5
Sarah felt nervous. She’d never really planned any sort of party, but as Garrett had given her the opportunity, she hadn’t wanted to let him down. In fact, she’d gone home that night and researched what would make the party even better. She wanted him to be happy with her. Most of all, she wanted him to be proud of how it turned out. For a moment she wondered why she was doing it, and then thoughts of Elizabeth’s news article sprung to her mind. She’d more than happily do whatever she could to make his life easier today. They’d already turned away four separate reporters this morning.
Sarah waited in her office, the door half-opened so she could hear if Garrett came in. He had said he’d be there, and so she’d trusted he would be. To her knowledge, she’d never heard of him being late before, and so when it was five after she considered just leaving his coffee in the fridge and got up to do so when Garrett came flying down the hallway, nearly knocking her off her feet.
Sarah gasped and jerked the coffee close to her, almost spilling the treat, when he stopped and gave her an apologetic smile. He took the coffee from her and fixed the lapels of her blazer with a gentle, practiced hand. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be late. This is mine, I assume?”
“Well you know what happens when you assume,” she grinned, and his smile was reward enough. He sipped the coffee and took a glance at his watch, grunting in annoyance before he headed back towards his office. Sarah watched him go with only slight annoyance; she’d wanted to be with him. Didn’t he want the same? He’d given her an office just feet from his, and she could walk over whenever she liked. So why didn’t she go and walk over?
“If you could have the preparations ready for me to sign off on, I’d appreciate it.” Garrett called over his shoulder before retreating to his office, likely not to be heard from for the rest of the day. She expected he was going to sequester himself in the silence of his office to work on whatever he planned to do that day. While she was eager to find out what it was, she was particularly nervous that she’d do less than stellar at her first big assignment.
She gave herself a brief shake, unwilling to let herself succumb to a pity party. She needed to do better than that, and she would, damn it! Instead of moping, she headed for her desk to begin making calls. She knew if she wanted to make the Christmas Party as incredible as she intended, she would need to talk to as many people as she possibly could; time was growing short, and the party’s deadline was an ever-looming horizon.
Hours later, Sarah was leaning back in her chair, rolling her neck to ease the strain when a knock sounded at her door. They didn’t wait for her to come to the door or invite them in, and so, when the door opened she’d expected Garrett. She didn’t expect the bag of takeout he had in his arms. Garrett offered her a sexy little smile, and waved at the bag.
“I bet you don’t know what time it is, but I’ve gotten us lunch… late lunch. Almost dinner lunch. I think you’ll be pleased. Come to my office?” Garrett shook the bag slightly, the smell of Italian food wafting through the little room.
“Oh, what time is–” Sarah looked at her clock and straightened. When had it gotten to be three in the afternoon? Sarah rubbed her cheeks and sighed. She’d been at the computer making phone calls for almost six hours! “Lunch would be wonderful. Let me finish this report and I’ll be in your office in a second.”
“You’d better. I’ll give you a spanking if you’re not,” Garrett chuckled and headed for his office without so much as a glance back.
Sarah sat, dumbfounded in her chair for a long minute, her lips parted. She could feel her cheeks growing red, and stared after the man who had just left her office. Had he just said that?! Sarah sat in shock, staring after Garrett as her mind went through all the times she’d been spanked as a child. She had never enjoyed it then, always ending in tears and anger. So why was she so excited about the idea he might bend her over his knee and spank her?
Her throat had suddenly gone dry, and she found herself tightening her thighs at the idea. She was no little girl now, and she longed for Garrett to see it too. With a slight sigh she glanced at the clock, and realized he’d soon come looking for her with that spanking taunt as an excuse. For one moment she considered deliberately being late, and decided that she shouldn’t risk his anger. After all, he’d been through the ringer today, undoubtedly.
Finishing her notes, Sarah rose and headed for his office with the notes in hand. She had almost considered waiting just outside his office, too. It would have been too pressing, and she didn’t want to push him when Elizabeth had done her damnedest to make the day rough for him.
Instead, Sarah entered the oversized office with reports in hand. She found Garrett leaning back on the couch, his dishes untouched and eyes glued to the paper in his hand. For a moment, she wondered if it was rude to disturb him, when his eyes turned up to hers. He glanced at his watch and smirked, eyeing her with a mischievous grin.
“You enjoy toeing the line, huh? I suppose it suits you, you little brat,” he teased, shaking his head.
Sarah smiled and sat down, holding up the reports proudly. There was no need to address the brat comment; they’d both known she was going to be one for the rest of her life. Instead, she held up the stack of paper with a smile. “The reports you wanted, and I’m excited to show you what I’ve come up with. I think you’re going to be impressed.”
“Really? I’m sure you can’t wait, I can’t either. But we’ll have to eat first, and then you can show me. Here,” Garrett handed her a familiar white box that had her groaning with affection.
“Gianni’s? You must have been feeling extra nice today.”
“It’s your favorite, isn’t it? And I know how long you’ve been working today; I saw the look on your face. You had no idea what time it was.”
Sarah gave a little smile and shrugged, waving her hand at the reports sitting next to the two of them on the table. She hadn’t meant to work so hard. In fact, she’d intended to come bother him sooner than later. She hadn’t even realized her coffee had long since gone cold, which was unlike her. There was as much coffee in her system as there was blood at this point.
“I had to finish those reports up. You wanted to have them as soon as possible… everything just needs to be signed. I think you’re going to like it.” She offered a small smile, her eyes running down his figure when he looked away. It was just a brief moment she’d get to look at him, but she took it anyway. When they were done, she was positively vibrating, waiting for him to finish and allow her to detail her plans. Finally, he waved a hand to encourage her.
Sarah nearly jumped from her chair, but instead, she pulled out the floor plan for one of the immense ballrooms of the Marriott. She had scribbled notes and tables, and held the plan out. She then held out the myriad of colors, textures, and more, of which Garrett didn’t understand the relevance. For a moment he tried to study what she had put down; he found he couldn’t understand any of it.
For a moment Garrett's lack of excitement gave her pause, but Sarah tried to remain positive. She had expected him to understand immediately, but perhaps her notes simply weren't clear. She put on a cheerful smile and pointed at each individual item and cost, explaining them patiently. Garrett asked questions, but his expression retained the stoic look she'd known for most of her childhood. He didn't seem to be impressed and with his lack of enthusiasm, her confidence began to collapse. In a moment of silence, she finally spoke up.
"I'm sorry...you don't seem that...impressed. Did I do something wrong? Is there something I should be doing? Do you have any critique?" She tried not to sound petulant, but his lack of enthusiasm had dampened even her sunny outlook.
"No, no," Garrett said as he pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed at his eyes, his hands fiddling in their slightly nervous energy.
"I'm sorry. My mind is just...elsewhere. Would you mind if I took these home tonight? I could look at them then. I think I'm going to take off early due to the whole...fiasco this morning. I'm just feeling a little out of sorts," he admitted.
"Alright, I understand. I'm... I'm really sorry for what Elizabeth did, for what it's worth." And with that Sarah's arms slipped around his shoulders and she pulled him into a hug. She could feel him tense against her, and for a moment she wondered if she'd done something wrong, when Garrett gently set aside the papers to hug her too. She had almost thought it was a bad idea, but when he held onto her, Sarah nuzzled against his shoulder, her frame snuggling up to his. When he finally pulled away he offered an almost shy smile.
"Thank you. I needed that. It's been difficult, as you said. I'll Skype you tonight and we can go over the whole report, is that alright?"
"Whatever you say, Mr. Skjaervo," she said with a wink before standing, and sauntered towards his door.
*****
Later that night, Garrett found himself in a much better mood. He'd gone home to work in his office, and had found the divorce papers he'd asked for already present. He'd filled them out and digitally sent a copy to the courthouse, where they would finalize his request. It wouldn't get rid of her, but it would make the divorce much more real.
From there, he'd gotten comfortable. He'd taken off his tie and suit jacket, and lounged in his office chair, flipping through emails and signing reports or delegating tasks to his team. He'd checked the sales numbers, and from there he'd almost thought to take the sales team on a nice vacation. Lord knows, everyone in the building could use one. This quarter had been a publicity nightmare. Perhaps Sarah would have some thoughts on that, too.
He decided then was as good a time as any to call her. If she weren't busy, she'd answer. They'd already established that Skype calls were not a priority. So as the phone rang and rang, he almost thought she wouldn't answer at all. Then the little image flickered to life, and there she was. Sarah: bright-eyed and blonde, her cheeks red with her smile lines. She wasn't looking at the camera, and that was probably a good thing. She was wearing only a white t-shirt and black underwear, and for a moment Garrett's mind flew in about fifteen different directions.
"Hello, Garrett; sorry, I'm sort of doing two things at once. How are you?" she asked, running her hand down her front to smooth the tissue-thin t-shirt down over her perky breasts. Garrett could see the taut peaks of her breasts through the shirt, and immediately his cock stirred in his pants. Jesus Christ, what was she trying to do to him? His restraint was only so good. He was only a man, after all.
"I'm fine, Sarah. I'm just done looking over your reports, and I've got two things to say: I'm impressed, and I'm sorry. I should have given you more time today. I was distracted, and these plans are just too good for my inattentiveness. I'm sorry." He paused and cleared his throat, "These plans, however, are perfect. How did you get the news crews to agree to cover it? How did you work a charity auction up so quickly? I know it's only a few days away, and this is incredible. You managed to get the room space as a receipt for a charitable donation because of the venue, and you orchestrated that the leftovers would go to the homeless. You're brilliant. Why isn't anyone hiring you?"
"Oh, thank you! You don't have to apologize to me. I know that...things have been very difficult for you lately. Trust me. I don't wish I was in your shoes with...her. But in any case; I thought this would be a good idea. They only need to be signed off on, and then I can put them into effect. I'll have to pull some late nights, but that's expected anyway," Sarah turned on her chair, spinning it back and forth and allowing Garrett a peek at the sheer underwear she wore, though her eyes were still glued to a screen to her right.
Garrett did his best not to groan. Oh, he wanted to give her quite a few late nights; his manhood already throbbing at the forbidden idea as he watched her. He cleared his throat, trying to get himself to focus. "Consider it all signed off. If you need any help, speak with Patricia in budget or come straight to me. I won't be in the office tomorrow... taking a personal day, and then the rest of the week I'll be in and out while I work the trade deal with Tiffany's. I'll see you then."
"Okay. Thank you so much, Garrett, I won't let you down!"
Garrett closed the window quickly, and pressed his fingers to his temples. Had she done that on purpose?