A Workplace Affair (Atlanta Affair)

by Isabella Rae

  Chapter 7

  I am still trying to come up with a way to have Victoria near me when Amber lets me know she’s arrived. The bored tone in her voice gives me an idea, and I send a quick e-mail to Robert as the door to my office opens.

  “Victoria, I’m glad to see you got my note. Please have a seat.” I motion for her to sit on the sofa and take a seat in the chair directly across from her. “I’m sure you’re curious why I asked you to come see me. I have a slight problem and I need your help.”

  “What can I possibly help you with, Mr. Ambrose?” The innocent inquiring look on her face has me wanting to give her a very different answer, but I force myself to be professional.

  “I need a secretary, Amber is, well to be honest, she is underwhelming when it comes to her enthusiasm and job performance.” She smiles in a way that says she agrees.

  “Of course, I’ll look through some applications and have a couple of them come in tomorrow to interview with you.”

  “I am quite capable of doing that myself.” I can’t help but laugh that she would think I would delegate such a task to her when I could ask human resources to do it.

  “But you said you needed a new secretary.”

  “Yes, I did, but I don’t need you to hire me a new one, I need you to be my secretary.” It takes her a moment to respond, which has me nervous, I have no back-up plan if she turns me down.

  “I, um, I work for Mr. Marks.”

  “Yes, I know, but I’ve spoken to him,” technically I sent him an e-mail, but it’s almost the same thing, “and he’s agreed to allow me to steal you away while I’m here. Don’t worry; your job with him is safe.” I’ll make sure of it.

  “When do I start?”

  “Right now. There is a lot that I need to go over to catch up, get your things and meet me downstairs in five minutes.”

  When Victoria leaves my office I am certain of one thing, I will not be able to hide my attraction to her for very long. Just being so close to her was intoxicating and I am starting to lose grip of my professionalism. I take a moment to check my e-mail and find a response from Robert.

  There is no need to demand, Leland, if you want her as your secretary, she’s yours. I have already arranged for a replacement to be here tomorrow. Here’s a piece of advice from someone who knows you, be careful, and remember that you’re going back to New York in a few months. -Robert Marks. His corporate signature at the end makes me laugh. Shutting down my computer, I head downstairs to meet Victoria.

  Chapter 8

  When Leland, he asked me to call him by his first name, told me to meet him downstairs, I had no idea what to expect. I certainly didn’t expect to end up in his hotel room eating gourmet room service and drinking wine. But as I sipped my wine and tasted what Leland described as the “best fish he’d ever eaten” I have to admit that I am enjoying myself. Who knew that working late could be so relaxing!

  We’d stopped working a couple hours ago, but with the wine and the food I barely noticed. Everything I’d heard about Leland seemed to be false. In stark contrast to the uptight, control freak everyone described, I was seeing a man who was easy going and relaxed. When it came time to order dinner he left the decisions up to me, but when I only ordered one meal for each of us he slyly ordered four more. He insisted that the chef at Prestige Atlanta was one of the best in the country, if not the world. I don’t really know enough about gourmet food to know if he’s right, but everything I sampled seemed to sing on my tongue. The various wines paired with each dish brought out a myriad of flavors enhancing each one.

  “Maybe I should give you a moment with your food!” Laughing he takes a sip of his Jack Daniels.

  “Excuse me? You’re the one who insisted that I try everything!” Halfway through my sentence he fills my empty wine glass with a white wine. If I didn’t know any better I’d say he was trying to get me drunk. Sampling from my glass, I find that it’s a moscato, sweet and smooth on my palate.

  “Time for dessert!” He announces crossing over to the cupcakes I had set on the bar. Pulling one out, he takes a bite, eating about half the cupcake. “Wow!” His exclamation is muffled by the mouth full of deliciousness.

  “These are amazing. What are they and where did you get them?”

  “They are apple spice cupcakes with salted caramel buttercream from Sage’s Sweet Delights off Peachtree Street.” I make a reach for a cupcake and he smacks my hand away.

  “Nope, I try your desserts, you try mine.” With a wink, he pulls a silver domed tray from behind the bar and sets it in front of me.

  “What is it?” I ask, curious but not wanting my hand to get slapped again.

  “Open it and see!” I lift the lid, revealing amazing pieces of dessert art; Sage would be in heaven right now. The first piece I select is a decadent truffle filled with a smooth hazelnut cream filling. Savoring the richness I sigh, close my eyes and take a sip of my wine. Opening my eyes I’m greeted by Leland’s crystal blue eyes watching me intently. Looking at him, I take an appraisal. He truly is quite attractive, his dark brown hair picks up flecks of red when the light hits it, and at almost six foot two inches he makes me feel short. I find myself imagining what he’d look like with his shirt off, and quickly set down my wine glass. Clearly I’ve had too much to drink.

  As if sensing the change in me, he smiles. “Everything ok?”

  “Yeah, uh, I just think it’s time for me to go.” I get up and go in search of my purse and stumble.

  “You’re not driving anywhere.” He doesn’t laugh at me, but there’s laughter in his eyes.

  “I’ll call a cab; do you think there’s an ATM in the lobby?” He shrugs as I return to my search for my purse and shoes. Not finding my purse easily, I turn to him. “Have you seen my purse?”

  “Not since you got here, I’ll help you look.” We searched every inch of the suite including the closet and bedroom upstairs even though I hadn’t been up there tonight. Nothing. My purse has disappeared. “You’re welcome to stay here for the night.”

  “Yeah, sure, and let everyone at work believe we slept together when we show up to work together.” My sarcasm is not missed.

  “I’ll sleep on the sofa and we’ll get up early and look for your purse.” I consider for a second, I could call Sage to pick me up. I glance at my watch, its twelve thirty in the morning, Sage is probably passed out. If I got up early enough I could walk to work.

  “I guess I don’t really have much of a choice, do I?” Resigned I sit back down; “I’ll sleep on the sofa though.”

  “I’ll get you a blanket.” He heads upstairs and returns with a deep blue chenille blanket and a black t-shirt and boxers. “Here, you can go change in the bathroom, I’m sure you don’t want to sleep in your suit.” He hands the shirt and boxers over to me and I head upstairs to change. In the bathroom, I find an extra toothbrush lying on the counter. I change quickly and brush my teeth before heading downstairs.

  “Good night.” I smile as I cross to the sofa and slide under the blanket a little too quickly, giving away my discomfort at being in his clothes. Understanding, he dims the lights and climbs the stairs. I fall into sleep quickly.

  I wake to the sound of my alarm, a little confused. I’m not on the sofa where I started, but upstairs in the ridiculously comfortable bed. I sneak downstairs in search of my clothes. In place of my clothes I find my purse and a note from Leland.

  I found your purse under the sofa. Breakfast should be arriving around 7, and you have an appointment at the hotel boutique at 7:30. I sent your clothes to be dry cleaned and you’ll need something to wear to work. I know you were concerned about us showing up together so I went to the office early. I expect you there by 9, so don’t spend too much time shopping! -Leland

  As if I had any doubt who the note was from. At exactly seven the elevator dings and I press the button to allow the doors to open. Breakfast consisted of fruits, pancakes, pastries and yogurt. I thank the waiter, but before I can pass him a tip, he’s in
the elevator and on his way back down. I select a pastry and try to figure out what I’m going to wear to “go shopping”. At 7:30 the elevator dings again, pressing the button I’m surprised to see Carter step in carrying armloads of clothes, followed by two ladies carrying shoes and a large case.

  Chapter 9

  What is taking her so long? It’s almost nine and she’s still not here. I distract myself by thinking of how beautiful she looked when I carried her to the bed. Did she really think I was going to let her sleep on the sofa? My train of thought is broken when I hear a knock on my office door. I take my seat before answering. “Come in.” The door opens slowly and Victoria steps in.

  “May I come in for a moment?” She’s beautiful in the plum colored dress pants and cream silk blouse. I paid for her hair and make-up to be done as well and whatever they had put on her eyes had them shinning bright. I’m still trying to figure out what color her eyes are; they are blue, and green with a hint of gray. Whatever the color, they are amazing.

  “Of course, what can I do for you?” I don’t know what to expect, so I prepare myself for anything.

  “I wanted to thank you for your fullness and generosity, and ask that you don’t do it again.” She says this with a serious face, she isn’t joking.

  “I’m sorry?”

  “Oh, no need to be sorry. I’d ask that you send me the bill, but I’m not naive enough to think that you would do that. So, I’ll just ask you to refrain from behavior like that in the future.” She’s smiling, but in the way you smile at a child when you’re getting onto them.

  “My only intent was to make your morning a little easier. Think of it as a signing bonus for your first full day on the job.” There, that should make her happy.

  “Fine.” With that one short word, she spins around quickly and heads for the door.

  “Where are you going?” She stops about halfway to the door.

  “To my desk. To do my job.” Clearly she’s mad at me; she’s very attractive when she’s mad. Instantly I’m overcome with the need to please her here in my office. Taking a deep breath I shake away the fog of those thoughts.

  “If you would, please grab something to write with, I need to go over some things with you before you start the day.” I savor the view as she completes her trip to the door. She stops for a moment with her hand on the doorknob.

  “Good morning, Leland.” The smile she treats me with is a genuine one this time, maybe she isn’t mad at me after all.

  Chapter 10

  Stepping out of his office, I take a deep breath and release the tension I was holding in my shoulders. Leland reacted better than I expected him to. After all, he is my boss at the moment and I basically walked my well-dressed butt in there and told him off. Ok, well maybe I didn’t tell him off, but it was something like that. Did he really think that I would be happy about him throwing away his money on me like that? I mean seriously, who pays to have their make-up and hair done just to go to work, and I’m sure this outfit wasn’t cheap. Carter refused to let me see any prices. He just looked at me sweetly and said, “Honey, if you have a man willing to buy you nice things, you don’t dare peek at the price tag!” Thinking back I have to laugh. He had gone on and on about how sexy Leland was, and how, if he had a man like that, he’d never let him leave the bedroom. He laughed when I told him Leland was my boss and that we weren’t sleeping together. “And why not!” He had been appalled. “Well it’s only a matter of time, boo,” and with that statement he had walked out the door with a wink.

  Sitting down at my desk I start to look for notepads, and pens, and discover that my desk has been moved from Mr. Marks’ office. Not literally moved, but everything I had in my desk has been moved and put in the exact same place and order as I had it in my other desk. That certainly makes things easier, but I’m not sure I like the idea of someone going through my things. Choosing to see it as a nice gesture, I grab a notepad and pen and head back into his office. Leland is already sitting in the chair he chose yesterday, but he’s talking on the phone.

  “Of course you’ll see me today, absolutely. I have to go now. I love you, too.” He hangs up his phone; of course he has a girlfriend, look at him. Not that I care. “Sorry about that, please have a seat.” I take my place on the sofa across from him. Immediately, he begins to give me a list of things to do today. “First thing this morning, I need you to call and make a reservation at Chophouse for two for lunch. Then, I need you to have flowers delivered to Ms. O’Dempsy, she likes lilies.”

  “I’ll need her address.”

  “Of course, I’ll write it down for you. I’m going to need you to do some research on businesses that are in financial trouble in the area, preferably small businesses in busy areas.” He continues on like this for almost an hour, call a tailor, set up a meeting, so on and so forth. As I’m about to leave, he stops me, “I forgot one thing, please go down to accounting and pick up a packet, they know you’re coming and have it ready.” Smiling he returns to his desk and I know I am dismissed.

  I return to my own desk and make arrangements for his lunch date, and order the flowers for delivery. I decide to go to accounting before diving into the rest of my list. Making my way down to the third floor, I mentally plan out my day. After accounting, I’ll go ahead and do the things that involve me leaving the office. I should get done with all that around lunch time and then I can grab a bite to eat before I start my research assignment.

  Stepping off the elevator onto the third floor, I make my way to the reception desk. As I approach I am greeted by Mary, the same woman who has shared the news of Leland’s arrival only a few days ago. “Good morning, Victoria, what brings you down to accounting?” She smiles.

  “Mr. Ambrose sent me down to pick up a packet for him.” Her smile fades.

  “Why did he send you? Doesn’t Mr. Marks have enough for you to do?” She tries to make this sound like a joke. Mr. Marks is notorious for loading his employees with work, but her true curiosity comes through.

  “I’m working for Mr. Ambrose while he’s in town.”

  “Oh. I guess I did hear he hired someone from within, just didn’t know it was you.” Jealousy shines bright in her eyes. “Mrs. Stratford has the packet you’re looking for; her office is all the way back on the right.” I thank her and make my way through the maze of cubicles until I find the office I’m looking for. Just as I’m about to knock, the door swings open.

  “You must be Victoria, please come in, I’ve been expecting you.” She pulls me into her office and quickly shuts the door behind me. I’m a little confused as to her haste, but she quickly clears the fog for me. “What we have to discuss is private and you know how women can be.” She winks at me and takes a seat behind her desk. “Please sit down, this won’t take too long.”

  I sit across from her in her small office and take stock of the space. Aside from the one filing cabinet, small desk and two visitor’s chairs, there is a small green plant in the corner by the solitary window, as well as a dozen or so pictures of what I assume are her children. She draws my attention by sliding a manila folder across the desk to me.

  “There is everything Mr. Ambrose asked for. He also asked that I go over the contents with you before you leave. First thing I need you to do is sign a few things.” She slides a stack of papers next to the folder. “The first page details the terms of your new employment contract, including your new salary.” New salary, who said anything about a new salary? “As Mr. Ambrose requested, we adjusted your pay to reflect your new position.”

  I pick up the paper and scan over it; I get about halfway down and almost choke. I was making $30,000 a year working for Mr. Marks, with this new contract I will be getting a raise, a $15,000 a year raise. “The next page is the terms for your company credit card, and details on how to go about filing your expenses with us here in accounting.” She continues. “Now as you can see, you are required to use the card for a minimum of $1000 per month, anything less than that will be included in your
paycheck the following month. Mr. Ambrose also had legal send up a confidentiality contract for you to sign, stating that you while you work for him you will not discuss the details of your work, or his personal life with anyone other than when he asks you to.” Her voice begins to fade as I look over the paperwork I am to sign. A raise, a credit card, what the hell was he thinking.

  “Thank you!” I cut her off in mid-sentence.

  “Is there a problem?” She looks at me questioningly, surprised by the tone in my voice.

  “No, no problem,” I lie. “I just need to look over these and get them back to you.” Yeah, sure, I’ll get them back to her, after I shred them!

  “Oh, well take all the time you need to read them, but Mr. Ambrose was very clear, you have to sign them before you leave my office.” Of course I do. I take my time reading every word, hoping for a reprieve. Maybe some call for an accountant emergency that would pull Mrs. Stratford away so I can slip out. I’m still sitting there forty-five minutes later with no such luck.

  “Ms. Bryant, are there any questions I can answer for you?” I can tell she wants me to hurry up so she can get on with her day.

  “No, no I’m ok, just wanted to be sure I understand everything.” I take a deep breath and begin to sign each paper. There, I did it, but I don’t have to be happy about it! I’m treated to a brilliant smile from the obviously relieved accountant. I’m sure she thinks I’m crazy for not jumping at these things, but it’s just not me. I only want the things I earn. I don’t want to just be handed things, it’s almost like cheating. I pick up the packet touching as little of it as I can and leave her office.