I spent last night working out and then writing once I got home from work. Chuck wanted to hang out and get drinks but I turned him down. He's sweet and downright adorable but I see no point in getting too invested since he's leaving soon. Thankfully he understood when I told him how I felt.
Breaking Benjamin's Simple Design ends just as my run does. Whether the song is about commitment or stability in a relationship I have no idea but everything about it makes me want to move. It's one of my favorite songs to work out to so it's at the top and bottom of my playlist every time my feet hit the treadmill.
When I checked in with my mom this morning she joked with me that I should go for my runs outside however she knows better than that. Outdoors and I haven't been on good terms since I walked into a spider's web when I was seven. Since then Mother Nature and her creepy crawlies have all been on my shá»t list. Fifteen years of resentment doesn't die easy.
Glancing at the clock I realize work starts in a little less than an hour so I hop to it, showering and drying my hair before pushing it into a bun similar to yesterdays. My makeup is a little less simple than normal, a light smoky eye matched with heavy mascara and eyeliner. I decide on pink lipstick lined with a darker shade for my lips. Making sure everything blends nicely with my skin tone, I slip my pearl earrings into my ears and matching necklace around my neck. Sliding the dark blue tweed sheath dress up I thank God it has a side zipper and not one at the back. The cap sleeves match perfectly with the sailor neckline that leads the eye to the bow just over my right breast. Slipping into my white ankle strap heels, I grab my purse and head for the door.
~*~
Before I can reach for the door handle of Reynolds Inc. Chuck's opening it up for me with a broad smile. I'm glad we're not in an awkward place after turning him down last night. Some guys would've held a grudge but I'm glad he didn't. Maybe we could be long distance friends? I assume they're easier to manage than friends I could possibly piss off on a daily basis.
"Morning Chuckie," I greet with a smile, heading straight for the elevator rather than stopping to talk. The boss is here today so as much as I'd like to chat I don't really have the time.
"Oh a nickname? That's the fastest I've ever earned one. Score!" He fist pumps, his smile spreading.
I shake my head at him and laugh as the doors to the elevator close. In a flash they're opening again to an almost identical scene as yesterday. Does everyone always run around here like wild banshees? That better not be a requirement I'm clumsy already and heels don't help.
Following the same path Damien took me on yesterday I end up at his work station where I find him adorned in pastel purple and black and Amita in another wrap dress, a red one this time.
"What's up buttercup?" Damien asks, his face lighting up when he sees me.
"Hey girl," Amita greets, "You look great again today."
"Thank you Amita, you two look really nice as well," I reply not really knowing how to respond. She's always so uplifting to the women that work here. I haven't heard her say one bad thing about any female here and she always tells us we look nice, it's refreshing. If every woman here is as mature as her I'll have a bunch of girl friends in no time.
"Jackie O realness," Damien says inspecting my outfit, "I approve. So are you going to actually come to lunch with us today or are you going to ditch us for the security guard again."
My eyes bulge making Amita and Damien laugh. How did they know about that? I didn't see them come through the lobby plus it wasn't like I planned it.
"I...that...he's really nice," I finally settle on a true statement. Anything else I could say would sound too much like an excuse and I don't owe them anything regardless of how nice they are.
"People talk," Amita replies, answering my unspoken question, "it spread like wildfire through the company grapevine that you two were looking cozy eating lunch together."
I roll my eyes I guess some things never change. No matter where you go there are always people with not enough business of their own and too much time on their hands.
"He's been really sweet to me since I got here. We shared a sandwich not bodily fluid. People need to get a life."
"Alright now! Jackie O's got sass," Damien cheers making us all laugh.
My phone vibrates prompting me to check the time and I realize I'm technically late. "Hey I've got to go but I will meet yall for lunch and if Chuck can join us I'm inviting him. You've been warned."
They both nod, seemingly impressed but I don't see why. We're all adults here, if people can't get over themselves that's their problem.
My office looks great with additions of a powder blue and cream striped rug, and a cream leather sofa and matching office chair. The black and white forest photo is a nice contrast against the colors of the room and ties in the black carpet. I want to make a family photo collage for my other vacant wall above the sofa, then the room will be complete.
Just as I'm starting my computer up the door to my office opens. I observe the slim figure in the doorway from my peripheral vision. He's tall and built, not overly muscular but he can fill out a suit, the black on black Armani he's sporting is proof of that. His stride is confident as he approaches my desk.
"How do you like it here so far?" he asks, his voice making the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. Bad sign.
I turn to the side and follow the stitching of his suit jacket up to his face. He has big green eyes, they look worried or sad yet there's a blaze of self-assurance in them I can't ignore. His brunette hair is slicked back and slightly longer than I'd expect for a businessman.
"Who are you?" I ask, sounding feistier than I intended but I'm not willing to entertain just anyone on company time. He could be one of Mr. Reynolds' snitches that Amita was talking about although I doubt it with his alpha male presence.
Wide milky green eyes search my face then slink slowly down my body before quickly returning to my face. An arrogant smirk crosses his plump rose pink lips. "I'm the Reynolds in Reynolds Incorporated," he answers, his smile broadens as he takes in my shocked expression. "So, I'll ask again. How do you like it here so far?"
My lips feel utterly chapped and my throat is dry. Here I am giving attitude to the boss on my second day. I'm lucky for the first time in my life, he seems to be amused.
"I like it a lot," I blurt, trying to make up for my previous outburst. "It's a beautiful building and the people are really nice. I just haven't been able to get into the system to start working yet." I know I'm speaking a mile a minute but I'll be damned if he gets a word in edgewise to fire me.
He looks to be assessing what I had to say - then again he could've been tuning me out. Raising an eyebrow he comes around my desk to stand behind me.
"Turn around," he instructs, twirling his finger in a tiny cyclone.
I do as instructed, spinning my chair to face my computer.
Suddenly I'm caged in by warmth, his arms reach around me on both sides to get to the keyboard. His body's smell raids my nostrils forcing his scent through my senses. My heart wastes no time trying to make a prison break from my chest. He smells like peppermint and tobacco.
I can't even focus on what he's typing I'm watching his hands so intently. He's very pale. It makes his features stand out so abruptly you have to stop and give him a second glance. I wonder silently what he'd look like with a tan and how in the hell he avoids getting one when he lives in LA.
"All done," he says sitting up taking his cocoon of body heat with him. "You just have to put in the password you'd like to use. Your first assignment should be in your email by tomorrow."
I nod my understanding before thanking him. He smiles, a sight I'm quickly becoming accustomed to since he does it so much.
I watch his back as he leaves loving the broadness of his shoulders. Once he gets to the door I turn to my computer to enter my new password. Breathing a silent sigh I try and calm my body down. It's clearly been too long.
The door opens swiftly then closes, catching my attention.
"You eat Italian food," he declares turning around on his heel.
I can't tell if it's a question or a statement so I say so.
He laughs but doesn't answer instead he walks back over to me with purposeful steps. "Come to dinner with me."
My eyebrow rises, partially because that sounded like an order but mostly I'm surprised he asked. "Do I have a choice in the matter?" I ask, trying and probably failing to sound flirty.
The right corner of his mouth quirks up and he sits on the edge of my desk in front of me. "Not really," he replies confidently.
Ignoring the fact that his crotch is directly in my face I quickly make a pros and cons list in my mind.
Pros: He's really hot and tall. So far he's been nice but a little cocky. Dedication and hard work are important to him and he has good taste since he drives a Porsche Spyder. Side note, Porsche Spyder may be the cause of his cockiness. Cons: He could do this with all the new employees, he could have a disease, or he could be looking for a serious girlfriend. All things that would make me not even consider his offer. I also just started here so if I date the boss immediately people may think I screwed my way into the job. Side note, who gives a fûck what people think.
My list doesn't help me make a decision so instead I rely on common sense. Ultimately I have no idea the type of person he is outside of him being charming. That only goes so far. I'd rather work under him before I go anywhere with him. If he can maintain his nice guy persona, especially under pressure, then I can assume he won't be a douche if we go out.
I slide my tongue across the front of my teeth before responding, "I'll tell you what. If in a month you're still hungry ask again and I'll have an answer for you."
His eyes show surprise but he nods in agreement anyway. "Deal," he replies, his tone saying he knows more than I do. "I'll be seeing you Ms. Duncan, enjoy the rest of your day."
"Same to you Mr. Reynolds," I squeeze in before he closes the door.
My entire body is hot and I can feel sweat beading beneath my arms. I haven't been in a situation like that in years and if my body's reaction is any indication I'm definitely out of practice and out of my league.
~*~
Lunch with Amita and Damien has been very informative. I've received more gossip in the past fifteen minutes than I've gotten since high school. Affairs, office trysts, cat fights, Reynolds Incorporated has it all.
"And then she pulls out her underwear from her purse!" Damien exclaims before taking a sip of his ice tea.
The irony of it makes me laugh.
"Oh and if you think that's something just wait until we tell you about the love triangle between Brett, Nina, and Trina," Amita explains with a sneaky little smile.
"No honey it's a love square because now -" Damien interjects but then stops abruptly changing his tone from secretive to cheerful, "Whitney! Nice to see you!"
"Speak of the devil," Amita mumbles before turning as well, "Hey Whitney you look lovely."
I smirk at their shadiness as I turn to see who they're speaking to. The first thing I see is her tiny waist covered by a black suit jacket and powder blue blouse. Her body is lean and slender making her appear taller than she probably is. A square face and wide blue-gray eyes gaze down at me meeting my stare.
Seeing she's clearly waiting for me to introduce myself I contemplate turning around and not saying anything at all but decide against it. No need to make enemies even if she is a bit pretentious.
"We haven't met," I say extending my hand, "I'm Bailey Duncan. I work in the Market Research department."
"Whitney Banning," she replies, shaking my hand lightly like it's covered in germs, "I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other, I work in the same department."
I raise my eyebrows in surprise, "I guess we will."
She smiles softly forcing her pronounced cheekbones out then waves slightly to Amita and Damien before walking away.
I turn back to the table with my brows knitted together. "Do I have shá»t on me that I don't know about because that was the most condescending encounter I've had since I was in a training bra."
Amita and Damien laugh and I join in. I'm honestly confused though, I thought I was being polite.
"That's just her personality," Amita explains waving a hand dismissively, "You'll get used to it or at least learn to put up a good cordial front like we do."
"Had she reacted to you like a normal human being I'd be worried to be honest. Frigid pompous bá»tch is her original factory setting," Damien laughs through the statement but I can tell he's as serious as a heart attack.
I mentally cross Whitney off of my potential shopping buddies list. Besides not liking people with superior attitudes I think I'll have my hands full with Amita and Damien.
"We're going for drinks tonight you want to come?"
I'm not sure which of them asked but I already know my answer. "Maybe another night, I've got unpacked boxes calling my name."
They nod understandingly and quickly move on to the next topic of discussion, another office love affair.
I half-listen as I toy around with the idea of going out with them. I didn't even have to think about my answer. It makes me wonder if it's my anxiety talking or if it's my actual feeling about the idea.
I'm overcome by fear the more I mull the idea over. Here at work they have something to tell me nearly every second so the chances of me saying something stupid are slim. If we were to go out there wouldn't be a buffer, I'd have to actively interact and the probability of me screwing up the first budding friendships I have would be huge. Of course I could be being pessimistic but in my experience the worst scenarios are normally the ones that come to fruition.
As I look between them and see the ease of their interactions I realize I still have work to do. I play with the idea of getting a therapist here in LA but I'm not sure. I've gone months without counseling, I think if I focus on helping myself I can.
"Are you even listening?" Amita asks with a laugh,
I nod, "For sure, John's sleeping with three different women and one of them is possibly pregnant."
Damien nods and continues on with his story while I thank my lucky stars I was right. Years of tuning out my mother's lectures is finally paying off.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
What's up my good people!!!!
I hope yall enjoyed the chapter! It's another surprise chapter since I already have it prepared! Also, I'll be out of town this weekend so if Monday's update is late that's why!
I've been wondering...
Are yall actually enjoying the book? The read growth (no complaints just an observation) is pretty slow and hardly anyone's voting or commenting. Are yall just waiting for the #HAILEY (Bailey and Harry's ship) bits or...?
Also, does anyone know how to fix it so mobile users can actually play the songs I add on? I have no idea why Wattpad makes that an option when it doesn't work across all platforms. BLAH!
I also want to warn yall this story will at times touch on Bailey's past/current struggles with anxiety, insecurities, and body image issues as they are still a huge part of her. I'm just giving you guys fair warning because the next chapter gives a lot of her emotional back story!
This chapter is dedicated to @ConstantStar for being the only person to comment so far! Thanks :)
As for new follower S/O's...
This time we have: @IttaWAylor , @PenelopeSpence, @pink26599, @nalamichelle!!!!
Thanks so much for following and I hope I don't disappoint!
Until Next Time,
WBN