Chapter 27 Amelia
Amelia
Crawford follows through on his threat of three fucks before nine. By the time I leave his office, my whole body is aching, and I’m sore in the best way as I sit down at my desk.
The morning turns out to be surprisingly busy, with Crawford leaving about an hour before lunch.
On my way back from my fifth printer run that afternoon, my phone lights up, and when I answer, I’m surprised to hear Crawford’s voice on the other end. I can hear the chopper whirring in the background.
“Amelia, I’m going to be late for my meeting with Barnes.” He says, sounding exasperated. “He’s already pissed enough without me being late. Could you please get him a coffee and make him feel at home until I get there?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you. He’s gonna be an asshole. If he’s rude to you, just leave him be, and I’ll deal with him when I get there.”
“How long will you be?”
“I hope less than an hour, but the weather is shitty, and my pilot says we might have to land to wait for the fog to clear. My morning started so fucking well, too.” His voice drops an octave as I feel my cheeks heat. “I like it when you blush,” he murmurs before hanging up.
I calculate that I have about ten minutes until Barnes shows up. I fire off as many emails as I can before he’s due to arrive, and then go into Crawford’s office.
I’m just adding milk to the coffee machine when I hear voices outside. Walking out of the office hurriedly, I find Franklin Barnes standing by my desk.
His mouth is set in a grim line, and there’s a man in a suit behind him whose dark green eyes sweep over me, his lips twisting into a grimace.
“Mr. Barnes?” I say quickly. “My name’s Amelia Brooks, I’m Mr. Crawford’s executive assistant. Would you like to come in?”
Barnes stares at me, his eyes discreetly moving over my figure and back again.
“Where’s Crawford?” he asks.
“He’s on his way.”
Barnes scoffs, glancing at the guy behind him. “Typical. He can’t even be on time for an important meeting. You can go get that coffee, Kyle. I doubt he’ll be back any time soon. Typical big-shot billionaire, doesn’t care about anyone else’s schedule.”
I say nothing, quietly seething at his derisive tone, but I’m relieved to see ‘Kyle’ wander away. Barnes comes into Crawford’s office, and I push the door almost closed as I indicate he should sit in one of the chairs.
“Jesus, this place is like the Arctic,” Barnes mutters, looking around.
“Are you cold? I can turn up the heat,” I say. His mouth twists again, but this time in the tiniest of smiles.
“I meant the color scheme.”
“Oh, right. Mr. Crawford likes clean lines and different shades of white,” I say and head to the machine. “Can I get you a coffee? There are cookies too,” I say.
While I was waiting, I researched Barnes and learned that he has a sweet tooth. A rush of satisfaction moves through me as his eyes light up when they land on the huge chocolate chip cookies on the desk.
“Well, those I won’t say no to,” he says, picking one up as he takes a seat. “I’ll have an Americano as well, thanks.” I start making it, feeling his eyes on me. “How long have you worked with Crawford?”
I glance back at him. “Only a few weeks.”
“And do you like working for him?”
“I do,” I answer honestly. I find myself blushing again while I think about this morning.
The only sound for the next few minutes is the machine. Once I have the coffees ready, I take them over.
I hover, knowing from experience that men like Barnes sometimes relish their privacy. I hand him his coffee and step away very deliberately.
“Mr. Crawford asked me to make sure you’re comfortable,” I say. “But if you’d rather have some time alone, I’ll be just outside.”
His mouth kicks up at the corners. “Do many men turn down the chance to sit with you?” he asks.
“I wouldn’t know, I don’t offer to do it with very many.”
He lets out a bark of laughter and nods to the seat beside him as I sit down.
I’m aware that many men in his position might treat me in a certain way because of my looks. I’m not na?ve enough to believe that he wants to talk to me out of the goodness of his heart, but Barnes isn’t what I expected.
I can’t put my finger on what makes me feel comfortable around him. He’s like Ambrose, allowing people their space. It’s unusual. A lot of men in his position are lecherous creeps.
“So, Miss Brooks, was it?” I nod. “He’s asked you to entertain me,” he leans back in his chair. “What shall we talk about?”
“I’m not sure,” I say. “Why do you have flamingos on your tie?” I ask impulsively.
Barnes’s eyes widen in surprise, and then he grins. “My son bought it for me. Apparently, flamingos are his favorite bird.”
I squint at it. “Is the one at the bottom playing a guitar?” I ask incredulously.
Barnes picks up the tie, raising his eyebrows. “Well, would you look at that? So it is. I never noticed. I hope none of them are doing anything rude, that would be just like Justin. He loves that kind of thing.”
I sip my coffee as he drops his tie again and glances around the office.
“You know, I don’t understand spaces like this.
I’d have to have some color in my life, or I’d go nuts.
How does he find anything in here? It all looks the same.
I have to have towering stacks of paper on my desk, or I don’t feel like I’m working.
The digital age is really destroying my love of clutter. ”
“Very true,” I say. “Although the color scheme is growing on me.”
“It’s interesting, I’ll give him that. But, damn, what a view.”
“Are your offices like this?” I ask, glancing out the windows at the city.
He rolls his eyes. “No, we’re in a single story building and there’s a lot of dark green and burgundy in the common spaces.
I’m old-fashioned, as Crawford has no doubt told you.
I’m sure all the young men who work for me would much prefer his style to mine.
I’m a dinosaur, really, that’s why I’m selling.
New blood. New vision. That’s what we need… apparently.”
“You don’t seem all that happy about it,” I say, before I can bite the words back, and his eyes sharpen.
He stares at me for a long time, and I swallow, realizing how this could look.
“Sorry,” I say hurriedly. “This isn’t some kind of setup. Crawford asked me to make you a coffee, not pepper you with questions. It’s just… I was in the meeting the other day. You didn’t seem enthusiastic about the sale.”
Barnes places his mug down beside him and leans forward.
“My son, who bought me this tie, is employed at my company. So is my daughter; she’s about your age.
I know Crawford thinks I’m crazy for wanting to give them three years of security, but I need to know my family is protected.
He has a vision for what he wants to do, and I wouldn’t be selling to him if I didn’t think he’d make us a profit in the future. But ruthlessness is in his blood.”
He pauses, as if waiting for me to refute that, but I stay quiet.
“Crawford is buying us out because we have potential. But with potential comes greed,” Barnes continues. “I suppose there’s a part of me that feels as if I’m giving up on my family, my employees. That once I’m gone, everything I’ve built will come crashing down.”
He sighs, leaning back in his chair, and there’s a ring of truth in what he says. He appears to have genuinely opened up to me, which I wasn’t expecting.
I nod, placing my own mug beside his. It’s very quiet in the office, as if it’s just the two of us in the whole building.
“Family is important,” I say solemnly. “My sister is my whole life. I know what it’s like to choose between long-term and short-term gain.
All I will say is that I believe Mr. Crawford wants the best for your company.
He may be ruthless, but he recognizes what you’re offering.
He’s talked about trying to save as many jobs as he can.
I don’t think he’s being dishonest about that. ”
I rise, smoothing down my skirt as I hear my phone ringing at my desk.
“Tell him what you want,” I say firmly. “What you really want. If all restraints were lifted, how would you move forward? He isn’t an unreasonable man, and I think he’d rather listen than argue.”
Barnes rises from his chair, and he holds out a hand to me.
“What did you have to choose between?” he asks as I shake it.
“For what?”
“You said you know what it’s like to choose between long and short-term gain. Was that about your family?”
I wonder if he’s asking to be polite, but the same fierce focus remains in his eyes as I find myself speaking before I think about what I’m about to say.
“I’m moving my younger sister away from my parents.
They love her in their way, and in the short term, it’s easier.
But long-term, they’re not going to help us move on in life.
She’s better off without them. It’s hard, but it’s for the best. If you don’t mind me saying so, Mr. Barnes, it seems to me that you have the opposite choice to make. ”
I shake his hand, walking out of the office to answer the phone.
I wonder if I shouldn’t have said anything, or if Crawford will be furious with me for overstepping my bounds as an EA. But there was a light in Barnes’s eyes when I left the room that wasn’t there before.
Maybe some of what I said got through.