I stood up from my desk and crossed to the large glass doors that divided me from the rest of the office. Everyone was hustling about, the same as usual. I saw a few designers from the architectural team carrying large prints of their new visions into a conference room and watched as some assistants laughed by the coffee machine. It looked like any other office I had been in, and just like any other office, there were apparently at least a few bad apples floating about.
I scanned the faces, considering each person in turn. I’d seen managers turn paranoid, trying to root out corruption and then driving their good employees away. That wouldn’t be my fate, but I wasn’t ready to accept defeat yet, either.
Which is when Patricia crossed the office, her heels clicking against the floor as she hurried toward the elevator.
Patricia…
With a tiny yelp, she stumbled over a stray computer cord, and her briefcase went flying. Immediately, I hurried forward, appearing by her side and helping her back to her feet. “Are you okay there?”
She shook her head, then smoothed down her pantsuit as she laughed to herself. “You’d think I would have learned enough to watch my feet when I’m running all over this place. Yes, I’m fine. Thanks, Dominick.”
As much as I preferred to avoid underhanded business practices, I still knew how to play dirty as well as the next guy. I darted my eyes across the files that had spilled from her briefcase. Drawing on my speed reading skills, I pulled in as much information as I could without seeming obvious.
“Let me help you with this,” I said, dropping to my knees.
“Oh, I’ve got that!” Patricia said brightly, dropping down to a squat beside me.
I caught some basic numbers for her team, the protocol for a new email server they were switching to, and a few perfunctory emails from employees. There were contracts with the city, a few with our collaborating firms, and a memo from a corporation called Zed Four.
“No problem at all,” I said, tidying a stack of papers, then turning and catching her eye. “We shouldn’t have cords lying across the walking path anyway.”
“Occupational hazard,” she joked, taking the last of the papers from me and rising back to her feet. “All good on your end? Happy days for the handsome executive?”
I started to tell her that no, in fact, there had been another miscommunication and another headache because of it. Suddenly, however, I saw Patricia in a whole new light. She was refined, almost practiced in her mannerisms, but that could have easily obscured some more devious intentions.
And nothing quite distracts a person like some shameless flirting.
“Smooth sailing,” I said. “Enjoy your afternoon!”
I returned to my desk, and my wheels began to spin faster. I had no reason to level an actual accusation against Patricia, but still, my gut was telling me there was something rotten in her business, whether she was aware of it or not.
I dove back into work for the rest of the afternoon. The radio interview went smoothly and provided me plenty of opportunities to tout all the small business development our project had invested in, as well as the bus redesign I had engineered. I even got a text message from Grandpa afterward, telling me he and his friends had caught it during their bridge game. After reviewing some updates from my team leaders and confirming the launch of a few more redevelopment locations, I was almost on top of my workload again.
And luckily for me, I didn’t even have to leave for dinner.
“Mr. Russo?” my assistant said, sticking her head through the door. “Your six o’clock is here.”
I glanced up from my computer, and when I saw Xavier with a brown bag of takeout in his hands, a grin filled my face. “Xavier!” I said. “Right on time.” In a bubblegum pink cardigan and nice white button-up and blue tie, I could tell he had dressed for his first appearance at the office.
He shrugged shyly. “I figured your schedule was probably pretty tight.”
I rose from my desk, then pulled him in for a quick kiss. The stress in my shoulders faded as soon as I felt him wiggle against my muscles, and I set the bag of food on the counter. “Thanks for picking up dinner,” I said, gesturing to the couch for him to take a seat. “How much do I owe you?”
Xavier giggled. “Hey now. Just because you make a million times more than me doesn’t mean you have to pay for dinner all the time. It’s my treat.”
“Why thank you,” I said. Every small gesture seemed like a sign we were moving on from the catastrophe with the garden. “How’s Sweet Sensations?”
“Another candy tasting club, another day,” he joked as I joined him on the couch. “I brought you the selection, though.”
I noticed the twinkle in his eyes, like he was getting up to something. “Oh yeah?”
Xavier reached into his pocket, then yanked out a foil-covered ball, extending it to me. “I know we’re supposed to save dessert for after dinner, but… chocolate-covered cricket?”
I stared at the treat in his hand. “Did you just say chocolate cricket?”
Xavier perked his head to the side and blinked at me innocently. “How else do you eat your crickets?”
I stared at him for a second, then burst into laughter. “Usually with a side of ketchup,” I joked, plucking the ball from his hand and thumbing off the wrapper. “But this works, too.” I popped the ball of chocolate into my mouth and bit down immediately. The chocolate was rich and sweet, and the cricket gave it a nice, satisfying crunch.
