Second day of work, and you've already forgotten the difference between the lavender and lilac colored files. Good job, Alexa.
I frowned, but utterly frustrated and unable to choose, gave up and collapsed in my chair. This job was starting to seem impossible and all I was being asked to do so far was fetch files. My mother definitely did not do a good enough job convincing me not to take the job. I really though it would be just getting coffee and lunch. She mentioned many things in her efforts to scare me, but knowing the color wheel to heart was not one of them.
Knock, knock.
I turned in my chair to see Gretchen standing at the door with a pitiful smile on her face. "Need to phone a friend?" She giggled.
I scowled at the pile of files on my desk. "I need to phone my own personal assistant."
Gretchen stepped inside my office and immediately went work separating the files I had thought were correct, but were apparently not. "Don't worry," she tried to assure me. "It's almost impossible to get the hang of it at first. Why do you think most of the interns don't last past a month?"
I scoffed. "I would have stopped learning their names by now."
She grinned. "You're the first attractive girl to walk through the elevator that was wearing the right skirt length. I guess you can say I knew from the beginning that you were special."
This coaxed a smile to my lips. "How touching."
"It's a story I definitely don't mind telling," laughed Gretchen. "Those sluts make me so angry because I take my job so seriously, and they seem to think it is only about getting Zane coffee and then shoving their breasts in his face."
"Psh, how stupid of them," I said, but my voice was cracking slightly. "Everyone knows this internship is more than getting coffee and lunch."
"Of course! Being the personal assistants to the VP and President of the most luxurious car brand in the world is a big deal," said Gretchen haughtily, as she continued to now sort my files by size as well as the color.
"Absolutely," I agreed, afraid any other answer organ than hers would probably be wrong.
She was kind to me, but I could tell she was a feisty young woman that did not let her amusing height nor ignorant people distract her from her goals. I definitely respected that.
Gretchen huffed. "I'm sorry, but I get very passionate about topics that irritate me. I've worked for these executives for two years and I've come be protective of them. It just annoys the hell out of me when I see people who go in thinking that all they do it sit around and count money all day."
"I will personally attest that they count papers and files more than bills," I muttered.
The girl snorted. "Amen. Zane can spend a week pouring over files before he realizes that his meeting was the day before."
"And the VP?" I asked. I had yet to meet him, but I could only assume that he was as attractive as his business partner. They were probably the power partners under Jake and Blake.
Gretchen nodded. "They are two peas in a pod. It's almost a race to see for them to see who can sit and work the longest. The prize is more money."
I wrinkled my nose. "That seems a little extreme."
"It's the most exciting part of their month," Gretchen shook her head, a bemused smile playing on her face.
I stared at the pile of files in my desk. I was in disbelief that there could be anything in those files that could possibly warrant having a sleep over at work. Nothing was that excited. Nothing that didn't involve sex, anyways.
I reached for one pile, what I thought was the lilac, but when I looked up, Gretchen shook her head. I grabbed the others instead. She smiled. "You're getting closer."
I chuckled at her. "Am I really?"
No," she said, which made me bark out a laugh, "but you seem to be more determined than the rest to try."
"And that's good?"
"Definitely."
I giggled as I left my office to go deliver the new batch of files to Zane. She was something else.
Right as I was about to knock on his door, I felt a tap on my shoulder.
"Aghjh!" I screamed.
My hands were thrown up from the scare and instantly the files went up with them and became scattered across the floor. The color drained from my face at the sight. Not good. Not good at all!
"What the hell is wrong with you?" I swore at the perpetrator.
The person, a plump young woman with glasses and rosy cheeks, looks terrified at my tone. "I'm so sorry," she stammered. "I-I thought you had seen me come up."
I scowled. "Clearly not!"
She dropped to her knees and began picking up the papers along side me. "I'm so sorry," she repeated. "I only came up here for a Miss Alexa Baker."
I stood up, the jumble of files crushed against my chest. My eyes narrowed. "And?"
The woman gulped. "There is someone waiting for you in the lobby, Miss Baker. They said it was urgent."
"And they couldn't use the time honored ritual of the telephone to contact me instead?" I grumbled.
She didn't know how to respond.
I sighed. "Who is it?"
Her eyes fell down to the ground, and she was fingered the edges of her blouse. "I don't know," she said quietly. "It was a man, and he was young, and attractive."
A young and attractive man is waiting for me downstairs on my second day of work in the biggest city in the United States?
I smiled wrly. "Thank you for telling me, I'll look into it, but next time, it would be very helpful if you used the intercom," I said, "or at least wore a bell."
Remembering that one of his was rules was about leaving the office, I turned away from the woman and looked over at Zane's door. Faintly, I could hear several voices, so I felt it was safe to assume that he was busy, hopefully for the next fifteen minutes, enough time for me to deal with this John Doe.
I dumped the folders on my desk and prayed that Gretchen would get the hint and would sort them for me while I was gone. Then, I walked past the wide eyed woman to the executive elevator that would take me to the ground floor. Gretchen had told me about it yesterday, and that we were only supposed to use it when time was off the essence, but I suppose that kinda applied here to. Time was in short supply to deal with the man and get back before Zane noticed.
I went to the elevator, flashed my card, and rode it all the way down without a stop. It was kind of a relief. It hadn't taken me long to realize that the public elevator was a nightmare to get through three levels without it opening for someone.
When I reached the bottom floor, I only had to survey the floor for a second before finding the only face I recognized.
Dumbfounded, I walked over to him. "Jake?"
Jake looked up at the sound of my voice, and upon confirming it really was me, he sprung to his feet. "Alexa!" He shouted.
Half the floor looked over at us. My cheeks reddened. "Aren't you supposed to be a CEO or something?" I snapped. "Show some public decency."
He smirked. "That's not the first time I've screamed your-"
I jabbed at his side. "Shut it."
My physical abuse did nothing. His smirk only grew wider. "You're adorable when you're ticked off."
"That's not the first time I've heard that either," I muttered under my breath. But, I quickly shook myself out of that. I was on a deadline. "How did you find me? I'm pretty sure I didn't leave my wallet at your penthouse."
"Nope. Only your brand new cookie club card to Great American Cookie that has your name and address on the back," he grinned. "Finding You was the easy part."
I tapped my foot impatiently. "Then let's skip to the interesting part. What are you doing here? You are my one night stand. Contact is supposed to come to a straight halt from here on out. I would've thought you of all men would be happy to oblige."
"You are right," Jake said, "but I felt something inside of me compelled to find you. I couldn't go another day without seeing your stunning, majestic face, and body."
"I saw you Saturday morning," I deadpanned.
He grinned at me boyishly.
I rolled my eyes. "That's not funny. Don't be an ass."
I was not even close to the mood of playing flirtatious games. That Alexa only came out after two vodkas and a whiff of the hard liquor.
Jake waved. "Fine," he said, smile still lingering, "I'm here to get Blake's watch back."
My jaw dropped. "You went through all the work of finding me just for his dumb ass watch?"
"Hey!" Jake said, holding his hands up in defense. "I didn't just track you down. I also had to find Gracelyn first, and that was an absolute nightmare, but that was all for her to tell me that you took it. So, I figured showing up at your work unannounced would be more efficient than facing the probability of you not picking up my phone calls."
I could picture the watch laying on my desk upstairs. I treated it like my trophy. It stood as my evidence of conquering men, even though I didn't directly take it from the man. "It's at home," I said.
Jake frowned. "Well can I stop by your house after you're done working and pick it up?"
"No. If Blake wants it so bad then he needs to get it back himself," I muttered.
The blonde did not seem to get the hint. "So, then Blake has permission to come by your house after work to pick it up?"
"No!"
Jake stared at me. "What is wrong with you two? I've figured enough that you have history, but you're treating each other like the plague."
I narrowed my eyes. "What's the supposed to mean?"
He shoved his hands in his pocket and rocked on his toes, probably starting to realize he was revealing way too much on what was supposed to be a watch rendezvous. "He's been holed up in his office since Saturday, and that's got me worried. He hasn't been with a girl since then. I can't remember the last time he went that long. What if he's trying to go cold turkey?"
I scoffed. "If that's the case, then I'm not saying another damn word. You have a better chance of getting the truth out of Blake than out me because that little shit doesn't deserve my words," I growled.
"But do you know why he's doing that? Is the something between you that bad?" Jake pressed.
"Irrelevant," I said flatly.
Jake stepped forward and gently took grip of my wrist. His puppy blue eyes stared into mine. "Alexa, will you please go talk to him? As his best friend, and as his business partner, I'm worried about him. He hasn't been this isolated since the week before the company merge was announced."
My heart was pumping wildly. On one hand, I understood Jake's intentions, but on the other, I could only picture the hatred in Blake's eyes that morning. My words were dirt to him.
"Jake," I sighed, "you've been the strangest and most complex one night stand I've ever had. Thank you for that, I think. But, I can't help you. You'd be better off forgetting about that watch, and about me and Blake. He'll snap out of it. I, however, need to move on from this as well. Goodbye."
I gently shook my hand away from his and turned and walked back to the executive elevator.
I almost jumped out of my skin thought when I went to flash my card, and saw that woman was practically standing next to me, and she was staring at me with wide eyes.
Tired and Irritated, I asked "What?"
She said nothing. At least for a moment. When the elevator dinged to announce its arrival, she blurted, "That guy is so hot, and you two would make such cute babies!"
I furrowed my eyebrows. She stalked me down here for that?
"Babies?"
She nodded.
I snorted. "That's a cute thought, but it'll never happen."
Not as long as there is a man by the name of Blake Baron within a 1000 mile radius of me.
Aghajh. I swatted at my brain to keep unnecessary comments to itself.
The elevator doors opened and I stepped inside. The door closed, with the woman still staring at me with those wide chocolate eyes. I frowned. What a strange character, and what a ridiculous notion. Jake wasn't a mistake, but he certainly wasn't something that was going to be repeated. Blake was back in my life, even if it was just his name hanging in the air. I don't think anything in my life would be done as carelessly anymore.
Especially not with his best friend and business partner and roommate.
The doors opened, and immediately I had a red hot face in my face. I gulped. "Mr. Charlemagne?"
"Intern Baker!" He snapped. "Where the hell have you been?"
I was afraid to look anywhere but at him. "Uh, protecting my interests?"
"By skipping on note taking my monthly meeting? And giving me the lavender files instead of the lilac?" He spat. "Why shouldn't I send your ass down the public elevator right now?"
I opened my mouth to explain, but one look from Gretchen told me that it was pointless. I set my jaw. "Because I'm willing to give up a week's pay to make up for it."
He straightened.
For a moment, he stared at me, unsure wether I was serious or not. Maybe, with his threat, he was expecting me to crumple and quit, not come up with an actual punishment.
"I won't doc your pay," he said slowly, "this time. But if it happens again, it will be the elevator of shame for you! And as for now, because you seem to be well acquainted with the executive elevator, why don't you go get me my lunch from floor 32?"
Y'all I'm so excited. I have the chapters through ten fully planned out. Everything else is a little more blurry, but I'm starting to get really excited to pull this story into focus!! Sorry for the long waits. Hopefully with this new concentration, I can bring the wait down to only a couple days at the most :).