Chapter sixteen
Maria
The office is unusually quiet as I sit at my desk, my fingers flying over the keyboard. I only spend one day a week in the office as most of my work can be done either at home, or out on the road. I typically have multiple meetings on location, and spend the majority of my time with my authors. I enjoy the time at the office though, where I get to catch up with my team and visit with everyone. The only thing I don’t like is the seemingly unending paperwork.
Normally when I’m at the office, I don’t have time for any thoughts other than work. Today, however, my mind’s elsewhere, distracted by thoughts of Mason. I try to push that aside as I have way too much to do to spend time daydreaming.
I’m deep in thought when my boss, Robert, walks in. I glance up to see that he looks preoccupied, his brow furrowed as he approaches. This is nothing new. He’s a busy man, and doesn’t like having to hunt anyone down. This must be important.
“Maria, how’s that interview with Mason Bennett coming along?” he asks, his tone casual, though I catch a hint of impatience. This again? I was hoping it would be forgotten.
I push down my irritation and tell a white lie. “It’s progressing, Robert. I’ve spoken to Mason about it, but we’ve both been swamped and haven’t had time to formally sit down. I have an angle I’m thinking about to support the PR of our publishing house when it comes to this interview. You know I always like to do things outside of the box. I have some informal notes now, but will get it done within two weeks.” I hope I can make this happen. I haven’t even spoken to Mason about it since the conference. When we’re together work’s the last thing on my mind.
Robert nods, but his expression doesn’t soften. “Good. Keep me updated. I want a completed draft in two weeks at the latest,” he says. He doesn’t normally act this way with me. He knows great work can’t be rushed. I don’t like this at all. “I want this done yesterday.”
I bite my tongue, resisting the urge to ask why this is such a priority when Mason isn’t even an author. I know better than to voice this, though. I force a smile. “Of course, sir.”
As usual, he walks away without another word, leaving my mind buzzing with questions. What is his obsession with Mason? Is he secretly in the closet and has a crush on him? No, he’s far too much of a womanizer for that.
As feasible as this is, I can’t shake the feeling that something’s off that’s bigger than Robert’s sexuality. This has something to do with work, but I can’t figure it out. I’m only in this office one day a week, but something’s different. There seems to be a lot more whispering behind closed doors. Is my job secure? I love this place, love my co-workers, and absolutely love my work, but I’m not worried that I won’t be able to find another job. I’ve had offers, many times over, from other publishing houses. I simply can’t stand a mystery.
I don’t have time to dwell on this right now, though. Since my work has been interrupted, I decide to head out early for my lunch date with Nikki. Maybe she can help me work through this. I take my time walking to our favorite café. I’m more than ready to leave the office behind for a little while. This isn’t normally the case.
When I enter the café, I see Nikki already sitting. Maybe her day’s going about as well as mine. I make my way to her, and she gives me a huge smile as I lean down and give her a hug before taking my seat.
“You look stressed,” she says in lieu of a greeting. We know each other far too well to ever hold back what we’re feeling or thinking about.
I let out a sigh as I lean back in my chair. “Robert’s keeping something from me, and I have no idea what it is. He’s disturbingly obsessed with Mason, especially with me doing an interview with him. On top of that there have been a lot of closed doors at the office. I can’t help but wonder what in the hell is going on.”
Nikki frowns, concern on her face. I love that even though this has nothing to do with her, just my worry is enough to make her feel fully involved. It’s so nice to have her ear to bend. It’s already making me feel better without any solutions being offered.
“It sounds suspicious to me. Have you heard any rumors?” she asks.
“No. I haven’t heard anything. If something’s going on, Robert’s keeping a tight lid on it. I might be overreacting. Maybe he really is just a super fan of Mason,” I say, though I don’t believe it.
“You aren’t a paranoid person. There’s something going on, but I don’t have a clue what it is, or what in the world it would have to do with Mason. He’s not even in the publishing world. It doesn’t make any sense at all,” Nikki says.
“What if they want me fired?” I’ve never been fired from any job I’ve ever held.
She immediately shakes her head. “You’re the best they have. There’s no chance of that. They know you’d be swept up as soon as you walked out the door. Then you’d be competing against them, which is a lose, lose for the company. Maybe you should march into Robert’s office and demand he tell you what’s going on.”
“I’ve thought about talking to him about it, not exactly being demanding, but what if I’m just being paranoid and he loses confidence in me?”
“There’s a difference in being paranoid and proactive,” she tells me.
I give her a nod. “I guess I need to think more on this. If I’m still feeling this way next week when I come into the office, I’ll talk to him,” I say.
We continue to chat about workplace drama for a moment longer, then push it aside. Our lunches aren’t supposed to be about work. They’re our time to catch up and talk about our personal lives. There are many times my personal life is boring, though, because I love my work so much that it’s all I want to focus on. That’s where the challenge comes in, to find something other than work to enjoy.
By the time our food comes, I feel lighter. I give her a smile. “Enough work drama. Tell me what’s going on with you this week.”
A mischievous smile spreads across her face. I know whatever she’s about to say will be good, a heck of a lot more interesting than my work stress.
“I had an incredibly hot date with Bentz on Saturday,” she says before munching on a fry.
“I want to hear all about it, the more details the better,” I demand.
She leans closer, not wanting to be overheard. This is why we like to walk in the park after our lunches. There’s a far better chance we won’t have anyone listening in. We most likely won’t have time today since I’m already behind on work.
“We went out for an ordinary dinner, but then we went back to his place, and that’s where things got a heck of a lot more interesting.”
Nikki isn’t one to casually sleep with men so this tells me she’s more interested in Bentz than I realized. I lean closer. This is far more interesting than my workplace drama.
“Did you stay all night?”
Nikki shakes her head. She has this strange rule that even if she does sleep with a man she won’t stay the night with him. She says that’s for married people. She’s never broken this rule, not that she’s had that many men she’s slept with.
“No, but I did mostly skinny dip with him in his pool,” she says.
“And . . .” The word trails off. She’s sure taking her time with this.
“After topless swimming in the pool, a whole lot of touching, and a couple of orgasms, I left him while he was begging for me to stay,” she says, licking her lips in satisfaction.
“So, you did have sex.”
She again shakes her head. “We did everything but sex. It was incredible. That man knows how to use his tongue,” she says with a sigh.
I wave my hand in front of my hot cheeks. “Dang, Nikki, you’re torturing the poor man,” I tell her with a laugh.
“Trust me, he wasn’t tortured at all. A couple of those orgasms were on his end. He definitely wanted more, but he also didn’t push me, which I very much appreciated.”
I chuckle. “You’re one of the few women I know who can not sleep with a man and have him still feeling satisfied,” I tell her.
“I aim to please,” she says as she leans back.
“Which you do very well.”
We both laugh. The time evaporates far too quickly, and soon we have to head out from lunch. We give each other big hugs then turn in separate directions. As I make my way back to the office I feel a new sense of determination. I’m going to be paying a lot more attention for the rest of the day.
I’m not sure if something’s going on or not, but if there is, I want to know what it is. I also realize I can handle whatever’s thrown my way. Work has been my life for a very long time, but it doesn’t have to be. I can love my job and be the best at it, but if there’s a bump in the road, I’ll be okay because I have great friends, and I’m in a beautiful relationship which is wonderful.
I’m smiling as I come back into the office. I notice Robert’s closed door right away which is normally open, but I don’t let this bother me. I visit with some coworkers and then get right back to my piles of paperwork, all while trying to keep my ears on full alert. I’ll get to the bottom of this, hopefully sooner rather than later. At the end of the day, though, all will be okay.