing out he would have fired her. The problem was once he started hurling insults, it was either leave or hit him. She knew nothing she could say would penetrate that thick skull of his and hitting him would have probably caused her more pain than him. So she’d left.
Now here she was making sure his cup was clean, his coffee was made, and his schedule for the day was neatly typed and waiting for him on his desk. Worse, she was watching the hall, waiting to catch a glimpse of him as he came in. She’d never wanted a guy this badly before. She figured it was some type of cosmic joke fate was playing on her. The kind where you find the man of your dreams and he’s totally unobtainable. This stunt probably wouldn’t get her fired, but it would irritate him, and she’d have to settle for that for now. The phone rang in the other room and she had to run to get it in order to answer by the third ring. It was one of the rules the firm had.
All calls were to be answered quickly and courteously . Normally that wasn’t an issue, but the past few days she had been a bit terse at times. It was all Dexter’s fault. He had to see this situation wasn’t good for either of them. When he did, he’d let her go. She just hoped it happened before she did something she’d regret.
~* * *~
Dexter had barely gotten any sleep, thanks to some pretty hot dreams involving him and his stubborn assistant. He cradled the one and only cup of caffeinated robust morning blend coffee he allowed himself in his hand. She had wormed her way into his heart and mind so deeply that he found himself thinking about her a thousand times a day. Each and every time he got lost in thoughts of her he’d curse the day he met her, then thank God that he had. He lifted the cup to his lips and drained the last of his coffee.
He tossed the paper cup into the trash before stepping into the elevator. He made some small talk with the other occupants as they rode to the second floor. They all exited, leaving him alone with his dreadful thoughts. He was going to make another attempt at an apology. He’d mucked it up so much already Dexter wondered if he should even bother to try one more time. It couldn’t make things any worse he decided as the doors slid open.
He froze between the doors as her scent drifted to him. It was faint, but he was easily able to pick up on it. He looked down toward the bathroom and when he didn’t see her, he stepped into the hall facing the office. There she was sitting at her desk talking on the phone. I must have just missed her. Too bad, running into her in the hall could have been like meeting on neutral territory. A sudden thought occurred to him that maybe he was going about this all wrong. If he managed to run into her outside of work, she might actually be relaxed enough that he could apologize. Maybe he’d even make some headway showing her he wasn’t as bad as she thought.
A smile crossed his lips as he began to think of the possibilities he could arrange, but it quickly turned into a frown when he opened the door. “Yes, Ms. Humvanbolt. I will tell him you called and that you’d like to see him this afternoon.”
Patsy turned as the door clicked closed behind him. She pointed to the phone and he shook his head, escaping to his office as quickly as he could. LeAnn Humvanbolt was one of his most wealthy clients. Actually, she was one of the firm’s wealthiest clients, and a major pain in the ass. A snob and a flirt who laughed too much, and expected everyone to drop what they were doing and focus totally on her. Personally, he would rather have foisted her off on someone else, but she had specifically come to him with her problems. And even though the firm was doing well, he couldn’t afford to offend someone of her stature. Stepping inside his office he closed the door and leaned back against it, taking a deep breath.
All thoughts of LeAnn fled as Patsy’s scent filled the air. He closed his eyes and let it fill his senses. It was stronger in here than out in the outer office or hall. The sweet yet sultry fragrance brought back the images from his dreams. Her naked and writhing beneath him as he tormented her. Dexter heard and felt the knock that sounded on the door. He made a mad dash for his desk.
He slid into the chair just as she opened the door and walked in. She walked over and put a mug of coffee on his desk. He knew what was coming next. She was a creature of habit at work, he wondered if the rest of her life was as organized.
She popped one hand on her hip and glared at him. “Your schedule is full this morning. It lightens up this afternoon, which is good, because you’re going to call Hummer back within the hour.” She dropped LeAnn’s file on the desk. “If you don’t, she’ll keep calling until you do.”
“I’ll give this a quick glance and call her, maybe we can handle whatever the issue is over the phone.” He knew it was just wishful thinking, and from the look on Patsy’s face, she knew it too.
“Whatever. I have to go upstairs and help Marcy with her computer again. I’ll leave the doors open so you’ll be able to hear Mr. and Mrs. Britton when they arrive.” Normally Patsy gave him more notice if she was going to be out of the office for any amount of time.
So either this was something that just popped up or she was still pissed at him. There was one way to know for sure. She always typed up his schedule the night before so if it was on there than she’d known at least since yesterday. He glanced down at the schedule in his hand and there it was in big red letters, ‘Help Marcy’. Marcy was Jared’s new assistant of four weeks and for the life of him, Dexter couldn’t figure out why he’d hired her in the first place. Obviously she wasn’t very efficient. His last few must have been at least somewhat competent, because he never heard a complaint from Jared, and Patsy had never had to help any of them. And Marcy wasn’t a looker like the last couple had been. Actually that was something all Jared assistants had had in common — they were all pretty enough to stop traffic.
This one was kind of plain in comparison. And obviously she was going to need some training to learn the ropes. It seemed like Patsy had stepped in to fill that role. Jared couldn’t have asked for a better mentor. Patsy would have her up to snuff in no time, well she would if he could keep her from leaving. Which he was confid
ent he could, if he could just apologize for everything he had done wrong. He wasn’t going to promise he wouldn’t fuck up again, because after all he was a guy. His sister had told him no matter how great a guy is he’s bound to screw up from time to time.
Patsy made it all the way to her desk before he thought to ask when she’d be back. “Will you be back before lunch?”
“I have no idea. If not, you can lock up when you leave. I’ll take my keys with me.” She grabbed something out of her desk and left without even a glance back. Not a good sign in his book.
~* * *~
Patsy stepped into the elevator and sagged against the wall. She’d spent the past five hours helping Marcy redo all of Jared’s files. She’d never seen such a disorganized mess in all her life. The computer was in even worse shape. Game icons were all over the screen, along with every type of instant messenger service out there. What wasn’t there was the office software they used to keep things straight. For the past few weeks Marcy had been so busy typing up Jared’s notes on the dozens of files stacked all over his office she barely made a dent in the actual filing. Not to mention it seemed like none of his assistants had ordered any office supplies in a long time. Since all Marcy could find was a few pads of paper and some old beat up folders.
Jared’s first command had been for Marcy to do whatever it took to get the place presentable. Patsy knew most of Jared’s clients were big wigs who didn’t have time to come to him so he was on the road a lot, but she had overheard him telling Dexter he was planning on changing that. Still, he had to have known what a mess his old assistants were making of everything. Now he’d left one sweet young woman in charge of fixing this huge disaster. It still amazed her how the terse man had managed to hire such an easygoing woman to handle things for him. Patsy and Kale’s assistant Julia had offered to help Marcy, but Kale was keeping Julia busy dealing with his clients. With the new baby keeping him and his wife up all night, Patsy could understand why he needed Julia’s full attention to keep the office running.
So it was just her and Marcy. She didn’t mind though, it had given her the chance to get out of the office and away from Dexter. They’d worked until the place was the epitome of a professional office, then had a large ham and onion pizza delivered. As they ate, they chatted about their old bosses, and how they compared to Dexter and Jared. Though Marcy hadn’t come right out and said it, Patsy got the feeling she wasn’t the only one whose boss was totally clueless. The elevator dinged, and she stepped into the hall. The invigorating smell of her body spray still lingered in the air. Knowing he’d had to smell it all day gave her a little thrill.
The outer office door was closed, which meant Dexter probably wasn’t back from lunch yet, or maybe he was busy with a client. Either way, she figured she would have some time to get settled in before she had to deal with him.
~* * *~
Dexter heard the outer door open and close. Since he wasn’t expecting any other clients he guessed it was Patsy. He would have gotten up and checked, but LeAnn wouldn’t like that. She was rambling on about how a friend of hers had told her she was making enough charitable contributions. He couldn’t tell if she wanted him to agree or disagree. Truthfully, he was having a lot of trouble paying attention to her at all. His stomach was begging for his attention. It was his own fault, since instead of going out for lunch he waited around for Patsy to come back.
He’d worked for a while, but eventually gave up, leaned back in his chair and took a few minutes to try and figure out why he couldn’t seem to get Patsy’s scent out of his head today. He’d dozed off and had the craziest sexy dream of his life.
They were alone on a white sandy beach. Waves crashed on the sand, and trees waved in the slight breeze. A light rhythmic beat that made him imagine their bodies swaying together was coming from somewhere. Patsy stood there smiling with her hands on her bare hips. All she was wearing was a tiny red bikini trimmed with fluffy white fur, and a Santa hat. Without a word, she laid down on a huge towel big enough for two and held out her hand to him. He moved forward to take it when a loud knocking had woken him. He’d been sitting here listening to LeAnn babble ever since.
“Well what do you think?” LeAnn asked, finally winding down on her blathering.
He knew this could be a tender subject, he was going to have to be sensitive. “I think if there is a charity you are really interested in then I could see donating. But if you’re just doing it for another tax deduction than I need to warn you, you’re already at the top end of your deduction allowance. Another thing you could consider is volunteering some time.”
“Well the deduction would be nice, but I was thinking maybe I could do something a little more hands on. I’m not sure what, but if I was to start up something and really devote my time and energy I just know I could make a difference. What I really need to know is what type of financial protection and support will I need?” Her smile led him to believe she already had something in mind, but wasn’t ready to reveal it just yet.
“I can give you some information to read and when you’re a little more decided we can sit down and file any paperwork you need to get started.” He leaned over, opened one of the bottom drawers and pulled out a file on the standard procedures for a non-profit organization, and another one on S-corporations.
They talked for a little while longer. He figured while she was here he should hit the basics of her accounts so she knew where she stood. Some of her investments hadn’t panned out quite the way she hoped, while others had surpassed her goals. They were wrapping things up when she looked around the room and shook her head.
“You know, Dexter, your outer office is so homey and festive, but your office is a bit depressing.” If his other clients had felt the same none of them mentioned it, but she was right.
He got to his feet and escorted her to the door. “I’ll have to do something about that.”
They walked into the outer office and she stopped right in front of Patsy’s desk. “Oh, you’re too busy for little details like that. I’m sure your assistant could do a passable job.”
“Excuse me?” Patsy said, finally looking up at them.
“Dexter’s office needs a little sprucing up for the holidays.” LeAnn rubbed her hand on his arm and batted her eyes. “I mean…really, you don’t want people thinking you’re related to Scrooge.”
She was right Patsy would do a terrific job. “Patsy, would you mind taking care of that for me? I have a meeting with Mr. Muthcay. I probably won’t be back before you leave for the day.”
“No problem, Mr. Chapman. I’ll get right on that.” No one would’ve know from the tone of her voice, but the gleam in her eyes was enough to let him know he’d stepped in it again he thought, leading LeAnn out of the office.
8 Ways Onto The Naughty List
Chapter Five
Patsy sat in Dexter’s chair staring at the Christmas tree. It took up so much room she had to move his desk across the room and slide the cabinet a good four feet to the left. The tree now took up a whole corner of the room. Along with the tree, which was heavily decorated with as many sparkly ornaments as she could find, she’d hung some garland along the top of the cabinet. Her gaze stayed on the tree, the twinkling lights doing nothing to lift her spirits. If anything, it made them sink lower.
This tree was her dream tree. It was the total opposite of the tiny practically bare one she had back in her apartment. The tree was the type of tree a family would gather around. Maybe a newlywed couple would even play tangle the tinsel under it, she thought with a sad smile. She probably should have gone with something smaller, but she figured if she wasn't going to get to fulfill any of her other fantasies in here she may as well have this one.
She felt the tear escape and quickly wiped it off her cheek. Only a fool would sit alone and cry in front of such a pretty tree. She got to her feet and started packing up the boxes. It took her three trips to get everything neatly stacked in the storage room. It was late and she was tired,
anything else could wait until tomorrow morning. She slapped the switch off, taking a few seconds to bask in the colorful glow of the lights. With a sigh, she pressed the off button on the remote and laid it on Dexter's desk.
She stepped into the outer office just as Dexter came through the door. They both froze leaving a huge distance between them. Patsy's heart pounded in her chest, wishing he'd close the distance and take her in his arms. She knew it would never happen, but no matter what her brain processed, her heart wasn’t getting the messages.
Finally he dropped his coat on the chair by the door and step forward. “What are you still doing here? I thought you went home.”
“I …um…” She looked back over her shoulder, wondering how he was going to react to her changes. “I went and got some dinner, but I came back to finish some stuff up.”
“What kind of stuff?” He closed the distance between them and she could clearly see the frown on his face.
His anger just spiked hers and she couldn't keep it out of her voice. “I took care of your office like you asked.”
“I didn’t mean that you had to do it tonight.” She stepped aside as he walked into his office and turned on the light.
It was pretty obvious he hadn't been expecting to find her there, and she hadn't planned on being caught, but here they were. Patsy didn’t want to care what he thought, but she couldn’t stop herself from watching to see his expression. Blank. She’d gotten used to that look, but she was getting damn sick of it. Would it be so hard for him to fake a smile even if he hated it? Or at least say it was terrible? She really didn’t think that was too much to ask for. His stony silence was more than she could take.
