by Jude Ouvrard
“You think he has potential?” he asked, serious and businessman-like.
“From what I know about football, athletes and what you are looking for, he seemed to fit into your requirements. I think you should travel to the west coast and get him to sign with you.”
“We… we should travel and get him to sign with us.”
“We, fine, but I don’t own this company.”
“The funny thing is, you do. Whatever I own, you do. So, I can ask for your advice on making a decision. I’ll book us a flight and hotels. Free our schedules for Thursday and Friday.” I nodded, speechless. “You’re hot as hell, by the way.”
“Thanks.”
He chuckled. “I have to get going. Tina is with Johann for now. I’ve got to make a phone call, and then, I have my meeting with Devon and the rest of the board.”
“You look thoughtful.”
“I am. I have every part of me wanting to take you right here and now, but I have to fix things with Candice, and now is my only free time. Will you please show the gym to Tina during the lunch hour?”
“I want you to fuck me, Calvin.” My soft whispers reached his ears and I could swear I saw him doubting me for a moment.
“Are you giving in to your rules, sweet baby?”
“I might.” I twirled a small strand of hair around my finger. “But you’re busy, I heard.”
“Babe, I swear to God, you’re going to drive me crazy.” He looked at me in silence, thinking. “Tonight, you better be ready.”
“I most certainly will.” I winked.
“Iris… Don’t do this to me now. I’m trying to do what’s right. I have things to do.”
“Leave now, before you regret it. I’ll see you tonight, Mr. Banks.”
“You will officially wear my name soon, Iris. I’ll make it happen.”
“We’ll talk about it tonight, after we ... hum...”
“Iris! I’ll see you later.”
I laughed as soon as I knew he couldn’t hear me. I liked to play with him. He was so helpless and barely able to stay away from me. I should have asked him what he meant about Candice instead of playing games. Calvin probably wanted to fix things, although he’d said he wouldn’t be calling her again. It left me confused, and different scenarios played in my head. That was when I had to put my trust into him. Calvin had showed me how much he loved and cared about me, I had to trust that he was doing the right thing.
My morning flew by. I avoided thinking about Candice. Devon had already arrived, and was locked into Calvin’s office. By lunch time, I went to see Tina to spend lunch break together. When I reached her desk, she was reading the company guide. She had a pile of documentation to go through. Same as I had received.
“Hi, Tina.” She jumped in her seat. It looked like I startled her. “Are you ready for your lunch break?” She seemed really intimidated by me; or shy and the redness on her cheeks showed how uncomfortable she was.
“I… hum… I… Sure.” She opened the drawer of her desk to retrieve her purse. She really had the look of a perfect, sexy secretary and I hated everything about it.
“I’ll show you the gym and lounge, and then, I’ll be grabbing a bite to eat at the deli next store. Would you care to join me?” I tried to make my voice as friendly as possible. If she was going to work with Calvin, I had to make sure we had a welcoming attitude toward each other.
Her phone started to vibrate on her desk and immediately my eyes went to it.
Candice calling.
Keep your calm, Iris, keep your calm.
“It looks like someone’s trying to reach you.”
Her reaction proved me right; her worried face, her hand grabbing at her phone. She was hiding something and I had just figured it out.
“I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t keep my phone on my desk during my work hours. I’ll be more careful.”
It irritated me.
“You can leave you phone on your desk. Just as long as you don’t spend your day on social media, you’ll be okay.” I tried to smile, but at that moment, I no longer knew what to think.
“Okay.” Again, she avoided looking at me.
“Ready?”
She nodded before heading out the door. I had to try and get more information out of her. Candice appearing on her phone couldn’t be meaningless. It would explain how the perfect candidate appeared out of the blue.
I wanted to talk to Calvin, but I had been told not to interrupt their meeting.
Calvin, can I talk to you?
I would have loved to have a quick conversation with him. I wanted to tell him about my doubts, and I wished we could have discussed them.
I can’t now, babe. R u ok?
I knew it. Of all days, it had to happen today. The only day in forever where Calvin is fully scheduled. Candice had been the one to schedule this whole day.
What did you mean about Candice?
If she had thought about sending Tina here, what else could she do? She acted like a total stalker and it scared me. I had no idea how far she would take it this time. Candice knew everything about the company. She knew what Calvin would be looking for as an assistant and who to send Tina’s resume too. This isn’t random. It was planned.
I took care of everything, Iris. You don’t have to worry about her.
Why was he so vague? I had no clue what he meant.
I’m with Tina. What do you think about her so far?
I’m not sure. I didn’t spend enough time with her.
Okay. I’ll see you later.
“Sorry about that.” I locked my phone and placed it in my handbag.
“No worries, Mrs. Banks.”
I couldn’t help it. I started laughing. “No, no….” She turned beat red. “Call me, Iris, please. We’re engaged, but not married yet. Call me Iris, I insist,” I said, touching her forearm to comfort her. If I wanted to be able to dig, my main goal had to be to make her feel comfortable.
“Iris, then.”
“Absolutely.”
We reached the main floor and I led the way to the gym. I opened the door and let her in.
Justin and Danielle were both at reception.
“Hey, Iris. How are you doing?” Danielle asked, opening her arms to me for a quick hug.
“I’m good, thanks. How are you guys doing?”
“Good!” they both answered in unison.
“Guys, this is Tina Hamilton. She will be working as Calvin’s assistant.”
“A new assistant, of course. Hi, Tina. Nice meeting you,” Danielle said astounded. We had the same reaction. They shook hands and Justin, then, introduced himself.
“Do you want a tour of the gym?” Danielle offered.
“Sure, why not?” Tina seemed a little more enthusiastic.
I let Danielle do her thing while Justin stared at me, asking silent questions until the girls were far enough not to hear.
“She came out of nowhere. Friday, HR gave her resume to Calvin, and here we are, and it seems like she’s part of the Banks Team. I’m not sure about this.”
“Why not?”
“Calvin and I were doing good. We still had to adjust, but I thought we had this under control. I’m not even sure he wanted an assistant, a new one, I mean. She came out of nowhere with a solid resume. One that was impossible to ignore. It seems almost unreal.”
“She looks like a naughty secretary.” He chuckled. “Not sure you like that around Calvin,” he teased.
“Yeah, I had the same impression.” We laughed. “I don’t think Calvin is convinced, either.”
“I’ll hear all about it.” He sighed.
We both had our eyes on the girls walking around the gym. Danielle being her friendly self and Tina looking around, smiling at the guys shamelessly.
“A woman on the prowl.” Disgusted by her attitude, irritation resonated in my voice. “She’s a new employee and she has the guts to act like that.”
“That’s not professional, not what Calvin is looking for.”
I looked elsewhere because she was getting the better of me, and I didn’t want her to ruin my day. I already had major doubts about her knowing Candice.
“Let Calvin know how you feel. I don’t want to be the only one to confront him this time. Besides, I know Tina is connected to Candice,” I whispered.
“How do you know?”
“When I went to get her for lunch, I saw Candice’s name pop up on her phone.” I waited for his reaction.
“No shit! What did you do?”
I shrugged. “Nothing, I played dumb, but her reaction was enough explanation for me. I don’t want to jump to conclusions. Calvin said everything was fine with Candice; I have no idea what he meant, but he wasn’t worried one bit.”
“What he meant was that…”
Danielle cut him off. “Are you hitting the Lounge tonight?”
“I don’t know, I’ll see how Calvin is feeling. He has a tiring day ahead of him. We’re about to get something to eat. Do you need anything?” I offered.
She hooked her arm with mine. “Actually, I think I’ll go with you girls. I’ll pick up something to eat and get back here. Okay, sweetie?” she asked Justin, and my heart melted at the sight of them.
“Alright, let’s go.” We waited for Danielle to pick up her wallet and we headed to a small deli nearby. “How do you like it, so far, Tina?”
“It’s a lot to take in. I haven’t spent a lot of time with Mr. Banks. Johann told me I would probably get to know him more tomorrow or Wednesday. So far, I’ll admit that I’m a little bit nervous.”
“Don’t be,” Danielle comforted her. “It’ll be fine.”
“How did you hear about the job opening?”
I saw the hesitation in her face. She took a moment to think about it. “My friend told me about it.”
“That’s pretty cool. How did your friend know about it? Did they ever work here before?” I pushed a little harder, hoping she would give in and admit it.
“Yes, my friend is Candice. She called me to let me know that she had resigned the position to take another job offer in a law firm, and she thought I would fit in perfectly.”
I wondered if she was completely clueless about the situation.
Danielle’s eyes were about to pop out of their orbits. Like me, she couldn’t believe it.
“Yes, Candice… hum… she left not too long ago.”
“Yes, she’s very happy with her new job, but she used to always brag about this job here so I’m willing to try.”
“Right.”
I stood next to her, out of words. Not only had Candice lied to her friend, but she clearly had a plan. Probably to use her to get some information. Things couldn’t remain this way; I was beginning to see clearly now. Or at least, I thought so. Justin and Danielle both knew Tina was Candice’s pawn, and she planned on using her at her leisure. Disgusting. Maybe, if I waited until the perfect time, I could catch her at her own game. If she didn’t listen to Calvin, maybe she’d listen to me. Calvin wanted his life with me, and I had to stop her from trying to change that.
We ended up leaving the restaurant with take out. “I think we’ll eat at the gym too, unless you would like to eat at the dining room upstairs?”
“The gym’s fine.” She smiled.
We sat in the small sitting area of the gym. Justin stayed at the front while us girls enjoyed a quick lunch together. I could tell Danielle’s desire to know more about Tina was eating at her.
“Are you single?”
Tina blushed. The question took her by surprise. “I am.”
Her, single? I could hardly believe her. She had the sexy appeal thing going on, she was young and pretty. Of course, I didn’t know her personally, but she had potential.
“But I’ve only been single recently. We split couple of weeks ago. I’m still on survival mode.”
Her eyes lost in tears, she gave us more details. “I’m only twenty-two, but I spent the last six years of my life with him. I thought we were it, that we were going to marry.”
Danielle seemed interested, curious. “What happened? Did he cheat?”
“No, he said he wasn’t attracted to me anymore. He’s now seeing a man. I never saw it coming.”
“He’s gay?” I asked.
“No, he said he still likes women. I guess he is bisexual. I was super shocked; he never showed any interest before.”
“Damn, girl, that’s harsh.”
“Yeah, but I believe everything happens for a reason,” she said, staring at a guy running on the treadmill.”
“Wow, Tina, you just got here. Take it easy.” Danielle warned her, and it didn’t appear to be a joke. The tone of her voice was serious. She worked hard at the gym and had the habit of being protective of its reputation.
“Okay.” Tina took a bite of her salad.
We ate some more. Her phone kept buzzing in her purse. She chose to ignore it, but I could hear it every two minutes.
“I think someone’s trying to call you.” Pointing to her purse, I tried to gauge her reaction.
“Oh, really?” She played innocent, but still, took her purse and dug in to grab her phone. “Excuse me. I’ll be right back.” She turned around, her back to us.
Danielle and I watched her and tried to listen to what she was saying.
“Can, I’m eating. What’s the matter?”
Danielle gasped and I continued to watch Tina as she tried to respond to many questions.
“Yes, I’m with Iris and Danielle… We’re having lunch… What do you want me to do? I don’t… Wait Candice, I think I could like it here… I don’t understand why you’re mad.” She then looked at the phone, frustrated that Candice had hung up on her.
“Everything okay?” Danielle questioned.
“She is a very demanding friend sometimes. She appears to be in a bad mood today.” She shrugged, but I could see the sadness in her eyes. It became obvious Tina didn’t like that her friend was upset with her.
I stayed silent while I ate. Memories from the past came back to me. Damien cheating on me with my best friend. My best friend, Carolina, betraying our friendship and my trust to be with my boyfriend. The pain and sadness I felt were both raw and unbearable. I promised myself I would never put myself through this again. Calvin would never do that, but Candice would do everything she could to get back into Calvin’s life and probably, his heart.
“Time’s up. I gotta get back to work.” Danielle grabbed her things and got back to the reception, where Justin waited for her, patiently. He took her in a loving embrace and they kissed briefly.
“Aren’t they cute?”
“Yeah, in a low fat, fitness addicted way. Seriously, how many times a week do they train here?” Tina seemed envious of their bodies. Even I was.
I chuckled at her observation. “Every day. It’s their job. They love it.”
“She’s got abs to die for, and look at his biceps. They match, that’s for sure.”
I rolled my eyes at her. “Don’t be judgemental.” Tina didn’t respond to my snake comment. Justin and Danielle had a lot of potential. I believed they were in for the long haul. “Come, we have to get back upstairs.”
I sort of pitied her. She had no idea what she was in for with Candice. It scared me a little because Candice showed no intention of stopping. How far would she go? It gave me the chills.
If only I could reach Calvin and talk to him for a few minutes. It made me antsy that he was out of reach. Normally, in times like this, I would just grab my board and ride it until total exhaustion. If only I had my board with me…
I followed Tina until she reached her desk.
“Do you need anything, or have any questions?”
“I have a couple of questions, but I think I should wait for Calvin to be here to ask them. It concerns him and the job requirements.”
Damn, I hated this. “Okay, well, in that case, it will probably be tomorrow.” My voice came out cold, but Calvin had a busy day.
“To
morrow is good,” she answered, looking at her computer screen. “I’ll read through more of the papers Calvin and Johann gave me.”
“Sure, I’ll leave you to it.” I left her and went to Calvin’s door. I could hear Calvin and two other men talking or arguing on the other side of the door. They were loud and taking votes on business matters from what I could hear. I took my phone from my purse and decided to text him.
What did you mean about Candice? Everything’s fine, what does that mean?
I waited for a couple of minutes before going to my office. He hadn’t seen my message yet and any hope that he would reply quickly evaporated. My man had a lot on his plate today. He had a schedule that kept him beyond busy. I wouldn’t get the answers I demanded.
I had to opt for plan B.
If Candice had a problem with me, there was only one way to find out. If I leave work pretending to be sick, I would guess that Tina would let Candice know. Knowing that today Calvin had an overcharged day, she would find a way to catch me, and as crazy as it sounded. I voluntary agreed to hand myself to her.
Candice, I’m coming.
I cleared as much work as I could possibly get through. Calvin needed my marketing plan for tomorrow, and I had finally finished it after almost two hours of hard work. I responded to a couple of emails and tried to avoid thinking of every possible thing that could happen with Candice. What Candice had in mind was impossible for me to know. Patience would lead me to her.