I woke up early, so that I can go home and get ready for work. Daryl groaned as I got up from bed but did not wake. He even looked in pain in his sleep. What did they give him for pain last night. He is still so asleep. Once the bed settles out, he looks like a little boy again. It is the most adorable thing ever. I really don't want to leave him.
I cannot miss work after being rewarded with a ½ day though. What would that look like? I already miss my warm spot right next to him, curled against his shoulder. I decide to write him a note like he wrote me. I have an idea though. I go in the bathroom and look over myself. It's not as bad as I thought it would be. I run my fingers through my hair a bit and throw it up. I go grab the maid outfit, because it's either that a Versace dress, a bathing suit, or a bathrobe.
I put it on and go downstairs. I need to find Daryl's pants. I go down to the pool, but his things have long been picked up. I go over to the chair anyways, and there it is. The sketch of my dress. I grab it and go back upstairs. I scrawl on the back of it.
'We never got around to that talk, and I think it's even more important after last night. I did have a really great evening despite what happened. I hope I didn't hurt you any more than you already were. Sincerely yours. Jewels
P.S. Nice Sketch!!!
I like when he calls me that. He doesn't know it yet, but I will be back tonight after work to see if he is okay.
I call an Uber and finish getting myself together in his bathroom. The toothbrush he left for me the other morning is in the holder there. That is kind of adorable. I put it to use and grab my things besides the red dress I leave that hanging there. It makes me smile. Maybe it will make him smile too. I give him one last look before I leave. He looks like a little boy caught in a bad dream. I am sure it's probably because every breathe taken with cracked ribs hurts.
I climb onto the bed to give him one last kiss before I go. My weight on the bed shifts Daryl and he groans. Maybe I should have left well enough alone. Since I am here now though I give him a quick peck on the lips. They look so soft and full I can't help it. I ease off the bed as gently as possible and place the note on top of his phone on the bedside table.
I go outside, hop into the waiting car and speed home to get ready for work today. I am there in no time, and I have to take Kujo out immediately. He is very mad at me. Poor baby, I wasn't planning on being gone all night. I try to make it a quick walk. I will have to come home today and give him a good run.
When I get back home I am in a frenzy, throwing clothes all over the place trying to decide what to wear. Somehow the standard doesn't seem right today. It is an extraordinary day, I should be in something extraordinary. I find a simple red satin slip dress and a little black blazer to go over it with my black strappy shoes. I don't know what my obsession with red is as of late, but I just like the way I feel in it now. I always used to feel like it was too flashy and called too much attention to myself, but not so much anymore.
I take a few minutes to pin up my curls, and brush my teeth. Then I slap on some moisturizer and mascara before heading out the door. I call a cab, and make my way to Carter Corp. I float into the building flashing Lisa an all too knowing winning smile. She nods back at me. We will talk soon.
I make my way to the elevator, and begin my wait. I am happily smiling away probably looking like a cat with a canary in their mouth. I suddenly feel all the hairs stand up on the back of my arm. I turn to see no one other than Bitch Cassidy. Maybe my day won't be so rainbows and sunshine after all.
"Oh Miss. Clark just the person I was looking for today? Do you mind if I have a word with you?"
I am not prepared to do this without coffee! "Sure Miss. Spark, but I am very anxious to drop my stuff off at my desk and get started. So can I meet you in your office in a few, once I get settled in?" I can tell she wants to say something more. Her rubber band lips are snapping around as if trying to find something in my sentence to use as leverage, but there is nothing.
"That sounds fine." We get into the elevator with a crowd of other people. Thank God the two of us get separated into the mix of suits. When it stops at 42 there we again together, ugh! I move quick to throw my stuff on my desk, and sure enough there is Matt's helmet already in place. Have they separated since the concert? I may need more details soon.
I make my way to the break room I just need a few sips before I can stomach her bullshit. Matt and Colin seem to be in their usual huddle as of late. Matt is telling some elaborate story and it looks like Colin is giggling. It's kind of cute. I don't have time unfortunately. I can't let the Bitch catch me "wasting time" when I am supposed to be coming to see her. I wave to them, grab my coffee and leave. They both drop their jaws.
I take that first glorious sip as the hot liquid fills my mouth, I tell myself you can handle this and anything that Cassidy chooses to throw at me. I make my way over to my desk, log on my computer, and think as I sip my coffee. This probably has to do with my fast exit with Matt yesterday, practically fleeing for my life from her. I groan. It was still worth it.
I actually quickly formulate a plan in my head of how to stop Cassidy in her tracks. I take another amazing sip of coffee, before I prepare to walk into Gabriel's office. I set it down, and pick it back up. One more for luck. I hold my head up high and carry myself to his office knocking on the door. "Come in." I hear.
Gabriel is sitting at his desk looking over files. His dark sapphire eyes seem deep in thought. When he sees me his eyes light up. "Jewel, what brings you here so early in the day? How can I help you?" He smiles at me warmly. Yes Gabriel warm up to me you dirty little pervert so that I can make sure this works.
"Well, Gabriel Miss Spark asked to speak to me about something this morning, and I was hoping you would go with to see about it. She makes me very nervous and I often feel singled out by her. I would just feel a lot better if I had you there as my boss."
"I would be more than happy to Jewel. I was unaware of this problem.Should I just handle it on my own?"
"No. I want people to know I am willing to stand up for myself, but also that I am unwilling to be bullied."
"Do you feel as if she is bullying you, because we do not tolerate that type of thing at Carter Corp!"
"No, I don't think it is intentionally. I just think she notices me more than others, if that makes sense."
"Yes I see. In the meantime, I was going to come see you anyways. Could you have a seat?"
I nervously say, "Sure." And take a seat. "Did I do something wrong Gabriel?" He laughs. I guess that is a good sign.
"Jewel, I have actually been reviewing your work and Mr. Ortega's. I checked back on somethings he did here before you, and I have been comparing it to things done since. You are remarkable. His quality of work was mediocre at best, but since you have been here his work has improved greatly."
"As for your work it's been exceptional from day one, and even when you make mistakes you work very hard to correct them as swiftly as possible. What your team was able to accomplish this week was actually remarkable, and I have put both you and Mr. Ortega in for a promotion. Although I do believe he owes you a thank you. I was going to talk to you about it at lunch today."
Ugh! Why do I keep forgetting about lunch with Gabriel? Because he is a creep who makes you uncomfortable and you want to forget lunch with him, but this gives me an idea. "Thank you, Gabriel. I didn't realize it was about that, should I invite Matt too?"
His face changes becoming a little darker. "No Jewel I want to talk about your future at this company." Well shit! I guess if I want his help and to have a future here I should probably go to the stupid lunch, without Matt as my rescuer. "Meet me at Felippe's for lunch. We will sign all the paperwork afterwards."
"Yes Gabriel. May I be excused?"
"Yes of course. I will follow you to Miss Spark's office then?" Oh yes I had already for gotten about. How many unpleasant things does a person have to deal with in one day? At least there is a raise involved. I stand up, exit his office and go straight to Cassidy's office with Gabriel in tow. I knock on the door, but he just walks in so I follow. He addresses her as soon as he walks in. He didn't even wait for me to be in the room. "Cassidy?"
She looks up from her desks smiling, "Yes Gabriel?" Then she spots me and her face changes.
"You wanted to see Miss Clark about something, and I figured I would come with her to make sure you were processing the paperwork for her and Mr. Ortega's raises."
"Yes Gabriel. It's already done on my part. It's waiting in Mr. Leviel's box."
"Very well. Now what did you need Miss Clark for?"
"Oh I just wanted to congratulate her." There is a hint of something sinister and icy in her tone and her face is emotionless. Oh, she looks mad, and as she stares daggers at me I smile at her.
"Okay then I guess we will be on our way." He motions for us to leave and I do almost too quickly. I am pleased as punch right now with myself. Why didn't I do this with her sooner? Standing up to Cassidy feels good. I thank Gabriel for his time and go back to my desk.
Matt is there looking very suspicious. His eyes follow Gabriel away, and as soon as he is out of ear shot he says, "What's going on Angel?"
"No big deal.' I say as I sit down to my desk and slide in my chair, trying to keep the smile off my face and stay looking serious. "We are just getting a raise, because we are such a good team!" I can no longer keep my face straight and break into my silly smile.
I look at Matt who is grinning ear to ear. "Really?"
"Really, really! Cassidy has already submitted the paperwork to Mark for Gabriel."
"Wow! That is amazing news."
"I have to go lunch with Gabriel though." Matt starts laughing. I just want to throw something at him. I ball up a sticky note from my desk and throw it at his nose. He stops laughing for a second looks at it and then starts laughing even harder.
"So you had to meet with Cassidy and Gabriel today, and I got to have coffee paid for by Colin, and get a raise?" When he puts it like that I wish it was my stapler I threw at him.
Matt starts talking to me all about his upcoming plans with Lisa at the cabin, and I can't help but chuckle. I wonder if he knows yet what he is getting himself into? He is painstakingly going over details while we work, and it almost feels like he forgot he was talking out loud.
First, they will go for a swim in the lake and start a fire. He is going to cook by the fire. I wonder if his cooking is like Daryl's. Lisa maybe in for an extra treat. He keeps going but frankly I can't keep up. I would really like to tell him about everything going on with me, but I don't want to ruin his good mood. I'll tell Matt about Daryl soon, just not today. Daryl doesn't seem to be in a hurry to tell him either.
I finish out the morning with Matt we are making good progress on today's file. So much in fact, we are working on finishing touches. At lunch time I gather my purse and walk over to Felippe's. Gabriel is already there. He has reserved us a table in the back. I really don't want to be here.
I make my way to the table, and have a seat. Gabriel is looking at the menu, but stops to greet me as I approach. "Jewel, I do like the new look by the way. The office could really use more color, and you are just the person to brighten things up." Ewe! Stop talking to me.
"Why thank you Gabriel. So, what exactly did you want to talk about?" Let's keep this all business so it doesn't get weird and gross. The man hits on anything with shaved legs.
"Jewel, you are a shinning and upcoming star in this company. I hope you know that. Your work is exceptional. You are always on time, and you have a way of uplifting the others around you and inspiring them. Your work with Matt just proves my point."
"I am working on meeting all the criteria for moving up to the next level, and taking on a job more like Mark's and I want to put you in for my job before I go. There is no one I think is more suited to handle it." My shock is apparent. My mouth is hanging open and I did not think this was where this day was going at all.
Okay maybe he isn't such a creep, unless this is a tactic for getting into my pants. In that case he is worse than I thought. "Oh Gabriel that is the most amazing thing I have ever heard!" I shout excitedly, and then I start to think about it and doubt myself. "But I have only been at Carter Corp just over a year. I do not think I am ready for something like this yet."
"Well the good news for you and the bad news for me is that you still have quite some time before you have to worry about it. I am not getting looked at for several months and once it is more solid I would like to start training you to do my job. If you are already qualified beyond your means it will only make you look all the better when the time comes. This way you can get all your ducks in a row, and keep them there." He said that last part with more emphasis. Why do I feel like he is talking about Matt.
"Thank you so much Gabriel for this opportunity. I promise I will not let you down."
"You better not Jewel I am really putting my neck out here on this one, you being a new recruit and all." His smiling face is gone, replaced by a very serious face with overly penetrating blue eyes.
We ordered from Felippe, maintained small talk and ate in peace. Wow this day has ended up so amazing. Maybe I took some of Daryl's confidence with me this morning. I chuckle to myself, as right now all I can think about is Daryl's heavily muscled body, rolling with mine slowly but very deep as I whimpered with ecstasy.
"Are you okay Jewel. You are looking a little flushed?" Okay time to cut it out. I reassure him I am fine, just excited. If only he knew! We finish up lunch and I go back to my desk. Matt has been there for a while waiting on me it looks like.
He looks like he is ready to pounce on me for information. There is a bit of mischief in his eyes and it makes him look so much like Daryl it is a little flustering. Oh what I am I going to do with these hopelessly handsome men? I then raise my eyebrows at the that thought! Oh that is positively indecent!
"So how'd it go Angel?"
I am not ready to tell him about it yet so I just say "You know just Gabriel being Gabriel, nothing in particular." That is all it took for him to go back to work. I however am distracted the rest of the day. I just barely finish all the parts I have left before the end of the day.
I am positively steamy and uncomfortable since the idea of Matt and Daryl entered my mind. What is wrong with me? Or is it not weird because they are so much alike? Or does that make it even more weird? It's too much to think about right now. I gather up our files and put them together to take to Gabriel.
I am just too over excited on too many levels. I need to bring it down a notch on my way in there. I take some deep breaths and just try to bring myself to a normal level. When I walk in Gabriel is deep in a phone conversation, and just signals to me to leave the folder and go. It is such a relief as I try not to run out.
I signal to Matt. I think he has figured out by now I do not play about my time off. He grabs his helmet and bag and we make our way to the elevator. I make my way out front, and Matt stops to talk to Lisa. I smile at them and wave. I have to go take Kujo for a promised run.
I walk home continuing to going over what Gabriel said. I don't know if I am ready for something like that, but if others have faith in me maybe I should have some in myself. I try to stay positive about it instead of being negative like I always do. I may need this run to clear my brain as much as Kujo.
I get home and change my clothes. I call Kujo and we head out. I ran until Kujo was tired before heading back home. I get there and shower. I put on something simple, shorts, tank top and red zip up hoodie. I promise Kujo I will be back tonight. I will have to get Daryl and Kujo together soon if this is going to work. Sigh! That should be fun.
I order Chinese from the local place I love but I order three times as much as I usually do. When I hear the total I am shocked. Feeding Daryl I will need the raise, good lord! I finish getting ready and go pick it up. I call an Uber and in no time I am on my way to Daryl.
It's awfully quiet in the house. He is going to hear me come in. It probably echoes in this giant place, so sneaking up on him is not going to happen. I just run up to his room hoping that is where he decided to stay for the day.
When I throw open the door, he is there shirtless and grinning. He has the covers pulled to his waist, and he has one of the breakfast in bed trays, except his laptop and phone are there. I merrily make my way to the bed. "I don't know exactly what you do or do not like yet but I just opted for a lot, so I got ALL of my favorites. So, do you want to talk about this before or after we eat?"
"After! I have been hungry all day. Lola wasn't bringing enough food. It is just what the doctor ordered." We both laugh. I knew he would say after. He isn't one for talk during meals.
Part way through us munching on food, chopsticks in hand he says, "Thank you, it was thoughtful of you."
"Are you opening the door to conversation then?"
"Yes, I guess so."
"Excellent! Daryl what do you do for a living and no more dodging the question."
"I wasn't dodging it. I answered it."
"You're literally dodging right now." I point out.
He gets a very serious look on his face. He looks like he is thinking really hard about all of this. "Jewels my job is complicated because I don't do just one thing. I have a lot of customers. Most are dangerous men, and I do security for big ticket events. It's not just dangerous guys, I also do security and planning sometimes for events at places like Madison Square Garden. I am constantly trying to find new ways to branch out a make the work seem more honest. My company also plans the whole event from start to finish in order to be able to cover all potential security risks. I also set up a bit of a liaison system, and connect people with each other based on what I know of whom from previous jobs."
"I was about to give Tony's name to a group of guys and they would have both made a lot of money off the deal, but now I won't. When I am in a position where I help people meet there is a pretty nice finder's fee."
"I guess I could see why it is dangerous from time to time." I think about it, and what he is saying holds water. Despite my raise it is the best news I have gotten all day, because I can move forward with him as long as that is the truth.
"Well you don't have to worry about it I have increased security now because of yesterday, and if I do not give out names I can black list someone just as easily. People have to be able to trust you. Your reputation is all you have sometimes and I have to keep myself in good standings."
"Does this happen often?"
"This is the first time since I started the business someone has brought bullshit to my house, and it will, be the last time." I nod along to what he is saying, because I understand the pressure he must be under I feel some of it right now because of my talk earlier with Gabriel.
"So, what have you done to make sure that you don't have to deal with this again."
"Do we have to talk about this now." He is trying not to laugh and not doing a very good job. "I am still in so much pain. I could really just use some beautiful companionship, little red. I like you in this." He says gesturing towards my red hoodie with a wink.
I was going to talk to him about Gabriel but I decide to save it for another day. We continue to joke and tease each other until I get tired. I go to pack up the Chinese, but he has finished all of it. He pulls back the covers some more exposing the deep V that runs down his lower abdomen.
I can't help but be affected by it. I know where it leads now. I feel myself heat up as I think about last night and I cannot resist the urge to be nearer to him. I inch closer to him, tonight I will have to settle for a kiss. I lean down close to him, so close in fact I can feel his warm breathe on my skin. It gives me shivers.
Now that I am closer I can see the bruises start to yellow around the edges, and at least he is healing. I am unable to take my eyes off him. I very gently climb into his lap, and press my lips to his. The spark is there just like always. It's like stirring the embers to a flame and watching it leap back to life. He pulls me down onto him more so I can feel all of him. I gasp, and he groans with pain. Oh God, it is definitely time to go. "What are these from?" He says pointing at the bruises exposed on my upper thighs.
He must be playing. How could he forget. "They are from you." His face seems full of concern, and the only thing I can think of is, it's okay I liked it. I slide off him gently and say my goodbyes. I tell him I will see him tomorrow, before leaving.
I walk slowly on the way home enjoying the night air compared with the experience of the day. I pull out my phone to text Lisa, and send a selfie first. Let me send her this grin I can't get rid of. These Ortega twins have set our lives on a whirlwind. It's a sexy whirlwind though.
When I look at the picture I notice a man in the background that looks familiar. Where have I seen him before? The question haunts me the whole way home and I forget about texting Lisa. I keep checking to see if he is behind me still, and he is most of the way home, and then he is gone. Maybe I am just being paranoid.
I get home and Kujo is all over me. "Yes, boy let's go for a walk!" While I have him outside for that short walk I swear I see the same man again, but he is gone before I know it. I probably just need some sleep. So I take Kujo home and go to bed. I'll let Daryl know when I see him. It may be nothing, but what if it is something?