by Carly White
Marvin had started a factory twenty years ago that produced petroleum based products and it had quickly become a household name across the country. One factory had turned into hundreds and it only seemed to be getting bigger as the demand rose for the cheap materials. Now he had grown it to billions a year in revenue and recently stepped down as President. His son, Ash had taken over and needed someone in her expertise. Kristy’s major was in sustainable practices and though she had only been able to secure freelancing consultant jobs, Ash was offering a full-time gig to make the company more compliant with EPA regulations.
“Dad, we didn’t get along as kids when they would come over for dinner. Or as teenagers, never really.”
“Kristy, you were young then. It seems silly to harbor issues about it. You are almost twenty five for goodness sake!”
She sighed. He was on the verge of yelling. His face was getting red and she blamed her own red hair for that personal trait. Her father was going to have a coronary. It always looked that way as he got madder.
“Now dear, we said we were not going to discuss this at dinner.”
“Discuss what?” Kristy felt that something was up their sleeves. She looked from one to the other. “What is this about?”
Gloria started in slowly, trying to be gentle where her husband was better at barking orders and expecting them to be adhered to. “Well Kristy, your father and I think that it is time you moved forward.”
“I am. I just graduated and I am taking consulting jobs when they come up.”
“Yes dear. I know you are, but…”
“It’s not enough?” She knew that is what the gist of the conversation was about. It didn’t matter how much she tried, it wasn’t enough for her high-expectation parents.
“When I was your age, I had already started my company and made my first million.”
Kristy bit back the retort she had, knowing that it would ultimately make it all worse anyways. “Okay, so what do you want me to do, start a business?”
“No Kristy, take the job with Ash, a real job and find you a place.”
She sat quietly a minute. “It is not that we don’t like having you here, but we feel it is best for you to try and get out there a bit more.”
“Okay, I will move. I was looking at some apartments for rent on the West Side with Carla last week and they were gorgeous.”
“That is too high for your budget. How much do you bring in consulting?”
“Not a lot. I doubt I can get something in Carlsson for that price.”
“There are lots of nice neighborhoods that aren’t too high. Your father feels like you need to truly be on your own.”
Kristy was starting to understand what that meant. “So you are cutting me off?”
“Yep.”
“So you are forcing me to take the job with Ash?”
“No, but I have seen the package he sent over. You are not going to get any better, anywhere else. Put the past behind you Kristy and call the man. In business you have to learn to be less emotional.”
Now her face was red and she was ready to explode. “I will move out, but you are not going to force me to take a job I don’t want to. I want my life to mean something, not just making more money!”
He just shook his head, no longer willing to argue with her if she wasn’t going to make sense. He had given her a good life, but he wondered if it had been too sheltered. Grant believed that she needed to move on or she never would. Gloria didn’t much agree, but she didn’t want conflict with her husband. For all of the major decisions, she usually deferred to him and what he thought was best.
Kristy got up and tried not to act dramatic, but it was hard. She felt dramatic and the choices presented to her were not the ones she would have chosen for herself. Kristy had been thinking about calling Ash, but after Grant’s words, she would rather live in the slums before she would let him think that he could dictate her life anymore. She went to the school he wanted, studied business like he wanted, but to pick out the job she could have seemed to be too much.
When she went up to her room, she looked around at her belongings. There were too many to fit in her car, so instead she started to pack her duffel bag from Varsity volleyball and decided right then was as good as a time as any, to go. Kristy went out the back and couldn’t bring herself to say goodbye to her parents. She didn’t want to talk to anyone. Kristy just wanted to get out of there with some of her dignity intact. It was barely managed, but she did better than she had expected. She called her boyfriend Scott and told him that she would be there in a few minutes. Kristy knew that she could stay with him at least for a little while, until she found a more suitable place to live. Once she found a job that is.
Chapter 2
Kristy went to the gas station before Scott’s. She was trying to fill her tank up before her father turned off her credit cards, but she was too late or he had done it earlier before the discussion. Kristy cursed after all of the cards were shut off. She had a few hundred in cash in her pocket, but that was it. She reasoned that it would be okay. She would find something, anything for a bit to get her some cash and then she would find a cheap apartment and it would all be okay.
She was of course fooling herself and when Scott realized that she wanted to stay there, he started acting funny and in her sensitive state, she took off from him as well. As she drove away, he was left confused and she was left with her feelings hurt. They had been together for only a few months and moving in really was a fast move. But she hadn’t been thinking about growing their relationship or anything like that, she just wanted a place to stay.
Kristy was not going to be too perturbed. She had some friends she could call, but she also had that money, so she decided to just get a hotel for a couple of nights. Surely they would see how unfair they were being, right?
They didn’t and a week later, after she had gotten a small check from a consulting gig, she had enough to get a small apartment instead of a room. But after deposits and getting everything turned on, she was pretty broke and had to figure something out. Her phone had even died when her father didn’t pay the bill. He was really taking the tough-love motto pretty far and she was exasperated by it all. What was she supposed to do?
Kristy tried to get a job, any job and she started waitressing in a small 24-hour diner. It was admittedly her first real job and it was one of the worst days of her life. When she got home that evening, Kristy had ever been so depressed and she was starting to rethink the job with Ash. She didn’t even know if it was still on the table, but after a month of that life, she was ready for any kind of change.
She swallowed her pride and found the number on her phone. She was surprised that it was his direct line and when his deep voice came on the other end, Kristy almost hung up. “Hi Ash? This is Kristy Carter.”
“Ah Kristy, I didn’t know if I was going to hear from you or not. I take it you are ready to take the job?”
“Yes, if it is still open.”
“For you? Always.”
There was a silence on her side. He was acting far too nice for her liking and she wondered why he was being so accommodating. “So when would you like me to start Sir?”
“Don’t call me Sir. We grew up together. How about Monday morning around eight? Most days you will be home by five, but sometimes you will have to stay later.”
“That’s fine. I appreciate the opportunity.”
“No problem Kristy. It was good to hear from you. I’ve been waiting for your call ever since I heard you were back in town and looking.”
She hung up and sighed to herself and to the air around her. There was no way that it would be as easy going as that conversation had gone. Ash had always been charming, until he wasn’t. It had been a while since she had seen him and she hoped that her father was right about him changing. At that point though, Kristy just needed a job, a real job and it seemed like it was the only one that was going to get her ahead. She grimaced at the idea of having to ever waitress ag
ain. She vowed that she would go work for her father before she’d let that happen.
***
Kristy found herself nervous when she was getting ready for the work the next day. It wasn’t just any job or any boss. She had history with Ash, one that no one else knew about. He had crushed on her most of high school, but she had been in a relationship and not that impressed with the spoiled rich boy. That was how she saw him and Kristy still wondered if he hired her so he could get back at her for that. Ash had been mad for a long time after she turned down his romantic attempts. She hadn’t seen him since a few months into her first year of college. Almost six years later, she was going to him for a job. Thank goodness he didn’t know how desperate she was, Kristy reminded herself. It would be far worse if he knew how much of an upper hand he actually had.
So she did what any smart woman would do. She put on a push up bra and red lipstick. Ash couldn’t think when she was dressed up and she hoped that part of him hadn’t changed. Satisfied with her reflection, she fluffed up her short red hair and sent a small prayer to the universe for a good day.
When she got into the building, she realized how big it was. It was much bigger than it was a few years back. They had been busy.
She gave her name to the pretty receptionist and she made a phone call. “Mr. Stiy will see you in his office.”
The receptionist that had a name plague stating her name was Becky gave her a piece of paper with floor number. “You can’t miss his office on the top. It is the biggest one. Just put that code in when you are prompted at the elevator.”
Kristy thanked her and did as she was instructed. The security measures seemed sound, more than Kristy had seen in similar companies. No one wanted people to be able to get to the top without permission. She mused on her way up 15 floors, what would he be like? Would he be any different than before?
“Kristy!”
Ash moved forward and hugged her surprised form. “Hey boss.”
Her body was tense under his touch and Kristy pulled back when he finally released her. “Sorry. I just hadn’t seen you in forever. You look good.”
“You too.”
And heaven help her, he really did. Ash had filled out, though he still had the boyish face and the clashing blue eyes that she remembered from before. The biggest different was the look on his face. It was no longer one of a spoiled rich kid, but a man that was used to getting his way. He looked at her as if he already possessed her and it drove her mad. Looking down, she cursed her fair skin as she felt them reddening with the remembered feel of his arms around her.
“So are you ready to get started?”
He was all back to business and Kristy avoided his eyes as she nodded her head that she was. He had definitely changed and it was her that seemed to be having a harder time concentrating. “Good, follow me and I will show you to your office.”
“Up here?”
“Yes Kristy. We will be working together closely.” She looked up at him as they walked, her own legs trying to keep up with his long stride. “The company is having big issues with fines for non-compliance with all of the new EPA regulations. We are in desperate need of your expertise.”
It made her smile and it sounded legit. She had been worried that he had hired her for revenge or something like that, but it was clear within an hour that it was not the case. With over three million in fines the first six months of the year, she knew that they were in need of some consulting. The problem was usually convincing companies to make changes before the fines hit, but she figured Stiy Enterprises was not going to have that hard of a time being convinced.
Ash left her to her work and walked down the small hallway to his own office. There were two other offices, though Kristy did not know who occupied them. She spent most of her day in the office, only showing her head to grab her lunch bag out of the car. After she put the leftovers in the breakroom on her floor, she moved back to her office to get back to work. She had to have a report to him by the end of the day with her initial thoughts and assessments. It was already clear that some of the holding containers needed to be replaced and a few other areas of the factory looked to need fixing, just by the numbers. She expected to take a tour of the place the next day, so she could get eyes on the areas that seemed to be a concern.
Kristy was actually feeling better about everything when she started to gather up her things at five. She had not seen Ash most of the day, as he was in and out of the office all day. She couldn’t help her mind going back to the handsome man that she had turned down. He of course, did not look anything like he had then. Kristy suspected that she would have dropped her boyfriend in a heartbeat if he had looked like that back in the day.
“Kristy. Would you like to go out for dinner? On the company dime so we can go over the report.”
“Sure, of course.”
“You don’t mind staying a little longer?”
“No, not at all. I didn’t have any plans anyways.”
Kristy didn’t have any plans. Her roommate Ashlea was working that evening to get some extra money and the only plans she had made were to eat a Lean Cuisine and then watch a movie. Anything sounded better than that.
“I’m surprised a pretty girl like you doesn’t have any plans, though if I remember right, you always did like a little spontaneity in your life.”
Chapter 3
The restaurant was one that she had went to before, though it was hardly something she could afford, at least not until her first check. Her parent’s had always footed the bill when she had eaten at Disma’s before. Kristy ordered what she always got and he surprisingly ordered the same. “I didn’t know you like swordfish.”
“From here? It’s the best.”
She couldn’t have agreed more. Kristy spent the twenty minutes till the food arrived going over the report. He hardly looked at any of the figures she put in front of him. His eyes were on her and it was impossible for her not to notice. Kristy ignored the flush in her face and the throbbing between her legs. Instead she focused on the numbers and silently wished the damn waitress would come back with the food, anything to distract her from his visual dominance.
“You are very beautiful Kristy. I forgot how much you talk though.”
“Excuse me?”
He put his finger to her lips. “Shh.”
She was just trying to fill in the awkward space and was more than a little peeved at what he had just said. He had basically told her to shut up and it infuriated her. Kristy moved back and it was about that time that the meal arrived. If she hadn’t been eating ramen noodles for the last month, she would have walked out on him. But it looked good enough that waiting for it to be wrapped so she could go, seemed like too much sacrifice.
Ash refilled her glass twice with a blush wine. Kristy didn’t say a word the rest of the meal and they were leaving before she spoke again. It was only because he had asked her a direct question. “One extreme to the next with you still, huh? I really am surprised you even called me. Did your dad make you?”
“He can’t make me do anything, no one can.” She was not going to bring up his manipulation by cutting her off. Ash didn’t need to know it and one of the worst things that could happen to a rich kid, was to be cut off by their parents. Poverty was a real fear for most. That Kristy could only do it for a month before she sold out was still a sore subject in her mind. The last thing she needed was Ash to rub it in.
“Well, you’re definitely hard headed still. I like that no one has broken your spirit yet.”
Kristy just gave him an icy stare and got in next to him. He drove a very fast car and when he drove her back to the office, he let her feel how fast it could go. She ended up with a death grip on his forearm as he went around sharp curves. They were not going back to the office and she asked him where they were going.
“Do you remember that cemetery we used to go to up here?”
Kristy looked out the window and realized exactly where they were. “Yes, but don’t tell me we
are going there.”
“No, but I live up here now. I thought you would like a proper drink before I take you home.”
“It’s not really necessary. I have beer at home.”
“Why do I not see you drinking beer?”
“Because you were always such a snob?”
Ash grinned and the boy she had once known showed through. He still had mischief in his eyes when he looked at her. “I was hoping the years had softened your tongue.”
“You like that I am unbroken, yet do not like the curves of my tongue. You are quite a strange employer.”
“Is that all I am to you? A man that writes the checks?”
“Well I am sure you don’t even actually sign them, but we can go with that. You are also the boy that would hide under my brother’s bed to look underneath my skirt.”
“Yes, those white panties. I still remember them. I think you gave me a granny panty fetish for the longest time.”
She giggled. It was hard to be outraged when he was so funny sometimes. Thoughts went to her mind that were naughty and made her own eyes light up with mischief. “So do you wear them or?”
“Vicious as ever. A drink?”
“Fine, but just one.”
***
One turned into two and then three. She was a bit beyond tipsy and while he was making her some coffee to sober up, Kristy fell asleep on his couch. He watched her for a time from the doorframe and then moved towards her. Lifting her up, he put her into a spare bedroom and though he wanted to stay and wake her up when she was all warm and willing, he walked out with only a little regret.
When Kristy woke up in the middle of the night, she was confused for a few minutes to where she actually was. Then the night before started to come back, the drinking and she looked over next to her. She was beyond relief that he was not next to her. Slipping out, she walked a few blocks till she found a payphone to call a cab. She was going to have to spend the last of her money to get back to work to get her car, but it was worth it if she didn’t have to make the walk of shame the next morning at work. The fact that she didn’t even get the fun part of it, made her wonder if the signals she had picked up were wrong.