What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 4)

by Selena Kitt

  For these past two weeks time seemed to move at a crawl. The job promises to be the usual nine-to-five drudgery but I can hardly contain my excitement. The reason is of course the prospect of working with Jonathan; I wonder if my memory could be deceiving me. I suppose I’ll find out soon enough if he’s really as gorgeous as I recall.

  My buzzing phone brings me back to reality. A text message from my best friend, Jase:

  Best of luck, girl. Go kick some ass!

  It makes me smile. Of course he remembered, I haven’t been able to shut up about this job ever since the interview. Well, not about the job, but about the guy. Same thing really.

  Now, what to wear… After pulling out nearly half the contents of my wardrobe and dumping them on the bed I settle on a slightly-too-tight plum pencil skirt and a black cowl-neck pullover. A tad more conservative than my usual style, but I wouldn’t want to fall foul of any yet to be discovered dress code. Plus there’s still that sleazy idiot, Dick Porter to contend with. A pair of back seam stockings and heels should do nicely to keep things interesting.

  I’m 15 minutes early coming out of the elevator at my new workplace. Most of the desks are still empty, as is the office in the corner. I’m guessing Dick doesn’t take punctuality to extremes himself. Good.

  I hesitate a bit, looking around for any familiar faces. Dick’s assistant, Sharon, is just now walking into the office as well. She is quite imposing, a bit taller than me with a slightly heavier build, as well as impeccably dressed. There appears to be an air of self-importance surrounding her, but I don’t want to judge too quickly, so I give her a friendly smile.

  “Hello, I’m Cath. We met two weeks ago when I came in for my interview. Today is my first day…”

  “Oh yes, Catherine. Richard isn’t in yet, he’ll be here at nine. Why don’t you take a seat over there –” – She gestures towards the right side of the office where I already expected to be sitting –

  “– and make yourself comfortable.” Her tone sounds authoritative but polite.

  “Thanks,” I mutter while looking around anxiously for Jonathan. There is a backpack lying on what I remember to be his desk, but he’s not around. So I put my stuff on the empty desk right next to his and sit down to wait. If there is any way I could be more nervous than I already was since last night, I don’t know what it is.

  “Hi.” His baritone voice behind me makes me jump up instantly. It sounds pleasantly warm but slightly raspy, as though he’s fighting a cold.

  “Er, hi. I’m Cath Davies. I mean it’s Catherine but nobody actually calls me that. They tell me I’m going to be working with you…” My nerves are already getting the better of me and I must be coming across as an idiot.

  I look at his face while offering my hand to greet him formally. Gorgeous as I remembered. But in spite of the rose tinted specs which are currently clouding my vision, I can’t help but notice that he looks under the weather. His formerly flawless face is showing the signs of stress or sadness, I’m not sure which. Grey circles under his eyes are the most obvious indicator, paired with slightly puffy eyelids. Even his skin tone has changed from the healthy subtle tan I remember to ashen and dull. I fight the urge to stare, my fingers itching to reach up and touch his face.

  “Yes indeed. I’m John Hall,” he says as we shake hands. His hand slightly colder than mine but strong, it takes a lot of willpower to let go.

  Holding my breath, I fight my nerves and look into his eyes momentarily. They’re a warm shade of amber, but at the same time they betray more than the rest of his appearance has already done. Tired and empty. Looking into them feels like a stab right through the heart, forcing me to look away again.

  I dare not stare or make eye contact again all morning while he is giving me the introduction to all the systems I’m supposed to be using. There is no hint of small talk, only work and even then he is a man of few words.

  Whenever I do glance at his face, I notice he’s consistently avoiding the sight of me. If he’s not looking at the computer screen, he’s leafing through the mountain of papers on his desk. Now I’m not expecting every man to act like Dick “Pervert” Porter and shamelessly ogle my boobs all day. I can only imagine what he’s up to when I’ve got my back turned. But to avoid looking in my direction completely is another unusual extreme. And it’s especially frustrating because I wish he’d notice me.

  While John busies himself with some papers in the filing cabinet behind his desk, I allow my eyes to wander. Ever since I can remember I’ve liked men with a bit of meat on them. I don’t quite understand it – I don’t have any identifiable reason for this preference. But I’ve long given up trying to analyse myself. All I know is, I want to feel his soft skin under my fingertips. I want his belly brushing against me as he leans down for a kiss. I want…

  “So,” says a familiar voice behind me, shattering the inappropriate fantasy I had started to play out in my head, “how are you enjoying your first day?” Dick. His presence makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and not in a good way.

  “Great,” I say, “there’s so much to learn.”

  “Good, good. Carry on!” I can hardly suppress a sigh of relief as he stalks off towards another cluster of desks.

  “What time is lunch?” I turn to ask John.

  “Ten minutes.”

  The lunchroom is spacious and bright. There is a buffet of sandwiches on offer and a suspicious looking “Soup of the day”. I buy myself a ham and cheese sandwich and join a group of about seven women who are already sitting and chatting at one of the two large tables. There is no sign of John.

  “Hi, I’m Cath. I’ve just started today,” I introduce myself as the others give me the visual once-over. The only one I’ve already met is Sharon, who gestures at me to sit down next to her.

  “Catherine, join us. I’ll introduce everyone.” She’s smiling at me but her eyes look guarded. Maybe my first impression was correct after all: she comes across like the big gun of office politics. Sharon quickly rattles through the names of everyone at the table.

  “This is Linda, Shelley, Jessica, Amanda, Heidi and Jackie.” I nod at them before taking a seat.

  “So, Cath. How do you like Aspect so far?” a woman further along the table asks. I think her name is Amanda but I’m not entirely sure. Her smile seems a tad more genuine than Sharon’s, but perhaps she’s just a better actress.

  “Oh, it seems nice. Of course I’m just overwhelmed at all the new things I’m supposed to learn.”

  “Right. So you’ve been paired with John,” she says. Her voice sounds awkward as she speaks his name. “How’s that going?”

  “Fine… He seems knowledgeable,” I say.

  “He should be. It seems like he’s always here; comes in early and leaves late. Well he used to anyway. It made me wonder if he has a bed hidden in the supply room,” one of the others buts in. The group laugh in response.

  I smile politely and eat my food. The group moves on to other topics, mainly The X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing. Exactly the type of topics I have nothing to say about.

  Fucking great. Not only have the past two weeks been hell thanks to Julie, now that moron Richard is having train his insufferable new recruit.

  I caught a glimpse of her from behind as she arrived for her interview. Exactly Richard’s type. Long legs leading up to probably the greatest ass ever to have set foot in this building. I’m sure she’ll fit right in with Sharon and her gang, so why couldn’t one of them train her?

  This whole thing must be his idea of a joke, parading her in front of me for a few days before swooping in for the kill. She will most definitely go for it too. They always do.

  I hadn’t even seen her up close until this morning. She’s his ultimate checklist personified: gorgeous figure, curves in just the right places, obvious underneath her slightly clingy yet still classy outfit. And her face… I am not the type of guy who tends to objectify women, far from it. But this one – I can’t even look at her w
ithout having to fight one physical reaction or another. So I’ve been trying my best to ignore her. I just want to get this training over with, preferably without making a total ass of myself.

  A glance at my watch tells me lunchtime is almost over. Back to the grind… I quickly hide the bottle of vodka behind the stack of unused copier paper.

  When I get to my desk she is already sitting at her computer, peering at the screen with intense focus. I sit down and retrieve the sheet with today’s training topics from the mess on my desk. The letters are blurring a little, but I’m sure I can bluff my way through. Here goes nothing…

  “Let’s continue, shall we?” I say, wishing for the day to just end.

  III.

  I am rudely awoken by the sound of my alarm. With a sigh I lie back into my pillow, blinking a few times, trying to make sense of the leftovers of the delicious dream I’ve been having. John was in it, of course. I can’t quite recall much else, but my ragged breath and moist, tingly crotch suggest that we weren’t getting much work done.

  As I get ready and head into work, I can’t stop analysing what’s been going on lately.

  Despite working with John for a few days already, I really can’t seem to get close to him. All my efforts to start a conversation have stumbled at the first hurdle. I do wonder, is he always like this? Or perhaps he just really dislikes me. I keep going through whatever I’ve done or said, and I can’t pinpoint anything that could have offended him. I can’t recall even getting the opportunity to say anything too stupid yet.

  Today I think I’ll have lunch with the girls again. Perhaps they have some insights to share…

  By the time I reach the office and make my way towards my desk, John is already there for a change. Normally he’s nowhere to be seen until 9 am sharp. During the time I’ve been here, he’s started to look even bleaker than that first day. Something is definitely eating him up inside and he seems to be the sort of guy who just bottles it up.

  Speaking of bottles, I’m convinced he has a stash somewhere around the office. Every lunch hour he sneaks off and comes back with a distinct smell hanging around him. They say vodka doesn’t make your breath smell, but that’s untrue. It’s only a matter of time before someone catches on, even if I’m the only one who appears to be paying attention. Maybe I should say something? But seeing that he seems to hate me, I don’t think talking to him will help one bit.

  “So, what’s the plan for today?” I say, forcing myself to look him right in the face this time. I’ve been practicing but my heart still skips a few beats every time I do.

  John is just sitting there, fingertips rubbing his temples and eyes closed in a frown. Hangover? Time to take some initiative.

  “I’m going to get myself a cuppa, would you like anything?” I try again. Nothing.

  I shrug and head to the hot drinks machine. Fine, I’ll improvise. When I get back to our desks, he’s still sitting in roughly the same position.

  “Here, have some tea. You look like you need it.” I push one of the two paper cups towards him, as well as a few sugar packets.

  “I wasn’t sure how you take it, so here you go.”

  Finally he looks up at me and just about manage to hide my nerves with a friendly expression. I hope.

  “Er, thanks,” he says, and our eyes meet for only a split second.

  I shyly look down again, fidgeting with the ribbed cardboard in between sips, a coy smile still playing on my lips. There is something pure about tea, about the way it seems to turn almost any situation around.

  When I glance over at John, he’s also just taking a sip. His face has straightened out and he looks a bit calmer than he has for most of this week. As soon as I focus on my cup again I feel his eyes on me and I can hardly suppress another smile.

  The training goes a little better than it had so far. Either I’m starting to pick things up, or he’s become more patient. Whatever the cause, I’m encouraged by the results.

  “Say, have you heard that the renovations at the old cinema are done now? It feels like forever since I’ve been to the movies…” I try, hoping to steer the conversation away from work.

  “Yeah, the opening was what, on Saturday? I haven’t gone yet,” he answers.

  An actual chat, even if it only lasts for a couple of exchanges – amazing what a cup of tea can do!

  “Lunchtime. See you after,” he says while getting up. I still haven’t seen him set foot in the lunchroom even once. I wonder where he goes.

  “Later,” I respond.

  When I enter the break area, the conversation at the lunch table is already in full swing.

  “Hi Cath, join us!” Amanda waves at me. During the past few days we’ve shared lunch, she has been the nicest to me out of the whole group.

  I sit down next to her and start listening in. Apparently there’s some event coming up and everyone is buzzing.

  “I overheard Richard the other day talking to the upper management. Apparently it will be black tie this year! And everyone is allowed to bring a date, not like our usual parties,” Amanda continues, her voice shrill with excitement.

  Bring a date? The only date I want sits next to me every day… But what if he has someone already? I don’t have a clue about his personal life at all.

  “So, when is this thing then?” I ask casually.

  “Saturday, December 1st. I’m sure they’ll send out a circular shortly,” Amanda says.

  That gives me – let’s see – just about four weeks.

  The conversation moves on. Apparently Dick managed to hook up with some girl in Finance. I feel sorry for her, but my sentiments aren’t shared by the rest of the group it seems.

  Half of the group decides to leave early, preparing for some meeting I’m not privy to. I get a moment alone with Amanda.

  “Say, I’ve been wondering. Is John always this grumpy or have I done something to cause it?” I ask.

  “Well,” her voice lowers, “actually, no – I mean he’s not the most talkative guy generally, but lately… I probably shouldn’t say anything….” She takes a deep breath before continuing, “a few weeks ago he broke up with his girlfriend.”

  I turn to her, eyebrows raised. “Really!”

  “Yeah, it was messy, too. You see, I don’t know why but for some reason she called the office and not his mobile. All calls reach Linda’s line first and then she transfers them. So she transferred the call to John but” – Amanda hesitates – “she never hung up. Heard the whole thing.”

  My mind is racing – it makes sense now. This must have been the phone call I witnessed from Dick’s office. I can’t believe Linda would do such a thing! OK, that’s not true. I have no trouble believing it at all.

  “Oh my, and she told everyone what happened?” I ask.

  “Yeah. I mean, I’m not really friendly with him, but that was quite a low thing to do. Apparently the girl told him she had never really been into him, that she had just been with him because she needed a place to stay for free. Really cruel,” Amanda says under her breath.

  My mouth has fallen wide open. What a horrible thing to do. No wonder he’s in bad shape after that.

  “Unbelievable,” I mutter.

  I wander towards my desk, my mind racing to process this new information. So he is indeed single, but I feel guilty for hoping so earlier on. I feel so sorry for what has happened to him, but realise I can’t do much to help. If he gets the feeling that I’m being nice to him out of pity, it would make things worse. And that’s not how things are anyway. In fact I have wanted him from the moment I laid eyes on him, before knowing about any of this. I must tread carefully so my intentions are not misunderstood.

  “Hi.” I smile, making proper eye contact for the first time in quite a while. My heart skips a whole bunch of beats, yet my eyes linger on his just a little longer.

  “Hey. Ready to be introduced to some suppliers?”

  “Yeah, but I could really use a cuppa first – shall I get you one too?” I ask.
>
  “Sure, thanks.” A reluctant smile appears.

  I guess the saying is true: the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. I sure as hell can play that game!

  The hot drinks machine is in the hallway just around the corner. It’s also on the way to the lifts, but still a reasonably quiet place at this time of day. I’m plotting my next move; I must find out more about him.

  Just when I’m picking up the two cups to head back to my desk, I somehow feel uneasy, as though there’s someone watching.

  “Hi Cath – getting some tea, I see?” Dick is standing right behind me. I must have been so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t notice him walking over.

  “Um, yeah. Nothing like some caffeine to increase productivity…” I respond with a flat smile.

  He’s standing way too close for comfort. Has he never heard of personal space?

  “Good, good. I won’t keep you. I was just wondering,” he says while leaning with one hand against the drinks machine, blocking my way, “perhaps you’d like to join me for some drinks after work sometime?” Wait, didn’t he already pair up with some random Finance woman recently?

  “Thanks, but I don’t think that’s a good idea.” My eyes are now scanning around the empty hallway, hoping for someone to walk in and distract Dick. Thankfully, a moment later Sharon appears and I don’t hesitate to seize my chance.

  “Oh Sharon, good thing you’re here. I was wondering –” I quickly duck underneath Dick’s arm and get a few paces between us. “Where is the extra sugar kept. The dispenser here is almost out.”

  Sharon looks at me, frowning, then looks back at Dick, who is still standing by the machine.

  “Oh, that’s OK, I’ll take care of it.” Sharon is still scrutinising both of us.

  “Great, thanks. Back to work…” I mutter while hurrying out of the hallway. I hope Dick gets the message that I’m not interested, but somehow I don’t think he’s the type to quit easily.

  Well, today went a lot better than expected. For some reason, the new girl, Cath is really trying to be friendly. Maybe she’s not just a pretty face; she seems to be different from the others, nice.