7:50 AM and I was walking in the door. I made it in before everyone else and looked down the hallway to Mr. Johnson’s office with the light glowing. I could not believe he was here anyways when I thought about it. Mr. Johnson was a great boss, very laid back, and rarely made it in himself before 9:00 AM. Mr. Johnson was very similar to a father to me and had seen my potential which I was forever grateful for and with him getting into his mid-50s and four of his five children graduating school and heading into college themselves I knew it was time for him to start considering me to be his partner. I’d saved every bit of my salary and spent time making wise investments so this moment could happen so quickly. This had been on me for a long time but when my parents died in a car accident right before I hit college, I was luckily able to save as much of their life insurance as possible and after the house sold, I put that away as well. I could do this, and Mr. Johnson wouldn’t want to turn me down. I really felt like this could be my moment to be a part of what I had been working on growing for 5 years ago I walked in. We would more than doubled our profits since that day and Mr. Johnson his chubby balding self could not seem happier!
I quickly went and set my stuff down and did a quick once over after my subway incident. I grabbed my notepad and pen in case I needed it and headed down to Mr. Johnson. Was that laughter? I heard another man’s voice as I got closer to the office. I could feel my steps slowing and heard a deep voice say “Mr. Johnson, I promise this is going to be good for you and your family. “I heard the voice start to quiet which told me they probably could hear me walking up with my black stilettos. Damnit, should have worn flats. “Kate? Is that you? Come in please, Mr. Johnson stated. Deep Breath and I walk in. Walk into what? Mr. Johnson was sitting at his desk and right next to him with his hand on Mr. Johnson’s shoulder was Blake Sutton with that smile and brown eyes just gleaming at me. My entire body felt like someone had blown off my clothes and I was standing there naked in front of my fatherly boss and the one-night stand that still haunted me. “Hello Kate, it’s been a long time, too long,” he said with a smile. What the hell? Too long? Who the hell was he? Why is my damn face turning red hot in embarrassment? No, no….I just stared at him in confusion and shock. “Kate, are you alright you look like you saw a ghost?” Mr. Johnson says surprised. Not wanting Blake to know it was him. “Sorry Mr. Johnson, I just had an incident getting off the subway and a gentleman tried to make a very inappropriate pass at me and there was a bit of an incident. Blake’s arm dropped and he said almost concerned, “What are you alright? Who was the guy? Did you get hurt?” Glancing all over my body making me feel uncomfortable and almost insulted he thought he could look at me like that and act concerned. I could feel the glare growing inside me and just snapped my mouth shut determined not to say anything to him. “Kate, dear, are you alright?” Mr. Johnson pleaded to know. I had almost forgotten he was in the room with us for a minute. “Oh yes, that defense class paid off and I’m sure that guy is more uncomfortable than me at this moment.” I do my best to shrug and try to smile so Mr. Johnson can relax. I see him take a deep breath and I appreciate his concern but not the person standing over him. “I, uh, didn’t realize you two knew each other.” Mr. Johnson states more to change the subject and ease the tension. “Oh yes, Kate and I go way back to college. She was always showing me up in the marketing class we took together, remember that study group of ours, Kate?” Blake said gleaming and with a wink already making it seem like we had a secret only he and I knew. “Well, that is just wonderful!” Mr. Johnson exclaims. “This will be easier than I thought then.” “What will be easier Mr. Johnson?” I question, quickly looking over and glaring at Blake and then coming back to a smile with my boss. I see Mr. Johnson look down with a worried face and he begins tapping on his desk nervously. “Kate, you know I appreciate you so much and think of you more as a daughter than anything. I know you have always had such big hopes for this company, and you are an essential part of its growth. I just told Mr. Sutton here the same thing.” “That’s true, Kate, he told me all about you and what you’ve been up to for the last seven years,” Blake smirks. I could see in Mr. Johnson’s face how upset he was about what he was trying to say. Part of me wanted to walk up and give him a hug or a pat on the hand or something but with Blake still just hovering over him I couldn’t bare being that close to him, especially with how smug he was being. “Mr. Johnson, is something wrong?” I question concerned. “Well Kate, as you know I have a lot of children, too many really,” he chuckles. “Mr. Sutton, here,” he motions “has offered a great deal, and well Kate, I’m trying to put all my kids through college, and well as you know little Susie wants to be a doctor. It’s just too much Kate for the company even with our profits to come up with,” as he puts his own unable to look at me and rubs his hand on his balding head. I can sweat slowly starting to build on his head and face. “Mr. Johnson, what are you trying to say? We have doubled our profits in the last five years and that was a great deal to do with me. I have worked hard for you, and we just landed this huge deal with the coffee chain. We have talked about this, and you know how much I’ve been saving, where I’ve been living, and what I was willing to do to be your partner in this company that should help both you and me….I just….” I pleaded. “Kate….” Mr. Johnson’s voice cracked out. “It is just Blake here has offered a more than fair offer, overly fair, more than you and I could imagine. More than even if you became a partner. I will have enough to pay for the kid’s college, vacations, and anything I would want, and he is still willing to keep me on as an advisor part-time so more time with the family. It just doesn’t make sense for me to go any other path. Kate sits down please, hear it all out. This can be good for all of us, but you just have to give it a chance.” I almost by instinct plopped in the chair, staring into space, trying somewhere in my mind to understand what was happening at this very moment. Watching as all my dreams crumble and Blake Sutton gobbling them up. “Kate, we have big plans for this company, we want to integrate this entire advertising company into my building and this company has shown such promise that I believe we can have this company be the entire advertising company for all my many holdings. You and I will be working together one on one for years to come to truly build a larger advertising company than you could even imagine…...” Blake just barked out at me. I glanced up to see his now what I believed was an egotistical nothing but cocky smile and could feel my body heating up not in the way that smile used to. I thought back to the way he made me feel those days he used to put me on the spot in our study group and now devouring my dreams for his own. “You bastard!” I blurted out. Taking both Mr. Johnson and him back. “Kate, now that isn’t how you want to talk to your new boss.” Mr. Johnson scolded. I didn’t listen. “Who the hell do you think you are? Walking in here and just taking over just like you always have. Taking my dreams, my entire work, and just standing there smiling like it means nothing. What kind of person are you?” I yelled. Finally, his face went from some stupid smile to an open gapping mouth and furrowed brow. “What’s wrong does the cocky rich boy have nothing to say now?” I bellowed. I had so much more to say to this wealthy pretty boy with obviously no actual sentiment for the people he just destroyed. “KATE! Now that is enough!” Mr. Johnson barked. I clamped my mouth shut looking over at him trying to plead with him through my eyes. Mr. Johnson took a deep breath before talking “Kate, I’m sorry this deal was done last night, and it really does make sense for all of us. You will see this when you give it some time. I know this is not what we thought might happen, but it is happening and at this point, you need to accept that and work through this on your own, “he stressed. He took another breath looking pitiful at me. “I wanted to tell you one-on-one and I’m sorry Blake got here before to hammer out our way of announcing it so I didn’t get that chance. Kate, please give this a chance if anything for me.” He just had to say that did not, for him, the man I’d poured all my effort, work, and energy into just to try and make him proud of me. Man, I have some daddy issues, I thought to myself. I could feel the tears welling up inside me, ready to pour out of me. No, don’t let him do this to you. You have cried enough over Blake Sutton for one lifetime. Just get up and walk away. Get up! “I understand Mr. Johnson. I will need some time.” I gulped doing my best not to make eye contact with either one of them. “Thank you, Kate.” Mr. Johnson continued. “We are planning on announcing the meeting I scheduled at 9. I need you to be there with your game face so please go take some time in your office beforehand.” He stated more as an order. I somehow willed myself to stand up still not making eye contact with anyone. Just get out of this office I told myself. I slowly moved to the door stopping for one moment, “Thank you.” I had never in the last five years since I graduated college and started at the agency had Mr. Johnson talk to me that way. It crushed something inside me.I could hear Mr. Johnson telling Blake “She will be fine, you’ll see she is one of the best I’ve ever known.” “Yes, I know that’s why I’m here.” I heard softly come out of Blake’s voice. “Just a moment, Mr. Johnson I will be right back.” Shit! He’s coming out I quickly started walking to my office. “Kate!” He yelled. “Wait, please!” I just kept walking faster. How did a door that was only 20 feet away seem like 100 feet away? Tears already starting to run down my cheeks! Just keep going and he won’t see until I felt that hand on my arm twirling me around. “Kate, please just talk to me.” Was he pleading? I couldn’t do it, I know he could see my damn tears at this moment. I couldn’t bring myself to look right into those eyes at this very moment. “Please remove your arm, Mr. Sutton.” I squelched out. “Kate, I know we had some things happen but I’m sure we can work through this” He almost sounded like he was plead
I had fallen asleep somewhere between making love, and talking and felt utterly exhausted. The last thing I remember was him pulling his satin sheets on top of us as he held me in his arms. “Mmmmm…I didn’t know what satin feels like before. I like it.” I said sleepily. I feel his hand rub my hair. “If I have anything to do with it my sweet Kate that is all you will feel then if you like it.” He said so sweetly and lovingly. I snuggled deeper into him and found myself drifting off until exhaustion. I woke up and realized I was all alone in the bed and rolled over to look for Blake. There was a small note and rose laying on the bed beside me. Wow, he is good I thought. I looked at the note. My sweet Kate. I had to run an errand but I’ll be back. I already washed your clothes and they are drying. Go ahead and take a shower and get dressed. I will make you breakfast when I get back. P.S. You are incredible! Blake I found myself just smil
Back to the present and I’d somehow managed to get myself into my office to compose myself one more time this morning. After thinking back on it all I still was baffled by what was happening. The guy who opened me open to every desire I’d ever wanted, ditches me 7 years ago and now is telling me I can’t even quit my job because he has submerged himself in my company. He is insistent he will follow me wherever I go. I think about leaving out the door while everyone else is in the meeting but I realize that won’t work because with the amount of money he has there really isn’t anywhere I can run. I could get on a plane and take off to another country. How would that work? How do I get Rosco to another country? What about this company that I loved and gave everything to? It finally hits me with all my options flying in my head. This is it I am trapped until I can figure out why my one-night stand CEO won’t let me escape. I take a few more deep breaths and head to the “big” meeting and see
The doubt I was starting to feel about winning her over was starting to become overwhelming. It was a struggle to figure out how to resolve the anger she was now feeling towards me for taking her company away. I was so frustrated because Mr. Johnson hadn’t mentioned making Kate a partner until this morning and now I saw I had completely blindsided her. I could feel my insides aching for her because she felt helpless and that wasn’t something I had planned to do to her. I needed to think of a way to help her feel like she was in control again and fast before there was no chance for my hopes of us coming together to work. I debated after the conference meeting about following her back to her office but after my last attempt, I just asked for the conference room for a minute to make a few calls. That first attempt to say the least was a shit show. Did I tell her she couldn’t quit or leave because I would follow her wherever she went? She had to hate me for that. I walked
I looked up after hearing the knock on my door. Frowning to myself when I realized that these darn offices didn’t have windows. I checked the time, 11:30 am. Everyone should be at their celebratory lunch at this moment. I stood up and went towards the door unsure of what I would find. There he stood leaning on the door frame. “I grabbed a truce lunch,” he said without a grin for once. I looked down in his arms were two bags from Sal’s deli down the street. The smells from the deli started flowing into my nose and I had to admit I was starving from missing breakfast, dry heaving in the trash basket, and just overall wanting to self-soothe after the morning’s takeover. I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do at this moment but I knew I really wanted that sandwich and it seemed I was stuck to dealing with this horrible situation anyways so what was the point of turning it down? “Which one is I mine?” He grinned then as he had just caught me. Ugh! “This one,
The rest of the day was a blur and I just put a game face on that at this point in my life I was so used to having a “game” face compared to how you felt. It was easy to do considering all the many awkward conversations I’d had to have in the past with coworkers, dates, and the hellish family day Mr. Johnson always put on twice a year. Having to explain to so many people so many times that it was just me and nobody else got easier and I was able to numb myself to a lot of things. My counselor always said it wasn’t healthy but it felt a hell of a lot healthier than crying all day long because if I looked at it, I was alone and had been this way for a very long time. Nowadays it was easy to turn me on robotic and I learned a long time ago thanks to college speeches, work presentations, and the occasional work conversations I was able to do it without even thinking. That is why I’d always practiced every presentation so much that I could say and do it with no thought invol
Pulling up in my black Cadillac SUV, I was already feeling uncomfortable as this neighborhood was very near the poorest part of the city. Not that I was judging the people who lived here, it was more bothersome to me that Kate lived here. I realized I had gotten to her small apartment complex right next to a small convenience store. I will say although in a bad part of the neighborhood this apartment complex seemed better than most with a well-maintained brick outside a cement porch with cement railing you could sit on that was currently occupied by an elder darker man and a younger man of the same color who appeared to have just completed work at some factory as he was in his blue uniform still and was covered in dirt and oil. I glanced over to the right and in between the convenience store and the apartment building appeared to be a gated community garden which did at least present itself as one of the better buildings I’d driven by. I dressed casually in some denim jeans and a black
I couldn’t stop laughing and bent down to great Rosco my happy little dog. I looked up at Blake and he looked at me in horror. “What the hell Kate? You leave your window open and your dog just pops in?” I could sense my laugh filling my belly and to be honest I needed it after the last few days. “The window leads to the fire escape and the fire escape leads to the apartment’s community garden.” I stood up and walked over motioning for him to look at the window himself. Rosco just circulated his tail waiting for Blake to pay attention. He walked over and I didn’t realize how close I’d allowed him to get to me. I could smell his cologne again and my loins groaned to be nearer him. Keep it together Kate, I told myself. He turned around and looked at me and appeared appalled. “Do you know how unsafe this is? Kate this is not okay. I don’t like it.” Here we go again as I crossed my arms to show him I wasn’t budging. “It’s not your choice and i