I nodded and popped the last bite of cupcake in my mouth. “I hope so. It’s hard to jump ship, even if the ship is trying to drown you.”
Charlie nodded. “Get out of here. You need some rest to get through the last three days. Hopefully you’ll be smiling next Tuesday.”
“I sure hope so,” I said, thinking about the way my soon-to-be boss made me smile the night I met him. Too bad that sort of treatment wasn’t part of the employee handbook.
~*~
The rest of the week passed about the same. Beth tried to get me to work over the weekend, but I refused. It wasn’t like she could fire me for saying no. Instead she just insulted me, saying she knew she couldn’t rely on me, and ignored me while I packed up my shit and left.
There weren’t any cars outside so I knew Xander and Drew weren’t in yet when I pulled into XD Home Restoration Monday morning. I hadn’t spoken to Drew since the night of the launch party, although he sent me a few texts. All work stuff, about paperwork I needed to sign and all my contact information. I was tempted to send him dirty texts a few times, but I restrained myself knowing it wouldn’t have been smart.
I let myself in and wandered through the empty space, checking out the offices and conference rooms to get my bearings. Knowing where things were as an assistant was paramount. Xander’s office was just beyond Drew’s. Both doors were wide open with all the lights off. I left their lights off and went back to the front room.
I grabbed my lunch and went back to the hallway where I’d passed a small kitchenette just before the first conference room. I set my lunch in the fridge and rifled through the cabinets until I found coffee and filters. With a fresh pot brewing I went over to the office area set up for me.
My desk was tucked into a corner of the main room. I could see touches of Mandy in the open space and smiled to myself as I silently thanked her for setting me up. The drawers held more office supplies than I was likely to use in a year, but all in pretty girly colors. The desk was set up with a brand new laptop and a huge monitor with two paper trays, a stocked pencil cup, and a file sorter set off to the side.
Behind me was a wall of file cabinets. The top had display shelves that held most of the pictures that had been around the room the night of the launch party. On bottom were file drawers. Upon inspection I saw most of them were empty, but a few were already starting to fill up.
I could smell the coffee so I went back to the kitchenette to grab a cup and returned to my desk. With a few sips in me I felt a little more like myself. By the time I powered up my computer and checked some email, Xander walked in.
“Carrie, you’re here early,” Xander grinned at me. He knew my reputation for being late to everything so it was no big surprise that he was shocked to see me.
“Yeah, well, I figured I should put on a show for my first day,” I teased back.
“Great. Have you wandered yet or do you need a tour?”
I jumped to my feet and grabbed my coffee. “I wandered, but I’d love a tour also. I didn’t want to be too nosy so I just glanced around.”
“Did you make coffee?” Xander asked, sniffing the air.
“Yeah. I know you drink it almost as much as I do so I brewed a full pot.”
“Bless you. Drew drinks a lot too, probably more than you and I put together. Of course he also works constantly so I think he needs it to function. I’m pretty sure his blood has been replaced by the stuff.”
Xander laughed and I joined him. I tried not to think about Drew since I last saw him, or what made his blood pump, but being back in the same place that we met… everything I tried to block about him came flooding back. The feel of his calloused hands on my scorched flesh. The pulse of his long fingers feeding the need between my legs. The taste of him exploding on my tongue.
Working for him was going to be harder than I thought.
Once Xander had a cup of coffee he led me through the entire building. Not only did they have their offices and conference rooms, but he pointed out bathrooms, a copy room with enormous equipment, and a gym at the back of the office.
“This was an old firehouse, right?”
“Yeah. This was the gym for the firefighters back when they were here. We thought it was a good idea to keep it that way for us. With how much we expect to be working the first few years we decided having a gym right here would be nice.”
“I bet your days are going to get even crazier once the baby arrives,” I teased. Mandy was so excited about the baby and we were already planning a baby shower, even though we had more than enough time to pull it off.
Xander led me out of the gym and flipped the lights on in his office then walked into Drew’s office and did the same. He leaned against the edge of Drew’s desk and crossed his arms, looking like he wanted to talk.
I pushed aside the dangerous thoughts of what I was doing the last time I was standing like that and leaned next to Xander, willing the ache between my legs to cease and desist.
“I don’t know how things are going to work when the baby comes. Doing all this at the same time wasn’t exactly planned. Mandy and I had been talking about kids and said we’d stop birth control and see how things went, but I never expected her to get pregnant as quickly as she did.”
“Your boys are good swimmers,” I teased.
Xander laughed. “Yeah, I guess. We already had everything in motion to start the business when Mandy got pregnant. Sometimes I wonder what the hell I was thinking.”
“It’ll all be okay. You guys will be great parents. And if the launch party was any indication, the business will be fine too.”
Xander scrubbed his jaw. “Do you want kids?”
I nodded. “Definitely. I’ve always wanted kids. Of course I’m nowhere close to having them.”
“Two years ago I was the same way. When I met Mandy I knew she was the one. I didn’t want to let her out of my sight once I found her. Did she ever tell you how we met?”
I shook my head.
“She blew me off.”
“Seriously?” I laughed.
“Swear to God. I called her at the customer service center and loved the sound of her voice. I called back a few days later and asked her out. When she met me she totally blew me off and said I’d never like her because of how she looked.”
“What did you do?” I asked, riveted by his story.
“I called her again. I told her I liked the woman on the phone but not the crazy one I met and asked if we could get to know each other over the phone. She agreed and I did everything possible to make sure she didn’t regret it.”
“She did though, right?”
He laughed mirthlessly. “Yeah, she did. That’s where she met Drew actually. You know that story. I almost got into a fight with Drew when he let her leave the party we were at. I camped out at her apartment until she came home and made her talk to me. Thankfully Drew forgave me for being an ass or we wouldn’t be standing here.”
“Which time?” Drew said as he walked in the office. He took in where we were standing, the way we were leaning against the edge of his desk. His eyes snapped to mine and darkened in a second. I could feel the energy between us, the chemistry, the desire. It was palpable and thick.
Nothing had changed in two weeks. I wanted him just as much as I did when we met. And he was just as off limits as when I left that night.
“I was telling Carrie about when you met Mandy and how I wanted to kick your ass for letting her leave the party.”
“Yeah, that was a special day,” Drew said dryly.
Xander punched his friend on the arm and stood up. “Carrie made some coffee. Hers is a lot better than mine. What do you have going on today?”
Drew glanced at me. “I kept my day light so I could help Carrie out. I wanted to make sure she got settled in and had everything she needed.”
“Really?” squeaked out of me. I was touched for some reason. Maybe because it was Drew, or maybe because my last boss barely acknowledged my presence on a regular basis,
let alone set aside a day to help me get comfortable in my job.
“Yeah. I know you know what you’re doing, but things have been a bit crazy around here the last two weeks. We’re really looking forward to having you around. I wanted to make sure you could jump into things without feeling like you were drowning.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that,” I practically whispered. I hated how breathy my voice sounded, like a phone sex operator. It made sense though since every time I was around him sex was all I could think about.
“Okay,” Xander interrupted our way too intense moment. “Well, I’ve got a few projects to check on. I’ll be out most of the day. Carrie, let us know if you need anything. You’re in good hands with Drew though. It’ll be good for you two to get to know each other.”
Drew and I looked at each other, the moment pregnant with unspoken memories. The way his eyes heated up and drifted to my lips before snapping back to Xander spoke volumes. With their focus on each other I let myself appraise Drew.
Somehow in two weeks he’d gotten hotter. His dark hair was a bit longer and curled around the collar of his shirt. The stubble on his jaw was darker and fuller than I remembered, but his shoulders were just as broad and his chest just as delicious. The t-shirt he was wearing showed off the tattoos that went further up his arm than I’d seen before. His shorts showed off the symbol on his leg, Japanese or Chinese writing.
His calves were strong but lean, not bulky like a bodybuilder. His cargo shorts hung low on his hips and as he talked, he gestured and his shirt rose, exposing a sliver of taut, tanned abs.
I had to wipe my chin.
It really wasn’t fair that my boss was so fucking hot. Even worse was knowing how good he was with his hands and how he felt in my mouth. Shit, maybe this job wasn’t going to work.
Xander left the office and I was alone with Drew. In his office. Again.
I needed to get a grip and pull my head out of his pants. Shit! I meant out of the gutter.
“Uh… let me get a cup of coffee and I’ll show you around. Unless Xander already did.”
I nodded. “He did, but he didn’t get back to showing me anything about what you want me to do while I’m here.”
His feet stopped and he closed his eyes. I realized what I said and tried to correct it. “I meant for work. What you need me working on. Shit. Just show me my job. Fuck. I can’t say anything right.”
Drew breathed out a laugh. “Carrie, it’s fine. It’s odd. We agreed we could be professional, but it’s hard. I mean… Fuck, I can’t do it either. I mean… You know what I mean.”
I giggled at his blunders and immediately felt better about my own. “Is everything we say to each other going to sound dirty?”
“I don’t know about you, but pretty much everything I hear from anyone sounds dirty.”
I snorted. “We’re going to get along just fine, Drew. We might be kindred spirits after all. Now let’s go teach me how to do a job.”
Drew followed me out of the office laughing loudly. His rumbling laugh pulled at my nipples and my girly parts simultaneously, making me ache. I pinched my legs together trying to quell the need and walked into the kitchenette then waited while Drew poured a large cup of coffee.
At my office Drew motioned for me to sit down. He stood behind me, leaning over to point out files and special programs on the computer. The scent of him enveloped me, teasing me and torturing me. I wanted to press my nose against his neck and breathe him in deeply, then run my tongue along his throat, all the way down his body.
I was in trouble.
I forced myself to focus on what Drew was telling me. After a brief overview of a computer program they used, Drew told me about all the files they had in the cabinet behind me. He showed me the forms for collecting client information and explained what they were capable of doing and what they liked to do.
“If a new client wanted to come in and talk to us, we need you to fill out this form with all their information. Contact, what they want done, where they’re located, and who would be our contact for the project. You wouldn’t believe how many people come in and make all the decisions and then pass the project over to someone else who has completely different opinions. It’s a nightmare. Xander and I have learned to include everyone from the start.”
“You guys really know what you’re doing. I’m sort of impressed you have all this pulled together already.”
Drew leaned back and exhaled a laugh. “We’ve learned the hard way. Besides, we’re just doing what we need to do to make things work. I’m sure there are lots of improvements you can make.”
I smiled. “You look fairly organized so far. Besides, it’s sort of a rule of mine not to change anything until I’ve been at a job for a little while. Even though you guys just started up, you’ve been doing the work for a while.”
“Xander and I are pretty flexible so if you come up with a change, do it. We aren’t going to get upset because you want to do things differently.”
“That’s good to know. My old boss would have a hissy fit if I suggested a way to improve on something she already had in place. She was insanely protective of her ideas.”
“That won’t happen with us. We’re pretty confident our ideas are shitty. We hired you to come up with the good ones.”
I laughed off his joke, but a glow washed over me. It felt good to be appreciated and considered a success before I’d even done anything. Pretty much all my life I thought of myself a failure, mostly because everyone else did. School was hard, relationships were hard, hell, life was hard.
It had been almost fifteen years since someone had that blind faith in me. Long enough that the feeling was foreign and brought the sting of tears to my eyes. Before Drew could see them I wiped my eyes.
“You guys are fine. We’ll all work it out together.”
Drew nodded. “We’re just glad to have you. Xander and I work well together but sometimes we need an unbiased opinion. We get too wrapped up in the details and can lose focus. Having you pull our heads out of our asses will be a huge part of your job.”
I laughed at his assessment of their focus. After knowing Xander for a year I could see that about him. It didn’t surprise me that Drew was the same way. It was one of the many reasons I knew they would be so successful. Without such dedication to making things right, their projects wouldn’t be as well done.
Drew spent the rest of the morning going over their typical work and showing me photos of projects they’d completed. By midday we were both starving and he insisted on taking me out to welcome me to the company. I was starting to really like Drew, something that scared me, but I knew I would love my job. Working for Drew and Xander was going to fill a missing part of me.
As long as I kept my heart, and legs, locked up.
Five
The next day at girls’ night I managed to make it to Bite Me! before Mandy, something I considered a success. Mandy was always late for our gatherings but without fail she’d beat me there. With my new job came not only a bit of happiness in my life, but a new consideration for being on time.
I was prepared for questions about working for Drew and Xander. At first I think everyone was a little shocked that I’d accepted the job so quickly, but it was sinking in. Thankfully none of them had picked up on my attraction to Drew or I’d never have heard the end of it.
Xander wasn’t planning to attend girls’ night. He and Drew were finishing up a kitchen remodel of a return client. I offered to stay and help finalize the paperwork, but Xander insisted I go ahead to Bite Me! and that he would try to make it before everyone left.
I was surprised and a little happy to see none of the other guys were there. Usually we had at least one husband in attendance and while I loved the guys, having them there always stifled the conversation a bit. It was hard to gossip about them when they were sitting right there.
Kendall, a high school student of Addi’s who worked for Charlie after school, handed over my margarita cupcakes and a cup of ice
d coffee before I headed to our table in the corner. When it was just us ladies, the table was crowded. With the guys around, it became damn near unbearable, especially when they started kissing and whispering to each other.
I was happy to avoid that for a night.
I settled into the seat between Riley and Sam. Sam nudged me with her shoulder and I winked at her then blew Riley a kiss. Lexi was regaling everyone with a story about her latest business trip. Being a building manager at EAAC Pigments kept Lexi more than busy, not that I understood much about what she did, but she also helped out with their corporate lean manufacturing projects. She was the high powered executive type within our group, but she actually believed that the little people could have good ideas too. I respected the hell out of her, but judging by the fast pace she and Mike, who happened to be her boss as well as her husband, kept, I didn’t want to work in manufacturing.
“This asshole at the plant actually told me it didn’t matter what I said because he didn’t believe me. He wasn’t going to trust a ‘corporate talking head’ no matter what.”
“What did you say?” Claire asked. She worked for TSA at the airport and was the only one of us, besides Lexi, who worked for a nationwide corporation. Claire was getting close to quitting her job though because her non-profit company, Never Alone, was growing like crazy and she couldn’t manage both.
“I told him that the ideas I was presenting were ideas that had come from the employees within his own plant. That I wasn’t there to change things to make him more corporate, like he feared, but instead to make them more efficient. His employees had good ideas but he never listened.”
“Did he accept the suggestions once he knew they were internal?”
“Better. I’ll be back down there in a few months to check up on him and I’m already dreading it. He’s the sort of manager that doesn’t like to listen to ideas that aren’t his own. He even asks the opinions of his team and then tells them why they’re wrong. He won’t last much longer if I have anything to say about it. This is the part of corporate work I hate. I’m glad I don’t have to do it much.”
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