by Shayne Ford
She turns to me, her hand wrapped around the doorknob. The cobalt blue dress makes her eyes sparkle.
“Yes?”
“There’s a Connor Jackson in the waiting room. He’s not on the schedule. He said he talked to you.”
“I told him to come.”
“He’s been here from seven o’clock,” she adds, and I smile.
I glance at the clock. It’s five minutes to nine.
“Determined kid,” I mutter to myself. “Send him in.”
She vanishes out of my office, and I start sifting through my phone messages when the door opens, and Connor walks in.
His eyes light up the moment I rise to greet him. His suit falls smoothly on his tall frame. His face is clean shaven, and his blue eyes gleam brightly. His brown hair is fashionably tousled.
“Hey, man. I’m so happy to see you,” he says as we shake hands.
“You have everything ready?” I ask, my gaze slanting to his laptop bag.
“Yes.”
“Let’s go then.”
I grab my phone.
Fifteen minutes later we walk into the IT Department. I introduce Connor to Jim Norton, our Chief Web Officer. I walk Connor through the process, and then I take the elevator up to my floor.
My coffee waits on the table. I start working on those files. Close to noon, Ed walks in.
I shoot a glance at him and then another one.
“What happened to you?”
“Nothing,” he says deadpan.
I roam my eyes over his face. He looks gloomy.
“Where’s your smile, Preston?”
He tries to crack one up, but nothing shows up on his lips.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes,” he says. “You wanted to talk,” he mutters as he takes a seat.
He unbuttons his suit jacket. An amber silk tie sparkles against his white shirt.
“I may take some time off, sometime in the future...” I say and pause gauging his reaction.
He seems disconnected.
“Okay.”
“I talked to James. He and Rain will probably go on their honeymoon, but then he’ll come back to work. He wants to run a good chunk of business.”
“Your point?” he says a bit snappy.
“What’s the problem, Ed?”
He runs his hand through his hair and curtly shakes his head.
“Nothing. I’m sorry. Please continue,” he says politely and dryly at the same time.
“You sound off, Preston.”
“Nothing is going on,” he says.
I take a long breath.
“Okay. Well, if you want to run this part of the business or stay where you are it’s fine, just make sure you talk to James.”
“Okay. I will. So where are you going?” he finally asks with a softer voice.
“No place in particular right now. I just want to take a longer break.”
“Does it have to do with Dahlia?”
“Maybe.”
“Good,” he says deadpan.
“You get me worried, Preston. What the hell happened to you?”
I roam my gaze over his face, looking for clues. He threads his hand through his hair for the second time, averting his eyes.
“Women problems?” I ask, taking a wild guess.
“Nah, not really,” he says, but that’s exactly what it is.
“Have you gotten yourself into a jam, Preston?”
Leaning forward, he rests his elbows on his knees, slowly shaking his head.
“Some married woman? The Internet princess?”
Hmm. He hasn’t talked much about her lately.
“What happened to her? She gave up and found some local dick?”
He doesn’t taste my humor.
“Are you going through some existential crisis?” I mutter, studying him.
And then it hits me. I was him some time ago.
My smile dies out.
Life does come a full circle after all. Not once, but as many times as needed.
I look at him. He’s no longer smiling or in a mood to poke fun at stuff.
I study him, and I see myself a few months back, a big hole carved in my heart. When I thought I had lost James, and I’d never find someone like Rain. When I couldn’t stand Ed’s easy way of grasping things and his laid back stance on everything.
He is the last one standing, and lines and things start to get blurry for him too.
What can I tell him?
He will eventually find his new path too.
“You want to grab some lunch?”
“Sure,” he says, rising to his feet.
19
DAHLIA
“You want dessert?” Christine asks.
“A fruit cup would be enough for me.”
She pushes out of her chair and heads toward the counter.
“I have to run to the restroom,” I say as the cafeteria fills with people.
“Okay,” she tosses me back over her shoulder.
Using a side door, I enter the corridor. A couple of turns later, I push the restroom door open and stop in front of a mirror.
For a few moments, I inspect my lashes.
Out of my purse, I fish out the mascara and an eyeliner when one of my co-workers, a woman who works in a different division, leaves the bathroom.
The door slams closed and silence fills the chamber.
In silence, I retouch my makeup. Moments later, a voice comes from a stall.
“Yes, I’m sure.”
My ears perk up as I recognize Kayla’s voice.
A muffled hum comes from her cell phone.
“No, no... Listen, she used to work for him.”
My heart smashes into my rib cage.
“What do you mean?” she asks.
A moment of silence sneaks by as the person on the line gives her the answer.
“No. Before she worked as an Account Executive,” Kayla says.
Another pause.
“Lydia told me. A couple of months back she worked as his Executive Assistant when Sheila Lane was on medical leave.”
I don’t breathe.
“And then she was his personal assistant. There were some rumors even back then.”
She goes silent as her interlocutor mumbles something back.
“I don’t know. Yes, yes... She moved here from overseas, but she only worked there for a few weeks.”
I set my eyeliner in my purse, splitting my attention between Kayla and the door.
I pray no one walks in right now, although I do need some kind of distraction to remove myself from the restroom.
“I have no idea why they keep it a secret. Because it’s work, I suspect. And she is his employee. Either way, I’m pretty sure I’m right. The bitch can’t stand me.”
My hands clench into fists.
“Yeah... yeah. I tried,” she says. “I walked into his office once, and the stalker came after me. She fooled me into thinking that someone had asked for me at the front, and when I left, she spilled her drink on my dress. I haven't talked to her since. And she avoids me. Anyway, that’s what’s new. I’ll see him today.”
A reply comes her way, and her melodious laughter fills the room.
“Uh-huh... She’ll be there too. Mmm-hmm. I don’t give a flying crap. What can she do? Officially, he’s not taken, and whether she hooked up with him or not it’s really not my business. The man looks damn fine and is rich like fuck. Why would I stay on the sideline to spare someone like her?”
My teeth clench.
I ponder for a moment whether confronting her is a good idea when someone walks in.
I snatch my purse and wave at my coworker in a hurry, discouraging the woman to utter words.
Fuming, I slip out of the restroom.
I must be red as the strawberries halves on my plate when I sink into my chair across from Christine.
She lifts her gaze and registers my expression.
“What happened to you?” she asks, cocking
an eyebrow.
The main door opens, and Kayla enters the cafeteria. Christine notices the direction of my gaze.
“It’s something to do with her?”
Silently, I nod.
I pop a strawberry in my mouth and bite the juicy pulp.
“She was in the restroom, gossiping with one of her friends about Lex and me.”
“Oh,” Christine says, visibly disappointed.
“Why would you let her affect you?”
“She doesn’t affect me,” I say with a strained voice.
She gives me an incredulous look.
“She called me bitch.”
Christine’s eyebrows pop up with surprise before she quietly starts laughing.
“Coming from her, I’d take that as a badge of honor.”
She studies me for a moment.
“And all of that because she couldn’t get in his pants while you had taken up residence in the said pants,” she mutters.
“Something like that.”
“The way I see it, you shouldn’t give a damn about what she says.”
“I have a hard time trying to ignore her. On the other hand, if I confront her I’ll give her the proof that she needs. She said to her gossip partner that as long as he’s not taken, he’s fair game.”
“She can’t get anything from him.”
“I know.”
I munch on a few blueberries. She has a point. And yet I can’t tame my fury.
Her fork clinks against the cup as she fishes out a raspberry.
“The way I see it, you either make it official and then get ready for war...” she says, “or you just ignore everybody and let them talk. They’ll grow tired eventually.”
“That’s probably the best thing to do,” I mutter, although I’m discontent with both options.
LEX
“Everything looks good?” I ask.
Connor lifts his gaze to me.
He sets the pen down and pushes the paper to me.
“You keep a copy,” I say.
The woman from the Legal Department collects the paperwork.
Smiling, she tips her chin with a goodbye and walks out of my office.
“Just to make it clear. You own the exclusive rights to this product. I’m only backing you up financially and providing you with the technical support to develop it fully and bring it to the market. Okay?”
Running a trembling hand through his hair, he nods, his eyes glistening with emotion.
Flushed, he pushes up to his feet. I do the same and walk around my desk.
He hugs me, and then breaks away, hiding his eyes and having a hard time trying to keep his emotions under control.
“You changed my life, man,” he says with a strained voice.
I feel a lump in my throat.
“It’s a good product. It really is,” I say.
He sweeps the papers off my desk, slides them into his laptop bag and pulls the zipper closed.
He stays silent a few moments, trying to get a grip on himself. After a few moments, he straightens his back and looks at me.
“I’m gonna be honest with you, man. I wish I was more like you,” he says.
I smile.
“You already are. You’ll grow and learn. Don’t beg for the future. Once it becomes present, it goes away in a split second.”
I curl my hand around his shoulder.
“Enjoy everything the way you have it now, with the eyes and mind you have now. And let the time flow the way it wants to flow. You’re good at what you do, and money will come. Give Elsa the man she loves in you and you’ll have her heart. Gently take the reins away from her and make her see who you really are. That’s pretty much all you need to do. All right?”
He bites the inside of his cheek and nods, fighting back the swarming emotions.
“Okay, then,” I say. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yes, man. Thank you again.”
He regains his composure, shakes my hand and spins toward the door.
“Connor?” I call him just as he is about to walk out.
“Thank you for everything,” I say.
He ponders for a moment, and then he gives me a secret smile and a short nod before he pulls the door shut.
I press the intercom button.
Sheila’s voice echoes in the room.
“The room is ready. You are set to speak in ten minutes,” she says before I have the chance to say anything.
“Thanks.”
I release the intercom button and lean back in my chair, my mind wandering away.
My eyes swing to the window for a moment as I take in the covered sky. I flick my gaze back to my desk and pick up my phone. My thumb slides across as I pull up the pictures.
Dahlia’s face greets me with a smile.
I took this last snapshot, Sunday morning in my bed. The light was faint and milky just as it is right now. The glow kissed her face and set off her eyes, making them sparkle.
She’s naked, cloaked only in a curtain of hair.
Her lips are curved into that loving smile she only has for me. My heart hammers in my chest.
I study her. Those bright eyes, a portal to her mind and dreams and love... for me. The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
A soft knock on the door pulls me out of my reverie and plugs me back to the reality.
I slide my finger back onto the screen and shove my cell phone into my pocket.
“I’m coming,” I thunder, rising to my feet.
Moments later, I stride on the corridor, take a left and enter the conference room.
Quietly, Sheila closes the door.
Instinctively, I look for Dahlia. She’s not here.
Furtively, I check the time. Pacing myself, I reach the front.
A couple of seats at the front are empty. The door opens, and Kayla Martin swishes by me, tossing me an excuse over her shoulder and a flirting smile.
Okay.
She slips in front of me and sways her hips all the way to the front. Her dress looks as if she gained weight after lunch and now she needs a bigger size. The men on my side of the room loosen their ties.
Great.
I know she works in sales, and she’s supposed to sell the hell out of her portfolio, but not to the men in her team.
Feline like, she arches her back and lowers her rear in the front seat. She makes sure her heel clad legs are visible to me, her knees pointing to me.
The hemline rises as she moves and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out she does it on purpose.
The door opens again, and this time Dahlia slides in. Her gaze hovers over the room. As soon as she gets a glimpse of the blonde, she dashes to the front as well.
She looks like a warrior princess, all worked up, and for some reason, I get hard. Bad timing, even worse setting.
I get busy with a bottle of water as Dahlia plops herself next to Kayla Martin.
Okay. This can’t be good.
I clear my throat and start to speak.
For the first few minutes, things go smoothly, and then the blonde shifts in her seat and Dahlia’s eyes start throwing flames.
This looks like the rewind of an old story, and perhaps the fact that they were both late was not entirely a coincidence.
Perhaps it’s my twisted mind, but I start having a problem in my pants.
I do my best to keep my focus intact and bring my speech to its conclusion.
Dahlia knocks a pen on the blonde dress, dots of black ink imprinting on her skirt. Now it’s like watching first graders.
Kayla Martin turns to her and says something under her breath. Dahlia’s jaw clenches as her hand curls up into a fist.
It’s time to use my veto power.
“Miss Fox, in my office,” I thunder a notch too loud, startling people all over the room, including the person sitting at the other end of the table.
Her eyes fly to me, and my eyebrows tilt up, no smile on my face.
She pouts, and I almost want
to kiss her when I sternly motion her to the door. She rises to her feet.
I dash out first after I thank the audience. I hold the door open for her, waiting for her to slip by.
She studies me as she walks past me. I push my office door open and let her slither in. She stops in the middle of the office.
I press the intercom button.
“I’m done,” I say, the moment Sheila answers. “Make sure nobody walks in my office, and don’t put calls through.”
I tear my finger away from the phone.
A smile curls her lips. It’s soft, and then it turns naughty, her eyes glinting with mischief.
I flick my head toward the bathroom.
She walks in, and so do I.
Her hands come to my tie as I lift her skirt up, our lips connecting in a hungry kiss.
“You read my mind,” she mumbles through gasps and heavy breaths.
“As if it was hard,” I say as she works my fly open and wraps her hand around my hard on.
“Damn it,” she murmurs.
“It’s your fault, Miss Fox. That’s the effect of your little crusade in my boardroom.”
She starts laughing and then gasping as I pull her up, prop her back against the wall and slowly slide my hardness into her.
She’s hot and wet.
“Oh...” she says, moaning with delight.
“Missed it?”
She bites her lips and gives me a wanton grin.
“Mmm-hmm.”
“Good. Cause you earned it,” I say as I root myself deep into her.
She tears my tie away and drops it to the floor, and then she pulls my shirt open and feels me up.
I yank her neckline down and pull her chest out of her bra. She locks her arms around my neck and pushes herself against me as I crush her tits and slowly roll my hips, getting soaked in her arousal.
“Oh... This feels so good,” she says, digging her nails into my shoulder. “Why the bathroom?” she murmurs, hot against my lips as if she runs a fever.
“Because I want your screams when you come,” I say.
She looks at me with half shut eyes. Her skin burning. Her eyes, too.
“I love you, Lex.”
“I love you too, baby,” I say, and we freeze for a split second, tears coming to her eyes.
I rush to kiss her, and soon I make her come.
20
DAHLIA