by Kira Blakely
She jumped at the sound of Dawson’s office door being slammed, and then jumped again as the intercom system on her desk buzzed to let her know that Dawson needed to talk to her. “Yes, Mr. James?” She couldn’t help but sound nervous as she answered him.
“Come through please, Alexa. And bring a notepad with you.” He didn’t sound angry with her, but she could hear how tense he was, and she hurried to do his bidding, knocking timidly on the adjoining door.
“Come in.”
She walked into his office nervously and sat down in the chair opposite his at his desk with her notepad and pen poised at the ready. She’d never mastered shorthand, but she was confident enough in her own abilities to know that she could write fast enough to keep up with whatever it was he wanted dictated.
“I suppose you heard all that?” He looked at her in such a way that even attempting to lie wasn’t an option.
She nodded her head slowly before answering. “I did hear some of it, yes. But I don’t know what it was about, and it’s none of my business regardless.”
Dawson looked at her intently before saying anything else, and she had the distinct impression that he was trying to sum her up. “Well, whatever it was you did hear does not leave this office. There are enough rumors flying around this place without them being added to. Understood?”
“Yes, Mr. James.” She’d never been one to gossip, and she wasn’t about to start now.
Giving a decisive nod of his head, Dawson gave her one of his irresistible smiles and then turned the conversation to the business at hand. “Take this down, please.” For a split second, Alexa thought that he’d actually said, ‘Take your panties down, please,’ and her heart leapt into her throat in reaction as her eyes shot to him in surprise. She breathed a huge sigh of relief when she saw that his head was tilted back and his eyes were closed in concentration.
Are you sure that’s relief? She ignored the voice in her head and started to write as Dawson dictated.
“It has come to my attention that the terms and conditions of our agreed contract are no longer agreeable to you. As per the clause in the said contract, I would like to remind you that any monies already spent on the project by my company are to be paid in full and forthwith by you should this contract be terminated by you for any reason, with no exceptions.”
The letter went on in much the same vein, outlining Dawson’s expectations and brutally stating the fact that if compensation was not made for wasted time, then further action would be taken by him and his company’s lawyers.
By the end of it, Alexa was starting to feel quite sorry for the recipient of the letter as well as even more curious as to what it had all been about. It was obvious that Dawson hadn’t gotten where he was in life by being a pushover, although without knowing the full details, it was hard
to judge whether he’d established his company by being a bully or not. Either way, she felt compelled to say something.
“Will you really take further action if they don’t pay up? I feel a little bit sorry for them, in all honesty. Maybe if you tried talking to them first you could get more out of them.”
As Dawson opened his eyes and looked at her with an incredulous expression on his face, she wished that she had kept her mouth shut. “For your information, Ms. Ryan, there have been plenty of discussions both before and during the duration of the contract, and the project in question. In fact, there have been numerous occasions when I could have taken further action already, but chose to give them the benefit of the doubt in the hope that they wouldn’t let me or my company down.” He glowered at her across the top of his desk. “Might I suggest that you keep your opinions to yourself in the future, at least until you are aware of all of the facts.”
Alexa felt absolutely mortified, and her expression showed it. “I’m sorry, Mr. James. I won’t let it happen again.”
Are you crazy? You could have just lost your job before it’s even properly begun, you idiot! She literally felt like crying, but she held the tears back.
Dawson felt something that he didn’t think he had ever felt before: contrite. She looked absolutely dejected at him telling her off and he reminded himself that she wasn’t like the other women he’d employed before her. She was green and naive and, as such, he should treat her with a little more gentleness than he had other employees.
Gentle? Since when have you ever been gentle with anyone? What the hell is so different about her that she’s making you question your own judgement? He wished he knew the answers to his own questions, because right now he was feeling so confused that he was getting pissed off at himself.
He gave a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry, Alexa. I forget sometimes that you’re new to all this, and this business with the Grant Group has me really rattled. But it was unfair of me to take it out on you, at least without explaining a little about it all first.”
“This is your company. You don’t have to explain anything to me.” Alexa was feeling somewhat mollified by his apology, but the mere fact that he’d been right in what he’d said still gnawed at her. She was so used to always trying to think the best of people, and of trying to always be as kind as possible no matter what the situation, that she’d lost sight of the fact that she now worked in a cut-throat business world where deals were made and broken on a daily basis.
“I know I don’t have to, and I won’t go in depth, but I do want to at least give you the basic facts.” For some unknown reason, it was important to him that she didn’t think badly of him. “I requested multiple bids for a construction company to build a gym in an area of town that’s run-down and almost derelict. It’s an area where the crime rate involving teenagers is on the rise, and I thought that maybe if they had somewhere to go to channel their energy instead of being on the streets causing trouble, it could only be a good thing.” He wasn’t about to tell her exactly why this project meant so much to him on a personal level.
“You don’t have to explain anything to me.” Alexa was glad that he felt that he wanted to though.
“I know I don’t, but I’m going to at least give you the bare bones of the situation. The Grant Group submitted a bid along with floor plans and timelines of when the project could be expected to be completed. After further talks with them, I accepted their bid and my company paid them a percentage upfront. That was almost six months ago, and since then, it’s been one excuse after another as to why the only work that’s been carried out so far is the ground leveling.” He gave another frustrated sigh. “I really wanted the gym up and running by Christmas, because that’s when the kids get into the most trouble. But now, I’ll be lucky if it’s open by next summer, because I’ll have to put it out for bid all over again.”
Alexa didn’t know what had surprised her the most – the fact that he was willing to tell her all of that, or the fact that he felt it was such an important issue that the kids have better options available to them that he’d take the time to build them a gym. “I’m sorry, Mr. James. It sounds like a sucky situation to be in.”
“A sucky situation?” He grinned at her, his eyes twinkling in amusement at her childlike terminology, and she blushed as red as the blouse she was wearing. Little did she know that her wording had conjured up all kinds of mental pictures in his mind, and his humor was his way at trying to hide it. “Okay, young lady. Back to work with you. Will you get that letter typed up for me this afternoon, please? The address to mail it to will be in one of the files Sheila left for you.”
Returning to her own office and sitting down at her desk, Alexa didn’t start writing the letter immediately. She sat there and contemplated everything that had transpired between her and Dawson first. The man was a complete enigma and she was starting to wonder if everything she’d heard about him so far was actually true. Okay, so he was a ladies’ man; of that, there was no doubt. But with regards to his business dealings and the way he conducted them, well, she really wasn’t sure anymore.
He’d opened up to her about why he had been so an
gry concerning the Grant Group contract, but she had a feeling that there was a lot more to it than what he’d told her, and her curiosity was overwhelming. She gave a sigh and settled down to the task at hand.
If he wants you to know, then he’ll tell you, so stop being so damn nosey or you’re likely to get yourself into some seriously hot water, she warned herself as she typed. She’d subconsciously made it her personal goal to show him that being kind was much better than being a bully, but now she was having doubts as to whether he really needed to be taught that, especially by her.
Maybe you’ll be better off being kind to him, instead of trying to get him to be kind to others, she mused.
SHE SETTLED INTO an easy routine in the following weeks as she became more comfortable dealing with Dawson and her job. Her mornings would start with her bringing him a cup of coffee and him drinking it while he gave her his instructions and tasks for the day. She would make any telephone calls and set up meetings before her lunch, and then after it, she would spend the rest of the afternoon sending out emails, typing letters, and doing any other general assignment he’d given her. Throughout the day, she would transfer a myriad of calls through to him that came up to her via the reception desk, and she quickly learned who he wanted to talk to, who he hated talking to, and who he absolutely refused to talk to.
Sometimes, she would be sitting in her office working, and she would hear him arguing with someone over the telephone. It always amazed her that he had been able to work his way up the corporate chain until he actually owned his own thriving business when she heard some of the things he said. In all honesty, if it was her on the other end of the line, she would probably refuse to do business with him ever again if he spoke to her that way, but the conversations always seemed to end on a slightly better note. Once Dawson got over his little tantrum, his attitude always improved. She still hated the way he treated people sometimes, but then at other times, he would do something totally unexpected and so nice that she still couldn’t make out which side of him was the real Dawson James.
She had also become used to the fantasies she would have about him on a nightly basis, just as much as the daydreams which annoyed her so much. She’d come to the conclusion that Dawson flirted with anyone of the female variety that he came into contact with, and as such, she’d stopped taking it personally, and it no longer flustered her when he threw a wink in her direction or made some kind of remark that would have once had her blushing like a schoolgirl.
Dawson looked forward to their morning meetings just as much as she did, even though he would never admit it to anyone but himself. He found himself trying to think up ways to prolong the meetings and even went as far as creating tasks for her to do that he could have quite easily delegated to someone else.
And, for some unknown reason, he went out of his way to please her and make her smile, even if it was about something inconsequential or if it was something that made him look totally ridiculous. He didn’t know what it was about Alexa Ryan that made him want to strive to be a better person, but whatever it was, it both annoyed the crap out of him and excited him all at the same time.
HALFWAY THROUGH ALEXA’S fourth week of working for the company, she took Dawson his usual cup of morning coffee and was about to settle down in the chair opposite his to take some notes as she typically did when he stopped her.
“Do you usually have a cup of coffee back in your office when you leave here in the mornings?”
She nodded with a perplexed expression on her face.
“Then go and get you a cup now and bring it in here to drink. We may as well share our coffee break while we discuss things, right?”
It was something that he’d never suggested before, and Alexa was pretty sure that Sheila never used to take her morning coffee with him. But who was she to argue with the boss-man himself? She placed her notepad and pencil on the chair she had been about to sit down on and turned to leave the room, half turning back to make sure that she’d heard him correctly.
“Are you sure?”
“When have you ever known me to say something I’m not sure about?” He raised an eyebrow at her inquisitively. “Go and get your coffee, Alexa.”
His tone allowed no argument, and she turned to do as he’d instructed, returning a short time later with a cup of her own. She placed it on the side of the desk closest to her chair before picking up her notepad again and finally sitting down.
They went through the usual daily lists of things to do with Alexa taking notes as he gave her his instructions. Periodically, they would both pause and take a sip of their coffee before continuing where they left off.
“I think that’s all for now, Alexa, but before you go there are two things that I’d like to discuss with you.” She felt her heart sink. I just knew that having coffee with him was a bad omen, she thought to herself as she tried to calm her racing heart down.
“I’m listening, but if you’re going to fire me, can you make it quick and not drag it out?” She was only half joking.
Dawson looked at her with an incredulous look. “Fire you? Why on earth would I fire you?” He didn’t wait for her to answer. “Unless you’ve done something totally wrong that I haven’t found out about yet, in which case you need to confess now or forever hold your peace.” Or you could just hold my piece and then your job is definitely secure, he thought to himself, enjoying the dirty thought even as he tried to quash it. Now is not the time, Dawson, so behave yourself.
“No, Alexa, I’m not going to fire you. Not any time soon, anyway.” He chuckled softly at her relieved expression. “Actually, the first thing I want to discuss with you is your wardrobe.” Her expression became even more befuddled. “Do you remember me telling you that you must always wear skirts at work?”
She nodded her head slowly.
“Then why are you wearing a pants suit? It’s very becoming, but it’s strictly against what I told you, isn’t it?”
“I didn’t think that you were serious, Mr. James.” She’d never heard of anything so preposterous.
Dawson laughed again. “I never say anything that I don’t mean. Well, hardly ever. And I meant it when I said that it would be a criminal act if you were to cover your gorgeous legs up. So no more pants, okay?”
She scowled at him prettily. “I’ll try my best, but I can’t make any promises.” If you think I’m going to let you dictate what I can and cannot wear, then you’re sadly mistaken. Her thoughts were defiant, but she knew that she was going to try her best to do what he’d told her, and that pissed her off more than anything.
“Okay, the next thing I want to discuss is that I need you to attend a business function with me over the weekend. I know that you don’t usually work weekends, and I had originally intended to take somebody else, but she’s now unable to go with me.” Not strictly true, but I don’t think she’d be impressed to learn that I cancelled my plans with Hannah so that I could ask her instead, he thought wickedly. Alexa was eager to hear more, as her quirked eyebrow indicated. “It’s a high-class event that will mean us being out of town for three days. You’ll obviously be paid for doing it and there will be a nice bonus in with your wages also.”
He had been fully expecting her to jump on board as soon as she heard that there was going to be extra money in it for her, but she surprised him. “I’d like to know a little more about it before I agree, if that’s okay, Mr. James.”
“It’s a charity event that will benefit numerous organizations as well as individuals. As I said, it’s a high-class gala and there will be quite a few celebrities and high-powered people attending, so I can’t really go into too much detail because of how strictly a lot of the people going to it guard their privacy.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, extracting a card and sliding it across the top of the desk toward her. “You’ll need to buy a dress suitable for the occasion; a long evening dress or cocktail dress will do. You can also charge anything else you think you might need for the weekend to this
company credit card. And please don’t be worried about how much things cost; the card has no credit limit.”
Alexa reached forward and picked the card up off the table. Was he being serious, or was this some kind of test, she wondered. “I’ll use it to buy a dress and accessories for the evening in question, but other than that I shouldn’t need to buy anything else that I don’t already have.” Using a card that belonged to someone else, even if it was a business card, and being told that she could spend however much she wanted both terrified and excited her.
“So that’s settled then. Take tomorrow off to go shopping, and I’ll pick you up on Friday evening around seven, if that suits you?” He wanted to get everything organized now before she could change her mind on him.
Alexa left his office in a daze, and it was at least another thirty minutes before she could get herself organized to get some actual work done. She couldn’t believe that she’d actually agreed
to go away with him for the weekend, and she hoped that it wasn’t some kind of ploy on his behalf.
Why the hell would he make something so elaborate up, Lexi? Quit being so cynical for once in your life and just go with it. She felt a little better after admonishing herself, but she couldn’t wait to get home and talk it all over with Laura that evening.
“YOU’RE GOING WHERE? With who?” Laura sounded as incredulous as Alexa felt.
“You heard me. I can’t quite believe it either. Do you think I’m doing the right thing, Lau?” She was still nervous and wondering if there was an ulterior motive behind Dawson’s request, but her best friend had no such qualms.
Laura’s eyebrows had risen up into her hairline, and she looked at Alexa with an open mouth. “Are you doing the right thing? Did you really just ask me that? Have I not been telling you for weeks that you need to jump this man’s bones?” They were obviously rhetorical questions and Laura poked her tongue out childishly in response. “This is a good thing, Lexi. Wait, scratch that. This is a great thing! You actually get to go away with the guy for three whole days, he’s given you his company credit card to buy everything you need, and he’s giving you a bonus in your wages on top of it all. You’d be absolutely crazy if you turned him down.”