I got to work and smiled up at the tall gray building. The place had become my second home in such a short space of time. In fact, I was in the building way more often than I was in my own home at the moment. I grinned and made my way inside, ready to start yet another crazy day. I put my bag down, grabbed two cups of coffee, and made my way straight into Josh’s office. The door was closed, so I walked back to put the coffees on a tray and then walked back and opened the door. Josh looked up in surprise. He was sitting at his desk with Ralph and Derrick. Derrick worked a few desks away from me, and the two of us got along quite well. Ralph and Derrick smiled at me, but Josh just glared my way.
“Reagan, I told you that you need to knock,” he said.
“I got you coffee,” I said and placed a cup down in front of him. I figured that a cup of coffee would make up for me not knocking. I looked at the other two and smiled apologetically. “Sorry, I didn’t realize he had company. Want me to get you some coffee too?”
“No, we’ve just had some,” Ralph said, and Derrick shook his head too.
“Thanks, Reagan.”
I pulled up a chair and sat down. “Okay, let’s talk business,” I said. “What’s going on?”
“We were in the middle of a meeting,” Josh said. What he was really trying to tell me was that they were in the middle of a meeting and he would prefer me not to be there. Now who was the one being rude?
“That’s okay. It’s good for Reagan to be here,” Ralph said. “We were all talking about the big conference coming up.”
“Oh yes, that’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about too. You’re going to need a new suit for the event.”
Josh groaned. “Oh, here we go again,” he said. He turned to look at the two boys, “Reagan here thinks I need to clean up my image.”
“That’s right,” I said. “Josh doesn’t realize how important it is to present himself properly to the public. Not only is it important to know everything that is happening and to be ahead of the game at all times, but it’s also good to understand the importance of leaving a good impression. There is so much corruption and fakeness at the moment that people cling onto anything that they found real. They want to be around someone that they can relate to. That’s what they are looking for in a leader now. I know Josh doesn’t agree with me, but it’s just the way things work at the moment. People get a few seconds to make an impression, and you have to make sure it is one that lasts. Also, people talk. Never underestimate the power of a talking public.”
“She has a point,” Derrick said, and I smiled at him.
“She does,” Ralph agreed.
“She has a point?” Josh said. “So you seriously both agree with the fact that I need to change my image? You really think that is going to make a difference?” Josh seemed bewildered by this fact, and I was so grateful to finally have some other people backing me up.
“It doesn’t hurt to try,” Ralph said. “Anyway, if there’s anyone that knows about the importance of a public image, it’s Reagan. She has a knack for this stuff.”
I smiled at Ralph. “Thank you. That’s nice of you to say. And I’m not trying to change you, Josh. I’m just trying to smooth out the rough edges so that you’re more relatable to a wider audience. I promise you that one day you will turn around and thank me.”
Josh looked like he was going to snap back again, but he seemed to change his mind as he looked between all of us. He obviously knew that he was outnumbered this time. He shook his head and sighed. “Fine. Whatever you say then. I’ll get a new suit if you really think that it is going to make a difference. I think the whole thing is ridiculous, but I’ll do it. But Reagan, seeing as though this is your idea, you are going to have to come with me to get one. If you leave me to do it on my own, you do realize I’m going to come back with something that you will not be happy with.”
I chuckled. If he was trying to put me off, then it wasn’t working. I had no problem with helping him find a suit. He was right; it was better if I was there with him, anyway. “That’s true. And that’s absolutely fine by me. Whatever helps you get the votes. I’ve got a good eye for fashion, and I know just the thing that will suit you.”
“Suit you,” Derrick said. “Suit you. Get it? Suit,” he said and laughed at his own corny joke. Ralph and I laughed with him, but Josh remained stone faced.
We turned our attention back to the conference, and then we all made our way back to our desks. Ralph stopped to tell me that he thought I was doing a great job.
“You think? I know I’m hard on him, but he’s hard on me too. And I’m just here to do a job and to make sure he gets those votes.”
“You’re doing the right thing, Reagan,” he said. “I did the right thing by calling you in.”
I beamed as I made my way back to my desk, and continued with my work. I worked solidly for the rest of the day. I barely took a break, and later that afternoon I was surprised to find that almost everyone had left the office. I shook my head and yawned. I had been so involved in my work that I hadn’t even noticed them leaving. I hadn’t been this busy in a long time. I was just about to pack up for the day myself when I saw Josh heading my way. He had a scowl on his face.
“You don’t look happy,” I said as he got to my desk. “Everything okay?”
“No, everything is not okay.”
“Why? What happened?”
“You happened.”
“Excuse me?”
“Reagan, I know that you’re here to help, but you have to remember that I’m still your boss.”
“I know that,” I said defensively.
“Do you though? Because you didn’t act like it in the meeting like that. Don’t you dare barge in like that again and undermine me in front of my staff.”
“Undermine you? I certainly didn’t mean to come across like that. I’m only here to help. This is what I was employed to do. Anyway, I tried to talk to you in private but you wouldn’t hear of it, so I took my chances when I had them.”
“What suit shop are we going to?” he said, completely changing the subject.
“I was thinking of the one in Garson Street. You know the one in the corner?”
“I know it. Fine. I’ll meet you there tomorrow at eight. Don’t be late.”
I watched as he stormed out the office and I resisted the urge to giggle. A small sound escaped my mouth as he turned the corner. I did feel slightly bad for talking that way to him in front of his staff; I knew that I probably shouldn’t have done that. But still, I was right about him needing to change his image and his attitude. And the fact that he still wanted to meet me at the suit shop tomorrow meant that he knew I was right too.
Chapter Eleven
Josh
I wondered if Reagan was going to be at the suit shop at the time I had suggested. I had specifically made it early to annoy her, but when I got there, I saw that she was already waiting for me. I checked my watch and saw that it was eight on the dot. She was early.
“Glad to see that you’re on time,” she said.
“Of course I’m on time. I’m the one that suggested we meet at eight, remember? You’re here early.”
“Punctuality is important to me. And how would I know if you were on time if I didn’t at least arrive a few minutes early.”
I laughed. “You’re insane. Right, are you ready to do some suit shopping? I wouldn’t mind getting this over with.”
She sighed and pointed at the shop which had a closed sign on the door. “You didn’t check what time they opened, did you?”
“What? They’re closed? Are you serious?”
“They open in half an hour.”
“Oh. Uh, well, let’s get some coffee next door then,” I said. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not too keen on standing around and waiting for half an hour.”
“Coffee?”
“Oh come on, I know I’m not your favorite person, but surely you love coffee?” I teased.
She laughed. “I do love coffee. O
kay, let’s go.”
The little café next door was brimming with people, but because most people were taking their coffees to go, we were able to get a table fairly easily. We took a seat and ordered a cappuccino each. When they arrived, Reagan took a sip and grimaced.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you like it?” I asked and took a sip of my own. It tasted great.
“I do. That’s the problem.”
“It’s a problem because the coffee is s good? I don’t understand?” And the mystery of Regan continued I thought as I watched her.
“Do you know Dana’s Café?”
“Dana’s? Yeah, I’ve been there before. Nice place. They made the most amazing toasted sandwiches. Such a simple meal but executed so well.”
“Exactly!” she said. “Well, Dana is my best friend. She runs the place, and I go there all the time. It’s practically the only place you’ll ever find me. I’m loyal. I was hoping to hate this coffee so that I didn’t feel so bad about going somewhere other than her café. But,” she said as she took another sip, “it’s really good.”
I chuckled as I saw a little line of white foam appear on her mouth. She could be very cute when she wanted to. She slowly trailed her tongue over her lips to wipe it off and I swallowed hard. She could also be very sexy. I swallowed the thoughts away and tried to concentrate on how annoyed I was at her for making me go suit shopping.
“I’m sure she won’t mind if you go somewhere else just this one time,” I said.
“I know. But I just feel bad. I made a promise to support her through this venture at all times. I know sometimes I can’t help where I go, but I at least want to go to other places and not like them. But this coffee is good dammit.”
“Wow, you’re almost loyal to a fault.”
“How can being loyal be a fault?” she asked.
“To yourself. You’re missing out on some amazing places out there.”
She shrugged. “Dana’s café is amazing.”
I laughed. She really was an enigma.
“It is amazing. It’s like fancy home-cooked food. So, do you go to Dana’s instead of going to eat at your parents? Or is it a family affair?” I asked. I wasn’t sure why but I was suddenly curious to know about her family.
“I wish. No, my mother passed away a few years back, and I never knew my father. Dana is all the family I have.”
This was a side of Reagan that I hadn’t yet seen, and it was nice to know that she had a softer side to her. I wished she’d show it more often.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be sorry. It’s life, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, that’s true. And Dana sounds like an amazing friend.”
“She is.”
We spoke easily for the next half an hour, and I almost forgot about our reason for being there in the first place. Of course, when eight thirty rolled around, she was the first to tell me.
“Okay, Josh. Let’s go smooth out those rough edges, shall we.” Just like that, she went back to being Reagan the public relations officer.
I rolled my eyes. “You’re the most frustrating person I know,” I said as we stood up to leave.
She chuckled. “As I said, you’ll hate me now, but you’ll thank me later.”
“Ha. We’ll see about that.”
We walked back to the suit shop where we were welcomed in by a man dressed in an impeccable suit. I couldn’t imagine dressing that way every day, no matter how good he might look. He asked if he could be of assistance, but Reagan seemed adamant that she wanted to be the one who helped me. The man went back to his desk and let us carry on. She was very good at taking charge.
“How about this one?” she said as she pulled out a dark gray suit. “Yes,” she said as she held it against me. “This would look so good on you.”
I groaned. “Seriously? It’s so boring, though. What about this one?” I said as I pointed out a black suit with a strong white geometric design on it. I had never seen a suit like that before, and I couldn’t wait to try it on. But the way Reagan was looking at it, I knew I wouldn’t even get the chance.
“Where do you think you’re going? It’s a conference. I want you to look good.”
“No, you want me to look boring.”
“I also don’t want you to make a fool of yourself. Now, I’m the one that came up with this idea, so I think it’s time you listened to me. Isn’t that why you brought me along? So that I could do the shopping for you?”
I sighed. “Fine. Whatever. I will do as you say, master.”
She grinned. “That’s more like it.”
We spent the next ten minutes going through all the suits on offer, with her telling me what she liked and me telling her that they were ridiculously stagnant. I didn’t mind getting a new outfit, but I had always promised myself that I wouldn’t be one of those boring people walking around in a boring suit intent on boring everyone. I told her this, but she just told me that a good suit didn’t have to mean boring. And, of course, in the end, she picked up three suits for me and told me to go and try them on. I came out minutes later shaking my head.
“Nope,” I said and handed the suits back to her. “Definitely not.”
“What? You tried them all on?” she asked. “Already? That was quick.”
“Yes, and the answer is no to all three of them.”
“Why didn’t you show me?” she asked.
“Because I think I know when something is nice or not. Trust me, I took one look in the mirror, and I wanted to run away. If I want to run away from myself then who knows what other people will do when they see me. Anyway, why do I have to show you?”
She chuckled. “I’m not so sure that you know when something is nice or not. But you’re right; I do want you to feel good in it too. You won’t ever look good if you don’t feel good in it. It might be a cliché, but it’s a cliché for a reason. Okay, well, in the meantime I found another one for you. Here, try it on, and take this tie with you. And do me a favor: call me when it’s on you. I actually want to see, for goodness sake. Otherwise what is the point of me even being here?”
I groaned. I felt like a child trying on his school uniform with his mother. I took the suit and went back into the changing room. The suit was dark gray, almost black, and I was certain I was going to hate it like all the rest. I wasn’t sure why she was so adamant on these stupid gray suits. I put it on and was surprised to find that it fit me, and that it actually didn’t look all that bad. It wasn’t the sort of thing that I was used to wearing. It was a little bit too clean cut, a little bit too fitted, and not the casual look I preferred going for. But, there was something about it that I liked. It suited me, as much as I hated to admit it. I opened the curtain and called to her.
Reagan came over and stopped short when she saw me. She looked me up and down and smiled. I liked the look that she had when she looked at me in the suit. It was the first time that I had ever seen her looking at me in that way.
“Now we’re talking. How about the tie?” she asked.
“Oh, I forgot about that,” I said.
“Let me put it on for you,” she said. She took the tie and stood on the tips of her toes to put it on for me. It felt weird having her so close to me, and I could smell the vanilla scent of her perfume all around. It was annoying intoxicating.
“There,” she said when she was done. “What did I tell you? It’s perfect. You look amazing Josh.”
I looked in the mirror and saw that she was right. The suit looked great on me, but it looked even better with the baby blue tie that she had put around me. She really did have an eye for these things. It was not at all the sort of thing I would’ve chosen for myself. It had looked so boring on the hanger, but it looked very good once it was on. “Are you flirting with me?” I asked.
She groaned. “Flirting? No. I am definitely not flirting. Not everyone flirts with you, you know. In fact, shock and horror, some people might not even be that attracted to you.”
“Are you
sure?” I asked again. “Because it sure seems like flirting to me. The way your eyes were trailing over my body.”
“I’m sure. Trust me. You’d know if I was flirting,” she said. “But that’s the suit. That’s definitely the one. I told you this wouldn’t be so difficult.”
“Fine, you were right. I do actually like this one.”
“Good. That was quicker than I thought it would be. I thought you were going to be more difficult. Okay, let’s ring this up and be on our way. I’d say we should get more than one, but let’s just concentrate on this conference first.”
“Thank goodness; I’m sick of trying on suits. I don’t know how you women do it. And some of you even make a day of it. A day of shopping? I could think of nothing worse.”
She laughed. “Wow, that’s incredibly sexist. Be careful what you say, Josh. I might know that you’re joking, but not everyone does. And trust me, I could think of nothing worse than a day of shopping, either. Actually, yes I can; a day of shopping with you would be torture. No, keep those sorts of jokes to yourself. You’re here to win the hearts of the public, not piss off a bunch of feminists.”
“Yes. Yes. I know,” I said. She had a point there. I was starting to realize that not everyone got my humor. I saw a small smile playing on her face, though, and it felt good to know that at least she found it funny, even if she would never admit to it.
I paid for the suit. I was appalled at how much it had cost, but I didn’t say a thing. It was a small price to pay for a few extra votes. That was if it even made a difference, of course. As we walked back out Reagan turned to look at me.
“Jokes aside, you really do look great in that suit, Josh. I know that it seems like a silly thing to do, but all these little things really do help in the grander scheme of things. I promise you that I know what I’m doing. Good luck for the conference, although I’m sure I’ll see you before you go in. You’re going to kill it!”
I smiled at her.
“Thank you. And thanks for helping me out today. The suit is great. Although the black and white geometric suit was still miles better.”
Dirty Boss (An Office Romance) (The Maxwell Family) Page 7