Love, Inc

by Lily Zante

  Wayne let out a breath of air. He had been holding it in. He slouched back in his seat and his shoulders slumped gently downwards. It had taken every ounce of composure in his body to hold it together. To get out the words telling her she could go. If he hadn’t held the files in his hands and sat down at this desk so quickly, he would have taken her in his arms and kissed her with abandonment. Or so he imagined. He didn’t think for one moment that Lexi was the slightest bit interested in him.

  Taking a huge breath in, he sat up bolt straight and started working through his files. He knew today was going to be another long day and night at the office.

  Lexi traipsed back to her apartment.

  She looked at her watch. It was way after two o’clock. Her friends would have finished brunch by now.

  She was desperate for company. She felt like talking to someone. Keeping these feelings for Wayne bottled up inside her was driving her wild. She got out her cell phone and then put it back again. No. She would go back home and see if any more orders had come in for her ASL clothing line. And if there were none, she would work on her marketing material or find something else to occupy her.

  Anything really that would take her mind off Wayne Blunt.

  Chapter Six

  The next day Lexi got to work earlier than usual. On her way in Karn called her.

  “Good news!” she sang down the phone in her ever enthusiastic manner. Lexi could just imagine her red-headed TeamHQ contact with her vivacious temperament and quick manner bouncing around with excitement.

  “Rudy Grange from Levito Law wants you back for a six month contract.” She paused, waiting to hear the inevitable whoop of joy from Lexi. Instead there was silence at the other end.

  “Lexi?” Karn’s voice boomed down the phone.

  Lexi stopped in her tracks. She was just yards away from going through the doors of WB Enterprises and she didn’t want to be having this conversation inside the office.

  “Lexi?” continued Karn, “Rudy Grange wants you to start today and he’s upping your daily rate.” She sounded rather pleased with herself.

  “Okay,” was Lexi’s solo comment. She stopped walking and with a sinking heart listened to Karn excitedly gush over the details of the new contract. This news had come as a complete shock to her. And one that she was totally unprepared for.

  She was so enjoying her work at WB Enterprises. She felt she was making a difference here. Greta valued her input and together they were both slowly and without too much disruption, making minor but highly productive changes to the office systems.

  Apparently, according to Greta, Wayne was more than happy for Greta and Lexi to “do their thing.” With a sinking heart she thought of Rudy Grange, the attorney at Levito Law. In the past she would have jumped at the opportunity to work there. But things were different for her now. Not only was her own business starting to develop wings, but she found the work at WB Enterprises so much more satisfying. And then there was the question of Wayne Blunt. She liked being around him too.

  “I don’t want it, Karn,” she said, her voice very quiet.

  “What?” Karn almost screamed back. “I have a temp coming over now to relieve you at WB Enterprises right this very minute! I told Rudy you would start this morning. I couldn’t call you earlier because I only just got the paperwork back.” Karn, who found it difficult to sit still for too long, now collapsed back down in her chair. This was most unexpected of Lexi. She had secured her a great hourly rate too, the commission for which would enable her to buy the latest pair of Jimmy Choos. She was most interested to hear the girl’s reasoning.

  “I’m happy here Karn. I-I-” Lexi faltered, not sure quite how to explain what was keeping her here.

  “But I’ve told him you’ll accept-”

  “You shouldn’t have. Not without my say so,” interjected Lexi, with annoyance.

  “You told me a few weeks ago to get you out of that hell hole! Your words not mine.”

  Her auburn ringlets shook uncontrollably as she sat in her seat gesticulating furiously, the motion sending shockwaves through her curls. She had a temp already booked to replace Lexi.

  “Karn, you can’t make me do this!” Lexi tried to remain calm and just at that very moment, Wayne brushed past her. She knew who it was even before she saw him. She felt the spark of electricity surge through her back. His touch always did this to her. He walked past and must have caught the end words of the sentence. His cheerful face slowly morphing in to a worried one. He paused at a respectful distance from her and mouthed an “Are you okay?” He could see that she was upset about something. Must be boyfriend trouble, he assumed. When Lexi gave him a thumbs up and forced a brave face, he turned and went inside. Lexi hadn’t paid the slightest bit of notice to what Karn had said. She had been too busy looking at Wayne and his lean, tight body as he walked through the doors. And then he was gone.

  Karn’s tirade continued. “If you insist, but I’m telling you now, I won’t forget this. You can stay at that place for as long as they need you but I’m not fighting to get you a raise or anything. I’ll have to call that temp back now. Gotta go.” She sounded annoyed.

  Lexi breathed a sigh of relief. Karn would be back to her sunny, cheerful self in no time. She would be able to source another temp quickly, probably not someone as good as her though, she smirked to herself. She felt her early exuberance returning and she almost floated into the office. And then she was caught completely off guard by Wayne who stood over by Greta’s desk. The two of them were going through some papers and cross-referencing them with some screenshots. Greta greeted her with her usual warm smile. Wayne looked at her with concern. He wondered what her boyfriend would be like. Then he looked away, busying himself with work.

  Lexi went over to her desk and sat down, ready for a good day. It was hard to concentrate with Wayne only yards in front of her. She switched on her desktop PC and willed it to power up quickly, which was useless because every day, without fail, her PC took an absolute age to go through the system checks and to finally deem itself suitable for use. Lexi pretended to flick through some paperwork which mercifully was lying in a pile on her desk. Otherwise, Lexi’s desk was neat and organized.

  “Do you know Powerpoint?” asked Greta, turning away from her computer screen and glancing at Lexi. Her face was set in a frown. Lexi found herself staring into Wayne’s eyes; she could feel him looking at her.

  “Um, yes, I do,” said Lexi, attempting to drag her stare away from Wayne. She got up and walked over to Greta.

  “What’s the problem?” Wayne moved aside, sitting back in the chair he had pulled up beside Greta. He let out a huge sigh, locked his hands together and rested them behind his head.

  He looked up at Lexi and said, “We’ve got the big presentation next Monday to McKenzie & Co. It would be good to get these figures into diagrams. Make it look professional and sleek.”

  Lexi tried hard not to let her eyes look down at his chest. He looked so inviting sitting in his chair in that way. The thought of straddling him briefly flitted across her mind before Greta joined in, “I can collate all the data Wayne needs but I’m not really a whiz at putting it together, I know Powerpoint but not that well. Can you help Lexi?” Greta’s voice had a desperate undertone.

  Struggling for composure and hating herself for thinking the thoughts that were currently inside her head, Lexi managed a “Let me have a look.” She focused on the screen, anxious to block out the sight, smell and proximity of Wayne. Her face beamed as she looked at the papers that Greta was holding and the basic slides she had put together.

  Of course I can do this. She would rise to the challenge. After all, she was great at putting presentations together and an absolute wizard at using Powerpoint. It felt so good to be able to contribute.

  And if this was Wayne’s huge tender that he was bidding for, she wanted to make her mark.

  She turned to face them both and smiled confidently. “Sure, I can do this.” A look of relief f
ell on Greta’s face.

  “We’re going to have to put in some long days, the three of us. Is that alright with you?” asked Wayne, getting up and moving away. He knew Greta wouldn’t have a problem. He was looking intensely at Lexi.

  “Yes, no problem, I can work late.” Lexi hoped that the eagerness in her voice was not too evident.”

  His face seemed happier than she had seen it in a while and he was obviously thrilled by her acceptance. “I’ll pay you double for the overtime,” Wayne offered.

  “Thank you. That’s an offer I can’t refuse!” Replied Lexi happily and she nodded her head in appreciation.

  “I’ll leave you ladies to it. Greta, you know what I want, yes?”

  Greta patted the now empty seat beside her, motioning Lexi to come and sit down. “Don’t you worry Wayne, we’ve got this. Now shoo!” She waved him away with a customary wave of her hand.

  For the rest of that week, Lexi and Greta worked tirelessly helping Wayne put the presentation together. Their plan to slowly integrate and make the office system more computer based instead of mostly manual, would have to take a back seat for now. The two of them worked hard. Greta would collate all the data and Lexi would put it into easy to read and professional looking charts of the highest quality. She showed Greta how to do things with Powerpoint that Greta never thought were possible.

  “I think we deserve a nice lunch today, don’t you?” Greta suggested one day when they had been working particularly hard all morning. Lexi nodded eagerly.

  They went to Harry’s Deli where they tucked themselves away in a corner and had some sushi. Greta slowly touched on a subject she was most curious about.

  “Lexi, you work hard all day here at work, do you have someone special to share your life with outside of work?” She sipped her lemonade, eagerly awaiting a reply.

  “No,” Lexi shrugged. Her shiny hair tumbled gently just above her shoulders.

  “No?” Greta was not actually that surprised. Lexi always seemed so devoted to her work unlike so many of the young girls that she often saw who worked as temps.

  “I’m too busy…..-” She was not sure whether she ought to tell Greta about her side venture. She remained quiet.

  “I can’t imagine a person like you, with so much going for her, staying unattached and single for too long.” Greta prodded gently.

  “It’s been so busy at work the last few weeks,” Lexi began. “I-I-just want to build up my career first.” Hoping to change the subject. “How long have you been here Greta? She asked.

  “Oh, since the beginning, when Wayne first started out. And I must say, business is growing nicely. You could say it’s almost booming.”

  “Was it just you and Wayne in the beginning?” Lexi was curious to know.

  “And George, the warehouse foreman. Wayne’s father ran a business back in Ohio and Wayne didn’t want to live off his father’s earnings. He wanted to prove himself. So he came here and did this.”

  “Did he fall out with his father?” asked Lexi ever more curiously.

  “No, no. Wayne’s father died before he started this business. I think his brothers have taken over the family business. But, from what I understand, this was Wayne’s own idea.”

  “And he’s built it up to this in five years?” asked Lexi, playing around with her rocket salad.

  “Five years, yes, about that long. It was a lot smaller then. We didn’t have the warehouse though it came soon after when we started to manufacture the line of products that we now have. Before that Wayne worked out of this bedroom for three years. He had the products shipped in from China. But he has worked himself silly the last two years…..and with manufacturing here now as well….the business is doing good but I worry about him.”

  “Why?”

  “He works too hard.”

  “He plays too hard from what I can see,” added Lexi sullenly. She looked up, knowing that she had said too much already. Greta smiled to herself. So, this was the crux of it all. It was as she had thought.

  “Lexi, that’s not true at all. I’m not sure I know exactly what you mean.” She left the sentence dangling in the air and gave the air of being more interested in her sushi roll.

  “Aaaaahhh,” Lexi let outf a sigh. “I know he works hard. He’s always at the office. But, a man like him-,” she stopped in her tracks.

  “A man like him?” Greta asked curiously.

  “Young, good-looking, nice-ish personality, ambitious - how come he doesn’t have a girlfriend?”

  “How come you don’t have a boyfriend?” asked Greta mischievously.

  “We’re not talking about me Greta.”

  “Wayne thinks he has no time for anything but his business.”

  “Yet women seem to flock to him. I’ve seen people come in for business meetings and the few women that come by can’t seem to take their eyes off him.” Surprised that she had said so much about Wayne, Lexi tried to sound blasé about the whole thing.

  Greta relaxed in her seat. “It seems to me as though you’ve been paying him a great deal of attention.”

  Lexi found herself blushing, “Our offices are made of glass!” she retorted, “It’s so easy to people watch. I even watch you sometimes when you think I’m not looking.”

  “Yeah, I’ll bet you do,” replied Greta drily. She wasn’t going to fall for that one.

  Lexi was itching to ask more about Terri but she didn’t want to appear that interested in Wayne’s love life or to prize it out of Greta just yet. That could wait until another time.

  As if reading her thoughts Greta said, “He’s a hard worker, Lexi. Not a saint.” A faint smile touched her lips. Just then, Greta’s cell phone rang.

  “It’s Wayne,” she said, with a puzzled look on her face. “Let’s see what he wants.”

  After a couple of yes’s and uh-huhs, Greta hung up and told Lexi she needed to head back to the office as Wayne wanted some more accounting reports run.

  “Come on my dear, time to head back.”

  They wolfed down their food quickly and returned back to the office.

  Chapter Seven

  In all this Terri took a back seat. She used to hover around Wayne’s office daily even though she was based mostly in the warehouse. And many a time Lexi would find Terri looking at her from Wayne’s office. It was a little unsettling and Lexi never knew whether to smile or pretend that she hadn’t noticed her. Lexi tried to read Wayne’s reaction, and from what she observed it seemed that Wayne didn’t pay Terri much attention at all.

  During the crucial week before the big presentation, Terri stayed away from the offices and kept to the warehouse.

  The warehouse had around twenty staff members all involved in different aspects of the manufacturing and distribution process. There was a foreman in charge of the whole process, George Fisher, a tall, heavy and dependable type who quietly got on with his work. He somehow also inspired a certain level of respect from the other members.

  Terri helped George and mostly dealt with the paperwork. In their attempt to bring the office system to the modern age, it was usually Lexi and Greta who would go over to see Terri and try to explain the workings of the new system.

  But for this week, Greta, Lexi and Wayne stayed mostly on their side of the building, holed up in their respective offices and working to come up with the best possible presentation that they could deliver. They often worked late that week, staying in the office until eight or nine at night. Wayne ordered take out each night so the three of them ate in the office, taking a quick break between their work. Lexi thrived on the buzz of it all.

  For this week, her ASL business would have to take a backseat. She surprised herself because she would never have let anyone else’s business come before hers. But she knew the presentation was important to Wayne and she really wanted it to be a huge success. So for this week, her main priority was WB Enterprises. />
  A few days later, Greta, who had been in Wayne’s office showing him the latest version of the Powerpoint slideshow, stood grinning from ear to ear in front of Lexi’s desk. Lexi had been busy finishing off the orders that had come in during the week and which had been put to one side as they concentrated hard on preparing for the presentation.

  “Well, what is it?” asked Lexi anxiously, wondering what had animated Greta so.

  “Wayne LOVES your slideshow. You’ve outdone yourself.” She beamed and her bi-focals slid down further along her nose. Lexi shrugged calmly but inside her stomach was doing cartwheels. She felt ecstatic. “That’s a relief to know,” she said evenly, wondering what Wayne’s initial thoughts were.

  She had gone to town on this presentation and it was the best one she had ever done. Professional, sleek and polished.

  “I suggested that you take part in the presentation as well,” Greta announced proudly, obviously overjoyed to have thought of such an idea. Wayne had been especially enthusiastic when she had suggested it to him. She smiled broadly because she knew the potential this would have.

  You did what? Lexi opened her mouth, then closed it again. For once, she was at a loss for words.

  “I know you can do it,” Greta continued.

  Lexi frowned and then opened her mouth again. “I don’t know the business Greta. I don’t want to mess this up.” She pleaded. She could see that Greta had made her mind up. A part of her rose to the challenge. After all, doing a pitch to clients was often the thing she had to do when trying to sell her ideas about her lingerie line to prospective buyers.

  So why did she feel hesitant about this? She could read the figures, she knew the charts, she had gone through them with Greta all week. Greta would be in the room to answer any questions about data and figures as would Wayne. And that was it. She knew why she was reluctant to do this. This was so important to Wayne and she would be standing up there presenting with him. She didn’t trust herself to remain cool and calm. Not next to Wayne. He made her stomach dance as though butterflies were floating inside. She would be too self-conscious. She felt herself blushing. She hated it when that happened.