The Proverbial Mr. Universe (24 page)

O
livia hated Wednesdays … actually she just hated when she had to come into work. Not that she hated what she did. It was more that she wasn’t content with the company she worked for. Especially when she knew what kind of day they had lined up for her: meetings with suppliers, fittings, and coming up with the next collection. Of course there was still no talk about the promotion her boss had promised her.

“Hey, I need you to do me a big favor,” Jessica said as she flew into Olivia’s tiny office.

“What’s up?” Olivia glanced up from swatches that were scattered all over her desk.

“My fit model canceled on me, and I was wondering … if you could ask your boyfriend to come in, maybe try some of my samples?”

“Nick? He’s not my boyfriend, and no, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Friends with benefits? Shit, I never thought you had it in you.” Jessica had a twinkle in her eyes.

“What? No! I just told you we’re friends.”

“You’re so lame.” Jessica sighed.

Olivia rolled her eyes.

“I’m just kidding. Please, I really need to send these specs out today or else I’ll be late for production.”

She gave Olivia big, brown, puppy eyes. “Olivia, don’t you dare make me beg.”

“I’m not sure if he’s even available.” She paused. “Why didn’t you schedule this last week?”

“I did. My dimwit assistant had sent out the wrong specs. Thank God the production manager in China caught the mistake. It would have been a brutal disaster. Everything would have come in two sizes too small, and Jack would have my head on a silver platter.” Jessica plopped into the chair in front of her. “I need to fix it before Jack finds out that this happened again. Call him, see if he can help me out.
PLEASE
!” Jessica said, clinging the samples to her chest. “I can’t find anyone else and Nick lives down the street. I know he’ll do anything for you.”

Olivia frowned. She never remembered telling her anything specific about Nick, especially that he lived nearby.

“How about the guy in the graphic department? What’s his name? Derick?

“Too small …”

Olivia snapped her fingers. “Oh, Steven!”

“Too big.” Jessica smiled wickedly.

“I don’t want to know.” Olivia exhaled a long breath before saying yes.

“Thank you! I owe you big time!”

Where did she hear that one before?

Oh, right.

Last week when Jessica left work early and conveniently forgot to print out her catalogue, the one that Jack wanted on his desk that afternoon. It seemed Jessica had been taking advantage of their relationship, but what was Olivia to do? She valued their friendship and friends helped each other out, didn’t they?

“Don’t get excited just yet. I haven’t called him.”

Jessica waved her hand in the air, already knowing Nick would come.

“Oh, did I tell you what Jack said to me the other day?”

“No.”

“He said you’re amazingly talented and is satisfied with your work so far.” She smiled. “Looks like somebody’s getting promoted.” Jessica sang out the words and winked just before she fled the room.

A permanent smile planted on Olivia’s face. It would be a dream come true if she was given the honor of head designer for one of D.S. Design’s labels. She just needed to keep the faith.

A
n hour later Nick texted her that he was downstairs in the lobby. She wrote back her office was on the fourth floor and she would meet him at the elevator doors. Olivia nervously waited, worried that the people at work would think they were together. They’d probably gossip about how fast she moved on when she really hadn’t … Nick was obviously only a friend, or so she told herself.

The elevator doors opened, and she was greeted by Nick’s bright eyes.

“Thank you so much for doing this for me on such a short notice …”

“I would have gotten here sooner, but I was in the middle of something when you called,” Nick said.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have bothered you.”

“No, it was no bother. It gave me a reason to come and see you.”

Olivia studied him for a moment. The last time she spoke to him was on Monday, when she canceled their plans to meet. At first she suspected he might be upset with her because the tone in his voice seemed a little uneasy, like he was holding something back. Whatever it was, it was gone now.

“Hey, do you want to see my office?” She was the first one to break away from their gaze.

“Sure.” He followed her through the glass doors. Her office was at the end of the hallway.

She spun around with her arms in the air. “Welcome to my home away from home. Sorry it looks like a tornado came charging through. I’m in the middle of working on two seasons at once.”

Nick looked through the samples on the rack along the wall.

“Did you design all these?”

“Yes.”

“So you’re a designer?”

“I’m an assistant to the CEO of the company. It’s not the same thing.”

Nick seemed confused.

“I do all the work but get no recognition for it … or the pay.”

“How does that work?” Nick asked.

“It doesn’t. Hopefully I should be promoted soon.”

Olivia nodded while she had the receiver to her ear, dialing Jessica’s extension.

“Maybe I should have asked this before,” he said as he browsed around the room. “It’s guy stuff you wanted me to try on, right?”

“Shoot, didn’t I tell you it was for a bikini?” Olivia smiled devilishly.

Moments later Olivia accompanied Nick to Jessica’s much brighter, larger office.

“Nick! You’re such a sweetheart, thank you! Olivia, can you show him the samples he needs to try on? Now, where’s my idiot assistant …” Jessica picked up her phone then hung up. “I’ll be right back.” She frantically walked out the door.

“Is it always crazy like this?” Nick frowned.

“Well, you’re lucky my boss isn’t here, because there would be most likely be some screaming going on.”

“Should I even ask?” Several lines appeared on his forehead.

“No, not here. I’ll fill you in later.” She half-smiled.

She went to the clothing rack and pulled out some short-sleeve shirts and polo tops from Jessica’s summer collection.

“So here they are.” Olivia handed him the hangers. “You can change here if you like.” She placed her hand on her hip.

Nick looked around the room. “Is there a changing room or a bathroom I could use?”

It had never occurred to Olivia that Nick might be modest. She was accustomed to models readily pulling off their shirts, changing right in front of her or anyone else in the room. They’d even get down to their boxers without batting an eyelash. If there was a model who was shy, she’d never met one.

Olivia smiled at Nick’s bashfulness.

“Oh … yeah, sure. There’s a bathroom just out of the office to your right.”

“Thanks.”

“No, thank you. You’re doing me a huge favor.”

Clarification: Jessica a huge favor.

“Hey, do you want to grab a bite later?”

She nodded and with a smile Nick vanished out the door.

W
hen the sounds of laughter flowed from down the hall, Olivia couldn’t help steal glances at Jessica’s doorway. She wasn’t purposely standing by Jessica’s office. The printer was just conveniently adjacent to it and Olivia was waiting for her sketches to be printed out. She wasn’t being noisy either. The door was left wide open for anyone to see. She didn’t know why it bothered her that Jessica’s assistant Racheal was standing very close to Nick, her hands all over his arms and chest, pinning the fabric of the sample that he wore. It was obvious she was flirting with him, but was Nick flirting back? She couldn’t see his face, but his tone suggested that he was being friendly and nothing more.

Why did it bother her? She was used to Dario flirting with women, even in front of her, and it never ruffled her feathers before. Olivia was never the possessive type. And besides, Nick was allowed to do whatever he wanted. It wasn’t like they were committed to each other.

When she got to her office she found Jessica rummaging through her sample cards.

“Hey, do you have the swatches that Brian from Fabrictex brought over last week? You know the one with the Lurex thread?”

“Yeah, it’s right here.” Olivia pulled it out from the bottom of the pile and handed it to Jessica.

“What’s wrong?” Jessica’s eyes focused on Olivia.

“Nothing.”

“Was the view from the printer good?”

“The printer was broken. I was trying to get it to work.”

“Funny, it was fine when I used it.”

Olivia sunk into her chair and wondered if Nick also thought she was spying. Just before she was able to clarify things, Racheal glided into her office with a smile that Olivia wished she could wipe right off her face.

“Olivia, what’s the story between you and Nick?”

Olivia frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Are you dating him?”

“No … he’s a friend.” Olivia could sense Jessica’s eyes on her.

“Well, if there is nothing between you two, do you mind if I ask him out. I think there’s a connection between us, and I want to get to know him better.”

“Yeah, pfft. Sure, go ahead. He’s very much single. Yup, he’s very free to date who ever he wants.”

She couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of her mouth, but there they were. When Racheal walked out, Olivia turned to see Jessica giving her a nasty look.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Wow, so that’s how you look when you’re lying?”

“What? I wasn’t lying. We’re not dating.” Olivia’s voice was tight and she felt the heat rise in her cheeks.

“You told me you liked him,” Jessica said, a matter-of-factly.

“No, I said I liked being around him … as a friend.”

“But I don’t understand.” She looked perplexed. “I don’t want to pry into your business, but Nick is an amazing guy. I don’t want you to mess things up.”

“You barely know him. You met him what? Two times?” Olivia paused. “You’re my friend. You should be on my side.” She frowned.

Jessica’s face scrunched up, like she was fighting with something. She had some sort of secret she’d been hiding from Olivia.

“Look, I’m going to tell you something, but you can’t tell Nick that I told you …”

Just before Jessica could say what it was, Racheal walked into the room so fast that it made the papers fly off her desk.

“What’s the deal, Olivia?”

“What?” Honestly having no idea what her problem was.

“I thought you told me you and Nick were only friends.”

“Yeah, we are …”

“He said he was seeing someone.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, you!” Racheal gave her cheesy grin and walked back out.

“My, my, my, what a web we weave. You shouldn’t be playing games, Olivia, especially if you like the guy.”

“I’m not playing games.”

Then the light flooded into Jessica’s eyes. “You were testing him. You wanted to see if he would say yes. Olivia, not all men are like Dario.”

“No, it wasn’t that.”

But she was right. Olivia was playing a game and jealousy got the best of her. And if she was jealous, then she had to admit Nick meant something to her.