One Look At You (11 page)

“But he really isn’t taking advantage of me. If anything, I welcomed his advances.…” I don’t know how to explain, but they all get what I mean.
I have it bad.

“Livie,” Jen reaches for my hand. “You know we’re on your side. We just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I know. I know. But he’s like – I don’t know.” I give up trying to explain.

“A cronut straight from Chef Ansel’s bakery?” Melanie offers humorously.

I break out into a rueful smile. “Worse. Like a dozen of them.”

“You know what? You’re not the first woman to be attracted to a married man. And he’s not even technically married because he’s no longer
with
her. I say go for it, if that’s what you want,” Melanie says.

“Mel, I just feel that because I offered myself to him that night, he already thinks of me as promiscuous, and just ripe for the taking.”

“So you’re saying he just wants you because he knows he can have you?” Jen asks.

“Maybe. It looks that way,” I answer honestly.

“It’s difficult to judge. That’s why you have to be careful and not send the wrong signals,” Mark says in a serious tone.

“Ughh! This is all your fault, Mark. Next time you invite us to a party, I’m not going!”

Mark laughs good-naturedly. “Yes, you will. Because the next one just might be my engagement party.”

The three of us look at him like we think he’s insane.

“Don’t be an ass, Mark. You don’t even know each other that well,” Mel scoffs.

“I know she’s perfect,” he says bitingly.

“Mark, we’re happy for you, but don’t you think you’re going a tad too fast?” I say to break up an impending argument.

“Et tu, Brute?” he looks at me accusingly.

“I’m just saying…”

“Okay, okay. I get your point. You’ve never seen me this crazy about someone. But, that’s precisely why I know we’re meant for each other.”

“Crazy is the word,” Mel says again.

“Mel, just shut up! You know nothing about Alicia,” Mark says rather loudly. Mark rarely loses his temper, so we’re all taken aback by his red face and sour expression.

“Will we meet her soon?” Jen asks timidly, conscious of the rising tension.

“I wish. But
she’s
married to her job, so for the meantime, I’ll be commuting to see her on certain weekends,” Mark says reluctantly.

“Whipped!” Mel says feistily. It seems like Mark wants to lash out at her, but he stops himself.

“Consider yourself lucky I’m a gentleman,” he says to Mel.

“Are you sure about that?” Mel asks. “Because it’s obvious that someone else wears the pants in your relationship.”

“Guys! We’re not in high school anymore.” I say. We’ve had a lot of wrangling in the past, but none as vicious as this. Melanie is bent on drawing blood. She seems to have taken a strong dislike to Alicia even though we’ve never met her.

“Ladies, I’ll be on my way for now. I’ll be seeing you soon,” he says with his chin up and a quick wave of his hand.

“Mel! What the hell was that about?” I confront her boldly, after Mark leaves.

“What? He’s being an idiot and I had to call him on it.” Melanie is not backing down.

“Ultimately, it’s his decision who he wants to be with,” I say.

“What is it that you don’t like about her?” Jen asks.

“Nothing. I don’t know her at all. I just have this feeling like he’s making too many concessions. It’s always her call.”

“I agree, but he likes her a lot and that’s why he’s doing his best to accommodate her,” I reply.

“Don’t you feel it’s a bit much? He’ll be flying to see her all the time and she can’t even get on the plane once in a while to visit? What? She has no time to spare? It’s always about her career? What about his?”

“You have a point, but it’s not our place to say anything,” I insist.

“Of course it is. We tell you when you worry too much. We tell Jen to snap out of it when she’s mooning about her ex. You tell me how bitchy I am all the time. Why can’t we tell him he’s going too fast and being a total wimp?”

“If you put it that way…” I don’t know what to say next.

“He’s making a mistake, I just know it,” Mel says, and I’m dismayed to see a tear fall down her cheek.

“Mel, you may be right, but he’s not going to listen to you if you don’t tone down your criticisms. He’s just as opinionated as you are, you know that.”

“I put my foot in my mouth again, didn’t I?” she asks.

“A little bit,” Jen says compassionately, and Mel and I smile at her understatement.

“Dr. Hill, I’m sorry, but I can’t interrupt Tony’s meeting with Legal,” I say for the third time. Dr. Hill is one of our nutrition consultants, and he claims that he needs to speak to Tony about an urgent matter. Unfortunately, Tony is in a closed-door meeting with the lawyers about a possible lawsuit in London, and I’ve had to fend off his calls three times now. “Please don’t worry. I shall give you a call as soon as he is able to speak with you,” I assure him.

Kayla walks in with a cheerful “Howdy, neighbor” and a little box in her hand. I know she’s about to ask a huge favor. “Livie, Dan needs to see Tony ASAP. It’s about the security issue in Arizona,” she says. The word is out that my boss is now accepting more face-to-face appointments, and everyone wants a piece of him.

“Kayla, I’m sorry. He’s booked solid from sunrise to sundown for the next two weeks. Won’t a high-priority email do?”

“Are you serious? It’s not something that can be settled over email. Dan really needs to speak with the boss.”

“Fine, I’ll see what I can do. I may have a possible cancellation tomorrow morning. I’ll move things around and let you know,” I tell her.

“Thank you,” she says with a curtsey. “By the way, I brought you my homemade pineapple upside-down cake,” she says as she hands me the box.

“You didn’t have to, but I’m glad you did,” I say with a smile. She knows I can’t resist her cakes and pies.

Through the rest of the morning, I receive calls, emails, and ‘little’ visits from people who are trying to schedule appointments. I can’t get any reports done and my patience is wearing thin. Also, I’m feeling really hungry since I failed to have breakfast. I open Kayla’s little box, reach for one of the plastic forks I keep in my drawer, and take a bite of the cake.
Mmm… so deliciously moist. How does she make this?

I open my mouth to take another bite when Tony walks in and sees me with my fork in mid-air. “Don’t mind me. My last meal was Sunday lunch,” he says smilingly.

“Would you like a bite?” I’d have to be so rude not to offer.

“What is it?”

“Kayla’s special pineapple upside-down cake. It’s really quite good.”

“You had me at pineapple. There’s something about tropical fruit that makes my mouth water.” I know he’s talking about food, but other images come to mind so I quickly hand him the box.

“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to deprive you of the last bite.”

“No. Go right ahead. You can have my cake and eat it, too. You need it more,” I say in a fake sweet tone. Then I open my drawer and hand him a new plastic fork. He takes a bite and says, “This is really good. Thank you. And thank Kayla for me.”

“Well, if you really like it that much, all you have to do is see her boss tomorrow. Mr. Flannerty’s assistant called that, most likely, he will be cancelling, so I can put Dan in for half an hour with you. He wants to talk about the security issue in Arizona.”

“And I get another slice of this in return?” he asks.

“Just say the word.”

“Done.”

“I don’t understand how you can eat all that sugar and still be so lean and fit.”
Oh crap!
Did I really just say that?

He moves closer to me and asks softly, “So, you’ve been giving me the look-over and you like what you see?”

“No,” I respond vehemently. “Not especially. I’m just not blind, that’s all.”

“I burn a lot during work-outs, in and out of the gym,” he says slowly. Is he talking about what I think he’s talking about? I feel my cheeks redden. I pretend to tidy the files on my desk.

“Can’t take the heat?” he asks, knowing the answer fully well.

I want to respond, but he’s quick on the retort so I better not. A condescending lift of the eyebrow will do. I swivel my chair and start pressing Kayla’s extension on the intercom while he goes to his office, chuckling to himself.
He is so conceited
.

In the afternoon, things calm down and I’m free to work on the spreadsheets again. Tony has back-to-back meetings outside the office, so I won’t be seeing him till tomorrow. Four straight hours on Excel has given me a headache. I see some inconsistencies and I have to recheck my formulas. I finally get some circular reference warnings, and I know it’s time to call it a day.

As I enter my fifth week with Tony, I have to admit that working for him has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. On the days when I have little interaction with him, I’m in a better place. I don’t have the opportunity to stare at him. I don’t go insane listening to the clipped, elegant accent with which he speaks. I don’t linger around, asking if there’s anything else he needs.

On those days, however, when I’m in close contact with him, the minute he looks away, I can’t help but follow him with my eyes. My heart starts racing when I hear his sexy, manly voice. Sometimes he casually drops a double entendre or risqué comment to get under my skin, and it’s an effort not to rise to the bait. We never have had a repeat of that Saturday morning kiss, but sometimes I see his firm lips and I can almost feel my own mouth burn.

All I can do is admire him from a distance and indulge in my hopeless daydreams, for how could someone as good-looking and successful as he is be even remotely interested in someone like me? Sometimes I hear a cruel whisper from inside of me – he wanted to get laid that night, and I was conveniently within his reach.

If I’m going to be honest, Tony is not difficult to work for. He can be quite demanding but, thus far, I have managed to do everything he’s asked of me. Also, the only time I witness his arrogance is when his schedule is full and there are a hundred and one details he has to attend to.

Last week, after I gave him the last of the confidential reports he’d requested, I was waiting for him to say that I could go back to my old work station. He didn’t, but I didn’t want to annoy him by asking. After all, he said he wouldn’t be keeping me longer than necessary.

Today, I decide to call Cassie for an update. “Hi, Cassie. How’s it going?”

“Are you going to badger me again for more resumes?” she answers.

“I don’t badger. I’m just following up. You haven’t sent any lately?”

“Hmm, why would that be? Let’s see. That’s because Tony has something negative to say about each one we’ve sent. And, mind you, Margaret has sent outstanding ones to him,” she says defensively.

“Okay, geez. Nice talking to you. Thanks, Cassie.”

“Don’t worry. We’re on it.”

I don’t know if Tony’s standards are too high, or if Margaret hasn’t been screening the applicants well. At the risk of sounding like a child, I would feel much safer and less vulnerable if I could go back to being John’s assistant. I really, really just want to go back to my old life. The other assistants think I’ve hit the jackpot with my temporary assignment. Little do they know that I was ten times happier before all this happened.

After I complete the lengthy questionnaires from Admin regarding supplies and requisitions, I start firming up Tony’s schedule for the rest of the week. Speak of the devil, he comes in with long, purposeful strides, his jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed.

“Olivia, please come into my office now!” I immediately stand up and follow him.

“Is there a problem?” I ask coolly.

“I don’t know. Is there?”

I say nothing, knowing that he’s in a testy mood.

“I just got a call from Margaret. It appears that you’ve been bullying her staff.”

Bullying her staff?
I don’t know what Cassie told Margaret, but I’m pretty sure she never used those words.

“Care to explain?”

“I’m not sure why Margaret would say that, but I’ve simply been doing my job.”

“Doing your job? Which is?” he prompts me.

“Following up with HR as to whether they’ve found you a suitable assistant. It just seems like they’re taking forever.”

He glowers at me. “This is not your job. Your job is to perform any duties or tasks assigned to you. I do not recall asking you to call Human Resources. I do not remember asking you to help me find an assistant. You’re my assistant for now. You are not to interfere with the recruitment of my staff. Do you understand?”

“Perfectly,” I spit out the word. His tone infuriates me and I’m tempted to turn my back and leave.
How dare he?

“You are not in any way going to be involved with the process of choosing my assistant. It’s none of your business. I don’t ever want to get another call from HR. Let them do their job and you do yours!”

“Will there be anything else?” My tone is controlled but icy. He stares at me with haughty rebuke and I take that to mean that no, there is nothing else. I leave his office and head straight for Cassie’s desk.

She’s not there, but I stand around waiting for her to come back. When she finally makes an appearance, she smiles as if nothing’s amiss.

“Cassie, what the hell?!” I say.

She looks alarmed at my expression. “What’s going on? Did I do something wrong?”

“What did you say to Margaret?”

“About what?” She looks rather confused.

“You mean you didn’t say anything?”

“I’m not understanding your question. What are you talking about?”

“Tony just angrily called me out for bullying you. Have I been that much of a pest?”

“No, I never said anything. I just reminded Margaret to keep looking.”

“Was she annoyed? Perhaps you gave her the impression that I was complaining?”

“Of course not! What do you take me for?” She looks hurt by my question.

“I’m sorry. I’m just trying to get to the bottom of it. It’s just that Tony made me sound like an interfering busybody.”