He paused. “What differentiates us from them if we do the same things?”
“Youth,” I answered. “This company hasn’t been around as long as, say, AT&T, but that’s not a bad thing. Telecoms are run by old men who don’t want to relinquish power. You say you’re different. You want a new direction, a new take. Make this company look like the world. Diversity, humor, creativity. Intertwine that with the company name. You’ll be the new kid on the block.”
He smiled. “What else?” His eyes never left me.
“The website needs to be completely revamped. Pull the old commercials in circulation immediately and issue a visual release, teasing how Imperium is changing. Get people excited. Spend advertising money on animation or get a spokesperson. That little gecko is annoying as hell, but you know what company he represents. Niches are everything. Tap those people out there that are smarter than you and me to find it. They have ideas. They just need to be inspired.”
He continued to stare at me, his face impassive.
I looked away. “Or not…”
His lips curled and turned into a full-blown smile seconds later. He got out of his chair and sat on the edge of his desk in front of me. I sat back when our legs inadvertently touched and glanced at him. I hated how my heartbeat increased when he was near, and when he touched me, I lost control of my body temperature too. It grew warmer by the second.
“How long have you worked here?” he asked.
“Uh, this was my first job after college, so six years?”
He furrowed his brow. “What position did you come in under?”
“I interned for a year, then came on full-time as a graphic design artist.”
His brows pulled together. “You’ve never been promoted?”
I gave a slight smile and lightly shrugged. “Well, I mean, senior graphic design artist is a promotion. I think.”
“Why have you stayed?” he asked incredulously. “Not that I want you to leave, I just…”
I shook my head and looked up at him. “That’s an excellent question.”
I wouldn’t mention that I couldn’t move away from Imperium because of my dickhead boyfriend and how I put my life on hold so he could shine. Then sacrificed my career for him while he cheated on me. I frowned.
He narrowed his eyes in confusion, then glanced at me, nodding. “Okay,” he whispered.
He stood and walked towards the door. I took that as my cue to leave. When I stood, I saw he already had his hand on the knob.
I stopped in front of him. “Look,” I stared at the third button from the top of his shirt. “I’m sorry if I went too far. You asked me to be honest—”
“Farren.” I met his eyes while he shook his head slightly. “You gave me exactly what I needed. Thank you.” He studied me.
I was in his space again. The heat from his body traveled to me, locking us together. I tried my damnedest to resist the pull to him.
I looked away and nodded. “Sure.”
The warmth of his stare broke as he finally opened the door. I glanced at him once more and shambled back to my area.
Being that close to Powers, caused me to shake out the tension from my limbs. Gwen’s eyes were on me as I walked past her.
When I got back to my desk, both Yvette and Trevor came over.
“And what were you two in there talking about?” Yvette leaned against the opening.
I tried to cool my body temperature with a deep breath. “He asked about my ideas.”
Trevor came behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. “Then why are you beet red right now?”
I turned while touching my face. “Am I?”
“Did he promise to show you his if you showed him yours?” Trevor asked.
I shushed him and laughed. “You’re going to get in trouble with HR.” They both looked at me, waiting. “Look, he asked me the same thing he asked everyone else.”
Yvette leaned forward. “But no one else got asked to go into his office.”
I pointed past them. “Blame that on all of them who don’t know how to eavesdrop properly.”
Yvette raised her left eyebrow at me.
“Okay, don’t make this more than what it is,” I answered. “It was just a meeting. I know you two are always looking for secret hookups in the office, but this isn’t one. Go back to work.” I turned and faced my computer. Trevor smacked his lips and left. Yvette came over and sat on my desk.
“You gotta admit, he’s absolutely edible,” she mused.
I looked up at her and smiled, shaking my head.
“If nothing else, he provides glorious images for some alone time with our battery-powered friends.” She raised her eyebrows.
“Mine’s rechargeable,” I replied.
She laughed and pushed my arm.
I wasn’t totally blind. David Powers was alluring, and I was one-hundred percent sure Gwen and a few others on the floor would try to make a play for him at some point. There was no ring on his left hand, no pictures of a woman or kids on his desk. He was fair game for anyone willing to try. As tempting as he was, I wouldn’t be just anyone. He could stay “edible” from a distance.
Four
Yvette and I sat in the cafeteria for lunch. The crowd had cleared a bit, but the surrounding chatter was still present.
“We spent most of the night in the hot tub. Wine, moonlight, it was a perfect combination to end the evening…” Yvette stopped and took a sip of her soda.
“When suddenly…” I pushed and made a circular motion with my hand.
“His phone rang, and a pair of titties showed up on his screen.” She winced.
I sucked a breath through my teeth and made a face. “Oops.”
She leaned forward against the table. “Oh, that’s not even the worst part. Her screen name was There She Blows.”
I opened my mouth in horror, then howled.
She slapped her hand down on the table. “Don’t laugh. I was mortified!”
“I’m sorry, I am. But you guys aren’t officially dating, right? Aren’t you free to see other people too?” I poked my fork in the pasta bowl.
“I mean, yeah,” she stared at the table, “but I didn’t think he was.”
“You can’t be mad at him for that. He doesn’t know you want to be exclusive.” I took a bite.
“He should. I do everything for his ass.” She looked to her right and moved her ebony hair behind her shoulder.
“He’s a man, Yvette. Being observant is not exactly one of their strong points.” I shrugged. “Just tell him you want to be his girlfriend.”
“What? Like Gwen over there with CEO playboy?” She pointed in the direction she was staring.
I turned and saw Gwen with Powers, laughing while he leaned on the edge of a table. She was close enough to play with his tie but didn’t quite make it in-between his legs.
I sighed and shook my head. “Playboy?” I asked.
“Yep. Nothing but arm candy and short-lived headlines. You haven’t googled him yet?” she asked, surprised.
I looked down. “No.”
“You’re missing out on some drool-worthy shirtless pics.” She dipped her fry into ranch dressing. “He was VP of marketing at a small internet company called Alliance.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard of it. Microsoft just put in a bid for it,” I said.
“LA Magazine also listed him as one of the top hot executives in the US.” She raised her eyebrows.
“We seriously need to change your reading material.” I laughed. “So, he’s not a millionaire?”
“Doesn’t look like it. But I’m sure he’s not struggling,” she said vaguely.
I tried to work through this out loud because internally, it didn’t make any sense. “Sounds like if he had stayed with Alliance, he would’ve been. Why would anyone quit an up-and-coming internet start-up to become CEO of a dying telecommunications company? Plus look like the bad guy stepping over your father like that?” None of that scenario seemed likely. I sensed a deeper
story there. Something David Powers was trying hard to keep out of the media.
Yvette’s shrug told me she wasn’t as interested as I was about this and wouldn’t be any help with my questions.
I peered over my shoulder again. Gwen slid closer to Powers while he leaned further away from her. I doubted she even noticed. A twinge of irritation hung in my chest from watching them, but I couldn’t pin down why.
I turned back to Yvette. “I’ll give her credit, she doesn’t let up, does she?”
“Nope. She did this with Nick for months.” Yvette looked at Powers and Gwen. “Do you think he’ll sleep with her?”
I screwed up my face. “Not if he’s smart. That’s an HR nightmare waiting to happen.”
She laughed. “Office policy doesn’t discriminate against dating co-workers.”
“Yeah, but he’s the CEO, and she’s in accounting. Not exactly equally matched in the eyes of the company.” I put down my fork, no longer hungry.
She shook her head. “Doesn’t matter, you just have to sign one of those disclosures saying you can’t sue the company or whatever if you break up.”
“Well, next time I decide to seduce someone at work, I’ll keep that in mind.” I looked over my shoulder again. Gwen playfully bit her lip at Powers. He didn’t look as though her advances bothered him. Maybe that was just who he was. Flirtatious with anyone who batted an eyelash his way.
Gwen turned and walked in our direction. Powers glanced at her ass as she switched her hips—her signature move. She was petite, but her ass was her best feature. She wore the tightest pants and skirts to accent her plump behind. Powers didn’t seem immune to that particular allure either.
When I caught him looking, he glanced away, smiling, and his cheeks darkened with embarrassment. He returned my gaze and straightened his features. I raised my eyebrows at him in a silent admonishment, then turned to Gwen. She leaned her hands against the top of our table, giving Powers another view of her backside in case he didn’t get his fill the first time. She faced us again, smiling.
“Trying to be Mrs. Powers, I see. What happened to your pursuit of Nick, Gwen?” I asked, trying to keep the annoyance out of my tone.
She moved her platinum blonde bob out of her face and laughed. “Oh, I’m putting in overtime on this one, girls. Nick’s cute, but he’s the total package,” she said and nodded back in Powers’s direction.
“And his six-figure bank account has nothing to do with it, right?” Yvette rested her head on her palm.
“I’m sure it’s more than that, Yvette.” She rolled her eyes.
Both Yvette and I looked at each other. It seemed Gwen hadn’t done a Google search either.
I sat back in my chair. “Rumor has it, he’s a big player, Gwen. Real Leonardo DiCaprio type. Doesn’t want to settle down with anyone.”
“Well, maybe he just hasn’t met the right girl.” She stood and smoothed out her skirt. “There’s a first time for everything. Even George Clooney got married.”
I laughed. “Amal Clooney is a humanitarian and brilliant lawyer.”
“Meaning?” she said flatly.
I smiled with amusement. “Meaning it’ll probably take more than a winning personality and your ass to lock him down,” I said sarcastically.
Yvette laughed, and soda came out of her nose.
Gwen glared down at me. “Don’t be jealous, Farren. We all know you’re the nerd who’d rather read the New York Times than Cosmo, but sometimes brains aren’t everything. A man wants a professional in the boardroom and a whore in the bedroom.”
I tilted my head at her. “Well, you got one down. I’ll let you decide which.”
Gwen scoffed and walked away.
Yvette dabbed her nose with a napkin. “Damn, Farren. Why don’t you tell her how you really feel?”
I stabbed a broccoli floret with my fork. “Need I remind you of the Christmas party when she cornered Crew in an office and tried to make out with him?”
“Oh, yeah.” She winced at the memory. “Why didn’t you kick her ass then?”
“She was drunk, and I was trying to be understanding.”
Yvette laughed. “She’s a trip.”
“With a capital T,” I responded, aggravated.
Yvette stood and picked up her tray. “Want me to take your trash?”
“Yes, thank you.” I laid the plastic bowl and water bottle on the gray plastic sheet.
My phone vibrated on the table. I turned it over to see who it was.
Crew.
My heart dropped as I peered at Yvette moving towards me. I snatched the phone, holding my finger up to her while I stood and moved to where she couldn’t hear me.
“What do you want, Crew?” I answered.
“Hi, Farren.”
It had been two weeks since he broke up with me, and my feelings were just as raw hearing his voice again. David Powers had been a nice visual distraction from my heartbreak, but evidently didn’t help fill the hollowness in my chest Crew had left.
My impatience grew when he didn’t speak. “Crew, I’m at work. What do you need?”
He sighed. “I need to talk to you.”
“That’s what you’re doing, so talk. Quickly.”
“No, I mean, I want to see you.”
I exhaled loudly. “I told you when you texted me, just let me know when you want your stuff, and I’ll leave it all outside. It’ll either be in a box or spread out over the grass depending on my mood that day.”
“Farren, please. Let me take you to dinner.”
I furrowed my brow. “For what possible reason would I want to go to dinner with you? Are you going to break up with me again?”
“So I can apologize.” He paused. “I made an enormous mistake.”
I stood in the middle of the cafeteria, dumbfounded and unable to speak. I glanced at Yvette. She was ignoring me and going through her phone. I turned around and met David Powers’s hazel eyes. He sat alone at a table in the middle of the cafeteria. We held each other’s gaze.
“Farren?”
I took a breath and faced away from the CEO. “Crew, what am I supposed to say?”
“You’re supposed to say yes.” I angled the mouthpiece down and shook my head. “Because you still love me, and more importantly…I still love you.”
I spoke in a hushed but aggravated tone. “Two weeks ago, you were out of love with me and in love with Nina. Which is it?”
“It’s you,” he blurted. “It’s always been you. I just…need to see you.”
I exhaled again.
“Please, Farren. Let me explain how much you mean to me.”
The two years of our relationship came washing over me. I couldn’t deny that I still loved him and truly wanted to see him too. As much as my pride didn’t want me to, I caved.
“Fine,” I whispered.
“Okay,” he said, relieved. “I’ll take you to Gianelli’s on Friday.” He would use my favorite restaurant as a part of his scheme.
“Alright,” I said.
“I’ll pick you up at 6:30 at the apartment, okay? I love you, Farren.”
I removed the phone from my ear and tapped the red button. I stared at the screen, then slid it into my pocket again. I wanted to feel relief—or something resembling relief. I wanted to be happy Crew seemed to have come to his senses, but I didn’t. That brief tug of betrayal was still there, screaming at me to call him back and tell him to fuck off. Tell him I had no need nor want to hear his excuses for crushing me. For throwing away what we had for her.
I walked back to the table and leaned on the back of the plastic chair, chewing my bottom lip.
“Earth to Farren. Who was that?” Yvette looked at me.
“Nobody.” I shook my head. “My dad. We should go back upstairs.” I couldn’t tell her I was going on a date with Crew after telling her and Trevor what he had done. Admitting I wanted to see him was embarrassing enough. Besides, it was just dinner. I would hear what he had to say, then decide from ther
e what to do about us.
Unable to stop, I glanced at the CEO again. When I did, his stare dodged mine and dropped to his phone.
I smiled as I left the cafeteria at his slip. What was wrong with me?
“I THINK IF YOU just make that a little bigger, it’ll be fine,” I said, leaning over the back of my co-worker’s chair pointing at the screen.
“Thanks, Farren,” Annie replied.
“Ms. Hallston,” I heard to my left.
A pair of hazel eyes stared at me. I straightened.
“Could I see you in my office?” Powers didn’t wait for an answer, just continued to walk towards his door with his hands in his pockets. I took a breath and looked down at Annie, who raised her eyebrows at me.
I knocked on the open door. The CEO had moved into a bigger office down the hall. He’d added a conference table and changed the paint on the walls. The desk was the same, but the chairs had changed. His tastes were clean and minimalistic. I liked it.
He glanced at me. “Come in.”
I walked to the head of the long, rectangular table, farthest away from Powers. He got out of his leather chair and stood across from me at the other head of the table.
“I owe you an apology,” he said.
“For what?”
“Today in the cafeteria.” He watched me intently.
I looked at him with confusion.
He gave a slightly crooked smile and looked away. “You caught me doing something that I…should have never done to Ms. Barnes.”
“Gwen?”
“Yes,” he replied.
I jerked my head back in surprise. Was he asking for forgiveness for checking out her ass or flirting like they were in high school? Probably the ass part. “I don’t think I’m the one you should apologize to.”
He walked towards me but stopped by the table’s midsection. “I’ve already spoken to Ms. Barnes. I let her know she was free to contact human resources so it could be on file if she needed to. I’ll take whatever punishment comes with that. I’m extending that to you as well.”
The One of Many Page 3
