Quickly, she exited the car and made her way to the door so she could turn a blind eye today to all the repairs that were so obviously needed. Louise was waiting with the door open and a smile on her face. How would she ever survive if that smiling welcome wasn’t waiting for her each time?
In a way, Louise became more of a mother to her than her own over the last few years. With her mother’s increasing Alzheimer’s there were so many days now that she barely recognized that Claire and Louise were always there to smooth the hurt away.
She walked to the top of the steps and put her arms around Louise giving her a tighter than usual hug. Louise looked inquiringly at Claire, “you okay honey?”
“I’m great Louise and I like the new hair color.” Both burst out laughing at the same time. Louise’s hair was the usually brown but there was now a decidedly pink hue to it.
“You know how it goes on the hair, sometimes you look like the girl on the box, and sometimes you look like the box exploded on your head,” laughed Louise.
“Well I think it looks great,” Claire said as they walked into the house.
Claire saw her mother walk into the foyer and gave her a bright smile. “Hi mom, you look so nice today.”
Her mother looked at Claire in confusion and asked, “Louise do we have company?”
With a sick feeling in her stomach, Claire realized that her mother had no idea who she was. She walked slowly forward as not to startle her mother and played the role she’d been forced into more and more lately. “Hi Evelyn, it’s lovely to see you again,” Claire said as she extended a hand towards her mother.
Her mother hesitantly held her hand out and Claire took it in her own and gave it a light squeeze.
“Evelyn, Claire is a friend who is joining us for lunch today; I hope that’s ok with you.” Not waiting for a reply, Louise stepped forward and gently led her mother back to her favorite chair in the living area and then continued on to the kitchen.
Sometimes it was actually easier to be a stranger to her mother rather than have to pretend she was Chrissie. These lapses of memory could last for her entire visit or her mother could slip in and out several times; which was exhausting to keep up with.
“What can I help you with Louise?” inquired Claire.
“I don’t need any help honey, just have a seat and relax while I finish the sauce up.” Claire took a seat on the sofa and noticed that her mother was already engrossed in watching Family Feud. Claire discussed the contestants with her and enjoyed seeing how animated she became even if it was over a game show.
The spaghetti was mouthwatering and Claire quickly cleaned her plate and helped herself to seconds. Even being a stranger to her mother, Claire still enjoyed the afternoon and evening with them more than she had in quite some time. All too soon it was time to go home. She gave Louise another hug and also chanced giving her mother a quick one.
Still smiling after the enjoyable evening, Claire pulled into the lot of her apartment building and paused; maybe Billy was watching her space. Deciding to use the visitor’s parking at the end of the complex, Claire locked up and quickly headed towards her door. There was no sign of Billy, and she opened her door and shut it with a feeling of triumph. Giving a big fist pump, Claire had to laugh at herself. Maybe her luck was changing after all.
Chapter Ten
Claire entered her office on Monday morning feeling apprehensive about what was to come. Would this be the day that Jason confronted her about her job at Partiez Plus? She would have no choice in the matter if he forced her hand; she would have to quit her job with Partiez and then look for another job to fill the income gap. She would have to work more hours to come close to matching what she made working for Pam on the weekends. Jason’s door was still shut leaving Claire to wonder if he was in yet this morning.
She noticed a note from Jason on her desk as she slid into her seat. Quickly skimming the note, Claire felt a smile break out. Yes indeed, her luck did seem to be turning; Jason was going to be out of the office today. The note instructed her to check her email for a list of tasks that needed to be completed, and that he would not be in the office until tomorrow morning.
Claire worked steadily all morning and only paused to grab a drink and pack of crackers out of vending before getting back to work. Around 2 pm, Suzy came breezing through the door. Claire stopped the email she was composing and carefully studied Suzy’s face. Amazing, you’d never know what happened to her this weekend; she looked exactly the same as she did every day.
A grin tugged at her lips as she read Suzy’s t-shirt one more time to make sure she had it right. The shirt was bright orange and had Little Caesar’s Pizza in small white writing at the bottom. In bold, black print, it had their slogan ‘Hot and Ready.’ She’d paired the eye catching shirt with a pair of snug black jeans, a chain belt, and a pair of stiletto heels. Only Suzy could make an outfit like that seem perfectly normal.
“Where is hot buns at?”
She laughed despite herself and said, “He’s out of the office today.”
“So remember we’re going out to dinner tonight, right? Jeff had a little money in our joint account, so we’re going to spend every last dime of it on a fancy-shmancy meal at that new restaurant, The Ivy,” said Suzy with what could only be called an evil smile.
“Oh wow, I’ve heard of it, and I’m not dressed for anything that fancy,” replied Claire regretfully.
“No worries, I’ve got everything covered. I brought two dresses with me today; they’re hanging in my office.”
“Suz, I can’t wear your clothes; they’ll be too short for me.”
“It’s a dress silly, there’s no such thing as a dress that’s too short, it will be fine. I have the matching shoes as well, and I know we both wear the same size, so we’re all set.”
Suzy looked so pleased with herself; Claire didn’t have the heart to argue with her. If it kept that smile on Suzy’s face, then she would wear a garbage bag tonight if she had to. Suzy arranged to meet her in the restroom down the hall at five where they’d both change and leave straight from work for their six o’clock reservations at Ivy.
Claire pushed send on her last email and prepared to pack her desk up for the day. This really was an enjoyable afternoon. With Jason gone, Claire cleared up most of her backlogs of work with only a few interruptions. Quickly noting she had five minutes to lock up and meet Suzy, Claire grabbed her purse, turned off the lights and locked the door. For security reasons, the office was always locked when Jason and Claire were gone. The supervisor of the cleaning crew had a key for nightly cleaning, but that was the only other person allowed in the office.
Suzy was already in the restroom when she arrived. “Hey girlfriend, I have our dresses all ready. Your dress is in the pink cover so go ahead and grab that one and try it on.” Suzy grabbed the leopard-skin cover-up which apparently contained her dress and walked into a stall while Claire unzipped the pink cover-up to inspect her dress. She was relieved to see that it contained a dark-green silk dress which looked innocent to her eyes. Please, please don’t let it be spandex. Claire went into the other stall and slipped her clothes off and the dress on.
The dress was actually beautiful with a pleated, strapless bodice and an empire waist that flowed smoothly into a form-fitting skirt. There were only two problems with the dress that Claire could see; the snug bodice show-cased her assets and pushed her breasts into looking more like a D cup rather than her usual small C. The second problem was the length; the dress was well above her knees, well well above them. If she had to bend over for anything tonight it was going to get X-rated in a hurry.
She sucked it up and walked out of the stall without complaint remembering her vow to do whatever she had to do to make sure Suzy had a good night. Suzy was leaving the stall next door, and Claire realized that her cover-up bag hadn’t been leopard skin after all; it was clear and the dress it contained was what she’d seen. Only Suzy could make something that should be totally mind-boggli
ng into something that others would actually envy.
The dress was a similar style to the one that Claire was wearing, strapless with a high bodice. Where Claire’s dress was more tailored looking, Suzy’s had clear rhinestones and a sassy little ruffle at the top that showed off the curve of her ample breasts to perfection. Her dress was about the same length as Claire’s.
“Hey, that dress is rocking on you,” exclaimed Suzy and then followed the comment up with a loud whistle.
Claire smiled saying, “You look great Suz; that dress is so you. This dress, however, doesn’t seem like you; what gives?”
“That’s Beth’s dress actually; I just wanted to freak you out thinking it was one of mine. I figured your rear end would hang out of mine since they’re really short on me. I had to drop Beth off at home this morning, and I borrowed that one for you.”
Touched that Suzy had gone to so much trouble to make sure she didn’t have any excuse to get out of dinner, Claire smiled and didn’t make one single complaint. She asked Suzy to zip her dress and then stepped over to the mirror borrowing some of the makeup that Suzy had brought along.
“Hey, let me do your makeup; you need a new look with that dress.” Again deciding to let Suzy have her way tonight, Claire gave herself over to a makeover. “Ok, I’m all done and you look fantastic.” Claire could hardly connect the person staring back at her in the mirror as herself. Suzy had really applied more eye makeup than Claire had ever used and as a result her green eyes looked huge. Her lips were a glossy red, and the blusher accented her cheek bones. “Now take that hair down and brush it; the spinster hair with the sultry dress is a definite clash.”
Claire released the clip from her hair and set about taming it into some form of order. Suzy took that over as well and when she was finished applying the last coat of hairspray, Claire had to admit that she looked good. Maybe a bit like a classy hooker but hey, take one for the team. They quickly packed and took the elevator to the lobby. As people turned to stare at them Claire practically ran from the building to Suzy’s small SUV.
~~~
Thirty minutes later, Suzy was pulling in front of the valet stand, and the door was opened for her by a young man in a uniform. Claire noticed the attention she was receiving from the rest of the valets. Suzy walked around the car and the admiring looks were then turned to her and Claire was quickly forgotten. No matter where she went, Suzy was usually the center of attention and Claire was more than happy to have her in that role.
“Hey babe, take good care of my ride,” said Suzy with a dramatic bat of her eyelashes. The poor guy almost fell over his feet in his haste to take the keys from her. With a wink, Suzy tossed her keys over and took off towards the entrance to the restaurant like she owned the place.
Sometimes I wish I had just half the confidence that Suzy does, thought Claire as she followed her to the reservation desk. Luckily for them the host was another male, and Suzy batted her lashes again and said, “Hey, reservations for two for Denton. Do you think you could possibly give us a table at the window? I just love the ocean at night; it’s so sensual.”
Claire truly felt sorry for him; he literally swallowed his tongue in his haste to please her. “Ye… Yes, I think I can find you something. We’ve a table that’s reserved for 6:30, but I’m sure they wouldn’t mind waiting until you ladies are finished, come right this way.”
Indeed, they were led to a table with a breathtaking view of the Atlantic Ocean. The restaurant was dimly lit and relied on candlelight from each table as well as twinkling white lights similar to Christmas tree lights to create an intimate atmosphere. The host rushed over to pull out a chair for Suzy and Claire was left to seat herself. For such a popular place, Claire was impressed at how spacious the area was around each table.
“Wow, this is great Suz; I can’t believe we got such a good table,” said Claire.
“Yeah, this is cool. I know Jeff would want us to enjoy the evening with his money so let’s do it right. Order the most expensive item on the menu and we’re even springing for champagne,” replied Suzy with obvious glee. Laughing, Claire opened her menu to look at the options.
Their waiter arrived at the table, luckily another male, and in minutes their champagne had arrived and they were enjoying a glass. “I propose a toast.” Claire raised her glass and waited for Suzy to continue. “Ummm… This is for my sleaze bag ex-Jeff with the small package, may the rest of what you have between your legs shrivel even more and may the breasts of your ho-bag dentist drop to her ankles.” They clicked their glasses grandly, both dissolving in a fit of laughter.
Claire felt a tap on her shoulder and looked up expecting to see their waiter. She was shocked to see none other than Jason Danvers looking down at her with a smile on those sexy lips. “Ladies, I couldn’t help but overhear your toast. I do hope things work out as you requested Suzy,” said an obviously amused Jason.
“Hey Mr. D, thanks man,” replied Suzy without missing a beat. Claire was surprised that Jason actually remembered Suzy’s name and equally surprised to see that Suzy was not intimidated in the least by him. Claire could feel herself cringing as Suzy continued, “You want to pull up a chair and join us? We could use some male company tonight.”
“I couldn’t think of anything that I would rather do than dine with two beautiful women; unfortunately, I’m with Grayson Merimon tonight. Claire, you might recall that Grayson is the CEO of Mericom?” Jason’s gaze had settled on her as he waited for a reply.
“Ye… Yes, I remember. I’ve never met him in person, but I do recall the name.” Claire could feel her cheeks turning red as she felt herself stammering through her reply. Oh lord, he looks good enough to eat tonight. I wonder if he’s on the menu because I would order that for sure.
“Well let’s rectify that now; I’m sure Grayson would love to meet you. I hope you ladies will join us for a drink at our table?”
Already forming a polite refusal on her lips, Claire was dismayed to see Suzy pop up from her seat with a, “sounds cool Mr. D, lead the way.” She shot Suzy her best 'what the hell are you doing' look but had no choice but to follow them over to the table.
As they approached, a tall, striking man stood up. Oh baby, this guy could give Jason a run for his money in the hot category, wow! “Ladies this is Grayson Merimon, Grayson this is Suzanna Denton, or Suzy as we call her, who handles the event planning for Danvers and this is my personal assistant, Claire Walters.”
Grayson extended a hand to Suzy first. “Ms. Denton, a pleasure to meet you,” said Grayson smoothly.
Suzy gave his hand a quick shake and replied, “What’s up Gray?” Grayson’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, a smile starting to play around his generous lips as he then turned towards Claire and extended his hand.
“Ms. Walters, after speaking with you on the telephone and via email, I feel like I already know you, it’s a pleasure to put a face with the voice.” Grayson’s hand engulfed hers in a warm grip.
“Grayson I hope you don’t mind; I’ve invited Suzy and Claire to join us for a drink.”
“Of course not Jason, it would be a pleasure,” replied Grayson. Jason seated Claire and Grayson pulled out a chair for Suzy.
Claire murmured a quick thank you, and Suzy looked over her shoulder at Grayson with a, “Thanks G.” Again Claire could see Grayson’s lips twitch.
Claire felt Jason’s powerful thigh touch against hers under the table, and her body leapt to life in response. Oh great, it’s been so long between men that I’m going to have an orgasm just from a little leg contact. She shifted as far away as she could and felt Jason’s thigh once again brushing hers. Anymore shifting and she would be out of the chair and on the floor. Claire was certain he was doing it on purpose. Ignoring him, she focused her attention on the conversation at the table.
Jason was explaining to Suzy that in the next few months she would be working with Grayson and his staff to put together a formal party to celebrate the merger between the two companies. Su
zy was asking if they’d thought of providing some type of entertainment. Suddenly, Claire became aware that the whole table was looking at her.
“Excuse me, did you say something?” asked Claire.
“Yes, I told Suzy that you might have some ideas for good party entertainment,” said Jason with what could only be termed as a wicked grin.
Claire was speechless for a moment, terrified that Jason was going to elaborate on what he was clearly hinting at. “I um… I don’t think I’ve any ideas about that. Suzy is the master planner, I’m sure she’ll have lots ideas.”
Luckily, this successfully diverted the attention back to Suzy. Without thinking, Claire reached over under the table and dug the heel of her shoe into Jason’s foot. His thigh jerked as Claire continued to face forward with a smile on her face. At that moment, the waiter approached the table and asked if they’d like to order. Claire opened her mouth to ask Suzy if she was ready to return to their table trying to make her escape.
“Jason, why don’t we invite these lovely ladies to join us for dinner?” invited Grayson.
With a smug look, Jason replied, “I think that’s a wonderful idea Grayson.”
“Groovy, count me in Mr. D,” said Suzy. With everyone at the table again looking at her, Claire had little choice but to accept. Suzy asked the waiter to bring their champagne over to the new table, and soon they were all placing their food order.
Claire realized she’d already had two drinks and knew she’d better slow down before it went to her head. Jason made her so nervous and more than once she could feel his gaze fixed on her. His thigh was now a permanent fixture against hers. No matter how many times she tried to shift away from him, he always managed to resume the contact within minutes. Claire found herself wondering how that thigh would feel between her own.
Weekends Required - A Danver's Novel Page 8