Chapter 2
Two
Mark
“Okay. Well, then we will talk later when you have more information,” I say boredly into the phone as I twirl my pen in between my fingers. “Yep. Okay, ’bye.”
After placing the handset back into the receiver, I lean back in my chair and rest my head against the headrest. Today’s been rough, with back-to-back calls and meetings, not to mention the paperwork. Needless to say, I’m ready for it to be over.
This has never been my dream job, working at an insurance company, but I’ve managed to climb the corporate ladder over the years, and I’m pretty damn good at it, too. It pays ridiculously well, so I honestly have no reason to complain.
However, I want to be a full-time personal trainer, helping others achieve their fitness goals. I do have a couple of clients, but the gym is already swamped with personal trainers, so they can’t take me on full-time. Besides, this job pays too well to give up.
After rubbing at my tired eyes, I look over at the clock that hangs above the door: an hour left.
The thought of having to stare at my computer screen, even for another minute, makes me want to throw it and everything else on my desk across the room.
The only thing that keeps me from doing just that is the thought of heading to the gym when I leave here.
I spend so much of my free time at the gym that many people joke that I should just live there, and they aren’t entirely wrong.
If I’m not here or at home sleeping, then that’s usually where I am because fitness is important to me: not only my own, but my clients’ as well.
The atmosphere at the gym is also far better than the one here. It’s less restrictive.
Because I don’t really feel like working anymore, I look around the room.
The standard office desk sits in the middle of the room.
I was told I could replace it with something better, but I haven’t cared enough to do so.
Though it’s boring and not really my style, it serves its purpose, so why would I bother?
Behind me, there’s a window that doesn’t even take up the whole wall, and a long black filing cabinet sits beneath it, each drawer filled with client files that are meticulously organized.
Two gray chairs sit opposite me on the other side of the desk, which I brought up here when I moved out of my old cubicle downstairs.
There are no pictures on the wall, and no real personal touches that mark this space as mine.
My boss keeps encouraging me to decorate, but I don’t see the point in that either.
No amount of decoration is going to make me truly happy here.
The only personal belonging I do have is a rock paperweight that says, ‘Happy birthday. Every day, around the clock, always know that you are my rock,’ that sits on my desk.
It’s a silly little trinket that my mother gave to me for my birthday last year, and I don’t have the heart to throw it out.
Besides, as silly as it is, it does serve as a good reminder that there’s a life beyond this desk, even if it may not always seem like it.
This may be one of the bigger offices on this floor, but it still feels way too small for me sometimes, almost like a prison.
I’m a big guy with broad shoulders and am well over six feet tall.
So, I take up a lot of space everywhere I go.
Because of this, I often find myself bumping into the chairs or the corner of the desk. It makes me feel a bit claustrophobic.
A knock sounds on my door, drawing my attention.
“Come in,” I grumble reluctantly, as I have already checked out for the day.
A moment later, the door opens, and Sean’s grinning face appears.
The two of us met at the gym a year ago. He had been at his lowest back then, and I felt bad for the guy. I know that everyone goes through rough patches, but I was able to turn things around for him, which is exactly what I did. I gave him a job.
Ever since then, he’s been glued to my hip like an imprinted puppy.
Most days, I don’t mind, and it is even welcomed.
We’ve gotten pretty close this past year, and he’s one of my best friends, but there are times I try to avoid him because his cheeriness can be a little much.
Especially on days like today when my patience is already running thin.
“Working hard?” he asks, stepping a little further into the room.
I take in his short-cropped blond hair, narrow jaw, and somewhat weak chin.
He’s built a lot like me, packed with muscle and tall; however, he’s not nearly as tall as I am.
He’s also a bit more relaxed when it comes to what he wears at work.
Like today, he’s wearing a burgundy button-down and jeans.
But he gets the job done, and I’m the only one who really needs to look professional on my team.
I quirk an eyebrow at him in response. “Aren’t I always?”
While I may not be a fan of this job, I still have an excellent work ethic. Sean knows this because he actually works under me. I even have my own secretary, Wynita, who does all of the tedious work, like answering phone calls and picking up my lunch.
Without responding, he strides into the office and plops down into one of the chairs in front of my desk. He casually crosses one leg over the other and then leans back, resting his hands behind his head. He’s making himself comfortable.
“What do you need, Sean?” I ask pointedly, hoping to move this along a bit.
His smile grows knowingly. “I see you’re in a fun mood today.”
My lips press into a thin line as I continue to hold his gaze.
When he realizes I’m not backing down, he chuckles and raises his hands. “Okay, okay. I get it. Listen, I’m only here for the paperwork that I had Wynita put on your desk last night. Did you get to it?”
“I took care of all that this morning and gave it back to her already,” I reply with a frown. “Did she not get it to you?”
Sean’s lips twitch as he attempts to hide a smile. “Would I be here if she did?”
We both know that he probably would be, whether he got the paperwork or not, but I don’t say that. Instead, I pick up the phone and dial Wynita’s desk number. My frown deepens when I don’t get an answer.
With a huff of frustration, I slam the phone back down onto the receiver and rise to my feet, determined to hunt her down. Just as I take a step around the corner of my desk, my door opens again, and Wynia comes rushing through it. She hands the folder to Sean immediately.
“Sorry, sorry. Time completely got away from me today,” she says quickly, pushing her black hair out of her face.
Her light gray pantsuit is a stark contrast to her chocolate skin, and her high heels do nothing to hide how short she is.
She’s beautiful in her own right, but she’s too much of a disorganized mess for me to see her as attractive.
Things like this are always happening with her, but I don’t have the heart to fire her.
She needs this job because she’s helping to support her aging mother.
“It’s fine,” I mutter, waving off her apology. I’m used to all this anyway because it happens often.
She dips her head and moves to leave my office, but Sean stops her.
“Wynita, are you aware that your boss is single?” he asks suddenly.
An uncomfortable silence engulfs the room as we process his question, and my eyes suddenly snap to his, narrowing in warning. If looks could kill, he’d be dead ten times over by now for pulling this shit.
“I am,” Wynita answers quickly. A blush rises to her cheeks as she glances down at her shoes. She is clearly just as uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation as I am.
“What the hell are you doing?” I hiss under my breath.
Sean ignores me, either oblivious to our uncomfortable situation or not caring. “Would you ever go on a date with him?”
“I’m sorry, but no, I wouldn’t.” Her voice is quiet, and I can tell she’s worried about offending me. However, I’m not the least bit offended; in fact, I’m relieved. “It’s nothing against you, sir. I just… I don’t date people I work with.”
“Surely, you can make an exception!” Sean teases. “Have you seen how attractive he is, with that chiseled jaw and eight-pack underneath that suit? Not to mention those deep brown eyes and blond hair so thick you could run your fingers through it.”
Wynita shifts her weight from one foot to the other as she wrings her hands in front of her. “This is inappropriate.”
“I have to agree,” I snap angrily. I don’t know what the hell Sean thinks he’s doing, but I’m determined to put an end to it.
Wynita turns her hazel eyes to me pleadingly. “Can I go now?”
“Yes. And I’m really sorry about this, Wynita. Please believe me when I say that it won’t happen again.” I pin Sean with another glare to ensure he gets the message.
With another quick dip of her head, she rushes from the room and closes the door behind her.
The moment she does, I turn my glare at Sean. “What the hell was that?”
He proceeds to brush me off, seemingly unfazed, as if my anger is merely an inconvenience to him. “Oh, come on. I’m just having a little fun.”
“Fun? Are you looking for a sexual harassment lawsuit? That was so inappropriate it’s not even funny!”
“Look,” he begins with a sigh. “I’m sorry, alright? But I’m worried about you! I have known you for a whole year, and I’ve never seen you with a woman. And you turn down everyone who asks you out!”
I start to protest this, but find myself stopping because…
he’s right. At least to an extent. The reason he hasn’t seen me with a woman before is because nothing has gone past the ‘hook-up’ stage, and I don’t even do that very often.
But I can’t blame my lack of a dating life on a lack of female attention.
In fact, I would even go so far as to say that I’m asked out quite a lot.
And, just like Sean said, I always turn them down because I want to feel that spark: the one that comes from having such a deep connection with something that the tension is instantaneous.
“That’s not entirely true,” I say after a while. “I just… I know what I want, and I haven’t found it yet. But that’s not the point here. Even if I wanted to date Wynita, do you have any idea how much trouble I would be in if the bosses found out?”
Sean shrugs. “If they find out.”
“Oh, they’ll find out,” I snort, tapping my finger on the desk in front of me. “Gossip spreads through this place faster than the fucking plague. Remember the janitor? I almost had to fire you for hooking up with her.”
“And I thank you for sticking up for me the way you did, but we weren’t exactly keeping it a secret. You could. It would spice up your life.”
“My life doesn’t need any spicing up.”
Even as I say the words, I’m not convinced I believe them myself.
Of course, having a woman would be nice, but what I’m looking for can’t be forced.
That’s why I made the decision a long time ago to just let things play out the way they are supposed to, and in the meantime, I’m focusing on my work and my clients at the gym.
“Bullshit. You go to work, you go to the gym, and you go home to sleep. That’s your life. You need a woman, and more importantly, you need to get laid.”
“I have no problems getting laid when I want to,” I tell him flatly.
“And when was the last time you got some?” He throws back at me.
“My sex life is none of your business, Sean.”
With a sigh, he stands up and snaps the cuffs of his suit. “Fine, I’ll drop it. For now. I’m just trying to look out for you, you know.”
“And while I appreciate it, it’s not necessary.”
With a shake of his head, he lifts the file that Wynita gave back to him and then leaves my office.
I let out a breath and then pull my cell phone out of the pocket of my slacks, deciding to play on it for the remainder of the time.
I got plenty of work done today, and there isn’t enough time to start anything else.
Besides, it’s not like I’d be able to focus now anyway, not with the conversation I just had with Sean replaying in my head the way it is.