by Ashlee Price
After the last meeting before lunch, I went down to the fifth floor and looked for the platinum-blonde hair that had caught my eye the day before. My eyes zeroed in on her, and it wasn’t long before I had urged her gaze up to mine. There was no way that it was just me. She stopped where she was, something in her hand, and stared at me like she was a deer caught in my headlights.
I grinned at her and she looked down. That innocent look was back, and it made my body rear up in response. I looked away before my eyes gave up too much information. I knew that I wasn’t supposed to be looking at any of my employees like that, but Desiree was different. I wasn’t sure how or why, but I knew that there was something about her that made her stand out.
“Sir?”
I turned to see Tommy standing next to me. I wondered how long he had been standing there. He was giving me a knowing look, so I figured he knew enough. Was I that obvious? Looking back at Tommy, I knew I was. There was just something about Desiree that made me wish I had met her somewhere other than at a job interview.
“What, Tommy?”
“You’re snippy today.”
I usually found his flamboyance fun; now I was just finding it irritating. I don’t know why, but his knowing smile bothered me. I didn’t want anyone to know what it was I was feeling for her. I didn’t even know what it was, but I was going to have to be more careful when I admired her from afar. If Tommy had seen it, that meant that others could have as well.
“What, Tommy? I have to get to lunch.”
“I know. That’s why I wanted to see if you would go ahead and take your one o’clock now. Gary called, and he doesn’t know if he is going to be able to make it.”
“Fine, tell him I will meet him at Bernard’s. I don’t know why he doesn’t just tell you ‘lunch meeting’ in the first place. That tightwad is just trying to make it so that he can write it off as an expense.”
Tommy didn’t comment, and that pissed me off worse. He would say something about Desiree, but not about my enemy.
“Anything else, sir?”
“Yeah, stop grinning at me like that, Tommy, or I will find another assistant.”
He flipped his head like he had long hair and told me that I wouldn’t find one as good. He was probably right, but I didn’t answer him. Tommy had been with me for years. He had come in as a temp, and it was only when he was hired on under me that I started to see what a hard worker he was. He may not have dressed how I would have liked him to, and sometimes I was reminded of our differences, but he was the best assistant that I had ever had. All of his personality made him aware of everyone else, and he’d become invaluable. I just didn’t want to have him giving me hell about her.
I made my way down to the parking garage and to the old Italian place that Gary always preferred. It was standard procedure to go there whenever we met for business. I wasn’t joking about his affinity for writing everything off. I had to admire him for his diligence. My accounting team was on me all of the time to get all of my expense receipts in, but I was constantly forgetting.
Gary was waiting for me with a bottle of wine when I got there. I never saw him at the office, and I sometimes wondered if his staff did.
“How have you been, Gary?”
He just kind of mumbled a little under his breath and slid the bottle across the table. It was going to be one of those meetings that I looked forward to. It would be a whole lot more drinking than talking, and that was the kind of lunch that I needed, something to get my mind off of the blue-eyed girl.
Chapter 4 – Desiree
As I watched him leave for lunch, I had the feeling that he was staring at me again. Greg’s eyes had found me in the accountant room and I couldn’t help but stop and stare back. He had a way about him. It was impossible to look away, and only when a tall, younger man spoke to him did our eye contact break. It was hard not to look at him, and it was hard not to feel a little shiver run through me when I did.
He was gone, though, and I was able to think again. It wasn’t for long, because the day had been a whirlwind and lunch was more of the same. I didn’t get to go out by myself. I ended up having to go out with the rest of the interns so that more information could be downloaded into us.
By the time we got back to the office, I was feeling overwhelmed and I didn’t have much gusto for the rest of the day. It was just too much information to take in. It was nothing like class. Everything was moving faster, and I was finding it hard to keep up. It was almost impossible.
Three o’clock rolled around and there was another meeting to go to. It was the third one in the last six hours and I was about over them all. I was slouching in my chair when the upper management started to come in. I was not as impressed as I probably would have been a day ago. Maybe this wasn’t for me.
All of that changed when I saw Greg strolling in with that easy smile on his face that I remembered from our first meeting. Our eyes met like they had before lunch, and there was nothing that I wanted to do more than be as close as we were during the interview. I wanted it to just be us, but I was quickly disillusioned of that. The rest of the room came into focus, and I just looked down at the packets of papers that I had received throughout the day.
It took a couple of minutes for everyone to stop talking and find a place to sit. I was already seated, which gave me the chance to see him interacting with everyone. All of the people in the room wanted some attention from Greg. It was more than just his position; he was obviously popular personally. I tried to keep my mind on topic instead of looking at the easy grin and broad shoulders. I focused on the sheet that we had been given before we got there. This meeting had not been named with a title, but it didn’t seem to need one. Greg was there to talk, and when he did, I could see why everyone liked him. He was inspirational, and all of the second guessing I’d been doing before fell away. I knew that it was going to be okay.
His speech was rather short and it was obvious that he hadn’t written anything down. He just winged it, and I know that I wasn’t the only one who felt a little uplifted. After the drudgery of the day, it was what all of the interns needed. I had thought there would be a lot of requests for coffee, but it was nothing like that. We were going to learn their business and all of their accounting practices long before we would ever do anything of value. Even though all of us had been to school, it was like we were getting a crash course just in case we had forgotten.
The caseload had made me wonder if I’d made the right choice leaving a steady income tending bar, but now I was feeling a little better and the mood in the room was back to relaxing. Greg had said what he’d come there to say and it looked like that was it. I was looking down at the packets of papers when he came towards me, and I only looked up when I saw his legs in front of me. He was standing right in front of me, and it was clear that he was not going to move until I talked to him.
“How did you like your first day?”
“It’s a lot.”
He chuckled a little, a deep sound that made me smile. “It will get easier. The first few days are always the worst. I took the same course when I started it up. I remember there was a lot to remember.”
I just shook my head and waited for him to go talk to someone else. I couldn’t take his scrutiny, even though I wanted to be around him. When he had all of his attention on me, it was just too much. As he sat down beside me, I groaned inwardly and prayed I wouldn’t say something stupid and ruin it.
“If you ever need any help, Desiree, just let me know and I will make sure that you have everything that you need.”
His words sounded innocent and sincere, but oh, his eyes said something else altogether. His emerald depths told me that there was a service available if I wanted it. I had to break the contact to breathe and thank him for the offer. I wasn’t ready for what he had in mind. That much I knew.
“Would you like to sit in on an actual meeting today?”
I was feeling a lot of things, but when he threw that life preserver out, ther
e was nothing I could do but grab it. If it meant me not having to sit through another moment of orientation, I was all for it.
“I would like that very much.” I grimaced when I heard the sound and tone of my voice. Why did I sound so demure all of a sudden?
Smiling, Greg put his hand out like I needed help up. The room was still full and I didn’t want to take it, but several people had already seen us and I had to. It was only a quick touch of the hand, but I was already feeling the shiver run through me.
***
I was on cloud nine until the next day. I felt special that I had been chosen to go to the meeting. I knew it was because the boss had the hots for me, but I was okay with that as long as it got me out of having to do more orientation. The next day I realized my error. Nobody else seemed too happy that I had gotten the golden ticket, and I caught several looks that were not very pleasant.
By noon I was sure that misery was going to overshadow the rest of the internship. I had broken a rule on the first day and it was a doozy. Greg was happy and liked to show it, but his attention came with consequences that I was just then starting to grasp.
I went to lunch a little down and sought out my roommate. She always had a spin to put on everything, and I really needed one of them then. I needed a pick-me-up, and I knew that Fran was where to get it. She was always there to pick me up when my pessimism got the best of me. I didn’t want to admit that we had flirted a bit, but there was no one else that I could tell.
She took it like I thought she would, with a little shock and a lot of advice.
“You just have to keep a little more distance from Greg.”
That was not what I wanted to hear. I was hoping for advice to bring brownies and hope that everyone forgot. I didn’t want to keep my distance from the boss, especially when I was trying to make sure that I stood out to get the job.
“I have to work with him if that’s what the internship calls for. I’m still trying to get a job out of this in the end, you know, one that’s going to pay some rent.”
“I don’t like the sound of it, Desiree. You need to be careful of guys like Greg Jefferson. They aren’t even on our level.”
That stuck out with me the most, and when I left, I felt a little better. I was acting like he was a guy that I could have and date. It had nothing to with reality; the reality was that he was so out of my league there was no sense in even thinking about it.
Chapter 5 – Greg
“Desiree, would you like to join me for the shareholder meeting with the accountants?”
I could see that she was stalling on answering and I wondered why. If she wanted to work here, getting exposed to the top people in the company was key to her success. Something was different about her. Her tiny nose wriggled for a moment, and it fascinated me.
“I think that you should give one of the other interns a chance.”
“I don’t want to have anyone else with me but you. I thought you wanted to get the job and be more than an intern?”
I know that I wasn’t being fair, but I had to see her, and I knew that it was a good angle to try. Well, I had thought that was the case, anyways.
“Yes, sir, and I thank you for the offer, but since I already went with you once before, I don’t want it to seem like I’m the teacher’s pet or something.”
“You’re having problems?”
“No, of course not.”
She was not telling the truth, and I felt a little guilt that she was being harassed because I couldn’t stop myself from asking her to go. Now I was going to be doing it again, and I shouldn’t. I should have said that I understood, done the right thing, but I pressed her to go with me instead.
“We can meet out front and no one has to know but Paul. Paul doesn’t care like the interns do. They are jealous because you’re competing against each other.”
She just kind of nodded and then started walking towards the elevator. I waited for a few minutes and then took the next one down. I felt a little sneaky doing it that way, but it only added to the anticipation. She hadn’t even asked where we were going or why we were going there. She just came with me, and I really liked that.
I passed her and tried not to respond like I wanted to. It was getting a little easier to hide my true thoughts. It was not something that I usually struggled with, but with Desiree my control had seemed a little off. I wasn’t able to stop myself from singling her out and pulling her away from the group. I hadn’t been able to help myself. Now I knew I was under control, and all I had to do was get her to understand how good it could be.
“Where are we going?”
“The meeting is downtown. It would be better if we just drove in together.”
“I didn’t know that it was going to be out of the building.”
“Are you that ready to get back to it?”
Anyone could tell that she wasn’t ready to go back and do what the rest of the interns were doing. I knew that she was being given a hard time, but it was not enough to keep her from wanting to escape completely.
Instead of answering she got in the car. I was finally about to get next to her properly. Our legs touched slightly and she fidgeted next to me. It was hard to forget that she was next to me, and there was no denying the stiffening in my body with her nearness. I felt like that would be my only shot, but I didn’t take advantage of it. I didn’t pull her to me and press my lips against her. When the car stopped and I still hadn’t done what I had set out to do, there was a slight feeling of failure and self-loathing. What was Desiree doing to me?
I kicked myself as I tried to keep the smile on my face. She didn’t seem to notice my inner turmoil, and I didn’t want her to. I was still coming to grips with feeling it in the first place. When I looked over, though, nothing else mattered but the smile on her face. I knew then that I never wanted her smile to fade.
We got out at the meeting and I was a complete gentleman. It didn’t stop some of the other people from flirting with our newest intern. I seethed inside when I saw her laughing and smiling with some of them. I was quickly becoming aware that I was the odd man out, and it was a strange feeling to have.
After the meeting, I decided that I wasn’t going to take her back to the office just yet. I wanted to talk to her and spend time with her. Desiree didn’t seem to mind that we were not on our way back. She was talking about one of the shareholders and a joke he had made. I was trying to pay attention to the words in her mouth, but it was easier to focus on her red lips.
When the car finally stopped, it took her a while to realize that we weren’t moving. She looked out the window and wondered what we were doing there. When she asked, I told her that we were there for an early dinner. I could tell she was put off by it for a minute, but then she seemed to change her mind.
“You don’t think that the other interns might be mad if we go out together?”
I shrugged and told her that I felt like she was already catching their ire.
“I know. I think they hate me, to be honest. I shouldn’t have come with you today.”
“But I’m the boss and you can’t say no.”
I watched the expression on her face change a little, and I wished that I hadn’t said anything. Would she take my words the wrong way? Did I mean it the way it suddenly sounded to my ears?
“A boss can only request things, Greg, not demand.”
She walked past me and my eyes went to her backside. I don’t know why her words stuck with me for so long. Maybe it was because it was the first time I had gotten an answer that was anything but yes. How was I supposed to keep control with Desiree when it was becoming harder with every passing minute?
Chapter 6 – Desiree
I sat down at the small table that the host brought us to. The man seemed to know Greg, and as we went through the restaurant, it was clear that most everyone else did as well. He was a dynamic man and just as popular here as at his company. It was hard not to have some kind of feeling for Greg. He was just impossible to de
ny, whatever it was that he wanted. I was starting to see that he wanted me, and the knowledge made me feel even more nervous about everything.
The dark green eyes met mine, and it was impossible to get away from them.
“So is this what you do for all of the new interns?”
He shook his head, and I saw a grin dance across his face. “You’re not like any intern that I have had before.”
I told him that I found that hard to believe. He was a well-known playboy, and I could see anyone who worked for him was up for grabs. That meant me as well, and the idea made me swallow hard. I didn’t think I would be able to tell him no. There was no way.
Looking down at the plate in front of me, I was finding it harder to avoid his gaze. Did he know what he was doing to me? From the answering pleasure in his eyes, I had a feeling that he did. “I have a feeling you’re going to go far in this company, Desiree. We have a need for people like you.”
I didn’t like where he was going with it. Was he going to try something in front of all of these people? And if he did, would I stop him? Would I even want to?
“Thank you, sir. I have liked my time there so far.”
“Is it what you thought it would be?”
I shook my head that it wasn’t. There was nothing about the job so far that was what I had believed it would be. He was nothing like I had imagined, and I wasn’t quite in the middle of office politics like I had hoped.
“It has been a very unique experience, sir.”
“Please call me Greg.”
I repeated his name and that seemed to make him happy. I liked the way it sounded on my tongue and across my lips.
“Are you always so careful with your words?”
“When I’m in front of my boss I am.”
He sat back with the reminder of who we were to each other. “You shouldn’t see me as your boss.”
“Then what am I supposed to see you as?”
His eyes darkened and I looked away. The waiter came with more drinks, and I was thankful for the distraction. Greg’s eyes on me were hard to deny, and I knew that I was going to have to be more careful around him. He was my boss, and I needed to remember that as well.