Most people on first meeting me were blown over by my unusual coloring, but I’d learned to accept it, and now I embraced it. It was “who I am”. The old Robyn was no more. I still felt her struggling to come through sometimes, like during my meeting with Dean. The old Robyn would have snagged a date with him, but I didn’t have the confidence I’d once had. I just tried to protect it in the way I dressed and carried myself, but underneath was a scared little girl.
When I was first told I no longer had cancer, I was a bit skeptical and didn’t believe it. Over the years, my skepticism had lessened, but every day, I woke expecting to discover that my body was once again riddled with the cancer. My medical team was getting frustrated with me. I was always calling about the simplest things that I experienced: a rash on my arm, a pain in my heel, the occasional headache, any and everything. It had taken me three years to accept that I was cancer free. Now that I’d sold my parents’ home, I could finally move on. I was going to find myself an exciting job where I could best use the skills I’d acquired over the years. At thirty-one, I was in the prime of my life, according to the reports. So I had better take advantage of it while the going was good. If I’d had my way, I would start with a passionate night of mindless sex with Dean Holmes.… Ha!
I’ve got to take my mind off Dean and concentrate on finding me a job. I knew it would be difficult; I’d been my own boss for too many years to take well to being the one receiving orders instead of giving them. But life had given me lemons, and I had to make lemonade with them. I had to take off the boss’s hat and put on the employee’s hat.
I made a cup of herbal tea. No more coffee for me. Since my illness, I’d given all that up. I picked up a copy of the local paper and opened it to the Classified Ads section. This brought back my teenage years, when I would spend hours perusing the want ads for a job.
“Wait!” There, staring at me was an ad for Dean’s company. I felt deliriously excited. I was applying for that job; there was no thinking about it. Just to be in the same space with him would give me great pleasure. I immediately powered up my laptop and retrieved a copy of my saved curriculum vitae. This job called for a CV, no resume. I wanted to knock the competition out of the running. I wanted that job. No, wait. I needed that job. Since my illness, this was the second thing that had brought me any excitement, and they were both connected. I addressed an envelope, placed a stamp on it, and put it in my mailbox for the mailman. All I had to do was to sit back and wait.
I did not have long to wait. Within two weeks of waiting on pins and needles, I received an email inviting me in for a job interview for the position of project manager at DL&J Investments.
I was so excited I began to hyperventilate. I was running around like a chicken with a cut-off head. What will I wear? How will I pull this off?
I was finally able to calm down enough to call to set up an appointment. Just my luck, Joy, Dean Holmes’ assistant, answered the phone. I recognized her voice. She had a high-pitched voice with a New York drawl. They ended every sentence with “right, right”. I did not identify myself to her. I just asked to be transferred to HR. I told myself, I am going to this interview on my merits. I knew I could do the job. I was an excellent researcher and a great negotiator, the two main skills needed for the job. And I intended to make Dean see that.
By the time the interview date rolled around, I was a nervous wreck, but you couldn’t tell from looking at me. I put on a show of bravado and got dressed with impeccable care on the morning of the interview. I was hoping I’d get to catch a glimpse of Dean, even if it was just in the interview. I was in for a surprise.
I walked in and was greeted by a young woman from the Human Resources department. I’d forgotten they had one. It was a bit unusual is such a small size firm, but I should have known the business was successful because they did everything by the books.
After my preliminary interview, I was led into a different conference room than the one where I’d met with Dean three weeks earlier. This time there was a different individual, a man about Dean’s age, who introduced himself as John FitzGerald, the one in charge of project management.
“How are you, Ms. Blackman?” he began, giving me a firm handshake.
“I’m fine, Mr. FitzGerald.”
“John. Please call me John. We’re a small firm, and we don’t stand on ceremony here.”
“Thanks, John.”
“You are most welcome. That quite an impressive CV you have here. What have you been doing the past six years? There’s no mention of it in your CV.”
“I was sick and didn’t work for the duration of my illness.”
“I’m sorry to hear. Are you all right now?”
“Yes. I’m doing much better. That’s why I decided to apply for this position.”
“As you may or may not have heard, this firm is very forward thinking with a strong upward-mobility trajectory.”
“That’s what attracted me to the company. I believe with my background and experience I’d be an asset to the company and contribute to its trajectory.”
“Also, the starting base pay is not very much, but whomever we hire will have an opportunity to make an excellent salary because the commission is fifty percent. So half of the money that position brings in will be going to the person we hire.”
“I think that’s excellent, John. I’m even more excited than ever about the job.”
“That’s good to hear. I believe you’ll fit in well with the firm, but I have to run it by the other partners.”
We spoke for another half-hour about the job and the benefits. The interview ended with another firm handshake, and John saying, “You can expect to hear from me in a week, at the latest.”
“Thanks, John. I look forward to hearing from you.”
I walked out of the interview feeling slightly cheated. I’d psyched myself up and had been looking forward to meeting Dean again; now I had to leave without even seeing his handsome face. Maybe I shouldn’t accept the position if it is offered to me; I’m too hung up on seeing Dean. It might prove a big disappointment for me if he doesn’t even give me the time of day. I’d take it as a personal slight.
By the time I drove back home to my apartment, I’d pretty much talked myself against accepting a position at DL&J. I thought coming to that decision would make me feel good, but on the contrary, I was feeling as if I’d just lost my best friend. I believe I’d been alone too long. I needed to get out more often. I had to get a life. If I could build such a strong connection to a man I’d met only once, then my situation was indeed very dire.
The next morning, I woke at eight a.m. to the alarm and the latest report of foreclosure properties lying on my chest. For several minutes, I stared at the ceiling, replaying the interview I’d had with John. Scrubbing a hand through my hair, I set it aside, although setting it aside did not address the situation with my need of the job and my fixation with Dean.
After arguing with myself for a good twenty minutes, I decided that if I got the job, I would accept it, regardless of the pay. It wasn’t much in an expensive state like New York; but I would soon be receiving the money from the sale of my parents’ house, so I could live off the meager pay until I had established a clientele and proved myself. I had come to a decision about what I was going to do, if given the opportunity.
Pushing myself to my feet, I walked to the bathroom. I needed to take a look at myself in the mirror, to face my emotions, to rebuild the armor I’d lost. Maybe that had happened at “hello”, and I just hadn’t realized it.
The days zoomed by with me running to the phone every time it rang, only to hang up on yet another sales call, and walk away feeling a bit dejected. I told myself, They must have found someone better suited to the job. I should go through the classified ads again and take this job out of my mind. On that thought, I changed into a pair of jeans and a warm sweater to take a walk to the corner store. That was one of the advantages of living in New York; there’s a store on every corner, litera
lly.
Fifteen minutes later I had a copy of the paper and was looking forward to enjoying a nice cup of tea while I went through it. I could have signed up on line or with an agency, but I was not up to going through the pre-interviews and the endless paperwork that is involved going that route. I could sometimes tell a company’s financial standing by the size of the ad they took out. Going through the want ads was not something I enjoyed doing, but it had to be done. I needed a job not for the money so much but to get out of my head—to live again.
The phone was ringing as I let myself back into the apartment. I flung my coat on the back of a chair as I raced to get it, but I was too late. I checked the number on the caller ID, and I saw it said DL&J Investments. Immediately, my heart began to race. I punched in my code to retrieve my messages. Unfortunately, I had twenty-five messages. I didn’t always clear my voicemail because if I recognized a number on my caller ID, I just called him or her back. I never went into voicemail. Now I had to contain myself while I listened to twenty-four old messages before I got to number twenty-five.
Hi, Robyn, this is John here from DL&J. I wanted to call and congratulate you on being selected for the position. You’ll be receiving a letter in a day or so, but I wanted to congratulate you personally. I’m excited about having you join our team and am looking forward to introducing you to everyone.
I couldn’t contain myself. I began dancing a jig in my kitchen before the reality of the situation hit me, and I stopped in mid-twirl. What would happen if I sucked at the job? I began to panic. I had to call my one best friend, Lisa, to tell her my news. She had always been bugging me about going out and starting my life again. But I had to savor the moment before I called her. First, I had to call John and thank him for giving me the job.
I dialed the number with trembling fingers, but I was spared babbling my way through a conversation, so I left a message for him. I was good at doing that. I was going to send a thank-you card to him anyway. I’d better do this today before the job letter gets here. This meant I had to make another trip to the corner store.
I walked to the store, marveling at how my life was changing before my very eyes. A couple of weeks before, I’d had nothing exciting happening in my life but selling my parents’ home; now I’d met a man I wanted to do things with, applied for a job, and gotten it. And now I’ll be feasting my eyes on that man all day, if I have my way. This brought a smile to my face. I was finally feeling alive again.
4
~Robyn~
As John had indicated in his voice message, I received a letter from DL&J offering me the position of project manager with his company. We had already discussed the salary and the other perks that came along with the job, so none of it was new to me. Although I’d sent John a thank-you card, I was tempted to send another one because the job was so perfect for me, and the flexible hours made it very attractive indeed.
I put in a call to the HR department, as instructed in the letter, letting the woman who answered the phone know that I was very excited for the job offer and I’d be reporting to work the following week as per her instructions at eight thirty in the morning.
During the days remaining before I began working at DL&J, I don’t know how I survived. I was running on adrenaline the entire time. By the time Monday morning rolled around, I was like a little ball of energy. I had my hair done up in a crazy, wild style, and I picked the most conservative suit I owned for my first day at work.
When I arrived, I was introduced to the small staff at DL&J. There were a total of eight people—my coming on board brought the total up to eight. There were Dean, Levi, John, and Joy, Dean’s assistant; Levi and John shared an assistant, Sara. The general staff consisted of Rosalie, the HR manager, and one ”all around” young man, Michael.
I was very disappointed when I didn’t see Dean at the welcome party. I learned he was out of town visiting his mom. It seemed he visited his mom quite frequently.
“I’m sorry you didn’t get to meet Dean,” Levi told me, giving me a dazzling smile.
I returned his smile but made a point to keep him at arm’s length. I got the feeling he was a magnet to women, and he knew it. He didn’t have to worry about me. I didn’t find him in the least bit attractive. He was a handsome enough man, but he didn’t have an ounce of the sex appeal that Dean had oozing out of him without much effort. They were both tall with banging bodies, but after that, Dean left him in the dirt.
As I recalled, Dean had a firm square jaw and broad forehead with a sort of blunt nose beneath light gray eyes that were surrounded by crinkling laughter lines, as if he laughed a lot. He wore his hair in a close cut with a bit more hair on the top, almost like a semi-Mohawk cut. Speaking of Mohawk, he did look slightly Native American with his coloring and high cheekbones. His lips were thick and juicy looking. He probably was a great kisser. He wore his trousers loose, almost drooping down. I couldn’t see the shape of his ass—I’d looked—because of the way he wore his pants. I was pleased with that; I don’t like a big butt on a man. The less there is to see when he’s clothed, the more I love it; it tells me I’m in for a treat. After all, it’s not the size of his butt that interests me.
Levi, in contrast, wore the tightest jeans and tiny polo shirts that left nothing about him to the imagination. I tried not to allow the way I felt about him to show on my face, so I went around with a smile plastered on my face every time I saw him. I hated admitting it was false.
John was different. I liked John, but in a brotherly way. He was a non-descript man. Although he was in the same age group as his two partners, he appeared and acted like a father figure. I would not have been surprised to learn that he was married with a family. That was who he put me in mind of, a happily married man. I couldn’t say the same for Levi. Levi appeared to be a player, whereas Dean was an enigma—an enigma that triggered a side of me I didn’t know existed. He made me burn. It was frustrating the hell out of me that I hadn’t been able to see him since our one and only brief meeting. But life goes on.
I had finished my first day, and I had seen no sign of Dean. I was dying of curiosity to know where he was, but I dared not ask anyone, for fear of my interest being too obvious. So, I went about familiarizing myself with the job, and with so much to do, the day ended before I was quite ready for it. I took a load of papers home with me and promised myself, by the end of my first week, I wanted to be as familiar as I ever could be with the foreclosure lists.
I was two weeks into the job before I finally saw Dean. I had given up and thought he was deliberately avoiding me. I tried to put him out of my mind. If he could stay away from his company for weeks on end, then he must be very busy with other things. I should consider myself lucky. Having told myself this, I put all my focus and energy on getting my job done.
I had thought I’d be bored with the job, but it proved more and more interesting every day. I think the fact that I spent more than half of my time away from the office going to auctions and visiting properties made the time go by very quickly. I was not happy about the fact that I had yet to see Dean, but I was happy it kept my interactions with Levi to a minimum. He seemed perplexed that I wasn’t falling over myself over him. So far as I was concerned, Levi could very well have not been there. That was how much he interested me.
I shared the occasional joke with John or Joy, who turned out to be a wealth of information on the best areas to spend my time visiting foreclosed properties. Three of the properties I’d bid on turned out to be winners. That was what I was told by John. When I went to my first auction, I was as nervous as a virgin on her wedding night, but that nervousness worked to my advantage. It was mostly all men, with me and one other woman being the only females there. The men backed down when they saw how aggressively I was bidding on the property. I knew it was a good buy; I’d done all my research the previous day on the location, the history of the property at city hall, and the growth rate prediction for the neighborhood. John couldn’t believe I was able to snag the pro
perty at the price I did—$250K—when houses in the area were going for over half a million. I got a huge commission on this one, and the trend continued.
That morning, I was busy going through the list and had selected three properties I was going to look at. I had picked three, but I was really interested in one. It was in a great neighborhood, and the bank was looking for a quick sale. I wanted to run it by John because I wasn’t sure if they were interested in commercial properties. This was a mixed-use property right off the highway. The city was undertaking a total revitalization of the area, and the values of the properties in the area were skyrocketing. I was so focused on going over the information on the property I didn’t realize I was no longer alone, until his shadow fell across my desk. And then I almost lost it.
5
~Dean~
Stepping confidently into Robyn’s open doorway, I found her behind her desk, gaze fixed on the file she was studying, her long, shapely legs crossed and peeking beneath the desk. Seconds ticked by before, in the process of turning a page, she froze, and her gaze leaped to my face. She popped to her feet as if pulled by strings. My eyes swept over her form-fitting, flame-colored suit. It says something about me that I noticed she was wearing the same outfit she’d worn the first time I met her, over a month ago. It hugged her curves in all the right places and played up the flame highlights in her hair. My cock thickened, and heat that I did nothing to elicit or control surged through my veins.
Seduction in a Suit: An Office Romance Collection Page 69