Chapter 5
Declan
As much as I hated having to go into the office on Saturdays, this was one of those Saturdays where I had to make a quick appearance and pick up some of the paperwork I’d forgotten to grab earlier that morning.
As I was making my way down the long hallway toward my office, my assistant came out of one of the other offices.
“Hey, tiger!” she said with an openly flirtatious grin.
“Oh. Hello, Vivian,” I said, attempting to be friendly. I hadn’t expected to see the bubbly, big-breasted blonde at the office so early on a Saturday morning. “What are you doing here on a weekend morning?”
“Oh, I just came in to do a favor for Charles. He asked me to update some of the files in his computer and he needed it all done by Monday, so, here I am.” She came right up to me and reached out to straighten my tie.
“What are you doing?” I asked, looking at her uneasily.
“There,” she said with a satisfied smile. “That’s better.” She ran her hand down my tie as she looked at me intently with those deep blue eyes of hers.
She was dressed in a long, form-fitting yellow dress and a pair of matching stiletto sandals that made her appear to be at least four inches taller than she actually was. Her breasts were pressed together in a push-up bra and the top of her sundress dipped down into a V-shape, exposing the top half of both her tits. The dress looked like it belonged in a dance club rather than a business office, but that was just how Vivian was.
She was actually very good at her job, which was why my father let her get away with her racy outfits and flirtatious behavior. Of course, I’d never seen her flirt with anyone else in the office other than me. She was always lively and vivacious with everyone who worked in the building, but she seemed a little bit overly playful when it came to her interactions with me.
“Looking forward to that celebratory drink next week!” she said with a wink as she turned around and sashayed down the hall.
I cleared my throat and continued toward my office. The paperwork I needed was sitting in a neat little stack on my desk. I snatched it up and headed for the copy room. Just my luck, Vivian was already in there running off copies of a flyer.
“Hey, are you following me, big guy?” she asked teasingly, turning toward me with a coy grin on her face.
“Not at all, Vivian,” I replied, straightening the papers in my hands.
“Bummer,” she said, playfully poking out her bottom lip.
“I just need to get these copies made so I can take them to the event this afternoon,” I explained.
“Oh? You’re going to that thing downtown?”
“Yep. That prospective client I told you about is supposed to be there,” I said.
“Oh, really? Sounds interesting,” she replied as she picked up the copies she’d made. As she moved toward the door, she stopped directly in front of me and gazed up into my eyes.
“Are you…hungover?” she suddenly asked. “You look tired.”
“Not really. Just had a late night, that’s all,” I replied.
“Oh, really? That account rep keep you out late?” she inquired, cocking her head to the side.
“Uh, no, actually. I met someone and spent the evening with her,” I said proudly. It had been one of the best nights of my life, in fact, but I didn’t say that to Vivian.
She looked disappointed by my statement. She darted her eyes away for a second and then her smile immediately returned.
“How nice for you, then,” she said sweetly as she abruptly turned on her heels and continued on her way.
* * * * *
The large gymnasium at the inner-city community center was crowded with children and adults alike. Everyone seemed excited and in good spirits. As I made my way up to the podium to speak, I saw a slender brunette helping some of the other volunteers set up tables, and I recognized Emma immediately. I went over to her and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and her eyes widened in surprise.
“Hey, are you stalking me or something?” she asked teasingly.
“Or something,” I teased back.
Just then, one of my assistants, a young guy named Jonathan Mathers, called out to me,
“Mr. Erikson! I have something you need to see!”
“Excuse me for a moment,” I said to Emma as I went over to see what was going on.
My prospective client was supposed to have been at the event half an hour ago as the surprise guest speaker, but he still hadn’t arrived and I hadn’t heard from him, either.
“Sir, your guest speaker’s rep just called and said that a personal matter came up and he won’t be able to make it.”
“Shit,” I cursed under my breath. “Okay, I’ll just say an apology on his behalf.”
I went up to the podium in the front of the gym and everyone quieted down. I cleared my throat before beginning to speak.
“Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you all for coming out today. As you know, Erikson, Inc. is delighted to be able to fund this sports equipment program for our inner-city schools. Unfortunately, our surprise guest speaker is unable to make it today, but he wanted me to apologize on his behalf.” Mutters and sounds of disappoint filled the gymnasium. “However, we still have an exciting afternoon planned for you, with lots of fun activities, free food, and free t-shirts. So let’s get this party started, everyone!”
This time, a roar of applause rang out around the large gym and I smiled, took a bow, and left the podium.