- Ella -
ow’s the new job treating you?” Jackie asked.
“How was your burrito?”
“How did you?... Oh that’s attractive,” she said, picking a black bean off her shirt.
“Can you move your webcam so I don’t have to stare at your chest while we’re talking?” I asked, shaking some red nail polish.
“Sorry.” She tilted her screen so I could see her face.
“That’s better.”
“And the burrito was good, thanks. At least the parts that made it into my mouth.”
I smiled.
“So tell me about working for the sexiest man in New York.”
“He might even be the sexiest man in the country. The guy just drips sex appeal.”
“And you’ve only seen him in his clothes.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Oh my god you have only seen him in his clothes, right?”
“Yes. Obviously. Why? What’s he hiding?”
“I wish I could say I knew firsthand. All I know is that the girls in wardrobe talked about his abs for a good two weeks after he was here.”
“They’re that good, huh?”
“Apparently he’s a total gym rat.”
I put my foot on a magazine in front of me and unscrewed the polish. “Well that’s not intimidating at all.”
“I guess if Trevor asks me for your address again, I’ll just tell him you’re too busy sleeping with your millionaire boss to take his calls.”
“There are so many things wrong with that sentence I don’t know where to start.” I fixed my eyes on hers. “First of all, I’m pretty sure he’s a billionaire.”
“Ha! Brilliant. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to offend either of you by suggesting he was a mere millionaire.”
“Second, you shouldn’t respond to notes from Trevor for any reason. No matter how good he is as getting you to feel bad for him.”
“He is good at that. I think it’s probably why you pity-dated him for so long.”
“And most of all, I’m not sleeping with my boss.” I was only fantasizing about it in my spare time.
“Yet. You aren’t sleeping with him yet.”
I rested my chin on my knee and focused on my toes. “What makes you so sure that’s where things are headed?”
She put her hands on her head. “So many reasons! Where do I start?”
I raised my eyes towards the laptop where it sat at the end of my bed.
“First of all, you can never tell when a guy likes you so I can’t trust your judgment at all.”
“That’s not true.”
“Yes it is. You’re beyond dense. Subtlety is lost on you.”
“No it’s not.”
“I can’t even humor you on that so let’s move on.”
“Let’s,” I said, annoyed. I wasn’t stupid. I could tell if a guy was blatantly flirting with me, and Will hadn’t done anything blatant. Or had he?
“Plus, I’m sure the guy is a sex machine.”
“How do you know that?”
“Cause he’s like the poster boy for everything that’s sexy and powerful. I mean, everything about the guy works overtime. I don’t see why his libido wouldn’t be the same.”
“But basically this is all just based on your own unfounded theories?”
I heard the pitter patter of something on her desk.
“What was that?”
“Skittles.” She held up a purple one and plopped it in her mouth. “Look, my theories are not totally unfounded. I was on the set for all the bachelors’ shoots this year and every single one of them is known for having an insatiable sexual appetite.”
My chest felt tight. “Even Will?”
“More like with the exception of Will.”
“So you don’t know what you’re talking about?”
“The only reason I can’t prove it is because the guy is super private, but I can’t see why he wouldn’t be a freak like all the others.”
I looked down at my toes. “Maybe he’s gay.”
“Oh my god you like him!”
“Of course I do. He’s a nice man.”
“No. I could tell by your face that you don’t think he’s gay.”
“No. I don’t think he’s gay. But I’m still never going to sleep with him.”
Jackie scowled at me.
“He’s my boss, Jackie.”
She leaned her head back and dropped a handful of Skittles in her mouth.
“If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have this sweet job that I need so bad. I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize it. No matter how hard it is.”
“More like no matter how hard he is,” she said, covering her full mouth.
I shook my head. “I want him to think highly of me. If I spread my legs I’d just be like every other woman he meets all day every day. I want him to know I’m different.”
“I know what you’re saying makes sense. It’s just not nearly as interesting for me.”
I laughed. “Sorry to be such a bore.”
“It’s okay.” She took out her ponytail and put it back up.
“If I don’t blow it, this job could get me out of deep shit.”
“And your Mom’s place.”
“Exactly.”
She sighed. “All right. I know you’re more into losers anyway.”
“It’s not that I’m into losers. I just seem to attract them.”
“And then fall for them.”
“Which is why I’m not sleeping with anyone until I get my career going.”
“So lame, but whatever.”
“I might not even get to keep this job much longer if I don’t think of something amazing by Friday.”
“Why? What’s Friday?”
“I’m going to dinner with Will to tell him my concept for the party.”
“Dinner?”
“Yeah.”
“Sounds serious.” Her face was so smug I wished I could reach through the screen and slap her.
“It’s part of my raffle prize. Plus he’s too busy to do it any other time.”
“Are you sure? That sounds pretty suspicious to me.”
“That’s what he said anyway.”
“And he hasn’t done anything else that seemed unprofessional or flirtatious?”
I wasn’t sure if I should tell her. She could be so incorrigible.
“Ella?” She leaned in towards her camera lens. “What are you not telling me?”
I looked down at my toes and tried as hard as I could to sound matter of fact. “He did get me flowers.”
“What?! Why?”
“Just as a welcoming gesture, I guess.”
“Like a dozen yellow carnations or a big ass medley in a glass vase.”
“A big ass medley.”
“Oh my god. This is by far the most exciting thing that has never happened to me!”
“Settle down. I’m sure he gets everyone flowers when they start. Why wouldn’t he? It’s not like he can’t afford it.”
“True.” She rested her chin in her hands. “So let me make sure I’ve got this straight. He hired you even though you have no experience. Then he got you a gorgeous bouquet of flowers. And now he’s asked you to go to dinner with him on Friday?”
“At his favorite restaurant.”
She clapped her hands in front of her. “At his favorite restaurant!”
I screwed the lid back on the polish.
“You know what? You’re right. I think that sounds like totally normal boss behavior. He clearly has nothing in mind except for his career. I want to apologize for implying he might be having any impure thoughts about you whatsoever.”
Her sarcasm was so thick I half expected her to choke on her words.
“I hope you have a very professional dinner on Friday, and I’m sure if he does anything that impresses you it will be entirely coincidental.”
“Are you done?” I asked. “I don’t appreciate being mocked.”
“I just can’t wait for you to call me and tell me I was right.”
“Don’t hold your breath. That won’t be happening.”
“Oh Ella. Poor naïve, Ella.” She shook her head. “You better be careful.”
“Or what?”
“Or this guy will wreck you.”
“He’ll do no such thing,” I said, scrolling over the end call button. “But I have to go or I won’t get to keep my job or your fantasies alive.”
“Please do then.” She puckered her lips. “Mwah. Chat soon.”
After ending the call, I grabbed the single flower that was lying on my nightstand and brought it to my nose. If I closed my eyes, it still smelled as lovely as if the whole bouquet was surrounding it.
Jackie was a pain in the ass- my favorite pain in the ass- but still a pain. At the same time, part of me hoped she was right. Part of me wanted Will to want me even though I knew it wouldn’t make anything easier. Even the thought of his five o’clock shadow made my insides curl. But I needed to focus. Because if I couldn’t come up with an idea that would impress him by the time we had dinner, my job- and the opportunity to get to know him better- would be over before it even began.