Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Lorelei
I took my sketchbook to Central Park and sat under the tree to sketch and eat my lunch. It was a beautiful September day, and I needed to get out of the office. Between the spilled coffee and the condom buying, I was already exhausted, and my day was only half over. I couldn’t stop thinking about Hope and wishing I could be there after school to pick her up. Getting back into the work routine after being off for two months was hard. As I was sketching, my business phone rang.
“Hello.”
“Where are you?” Jack asked.
“I’m on lunch. I told you I was leaving.”
“That’s right. I forgot. On your way back, stop at Pickle Deli and pick me up a corned beef sandwich. Just tell them it’s for me. They know exactly how I like it.”
“Yes, Mr. Sutton.”
Click.
I took the phone from my ear and looked at it. Couldn’t he say thank you or goodbye? This job was going to be challenging. Correction, Jack Sutton was going to be challenging, but I had no choice. I needed this job, especially if I was thinking about moving.
I arrived back at the office and set the brown paper bag on his desk.
“Thank you, Lorelei.” He smiled.
Hmm. Why was he being so nice? Maybe he was feeling bad about earlier, but I doubted it.
“You’re welcome.”
“How was your lunch?” he asked.
“Fine.”
“What did you do?”
“Went to Central Park.”
Why was he concerned about what I did on my own time?
“And did what?”
“Ate my lunch.” I frowned.
“So, you brought your own lunch?”
“Yes. Is there a rule against that?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I was just curious.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. Now go back to your desk and let me eat.”
I walked out in confusion. He was the one who started asking me questions.
It was finally five o’clock, and I couldn’t have been happier. I raced over to my mom’s house; the three of them had just sat down for dinner.
“Mommy!” Hope shouted as she got up from the table and ran to me.
“Hi, baby. How was your day?”
“It was good. Grandma took me for ice cream after school.”
“She spoils you.” I smiled.
“Sit down and have some dinner,” Nick spoke to me.
I walked over, kissed his cheek, and then walked over to my mom.
“You look tired, honey.”
“I am. It was a long first day.”
After dinner, I took Hope home and put her in the bathtub. Once I read her a bedtime story, I kissed her good night and went to my room. After changing into my pajamas, I climbed into bed and thumbed through the Sutton Magazine I had bought on the way home. Suddenly, my phone dinged. I reached over and grabbed it from the nightstand. Shit. It was my business phone that went off. I got out of bed and reached into my purse. Pulling it out and climbing back into bed, I noticed a text message from Jack.
“Before you come in the office tomorrow, in fact, make it every morning. I want you to stop at Starbucks and get me a Venti Americano with a triple shot of espresso. But make sure you’re at the office at eight sharp.”
“Yes, Mr. Sutton.”
“Enjoy the rest of your evening, Lorelei.”
“You too.”
“Try not to spill coffee on me tomorrow.”
He was never going to let that one go.
“Don’t invade my personal space, and I won’t.”
Good. That remark shut him up. I’d had my fill of Mr. Jack Sutton for the day, and all I wanted to do was go to sleep and forget about him.
Jack
I couldn’t help but smile when I saw her reply. She was the first of any one of my PAs to talk back to me, and it turned me on. She wasn’t like the others. She would smile at me numerous times as I walked past her desk. But I wasn’t sure if it was a genuine or a fuck-you smile. Even after yelling at her as I did, she still smiled at me. She had a beautiful smile that matched her cute little nose and her beautiful face.
“Who, may I ask, are you texting?” my mother asked as she walked into the living room.
“My PA. I need to make sure she gets my coffee in the morning.”
“You better be nice to her,” Coco spoke as she followed behind my mother.
“Why does everyone keep telling me that? I am nice.”
“Ha. Not after what I saw today.”
“That was just a misunderstanding, sis.”
“Some misunderstanding when the entire floor heard you yelling at the poor girl. Franny was practically hiding under her desk.”
“Jesus, stop exaggerating. Anyway, I’m going to go.” I kissed Coco and my mother on their cheeks and met Tony outside.
The next morning, at approximately seven fifty-eight, I was sitting at my desk waiting for my coffee to be delivered. She had exactly two minutes or else. I left my office door open so she could just bring it in without knocking. It was eight o’clock when she pranced through the door.
“Good morning. Here’s your coffee.” She smiled as she set the cup down on my desk.
“I was starting to get worried that you’d be late.”
“Really? I’ve been here for at least ten minutes.”
I cocked my head at her and narrowed my eyes. “Where? You weren’t at your desk.”
“No. I wasn’t. You said to be here at eight sharp.” She looked at the clock on the wall. “It’s eight sharp.” She smirked.
“Then where were you?” I asked with irritation.
“Around.”
“So, you’ve been walking around with my coffee for the last ten minutes?”
“Yep.” She slowly nodded her head.
I pursed my lips tightly and inhaled a sharp breath.
“It better not be cold, Lorelei.”
“It’s not.” She smiled as she walked out and shut the door behind her.
I was trying my best not to yell. I picked up my coffee and took a sip. It was still hot. Good thing for her it was.