The glass door with gold trimming was a lovely entrance to the building. Inside, the marble floor of the lobby glistened magnificently. Already the receptionists had started busily typing away and answering phone calls. They started usually at the same time as the department managers in case meetings were cancelled or people from the street walked in. Even though Be True was stated clearly on the building, a lot of tourists mistook it for an information desk. But the ladies happily dealt with them and helped them to their destination. I greeted them, walking towards the elevator with my laptop bag in hand. I was very excited to start writing my piece on Singapore. If I weren’t so tired last night, I probably would have started it then.
Out of the eight floors on the building, I was on the sixth. The only other floors I attended were the seventh, where most meetings were held in the large conference room, and the eighth floor, which was the CEO’s office. Now and then I had to drop by the fifth floor where the photography sector was. They would take my images to be professionally highlighted and edited to assist my piece. We also had an advertising, media, and sales section, and of course the well-known level two, which catered promotional events in a very large and spacious dining area. It was also a nice place to just stand near the large windows and look at the city streets when you were trying to find a mindless activity for five minutes. The journalists were on my level.
My first meeting today was the monthly meeting we all had in the conference room. We were to be introduced to our new sports columnist, who apparently had a lot of pull in the industry and was actually a sports manager for another highly successful company. It was exciting news for the female staff members on our floor.
Michelle had kept very quiet about the new sports columnist’s identity. Before I had left for Singapore, I found it very amusing to watch the other journalists try to squeeze details out of Michelle. But she often kept that sort of information quiet until that person actually started, in case the contract was cancelled for any reason.
The elevator opened on my floor. I was the second to arrive, certain that Damon would be there early as well. Damon was the department manager. Due to his regular articles as the popular ‘Anonymous,’ he was given the position after the last manager left. Even the other writers within the building didn’t know Anonymous’ identity. They suspected Damon was there at first because he was the Brogardt son. But I was told it only took less than a month for everyone on this floor to respect him and understand Michelle’s choice in the matter. He was intelligent and had a natural way with words, however it wasn’t his only forte. He also managed a small IT team who helped him with the websites and internal issues. He was a whizz and definitely knew what he was doing. I was blown away when he first helped me with my task of creating a website page at Candice and Clive magazine. When that happened, I was embarrassed to find out the difference in our ability. To him it was a very simple task.
As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, I looked to my right where Damon’s office was. The door was closed. I knocked on it, opening it. I wasn’t surprised to see that it was empty. Most probably he was on the eighth floor with Michelle. He had been there for the last few weeks. The air in the room was stale.
I closed the door behind me. Surrounding this floor were ten offices. Mine was furthest on the left and the last office, which gave me a beautiful view of the front streets through the open glass windows.
In the centre was a small round receptionist desk in a gray-carpeted room with ferns, paintings, and a few waiting chairs. The office next to mine had been empty for three weeks now since the last sports columnist left. I tapped lightly on my laptop bag, wondering what kind of person would soon be residing in my neighbouring office.
I opened my office door revealing light beige walls with gold trimming along the bottom. I had a wooden desk with a chair. There was another chair in the corner beside a fern and a cabinet that held all my research material. It wasn’t the biggest office, but it was private, and a luxury not all columnist writers had. What I enjoyed the most was placing my laptop on my wooden desk and standing in front of the large windows and looking over the city from a higher view. My life had changed in so many ways. I couldn’t believe how ignorant I had once been to my own unhappiness.
I sat down in my black leather chair. As I sat ready to type my password into my laptop, my phone began to buzz. Answering it and crossing my leg over the other, I briefly swept my gaze over the two photos I had on my desk. The one of my sister and me, and then the one of Damon and me on the night I hired him as an escort.
Speaking of the devil, I answered my phone. “Yes Damon?”
“Oh, how I have missed your voice,” he said with a low moan.
“It’s only been ten hours, Damon,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“Ten. My god. You know I was thinking… don’t say anything; of course it brought me minor discomfort using my brain. I am meant only for being handsome.” I rolled my eyes again and remained silent. “I think you have come back with a slight attitude problem,” he teased.
“Really?” I said, raising my eyebrows. I bit the bottom of my lip. “In comparison to how I usually talk to you?”
“Well, I’ve decided you will be punished for this. Today we will play a little game, Clover. You don’t know the game and only I know the rules. And by the end of tonight, you will be begging for me to take you. That is all, have a nice day, my exotic treat.”
Before I could reply he had already hung up. I looked to my photo of us in disbelief. The smile spread from ear to ear slowly. What was I to do with him, and what kind of game was he playing? We had played a lot of games, but when Damon was in charge I never knew what to fully expect.
Chapter Seven
Three hours had gone by and my fingers were still busily typing away about my trip to Singapore. My first meeting was thirty minutes away and I knew it was best to get another coffee before the meeting. A woman can’t function without coffee, I mused to myself.
My fellow colleagues would have started arriving a few hours ago. Not that any of us usually made a loud entrance. Luckily for our floor, it was often a very quiet one because everyone focused on getting their pieces and writing completed. It was a very respectable and professional group. But I couldn’t expect anything less from the group that was influenced and watched over by Damon himself.
I read over my twelve-page piece, confident in my article, but wanting to come back to it in a few hours with fresh eyes. After the meeting I would go to the photographers’ level to have them edit my photos to accompany my piece. Although I usually had a week to go over my work, I preferred to get it in as soon as possible so I could make arrangements for my following one. And on top of that, I was thinking about my mother’s birthday party soon to come in two weeks. I was so excited for Damon to be able to meet them. We were meant to go to Megan’s twenty-sixth birthday but unfortunately because of my writing I wasn’t in the country at the time. She was understanding about it, but I was a little disappointed in myself. Although they were only a four-and-a-half-hours’ drive away, it was difficult to make it. It had now been over six months since I had physically seen them. Although I spoke to them every week on the phone, it wasn’t the same as being able to have a few wines with my mother and sister.
I took my scarf off, noting the office had finally warmed up. I saved my article, leaving it on my desk and grabbing a few of the folders I would need for the meeting on the seventh floor. I closed the door behind me, turning and bumping into an unfamiliar male’s frame. As I gasped in surprise, I noticed Damon was also outside my door, preparing to knock.
“Your timing is as punctual as ever,” he remarked. I tried to keep my comments to myself. Even though he still teased me, he only said it when others couldn’t hear. I stepped away from the male, looking at his face. He was of a solid frame in a black suit with a white shirt. What grabbed my attention at first was his very white blonde hair and brown eyes. I lost my breath as I studied him for a moment longer.
I recognised him.
“Clover,” the man gasped. His lips curled into that very tantalising smile he had always owned. His voice now seemed deeper as he had matured in age.
“Hayden?” I gasped in surprise. I couldn’t help my smile and I leapt for him. “I haven’t seen you since we graduated. Oh my goodness. Look at you,” I remarked, pulling away and looking over him again. He was certainly the same size that I remembered him from university.
“Now, that’s not how you greet me. C’mon,” he joked, holding his knuckles out. I tried to remember our greeting in university, but my memory failed me. I smiled, awkwardly bumping my fist into his, still trying to recall the move.
“Come now, as if that was ever it. Put more gusto in it,” he grabbed my hand, clenching my fist. Not liking my attempt of it, he took charge. He swept my fist over his hand, then spread my fingers so he could high five me and then cross it back over my fingers so we were slapping one another’s hand. He then reached his hand high, expecting me to jump for it. “C’mon… you always jumped for it.”
I laughed, now remembering. I pushed him away from me. “I am no longer that girl.”
“Please, you look as ravishing as you did all those years ago. Everything has stayed exactly where it should. If anything you could probably jump higher,” he challenged.
“So I assume you two know one another,” Damon interrupted coldly. I was awfully embarrassed by my rudeness. Getting caught in the moment, I forgot Damon might have felt left out.
“Sorry Damon, Hayden and I used to study at Ithaca College. He and I attended the same lectures for journalism and had the same group of friends for a while. It honestly has been forever,” I thought, lost in memories. My, I was nostalgic. We had all drifted apart so very long ago. I wondered where everyone else was. I didn’t have a large group of friends by any means, but those who I hung out with were a lively group. “How is Veronica?”
Hayden looked to the ceiling for a moment, trying to recall something before laughing. “Oh, Veronica. My, no. We broke up about a month after university.”
“Not to break this happy reunion, but I believe we all have a meeting to attend to,” Damon interrupted in a tense tone. “This is Hayden Zilch, the new sports columnist.”
“Of course. I was just about to grab coffee, would you both like one while I am down there?” I asked. Damon, although as beautiful as always, looked tired. Not that anyone else probably noticed it as he was as groomed as ever.
“I would very much appreciate one. Grab me whatever you’re having,” Hayden smiled.
“That would be much appreciated,” Damon nodded to me. Although we stayed professional, I could see the corner of his mouth twitch, reminding me of the phone call he had made earlier. “Thank you, Clover.” He leant in, his warm breath brushing past my ear. “You keep this bewitching smile up and your punishment might not be so severe.” Damon’s hand lightly brushed my shoulder — something he never did in front of others in the workplace — before escorting Hayden to his new office.
My tongue poked the side of my mouth, holding back the comments that came to mind. “Of course,” I nodded as he walked away, trying to hide my wicked smile. I could see him doing the same as he forced himself to look away. His face was very straight, but I could see the smile in his eyes.
“We shall see you at the meeting, Clover,” Damon called. I walked away, looking behind me and catching Damon’s keen eyes on me as he looked back. Confident, my hips swayed slightly more. I didn’t think an unprofessional relationship was a smart move, but right now the thought of him looking, even while in the office, slightly turned me on. I wondered what severe punishment he had in mind.
Chapter Eight
The seventh floor consisted of four meeting rooms and a lot of leather chairs with glass top tables. A few of the other writers had already arrived and were chatting amongst themselves. The projector already had the slide show prepared. Damon was efficient and always brought up the stats and profits we made from the previous magazine edition, alongside which section on our online magazine generated the most interest.
With this month already in progress, we would discuss ideas and concepts we had for the following month. Every month was already pre-planned with a few editions in front. I had done most of my research on Fiji and which areas I wanted to explore. All I had to do was confirm everything and book flights and the hotel. I had spoken to the manager of the two resorts I was staying at.
It was wonderful being a travel columnist; I had the ability to travel all over the world and express my love of travel to our readers every month. Because of my job, I could explore new places at discounted prices due to the exposure we would provide the resorts. Sometimes discounts and sales were offered to readers of the magazine. I could never have the time off and amount of money I needed to travel to so many international places if I didn’t have this job.
“Thank you, Clover,” Damon murmured from behind me. He leant over me, grabbing his coffee. I didn’t know what his intensity was about today. A lot of the office people knew that we were together, but we didn’t speak about it or show affection towards one another; we thought it unprofessional. It was only because of the few media posts that slipped that our relationship was made public. Although he tried to be thorough and stay out of the media’s spotlight, it wasn’t always the easiest. What I didn’t understand was how he couldn’t keep this out of the tabloids, and yet his escorting went unnoticed. He simply explained that a lot of the time, even when photos did get out, most of the escorting work he did was for women of high rank at formal, exclusive events.
“Yes, thank you, Clover,” Hayden repeated with a cocky smile. Damon grabbed another coffee and handed it to him.
“Hayden, I would appreciate if you sat near the front with me so I can introduce you to your department.”
Something grabbed Damon’s attention and he looked to the door.
“Damon. Clover. I am so glad to see that you came, Mr. Zilch,” Michelle smiled with her large bag in hand. “I thought I would drop by for this meeting, I hope you don’t mind Damon.”
Michelle’s phone began buzzing. She was quick to answer it and walked outside the room, concentrating on nothing particular as she spoke.
It wasn’t too long until everyone started trickling through the doors. I sat at the end of the table, sitting next to the Home and Living columnist, Jake.
“Before we begin today on the budget, I would like to introduce you all to your new sports columnist,” Damon began. Both Hayden and Damon stood up. “This is Hayden Zilch; a few of you might have heard of him from his success as he is also a sports manager for a company in the Ithaca area called Zilch Enterprises. He has a few big names working under him and is very familiar with the industry. On top of that, he also has a background in journalism. I would appreciate it if everyone could make him feel welcome. He begins full time as of today.”
“Pleasure to meet you all,” Hayden said. His rough voice had always attracted the attention of women. And his shape had not thinned in muscle since our university years. Already I noticed that the two female journalists across from me had pushed their chests a little higher. I wanted to smile at that. It was interesting watching how women tried to gain the attention of some men. I was an interested witness to the methods of Cassidy, who was very unlucky in love. I laughed at both how she tried to grab a man’s attention and how they tried to grab hers. It was like watching the discovery channel. And so the rest of the meeting continued on like this. The journalist, Lisa, across from me was a beautiful woman. Short hair, with a very bountiful chest. I could only imagine Cassidy’s jaw dropping, claiming there was no way they could be real.
Besides the flirtatious glances, the meeting consisted of facts, forecasts and statistics. Lisa suggestively nibbled her pen throughout the entire meeting. This took me back to my university days. I couldn’t believe that Hayden Zilch was now working for Be True within the same department as me. The world worked in funny ways.
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Chapter Nine
After the meeting, I collected my items and continued on my way back to my office. Before the elevator doors closed, Hayden’s large hand stopped it. He flashed me a brilliant smile. Behind him Lisa also dashed in, her beautiful blue eyes flashing devilishly under her thick eyelashes. I tried to hide my smile at her obviousness.
“I cannot believe after all these years you are still the same,” I said quickly, breaking the awkward sexual tension I felt I was in the midst of.
“What are you trying to say?” he asked with a devilish smile, resting his elbow against the wall so he was leaning towards me. This wasn’t something I was pleased about as I could tell he was trying to mislead Lisa to see her get jealous. I placed my hand on his chest to push him away. Yep, he was definitely just as toned as the uni years.
“That you still haven’t changed a bit,” I smiled charismatically. He smiled again crossing his arms as his brown eyes evaluated me for a moment.
“I think I might shock you,” he smiled. “I have come a long way. From back in the day when we were nobody, I’ve slowly built an empire you know. Slowly but surely, I’ve worked my ass off to become successful. How have I not changed?”
“I am very proud to see you have done well. You were always hard working, but in other aspects you have not changed a single bit.” He seemed wounded by my words. I didn’t say it in a harsh tone. But I could clearly see he was still a playboy. He always wanted me to aid him in being his ‘wing girl’ back in the day. I refused to be a part of it. Hayden always treated me with respect and never stepped over the line of friendship. When you had him as a friend he was a gentleman. But when he was on the prowl, which was with any beautiful woman who glanced at him, he was an utter womaniser. The elevator stopped and the doors opened.
My Exception (My Escort #2) Page 3