Page 13 of Only If You Dare

Chapter Five

Fredrick had been calling my phone on and off all night, but I ignored him like the plague. Just because he was my boss didn’t warrant him the rights to disturb me after hours. I knew what he wanted; to make sure, I hadn’t screwed up the meeting with Julian. I wondered for a moment if Fredrick called Julian like he called me. But after thinking about it a bit more, I reasoned he wouldn’t harass him, for fear of losing the account. Getting out of the shower, I wiped the condensation from the mirror and blotted the towel across my skin. It was Tuesday morning, and I set out to make my doctor’s appointment. Since this trip was last minute, I begged my hairstylist to squeeze me in today at noon. It gave me ample time to sit in Dr. Bradshaw’s office, even if it was busy.

I lotion my legs and dressed quickly while I tried not to step on Jasper my Pomeranian. It made sense for me to wear something that would be easy to remove being that this physical would mean getting fully undressed. I chose a simple sundress that accentuated my breasts holding them firmly upright. A belted buckle sat around my waist and the thin material flared over my thighs coming to a halt right above my knees.

I pulled the pin from my hair, and my strands relaxed falling down my back. Although I kept my hair neat and styled with a personal touch, having my stylist dress my hair always gave it an extra bounce. At the door, Jasper wagged his tail and barked. I crouched down to rub his soft fur.

“Be a good boy. I’ll be back soon,” I quipped.

When I stepped outside, a brisk breeze of cool air whipped around me. The winter’s winds hadn’t exactly turned into spring, and I was in denial. I loved springtime, but January, February, and March had been brutally cold. Now the confused climate tried to invade April with its unruly weather. Winter just reminded me how alone I was, but I’d rather be alone any day than being with a lying, cheating scoundrel who didn’t know how to treat a woman. I rethought my dress and decided I couldn’t be late for my appointment. When my phone rang, I rolled my eyes. After last night, I put Fredrick’s number under a melodramatic scream tone; not one that screamed over and over, but one that was a long drawn out nightmare on Elm Street screech. I chuckled. It was perfectly suitable, considering.

“Yes sir,” I answered.

“Desiree, I’ve been calling you since last night. Haven’t you gotten my calls?”

We were on a first name basis. Weird right? Well after years of tidbits and getting on one another’s nerves, it seemed appropriate.

“You mean last night after hours? Unfortunately, I wasn’t available then. I am now. What can I do you for, Fredrick?”

I tried to keep my tone friendly. I didn’t want a bow out knockout match any more than Fredrick probably did.

“You didn’t check in after your meeting with Mr. Rose yesterday.”

“I wasn’t aware I needed to check in.”

The phone went silent, and I checked the screen to see if the call was still connected.

“Fredrick,” I said.

“Desiree, whenever you have a meeting with this account, I need you to check in. I need a play-by-play of what’s going on. You leave in four days, and I want to make sure you have everything you need.”

I smirked. “I could use the company card. I’ll more than likely need it since I’ll be in Dubai for longer than a week.”

“Mr. Rose is taking care of all your accommodations,” he quickly added.

I pulled into Dr. Bradshaw’s office parking lot and cut the engine. “You don’t expect to me turn to Jul—Mr. Rose for all my needs, do you?”

I could hear him exhaling now, no doubt turning red at the thought of me spending lavishly with the company card across seas.

“You’ll have a daily spending limit so don’t go over it. But I implore you to ask Mr. Rose what his accommodations cover before spending anything.”

I rolled my eyes so hard they almost got stuck in the back of my head. “Okay.”

“Now tell me, how did the meeting go?”

Images of Julian’s lips seared against mine made me squirm in the driver’s seat. I tried and failed to remove the sensual images. I must have taken too long to answer because Fredrick started barking.

“Desiree!”

Annoyed by his interruption of my pleasant thoughts, my jaw tightened. “Everything went fine, Fredrick. I asked a few questions, took some notes, we had lunch. It was very easy going. Now, I’m on my way into the doctor’s office so I can find out if I need any vaccinations and get Dr. Bradshaw’s recommendations. After that, I plan to touch basis with Mr. Rose to see if I’ll need anything specific for the trip. I checked my passport last night. It hasn’t expired, and as long as Dr. Bradshaw says everything’s a go, then we can get on with it. How’s that?”

“Thank you,” he huffed. “And I’m sure Dr. Bradshaw won’t have any objections, so that’s nothing to worry about.”

I rolled my eyes again. Did he seriously expect me to check in with details of our daily account like this? My hands tightened on the steering wheel, and I leaned into it pretending to bang my head against the hard metal.

“Let me know how that conversation goes,” he said.

“Do you want me to give you updates on every detail?”

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