by D K Sutton
Everyone hated these meetings, even the bosses. They teamed up normally and had them together. I liked my supervisor, Sean. He was a cool guy. But the meetings were torture. They went over a list during the meeting of everything you could possibly do wrong. And if they were talking about it, then some dumbass had done it. Boring regulations and office protocol also made it onto the agenda every time. A new thing they started, maybe to boost morale, was talking about new initiatives they wanted to start. No one else shared their enthusiasm. It was mind-numbingly boring. I was about to answer Dylan when I noticed Chase pulling up a chair on the other side of the table. I didn’t even realize Ben, the other supervisor hosting the meeting, was his supervisor.
“I’m exactly where I want to be,” I said, smiling at them both.
Carlos gaped at me. “Who are you?”
“Yeah, dude,” Dylan said, “You hate these things.” As he turned toward me, he noticed Chase. “Oh. Never mind.”
“What?” Carlos looked at Dylan and then back at me.
I kicked Dylan under the table. I didn’t need everyone to know about my slight obsession with Chase. Thankfully, the supervisors walked in and saved me from having to explain.
At least now I had a diversion. I watched Chase closely, trying to figure out what made him tick. That was when I noticed it. He didn’t have a single hair out of place, but he tapped his fingers on the table as if he were trying to dispel his nervous energy, a way to keep control. A bland smile appeared on his face as he kept his attention on the people talking in the front of the room. His back was ramrod straight. Was he resisting the urge to look my way?
“Anyone? What about you, Max?”
I tore my eyes away from Chase and looked up at my supervisor. Busted for not listening. I didn’t even realize the meeting had started.
“Can you repeat the question?” I asked. No one was going to ruffle me today.
“We,” he said, indicating the rest of the room, “were talking about the increasing turnover rates of our new employees. We wanted to give you guys a chance to weigh in on that. Any thoughts?”
I ignored the snickering from my friends and allowed myself a quick glance at Chase. He watched me with narrowed eyes. I winked at him, just to see the flush of red on his skin. Was that from anger, humiliation, or some other emotion? I’d love to find out but right now, I needed to come up with an answer. I didn’t want Sean to move on. I liked having Chase’s attention on me. I tapped my fingers against my chin as if I was thinking.
“New employees get plenty of training,” I said finally, just before my supervisor gave up on me. He shook his head and was about to go on when I spoke. “And the supervisors are on the calls with them initially, but maybe we could do a buddy system.” The guys beside me laughed and Chase turned away, shaking his head slightly, almost against his will.
“Like mentoring?” Ben stepped closer to me.
“Yes, exactly,” I said, gaining momentum. What had started out as a way to gain attention from Chase and appease my sup, now seemed like a great idea. “The sups would have more time to do sup stuff, and the worker would have someone to go to if they needed a little help.”
“Are you volunteering for this, Max?”
“Sure.” I shrugged.
The guys laughed even harder. Okay so I wasn’t always a good example for other workers to follow. But I did get the job done. And I’d had the highest numbers before Chase came along.
“Guys, can we take this seriously?” Sean gave them the death glare. He had used that look on me before. It was very effective. The guys shut up immediately. Ben cleared his throat, looking a little uncomfortable.
“I’d love to help,” I continued. “And since we need the best of the best, maybe Chase would be interested.
There were a few overly dramatic gasps in the room.
“Oh, no you didn’t,” Dylan mumbled.
All eyes turned to Chase, and I immediately realized my mistake. I thought partnering with Chase would be a good way to get to know him better. Know thy enemy and all that. Instead, it focused everyone’s attention on him. I could see him withdrawing more within himself. The change was minute. He always looked calm, cool, and collected on the outside. But his fingers curled together on the table.
“Chase? Is this something you might be interested in?” Ben walked over to him, talking to him as if he were the only one in the room.
“Of course,” he said, his jaw firm. His eyes were the only thing about him that held any expression. And they were on fire.
“I love this idea, Max,” Sean said. “We need a few more people. Any volunteers?” A few hands went up, but I wasn’t paying attention, wondering if this was the best idea ever or the worst. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Chase. He stared ahead like he was afraid of losing his shit. At one point, he glanced at me and caught me staring. His look was a mixture of confusion, wariness, and a hint of murder.
“Thank you, guys. Please stay after the meeting so we can set up a time for the team to meet.”
Dylan slapped me on the back, and I could tell without looking that he was grinning from ear to ear. Asshole.
After the meeting dismissed, Sean approached me. “Thanks for stepping up, Max. I’m really impressed.”
I smiled. “Anything to help the team, boss.”
Sean shook his head with a laugh. Yeah, he knew me.
We stayed after the meeting. Besides the bosses, it was me, Chase, Amica, and Jon. We talked about the goals of the team and a few details. Chase didn’t look at me. Not even once. He seemed pleasant enough, smiling at all the right times, but I’d gotten pretty good at noticing his tells. The clenching of his jaw. Those fingers tapping against his leg. Maybe I was reading it all wrong. I didn’t really know him well enough to know for sure. But the idea of all that energy built-up waiting to come out in the tapping of those elegant fingers had me thinking thoughts that were not really appropriate when talking to supervisors.
“Max? Does that work for you?”
Caught again. Everyone except Chase turned to me. “Works for me.” I smiled at them all as if I didn’t have a care in the world. And really, I didn’t. This couldn’t have gone better if I’d planned it.
“Great. We’ll see everyone back here at three tomorrow.”
Despite Chase’s attitude or maybe because of it, I was really looking forward to this. It was a way to get to know him better. A way to figure out what was beyond all that blond hair Chase sometimes liked to hide behind. And that turned into thinking about his hair and threading my fingers through it. Pulling it just enough to tip Chase’s head back so I could devour his mouth.
Fuck. I had to stop thoughts like those. Because as much as I wished Chase would be up for a fling, I knew otherwise.
As I waited for everyone to file out, I noticed Chase hanging back. Did he want to talk to his supervisor? Maybe he was going to back out. Why did the thought disappoint me so much?
I forced myself to walk out and head to the lounge to get a soda. I needed some time and caffeine before going back to work. I realized too late that Chase stayed behind, not so he could talk to his sup but so he could follow me. I tested that theory by taking a convoluted route. Maybe Chase had a reason to head to the lounge. He followed me, not missing a beat. I glanced back at him as I turned the corner to go into the breakroom. A shudder went through me at the fierce look on his face. Shit. This wasn’t going to be good.
Thankfully, the room was empty because as soon as I reached the small room they sold sodas and snacks in, Chase grabbed my arm. So much for boundaries.
“What the fuck is your problem?”
I stared at him in shock. Of all the times Chase had snapped at me, he had never lost his cool. Not like this. His eyes flashed as he leaned closer jabbing me in the chest and breaking that protective bubble twice in less than a minute.
“My life is not a game for you to play. I am not here for your amusement.”
I tried to step back, away fro
m all that intensity aimed at me, but I had nowhere to go. The little dorm fridge holding the sodas dug into my back. I was unprepared for the passion radiating off him. Damn, angry looked good on him. The man was stunning.
“I want an explanation,” he continued. “What the fuck is wrong with you? The question is not rhetorical.”
“Okay, um, hold on…” I held up a hand, not sure what to say. I’m a little bit obsessed with you. Probably not the best way to start.
Chase shook out his hands possibly to dispel the electrical current hidden underneath that cool façade. “Answer me, Maxwell.” My name on his lips sounded like sin.
I brought up both hands, trying to calm him down. “Maybe if you stepped back, I could think,” I said. “This is my bubble…” I pointed around me.
“Don’t you dare.” His voice was low and dangerous.
“Look, Chase. I’m sorry I dragged you into it. I honestly thought you’d be interested. Turnover has been crazy around here.”
“I’m not buying it,” he said, crossing his arms and tilting his head. “You’ve been fixated on me for some reason. Trying to take me down or something? Make me look like an idiot?”
“No that is not what I’m doing.” I tried to show him I was sincere, but was I really? Wasn’t that exactly what I was trying to do? Or had my intentions changed? I wanted to get to know him. That would help me figure out how to beat him. Right? “Maybe I just want to be friends.” But who was I trying to convince?
“I don’t believe you.”
“Can’t we call a truce?”
“That would imply there’s a war going on.” He indicated between the two of us. “This thing you have going on, it’s been all one-sided.”
“You attacked me.”
“I’ve tried ignoring you, but if it’s a fight you want, then let’s go, because I don’t let anyone, not even cute preppy boys who think they’re all that, push me around.”
“You think I’m cute?”
Chase gave me one last withering look. “I’m done being nice.”
“Wait, this was you being nice?” But I was talking to his back. I could tell by the straight spine, he’d heard me. I watched him leave, enjoying the extra sway in his ass. I should have been worried. This was not the way to get on his good side. But the challenge in Chase’s eyes was so fucking tempting, I couldn’t resist.
My last call before lunch had run late, so Dylan had finished by the time I made it to the lunchroom. I wasn’t sure I could hold up my side of a conversation anyway. My thoughts were focused on Chase. I had just finished my PB&J and was eating grapes when Amica sat down beside me. I’d been so preoccupied; I didn’t even notice her approach. She’d heated up lasagna and the smell had me rethinking the ease of having a sandwich every day. She’d volunteered for the mentoring project. Maybe she wanted to discuss it. She was Chase’s friend and had never sat with me before. Amica was gorgeous with cocoa-colored skin and a sweet smile. Of course, I was mostly unaffected by her charms. She was well-liked in the office. I nodded for her to take a seat.
“I was pretty impressed today, Max,” Amica said. “Your ideas for mentoring were brilliant. Frankly it was hard to believe you came up with it.” Her half smile told me she was mostly joking. “But did you see Chase’s face when you volunteered him? Wow.” She shook her head as she took a bite of her food. “Not sure I’d want to be in your shoes.”
“He’s not too happy with me.”
“He doesn’t like attention, and you singled him out.” She pointed her fork at me. “Probably not the best idea.”
“I just don’t get it,” I said, glad to finally have someone to talk to about this. “He’s the number one customer service rep. He seems proud of that, and he gets a lot of attention for it.”
“He’s proud of his work. That doesn’t mean he wants everyone’s attention on him all at once. Chase is a very private guy. There’s a fine line there.”
“And I crossed it.”
“You trampled it.”
I hung my head. I’d focused so much on what I wanted, that I’d put Chase in a bad spot. I also didn’t want Amica to hate me. “That wasn’t my intention,” I said. “I thought he’d be good at it and that it would be fun to work with him.
She smiled. “Got a little crush there?”
“No, not at all.” I shook my head, knowing by her grin I was not convincing. It wasn’t really a crush, even though I was attracted to him, and I looked forward to spending more time with him. “Do you think you can help me…”
“Get on Chase’s good side?”
“Gain his trust so he’ll at least talk to me. Obviously, that’s something I need to do myself but maybe help smooth the way a little. You guys are friends, right?”
“Sort of. We don’t really spend that much time together.”
“But he likes you better than anyone else here.”
“True,” she said, tapping her finger on her chin in thought.
“If I get to the point that he tolerates me, I’ll be happy.” Would he really, though? Did he want more than that?
“You’re asking for a lot, Max. Let me think about it.”
“Sure,” I said. “Thanks.” I smiled, piling on the charm. We gossiped about various coworkers for the rest of the time. I’d never hung out with her before, but Amica was a lot of fun. We had tidied up and were about to leave when Chase walked in.
“This is not good,” I said.
Amica turned, noticing Chase and waving him over.
“What are you doing?”
“Relax. This is perfect.”
“What if he thinks we’re conspiring against him?” I tried not to panic as Chase walked toward us, glaring at me.
“The best way to not look guilty is to not be guilty, Max. We’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Tell that to him,” I grumbled.
She had a big smile on her face as Chase reached us.
“Hi, Amica,” he said with a smile. He turned to me and his smile vanished. “Maxwell.”
“We were just discussing our new project,” she said. “Care to join us?”
Chase hesitated before sitting down with his lunch.
My pulse jumped up, unbidden at the thought of being this close to Chase without him yelling at me. It surprised me that Chase would be okay with this. I silently thanked Amica.
“Why don’t we get together tonight and talk about it?” she continued, not needing input from either of us. “We can invite Jon. It’ll be a lot easier than trying to fit it in with work. We can even do it at my place?”
A flash of panic crossed Chase’s face. I only noticed it because I was watching him so closely. “I don’t know,” he said.
“It’s just a few of us,” Amica said. “You’ve been to my place before, but if there’s someplace else you want to meet, we can do that.”
Chase took a deep breath, stretching his fingers out. “Your place is fine,” he said amicably. “Is there anything you want me to bring?”
“If there’s anything specific you’d like to snack on, otherwise just your cute little self.”
Chase smiled shyly, his dimples showing. Who knew he had dimples? Not I. Probably because he never smiled in my direction. But now they could never be unseen.
“What about you, Max?”
“I’ll be there. Just email me your address. I’ll bring my famous queso dip.”
“What makes it famous?” Chase asked. It was the first time he’d talked to me without malice in his voice. It threw me off guard for a second. He raised an eyebrow at me.
“I guess you’ll just have to try it to find out.” Was I really flirting with Chase? Wow. What a difference a few hours and an Amica made. I checked my watch and realized my time was almost up. “I have to go,” I said, standing up. I hated to leave with Chase being friendly or at least not glaring at me like I was his sworn enemy.
“See you tonight.” Amica winked at me. Chase didn’t say anything, but he wasn’t glaring. I took it as
a win.
“What are you smiling at?” Dylan whispered as I settled into my desk.
“Nothing, except I have a non-date with Chase tonight.” I grinned like an idiot, but I couldn’t help it.
“What the heck is a non-date?”
“We’re meeting at Amica’s to plan for the mentorship thing.”
Dylan shook his head. “You’re going to be at the same place as him, and he’s going to tolerate your presence. Is that what you’re telling me?”
“I said it was a non-date, and right now tolerating is what I’m going for.”
Dylan laughed, rolling his eyes. “You’re pathetic.”
I ignored him as my phone started buzzing. I didn’t care what he thought. I was finally going to see Chase after work in a different environment. This was my chance to get to know him better. If I didn’t screw it up.
CHAPTER 6
CHASE
I SWIPED THE SWEAT OFF MY FOREHEAD with the back my hand, pushing away the strands of hair that had escaped my braid. The baseboards in the kitchen gleamed, but I still had the bathroom to clean, and the person ringing the doorbell was not going away. I sighed, pulling off my rubber gloves. There was no sense in ignoring it. It was most likely my sister. She’d called earlier to ensure I would be at the girls’ dance recital on Saturday, and although I had tried to keep my voice even, she always seemed to know when I was stressed out. She’d been good at picking up on it when we were kids, and she seemed even better at it now. She said it was the twin thing; I just thought she liked to insert herself into my life. I threw the gloves in the sink and dusted the powder from my hands. I needed to wash them, but the doorbell was driving me crazy. And now she was knocking.
“Chase, I know you’re in there,” she said through the door.
I walked over to the back door and opened it. She brushed by me, talking the whole way.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing. I’m just cleaning the baseboards.”
“The baseboards? It must be worse than I thought.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” I said, closing the door. I washed my hands in the sink while she continued talking.