Fixated

by Scarlett Avery

  “You think? We’ve been best friends since we were sixteen, it’s really hard for us to hide anything from each other. Our friendship runs way too deep.” Ain’t that the truth.

  “You’re right. There’s more than what I’m sharing.”

  “I’m listening,” he presses.

  “I met someone.” Just thinking of Miranda brings a smile to my face.

  “I’m confused. You meet women all the time. That’s hardly earth-shattering.” Good point.

  “Yeah, this one’s different.”

  “How so?”

  “Other than the fact that I bumped into her three times in the span of a day, there’s just something so fresh and so untainted about her. It’s not common among LA women.”

  “This is getting juicy,” Jake says. “Now you’ve definitely piqued my curiosity. Spill it.”

  During the next half-hour I tell Jake everything about sassy Miranda. The truth is that no matter how much I try, I can’t get her out of my mind.

  I woke up early on Sunday morning with an impressive boner. I spent half the night dreaming that I was fucking Miranda’s sweet little pussy in my bed. I know it was all in my head because every time I’d reach across my bed to squeeze her heavy tits in my hand, I’d find it empty. It felt so real that my only salvation was to jerk off in my bed and then again in the shower like an impatient seventeen-year-old boy.

  “Wow. She must be something else. So no one else caught your attention at the after-party? It’s not like you to be satiated with only one woman.”

  “Nah, I wasn’t much in the mood. After I walked Miranda all the way to the door and kissed her good night, I wasn’t quite ready to go home yet so I decided to hang out a while longer. I had planned on accompanying her all the way to her limo, but she insisted it would be best if she made it alone to the chauffeured car waiting for her.”

  “Do you know why?”

  “I don’t. I didn’t want to ask too many questions and I didn’t want to push too hard, so I respected her wish, but I made sure to keep a vigilant eye on her. I guess she suspected I was watching over her because she waved right before closing the door behind her. Afterwards I looked around for Collin and Shane, but the Dennison brothers were nowhere in sight. It didn’t take me too long to bump into Rex, who was just ending a string of interviews with the international fashion press. Since it had been such a grueling evening for him, he was finally ready to party. I took him up on his offer and I followed him back to the fifth floor. After thirty minutes, I bowed out.”

  “None of the women at Rex’s private party were to your liking?” Jake sounds almost shocked.

  “As you pointed out earlier, it wouldn’t have been the first time that I indulged in two different women in one night, but I didn’t want anyone else after tasting Miranda. I went back down to the bar area and after a few drinks, I decided to call it a night.”

  “Holy shit,” he exclaims.

  “Yeah. She made quite an impression on me.” I bring my fingers to my jaw and scratch pensively at my morning stubble.

  “It surely sounds like she has. You didn’t make any efforts to see her yesterday?”

  “You know me better than to ask that question. I’m no amateur. You’re talking to a seasoned pro, after all.”

  Jake chuckles. “I would’ve been extraordinarily disappointed if you had confirmed my presumption.”

  “Although Miranda already forewarned me that she was spending the day hiking with her best friend, that didn’t stop me from going back to the Santa Monica farmers’ market. I figured plans change all the time. Who knows, I might end up being lucky again.”

  “She wasn’t there?”

  “Nope. I guess she really did go hiking. Of course, I could’ve driven up to the place she’s housesitting, but I didn’t want to bring too much attention to myself.”

  “Because of Mrs. Silverstein?”

  “Yeah. I don’t want to give her nosy neighbor a reason to start rumors and get Miranda in trouble.”

  “No texting?”

  “We’ve texted back and forth, but our messages have been brief chats. She had no cell connection most of yesterday since she was hiking in the middle of nowhere and last night she was attending a little dinner a few colleagues she used to work with organized to celebrate her new job. Her focus was elsewhere.”

  “What did you end up doing for the rest of the day? Did you go by your dad’s?”

  “No. My dad and my stepmom were away. Dad was at a conference in San Diego and Brea went with him. I decided to hang out with the two Scotsmen.”

  “Ah, of course, the two calendar boys,” Jake mocks.

  “Yeah. After stocking up on a few things that I can actually eat to bring to Collin’s Pacific Palisades lofty mansion, I drove up to his place.”

  “What the hell are you doing buying groceries for a grown man?”

  “Trust me, it’s for me, not for him. There are two options at this guy’s house—junk food or booze. Neither option is to my liking. I’m all for booze, but not at eleven o’clock in the morning,” I sneer. “Believe it or not, he and Shane decided to ditch those hotel rooms they had booked in favor of Collin’s place. From Shane’s recounting, their five blonde fans had three other friends join them later at the gala. The Scots broke their record.” I chuckle. “They ended up with eight women at Collin’s place for a wild night. Shane texted me yesterday morning early to warn me. He suggested I come by a little later since they were still savoring those groupies. Good thing I did. When I got there the place was a mess and the fridge bare.”

  “It’s incredible that someone who makes that much money and who has a housekeeper and a chef always seems to run out of food.”

  “Tell me about it. He manages when they work during the week, but they’re off on weekends and that’s when Collin starts running out of food. He’s always quick to blame his workout regime, which requires him to refuel by ingesting an insane number of calories every single day, but I blame it on his endless parties. There’s always someone coming in and out of his house, be it women or his buddies. It’s a revolving door. Sunday morning was a perfect example. I’d rather not take a chance when I go visit.”

  “I swear, Collin could give the cast of the now-concluded Entourage TV series a run for their money.”

  “I can’t argue. That said, I might take malicious pleasure at poking fun at Collin, but I must admit I was really happy to spend the rest of the afternoon lounging around his pool and catching up with him and Shane.”

  “It’s all good, then.”

  “It always is with the Dennisons.”

  “As fascinating as this story is—and I surely can’t wait to hear more about how things turned out between Miranda and you—that’s not why I called.”

  “Of course not,” I say, sitting up in my bed. “So what’s up? What’s so urgent that it couldn’t wait until I had my first cup of coffee of the day?” I joke.

  “I just got off the phone with Jay Aberdeen. He wants our meat.”

  “Shut the fuck up,” I shout, excited.

  “We got him.” Jake cheers.

  Even though I can’t see him, I’m sure he must be pumping his fist in the air at this monumental victory.

  “You closed one of the biggest handmade burger restaurateurs in Colorado and Kansas before I even had breakfast?”

  “You know what they say?”

  “No. And I don’t want to—”

  Jake interrupts me to drive home his point. “‘The early bird catches the worm.’” The mocking way he says that you’d think we were still in kindergarten.

  “Go to hell. We’ve both been working on this deal for weeks now—well before I moved out here.”

  Jay Aberdeen owns We Make ’Em Good, a popular chain of restaurants spanning two states. With over twenty restaurants, this is quite a significant win for us.

  “You’re right. He wanted to sign the contract before he went away on vacation so that we can start servicing his restau
rants by the time he gets back in two weeks. I’ll be ironing things out with his right-hand person while he’s basking in the sun.”

  “Robin Henley?” I ask.

  “Yeah. She’s a sweetheart.”

  “That she is,” I agree. “Shit.” I shake my head, still unable to believe this big news. “We’re growing so fast. We’re going to have to hire more staff soon.”

  “I agree. And it’s only the beginning. You have a big day ahead of you, right?”

  “Yup. I sure do.”

  “Are things still on with Food TV?”

  “Most definitely,” I answer, running my fingers through my messy hair.

  “Good. My little sis pulled some strings and I hope it’ll pay off for us.”

  “Riley surely came through big time and I’ll make sure it does pay off. I’ll be sitting at their office at three o’clock negotiating my butt off.”

  “I guess I should be happy you weren’t interested in finding another woman to fuck after you had your way with Miranda. That means you’re going to go into that meeting totally focused like a hockey player before the final game to win the Stanley Cup.” The amusement in his voice is unmistakable.

  “You know what? Your wake-up calls suck.”

  Jake roars on the other end. “Is that your way of saying you miss me?”

  “I’m not going to even dignify that with an answer.” I laugh. “No, seriously, Jake, my time in LA is a turning point for our business. Although the Dennison brothers did their best to guilt-trip me into going out with them again last night, I didn’t fall for it. The coming week is far too busy for me to party like a teenager with no cares in the world. As you know, I have a considerable number of extremely important meetings, and my head needs to be in the game. I owe it to myself, you, as my business partner and best friend, and all of the employees working for us at the ranch.”

  “Glad to hear we’re on the same page. You’ll call me the minute you get an answer?”

  “You bet.”

  “All right, I’ll let you get started with your day.”

  “Before you go, how’s Allison?”

  “My super-sexy girlfriend is doing great. She’s counting the days until we come to Cali to visit you and my parents.”

  “I can’t wait to see her again.”

  “What about me?”

  “It can’t always be about you, Jake. Not to mention your girlfriend is much more attractive than you are,” I mock.

  “Whatever. Okay, I’ve got to get back to work. Knock ’em dead today.”

  “Don’t I always?”

  “As much as I hate to admit it, you always hit it out of the ballpark, buddy.”

  * * *

  After a quick stop at Intelligentsia Coffee for my second shot of caffeine of the day, I take the elevator up to the seventh floor. Thank God I ride alone. The salacious thoughts storming through my head must be written all over my face. Damn, she was delicious. Given the current state of my raging erection, you’d never be able to believe that I jerked off twice thinking of Miranda this morning. And did I mention that last night I also rubbed one out a couple times before falling asleep? Fuck. I’m so into this girl.

  I stand in front of my LA office with a hand on the door handle and the other curled around a very large and very hot latte with the obligatory double shot of espresso. It always makes me smile when I read Totally Natural Meats inscribed in the glass door. Although our ranch is called Grand Valley Colorado Grass-Fed Angus Beef & Natural Meat Ranch, we decided to opt for a more West Coast-friendly name that’s not such a mouthful. Not to mention since we’ve acquired the ranch next door to ours, we now also sell chicken and pork. All naturally raised, of course. This new division isn’t nearly as lucrative as our beef, but I’m sure things will turn around quickly.

  I step inside the office as Charlene is walking back to her desk with a large mug in one hand and a bagel in the other. When she sees me she rewards me with a beaming smile.

  “Good morning, boss.”

  “Good morning to you, Charlene.”

  “You look very sharp today.” She takes me in from head to toe with an approving eye.

  “Thank you. Coming from a harsh critic like yourself, I guess that’s a good start to my day.”

  “One of Rex Harrington’s?” Charlene asks, dropping her bagel on her desk.

  “Nah, I decided to cheat on Rex. It’s a Christopher Thompson. At least I kept it American. I was tempted to go Italian today, but changed my mind at the last minute.” I grin from ear to ear.

  “It’s good that you’re dressed for success, because you’re going to have the day from hell… or from heaven. I guess it really depends on how good you are at closing tough clients.” She winks. Little witch. She knows I’m the best. She ignores my indignant glare and continues. “I was able to confirm all of the meetings with potential clients for you. We have zero cancellations and they’re all looking forward to meeting you.”

  Charlene sits at a desk located near the entrance. Although there’s absolutely no need for us to have a receptionist, she insists on being the watchdog for that office. Secretly, I suspect it’s because she’d die if she wasn’t tapped into everything that happens around here.

  “You’re the best.”

  “Haven’t I always been? Isn’t that why you brought me back?” she says, looking at me from under her glasses.

  Although the plan was for me to come out to LA for four weeks to meet with prospective clients and connect with a string of restaurateurs who’ve already committed to making us their exclusive purveyor of quality natural meats, Jake and I decided a few months ago to establish an office out here in order to house a small, but mighty, team of hungry salespeople and extremely competent admin support staff. We hired four superstars—Sam Louviere, Jenny Zall, Vanessa Tornadino and Bernard Hastings. Don’t let their youth fool you. These four are so skilled they could sell snow to Eskimos in their sleep.

  We also brought back Charlene Jones and Davina Edwards. Both ladies worked for us during our heydays with our dotcom company. Six years ago, my best friend and I sold Alaric Innovations to Tyrion Tech. The giant with deep pockets changed our lives overnight when they were willing to fork out over three point eight billion dollars to acquire the exclusive rights to the technology Jake and I spent years perfecting.

  Of course, Charlene and Davina moved on after we sold our company, but they kept in touch with both Jake and I. Even though we left Cali, both ladies religiously sent us well-wishing cards on Thanksgiving and Christmas. When it came time to hire for this new LA office, the choices were obvious. Timing was on our side since Charlene had just gotten laid off from another position and Davina absolutely loathed the job she had. Both ladies had proven themselves before with us and we were confident that they would do it again.

  Charlene has already done us proud. She’s the superstar who scouted this office for us in one of the business towers in the Century City neighborhood. Although we’re a miniscule team, I wanted everyone to have their own individual workspace. Nothing stifles creativity more than being crammed one on top of each other. It’s true that our current office is a tiny fraction of the space we used to occupy in Silicon Valley when we still owned our dotcom company, but our current headquarters is well located to allow us to get to all of our important clients. There are a lot of head offices in this area, including the supply and merchandise office for Food TV Network.

  “Are we still on as well for Food TV?” I ask, ignoring her cockiness.

  Since Riley secured the meeting for me, I must’ve asked Charlene to confirm three times. This is so important and they’re such a huge organization, I’d hate to fall between the cracks by accident. I’m not usually this hands-on or obsessed about a meeting with a potential client since Charlene and the sales team are ace at that, but we are talking about Food TV after all.

  “We certainly are. They even FedExed a huge envelope for you stuffed with papers containing all sorts of legal gibberish. T
he courier barely dropped the parcel before one of the assistants to the director of supply and acquisition called to confirm I had received it and also to make sure I bring it to your attention the second you walk in.”

  “Wow. More documents to sign?”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “Did you put them on my desk?”

  Charlene shakes her head. “I gave the package to Davina. You know how she likes that boring legalese stuff. She’s been going over it with meticulous attention for the past hour to make sure she has everything prepared for you.”

  The closer this meeting is approaching, the more I realize how big a deal this is for us. “I’m really happy I had a good night’s sleep and that I chilled out all day yesterday.”

  “Really?” Charlene asks with a twinkle in her eyes before lowering her gaze, laced with fake innocence, and blowing the steam away from her piping-hot cup of coffee.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask.

  “Oh, I think we both know what I mean.” She waggles her eyebrows, amused. “No dates last night—or this morning for that matter—for the great Hunter James Evans? Or did you have to kick her out of your bed before the crack of dawn?”

  “You know what?” I start, taking a few steps towards her desk while waving my index finger at her. “If you weren’t so good at your job, I’d fire your ass right now for being so much of a know-it-all.”

  We both laugh.

  Charlene is very perspicacious, partially because my reputation precedes me and also because she has three sons—Richard, who’s thirty-four, Jonathan, who’s thirty-two, and Keith, who’s my age. They’re all single men and they make no excuses for their appetite for women. I’ve met them at different company functions Jake and I organized in the past for our former employees and let’s just say that they must’ve been a handful for Charlene as a mom while her boys were growing up.

  “Okay, I might have stepped outside of my boundaries, boss.”

  The only reason she’s putting so much emphasis on the word ‘boss’ is because she knows darn well she can get away with it.

  “That’s the lamest excuse I’ve ever heard in my life,” I huff. “Let me go back to my office before I change my mind about firing you.” I wink at her.