Sherry
Dr. Davis was the last person I expected to see yesterday. Well, I should say Greyson’s dad or senior, or I don’t know which is what. It was good to see him, and have that closure. He was like a mentor to me while I was in school, and sometimes he’d just sit and talk with me when we’d run into each at the deli. When he asked if I’d met his son yet, I have a sneaky suspension that he wasn’t surprised by my reaction. I was even more thankful that he understood why I didn’t want to see his son in a professional manner anymore. That led to my new appointment with one of the doctors that I’ve been trying to get in with. Satisfied that, that’s been taken care of, I prepare myself for my very first solo meeting with the famous CEO, Eric McBride.
June has prepped me, like a chef preps for a gourmet meal this morning. I swear if she asks me one more time if I can handle this, I might flip my desk over and knock her out with it. Actually, no, I wouldn’t do that. I’m not Superman or any superhero who can pick up a desk and fly them at people. However, I could just tip it over or push everything from it in a state of a breakdown. Then I’d have to pick it all up in the end. And since I don’t want to do that nor lose my job, I smile and nod at her. June approved the first four buildings that I’ll show today. She also made sure that his driver will come pick me up and drive us to all showings today. Relief filled me when she explained this to me this morning. I don’t think a fancy businessman wants to ride around in my Jeep, or chance the fact that I might fall asleep.
Downing my fourth coffee since I arrived to the office this morning, my legs bounce uncontrollably under my desk. I try to take deep breaths to slow my breathing as I focus on what’s at stake here. Nothing is working. I’m like the energizer bunny jacked up on crack. Dress me in a pink bunny suit, and I could out and do that bunny any day of the week. Glancing over at the clock, I notice I have forty-five minutes before the driver will arrive.
I need to move…
My heart is beating so fast I think I might have a heart attack…
I do the only thing I can think of doing. Yes, I head out of my building, and my feet take me right to the person I might or might not want to see.
“Hi, can I help you?” a lady from behind the counter asks, but I don’t recognize her.
“Yes, I need to see Dr. Greyson Jr. please,” I say as I tap my fingers against the glass top.
“I’m sorry, he’s with patients right now. Care to leave something for him?”
“No, I really need to see him. Can you tell him Sherry Wilde is here, and it’s important? Like, life and death important.”
“I’m sorry, I can’t interrupt him. Care to make an appointment?”
“Where’s Katy? Get her, and she’ll get him for me,” I say, raising my voice more. For the life of me, I don’t understand why she just can’t get up and go tell him I’m here. I’ve been feet up with my vagina showcasing to the world before when a nurse came in to interrupt my appointment.
Before I know it, I spot Greyson coming out of an exam room. I peek my head in and call for him, “Greyson.”
His head turns in my direction, and that smile he sports curls up on his lips. All this does is speed up my heart more than it already is. Greyson nods for me to come on back. I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help myself. I turn back to the chick blocking me to say, “See, told you he’d want to see me.” And just like that, I’m through the door and headed toward him.
“You okay? You look flushed.”
“No, I think I might be dying; like, really my chest hurts, my palms are sweaty, and my heart is racing a quarter horse like they are both trying to catch that fucking rabbit.”
“Okay, calm down and follow me to my office,” he says while leading me down the hall. I notice the door off to the side, and it seems that it’s at least a football field length away. We might not make it before I pass out.
“Greyson,” I call out his name and notice how it sounds sexier than I intended it to. Before I can say anything else, he lifts me up and carries me the rest of the way. When we enter, I notice there’s a small leather sofa off to the right, and that’s where we’re headed. Greyson places me down and then sets his folder on the table.
“What’s wrong? Have you eaten today?”
“Yes, I think I might be dying… My head is all sloshy like a jellyfish and and oh Lord, I think I might pass out.”
“Do you have a history of panic attacks?”
“No, well, maybe; I had one or two, but I’m not panicking—well until now.”
“Do me a favor, take a slow deep breath and release it; try to focus on something soothing.”
I do as he instructed and can feel my head focusing more than it was before. My heart’s still racing, and this might not have been a good idea. Here I am acting like the roadrunner, and he’s over here making my heart flutter even more.
“Feeling any better?”
“I would if you’d remove your hand from my bare leg,” I say with a smile.
“Care to tell me what’s wrong?”
“I don’t know… If I knew I could fix it without waltzing in here like a crazy person and upsetting your new lady—which by the way, I don’t like her.”
“She’s a temp, and I don’t care about her right now. What I care about is what’s wrong with you? Let me go get the blood pressure cuff,” he says as he stands. Instantly, my hand flies out to grab his slacks, and instead, I grab his crotch.
“I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean to… Oh shit, just shoot me,” I say while putting my head in my hands.
“I’m starting to think you have a thing for my junk. Seriously, what brought this on and why is your leg jumping like you’re doing jumping jacks?”
“I don’t have a thing for your manhood, now forget that happened and lock it away with the other thing,” I say and then it dawns on me what the problem is. “I know… Gosh, I’m such an idiot, and just ruined another career,” I say as tears start to escape and slide down my perfectly made-up face.
“Care to fill me in, you know, the doctor?”
“I drank coffee.”
“Okay, and that’s a bad thing?’
“It is when you’re me and you have four or maybe six if you count the two cups I had before I left this morning.”
“Noted to never give you coffee, but why would that ruin your career?”
“I have to show some penthouses to this rich and hot CEO guy today, and I was afraid I would fall asleep because let’s face it—it’s me. Which is why I drank all the coffee, and if I can’t calm down that means I’ll freak him out, and June will fire me.”
“You need to take a moment, and I’ll be right back,” is all he says before he leaves me to my mess. I’m not sure how long Greyson is gone for, but when he returns, he’s carrying two bottles of water and a pack of crackers in his hands.
“Here, drink this and eat these. You need water to flush your system and food to soak up the caffeine.”
“Thanks, I bet you think I’m a hot mess, don’t you? I’ll understand if you want to cancel that date and find a normal person.”
“I do find you hot but not a mess, and don’t think you’re getting out of our date that easy.”
I smile up at him before he walks over to his desk. The more water I drink, and with each cracker I shove in my mouth, my nerves start to calm. When my heart rate slows enough that I think I can handle heading back over to my office I stand. It’s not long before Greyson is in front of me. With a swift move, he tucks a fallen curl behind my ear and steps closer to me.
“My heart just slowed,” I whisper.
“Good, then I know you’ll be able to handle this,” is all he says before bringing his mouth down to mine. Greyson’s hands move up to the back of my neck, pulling me closer to him never and breaking our connection. I can’t fit his mouth against mine because it’s as if they were made for each other. Instead of pulling away, I tighten my grip on his shirt which fuels his movements. Before I know it we’re both moving toward the shelf that’s near the door. When my back hits it, he still doesn’t loosen his grip. I’m not sure how long we allow our mouths to take an adventure with each other before a knock on the door echoes through the room. Just as the door opens, Greyson breaks his hold, leaving me standing here breathless and confused.
“Dr. Davis, your next patient has been waiting for awhile,” Katy says before she turns her head toward me and winks. Just as fast as she entered, she exits.
“Umm …. Well … I guess I need to go. Okay, well thanks for whatever happened here and yep, I need to go,” I say, smoothing my shirt down as I try to find my senses, which I’m pretty sure left when his mouth took over every sense of my body.
“Sherry, you okay? I mean… Well, you okay to get back to the office?”
“Yes, I’m fine and don’t worry, that panic attack is over and when I get back to my office I’ll have the next one.”
“Be safe today, and I know you can do this. If you need anything, call me,” he says before placing his lips on my forehead. It’s the simplest act of kindness, but coming from him it means so much more.
My feet instantly lead me outside and back toward my office. Thankful that my feet know where to go because right now my mind is in another place. Pretty sure I left it in the office with Greyson’s lips.
People say there are different kisses in life. Ones that you receive from a relative are enduring and a sign of love. Ones that you receive from friends, a meaning of affection and closeness. Then there’s the one. The one that means everything in the world is more than you ever thought. It’s the one that causes your toes to curl, and for every inch of your skin to become hyper aware of the other person that is causing this feeling. I’ve been kissed before, but that one from Greyson is something that I’ve never experienced in my life. It’s scary. It’s exciting. It’s different, and I want to do it again. This time without coming down from a panic attack. Maybe it was the fear running through my body that made it ten times better than those before it. Maybe it was the fact that I’ve been fighting him, knowing that we wouldn’t be a good match that made my body think otherwise. Either way, we need to share another kiss just so I can score it against the first one.
Entering Dawson Realty, I glance around to see if anyone noticed that I’d stepped away. It appears that I’m not as important as I thought and the others are either on the phone or glued to the computer screen. Even June didn’t notice. Which is alarming because she’s freaking out just as much as I am. Deep down I know I can do this. I just have to breathe and relax for a moment. Closing my eyes, I try to focus on the task at hand. It’s not hard. All I have to do is chat with the buyer and show some properties.
“Wake up, Sherry,” June screams at me, almost causing me to fall from my chair.
“I wasn’t asleep… I was trying to calm myself, you fool,” I answer back snarkier than I should. Guess it’s my fault that she thought I was asleep, but still, don’t scare the shit out of someone just because you think they are.
“Sorry… The driver is out front waiting. Call me if you have any problems.”
“Thanks, but I’ll be fine,” I say as I offer up a smile of confidence.
I smooth my skirt down after standing and take another deep breath before grabbing my folder and purse. With one foot in front of the other, I head out to the sleek black town car waiting to either take me to the worst or the best day I could possibly have in awhile. The worst would be that Mr. McBride hates everything and drops us before I can show him the better ones. The best could be that he likes my style and can’t wait to see more. Either way, I’m going to rock today, and I refuse to fall asleep once.
My heart stops beating when I open the door and notice that Mr. McBride is in the backseat. I wasn’t expecting him to already be in the car, as I was informed that we’d be picking him up. Either way, I’m not letting this throw me. Sliding in, I turn my body toward him, offering up my hand as I introduce myself.
“Mr. McBride, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’m Sherry Wilde, and I can’t wait to show you what we’ve found thus far.”
“Miss. Wilde, it’s a pleasure and I look forward to seeing what Dawson Realty has to offer this time around,” he says in a smooth voice. It doesn’t skirt my attention that his eyes just roamed up the length of my body. Okay, Mr. CEO… Is this the way you want to play? Too bad for him, I’m not June and I have morals. Not to mention I just made out with Greyson less than thirty minutes ago. I cock my head in his direction again to speak, but notice that his fingers are typing frantically on his phone. Instead of speaking, I watch the traffic as we drive through the streets of Miami. His driver already has the addresses and knows exactly where to take us for the first stop. Mr. McBride shifts in his seat before we pull up to the first stop. It’s an uncomfortable shift. He’s moved closer to me and has draped his arm behind my head. Leaning in he asks, “Do you offer the same services as your boss?”
Stunned, I jerk back from him, and my back hits the door as I stare up at him. It only takes me a moment to come to my senses when his fingers slide down the side of my face. “Excuse me, Mr. McBride. I’m not sure what you were expecting, but I am here to show you properties and properties only. If you wish to have a different kind of service, I’m sure we could find you one.”
“Calm down, little one. I’m just testing the waters to see if all the ladies are like June Dawson, or is she the only one who gives extra services.”
“I can’t speak for my boss, but I’m sure I can call her and ask if she’d like to take over for you?”
“No, that won’t be necessary. I like the fire in your eyes.”
My voice has disappeared. Or it could be the fact that I’m biting my tongue because I want to tell him to go fuck himself and run back to the office. I’m a big girl and can handle myself. Plus, I have pepper spray in my purse, and I’m not afraid to use it. Not giving him the satisfaction that he’s waiting for, I open the door and hop out shutting it behind me. There is no way I’m holding the door open for him. Guys like him are scum to me. I’ve watched his kind think they can buy their way into girls lives. I’m not one of them and never will be. It doesn’t matter to me how much money, how many fancy cars, or how big your bank account is. I’ll never lower myself to that standard just to get somewhere. As much as I want to sell him a place so I can bank that commission it’s not worth it. I might be second guessing my rules with Greyson, but this rule will not be broken. My steps speed up, putting enough space between the two of us until we reach the bank of elevators. All I can hear at this point is thump… Thump… Thump… Silently praying that we can make it through this first showing without me having to knee him in the balls is all that I can focus on at this moment. So much so, I can’t even remember which listing we’re at. It’s now that I wish I could sack out face first and forget this whole thing.
In the open space, I remember which one we’re at and walk toward the view of the other buildings.
“This unit is one thousand square feet with two bedrooms and two baths. It comes with a two-car garage, luxury appliances, two pools, your private cabana. They also have a gym, spa, Jacuzzi, and a BBQ area. Just imagine cooking from over there, and staring out this bank of windows as the sun sets,” I explain as I try to jazz up the space more than I need to. The view and space should speak for itself, but all I’m seeing him do is stare at his phone.
Without a word from Mr. McBride, I slide the patio door open to show him the small but pleasant patio that he has for extended square footage.
“Let’s see the next one,” is all he says before turning around and heading out the door. Today might be the longest day in the history of days. Closing the slider, I follow behind him and pray that something catches his attention.