Her cheeks subtly pink with the praise as she brushes a lock of hair behind her ear.
Trent presents the storyboard, schedule, and timeline for each of the various marketing platforms and content strategies. They have a lot more done than I was expecting, and I like what I’m seeing overall, but something is missing.
“Where is the familial element where history is repeating itself throughout the generations?” I ask. It’s one of the concepts that Brielle came up with during our weekend retreat. I know Leon and Pam both liked that idea, and if done right, I think it could have the impact we need on some of the amateur tours marketed as quality family time and bonding experiences.
“We decided to scrap that idea since it didn’t really fit with the rest of the theme we’ve crafted,” Trent says.
“Unscrap it.”
“Yes, sir,” he says quickly, looking at Danielle with a question in his eyes.
“Brielle,” I call, louder than expected. She looks up at me with no emotion or recognition. Even though I’m doing the same to her, it still irks me that she can pretend she didn’t have my cock buried deep inside of her less than a week ago. “How are things going? Are you liking this side of the business, now that you’ve had a chance to experience it?”
“Absolutely. Thank you so much for this opportunity. Trent and Danielle have been great, taking me under their wings to show me the ropes.” She smiles brightly.
“Good. Don’t be afraid to speak up to get your voice heard.”
“Oh, I have no problem being loud,” she says innocently.
And they callmethe devil.
I haven’t seen her once today.
I tap my pen on the desk, click open my email, and then minimize it again, my fingers dancing along the tops of my keyboard.
I had an important client meeting first thing this morning at their office, which means I got to work late. Brielle was already here, along with everyone else on staff. I sat behind my desk in my office with the door open, waiting for her to walk by just so I could get a glimpse, but nothing yet.
After two long days away, the need to see her again eats at me.
Fuck it. I am past the point of pretending that I don’t have a visceral need to see her, but I’m not going to sit down and examine my feelings about it. It is what it is.
I make my way into the accounting office, where Rui, Erica, and Brielle all have their heads in their computers, silently listening to their own music through their earbuds.
Brielle’s head bobs, her lips moving along with the lyrics of the song as she types away at her keyboard. The top she’s wearing looks like it’s made of spandex. It starts at her collarbone, covering every inch of her skin, but is molded to the curves of her body. It reminds me of the pink dress she wore and how good it looked on her, and off her.
“Good morning, Mr. Edgerton,” Brielle says, the first to notice me standing there. Her color looks a little paler than usual. I make a mental note to get the lights in the office switched out to the ones that mimic sunlight. Better for long days spent indoors.
“Morning, sir,” Rui adds.
“How are we looking for the end-of-month reports?” I ask.
March doesn’t end until next week, and Rui’s eyes grow wide fear.
“I know I’m early. I just want to know how we’re trending, not final results,” I assure him.
“Um, right. Ah…” He gathers the papers in front of him, frantically looking through the numbers.
“Everything is on track to beat prior month and prior year, as long as spending doesn’t spike in this upcoming week. We do have anaccrual on the books for the quarterly bonuses, and since those are not yet finalized, it would be considered another risk. But overall, we seem to be in good shape with a dozen new clients added to the portfolio this month and accounts receivable keeping everyone current on payments,” Brielle says.
Rui may not know how to find his way out of a paper bag when he gets flustered, but he’s a damn good hiring manager. Brielle is smart, prepared, articulate, resourceful. I could put her in any department in this company, and I have no doubt that she would outperform every single person there.
And when her gaze travels the length of my body before quickly snapping back up to my lips, I feel even more grateful for Rui’s hiring sense.
I leave with a nod of appreciation, but I can’t tell if I feel better or worse now. It’s like the small hit satisfied my basest need to see her but left me wanting so much more.
Long, dark brown waves travel past my open door. It takes everything in me not to look up.
We’ve been back in town for two weeks, and not a day goes by, not even an hour, that I don’t think about that night. Brielle has taken over my mind, and I don’t know how to shake her. So I have resolved to keep my distance instead.
