by Regina Frame
"Mom, I have a girlfriend." What the hell? “We're actually engaged." Holy hell! The shit just keeps getting deeper. If she wasn't excited at the thought of Veronica and I together, she was ecstatic to think that I had a real girlfriend and was actually engaged.
"Grayson, that's wonderful news! Why haven't you told us?"
I may as well keep shoveling the shit and cover myself up.
"We planned to make the announcement at dinner."
By the time I hung up with her, she was planning a wedding and I was wondering how in the hell I was going to get out of this. I had to come up with a plan. If I were to tell her that we'd broken up right before Christmas, she'd insist on setting me up with Veronica Tate. I would just have to find someone who would agree to go along with this outrageous scheme I'd cooked up.
My desk phone beeped, and Aubree's voice came over the intercom.
"Mr. Scrooge, Phillip Brand is here to see you."
I dropped my head in my hands and groaned. I should have stayed in bed today. Phillip, my vice president, chuckled as he lowered himself on to one of the chairs in front of my desk.
"Don't fucking say it." I growled.
"Well, I'm going to say it anyway. Where in the hell did you find her, and does she have a sister?" I raked my hand over my face and sat back in my chair. "Are you sleeping with her? Because if you're not, I'm going to ask her out."
"No, I am not, and neither are you," I declared through gritted teeth.
"You've thought about it." He cocked his head to the side and smirked.
If he only knew the fantasies that I’d had about Aubree Layne. I jacked off in the shower that morning just thinking about what she might look like under those clothes. Damn! My dick was getting hard again from just thinking about it. I was going to have the worst case of blue balls known to mankind.
"She's here temporarily, and, besides, I don't sleep with employees. I'm her boss for fuck sake!"
"Who pissed in your coffee this morning?" He snickered. The asshole knew how to get to me, and it was clear he was enjoying himself immensely.
"Aubree, and then my mother." I exhaled a breath of frustration. "Was there something you needed this morning, Phillip?"
"No. Nothing other than to just bust your balls and check out your new secretary all the guys are talking about." I arched my brow in question. "They were right. She is hot as hell." The asshole grinned. He knew he was getting to me.
Phillip and my best friend Jake had always been able to read me like a book.
"Well, if you don't mind, get the hell out. I've got shit to do this morning."
He laughed as he walked toward the door.
I sat there in my chair, listening to him flirt with Aubree, and when she started laughing at something he said, I'd had enough.
I pressed the intercom button, and said, "Aubree, I need to see you, and bring a notepad."
They both got quiet. I looked up just in time to see Phillip stick his arm around the door and flip me off. If he’d stuck his head around the corner, I would’ve warned him to fuck off.
Aubree was a vision as she glided in and sat in one of the chairs across from me and crossed her long legs, causing her skirt to rise, revealing a creamy thigh. It was getting harder by the second to keep things professional. My dick strained against my black slacks as I watched her bite her bottom lip while writing the list of reports that I needed from her.
"Um. I'm not sure where to find some of this information. Tabatha has shown me a few things and I've spent time researching some things in the computer, but the investment ledger doesn't sound familiar." She bit down on the top of her pen, and it was one of the most seductive things I'd ever seen. I wanted those full pink lips wrapped around my dick, and soon. Fuck Phillip for knowing me so well.
"I can show you where to find the report, and answer any questions you might have."
She smiled as a look of relief washed over her face.
"Thank you." She breathed a sigh of relief.
The movement caused her perky breasts to lift and strain against her pale pink blouse. I wanted my hands on them. I wanted to feel their firmness. Would her nipples be as pink as her lips? My breath caught in my throat as my eyes met hers. They spoke volumes to me. I affected her as much as she affected me. The question was: were we going to cross that professional line and do something about it?
"Why don't you order us some lunch and we can go over a few of the reports while we eat. There should be some menus in one of the drawers in your desk. Don’t worry; they deliver," I said as she stepped around the corner to her office and out of sight.
Drumming my fingers against the cherry wood of my desk, I lightly shook my head. I couldn’t believe I just asked my secretary to lunch. Tabatha was going to hit me upside the head when she found out.
When Aubree came back into my office carrying a cardboard tray with two drinks and two white bags, I motioned to the empty space beside me on the leather sofa across the room.
“I thought we’d have more room over here.” I lightly patted the space beside me. I had placed the laptop on the coffee table in front of us, making it easier than crowding around my desk.
“This smells so good. I was starting to get hungry,” Aubree remarked as she pulled out what looked like a sandwich wrapped in silver foil paper.
“That does smell good. What did you get us?” I asked, eyeing mine wrapped in white paper.
“Well, I didn’t know if you liked your sandwiches heated or if you liked them cold, so I got you a turkey and swiss on wheat and I have pastrami on rye, lightly toasted.” Licking my lips, I stared at her sandwich. “Let me guess, you like Pastrami on rye?” She grinned.
“It is my favorite.” I lay my sandwich back on the table, expecting her to share hers, now that I’d told her that it was my favorite.
“Are you not going to eat?” she asked before taking a big bite of her sandwich.
My brows pinched together, and I said, “I thought we might share yours.”
I couldn’t help but laugh as she pulled her sandwich closer to her. Cradling it like a baby. Her brows crinkled, and I would almost swear that I heard her growl. I slid the laptop closer to us on the table. I was sitting close enough to her now that I could smell her perfume, and it was doing things to me that it shouldn’t.
I let my leg shift just enough so that it was resting against hers. I couldn’t feel the creamy skin, but I could feel the warmth of her slender body next to mine, and it set me on fire.
She stood from the sofa and began picking up the trash that we had left from our lunch. There were paper bags, sandwich wrappers, and chip containers, which we had scattered about.
“What are you doing?” She turned and quirked a brow.
“Housekeeping will take care of that,” I told her.
“Why should housekeeping have to clean up after us? I’m used to picking up after myself. They didn’t make the mess. We did.” I sat there with a surprised look on my face, because I couldn’t remember a time that someone hadn’t done that for me. My nannies, teachers at the private schools I attended, and my housekeeper at home.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Decker.” Aubree stood in front of me with her purse. “Did you need me to stay late?”
I pulled my phone from my slacks and checked the time. We’d already stayed two hours longer than her normal work day. I never thought about the time. I just always left whenever, unless I was meeting someone.
“No. That’s not necessary.”
“Oh. Good. I just hope I can catch the bus. I’d hate to have to wait in the rain.” I looked out the window. It was raining pretty hard. I thought she had a car.
“I’m about to leave. Why don’t I give you a ride?” I offered as I closed the laptop and placed it on the charging station.
“Oh no! I couldn’t ask you to do that. Besides, I need to make a stop along the way.” Her cheeks turned a bright shade of pink as her eyes darted around the room looking everywhere but at me. I
pulled my phone from my pocket, sent Henry a text, and pulled my suit coat from the hanger on the back of my door.
“It’s settled. My driver will meet us downstairs.”
Placing my hand at her back, I ushered her across the hall to the elevator. It didn’t escape me that Phillip chose that time to walk down the hall, stopping long enough to wish Aubree a good evening. The asshole did it on purpose. If he didn’t watch it, he’d find himself in the unemployment line. As we ride down the elevator, I kept my hand just above her hip, keeping her close to me, and she didn’t move. That was good. Maybe I hadn’t read her wrong. Maybe she was attracted to me.
“Is that your car?” she asked, as Henry walked toward us with a large umbrella, holding it over Aubree to shelter her from the rain. “Wow. This is nice.” She ran her hand over the black leather.
“Where do you need to stop?” I asked.
“I’m sorry?” she questioned with a puzzled look on her beautiful face.
“You said you need to make a stop on the way home.”
“Oh. Yes. I need to stop at Fulmer’s Pharmacy if he doesn’t mind.” She motioned toward Henry in the front seat.
“That’s what he’s here for,” I replied.
When we reached the pharmacy, Henry double parked in front of the entrance. Aubree looked around at the other cars and opened her mouth to say something. Probably about us being double parked. When I arched my brow, she exited the car where Henry stood holding the door and the umbrella for her.
She had two large bags when she made it back to the car. I was curious as to what she had in those bags, and as I reached for one to peek inside, she slapped my hand. Not many women were brave enough to react that way, but she was, and I was finding that I liked that about her. Women had always fallen over themselves just to impress me. I was coming to realize that, that is just boring. Maybe Jake was on to something, and I’d been seeing the wrong type of woman my whole life.
“What is your address, so that I can give it to Henry?” She began to fidget in her seat, and a look washed over her face that I couldn’t put my finger on. “Aubree?”
She stared out the window, and rattled off her address for Henry. Once we arrived, I thought it couldn’t be the right place, but when she grabbed her bags and stepped from the car, I realized what that look was earlier. Aubree was ashamed. Seeing the place for myself made me worry for her safety. I slid from the seat and took her bags from her.
“Wh-what are you doing?” she stammered.
“I’m walking you to your door,” I ordered, placing my hand just above her hip as we climbed the dilapidated stairs together. When we reached the second floor, one of her neighbors opened the door and stepped outside. He was a large, round man in a pair of boxers and a tee shirt covered in stains. He lit a cigarette as his eyes trailed over Aubree. I didn’t like that at all.
“I can take those now.”
I had been eyeing the guy next door, and hadn’t noticed that Aubree had unlocked her door but hadn’t opened it.
“I’ll take them in for you.” I took a step forward, but she stopped me by placing her small hand on my bicep.
“That’s not necessary. I’ve got them. Thank you for the ride home. Maybe I’ll get my car from the shop this week and I won’t have to take the bus.”
That answered my question from earlier. She did have a car.
“I’ll send my car for you in the morning. I really don’t like the idea of you taking the bus.” I looked a door down, where the underwear guy was now standing at the metal railing, smoking and still watching us. “Henry will be here around nine,” I told her, and took a step back.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked.
“I’m fine. Why?”
“Does he do that a lot? Stand outside his door in his underwear?”
“That’s Carl, and he’s harmless,” she whispered. “I’ll be ready by nine. That’s nice of you to offer your car. Thank you.” I waited until she was inside and I heard the click of her lock before I turned and gave the asshole next door the stare down. At least he was smart enough to go inside and close his door before I made it to him.
On the ride home, I thought about that piece of shit apartment building that Aubree lived in. I could only imagine what the crime rate was in that area. I also remembered her car now that I thought about it. She had been assigned Mary Ann’s parking spot for the time being, which happened to be at the entrance to the elevator in the underground garage. The first time I saw it I thought about having it towed, until Tabatha had told me that it belonged to Aubree. It was an old Honda, with faded gold paint and a few rust spots on the door and the hood. I had to find a way to correct that for her, but something told me I would have to fight her tooth and nail to do it. She might accuse me of being nice again. I couldn’t remember a time that anyone, especially a woman, had told me that I was nice.
AUBREE
Just like Grayson said, Henry knocked on my door at 9:00 a.m. sharp. I grabbed my purse and keys from the kitchen counter, along with the two bags from the pharmacy last night. I just hoped that I beat Grayson to the office.
With the last of the decorations in place, I stood back and smiled. The decorations were nothing like downstairs in the lobby, but it beat nothing. How could someone not look at Christmas decorations and smile? I sat at my desk, fired up my computer, and placed the tiny little Christmas tree on the desk beside my phone. It was one of those little trees that people purchased to add to their ceramic Christmas village. That was okay with me. If he didn’t want a big tree, I’d at least have my own little tree to look at.
I busied myself printing and copying the reports that Grayson had asked for yesterday. I stacked them neatly on the corner of my desk. When my stomach rumbled, I realized it was already noon and he still hadn’t made it to the office. What was I waiting for? Another lunch with him? I was not sure I’d survive, because just sitting near him on the sofa yesterday lit my body up like the fourth of July. The way he accidently brushed my hand as we went over some of the reports, and the way his thigh rested against mine, had me wanting to straddle him where he sat.
“Hey!” a female voice caught my attention from across the room. It was the nice lady that pointed me in the direction of the restroom on my first day. I believe she said her name was Sherry.
“Hi, Sherry!”
“I thought I would stop in and see if you wanted to grab some lunch down in the cafeteria,” she offered.
“That would be great. I’m starved.” I reached for my wallet, but she told me I wouldn’t need it. They would scan my name badge, and it would be withheld from my paycheck. That was a relief, because I wasn’t sure exactly how much money I had in my wallet because I wouldn’t get my first paycheck until Friday.
“I couldn’t help but notice the decorations in Mr. Decker’s office. I can’t believe he decorated this year.”
“What do you mean by that? He doesn’t usually decorate for the Holidays?”
Sherry shook her head. “Nope! I’ve been here for five years, and I’ve never seen decorations in his office. In fact, Mary Ann told me once that he was very adamant about it, but she didn’t know why.”
“Oh.” I could feel my neck and chest breaking out in red splotches. It happened every time I was nervous. Hopefully, I’d make it back to the office before him, so that I could take them all down.
“What’s wrong?” Sherry tilted her head to the side, studying me.
“I’m thinking that I should probably go take those down so that I don’t get fired. He obviously has a reason, and it’s none of my business.” I chewed my bottom lip. “You know what? I’m leaving them up. He can close his eyes if he doesn’t want to look at them. That area is mine,” I declared.
“I knew I liked you,” she responded with a laugh.
By the time I made it back to the office, Grayson’s door was open and all of the Christmas decorations were gone. What the hell?! I marched into his office, stood in the front of his desk wit
h my hand on my hip, when he looked up at me with those piercing blue eyes. I was rendered speechless momentarily by just how handsome he was. When he arched his brow, throwing attitude my way, I suddenly remembered why I came in here in the first place.
“Where are my decorations?”
“Aubree, I told you that I don’t decorate my office for the holidays.”
“It wasn’t your office. It was mine!” I placed my hands on his desk and leaned forward. His eyes were now on my breasts. I rolled my eyes and stood up straight. “My eyes are up here,” I declared, placing my hands back on my hips.
“Did you print the reports I asked for yesterday?”
I guess that was the end of the conversation. It was for him, but not for me. This wasn’t over yet!
“I did. Would like me to bring those to you now?”
“I would like for you to take them to the board room next door and place a copy in front of each chair,” he ordered.
“Is there anything else that I can do for you?” I was keeping everything in a professional tone. He was my boss. I was his employee. End of story. I could do this, right?”
“As a matter of fact, there is. Call the cafeteria and ask them to bring a tray of cookies along with coffee and water for the 2:00 o’clock meeting.”
“Yes, sir.”
I turned on my heel and all but stomped out of his office.
The rest of the day passed in a blur. After his meeting with the board members, he called me in his office where he went over a few more reports and how to keep track of his schedule in the system. By the time we finished with that, it was already past time for me to leave. I wasn’t waiting around to see if Henry was going to give me another ride home. I was taking the bus, because I needed to make another stop at the pharmacy.
When I stepped into my office, I was shocked to see a beautiful woman with midnight black hair, tanned skin, and she was wearing a long coat cinched at the wait and some killer heels. Her eyes traveled the length of me, an ugly smirk forming on her overly plump lips.