Mr. Always & Forever

by Ashlee Price

  I felt their eyes on me and I swallowed hard. Smiling back at their sour faces, I wished them a good day as they were leaving. Their unhappiness at me being there was clear, but I wasn’t going to back down. I hadn’t done anything wrong, even though I had surely thought about it. The truth of the matter was that I had turned him down and hadn’t done anything questionable. As much as I wished that everyone else knew the truth, at least I did.

  Copying the reports that were to be sent in later that day, I tried to pull my mind off of what was said and then off of the boss himself. Greg was hard to pull from my mind, and I swore that I was driving myself crazy thinking about it.

  Going back to the small desk that I had been assigned, I realized that someone was standing over me. It was Paul, the account manager for the company, and I sat up straighter. “What can I do for you, Paul?”

  “Do you have those reports that I asked for?”

  I told him that I did and handed him the still-warm sheets of paper. He thanked me and then paused as he was walking away.

  “You know that it will die down, right?”

  I nodded my head, instantly knowing what he was talking about. It was embarrassing to think that he knew, but then again, it was a relief to hear that I wasn’t the only one who had been through it. But was I not the only one who had been with Greg, or was I not the only one who had been accused? Either way it was nice to think that I had someone on my side, and even better that he wasn’t someone who wanted to sleep with me.

  Just as I was getting back to work after Paul left, a shorter, round man came up to the desk and cleared his throat to get my attention. He certainly had it when I finally looked up. He was wearing black skinny jeans and a metallic top that shimmered when he moved. It was the kind of top that I would wear at a club, but he seemed quite natural in the get-up.

  “Can I help you?”

  Tommy smiled at me and shook his head. “I’m Tommy, Greg’s assistant.”

  I took the offered hand and felt the soft shake of his clammy palm. “Nice to meet you, Tommy. What can I do for you?”

  “Greg would like to see you in his office.”

  I wasn’t expecting a summons by another person. With everything that was going on with the rumor mill, I figured it would be better to keep my distance, but it was hard to tell him no. I didn’t have a choice then. I knew that I was going to have to go see him, and I was afraid of how he was going to make me feel. It was fine to think of him as long as he wasn’t around, but knowing that I had to go see him, I knew that it wasn’t going to end well.

  Standing up, I followed Tommy to the elevator and went up to the top with him. When it opened, he didn’t move to get out and after a minute I realized that I was going to have to go alone. I didn’t want to, but I knew that there was nothing that I could do but go. When the boss asks to see you, it’s not a request, but a command.

  Stepping out, I looked around the large room and saw no partitions for another office. It was all one office, and save for a smaller desk in the corner of the room, it appeared to be all for one person. It seemed that Greg’s office was rather large. I heard some noise on the far side of the room where there was a door leading to somewhere. A man came out of it and he stopped when he saw me.

  It wasn’t Greg, but a man who looked to be much different.

  “Hi, I was supposed to come up here and meet with Greg?”

  “Yes, I was hoping to speak to you first. Do you know who I am?”

  I shook my head that I didn’t know. The tall man was short on words, but his eyes seemed to follow me everywhere I went. As he walked closer, the dark brown eyes held me where I stood.

  “I’m the other owner of this company. I’m not here much – I usually leave Greg to run it – but we started this place together.”

  I started to understand, but there was something in his eyes that I didn’t quite get. Why was he looking at me like that?

  “I see, sir. Nice to meet you.”

  “Donald.”

  I repeated his name since he kept looking at me. I didn’t know what he wanted to talk about, and by the way he eyed me, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear what he had to say. I wanted Greg to pop up and take away the tension between us. Where was he?

  “So you are the intern that I’m hearing so much about?”

  My stomach knotted, and I wasn’t sure that I liked the way he said it. My mind went to the conversation that I had heard not too long before. Surely he didn’t mean that, did he?

  I couldn’t meet his gaze for a while, but when I finally did, I knew that he knew as well. It didn’t matter that I hadn’t done anything with the man. What mattered was what everyone thought I did.

  “I’m not sure what that means, sir, but I’m one of the interns that started last week.”

  “What are your qualifications?”

  He said it as if I didn’t have any. I could feel the temperature rising in my face, and I was feeling even more humiliated by him than I had been by those catty girls in the copy room. They kind of had a right to be mad, but the man in front of me was just toying with me. It felt worse, somehow, and I straightened my back up further to steel myself from his harsh gaze.

  I recited my GPA and school to him, as well as my major. I saw a little surprise in his eyes. I don’t know why it spurred me to say more. It wasn’t like me, but I didn’t like the look on his face and the smug grin on his lips.

  “I would have thought that a woman like you was brought in just to look at, more than for real work.”

  I could feel my face getting red. I don’t know why he was being this way to me, but I didn’t like it. It made me mad and reminded me of the women’s words in the copy room. I had had enough, and I realized then and there that this company was not the one for me.

  Donald moved closer to me and I got a vibe from him that I didn’t like. He had a predatory glare in his brown depths, and I took a step back before he reached out to take my arm in his hand. I don’t know why, but I felt endangered, and instead of shrinking back like I had before, I hit him hard across the face.

  The man was shocked and released me right away. “Don’t touch me!”

  He touched his face at the place where it was starting to get red. The shock subsided quickly, and then it was filled with anger. I knew that it was time for me to go and I turned to move towards the elevator. I didn’t see that it was already open or that Greg was standing there until I was in it and I had pushed the button.

  Turning to Greg, who had a slacked-jaw look on his face, I told him that I quit. “You people don’t even pay us to put up with this shit.”

  The elevator door closed and I could see myself in the reflection of the silver doors. I was so mad, but I bit my bottom lip. I shouldn’t have cursed at Greg, but I couldn’t believe what had just happened. I couldn’t believe the scuzzy partner that he had, or that even after I had done nothing at all, I was still deemed to be the office slut. I was too mad to think. Getting off at the fourth floor to collect my things, I told Paul bye, but didn’t say a word about anything else. Greg knew I had quit, so there wasn’t anything else that I could do.

  Looking back, I was sad to see the place go, but I knew that I wasn’t cut out for that kind of environment. I knew I was going to have to get up the next day and find another job. Maybe this time I would find one that actually paid and had a woman for a boss. I definitely needed a woman for a boss this time around.

  Chapter 2 – Greg

  “What the hell was that about, Don?”

  Donald was still holding the side of his cheek where Desiree had hit him. I had never seen her upset. She was such a gentle soul, and I couldn’t imagine what he had done to her to make her do that to him.

  “She is crazy. Did you see what she just did?”

  “What did you do?”

  Donald started to say something. Maybe he was going to protest and tell me that it was all her, but I knew better and he knew me better than anyone else.

  “I did
n’t really do anything. I asked her a couple of questions and she started to walk out. I went to stop her and she slapped the crap out of me. Look at my face! I can’t see it, but I know that I’m going to have a mark.”

  “You tried to stop her?”

  I could feel rage boiling up inside of me. I didn’t want anyone to touch her, not even Don, and I knew then why she had left in such a way. Desiree had been practically shaking around me, but I had to like that she wasn’t the same with Don. Would she have slapped me if I had touched her that night in the car?

  “It wasn’t like that. You need to calm down. I can see it in your eye. What is it with this girl?”

  I was pissed, but I wasn’t going to hit him. Not for touching her arm.

  “Did you try anything with her?”

  “No, but I hear that you have had a taste or two.”

  “Who did you hear that from?”

  “Everyone. I got back earlier and heard several people talking about it. I had to meet the little slut myself.”

  His words made me want to hit him. I told him if he didn’t stop talking that was exactly what I was going to do. “Don’t ever touch her again. She is not a slut, and I haven’t done anything with her. It’s all of those damn gossiping interns that started it. I took her to a meeting, that’s it.”

  Don was getting nervous, and I was trying to lower my voice, which was louder than I had wanted it to be. I shouldn’t have been so mad, but I was, and I knew that if my old friend said the wrong thing, I was liable to do to him what Desiree had done moments before.

  “Well, she is crazy. I don’t want her working for us.”

  “She just quit, and now you’d better worry about a lawsuit if you were in the wrong. This is going to be like Lisa all over again.”

  He shut up then, and I was torn between dealing with him and dealing with Desiree. I decided on the latter when I started to get mad again while I was looking at Don. He wanted me to feel bad for him, but I didn’t. I felt bad that he was still doing those types of things.

  “We are not done yet, Don. Don’t go flying off before I get back.”

  He had done so in the past, but this time I was going to chase him. I was done going around with him, and Desiree was the final straw. Something had to change in the arrangement, and I thought of the paperwork that I had written up and gotten ready for his signature. It was time that the name on the sign was just Jefferson.

  ***

  When I got downstairs, I could tell that there was a ruckus. She had left in a huff and her car was gone when I got down to the parking garage. I called Tommy and had him tell me her number and address. I was not prepared to lose her. I hadn’t even gotten her yet, but I knew that Desiree had come into my life for a reason.

  I gave the driver the address when I got to my car. I was trying to figure out what I was going to say. There was a problem with everything going on in the office, but I didn’t think that getting rid of Desiree was the way to do it. To me the course of action was clear. I just needed to get rid of the other interns and hire Desiree for good. I didn’t know if she was going to be happy with that, but I didn’t know what else to do.

  When I got to her place, it was a small shotgun house as was common in this part of the city. It was not far from the place that I grew up, and I felt a wave of nostalgia when I got out. The driver stayed put and I walked to the door. There were a couple of cars out front, and one of them was Desiree’s. I paused for a moment and wondered if the other one belonged to a boyfriend that I didn’t know about. Maybe that was why she had blown me off when I had tried to start something with her.

  A tall brunette opened the door and I stopped. The woman was pretty, but she was not who I was there to see. She looked up at me through her glasses.

  “Is Desiree here?”

  “Are you that jerk from her work that made her so upset?”

  I was a little surprised by the ferocity of the woman, and then she took a step forward. I didn’t know if she was going to hit me, but I was starting to see that there was a pattern. The women in Desiree’s circle were fierce.

  Taking a step back, I tried to explain that it was the other partner. “My name is Greg. I just found out what happened and am trying to make sure that she is okay.”

  I wasn’t sure if I had convinced her.

  “Stay here and I will see if she wants to see you.”

  I nodded my head. I didn’t really have a plan, but I hoped that she would at least see me. When a few minutes stretched by, I started to think that maybe she didn’t want to see me after all, and the feeling of loss settled again in the pit of my stomach.

  Chapter 3 – Desiree

  “You can’t stay in here all day. Come on. I think you should go out there and at least see what he has to say. Why are you giving up so easily? I thought you wanted this job.”

  I did want it, but not the way it really was. I didn’t want to be known as the one who slept her way up to the top. “Just tell him that I’m not here.”

  “Your car is out front and I told him you were here.”

  I glared at Fran and I knew that she wasn’t going to let me languish. I hadn’t even been home fifteen minutes. I thought I deserved a little more time than that.

  “Get up or I’m going to let him in and take him here.”

  I looked around the room and then at my reflection in the mirror of the vanity. “You wouldn’t.”

  She shrugged. “You should know better than that.”

  Getting up, I watched her shut the door and knew that I didn’t have a choice. I could hear her opening the front door and I quickly cleaned the smeared mascara under my eyes. I didn’t want to see him, but I especially didn’t want him to see me like this. My eyes were a little puffy, and again I wished that my complexion would hide my feelings a bit more.

  Going out to the living room where he was waiting, I steeled myself for him. Greg’s green eyes met mine and I knew that he knew instantly that I was upset. He rushed to me and I paused before letting my hands go into his. “I’m sorry for what happened earlier, Desiree.”

  I pulled my hands from his as I felt the familiar shock from the touch. I didn’t want him touching me because then I wouldn’t be able to think. Fran was in the kitchen and I knew she was trying to eavesdrop. I gave her a look, and after a bit of silent negotiation, she finally left us alone and went to the back of the house.

  “Is that your sister?”

  I looked back at Fran’s retreating form. She looked nothing like me.

  “No, she’s my roommate. Why do you ask?”

  He chuckled. “Because I think she was ready to clock me when I came to the door. She thought I was Don.”

  I smiled for a moment. It sounded like something Fran would do. I knew that she was protective of me, and she was already railing against Don about the incident. “Sorry about that. Fran can be a little intense sometimes, but her heart is in the right place.”

  “No trouble. I think it’s sweet that she cares about you like that.”

  I went to the kitchen and poured a glass of wine. I almost didn’t ask him if he wanted any, but my southern hospitality won out. “Did you want a drink?”

  He seemed relieved and nodded his head quickly. “Yes I do. It’s been one of those days.”

  I couldn’t have agreed more and topped off my own before corking the bottle. “So what can I do for you, sir?”

  “I want you to come back.”

  There was no way that it was going to happen. I was not about to deal with those girls and men like Don anymore. Maybe I wasn’t supposed to be there. Maybe I was supposed to be back with my own kind of people. At least them I understood.

  “No, thank you.”

  He frowned at me and I tried not to smile in response. I really liked the way he looked at me then. I felt like I should give more of an explanation, but I didn’t want to.

  “You have the job. Not the internship, but as the newest junior member of the accounting team. I wanted to come
over here and tell you in person.”

  “The six weeks isn’t even up yet.”

  “I don’t care. The rest will be told the program is over for the year and they are no longer needed. I meant it when I said that you would be valuable to the company. I don’t want to lose you.”

  I paused with his choice of words. I knew it was going to be hard to deny him, but it was harder than I could have ever imagined.

  “It would just be too weird. Besides, I don’t want to work for a man like Donald.”

  “Donald is not going to be with the company much longer. You will work for me.”

  I bit my bottom lip. I knew I was doing it, but the urge was just too strong to stop it. Had he really gotten rid of the other partner? Was he going to do it because of me? I needed the job and I wanted it, but could I really come back from all of that? Could I really work at a place where everyone thought I was a slut? I didn’t really think that I could.

  “I can’t, sir. I just can’t. You don’t know what people are saying about me. About us.”

  I leaned in to tell him so that it wasn’t broadcast out loud, not considering what it meant to be so close to him. I was on my third glass of wine already, and I don’t know why I didn’t move back when I was finished talking. I just stood there looking up into his emerald eyes, unable to move. I wanted him to kiss me so badly. I thought he was going to, and I readied myself for the touch, but it never came.

  By the time I realized it wouldn’t, he was standing farther away from me. I looked away. I felt like such an idiot. Why did I always feel this way around him? He made me feel so crazy.

  Taking another drink, I willed my hands to stop trembling. I finally just put the empty glass down on the table and tried to get myself together. I forgot what we’d been talking about and when I looked over, I swore that the shade of his eyes was darker than before.

  “What do I have to do to get you to stay, Desiree?”

  I put my hand on the table to steady myself a little and tried my best to get a grip. I wasn’t drunk, but the feelings were similar as he devoured me with his eyes. The look bothered me in several ways, one of them being that he seemed to want me so badly but wasn’t making a move. It was frustrating, and after the day I’d had, I just wanted a kiss. In another way I felt like if I was going to get blamed for it, I might as well do it.