Chapter 15
15
Andrew
Lying to ourselves is sometimes the best medicine.
I thought it would feel like any other regular workday when I walked into the office this morning. But disappointment set in the moment I saw the empty reception desk.
We’re just friends . . .
Don’t think about Ice Cream Drew or her tongue licking the pink ice cream. Fuck, that’s going to be a hard memory to erase. It’s just too good to forget.
So what if I enjoy seeing Juni Jacobs on a regular basis? That’s normal. Men and women can be friends. Look at Dalen and me.
Just because I’ve had thoughts of having sex with Juni in my office doesn’t mean a thing. I shake my head and hurry to said office to hide out before she shows up.
I’m so fucked.
I need to clear my head. I’m at work, for fuck’s sake, and these kinds of thoughts could lead to me being fired. Can I be fired? Basically, Juni’s turned me into an asshole.
Although she’s not entirely to blame. I can squarely place a lot of responsibility on that damn black skirt of hers. I wish I’d never seen it. I wouldn’t be losing my fucking mind if I hadn’t.
I’m greeted by a few other early birds on my way down the hall. When I approach my door, I notice it’s already open. That’s odd. I distinctly remember locking it last night. Mary and the night janitor are the only two people with keys.
I slowly push it open and look inside to find Juni standing in front of my desk wearing another skirt that highlights her curves and high fucking heels again.
Nick is right. Juni is tempting me into an ethics code violation.
Although it’s confusing to riddle through her different sides. I’m starting to get a fuller picture. She’s become two sides of the same person. There’s work Juni and then the one I hung out with last night.
Not sure I can say much since she pegged me as Ice Cream Drew and CEO Andrew. I knock and then walk in. “May I help you?”
She jumps, a gasp forced out as she holds her hand on her chest. “Oh my God, Andrew. Why are you sneaking around? You scared the crap out of me.”
“I wasn’t sneaking around,” I say, peering outside my office just in case anyone heard her. Our office is full of lookie-loos and listening-lindas. What office doesn’t love a little gossip?
Fortunately, it’s still early enough that no one is in the area. “What are you doing in here?” I cover the distance to my desk in five steps and then settle into my chair. “And at work, you should call me Mr. Christiansen like everyone else.”
“To your face.”
Although I’ve been trying to avoid looking directly at her because I know my gaze will travel lower than her eyes, that comment has me locked on her. “What does that mean?”
“Nothing. Isn’t that what you like to say?” Her sass is in full swing, and I’m wondering what’s gotten into her.
“Is something wrong, Ms. Jacobs?”
“For future reference,” she starts, her fingertips whitening against the wood of my desk. “Good morning is a nice way to greet someone you’re seeing for the first time that day. Or good afternoon and evening depending on the hour.”
I rock back in my chair, highly entertained by her, even if she forgot whose company this is. “Good morning, Ms. Jacobs.”
“Good morning to you, Mr . Christiansen.” My name leaves her lips like a dirty word she can’t wait to spit. She presents two cups of coffee on the corner of my desk.
“Are we having coffee together?”
“Did you confuse me for Jen?”
Chuckling lightly, I like the fire she’s burning inside this morning. You know what would be good to cool her down? Deep. Pink. Cream. “Is it hot in here?” I ask, tugging at my collar.
“No. It’s seventy-one degrees. Just how you like it.”
“How do you know that? I didn’t even know that.”
She smirks and sits at the edge of the chair in front of me. “Melissa gave me a manual.”
“I could use a copy.”
“Couldn’t we all. Anyway, I brought you coffee to try. The brand served in the break room has a terrible aftertaste, and I also have noticed that a lot of employees are venturing to buy coffee in the lobby, or even more of a time waste—down the street—between two and four PM.” She shakes her head. “Now, don’t get me wrong. Getting out into the sunshine is a good thing. Sometimes we need a break. A little dose of serotonin goes a long way for a productive workday. But that takes them away from the office for about twenty-five minutes. Then they chat as they head back to their desks, which brings it in around forty minutes. According to the manual, a break outside of lunch should only take fifteen to twenty minutes max.” She picks up the cups and sets them in front of me with a big smile as an accompaniment. “A or B?”
I’m still a little stuck on the serotonin benefits, and noticed break times my staff were taking. Laurie was impressed with Juni for a valid reason.
Just as I pick up A to try, she adds, “Be honest if you like it or not. This is just the beginning in the search for the perfect coffee, but I think I found a great contender in the Blue Ridge brand.”
Seeing her proud of her efforts as she waits for me to pick my favorite has me wanting her approval. I don’t know which one is the Blue Ridge brand. I taste the B cup. Now I’m thinking about her tits. Fuck.
I think she’s bigger than a B, full C maybe. “B.” I clear my throat and busy myself with business cards on my desk. I’m such an asshole.
Her hands fly together, clasping in front of her. “Really?”
“Really,” I reply, keeping my eyes in front of me as I shuffle through six cards for window cleaners that Mary left on my desk yesterday. Why am I involved in that decision? Doesn’t the building handle that?
Juni’s still standing in front of me, silent as a mouse. When I dare to look up, she says, “I think the Blue Ridge is a nice upgrade, but not as smooth as I think we deserve. If we can keep employees in the office versus leaving, we can add more minutes of productivity into the day, thus potentially increasing the bottom line.”
Studying the B cup in my hand, my gaze goes to her when she stands. “Wow, and here I just wanted a better-tasting coffee.”
“That too.” She taps my desk and then turns, walking to the door. “Also, Blue Ridge costs 12.48% less than our current brand. I love a good deal.”
I thought the skirt would be a problem. I never saw her rattling off figures as the next weapon she’d use to distract me. She plays unfairly.
Thinking she was about to leave, I say, “Before you go?—”
“Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere just yet.” She turns and paces back, but then she detours to the couch, sitting down. “I’ve been thinking.” Stealing a moment to herself, she glances out the window. Pretty sure I need to expect the unexpected with her after she works through her train of thought.
I click the main TV on but am quick to mute it. Stressing that someone might see us, I ask, “About?” hoping to move this along before more people arrive in the office.
“How this is going to work.”
I turn on the other two screens that hang beside the TV, preparing to watch the market. “We already know how this is going to work.”
“Which is?”
“You’re going to fulfill your job duties, and I’m going to do mine. See? It was already settled the day we were hired. Unless you want to go above and beyond. That’s always welcome at CWM.”
“That sounds naughty. I’m going to need more details on that.”
I can’t say she’s wrong, but we are at work, and I’m still wondering if we can push our private lives aside during business hours. “No. This is inappropriate on so many levels.”
Leaning back on the couch, she crosses her legs as if she wants to spend some quality time together. “Also, for the record, when you’re not grumpy, like just now, I feel like you’ve become smart-assy since we became friends.”
“You might be right, or maybe we’re just at a level to drop our pants.” What? Shit. I cringe inside. Did I really just say that?
Her head jerks back on her neck. “Drop our pants? What does that mean?”
“Pretenses.” Do I really have to explain this ? Play it off.
“If it means pretenses, then why don’t you just say drop all pretenses?”
Good question. “I don’t know. It’s a phrase that’s out there, so I use it.”
“Maybe it’s used in a locker room where guys are dropping their pants, but not anywhere else.”
We’re getting bogged down in the nonsense. I also can’t believe I slipped up like that. Fuck. She throws me off my game. “Let’s move on from this conversation and pretend it never happened.”
“I can agree to that.”
“You should probably go to your desk.”
She stands, maneuvering in this skirt better than the last time. Saluting me, she says, “Yes, sir, Mr. Christiansen.”
Right before she reaches the door, Mary enters. Her eyes pivot between the two of us suspiciously. “Good morning, Juni. Andrew.”
I’m hit with an evil eye from Juni just before she tamps it down. She takes a breath and then grits, “Good morning,” between tight lips.
Yeah, that didn’t go over well. Pretending to look for a certain email, I keep my eyes on my monitor as my inbox lights up the screen. “Good morning, Mary.”
Juni is almost through the doorway when I say, “I’ll approve the plant expenditure, Ms. Jacobs.”
She turns back with less anger in her eyes. “Anything I want?”
“You can get anything you want.”
Pushing her shoulders back, she raises her chin. “Thank you, Mr. Christiansen.”
Mary shifts to the side, including both of us. “Are we getting plants for the office? There’s a pretty one in the break room.”
“It’s fake,” Juni and I both respond.
Looking between us, she clears her throat. “Right then. I have your schedule.”
Juni adds, “Have a great day, Mary.” I receive a narrowed glare instead of warm wishes. I thought the approval for plants would make her happy, but I think she’s thrown the first gauntlet. Or maybe I did when I told her to call me by my formal name but allowed Mary the opposite. Either way, a battle has begun, and I know one thing for certain—she’s not going to let me live it down.
“You too, Juni.”
The door is left open behind her when she leaves. Mary moves into action, setting the printed paper on my desk and sitting so we can confirm each meeting. My mind is elsewhere, though.
We work through the schedule, putting a game plan into place. I scrub over my face to wake up since I’m struggling to concentrate. It’s only eight fifteen. I knew I should have gone to the gym. After being out late with Juni, I slept in and now look at me. It didn’t do me any favors.
Mary stands with her pad in hand. “Any questions, or do you need anything?” Her eyes spy the two coffee cups, and she adds, “Looks like you’re set for coffee today.”
I’m quickly reminded of one thing that bugged me all night. “Did Justin get fired?”
Surprise filters across her face. Mary’s not one to gossip, but she looks over her shoulder to check that we’re alone. “I believe so, but I don’t have any details.”
“Thank you. That will be all.”
I probably sit for thirty minutes before I send my chair rolling backward and stalk down the hall to Laurie’s office. I hear Juni answering the phone when I pass the corner that leads to the elevators. I keep going, getting madder with every step I take closer to that asshole’s cubicle . . . former cubicle.
After I knock twice, I hear, “Come in.” Laurie stands when she sees me. “Yes, Andrew?”
Although she gestures for me to sit, I close the door and remain standing. “I heard Justin was fired.”
“Ah.” She sits back down and tucks her legs under the desk. “He was. He’d been warned twice prior. That was his third?—”
“Why are we waiting for someone to commit three offenses against one of our other employees before it’s handled?” I like Laurie, so I put my hands in my pockets, hoping it makes me appear less intimidating. Not that she ever has been, but by how she’s exhaling so slowly, she appears to be trying to settle her nerves.
“That’s standard practice, sir.”
It was a simple answer and a great reminder. “We don’t want to be standard. We want to be exceptional. I understand policy and procedure, but we also owe our employees a safe environment. Look into updating the policies and get with legal. Modern times call for change. Please have something on my desk by the end of the day.”
“I’ll get with Joseph right now.”
“One more thing.”
She asks, “Yes?”
“What exactly did Justin say to Ms. Jacobs?”