by Amy Baker
The first thing I’d done that morning after showering was get dressed. I still didn’t have my belongings in my possession and truth be told, I was quite tired of wearing the same clothes over and over even though they had been laundered. I stared at myself in the hall mirror uninspired by my reflection. I needed to call the moving company and ask if they could expedite my things back to New York. I knew I was emanating my discontent over my dull appearance because Hugh quickly picked up on my mood.
“When do you think all of your all shit will be arriving?”
A small smile appeared on my lips when he asked. Because even though he clearly thought of my shit as shit, it told me that he cared enough to read my mood and was looking for a solution.
“You don’t like my shit?” I asked teasingly trying to lighten the mood I had created.
“No, Baby, I love your shit,” Hugh approached me tauntingly from behind. “You just have a lot of it,” he finished by kissing my neck.
My eyes began to scan the reflection of the apartment. It was barren. “I think my shit will fit just fine,” my eyes went back to his in the mirror. He was so handsome looming over me.
“Mmm,” he hummed as he pressed his lips to my neck again.
At that point I was figuring he wasn’t all that concerned with my shit but more concerned that I was upset that I didn’t have it with me. Either way his lips on my skin were a nice distraction.
“Stop your worrying. You look great,” he added when he pulled his lips from my skin. He was amazingly observant.
How had I got so lucky?
Before I left our new apartment, the realization of which was beginning to sink in, Hugh was behaving even sweeter than usual. His normal level of sweetness was difficult to beat but knowing I had a big day ahead, Hugh had breakfast ready for me by the time I hit the kitchen. He poured a hot and delicious cup of coffee and even scrambled some eggs not knowing that I never ate breakfast first thing. There was a lot we still needed to learn about each other. But I honestly couldn’t wait.
News of my delayed breakfast consumption didn’t seem to concern him. He just gave a shrug and scraped them in his dish. He inhaled those almost as quickly as I had politely shared the details of my pre-work morning ritual, which lacked solid food.
Hugh could see that I was preoccupied with nerves so he did his best to make me feel better. I appreciated his efforts and even told him so. But there wasn’t much anyone could do to quell my fears. I just had to face the day and see what it had in store for me. Before I left, Hugh pulled me in for a reassuring hug and kiss.
“No worries, okay? Whatever it is, it is. No matter what happens at Premiere today, we’re together now. The rest we will figure out,” the reassuring squeeze he gave me had me holding his body to mine a little tighter and a little longer.
I loosened my grip slightly so I could lean back enough to look into his eyes. He nodded to bolster his previous remark. When I didn’t respond he pressed his lips together revealing his concern with a half-hearted smile. “You gonna be all right, Junior?” he asked with genuine concern.
I nodded even though I could pass out at any given moment.
“You’ll be fine. I’ll call you around noon, yeah?” One of his hands dropped to my behind where he gave me a supportive tap on the bottom.
“Okay,” I responded lamely. I rolled up, not as far as usual since I was wearing heels, and gave Hugh a quick kiss. “Talk to you in a bit.”
He smiled at me supportively and whispered a ‘that’s my girl’ as I pulled from his arms. I felt like a five-year-old leaving for my first day of kindergarten. I even looked back at him as I walked down the hall to make my way to the elevator.
How ridiculous.
I had only been gone a week but for some reason my one week absence somehow outweighed my six years of employment. I felt like a stranger as I walked through the circular glass doors of the Premiere Building. Maybe it was all the sideways glances I was getting from the other employees or maybe I was being totally paranoid and obsessing about something that no one else gave a shit about.
Either way, I felt like a fish out of water. If I sprouted gills and started gasping for air, I wouldn’t have been surprised. Trying to snap myself from the downward spiral, I shook my head slowly admonishing my negative thoughts and deliberately inhaled a very loud and healthy breath.
As I was exhaling the stress and anxiety, completely out of nowhere, Mama’s encouraging words popped into my head with perfect clarity. “Delilah, if you don’t go…you don’t go.” I knew exactly what she meant when she said those words to me.
Even though at the time, she was teaching me how to drive and we were sitting at a four way stop sign in a very busy intersection, I knew the true meaning of her advice. I would get nowhere in life if I didn’t take the bull by the horns and face my fears. I silently thanked my mother and forced myself to put one foot in front of the other.
I thought it would be best if I got to Steven’s office early. At least earlier than Stacey. I didn’t want her to get there before me and spin some sort of tale that made me look like an even larger disappointment. Even though I was fairly certain she had done a stellar job of that already. But it would seem that Stacey must have had the same idea because I could hear her irritating voice in a heated discussion with Steven as soon as I hit Steven’s floor. Clearly she was angry and already in the middle of a rant.
Maria, Steven’s assistant, looked at me as I approached and smiled. I was hoping she kept quiet about my arrival for two reasons. One, I didn’t want to enter Steven’s office more nauseated than I already was (her voice always did a number on my stomach) and, two, I didn’t want her to alert Stacey to the fact I was there. I wanted to eavesdrop for as long as I could before I went in.
“He’s been expecting you. You can go in whenever you’re ready,” Maria whined with a quivering voice. Man, her voice was irritating. She was super nice. But her voice was such a deal breaker. I was beginning to wonder why Steven kept her around.
“Are you related to Steven somehow?” I asked Maria out of the blue. It was possible. Logan’s relationship to Steven had gone completely unrealized. It would make a lot of sense if she were.
Maria snorted before she answered. “Hnk! Don’t be silly, Delilah,” she admonished her voice quivering like a frightened Chihuahua.
I couldn’t interact with Maria any further because my stomach was already beginning to roil. So I shrugged one shoulder and gave a quick tilt of the head communicating that it was just a guess. Luckily Maria kept quiet and got back to her emails.
I stepped closer to Steven’s door though I really didn’t need to. I could hear Stacey loud and clear from where I was standing. It was just a way for me to gear myself up for the ensuing fight. I listened to the words she was so carefully choosing and with each lie Stacey spewed I could feel my anger go up another notch. By the time she was done with her litany of outrageous remarks I was like a raging tiger. I was weaving from side to side in front of the doorway to his office ready to rip her to pieces. Silence fell inside the office. I could virtually see what was going on even though I didn’t have eyes trained on either of Steven or Stacey. Steven was giving her the death stare to see if she would blink. But I knew Stacey well enough to know that she could look him dead in the eye and lie like nobody’s business. Not even Steven could break her. It was time for me to show my face.
I stepped into the doorway and produced the most domineering face I could muster. Granted it wasn’t all that terrifying but it did what I needed it to do. Which was to knock Stacey on her ass. Steven was leaning into the corner of his desk with his arms crossed over his expansive chest, Stacey was sitting in a chair with her crossed leg bobbing nervously and in the corner was Logan. He was picking at his nail beds.
Their three heads turned to me in unison. Steven gave nothing away, Logan bit his lip trying to contain his smirk and even though it was almost unnoticeable, I saw the side of Stacey’s nose flinch. Even she kn
ew she was about to face the music.
“You were saying?” I entered showing little to no emotion.
“What are you doing here?” Stacey asked with trepidation.
Steven jumped in cutting Stacey off at the knees. “The same thing you’re doing here, Stacey. I called her in for a meeting.”
“Care to revise any of your comments, Stacey?” I asked venomously.
She didn’t answer, though I wasn’t surprised. I knew her well enough to know that she wouldn’t incriminate herself more than she already had. Instead she turned to Steven making a very poor choice tactically. “If you fire me I will take this to the Board.”
I heard Logan guffaw. Stacey heard him as well because she looked at him with hatred in her eyes then proceeded to machine-gun her derogatory comments one after the other. Clearly she was still unaware that Logan was Steven’s son.
“You’re a fucking joke, Logan. What are you doing in here anyway? I fired you about a hundred times. You’re so stupid you don’t even know not to come back to work when your superior tell you to leave. Over,” she said mockingly.
Logan lost his smirk. And it bothered me that she might have scored a blow or hurt his feelings somehow. So I jumped in with two feet. “The only joke in this establishment is you, Stacey. You don’t have a single redeeming quality.”
Steven, who seemingly had finally had enough of Stacey, slowly stood and began the short trek of rounding his desk to his chair. “Pack up all of your things, Stacey. I’ll expect your resignation letter on my desk by the end of the day.”
Stacey shot to standing. “You haven’t heard the last of me, Steven,” she snarled through gritted teeth. “I meant what I said. I’ll bring this up to the Board.”
Steven froze mid-step and turned to look at her down the length of his nose. “Stacey, if I were you I would leave quietly,” he continued to his chair behind his desk. He sat calmly leaning back against the fine leather upholstered back.
“Well, I’m not you,” she countered.
“That’s entirely your choice. But before you decide to go that route you might want to take something into consideration,” Steven began. “A few months ago the head of security approached me with an ethical dilemma.” Steven slowly leaned forward and opened a file sitting in front of him on his desk. “At the time I overlooked the incident because neither of the people involved, you and a,” he paused to check his notes making sure he got the other name correctly, “Mr. Carson Ackerson, never filed any complaints of any kind,” a disgusted expression rolled over Steven’s face just before his voice dipped slightly lower in order to continue, “not that I was surprised given the circumstances of the…um…what should I call it? Encounter?”
Steven cleared is throat before he began again. “Both parties involved,” he said fervently, “were seemingly…I guess you could say satisfied with their quickie meeting.”
Well aware of the quickie meeting Steven was referring to, my lips pressed together unable to believe that she and Carson were caught in the proverbial act.
Steven leaned back against his chair. He rested his elbows on the arms and began the painstaking process of aligning his fingertips with each other one at a time. “I decided at the time it would be in everyone’s best interest to disregard their behavior and give these employees the benefit of the doubt, hoping this was a one time occurrence. Clearly they had exercised poor judgment and I assumed they wouldn’t engage in this behavior again.” Steven looked up from his fingers to find Stacey breathing heavily curious as to what the head of security had brought to his attention.
Effectively letting Stacey off of the ‘curiosity hook,’ Steven continued. “Apparently,” his hands parted, palms up and out to the sides to illustrate the uncanny coincidence, “paper products were disappearing from the utility closets at alarming rates and a decision was made to set up cameras so we could witness what was happening to them.” His eyes squinted as he watched the realization hit her.
Everyone knew what happened in that utility closet. Carson had announced it to the world. My hand went straight to my mouth to cover my horrified expression. Logan’s shoulders began to roll with laughter. Steven, of course, kept a completely straight face, which was another impressive attribute he possessed.
“Steven, I don’t know what you thought you saw,” she actually had the audacity to try to deny what we all knew had happened.
“Stacey,” Steven interrupted shaking his head, “I’ll expect to find your resignation on my desk by the end of the day. That is all.” Steven stood from his chair effectively adjourning the meeting. He sighed heavily before he turned his attention toward me. “Delilah, we have a meeting at 1:30. I’ll see you in the conference room?” He somewhat asked nodding at me once. I was familiar with this form of interaction. It meant it was time for me to leave Steven’s office and get back to work.
Realizing she’d been bested, Stacey spun and stomped out of the room trying to contain her temper tantrum. Logan’s contained laughter had morphed into a very loud chuckle. The smile on his face was priceless. “Ready to get to work, Delilah?” Logan asked.
I nodded at Logan but my eyes went straight to Steven’s. He was staring at me, gauging my response. I mouthed my ‘thank you’ to Steven and watched a softened expression consume his face.
As it turned out, my life looked like it was back on track. I got my old job back, Hugh and I were beginning our life as a couple and I was officially a New Yorker once again.
As we exited Steven’s office I turned toward Logan, “Can you do me a favor?” I asked with all seriousness in my tone.
“Sure, Boss.” Logan paced me as we made our way to the elevator. “What do you need?”
The elevator doors opened and we stepped inside. “First, I need you to call the movers and tell them to expedite my things back to New York.”
“You got it,” he quickly responded. “No problem whatsoever. Anything else?”
“Just one more thing. If we are going to work together, I am going to need my assistant to be completely professional and dedicated.” I turned my head to look at him as a confused expression took over his face.
“I know,” he stated dejectedly. “You want me to conform. Become the kind of assistant that doesn’t embarrass you. I get it,” he nodded. “I’ll do it, Delilah. I’ll do it for you,” he acquiesced.
I was already shaking my head. “No, Logan. That is not at all what I am asking.” Logan looked a little perplexed so I continued. “I want my old assistant back. The one I’ve come to appreciate and adore. Do you understand what I am asking?”
I watched as the realization of what I was requesting wash over him. His squinted eyes locked on mine questioning if his supposition could possibly be correct. I raised my eyebrows and gave a little nod essentially giving him permission to verbalize what he’d concluded.
“Over?” he questioned faintly and disbelievingly.
“Over.” I nodded and exhaled with relief. “And don’t forget to watch my six,” I added. I was beginning to like this lingo he’d introduced me to. “We still have the ding-dong from accounting to contend with.”
A smile consumed Logan’s face, which was such a treat to witness.
I high-fived my assistant as we exited the elevator. I couldn’t wait to get back to my office and call Hugh to share the good news.
I’d heard it said that Karma was a real bitch. But all in all, I think I was beginning to like her.
Epilogue
(Nine months later.)
I was preoccupied. I couldn’t help it. It was going to be a big day so my thoughts were scattered all over the place.
“What time does she get in?” my mouth twisted with my question.
“Her plane lands just after two o’clock,” Hugh breathed into my neck.
I glanced over to the nightstand. It was 8:00am and Hugh and I were still in bed.
“We should leave no later than 12:30,” I informed him as if he didn’t know how much time it would
take to ensure that we got to the airport on time to pick up Dolly.
“Mmm,” I heard him hum his agreement into my neck. Hugh’s beautiful body was blanketing mine. He was preoccupied in other ways. But I was so nervous about Dolly coming to stay with us for a week that I couldn’t focus on anything but her visit and the reason she was coming to stay with us. Not even Hugh’s talented mouth, which was gently kissing and languidly sucking the tender skin on my neck and shoulder, was effective in distracting me.
“Did you buy ice cream at the store? Kids love ice cream,” I asked out of nowhere. “Oh!” I blurted excitedly. “And whipped cream.”
“Can you stop worrying for five seconds? I am going to be without this body for an entire week. Why don’t you worry about that?” he suggested lifting his head from the crook of my neck. He used his hand to turn my face toward his. “Focus, Junior. I need you,” he whispered.
He lowered his lips to mine and started kissing me into oblivion. But my restless mind was so preoccupied I couldn’t focus on Hugh. “I’m sorry,” I tore my lips from his, “I’m just worried about the whole thing,” I whined. “Are Darcy and Ryan still going away for some alone time?”
Hugh gave up and rolled off of me throwing one arm over his eyes in a huff. Clearly he was a little frustrated with my inability to focus on our intimate moment. I hated when he was upset so I rolled over and threw my leg over him to straddle him.
“Just tell me what is happening while Dolly is here,” I pleaded. I pulled his arm off of his eyes so he would look at me. Lacing my fingers with his, I brought our joined hands to rest on his firm belly where I mindlessly stroked my fingers over his hands.
He sighed heavily before he began. “Ryan’s mom is taking Dustin and Damian to Florida while Darcy and Ryan go away for a few days to…reconnect.” he stammered. “Dolly asked if she could come see us instead,” he shrugged into the pillows. “We’ll see what happens. Hopefully they can work out their problems.”