Come What May (7 page)

7

Mike

I missed Wall Street but running my own company had its perks. No one told me what to do, besides my dad and Sean, and I had complete autonomy. And I couldn’t complain about the paycheck. I had a nice apartment in the city, but now I could upgrade to a better one. I just wasn’t sure if I needed a bigger place. What was the point if I didn’t have anyone to share it with?

Last weekend, I picked up a nice looking girl from the bar. I took her to my place, got what I wanted, and then gave her money for a cab. I tried to have feelings for her but I couldn’t.  She was superficial and stupid. How did Cortland and Ryan find their girls? Was there a secret place I didn’t know about?

When I was at work, I stayed in my office and tried to get as much work done before I headed to the gym. When four o’ clock came by, I was always gone. I wasn’t exactly a hard worker. Sean left early most of the time so he could be with Scarlet. I didn’t mind. Sometimes he put extra work on me so he could leave first. Since she was pregnant, I let it slide. I would want to be with my wife too—if I had one.

I was jealous of my brother. He had everything. And what made it worse was the fact he knew he had everything. He saw the way Scarlet looked at him, nothing but love and adoration in her eyes. Every day he came home, she stood outside while he pulled into the driveway because she missed him. I came home to an empty apartment, my beer and porn for company.

Where did the years of my life go? I was already thirty and I never had a single serious or meaningful relationship. Every one else already settled down. The only people left had kids or they were just crazy. I was doomed to be alone forever.

When I searched the documents on my desk, I realized I was missing a few invoices. I had to enter them into the computer before I left for the afternoon. My assistant was on break so I left my office and went to the accounting department.

Everyone nodded to me and said hello as I walked down the hallway. My ass has never been kissed like this before. Or maybe they just liked Sean and I because we didn’t change the company. We ran it exactly the way our father had before us. It was his legacy and we wouldn’t ruin it.

I walked inside the office and looked for Julia. She usually sat at her desk, eating lemon drops all day long. Her counter was covered in pictures of her kids and her husband. But she wasn’t there.

A different woman was sitting at the desk. Her back was straight and her posture was perfect. Her legs were crossed, her pencil skirt reaching her knees. Her blonde hair was silky and smooth. It framed her face and reached down her back.  The strands reminded me of the sun. They were almost gold, not blonde like Janice’s hair.

Her butto
ned shirt was tucked into her skirt, but her breasts were still prominent. She had a tiny waist, large tits, and long legs. Her green eyes contrasted against her red lips. I stood in the doorway, staring at her like a psychopath. She was a stranger to me, but she was gorgeous. I would definitely remember her if I ever met her.

Then she looked away from her computer, spotting me by the door.

Shit. What do I do?

“Hi.” She gave me a gorgeous smile, supermodel status. “Can I help you?”

“Uh…”

God, this was embarrassing.

She patiently waited for me to speak.

“
Yeah.” I cleared my throat. “I’m looking for invoices.”

“Okay.” She smirked even wider. “Which ones?” I could tell she was trying not to make me feel stupid. And I knew I sounded like a damn idiot.

“Oh yeah.” I came further into the room and approached her desk. “I’m Sean. I mean, I’m Mike.”

Stop talking. Stop talking.

“Hi, Mike. I’m Cassandra.”

Cassandra…
.geez, that was a sexy name.

She rested her hand on the mouse, still looking at me. “So…what invoices did you need?”

I needed to get my shit together. This was just humiliating. “Yeah, I need the last invoices from Gober Framework.”

“You got it.” She typed on her computer and pulled up the invoices. Then she printed them out and handed them to me. “Anything else, sir?”

A date.
“No. Thank you for your help.”

“Anytime.”

I stayed rooted to the spot.

She turned back to me. “Yes?”

“Umm…what happened to Julia?”

“She’s on maternity leave. I’m covering for her temporarily.”

“Oh.” I held the papers in my hand, crinkling them. “I’m the owner of this place.”

“I know.” She kept smiling.

Could I sound anymore like a fucking douchebag?

She extended her hand. “It’s nice to formally meet you. I’ve already met, Sean.”

I eyed it before I took it. Her hand was tiny in mine. I could crush it with a simple squeeze. I shook it while I glanced at her left hand, searching for a wedding ring. There wasn’t one.

Yes.

“I’ll see you around, Mr. Preston.”

“Mike. Call me Mike.” I hated it when people called me that.

“Will do.”

She was more professional than I was.  “I’m
not normally like this…”

“Okay.” She looked down, unsure what else to do.

I think I was freaking her out. “Well, thanks for the invoices.”

“Of course.”

“Umm…bye.”

“Bye.”

I turned around and left the office as quickly as I could without running. I never made such an idiot of myself before. That was just pathetic. It was like I’d never seen a pretty girl before. Well, she wasn’t pretty. She was…wow. She didn’t look like she should work in an accounting office.
Sports Illustrated
should have her on the cover.

I barged into my brother’s office, the invoices still in my hand. “Have you seen that new girl?”

Sean quickly clicked on his mouse then turned to me. “Don’t you knock?”

“You watching porn or something?”

“Something better than porn.” He turned in his chair and faced me. “What are you rambling about?”

“You got naked pictures of Scarlet back there?” I teased.

He glared at me.  “If I did, I wouldn’t show you.”

“Damn.”

“What new girl?” he asked.

“Cassandra. She works in accounting.”

“Oh,” Sean said. “Julia is having her baby soon so she’s taken over her desk.”

“That girl is
smokin’ hot.”

Sean glared at me. “Leave her alone, Mike. I mean it.”

“What? I’m not going to bother her.”

“I won’t tolerate harassment in this office. I don’t want anyone bugging the girls who work for us.”

I knew he had a soft spot for this topic because of what happened to Scarlet. I rolled my eyes. “Do I look like a psycho sexual harasser? It’s not like I’m going to offer her a promotion if she sleeps with me.”

Sean continued to glare at me.

“Okay. That happened one time, but I was just joking.”

Sean still looked pissed.

“I’m not going to bug her. I just think she’s…fucking hot.”

“She’s off limits.” Sean turned back to his computer.

“I can ask her out. If she says no, I’ll leave her alone.”

“No, back off.”

“Calm down,” I said. “She’ll probably say no anyway. I made a total idiot out of myself.”

“What’s new?”

“Why can’t I date her?” I asked. “I’m not going to sleep with her then never call her.”

“It’s inappropriate to date someone you work with, especially since you’re the owner of this company.”

“But it’s okay to fuck your wife in the office?” I said sarcastically.

“It doesn’t affect my work, so yes, I can fuck my wife.”

“Well, if I get one someday, I’m fucking her brains out all the time.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when he come to it.”

I sat in the desk facing his chair. “You know anything about her?”

Sean shook his head. “She has a degree in finance. That’s all I know.”

“Does she have a boyfriend?”

“Why the hell would I know that?” Sean snapped.

“You might.”

“Just forget about her, Mike.”

“Easier said than done.”

Sean looked at his computer. “Now get out. I have work to do.”

“Staring at naked pictures of your wife doesn’t constitute as work.”

“They aren’t pictures.” He winked at me.

“Pervert.” I was totally jealous. Not because I wanted to see Scarlet naked, but because she was so cool. I hoped I’d find a chick like that.

I changed into my workout clothes before I headed to the gym. Sean and I went to the same place but we had our separate workouts. He had his own trainer because he hurt his shoulder a few weeks ago. I didn’t have a trainer because I wasn’t a pussy like my brother.

I thought about Cassandra on the drive. I kept thinking about her legs. They were long and toned. I wondered what she did for exercise. I wondered what she was like. Did she think I was an idiot?

Who am I kidding? Of course she thought I was.

After I checked in, I headed to the weights and worked on my arms. I liked having a strong upper body. Suits looked good on my shoulders and chest. And the girls liked it too.

I lay on the bench and did my presses. I should have someone spot me but I was too independent. I wouldn’t do a weight I couldn’t handle. After I racked the bar, I wiped my forehead with a towel and saw Sean doing push-ups with his trainer. He didn’t concentrate on getting bigger. His goal was to be toned and fit.

I walked to the drinking fountain to refill my water when I spotted a girl doing dead lifts. Her back was to me so I saw her defined back and waist. She wore only a sports bra, and along her ribs was a small tattoo. It was lyrics of some sort in neat cursive. Her spandex framed her ass, making it look prominent and tight. She was a fit chick, gorgeous and sexy.

I liked seeing a girl do weights. It made them tone and strong, not just skinny. I loved the lean muscle covering her body. The girl was sexy as hell. I looked in the mirror to catch a glimpse of her face.

It was Cassandra.

Fuck. This girl was torturing me.

She put the bar on the ground then stood back, her hands on her hips. She breathed through the
burn in her muscles. Sweat clung to her chest and dripped down. I eyed her stomach and saw it was toned and tight. A slight definition of a six-pack was evident.

God, she was ridiculously hot.

I realized my bottle was overflowing with water from the drinking fountain. I pulled away and wiped off the extra water. I immediately got a hard-on and I adjusted myself in my shorts, not wanting to be on display. I continued to stare at her, not sure what to do. Should I talk to her? What do I say?

Why was this hard for me? I’ve hit on hundreds of girls. I needed to go over and just do it. But I was still nervous.

When she picked up the bar and placed it in the rack, I made my move.

“Hey!” My voice came out high and loud.

She flinched when she heard me, caught of guard.

Fuck. I scared her.

Cassandra pulled her earplugs out. “Mr. Preston?”

“Mike.”

“Hi.” She tightened her gloves. “I didn’t know we went to the same gym.”

“Neither did I.”

“I usually come in the morning, but I was just too tired today.”

Judging by her body, she came religiously. “Cool.”
Did I just say that?

“Well, enjoy your workout.” She gave me a light smile.

No. Don’t go
. “Thanks for taking over for Julia.” I couldn’t think of something better to say.

“Of course. I don’t mind.”

Think of something else to say.
“Do you need help with anything? I can show you a few exercises.”

“I think I’m good. But thanks.”

She kept dodging me. “Would you like to get a drink with me later tonight?” I knew I blurted that out but I was desperate. I didn’t know when I would have another excuse to talk to her.

She touched a loose strand of hair and tucked it behind her ear. I knew she was nervous. “I appreciate the invite but I’m going to pass.”

Rejection…
“Okay.” I tried to keep the disappointment out of my voice but I couldn’t.

“I’ll see you later.” She put her earplugs in and returned to her workout.

Too depressed to workout, I headed to the locker room and showered. I’ve never been so hurt by a rejection before. All the other girls wanted me and battled for my affection, but the one girl I actually wanted had no interest in me. Why did it have to work out that way?

When I left the locker room and merged into the hallway, she appeared. Now she wore a hoodie with her bag over her shoulder. She glanced at me then looked at the ground. We walked together, both feeling awkward.