Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Madison
I fell asleep before we arrived at the venue. And the way I was awoken made me want to die. I heard a knock on the window, and when I opened my eyes, all I could see was my gorgeous boss with his dark wavy hair and blue eyes staring down at me. There was no expression on his face as he watched me, but I was sure it was nothing short of disgust. Instantly, I jumped up, and as a result, both hit my head against the roof and further injured my neck.
“Fuck,” I cursed as my hand curved around it, and when I turned to look at him, I saw his eyes narrow. Then, without a word, he turned around and headed into the hotel.
“I thought you’d wake up when we stopped, ma’am,” the chauffeur said, “You must be jet-lagged.”
“Yeah,” I replied hurriedly, got out of the car, and went after him.
The hotel was majestic, not like ours since it was the best and most expensive, but this was just equally gorgeous. I was so distracted by the sights, however, when I saw Mr. Swift heading towards the elevator. I noticed that even after one emptied, one opened and closed, he remained waiting. I quickened my step, and soon I was by his side, brushing the loosened mess that my hair had become from dozing off in the car.
He turned to me then and watched me for so long I had to turn away. I was sure now that he was thinking of firing me. With what happened that morning and with how sloppy I had been all day; he was now for sure wondering why he had ever even kept me around in the first place.
“You’re tired,” he said. “I don’t need you for this; it's just a networking event. Go back to the hotel, rest, and get ready for the dinner this evening.”
I stared at him in shock. Immediately tears started to gather in my eyes because this, for sure, meant I was getting fired, right? How could he attend such an event without his secretary?
“Sir, there are some faces I am able to recognize. I have studied them and gotten ready for the meeting, so I’ll be able to help you out.”
“No need,” he replied. “I don’t have to recall any faces. I'm not here for them; they're here because of me. Whoever wants to be acknowledged by me can damn well introduce themselves.”
I stared at him, feeling even more terrified.
“Um...” I looked around, reluctant to leave, and to my further surprise, he reversed his offer, but this time, what he did was even more outrageous.
“If you don’t want to go all the way back to the hotel, then why not just get a room here?” he asked.
My eyes widened.
The elevator dinged open again, and without a word, he headed in.
“You have my card, don’t you? Use it as you wish.”
I instantly darted forward and slammed my hand against the steel doors to keep them from closing.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I'm not sleepy, and I really don't want to sleep right now. I want to work.”
He watched me, and then he sighed.
“This is not a discussion. If you don’t want to take a nap, then find something else to do. This hotel should have a spa and a boutique or whatever. Get a treatment to get rid of those bags under your eyes and buy a dress. It shouldn’t be a bulky dress. Buy something alluring and let your hair down or something. Not a bun like this.”
I was so confused at his instructions.
“What? I mean, why, Sir?”
“Don’t we have a dinner with the Swedish clients tonight?” he asked. “That's what your preparation is for.”
Stunned, I removed my hand from the door and could only stand in confusion and awe.
“Also,” he said before the door fully closed. “Don’t wear your glasses. You obviously don't need them at all.”
The door slid shut, and as always, I reached to push the lenses up my nose but found absolutely nothing there.
“Holy shit!”
I spun around and once again winced at the pain in my neck. By the time this day is over, I am pretty sure that my head is going to completely fall off. But that soon became the least of my worries when I realized that my glasses were nowhere to be found. I thought about this and soon concluded that they had fallen off back in the car when I had been startled awake. And since I truly didn't need them, I hadn’t even noticed that they were gone.
I slapped my hand against my forehead and nearly sunk to the ground.
Not only was I sloppy, but I had also been caught lying and seen naked. All in one day and after six full months without an accident.
I looked around the gorgeous golden hotel and wondered if it was just me or if Thailand hated me?
Sighing, I turned around and began to wander away. I passed by a reflective surface then and stopped to stare at myself. With the briefcase and the oversized, ill-fitting suit jacket and pants, I looked so unremarkable. Almost like a poor kid that was trying to fit in. But this had worked, for the longest time it had worked, so why was everything changing now? He was so predictable, and it had given me a measure of safety and peace. Now that he wasn’t, now that he was suddenly barging into my bathroom, seeing me naked, and saying the strangest things, I felt as though the ground underneath my feet would be pulled out from under me at any time, and this was a disconcerting feeling to say the least.
Sighing, I continued wandering. Pretty soon I found the spa. It looked so luxurious that I couldn't help but consider what he was asking. Still, doing this in the middle of the day when I was supposed to be working was unfathomable to me, so I could only take a seat outside the place and call Emma.
She was as usual at her kitchen table, hard at work on her new business. But she set the phone up in a corner and continued working.
“I just received a new sample,” she said. “You won’t believe how bloody upset I am; they messed up my design, and they used cheaper materials than they showed me. I’m just having the worst day. How’s your neck?”
I watched her and only had one question.
“Can I come work for you? Be your project manager or quality control guy or whatever?”
She gave me her full attention then.
“What’s wrong?”
“I think I just got fired.”
She went silent.
“Um... what?”
I explained what had happened, but to my surprise, she burst out laughing. I watched her, upset, as she held her chest and tried to control herself.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I asked.
“You claim to be able to read people well, Maddy,” she said. “You claim to know your boss really well, but do you know him at all? I think he’s really not as rigid as you think he is. You fell earlier this morning. And you both arrived just last night, and before then you've been practically living in the office for over a week, trying to get materials ready and itineraries booked. He's taking this as a vacation as well, isn't he? You planned it all. You think he didn’t notice? You think he's surprised that you're falling asleep in the car?”
My frown loosened.
“Take his advice, please? Go to the spa, fall asleep on the table there as they massage every inch of your body with oil and perfume. Go to the sauna afterward or something and then get a facial. After that, find a salon, do your hair for once. Get your makeup done, and then go get the most stunning, sexiest dress you can find for this evening. Just like he advised. How does him asking you to do any of this mean that you're going to get fired?”
“You don't know him, Emma,” I said, and she shook her head.
“I'm hanging up. I'm the one with the real problems here. So, you go have your wonderful luxurious day and leave the rest of us struggling through ours alone. He's not going to fire you, and if he does, you can apply to be my personal chef. I'm adding weight from all this takeout I keep buying.”
“Agreed,” I replied and rose to my feet for no reason. “I’ll be on the next flight back now. I’ll cook all the healthy meals you want for you.”
“Rejected. I don’t want to be poisoned, plus my big lawyer salary reserves are depleting with all these roadblocks and destroyed designs. They're draining me like a sink. Soon enough I'll be your roommate, and then I'll need a job from you.”
This made me smile, but I did listen to what she was saying though. And then I sighed. She ended the call, and I looked around. First of all, I took a few pictures and then took a selfie of myself. One look at my reflection and I almost threw up. This was possibly the real reason why he had turned me away. I looked as basic and unremarkable as a concrete wall. Almost lifeless even. Maybe in my quest to be unremarkable physically in his eyes, I had just ended up as embarrassing, and so now more than ever, I was tempted to follow his instructions. Glancing back, I stared at the big bright signage of the spa and the two women walking out of it at that moment with huge smiles on their faces.
I thought a bit more, pulled out his card from my wallet, and then I made the decision. They had the ultimate package: everything Emma had mentioned, and it was incredibly pricey. However, I was aware that this was because we were in such an expensive hotel, but I didn’t want to leave their premises while he was still here. I wanted us to head back together.
I most definitely didn’t want to use his card for this because that was something for him to use against me in the future. Perhaps it would be evidence he could use to say it was the reason why he suddenly fired me when I sued him. ‘She used my personal card without my permission.’
Absolutely not. I was remaining spanking clean until the very end.
And so, I used my card instead and felt even more pain run through my body as soon as it was charged. About an hour later, however, I was running through a vineyard, plucking grapes from the trees and chasing butterflies. I was fast asleep and surrounded by endless barrels of wine as the masseuse gave me the most wonderful facial and face massage, and then she massaged every inch of my body like I was a loaf of bread.
By the time she was done, I couldn't get the smile off my face. My neck still slightly ached, but overall, I felt much better, and she gave me something for the bruise on my knee. By the time I got off that table and headed into the sauna then took a shower, I felt as though I had just been reborn. My problems seemed far away and inconsequential, so when I got out, I kept strolling and found a salon not too far away, I couldn't help but go in.
I didn't need anyone to do my makeup, but I did need my hair properly taken care of. It was clean, but it needed some styling, and as he said, I couldn't come to the dinner with it pulled back and tucked out of the way like usual.
Thankfully, the attendants spoke great English, so I was able to explain myself properly, and pretty soon, I was in the chair with warm soothing water on my scalp. I didn't even bother telling them I had done my hair that morning as they shampooed and conditioned, and then I was put in a chair. I didn't need any highlights. I loved my hair, but they did ensure that the waves and curls popped, and in just under an hour, I looked like the brunette version of Carrie Bradshaw.
My hair was parted in the middle, layered, and flowing all the way to my back.
I looked gorgeous, and I didn't even have any makeup on. The stylist seemed so excited to see my face, and then she asked if I wanted any makeup done for the full makeover effect.
“No thank you,” I replied. “I loved the clean feel of my face after not putting on makeup for so many months, but I did have one more request to make.”
I turned around then to watch the gorgeous guy that had more or less turned me into a goddess.
“Do you know where I can buy a dress?”
He clapped his hands together in excitement, and then he nodded so hard I felt the pain in my neck for him. I got up then, and after paying exorbitantly once again, I was given clear directions to the hotel’s boutique.