by Mel Ryle
“Really? Like it wasn’t written all over her face?” I asked sarcastically, rolling my eyes. “Well, it would be your fault if she thinks of it that way,” I added, brushing the topic off as I turned around and walked towards the glass door. I couldn’t really stay mad at him for that long. Besides, I needed a ride. And then, another thought crossed my mind and I decided to act on it.
“Are you going to give me a ride to work, honey?” I asked playfully as I stopped in the pavement, turning to face him with a sweet smile.
Terry’s eyes narrowed at the nickname, his teeth clenched. “Don’t kid around, I don’t like pet names,” he said in protest and looked me sharply.
I chuckled at his guarded expression. “I’m just kidding, except about the ride,” I amended, just so he could tell I was joking. “I’m going to be late for work because you couldn’t get your hands off me,” I added as I glanced at my watch then gave him a playful smirk.
“You’re not dropping this one, are you? Just because I didn’t help you?”
“Maybe,” I replied as I playfully wiggled my eyebrow at him.
“I’ll give you a ride if you stop making such awful jokes,” he countered, but he was already smiling.
“Deal!” I laughed at his words, gesturing for him to lead the way.
As Terry walked away to where he parked his motorcycle, I glanced at the street for a second, feeling someone staring at me. For a moment there, I thought I saw a familiar dirty blond hair as a black car sped on the street when the light turned green. I brushed the thought away and followed Terry, knowing it was just my mind being paranoid.
Twelve
It didn't take long for us to arrive at Maxwell Enterprises. I hopped off and removed my helmet (I was surprised and touched that he remembered to bring it in the first place) as soon as Terry turned off the ignition.
“Thanks for the ride, ‘boyfriend’.”
“Whatever, ‘girlfriend’,” he retorted as he took off his helmet, chuckling in response as he rolled his eyes. “Don’t do anything rash, okay? And ask someone to get you some coffee. You need it,” he commanded, his voice stern, although there was still a teasing glint in his eyes.
“Yes, sir,” I replied with a salute.
This made him explode with laughter and shake his head in disbelief. He gave me a salute before he drove away. As he sped off, I stood there and giggled while I watched him disappear on the busy street.
When I snapped back to reality, I glanced down at my watch and cursed silently at the time. I was one minute late on my second day. This wouldn’t look good on my record since I was already an hour late yesterday without my knowing. I didn’t want Mr. Mogul to have more things to use against me.
Although I was bothered that I got to the office a few minutes late, I wasn’t that nervous as I skipped towards my desk. But my mood turned a complete one-eighty when the door in front of me opened.
In a black, three-piece suit, red tie, and his dirty blond hair styled back, William walked out of the room looking like the mogul I knew him to be. My eyes slowly scanned him from head to toe and my stomach slightly squeezed in effect. Suddenly, it dawned on me that I was mentally eye-raping him! I was glad that I managed to get a hold of myself, or it would have been obvious that I found the man attractive.
“Ms. Peterson. Finally, you are here,” he greeted sternly, his face plain and serious.
“Morning, Mr. Maxwell,” I replied in the same tone, turning away from him as I walked towards my desk. I mentally gave myself a slap for thinking that the man was attractive. Considering how arrogant he was, I'd find a fig leaf to be more attractive than him.
I didn’t pay any attention to him as I sat down, so I was startled when he stood in front of my desk. I even did a double take as I looked up at him. For a moment, we just both stared at each other with lifeless eyes. Well, I couldn’t really say his eyes were lifeless at that moment. They were sparkling blue, like the ocean on a sunny day.
“Ms. Peterson, would you kindly get my coffee this morning? Maggie is busy with some work I’ve given her,” he asked in a dull tone.
I glanced at Maggie, who was looking at us with amusement. I raised an eyebrow at her in question, which she replied with a smile. I wasn’t really sure if that was a confirmation of whether she was busy or not. So I made a quick glance at her desk and found that it was full of files. That answered the question for me.
“Sure,” I replied with a defeated sigh, closing my eyes for a moment. “How do you want it?”
“You can ask Maggie about my preference. I’ll be in my office, waiting. Make it quick and be back in fifteen minutes. I have somewhere to be by then,” he replied as he walked away from my desk and towards his office.
I venomously stared at his retreating figure. When his door finally closed, I hissed at him and stuck my tongue out like a two-year-old. This made Maggie chuckle as she told me Mr. Mogul’s coffee preference, which was dark with one cube of sugar. She also pointed out that I should get the coffee from the cafe across the street, which is what she usually does. I smiled and thanked her as I got up from my chair and headed towards the elevator.
After ten minutes, I was back with three cups of coffee in hand: one for Maggie, one for Mr. Rudeness, and one for me. I gave Maggie’s drink first (I got her a latte since I didn’t know what she liked, which she was grateful for) before placing mine on my desk. I was just about to deliver William’s drink, but before I could walk into his office, he suddenly stomped out of it. Because I didn't notice right away, naturally I bumped into him. It didn't help that I held a cup of coffee, so I bet you can guess what happened next.
“What the—”
The front of his three-piece suit was drenched with the coffee, making it look even darker. I looked at him in shock and took a strained breath as I stared at his enraged face. I actually saw him flush with anger all the way up to his neck.
“I’m sorry,” I said softly, not really sure what to say next. However, I unconsciously noticed the stain didn’t look that bad since he was wearing black.
“It doesn’t look that bad. Thank heavens you were wearing funeral clothes,” I joked to lighten up the mood, but after I said it, I realized I shouldn’t have. I didn’t know what made me say that. His eyes blazed in fury as it landed on mine. Then, he stood up straight as he took off his blazer. The movement was sexy somehow, but I brushed it off considering this wasn’t a sexy situation.
“I have a meeting to go to,” he grumbled silently as he slowly took off his stained garments. He clenched his jaw as he dropped the wet fabric on the floor. “I want that and the floor cleaned when I get back. Do you understand?” he commanded and pointed at his dirty clothes.
I nodded in reply as I slowly crouched down and picked up his clothes. Once the stained ones were removed—mentally sighing in relief that his white polo wasn’t drenched—he turned to Maggie.
“Call Mark and tell him to bring a black blazer before picking me up.”
“Yes, sir,” Maggie replied directly as she brought the phone up to her ear.
I tore my gaze away from them to the pile of clothes on the floor. I never washed this kind of high quality fabric. How am I supposed to get this clean before he gets back? I cursed myself for being clumsy and kept my eyes down in shame.
I relaxed a little once I saw William walk away from me. He was starting to distress me again. I hoped he wouldn’t chew my head off over this incident later on. As I stood up, with clothes in hand, I heard a leather shoe squeak as he turned back towards me.
“And Ms. Peterson, please be ready for the meeting this afternoon. You’ll be sitting in on Alex’s behalf,” he said sternly, then walked towards the open, empty elevator. I didn’t get to reply as the door closed. I stood there like an idiot, not knowing what to do next. I heard someone clear their throat, which brought me back to reality.
“You can go down the lobby in ten minutes and tell Danny, the receptionist, to get those to the washer. It’ll be back
before lunch,” Maggie said with a smile.
“Thank you,” I replied with a strained smile and nodded.
After ten minutes, I went down the lobby and just repeated what Maggie told me to Danny. She enthusiastically smiled and followed my orders while bringing a phone up to her ear. In less than a minute, a guy in a black shirt and ragged jeans showed up and took the clothes from me.
“Get this washed and back before lunch. Mr. Maxwell’s orders,” Danny commanded, looking at him sternly.
The guy nodded without a reply and headed out of the lobby. For a few seconds, I couldn’t really wrap my head around how fast they carried out the task. The receptionist saw my confused expression and gave me a small smile. At this point, I turned to her and regarded her features.
Her light brown hair was tied back, showing her heart shaped face. Her arched eyebrows and red lipstick made her look fierce, even though she looked too young. My guess was she might be about my age.
“Are you new here?”
“Yes. I’m Ms. Maxwell’s new assistant,” I replied with a small voice. I remembered other people’s reaction on that job description.
“Yeah, we met yesterday... Well, you should know that the Maxwell’s aren’t good with patience. But Ms. Alex is tolerable,” she whispered conspiratorially.
I smirked at her response and nodded in agreement. “Thanks for that information.”
“No problem. You can come to me if you need anything else,” she offered with a friendly smile.
I mentally sighed that she wasn’t fazed about my job. Maybe she was like me, a girl who wasn’t affected by the Maxwell spell. I thanked her again and made my way back up the office. I let out a huge breath, thanking the heavens that I didn’t have to see that man’s face until tomorrow.
Oh, no. I flinched as I remembered about the meeting this afternoon. I guess it’s better that this meeting was set later rather than earlier (particularly right after that awful incident).
As lunch passed, I was ready to face Mr. Mogul again. His suit was cleaned and ready to be handed back to him. I was also ready for the meeting. I emailed Alexandra before lunch, and in reply, she asked me to email everything that would be discussed. I was relieved to know that I didn’t have to give any opinion at all. Because, to be honest, I had no clue on anything business-related.
Around one in the afternoon, my computer chimed, alerting me of an email. It was a notification for me to go to the boardroom for the meeting. I asked Maggie the exact location so that I wouldn’t be late again because I couldn’t find my way.
I was the first to arrive, which was only fitting since I was not part of the board. I was glad that I didn’t have to walk in a room filled with important people in suits. I didn’t need any more of them to intimidate me.
When the first person came in, wearing a dark brown suit with navy blue tie, the man stopped for a second once he noticed me. Afterwards, he gave me a small smile as he took a seat. The table was rectangular with twelve seats in total. The room had a floor to ceiling glass window across the door, giving a clear view of the city. After a few seconds of assessing the room, two more men in suits came in and both had the same reaction as the first man.
Almost fifteen minutes had passed and the room was packed with old men in suits, which made it obvious that I was the only girl in the room. They were whispering silently to themselves. Some were very blatant as they stared at me. I kept my cool and emailed Alexandra that the meeting would start soon. While I was doing that, I didn’t notice the silence as someone entered the room.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen. Are we ready to start?” a deep, familiar British accent grabbed my attention away from my phone.
He paused by the door for two seconds, and then he paced towards the head of the table. He was wearing a different blazer, though it looked almost identical to the one I poured coffee on—well, accidentally poured. His eyes looked slightly tired, but that didn’t lessen the confidence he gave off. He exuded power and control, making it known that he was the boss.
An older man with dark brown hair wearing a navy blue suit spoke up first. I tried hard to catch up with what he was saying as I took notes. For the first few minutes, I quietly stared at my laptop, typing while the men talked. Finally, William noticed my presence, which made his demeanor change.
“Ms. Peterson. I didn’t notice you come in. Do you have an opinion about what these men are saying?” he asked, bringing everyone’s attention to me.
I glanced down at the laptop for a second, then looked up to meet his stare. I felt self-conscious for a second, but brushed it off. I wasn’t here to tell them my opinion, I was here as a secretary.
“I was here early before you came in, Mr. Maxwell,” I started a little softly. My voice was constricted from nervousness. I cleared my throat first before I continued, “I don’t have a say to what these men are talking about since I’m only here in Ms. Maxwell’s behalf.” I won’t allow him to degrade me in front of his board members.
He opened his mouth to counter, but closed it when he couldn’t find the words. I mentally smiled at my first success on keeping Mr. Mogul in his place. The fire in me lit up and I felt like I was on a roll.
“But if you want a word from Ms. Maxwell, I can ask her now. I’m sending her a direct report about the current situation,” I added after a moment of silence.
“No. I think we are fine,” William replied after a moment, his jaw slightly clenched in annoyance. “Please proceed,” he commanded firmly, making the men in the room stiffen in discomfort.
They continued discussing about business as I continued sending updates. Alexandra didn’t really have a question or refusal to the decisions made in the room. So when it came to voting, I raised my hand in consent on her behalf, which I didn’t really understand why even though I was listening.
When the meeting was adjourned, everyone quickly rose up from their seats and exited the room. I slowly followed them, gathering some of the handouts.
“Ms. Peterson. Can you stay for a second? I need to talk to you,” William asked, making everyone who was still in the room turn in his direction. “Please, gentlemen. You can leave us,” he added, his annoyance showing a little.
The rest of the men in the room quickly left, almost running out of the room. I remained standing in front of my seat, debating on whether to ignore him and make a quick exit while there were still a few people left. But I wasn’t quick in making that decision. Before I finally decided to leave, we were the only ones left in the room. My stomach suddenly squeezed in nervousness.
“What the heck were you thinking?! Are you trying to get back at me for what happened this morning?” he asked angrily and stood up in his seat.
“I wouldn’t stoop to such a level, Mr. Maxwell. I’m a professional, and it’s rude to do such a thing to one’s boss.”
“Cut the act, Andy!”
“You want to know what I think? Are you sure you’re not trying to get me fired?” I countered, eyeing him defiantly.
“You just said so yourself, remember? I couldn’t fire you even if I wanted to,” he replied with his teeth clenched.
“Glad you remembered,” I muttered to myself with a strained breath. I inhaled deeply and said my next words louder so he could hear, “I don’t know what your opinion is of me, Mr. Maxwell, but I did not get back at you for this morning. For Christ’s sake, that was my fault! Do you always think that I’m plotting against you? Don’t flatter yourself. You don’t even deserve to be in my head in the first place.”
His eyes widened in shock. I didn’t really look at him long enough to savor my last comeback. I knew I had him this time. Yet I knew my victory would be short-lived. After all, this was his fortress. The man can taunt and get back at me any time he liked while I was in his domain. As I finally got out of the meeting room, that was when he snapped out of it and followed me.
“I’m not finished talking to you!” he called as he stomped towards me. Next, he grabbed my arm and turn
ed me around to face him.
“Well, I’m finished talking to you,” I countered angrily and tried to pull my arm out of his hold. “Now, please let me go before I start screaming,” I threatened him when his grip tightened.
We glared at each other for a second before someone cleared their throat. William tore his gaze away from me and turned towards the sound. It was then we finally noticed a small crowd of people all looking at us. I couldn’t believe I made a scene on my second day at work. Could this job get any worse?
Thirteen
When we realized we were attracting unwanted attention, William quickly let go of my arm. I staggered back slightly but didn’t take my eyes off him. After a second of scanning the room, he gazed back at me. His mouth was set in a thin line as he struggled to rein in his temper.
“We’ll continue this in my office,” he commanded, making it clear that the order was not up for negotiation. But I didn’t nod or agree to his words. Instead, I turned and walked away. I could sense him glare at me as I walked towards the elevator. I didn’t bother looking at him in the eye as I stepped inside and turned back to face him. I just didn’t have the energy to confront the furious stare I know he’d be wearing.
Once I reached our floor, I lazily walked back to my desk and sighed heavily. Maggie noticed and turned to me with a worried expression.
“Are you alright? How did the meeting go?”
“It went well,” I replied, sighing as I started to rub circles on my temples.
“If it was alright, why do you look like you just got the most awful news?” she asked with a soft chuckle.
“Is that man always so serious? I mean, really...” I asked.
This finally caught her attention that she turned her whole body towards me. “Did something happen between you and William?” she asked worriedly.
“Well, you’ll know about it tomorrow since everyone who worked in that floor witnessed the ordeal,” I replied with a humorless laugh. After that, I buried my face in the palm of my hands and rubbed it in frustration.
