by Claire Adams
“Then write your speech. Good night,” I said as I tried to get rid of him.
“I’ll come get you. Please, I need a fresh pair of eyes. I can’t get my thoughts across, and this is really important to me.”
“Why not just write a check and be done with it?”
“They count on me to be there. It’s the biggest fundraiser event of their year. I’m not going to let them down.”
I could hear the anxiety in his voice. There was a vulnerability to how he was asking me for help. It was different than the way he was in the office, and I felt compelled to oblige him. If he was so serious about having a good speech, I could at least try and give him a hand. Even in my tipsy state of mind, I knew I could throw together a halfway decent speech.
“Fine, come get me. I’m at…”
“Sand, the bar across from where you live?”
“That’s a little creepy that you know that.”
“I could hear the music, remember? I’m pulling up shortly. Come out.”
“This isn’t some perverted move to get me to go to your house, is it? You know I’m not naive, I know how you bosses work. Just because I’m a pretty young blonde doesn’t mean I want to sleep with you. Let’s just get that straight right now.”
“Emmi, I just need help writing a speech.”
“Fine, I’ll be right out. But we are not going back to your place.”
“I’ll be there in two minutes.”
As I hung up the phone, I rolled my eyes in exhaustion. This guy was the head of a huge company, yet needed help writing a damn charity speech. It baffled me, but then again, I’d realized over the years that the boss almost never knew as much as his employees did. Bosses were just better at delegating their work.
“He’s coming to pick me up.”
“Oh, so you said yes to going to his house?” Jessica joked.
“No! He just needs help with a speech for tomorrow.”
“At his house, in the middle of the night, when you’re drunk. Oh, yes, this is going to be fun.”
“Stop teasing me. I’m not going to his house. Now walk me out so I don’t have to wait alone.”
“You look damn fine for a late night booty call,” Jessica continued to tease.
“Oh, stop.”
My heart thumped harder and harder as I looked down the street for a car that might be Declan’s. But as a supped up Jeep Wrangler pulled around the corner, I was honestly surprised when I saw him behind the wheel. A sports utility vehicle that was actually functional was the last thing I had expected.
“That’s him,” I said quietly as I held onto Jessica and tried to steady myself.
“Shit, I’d go home with him in a second. That’s one damn fine boss you’ve got there, I can’t get enough of him.”
The Jeep pulled up in front of us and Declan jumped out and came around to open the door for me. Jessica and I both looked at each other wide-eyed, as if we were witnessing some sort of alien right in front of us. Guys didn’t open doors anymore. The gallant gesture seemed natural to him though, as if he’d been opening doors for women all his life.
Maybe it was because of his gallant door opening gesture, or perhaps because I’d had a few drinks in me, but Declan looked amazing as he stood there holding the door. He was dressed in cargo shorts and a black t-shirt, with flip flops on. His hair was tussled, and his short beard was slightly out of control after a full day of growth.
He smiled at me with his big blue eyes and raised his eyebrow as he motioned for me to get in. My legs didn’t move. They were already wobbly from the amount of alcohol I’d consumed, but Declan had thrown me off. He looked like a regular guy I would have run into on the beach or something like that. Declan absolutely did not look like the millionaire owner of an international business.
“Are you coming, or do I need to carry you?”
“Carry her,” Jessica said as she squeezed my arm.
“I’m coming, sorry,” I replied as I pulled myself back into reality.
No matter how normal he looked, Declan was still Mr. McMillan to me, and I needed my job. I hadn’t even started to look for a real job yet. Plus, he was paying me a very nice salary, which would help me a great deal as I tried to get back on my feet in Los Angeles.
“You and your colorful dresses,” he said quietly as I hopped into his Jeep.
“It’s Jessica’s.”
“Should we wait and make sure she gets home alright? It looks like you girls were having a rocking time tonight.”
We sat in his vehicle and waited until Jessica had crossed the street and made it into the main building. I expected him to pull away then, but he waited until he saw the light turn on in her apartment. It was another kind gesture from a man that I’d thought only cared about himself.
“Hungry?” Declan asked as we pulled into traffic.
“I could eat a horse.”
“We can try that another time. How about a late night breakfast?”
“Yep. Sounds perfect.”
I let my eyes close as I laid my head against the seat. Suddenly I was utterly exhausted. My heart was still racing from the excitement of seeing Declan pull up and being pretty damned shocked by his appearance. Plus, I was deathly afraid of saying or doing something stupid since I was all loosened up by the alcohol in my system.
It was just a few minutes before we arrived at the all night diner and Declan jumped out and opened my door for me.
“Do you always do that?” I said as I climbed out.
“What?”
“Chivalry and door opened? That’s hot,” I said as I stumbled with the first step I took.
Declan grabbed my arm quickly and steadied me. He didn’t respond to my comment, which I was more and more grateful for as we made our way into the restaurant.
I felt his left hand around my waist as he held onto me and kept me steady while we waited for the waitress to come and seat us. I should have asked him to remove it, but I felt unsteady enough that I knew he was being helpful. His firm hold on me was probably the only reason I was still standing.
The quick drinking I’d done earlier in the evening was catching up with me, and I felt the warmth of the alcohol running through my veins. I wanted to lay down and sleep and seriously doubted my ability to help Declan write any sort of speech at all.
“Can we get some pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs, please?” Declan said as he helped me slide into the booth. “And two coffees, please.”
“Sure. Would you like anything else?” the waitress asked as she looked at me, but I couldn’t get my mouth to form any coherent words at the moment.
“This is a good start,” Declan said for me.
“Thanks,” I managed to say after our waitress left.
“No problem. I know how the alcohol fog works. I’m sorry for ruining your night. I really appreciate you helping out. But let’s eat first and drink some coffee so you feel a little better. How’s that sound?”
“Could I also take an hour nap?” I teased as I laid my head onto the table.
“Sure,” Declan replied without missing a beat.
“Do you have a lot of cars?” I said without lifting my head.
“Nope, just my trusty Jeep.”
“Really?”
I lifted my head in surprise.
“Yep. It’s all I need. Why?”
“You’re just surprising me tonight,” I mumbled as I laid my head back down.
My eyes closed again, and I felt the warmth of the alcohol slowing down my breathing. I pulled in a deep breath, and my eyes relaxed even more as I drifted off to sleep right there at the table. I couldn’t help it; I couldn’t keep my eyes open no matter how hard I would have tried.
When I started to wake up, I heard the noises around me first. There were plates moving and clinking around the diner, silverware scraping against the plates, and conversations going on all around me. As I lifted my head and pried my eyes open, I felt the undeniable wetness of saliva dripping down my chin.
Mortified, I grabbed for a napkin and wiped myself while hoping that Declan hadn’t noticed.
He was writing on a yellow notepad as he sat across from me. The food wasn’t at the table, but the remains from a small plate of jams and butter cued me into the fact that the food had already come and gone.
“Let me get you some food,” Declan said without looking up.
“How long was I asleep for?”
“A little over two hours. But hey, I got a lot of work done on my speech.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. Here, let me take a look at it,” I reached for his notepad and pulled it away from him while he was still writing.
“It’s horrible, I know. But that’s why I needed help.”
I started to read his speech and realized another piece of Declan that I hadn’t know existed. He was passionate about the Boys and Girls Home of Los Angeles. More than just a man with money trying to pretend to care, I felt his heart in each of his paragraphs. He clearly had a real connection with this charity and the children that it helped.
“It’s not horrible,” I said as I kept reading. “This is tomorrow night?”
“Yep.”
“Can I make some changes?”
“Yes, please do. That’s what I need. I take no offense to any changes. I welcome them.”
“Is the event just for adults or are the kids there too?”
“It’s just adults. A charity dance, dinner, drinks sort of thing.”
“You’ll bring a date?” I asked as made some notes.
Declan didn’t answer right away, but I kept reading and making small changes to his speech. He had the core down exactly like it should be. The only changes that were needed were very simple and purely to evoke more emotion from the words he already had written down.
Our waitress came back, and Declan ordered another round of food while I continued my editing. All I could think about was how this speech was going to motivate anyone in the room to give all they could to the charity. From what I could see, Declan was a very motivational guy and told stories from the heart.
When our food finally arrived, I pushed the yellow notepad back over to Declan and dove right into the food. The soft buttermilk pancake filled my mouth with such deliciousness, I could hardly slow myself down enough to chew my food.
“I don’t usually bring a date to this charity event. It’s pretty emotional for me.”
“You should bring a date though. It would help you socialize with people and connect. The more they connect to you before your speech, the more they will donate once they hear this.”
“Really? You think so?”
“Definitely. Isn’t there someone you could bring?” I said as I smiled and finished chewing another bite of food.
“Not really.”
“Oh, come on. You can’t even tell me you don’t have a hundred women in your little black book.”
“No one special, and this event is special. Why don’t you come with me?”
I raised my eyebrow at the offer. Was this my boss talking, or this new and interesting guy Declan that had just let me sleep for two hours on a diner table?
“As your date?”
“No, not like that. I just mean, you could help me socialize and it doesn’t have to be a date.”
“I’m a really good schmoozer; I might show you up a bit,” I laughed.
“Deal, I’d love to have you.”
“I don’t really have anything to wear,” I said as I contemplated his offer. “But I guess I could ask Jessica; she’s probably got something in her giant closet.”
“So it’s a yes? I’ll come pick you up around five tomorrow. You should probably take a little time off at the end of the day so you can get ready too. Would getting off at noon help at all?”
“If I could get off work at noon, I’d go with you to a charity event every week.”
“I might just take you up on that offer. Now finish up that pancake so I can get you home for a little sleep.”
Chapter 7
Declan
“Time for lunch today?” Justin asked as I talked to him over the Bluetooth earpiece.
“Ha, no way. I’m packed with meetings today and only got three hours of sleep last night.”
“Hot new girl?”
“Hot, yes. But she’s not my new girl; she’s my new assistant and Teddy’s daughter. She was helping me work on my speech for the Boys and Girls Home event tonight.”
“You know that sounds like a dangerous situation. Teddy will kill you once you bed his daughter.”
“I’m not taking her anywhere but a charity event. No bedroom.”
“Sure.”
“Okay, I’ve got to go. But seriously, I’m not sleeping with Emmi. She’s good at her job, and I need her around until I hire another assistant.”
There was a long pause as I waited for Justin to give me more of a hard time. He loved busting my chops when it came to women.
“So she’s going to the charity event with you, but it’s not a date, and you’re not going to bring her home with you?”
“Exactly!”
“Bullshit!” Justin yelled so loud I instinctively pulled my Bluetooth out of my ear.
I had to pull my Jeep off the road as I grabbed my phone and continued our conversation. Justin knew me very well; there was no denying that. The problem was, I wouldn’t have believed me either. Women were a weakness of mine; smart, beautiful, fiesty women were essential to my life. Emmi was all of those, but she was Teddy’s daughter, and that was more important than anything else.
“Come on, man; you’re supposed to be my friend. I can’t do anything with this girl, that’s all there is to it.”
“Then why take her to the charity event? You need to keep your distance and only talk to her in the office with other people around.”
“I liked her idea of having a date with me to mingle and get more donations, but I don’t want to bring a random girl. With Emmi, it will be relaxed and professional, I promise.”
“Dude, this isn’t going to work, and you know it.”
The cars buzzed past me on the interstate, and I got a sick feeling in my stomach. I couldn’t help but remember last night at the diner and how comfortable the conversation was with Emmi. She was a surprise to me. Her humor, our connection, it was all unexpected.
“Man, it has to work. I need her as an assistant, and I can’t mess things up with Teddy. Can you even imagine the kind of shit I’d be bringing on myself if I slept with his daughter? He could axe our deals, and the company would tank to ten percent of what it is right now. I can’t afford that.”
“I understand, bro. But inviting her to dinner and drinks with a heartwarming charity theme isn’t the best idea.”
“I think it will work out well. She’s smart and can help me gather support for more donations. That’s all it will be. I’ll keep my focus, and it will be all business. Now I really do need to get to work.”
“Good luck!”
“Thanks.”
Slowly I eased back into morning traffic and inched my way toward work. The warm sun of the morning offset my tiredness from lack of sleep as I listened to the morning radio hosts and zoned out for the rest of the drive.
When I arrived at the office, it was business as usual throughout the morning. I gave Emmi a list of things to get done that morning, we smiled and noted with the normal pleasantry of our relationship. It was nice to have an assistant that learned quickly; that was one thing that would serve Emmi very well around me. Luckily, Margery had come into the company with me and we had a long period of time to learn and grow together. It wasn’t that easy for Emmi.
I was set in my ways now. Comfortable with how things had always been done around the office and eager to teach Emmi to do those same tasks exactly like Margery had always done them. Sometimes Emmi would look as if she had a suggestion or comment, other times she would try to actually make the suggestion, but nothing needed to be different. I just needed her to do all the tasks that M
argery had done.
She was getting better. After only a week she was visibly quicker at making it through my morning lists. That was a huge testimony to her and her skills. No one had ever been able to fill in successfully for Margery. I had begun to think it was impossible until Emmi showed up at my door.
“If you want to head out before lunch, that should be alright. I know you ladies have a lot to do in order to get ready for things like this,” I said as Emmi handed me the reports I had requested from marketing.
“I do have a few things to do, but I’d really like to grab a nap. How on earth do you still have so much energy today?”
“I didn’t drink?” I laughed.
“Perhaps, but you couldn’t have slept more than three hours.”
“I’m not much of a sleeper,” I started to say and then stopped myself. “I like to sleep, but I don’t need it to be productive.”
Emmi slipped off her heels and started to lace up her tennis shoes. I had seen her to this once before, earlier in the week. On that day she had planned to head to the shopping mall and was going to walk to get a little exercise. I imagined she also needed to de-stress after working a long day with me. I wasn’t the easiest boss, and I knew it.
“I’m going to the hair salon down on Jackson Street,” Emmi said before I had a chance to ask about her tennis shoes.
“Try and grab some sleep,” I said as I turned toward my desk. “Did you end up finding a dress?”
“Yeah, Jessica has some flashy number she’s insisting on me wearing. I’m excited to get dressed up though. I’ve been working my ass off for the last few months, never got a chance to go to events like this.”
“Your Dad said something about you leaving a big job in New York to come out here. What happened with that?”
Instantly I saw the smile on Emmi’s face disappear as she put her head down and finished tying her shoes. It was clear I had hit on a raw topic that she wasn’t interested in talking about at all. The muscles in her neck clenched as she finished tying her laces and breathed out a huge sigh.