by Gia Star
“I was warned ahead of time not to expect anything to go very smoothly, nor to expect any fair treatment from the bosses. Comments were made about how one of the famous Jones brothers would establish his presence as an Alpha in a setting meant to be equal ground for both parties. And how the other mostly plays his part to give the illusion of balance. He’ll help make the situation confusing and give just enough authority to make the target feel outnumbered. But really, only one’s calling the shots.” Lori continued to look back at the man, unperturbed. He hadn’t blinked even once, but there was a growing tension in his jaw. She offered a smile. “No names were given, of course.”
She glanced over to Oliver who was looking less amused now.
“At any rate,” Lori went on, “Those are just the rumors flying around. I take little stock in hearsay and prefer to see things firsthand before I form an opinion.”
“What target?” he asked.
Lori raised her eyebrows in question.
“You said ‘make the target feel outnumbered.’”
She shrugged. “They didn’t go into those kinds of specifics.”
“You think we would waste our time trying to toy with you?” he asked.
“I think you want me to waste time wondering what’s going on in your head so that you’ll have reason to look down at me for not doing my job.”
“Anything in my head is none of your business,” Owen said.
“And my body is none of yours,” she replied, letting her smile drop to show she was serious. His eyes searched hers. “Don’t think just because you use wine or any other kind of code words that I can’t piece together what you’re insinuating.”
Now Owen looked amused. He turned his head and leaned closer. “Are you saying you think you have a plum body?”
“I’m saying,” Lori slowly rose to her feet, “That my body has nothing to do with you and if you continue to keep me from doing my work, you’ll be even farther behind and you’ll have only yourself to blame for it.”
They stared hard at each other, little more than a foot apart now.
“So, Mr. Jones,” Lori said calmly, “Shall I get back to it? Or would you like to go ahead and dismiss me now?”
“Can’t hack it behind this desk?” he asked in a lower voice.
“I’m still here, aren’t I?” she said pointedly.
They continued to stare at each other. Owen’s eyes seemed to search her, as though looking for a crack in her confidence that he could use to break her down. She didn’t look away or blink.
Finally, he smirked again. “How long will it take you to get through these files?”
“That depends on how much longer the two of you want to play,” she answered. “If you leave me to it, I can get the majority of this sorted before it’s time to go home.”
He considered her for a moment before straitening up with an air of ‘I’ll allow it’. “Oliver can get you signed in to the computer. Get to it.” He walked calmly to his office, closing the door behind him.
On cue, Oliver approached her, moving around the desk to turn on the computer. Lori sat back down and moved her chair to give him some space.
“Do you have brothers?” Oliver asked.
“No,” Lori said. “I’m an only child.”
He kept his eyes on the monitor as it booted itself up. “That was an impressive staring match you had with my brother. Almost like you’re accustomed to it.”
She wasn’t, but she decided not to answer. Oliver typed in a couple of passwords and went into the computer’s programs to create file shortcuts for the desktop.
“These are the main programs we’ll be having you use. You familiar with them?”
Lori scooted her chair closer and nodded, “Yes.”
“Good. Be sure to save often when you’re inputting data. Don’t rely solely on the auto save, you’ll be kicking yourself for it later.”
“Alright, thank you.”
He turned his head toward her; the lack of stern power struggles the only subtle hint to distinguish him from his twin.
“We were talking about your clothes, by the way. Not your body.”
“You don’t like my clothes?” she asked with little interest.
“I think you could use an upgrade,” he said, straightening up.
She did her best not to take that as an insult. “I’ll get right on that.”
“Don’t bother,” Oliver said, turning back to head toward his own office. “We’ll handle it for you.”
“Mm hmm,” she mumbled to herself. She turned her chair to him just as his hand reached the doorknob. “I apologize if I insulted you.”
He paused.
“For what I said before, about the rumors.”
He looked at her. “You said no names were named. Which part are you apologizing for?”
“Whichever part may have upset you.” She said with a small shrug. “Rumors are rumors. It doesn’t mean I know you.”
They just looked at each other for a moment before he disappeared into his office. Lori watched the door for a moment after it closed shut. The small jolt of excitement in her stomach threatened to brim over. Had she really managed to chip away at some of Oliver’s barrier? Had she really caught a glimpse of the real ‘him’? She turned back to the computer screen, shaking her head to remind herself of the fact that even though he’d given her some warmth, he was still an ass. All his past secretaries couldn’t be wrong, could they?
As it neared the end of the day, Lori had made it through most of the files and had left herself a generous list of tips and to-dos. The phones didn’t ring endlessly as she had been told, but it did ring several more times and she was glad to see they were genuine calls. Rather than fuss with the phone extensions any further, she simply recorded the messages, used polite service with those who called and went back to her organizing. Exploring the drawers, she found room for the files that were done and labeled each tab with a number so that she would be able to keep better track of them. At the head of her desk, between the matching phones, she had placed a cardholder where the messages were gathered for her bosses.
Owen finally came out of his office ten minutes before her shift was over. He looked over her desk which was much clearer now and saw her going through what was left of her untouched pile.
“Those all you have left?” he asked.
“Yep,” she answered, finishing her note before sticking it to the paper. “I’ve got a bit of a system down now. I’ll be able to do data input tomorrow.”
“Alright. You’re expected in at seven in the morning tomorrow.”
“I’ll be here,” she said. “With coffee.”
“Be sure to shut down the computer when you leave,” he said before heading to Oliver’s office and entering without a knock.
And that was it. Lori did as she was told and left her desk as it was, ready for the next day.
Taking the elevator to the lobby, she saw several of the women from earlier behind the desk.
“Will we be seeing you tomorrow?” One of them said condescendingly, as though she already knew they wouldn’t.
“Bright and early,” Lori said proudly as she headed for the front entrance.
“Ms. Bennett,” another lady called her back. “One moment, please.” She spoke into the phone cradled against her shoulder before addressing Lori again. “Mr. Jones wants to know your measurements.”
Lori frowned, looking between her and the other woman. They were serious. Lori sighed and asked for a piece of paper. She wrote down the measurements, thankful that she’d been measured recently enough when she’d gone to buy work clothes. She passed the paper back and the lady read them to the phone. Lori waited to see if there was anything else, but the call ended and the woman went back to her work without any further acknowledgement of her. Lori sighed and took her leave.
Chapter Three
At quarter to seven the next morning, Lori placed the carton of coffee on the waiting table and went to put her bag do
wn at her desk. She noticed what looked like a long dessert box on her desk with her last name written on it. She opened it up and saw a ton of neatly folded tissue paper under another note that said, “Wear this.”
Lori undid the paper and saw a plum-merlot colored blouse with a silky skirt and matching suede heels. At first, she was a little put off. She had tried to dress up a little better today of her own accord, but it seemed the twins had other ideas. She remembered Oliver saying they would take care of it for her, and resigned herself to take the box into the ladies room down the hall. She was pleased to see that it fit her perfectly; sometimes measurements weren’t foolproof. Folding her own clothes, she returned to the office and left a name card for the respective beverages before getting straight to work.
She’d just gotten started when the door opened and both Jones brothers entered.
“Good morning, Mr. Jones,” Lori said kindly, barely looking away from her task. “Mr. Jones.”
“Morning,” Oliver said tiredly.
Owen looked at the covered cups waiting for them and saw there were two per name card. He picked one up and lifted the lid to inhale it. He paused and looked up at her. “What is this?”
“The coffee you ordered,” she answered without looking away from her computer.
“This isn’t Long Black,” he said.
“The other one is,” she replied.
Oliver took up one of his cups and imitated his brother’s actions.
Owen looked back at his own, “Why did you bring two different types of coffee?”
“Four, technically,” she said. “You asked for a Long Black espresso, but I had a feeling you were trying to set me up again, so I ordered what you got yesterday.”
“How do you know what I got yesterday?” Owen asked.
“I had a hunch and confirmed it with the barista.” She stopped typing and turned her chair to face them. Seeing the look on his face, she added, “Oh, she backed up your claim for the Long Black, but after I guessed correctly on what you really wanted she confirmed it and gave me both. So that one in your hand is an Affogato. And Mr. Jones ordered a classic roast blend, but what he really wanted was a Chai Latte.”
The twins exchanged a look.
Owen looked back at her. “Where did you come up with that harebrained idea?”
Lori grinned. “I don’t think you realize how pungent coffee aromas are, even after the fact. Both of you got close enough to me yesterday that I smelled vanilla and chai. There was no hint of extra black coffee or even classic roast, which I happen to drink at home. I’m quite familiar with it.”
Oliver glanced at his brother and fought against an amused snicker. Owen narrowed his eyes at her a little suspiciously. Lori turned back to her work and spoke, “I still brought what you asked for, but this way I wouldn’t have to make two trips.”
“Uh-huh,” Owen said, putting his drink down on the table. “And how, may I ask, did you get into the computer without the password?”
“Mr. Jones never gave me the password,” Lori confirmed. “And so, rather than spend all morning waiting for you like I did yesterday, I changed the password so that I could get right to work.”
Owen walked right up to her desk and stood staring at her. She paid him no mind as her fingers continued to race against the keyboard, filling the spreadsheet with categories she had assigned the papers to the previous day.
“Stand up,” Owen said sternly. Lori paused for a moment before calmly getting to her feet. She looked at him patiently as he moved around the desk to get a better look at her. “Turn.”
Lori did a slow rotation to be inspected.
Owen frowned at what he saw and reached toward her head. She quickly raised her arm and blocked him. “What are you doing?”
“Fixing your hair.”
“I never gave you permission to do that.”
He lowered his arm and looked like he was holding back aggravation. “Then you do it. Take your hair down.”
“Please,” she said. “Say please.”
He glared at her and she did as he asked with a look of ‘I’ll give you this one.’
She gave her head a light shake as her wavy hair fell from its ponytail down past her shoulders. Owen inspected it and still didn’t seem satisfied. He reached for her again and she took a step back, giving him a warning look. Owen set his jaw and asked through clenched teeth,
“May-I-fix-your-hair-please-miss?”
Lori took a step forward and let him fluff up her hair a little bit. She kept her eyes locked on his the entire time and the closeness she suddenly felt towards him sent tingles along her spine. She ignored the intense reaction he had on her and concentrated on watching him. He seemed genuinely determined to fix it. His grip was light though, and he never once tugged. His fingers lingered in her hair for a moment before he paused and reached his hand out to the side. Oliver apparently had approached and taken something from the box that her outfit had come in, because Owen took it and slid it along the left side of her head, pinning her hair back. He looked her over for a moment, the aggression in his face momentarily gone.
“There,” he said. “What do you think, Oliver?” He turned her to face his brother who looked her over.
“That’s much better,” Oliver said.
Lori nearly blushed. It was the first time they’d said anything really nice about her and they seemed to mean it. She looked from Oliver to Owen.
“You two aren’t really into beige, I take it?”
Owen shook his head.
“It works on some people,” Oliver said. “But it didn’t say what it needed to say about you.”
She raised a brow at him. “And what’s that?”
He gave her a playful smile over his cup before taking a generous drink from it. “Thanks for the coffee,” he said, before moving back to the table.
“Sure thing.” Lori looked back at Owen, who was eyeing her new look as though he were uncertain about something. When their eyes met, his lingered for a moment before he turned away from her.
“Keep working on your task, it should keep you busy for most of today.”
“You got it,” she said, letting her own eyes linger on his backside for a moment. Thankfully neither of the men was facing her to notice.
Owen took his coffee cups into his office, Oliver following close behind.
Chapter Four
Behind the closed door, Owen stopped close to his desk and turned to his brother, holding up his cup with an unspoken remark.
“Well,” Oliver replied, “You did get right in her face yesterday, I’m not surprised that she noticed. And we got pretty close when I got her into the computer.”
“That’s another thing, she changed the password,” Owen said.
Oliver rolled his eyes. “It’s easy to override if we have to.”
Owen shook his head and looked down at his beverage.
Oliver smirked. “You expected her to give up by now, didn’t you?”
“It’s only been a day,” Owen said. “She could still quit.”
“Yeah, but I think we both know better.” He considered his older twin and saw that underlying debate in his face again. “She cleans up nicely, doesn’t she?”
“Mm,” Owen mumbled. “You have a knack for seeing people’s potential.”
“Just like I have a knack for reading your mind before you open your mouth,” Oliver said. “She stands out to you.”
Owen hesitated before nodding.
“You can see how that would be a problem, right?”
“She’s a grown woman,” Owen answered. “She doesn’t need her daddy’s permission.”
Oliver gave him a look. “I think this is a bit of an exception.”
“Marty’s known us for a long time -”
“Exactly,” Oliver said, coming closer. “He knows us better than almost anyone, yet he still suggested his daughter come work for us. Don’t you think that’s a gesture of how much trust he’s putting in us both?”
“I doubt that’s the case,” Oliver said. “She seems well brought-up, and she’s handled everything we’ve thrown at her so far. I see that as his doing, which means they’ve got to be on good terms. Good enough anyway. If we did anything to hurt her, Marty would most likely bring out his big guns.”
“Hmm,” Owen hummed again. Marty had been one of their grandmother’s attorneys for several years. And once the twins were old enough to go into business for themselves, she had suggested he work specifically with them on account of his determination and strong will. Unlike others she knew, he wouldn’t be knocked down very easily by the young duo’s gimmicks, and tireless sense of humor. They had certainly tried. And Marty had won against them time and time again. He still got a bit impatient with them when they were acting particularly intolerable, but he’d worked with them for the better part of a decade now and they could all sense a mutual fondness and respect there.
Now it seemed that his daughter was someone not as easily turned away either, and this was something Owen was very interested in. It was a challenge, one that she had accepted the day before when she got to her feet and tried to stare him down. Keeping her firm stance while still showing he could call the shots –as long as she said so.
Something small but prominent fluttered inside of him at the thought. He felt very eager to play that game with her.
“But,” Oliver said pointedly, breaking the trance, “I don’t think I need to tell you how catastrophic that would be. Marty’s gotten us out of some pretty sticky situations before. If he were to turn that same arsenal against us, propelled by the instinct to protect his daughter – I think it’s safe to say we’d be ruined for good, don’t you?”
Owen took a drink from his cup. “So, what do you suggest?”
“Clear the temptation,” Oliver said. “Sever the ties now before they get any thicker. You said yourself, it’s only been one day.”
“You want to fire her?” Owen asked. “After we gave her the new outfit and she managed to get the upper hand in twenty-four hours?”