Danielle
I was nervous to start working. Nervous and excited. My father had pushed me to get a job after college. The devil finds work for idle hands, he always said. As if I would get in less trouble if I worked. It was ridiculous, of course. Trouble tended to find me no matter what I was doing.
After graduating, I had hoped to have the summer off. I’d wanted to spend time with Lisa, my best friend. I’d wanted a few weeks to myself to be carefree, to not have to worry about responsibility and deadlines and exams. I’d wanted to go out and sleep around, to find more friends and get drunk.
If I was going to have to sacrifice all that, doing it for Rodney was all right. I could handle not having my summer, after all, if it meant I would be working with him. Besides, I’d heard plenty of stories about people having affairs with their secretaries.
I shook off the thought. It wasn’t the way I should be thinking about him. I knew that. Still, I liked to entertain the idea that he and I would be locked together, alone, in an office for hours at a time. Who knew what could happen?
I had grown up knowing Rodney. He had been my dad’s friend since long before my parents had gotten married, and he had been a part of the family, especially after Rodney’s wife, Chrissy, died.
I knew the kind of person he was, kind, generous, and drop dead gorgeous. I was excited to work with him.
Yes, he was twice my age, but he was the hottest man I’d ever met. No matter how many guys I met in college, none of them had been able to compare to Rodney Jones. There was just something about older men that got me worked up. They were distinguished, confident, financially stable.
Rodney was all of those things and something to look at, too. He had jet-black hair that he slicked back when he wore suits, but it curled around his ears when he left it. His eyes were the color of ice, or of cornflowers, depending on his mood. He had the full package when it came to looks and build–a square jaw, a straight nose, a prominent brow, and a build like he took good care of himself.
Now that I would be working with him, I would be get to stare. All. Day.
I had chosen a pencil skirt that hit me above the knee and a button-up blouse that I tucked in. I put on black kitten heels and tied my hair back into a ponytail. I turned side to side, looking in the mirror. I looked professional enough to pass for a secretary and sexy in a business sort of way. Perfect.
I hoped Rodney would like what I had chosen to wear. For professional reasons, I told myself. Not because I wanted him to think I was as attractive as he was. Not at all.
I walked downstairs. My dad was in the kitchen, sitting at the breakfast nook reading the paper. He lowered it and glanced at me when I walked in.
“You look very professional,” he said. “Is that skirt long enough?”
I looked down at the skirt. “Dad, it’s almost on my knee. I’m not going looking like a nun.”
My dad shrugged. “I’m just asking.”
I took a piece of toast from the plate on the counter. My mom had prepared breakfast before she left. She was a lawyer and left earlier than any of us woke up. How she juggled her career and still managed to make breakfast in the morning was beyond me. When I grew up, I wanted to be like her.
“What are you doing today?” I asked my dad.
He pulled up his shoulders without looking up from the paper. “I think I’ll play a few holes with Charlie. We have business to discuss.”
“And by business, you mean NFL statistics?”
My dad glanced at me over the paper with a smirk. “Don’t tell your mom.”
I laughed. My dad had made enough money in his day to do whatever he liked now. If he wanted to lie on the couch all day, he could. But my mom was more than efficient, and she didn’t like people who didn’t utilize their time. Which meant my dad had become proficient at pretending to be busy.
“Are you ready for your first day?” he asked.
I nodded, biting off a piece of toast. “I think so.”
“I’m glad you got this job,” he said.
I smiled. “You know what? I’m glad, too. I think it will be fun to get out there and learn something new.”
“And maybe Rodney will see your talent and push you up in the company, let you use that fancy degree of yours.”
“I’ll aim for that,” I said, smiling. My dad nodded, satisfied.
When I graduated, I had to give up my dorm room and move back home. Without money of my own, I couldn’t get my own place. My dad had wanted to pay for an apartment, but my mom had put her foot down and told him he couldn’t spoil me like that. I had to work for it.
“If I can’t spoil my youngest, what is the point of having all this money?” he’d asked, but my mom had given him the look, which meant they would talk about it later. When my parents talked about things away from my brother and me, it usually ended with my mom telling my dad what to do in private so he didn’t feel like she undermined his authority.
“I have to get going,” I said, finishing my toast. I got up and hugged my dad. “Have fun with Charlie.”
“Have a good day, sweetheart,” my dad said and turned back to his paper before I left the room.
At seven-fifteen, I walked through the doors of Starbucks and ordered a Macchiato. By seven-twenty, I was walking toward the Berry Software building. It was a tall, gleaming building, proud and upright between the other buildings of the city. I had been past the building a few times, and I had visited it with my dad once or twice when I was younger, but it was on my radar now.
The lobby was sleek and professional, with marble floors, glass doors and partitions, and a woman behind the reception desk. She had blood-red lips and blood-red nails and smiled at me with vacant eyes.
“I’m here to see Mr. Rodney Jones,” I said.
She looked down at her books. I noticed Rodney waiting for an elevator.
“Never mind,” I said and walked toward him. The elevator doors slid open, and he stepped in. I followed, slipping in a moment before the doors closed.
“Morning, Rodney,” I said with a smile.
He looked at me, surprise flickering across his features.
“Danielle.” He looked at his wrist watch. “You’re early. It’s a great start for your first day. Well done.”
I nodded. I had made a point of arriving before eight.
Rodney’s eyes slid down my body like a physical touch, and I shivered. I shouldn’t think about him that way, I told myself for what felt like the hundredth time.
“You are dressed the part as well,” he added.
“Is this all right?” I asked, twisting around a little, drawing more attention to my body than he was already giving me. “I wasn’t sure.”
“It’s perfectly fine,” Rodney said. His eyes smiled at me. I had no idea what he was thinking. I hoped he thought I looked as good in my clothes as he looked in his.
Rodney wore a dark gray suit that was tailor made, fitting his body like a glove. He had on a sky-blue tie that matched his eyes. The elevator was small, and I was aware of how close we stood to each other. I was hot and bothered, and I wondered if he felt the same. When I glanced at him, his face was serious, with no proof that he was aware of me like I was of him.
Maybe it was just as well. I shouldn’t have been thinking about him this way. I shouldn’t have found him sexually attractive. He was my dad’s best friend, and now, he was my boss.
On the fourth floor, the elevator doors opened, and someone stepped in. Rodney and I shuffled closer to each other to make a space, and his arm brushed against mine. God, I wanted more of him to touch more of me.
The atmosphere in the elevator became thicker, making it harder to breathe, and I could only describe it as one thing: desire. But I was sure it was one-sided.
When our extra passenger stepped out, letting us climb the last few floors alone, Rodney moved away from me again. When I glanced at him, he was solemn and serious, but we stood so close to each other a sigh would push us together.
The doors opened, and Rodney gestured for me to walk out first; ever the gentleman. I pushed away the desire and the lust that was building inside me. I was nervous. It was my first day. Nothing would come of it. I had to keep reminding myself of that.
Rodney showed me around, explaining the tasks to me himself. I had half-expected him to hand me off to someone else that would do the talking. I was thrilled that he was taking me around. He introduced me to a few people. Everyone seemed very busy, impatient to get back to work after they were introduced to me.
My station excited me the most. It was in Rodney’s office. His office had been divided with a glass partition and blinds. My desk was on the smaller side of the partition with a phone that connected directly to his. I assumed he closed those blinds when he needed privacy, but the two of us were blocked off from the rest of the office by a door that shut without transparent windows and walls. It was just as I had imagined, being shut in with Rodney, alone, for hours.
Of course, the partition was there.
Rodney explained the phone to me and handed me his schedule and day planner.
“I want you to memorize this,” he said. “I’m going to need you to give me answers about dates at any moment. I don’t want you fumbling around looking for the answers.”
I nodded. He was hot when he was so demanding. When he spoke, I was mesmerized by his mouth. I had to be careful not to stare.
“Do you have any questions?” Rodney asked when he covered it all.
I shook my head. “Not yet. It seems easy enough. When I get stuck, I’ll ask someone. Tracy seemed nice.”
Tracy was the floor receptionist. She had looked like the grandmotherly type.
Rodney’s face softened. “When you’re stuck with something, just come to me. I’ll be happy to take the time to show you the ropes.”
God, there were other things I would love for him to show me. I scolded myself for being so dirty.
“All right, thank you,” I said and smiled.
Rodney glanced at his watch. “I have a conference call I need to take in a few minutes. I’ll be at my desk. You can settle in here, make your desk your own.”
I nodded. Rodney walked through the glass door, and I followed him with my eyes to his desk. From where I sat, I could see him perfectly. I watched him as he dialed the number and started talking. The glass was soundproof. Good to know.
I watched him as he spoke, his mouth moving without sound. He was an Adonis, sent from the heavens to save us poor mortals. And God, was I a damsel in distress.