Soulmates & Twin Flames

3 - Prince Charming

I pass the desks and make a left with Prince Charming tailing close.

"Hey, Hall," he calls, and a brunette's head pops out of a cubicle.

A tall lady in a black jumpsuit stands up and hurries toward us. "Mr. Rhode, what brings you here?"

He points at me, and I smile. "Abby Shepherd," I say, holding out a hand. "I'm here to discuss editing videos for your website—"

"Yeah, yeah." Kaz waves me off. "Take a seat. I'll be right there."

I shrug and shoot a glance at Mr. Rhode the hot stuff over my shoulder as he watches me walk away. He casually rests an elbow over a cubicle's divider, then turns to Kaz. "What's your status on the Middle-East web campaign? Why aren't the ads live yet?"

"The agency asked for a couple of days to make minor adjustments..."

"Jesus." Mr. Rhode tucks his hands into his pockets and shifts in his place. "They'll only add titles. Any dumb-ass can do it."

"Titles in different languages, Mr. Rhode. The back-translations just got approved, and the fonts—"

"We need those ads running yesterday, Kaz. The sponsors are paying for something we haven't aired yet. How am I supposed to explain your fuck up to our partners? What am I even doing with you if you can't deliver a simple task on time?"

I peer over the cubicle's walls and bite my lip as I leave my laptop case on Kaz's desk. Thank God I am not her, because I'd break into sobs right now. Mr. Hot Stuff is the burning kind.

"I'm sorry," Kaz mumbles. "I'll get it sorted..."

"Never mind." Mr. Rhode walks over to my cubicle and stands in the doorway. "You edit videos, right? Can you do titles?"

I look around to make sure I'm the only one in the tiny space before I nod. "Uh-huh."

He clenches his jaw and breathes into his chest again. God, I wish he didn't do that... His oaky perfume hits me. I have to take back a step to refocus.

"We have ten ads, each to be titled in different languages. Can you do it today?"

"Do you have the fonts?" I ask, unzipping my laptop case.

"Kaz?" Mr. Rhode raises his brows.

"Yes. Yes, we do." She hurries and squeezes past Mr. Rhode. Then she opens a drawer by the corner, and hands me a flash drive. "You can connect to our server with this," she says and explains how while Mr. Rhode watches our every move with his arms crossed.

"It's fine. Should take an hour or so," I assure her, but then Mr. Rhode's frown deepens, and I know that I've picked the wrong words.

"She says an hour. The agency gives you two days." He taps on the wall. "Is it time to switch agencies, or should I find a new producer, Kaz?"

Ouch... Okay, his reaction is over the top. "It's not Kaz's or the agency's fault," I explain, landing a friendly hand on Kaz's shoulder. "I'm a freelancer—the best one in Manhattan. My schedule revolves around emergency projects like these. Besides, I'm super fast."

Kaz is leaning over her desk with her back turned to King of Frowns, biting her lips. "We'll get everything ready in an hour, Mr. Rhode." Her voice quivers.

"What you'll get, is coffee." He steps aside and swings a finger out the door. "I'll sit here and make sure the videos get delivered."

Kaz opens her mouth to argue but then shuts it again. I'm sure she can feel the heat from the Burning Man just as I do. "Yes, Mr. Rhode," she says and scurries outside, balling her fists into a tight clench.