“Desiree, would you like to join me for the shareholder meeting with the accountants?”
I could see that she was stalling on answering and I wondered why. If she wanted to work here, getting exposed to the top people in the company was key to her success. Something was different about her. Her tiny nose wriggled for a moment, and it fascinated me.
“I think that you should give one of the other interns a chance.”
“I don’t want to have anyone else with me but you. I thought you wanted to get the job and be more than an intern?”
I know that I wasn’t being fair, but I had to see her, and I knew that it was a good angle to try. Well, I had thought that was the case, anyways.
“Yes, sir, and I thank you for the offer, but since I already went with you once before, I don’t want it to seem like I’m the teacher’s pet or something.”
“You’re having problems?”
“No, of course not.”
She was not telling the truth, and I felt a little guilt that she was being harassed because I couldn’t stop myself from asking her to go. Now I was going to be doing it again, and I shouldn’t. I should have said that I understood, done the right thing, but I pressed her to go with me instead.
“We can meet out front and no one has to know but Paul. Paul doesn’t care like the interns do. They are jealous because you’re competing against each other.”
She just kind of nodded and then started walking towards the elevator. I waited for a few minutes and then took the next one down. I felt a little sneaky doing it that way, but it only added to the anticipation. She hadn’t even asked where we were going or why we were going there. She just came with me, and I really liked that.
I passed her and tried not to respond like I wanted to. It was getting a little easier to hide my true thoughts. It was not something that I usually struggled with, but with Desiree my control had seemed a little off. I wasn’t able to stop myself from singling her out and pulling her away from the group. I hadn’t been able to help myself. Now I knew I was under control, and all I had to do was get her to understand how good it could be.
“Where are we going?”
“The meeting is downtown. It would be better if we just drove in together.”
“I didn’t know that it was going to be out of the building.”
“Are you that ready to get back to it?”
Anyone could tell that she wasn’t ready to go back and do what the rest of the interns were doing. I knew that she was being given a hard time, but it was not enough to keep her from wanting to escape completely.
Instead of answering she got in the car. I was finally about to get next to her properly. Our legs touched slightly and she fidgeted next to me. It was hard to forget that she was next to me, and there was no denying the stiffening in my body with her nearness. I felt like that would be my only shot, but I didn’t take advantage of it. I didn’t pull her to me and press my lips against her. When the car stopped and I still hadn’t done what I had set out to do, there was a slight feeling of failure and self-loathing. What was Desiree doing to me?
I kicked myself as I tried to keep the smile on my face. She didn’t seem to notice my inner turmoil, and I didn’t want her to. I was still coming to grips with feeling it in the first place. When I looked over, though, nothing else mattered but the smile on her face. I knew then that I never wanted her smile to fade.
We got out at the meeting and I was a complete gentleman. It didn’t stop some of the other people from flirting with our newest intern. I seethed inside when I saw her laughing and smiling with some of them. I was quickly becoming aware that I was the odd man out, and it was a strange feeling to have.
After the meeting, I decided that I wasn’t going to take her back to the office just yet. I wanted to talk to her and spend time with her. Desiree didn’t seem to mind that we were not on our way back. She was talking about one of the shareholders and a joke he had made. I was trying to pay attention to the words in her mouth, but it was easier to focus on her red lips.
When the car finally stopped, it took her a while to realize that we weren’t moving. She looked out the window and wondered what we were doing there. When she asked, I told her that we were there for an early dinner. I could tell she was put off by it for a minute, but then she seemed to change her mind.
“You don’t think that the other interns might be mad if we go out together?”
I shrugged and told her that I felt like she was already catching their ire.
“I know. I think they hate me, to be honest. I shouldn’t have come with you today.”
“But I’m the boss and you can’t say no.”
I watched the expression on her face change a little, and I wished that I hadn’t said anything. Would she take my words the wrong way? Did I mean it the way it suddenly sounded to my ears?
“A boss can only request things, Greg, not demand.”
She walked past me and my eyes went to her backside. I don’t know why her words stuck with me for so long. Maybe it was because it was the first time I had gotten an answer that was anything but yes. How was I supposed to keep control with Desiree when it was becoming harder with every passing minute?