Cougar Boss

by Kerry Belchambers

  I nodded, with a little more enthusiasm than I expected. “The countries were beautiful, but my favorite place was South Africa because I got to spend a little more time there.”

  “Did you visit any exotic places?”

  She was showing more interest than I expected.

  “This man, called Lungile, picked me up from the airport and took me around the area. He told me stories about the place and the following day we visited a couple of museums, national parks and some historical sites. It was the most amazing thing, but I think the Big Hole at Kimberly mines was the most breathtaking of them all.”

  I was going on and on about everything I’d seen, with the images still fresh in my mind. Mrs. Gallagher listened, every once in a while, responding or asking something and somewhere within it all, I forgot she was my boss.

  I was relieved. We were communicating. I was being myself and we were both laughing as I gestured with my arms trying to describe the things I’d seen. I couldn’t believe I made her laugh.

  Her features were so soft and relaxed. The sound of her laugh was serenely beautiful, like something out of a movie and her posture was so calm and peaceful, I enjoyed seeing her this way.

  “God, you’re so beautiful.” I didn’t realize I’d said that out loud until she looked at me.

  My memory flew back to the very first time I’d said that and the amazing kiss we’d shared replayed itself in my mind as though it was on a loop. I felt everything I had felt that night.

  I recalled the wonder I had seen in her blue eyes as they had shone into me, the way my arm had covered her waist and the wonderful feel of her lips brushing against mine as she’d responded to the kiss. The memory was so powerful, I felt it fully consuming me and taking me back to that night.

  The silence that had softly descended between us, the cool breeze as it passed softly caressing my skin, the accelerated thud of my heartbeat and the distant echo of the crowd of people inside the restaurant brought me back.

  Quickly recalling her warning, I softly cleared my throat and said, “I’m sorry.”

  She surprised me when she smiled at me and said, “Don’t be.”

  I smiled back at her and a while later, we were leaving the restaurant. On the drive back home, we didn’t say much to one another, but it felt to me like we had shared something special back at the restaurant.

  James dropped me off a while later and I stood watching as the limousine drove away. I smiled to myself as I walked into my building when the words Mrs. Gallagher had said to me rang in my ear. Don’t be. I wasn’t.

  Chapter Eleven

  “You seem so distracted, is everything okay?” Rex asked.

  I was thinking about my evening with Mrs. Gallagher. The time we’d spent together had haunted me all night. I had imagined countless possibilities of there being something more between us. I felt foolish, especially because whatever I’d shared with Jaime had recently ended.

  “Everything is fine,” I said.

  Rex and I were at a coffee shop in our neighborhood. We were supposed to be catching up but my thoughts kept trailing back to Mrs. Gallagher. I turned my attention to him as I warmed my hands on my cup of coffee.

  “Jaime ended things between us,” I announced.

  “She what?” His surprise was evident. “I can’t believe it.”

  “Yeah, it came as a surprise to me too but I’m trying not to dwell on it.”

  “Why did she break up with you?”

  “To be honest, I don’t know. One day we’re doing really well then the next she’s saying she can’t see me anymore.”

  “You should’ve demanded an explanation.”

  I laughed at his statement. “Demanded an explanation? We went out on one date. I had no say in the matter.”

  “If she cared as much as she made you believe she did, don’t you think she owed you one?”

  He was upset, and I understood him, but I was trying hard not to think about Jaime.

  “If she cared, then maybe.” The thought was depressing because I’d believed we had a connection. Apparently, it had been one-sided.

  “I’m sorry, I know it sucks.”

  Spending time with Mrs. Gallagher had impacted me in a strangely comforting way. “I’m okay.”

  “You sure?” The concern on his face was endearing.

  I nodded. “My evening with Mrs. Gallagher was wonderful.”

  “Oh yeah, how did that go?”

  I instantly smiled at the memory. “After the opera, we went out for dinner.”

  He glared at me.

  “It was a little tense at first but it got easier as we talked.” I recalled the soft sound of her laughter. “I made her laugh. Can you believe it?” The memory warmed my heart. I remembered my slip of tongue when I told her she was beautiful and smiled. “She has this strange hold on me. It’s like a compulsion. I can’t really explain it.”

  “You realize that nothing will ever come out of this crush you have on her, right?”

  I knew that! What—did he think I actually entertained delusional thoughts of grandeur where Mrs. Gallagher and I got together and happily drove into the sunset? I wasn’t stupid or… crazy. “I know my place, Rex. Speaking of which, there is something you should know,” I said.

  “What?”

  “When we were talking, she said that if I’d told her about your work, she would’ve allowed it to be showcased in the exhibition.”

  His eyes widened in surprise.

  “Don’t be mad at me, I didn’t know I could just ask her to do something like that.” I remembered her face when she’d said it. Sure, she didn’t need the rules, but why would she include me or any of my friends in something like that? “Sometimes I feel like I can see the real her and she’s not uptight, cold, or distant. She’s just unhappy.”

  Rex was shaking his head in disapproval. “Come on, Livvy, what’re you doing?”

  My thoughts dissipated at his question. “What’s wrong with wanting to get to know her?”

  “She’s Amelia Gallagher and she’s completely out of your league. Nothing good would ever come out of this. You know that better than anyone else.”

  He was right. God, what was I thinking?

  “I’m not saying you’re not good enough for her. This is a very precarious situation. You could get seriously hurt. It was fun when it was just a crush, but now I think you may be pushing it.”

  He was right, hard as his words were to hear. Maybe I wasn’t okay. Maybe Jaime ending things with me had pushed me to develop some sort of anchor as a way to protect myself.

  “I’m sorry, Livvy.”

  “Don’t ever be sorry for telling me the truth,” I said distantly.

  I moved my coffee from my hands as it had gotten cold and looked up when Rex’s hand covered mine.

  “What was that you said about my pieces being showcased in the art exhibition?”

  “I thought you missed that,” I said.

  “How could I?”

  “Are you mad at me?”

  He shook his head. “I’m sure if you’d been aware of it beforehand, my pieces would’ve been in the show.”

  During the rest of our conversation, Rex mostly talked about school, encouraging me to study for my exams and suggesting evening classes seeing as working for Mrs. Gallagher was taking too much of my time.

  I only half-listened as I thought about what he’d said about my crush on Mrs. Gallagher. I don’t even know what I was thinking. She’d only shown interest in me once and it was to ask me to be discreet with whichever family secrets I might’ve come across. I needed to focus on something else; something like my studies as Rex was suggesting.

  My phone started ringing half an hour before I left the house on Monday morning. I was well rested and was positive it would be a good day. I had decided to ignore what I felt for Mrs. Gallagher and focus on my work and school.

  With my exams in a few days, I needed to prioritize not only my work, but also my thoughts. I had three exa
ms in one day and I had to pass no matter what, otherwise I‘d be left behind and catching up with the rest of the students while working a fulltime job wasn’t easy.

  “Hello,” I said over the phone.

  “Good morning Olivia. It’s James.”

  “Oh, James, hi, is everything alright?” It was unusual getting a call from him.

  “Just wanted to inform you that Mrs. Gallagher wants you to carry your passport. I’ll pick you up in half an hour,” he said and hung up.

  Why did Mrs. Gallagher want me to carry my passport? Was she going to send me off again? I needed to stay in New York because of my exams. Had she forgotten?

  I took the passport and put it in my purse then wondered if I needed to pack. James hadn’t said anything about that, so maybe it was a short trip. Some place I could travel to and make it back before the end of the day.

  My least favorite thing about working for Mrs. Gallagher was the lack of communication. Maybe this was why she had different personal assistants every other time. Who would last more than a couple of months when every week was a complete and utter surprise?

  It was so frustrating. What would she have me working on now? Who would I meet? Where would I be sent off to? Did I have a say on any of this? I enjoyed my work, but sometimes she made it so hard.

  I had to change my purse because I needed to carry my laptop since it had my studying material, and other essentials I would need incase I’d be sent off for another whole week.

  James arrived right on time in the BMW he usually took me to work in and as usual, he was polite as he opened the door for me. Once I had thanked him and was seated in the backseat of the car as he drove away, I decided to figure out if he had any idea where I was going.

  “How was your weekend?” I asked, as I checked my phone to see if Mrs. Gallagher had communicated with me. Last time this had happened, I’d met Francis at the Gallagher mansion door and he’d handed me a first-class plane ticket.

  “Uneventful,” he said. “How was yours?”

  He had a room at the Gallagher residence because his services were constantly needed so he was more exposed to the family than I was.

  “It was okay, I wish I’d studied more though because I have a feeling I may not have the time to do so before my exams,” I said.

  We shared small talk all the time because we saw each other often, so he knew a little about me. Mostly, he knew about school and my work because he was always polite enough to ask. I had tried getting to know him but he didn’t say much about his life.

  “You’re smart, I’m sure you’ll pass.”

  I smiled at him through the rearview mirror. “Thanks for your vote of confidence.”

  “You seem worried,” he said.

  “I’m a little concerned about the trip. Mrs. Gallagher didn’t mention anything about it and with my exams coming up this week...”

  “If you mentioned it to her, I’m sure you’ll be back in time.” He seemed so confident, I almost believed him.

  “Would you happen to know where I’m going?”

  He made a turn we’d never used before and said, “A private airport.”

  I was a little baffled by his statement. “Why?”

  He laughed softly. “Because you’ll need to fly out of here somehow.”

  I scoffed at his answer.

  We arrived at the private airport a while later and when James opened the door for me, I stared at the private jet before me in wonder.

  “Where the hell is Mrs. Gallagher sending me off to?” I uttered.

  It was silly but all I could think about as I approached the jet was that I hoped she was sending me to a place with a lot of sun and sand.

  First class plane tickets had been great, but this, this was freaking amazing. I had direct access to the plane and there were no long and tedious procedures like one would experience at a commercial airport.

  When I got in the aircraft, a female flight attendant welcomed me inside. She spoke but I never heard a word she said as I appreciated the spotless interior. The plane was big enough to fit a dozen and a half people.

  After scanning the comfortable looking white leather recliners, I chose one closest to the window.

  “We’re waiting for the other passenger and then we’ll leave shortly,” the flight attendant said.

  “The other passenger?” I asked in surprise. I hadn’t expected to travel with company, but this was good because now I would figure out where I was going.

  “Yes, Mrs. Gallagher.”

  I was too shocked to speak as the flight attendant retreated. I was traveling with Mrs. Gallagher? My heart started pulsing. I was going to be on the private jet with Mrs. Gallagher?

  I was in the plane for ten minutes but it felt like hours before Mrs. Gallagher arrived. I saw a limousine drive to a stop right about where James had stopped and she stepped out.

  She was looking ravishing in a stunning red skirt suit that perfectly hugged her body and black stilettos.

  I almost drooled at the image before I realized I was holding my breath as she approached the plane.

  “Good morning, Olivia,” she said when she got inside and went to seat on the row across from mine.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Gallagher,” I said nervously.

  A moment later, the driver who’d brought Mrs. Gallagher to the airport walked in carrying her files and what looked like a laptop and an iPad. He placed them on the table facing Mrs. Gallagher and left the plane.

  I was extremely curious to know where we were going but I wanted to wait for the right moment. We lifted off a short while later and when we were in the air, the pilot announced we could take off our seatbelts.

  Mrs. Gallagher motioned me over to where she was seated and handed me some files.

  “We’re going to meet a gentleman called Alix Delacroix in Paris. He owns an organic cosmetic company I’d like to acquire,” she said.

  I was going to Paris?

  “I want you to take a look at these.”

  I opened the files and the information inside regarded Alix Delacroix’s cosmetic company. I didn’t know what I was more excited about, going to Paris or finally working on something more business-oriented.

  “If you find any irregularities, let me know.”

  She handed me the iPad, took the laptop and immediately got to work.

  I focused on the files and tried to ignore the fact that she was seated right in front me. I could smell her glorious fragrance from the distance, but I tried to keep my mind on work.

  I understood why she wanted to acquire a cosmetic company in Paris, beauty products were very lucrative, especially organic cosmetics. I’d come to learn she had a thirty percent stake of her husband’s family business and was actively involved.

  There was a part of me that had thought she didn’t do any actual work rather than host charity events and meet up for tea with her country club friends but I’d come to learn the silly stereotype didn’t apply to her.

  I read through the files she’d handed me for a few hours, asking questions whenever I came across something I needed to understand better, and used the time as a learning experience.

  When we took a break, the flight attendant brought us in-flight meals with water and a selection of soft drinks.

  “Do you ever get used to this?” I asked through the silence.

  I wasn’t trying to befriend Mrs. Gallagher. After my conversation with Rex the previous day, any hope I’d had about an intimate encounter with her had been shattered.

  “Used to what?” she asked.

  I pushed my hair aside and met her gaze. “The luxury,” I said.

  Mrs. Gallagher chuckled softly. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to that sound.

  “It’s relative.”

  “May I ask to what?” She literally had everything.

  “Well,” she started.

  There was a part of me that wondered if it was inappropriate to ask my boss such a question, but Mrs. Gallagher didn’t seem to m
ind.

  “Imagine being unable to connect with anything that’s real. Growing so accustomed to seeing things in one way, you eventually detach yourself from what truly matters.”

  “You don’t seem to come across to me as that type of person.”

  “When you’re born into a certain lifestyle, everything you are is dictated by that, and sometimes it’s hard to see past it.”

  I nodded in understanding, though I doubted a lifetime of overflowing wealth would come as a burden. With the financial ability to travel the world, see things people could only imagine and do anything I wanted sounded like a dream to me. She had the kind of privilege people could only dream of.

  “What would you do?” she asked as though she’d read my mind.

  “Well, off the top of my head, I’d visit exotic places like the Greek islands. I‘d try cliff diving or mountain climbing, cruising, and probably a lot of sightseeing.”

  “And when you’re done?”

  At that moment I couldn’t really think of anything, but I went ahead to say, “I’d make sure my family is well taken care of, try and have some sort of normalcy and somehow find a way to be happy.”

  She looked at me thoughtfully for a minute but failed to speak her mind.

  I must’ve sounded silly to her expressing such shallow thoughts, but when I seriously thought about it, I realized I didn’t have a proper answer to her question.

  What would I do if I had all the money in the world? After buying everything I wanted, visiting every place I desired, seeing every single thing I wished, eating every type of food I liked and basically wasting the money on every single form of entertainment.

  And when it felt like I’d done everything I’d been put on earth to do, would I be satisfied? Or would I die feeling like there was still a hole in me I needed to fill? Or a deep hunger I needed to satiate.

  “What would you do?” She was far better suited to answer the question.

  “I would live,” she said.

  Her answer was simple and precise and when she met my gaze, it felt like she was saying more with her eyes than her words. She looked away a moment later, immediately breaking the trance as she took a bite of her food.

  She was such an enigma to me. Sometimes she seemed to say so much yet revealed so little.