Page 21 of My Forbidden Boss

“Just half an hour ago. That was after you left, yeah? I’m telling you, they wouldn’t be calling you in on your day off if there was anything wrong… not unless it was something really bad, like you stole something or kicked a hole in the wall. Only the higher-ups come in on Saturdays. Since you say nothing happened, I think this is a good thing.”

I was totally flustered. “A good thing? How could this possibly be a good thing? What do they want from me?”

Brandon looked back at the screen, thinking to himself. “It’s possible that they just need more paperwork to settle you in, but that would be Human Resources stuff and this… This is from the owner’s office. You didn’t lie on your resume, did you?”

I hurried to my feet, yanking my legs out from under him. “What? No! That’s ridiculous!”

I trailed off, considering the idea, despite how outlandish it seemed. I kept shaking my head, knowing that there was nothing. Tired, and now panicked, my tears began to well as I struggled to understand.

I sat, anxiously folding and unfolding my hands across my lap as the secretary scurried from one side of the room to the other, ruffling through one stack of papers, then another. He would open the door beyond and disappear inside, only to pop back into view and slam the door behind him before continuing to frantically search around or pick up the phone.

I watched and waited, wondering if I had been totally forgotten. Nine o’clock passed quickly, then nine-fifteen and nine-thirty. Soon it was ten o’clock, and I was beginning to feel irritable.

Brandon had calmed me down, helping me realize that there was no reason to expect anything worth worrying over. I had woken up, dressed, and come into work just like all the other days of the past week, but found it difficult to keep the countless negative scenarios parading through my mind at bay. Instead of entering my building, I continued to the next and did my best to control my breathing. I had successfully slowed my heartbeat and regained my sense of self-control, but now, an hour after sitting, waiting, and wondering, the confidence I usually held so naturally was again melting away.

“Excuse me, I know that you are busy, but… Can you give me an idea of how much longer I should expect to be waiting?”

At first, the secretary paid me no attention, continuing to stack file folders and wrangle them into boxes. He glanced up, drops of sweat clearly visible on his forehead. The young man looked confused and troubled but still didn’t say a word.

Feeling awkward and subduing another urge to let my irritation show, I just wanted to get the whole situation over with.

“I can come back another time. I just don’t really know why I’m here. I was told to be here about an hour ago. I guess I am supposed to be meeting with Mr. Fleming?”

He blinked and nodded, turning back to what he was doing before offering any kind of response.

“Yes, yes, I remember. Uh… Let me check and see if he is ready for you. You may have to reschedule, but let me ask.”

I nodded, forcing an understanding smile as my mind already started to entertain the notion that I would still be sitting there for quite some time. The secretary wiped his forehead and pulled his tie loose as he wrestled another box of documents onto his cart. He wheeled them into the far room, swinging the door open and propping it with his ankle as he struggled to wiggle the trolly’s wheels through the threshold.

I leaned sideways in my chair but couldn’t see anything inside. To my surprise, when the breathless boy reappeared, he waved a tired arm toward the door he held open.

“Mr. Fleming will see you now.”

He coughed and stretched for a bottle of water on his desk as I stood, feeling in the tightness of my thighs just how long I had been waiting. I walked past the secretary guzzling his water, then felt the air in the office move as the door closed behind me.

Hollis

“Mr. Fleming?”

The voice was soft and sweet, one I was in no way expecting to hear. I leaned up in my chair, pulling my hand away from my brow, where I had been massaging my temples.

I looked up, across the room, and felt my vocal cords swell shut. The girl gasped and covered her mouth, looking terrified as she realized that I had been holding a phone to my ear.

My mind, formerly moving at breakneck speed, suddenly hit a brick wall. The thoughts that had been captivating me kept swirling, though, shrouding my ability to think.

The voice in my ear snapped me back to reality. I stuttered and looked down, realizing that I had been staring blankly at the young woman. “Uh… I’m sorry, Peter. I didn’t catch that last part. What were you saying?”

As if my mind had been wiped clean, I struggled to fill in the gaps. I stood and smiled dumbly at the woman, gesturing at the chairs in front of me as Peter’s exasperated tone doubled down.

“No, I promise that I was listening. Yes, I know that this is important. I’m not ignoring you. I just dozed off for a second.”

She sat down and looked around my office, crossing her legs and adjusting an earring. My eyes danced over her face and body as I kept talking on the phone absentmindedly. “Uh-huh… Yeah… Mmm. Right… Gotcha.”

Her blonde hair was sleek and smooth, sliding down the sides of her cheeks in soft waves before curling away at her neck and shoulders. Petite, but not small, the girl’s bright blue eyes flashed up and caught mine appraising her. My heart skipped, and I looked away in a hurry, feeling the stubble at my chin and coughing quietly in my throat as I struggled to catch my bearings.

“Yeah, yeah… Look, Peter, is it possible that we put this on hold for a moment? Yes, I know that we have to take care of this today. I’m not saying that we wait for Monday. Just… Yeah, just call back around noon if you haven’t heard back from me. Yep. Okay, good.”

I removed the phone from my ear and sighed, setting it on the cluttered desk in front of me. Relieved to be removed from the distraction.

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