The Refrain (The Bridge Series) (6 page)

C
HAPTER
E
IGHT

Adam Ford
8/25/03
Re: Diet Snapple and Mountain Dew

M
ONDAYS ARE UNNECESSARILY
painful, but I have two things in my favor today: a new secretary will be replacing Roberta the Nun, and visions of naked-Chloe will be dancing in my head.

Our date, or rather, our weekend, was an awakening. There’s absolutely no formula with Chloe, only a rhythm I have yet to fully understand. And fuck – I’m terrified, but I like it.

Chloe has sex like she lives her life; impulsive, controlled, rough, gentle and emotionally charged. In fact, she is the first woman to give me a blow job in the middle of sex simply because she wanted my cock in her mouth during one of her favorite songs. That immediate sense of urgency was so fucking hot. Something about the way she smiles at me, the way she moves for me and the compassionate way she touches my stupid scar make me want her more and more. And I
crave
her unpredictability.

It wasn’t all sex. We took breaks to discuss the finer things in life, like Canadian beer and Impressionism. We ordered shrimp dumplings around two a.m. and watched
The Great Outdoors
. By two-thirty, we were out of condoms.

Chloe stayed in my arms like our first night together, sharing crazy stories about her cousin Natalie and growing up in Canada. She told me about each of the snow globes in her room, starting with Natalie’s cheap plastic NYC dome. We made up commercial jingles about sex toys and laxatives, Chloe laughing hysterically at my terrible voice. All in all, it was the best date we
never
had . . .

The elevator opens to my floor and I’m swarmed by two associates drooling and panting.

“Jesus, Adam. What did you do to land that hot piece of ass?” asks Onion Bagel Scott.

At first I’m confused by the question, but then I spot a pair of gorgeous legs near my office. She’s gracefully placing things inside a desk five yards from Sister Roberta’s menacing scowl. As a result of one successful case, I’m simultaneously the most hated and envied man in the office.

“She’s my new secretary, so fuck off,” I say.

I shove past Onion Bagel and the other nameless prick to introduce myself to the JS&D secretarial jackpot. Roberta glances at me quickly, but then snaps her focus toward her computer screen, avoiding me. Good riddance.

My new secretary is a buxom red-head with a short skirt and very high heels. I move to the front of her desk and flash a charming smile, but she frowns. How many guys hit on her before I got here? She’s pretty and has some great features, but she’s somewhat ordinary. But I’m a guy, and her legs and ass will do just fine. I extend my hand but she looks away.

“Hello, I’m Adam Ford,” I say.

“Oh! Adam, good morning. I’m sorry for being rude it’s just that ten guys have welcomed me in the past twenty minutes.” She smiles seductively and shakes my hand. “I’m Caroline Jenkins and I’m thrilled to work for such a dynamic attorney.” Jenkins . . . Jenkins. As in Jenkins, Davis and Shaw. Shit.

“It’s very nice to have you on the floor with the bottom-feeding associates, Caroline. Please let me know if anyone gives you a hard time.” I lean in to whisper, “Except Roberta. She scares me so you’re on your own.” I smile warmly and Caroline swoons – it’s really that easy. “Are you ready? We need to go over my schedule for the next few days. Grab a cup of coffee and meet me in my office.”

“Oh, I don’t drink coffee! Do you? I mean, should I get you a cup?” Caroline’s face contorts into awkward grimace and her eyes blink rapidly.

“No, I’m good.” I take my agenda from her desk and motion for her to follow me. “We can go to my office and get started.”

Caroline follows closely behind me, nearly tripping against my back. Every eye on the floor is on us, just waiting for one little excuse to start rumors – let them. It wouldn’t be the first time the hot secretary goes after her boss.

Inside my office, I motion for her to close the door as I hurry to my ringing phone.

“Oh, should I go outside and answer that?” she asks.

“No, sit. I got it.” I move to the other side of my desk and answer the phone somewhere around the sixth ring. “Adam Ford.”

There’s silence so I repeat my greeting. “Adam Ford,” I say, a little perturbed.

“You’re incredibly sexy when you’re impatient.” Her voice alone makes me hard. I sit in my chair and swivel to face the window. “So hey, I have your Blackberry and I may have taken some provocative photos of me in the shower . . . with a very, very phallic-shaped loofah.” I smile at my reflection in the window.

“That’s a company phone and I’m sure the IT guys are grateful.” I tease.

“Are you serious? Shit.” Her voice is raspy and irritated.

“Yes, they’re sending around an office email as we speak. Very nice.” She laughs and I imagine her gorgeous lips curling into a smile.

“Ugh, you’re such a jerk! Do you want to come by later for the phone?”

“Actually, I need my client list. Can you meet for lunch?”

“What time?”

“Come by my office around noon. Look under the contact list for,” I clear my throat and whisper, “
Fraggle Rock
– that’s the contact for the address.”

“Oh fantastic – your office. Can we do it on your desk, with all the puppets watching?”

“Desk? No. I have something else in mind.”

“Excellent. Maybe I will forget to wear panties,” she says.

I shift in my chair, worried that Caroline can hear the entire conversation. “Yes, that is pretty much a
required
oversight.”

“I’ll see you soon, lo-ver.” That word always seems to roll right off her tongue. I like it.

“Soon.” I place the phone in the receiver and smile at my cactus, thriving in the window. I swivel my chair back around to face an inquisitive secretary.

“Girlfriend?” she asks flirtatiously.

“What? Oh, no, she’s . . . she’s my, um my – where were we?” Fuck. I’m flustered.

“We were going over your schedule. Is that a cactus in your window? You don’t seem like a cactus guy.” Caroline arches her eyebrow seductively.

“Cactus guy? It’s the only thing I can keep alive. Which reminds me, please water it once a week and never call me a cactus guy.”

“Understood. Is there anything else I can do to make your life – easier?” Caroline’s red lips methodically fondle a pen, and I’m certain she’s trying to make my life – harder.

“Nope.” I motion to her lap and she taps my agenda. “Yes, let’s get back to that. Clear my schedule from noon to two. Is there anything at that time?”

Caroline’s face scrunches as she scribbles in the date book. “It looks like you have a weekly meeting at two p.m. Should I reschedule?”

“What meeting? Okay, never mind. I’ll be at the meeting.” I scan through my emails while listening to Caroline dictate the week’s schedule. Luckily, I only have one current client and Fiona can babysit him.

Caroline stands from her chair and arches her back. I’m familiar with this move and yes, I notice her tits. “Okay, Mr. Ford. I’ll be at my desk if you need me,” Caroline adds.

“Please, call me Adam.”

She nods, runs her hand through her red hair and gracefully exits my office. I know that game – and she cannot seduce me. I press down my intercom button and it makes a small chirp.

“Yes, Adam?”

“Welcome to the floor. Let me know if there’s anything you need,” I offer.

There’s a long pause before she responds with an alarming amount of sexual presumption. “Good to know.”

Ah, shit.

“I
HAD NO
idea you’re a partner!” Chloe frowns as she rakes out the sliced tomatoes in her veggie wrap.

“Junior partner. Here, use this.” I open an empty Styrofoam box that was holding my french fries. “Why didn’t you just ask for it without tomatoes?” I bite into my cheeseburger and wait for her answer.

We stopped by a deli near Rockefeller Plaza and decided to eat outside near the Atlas statue. The best thing about the Midtown Manhattan lunch scene is the privacy. Chloe and I can sit on a bench within inches of fellow al fresco diners and have a completely private conversation – because no one gives a shit in NYC.

“Oh, I like tomatoes,” she says while sliding them into the container. “Everyone seems really uptight at your office.” Chloe takes a bite of her wrap and shrugs her shoulders. “What?” she asks.

“Nothing. Is your wrap
just right
now?” I ask sarcastically.

“Perfect! So what’s up with your secretary? She was giving me the evil eye.”

“Really? Sorry about that – Caroline just started with me this morning.”

Chloe wipes her mouth with a napkin and shakes her head. “Not the redhead, the blonde. The little one. She was staring at me like I was a giant!” she exclaims.

Fiona has a tendency to be a little unrefined, but I’d rather not get into characteristic details about a previous partner with Chloe. “Oh, her. She’s just unpleasant. What do you have planned today?”

“I usually visit my kids on Mondays.” She takes another bite to muffle her laughter. “But, I’ll probably just head to a guitar store.”

I think she messes with me just to get me to smile. And it always works.

“I would love to meet your kids,” I say.

Chloe smiles brightly and winks. “By the way, I searched through your contacts list. I’m glad to know I made the cut.”

“I figured I’d keep you around to fulfill my Canadian bombshell quota.” I pick up my Mountain Dew and hand her a Diet Snapple. She laughs hysterically, attracting the attention of everyone around us. I’ve never been with someone that’s so unguarded. I like my privacy, but I really enjoy watching her overt equanimity.

“Ha! I’m honored to represent the Canucks.” Chloe nudges into me while drinking her iced tea.

“Well, for now.”

“We’ll see! I bet you never get rid of me,” she smiles.

She’s right. Until now, I’ve never thought about marriage and kids, or running off to a cottage to make jams and jellies on a farm in Vermont, but Chloe does some weird shit to my psyche – and I like it.

“Hey, do you like the Toadies?” I ask.

The green of her eyes intensifies as she exclaims, “I love them! I actually toured with a cover band last year. I mean, they wrote some of their own shit, but they were very Toadie-esque. Why?”

“You’ll think I’m crazy.” I shove the last of the french fries in my mouth, regretting my disclosure.

“I love crazy. Tell me.”

I chew my food slowly, taking my time to really annoy her and test her patience. Chloe likes things instantly, but I want to teach her to savor the complexity of self-control.

“Not yet.”

She glances at the large clock above the ice rink and frowns. “Shit Adam, you have to go! It’s two-thirty.”

Goddamn it.

“I guess I should.” I collect our garbage and throw it in the bin, aware that every man in our vicinity is staring at Chloe. “Let’s grab dinner tonight,” I blurt a little too loudly. “In Brooklyn,” I add. Me caveman, my woman.

“I wish I could, but I’m working at the bar tonight. There’s a show in a couple of weeks and I promised Dennis I would do some extra shifts without complaining. He’s springing for a new sound system – I kinda owe him.” She places her hand on my hip then slowly slides her fingers into the waist of my pants. Her lips hover close to mine as she presses her chest against me. “How about sex?”

“I like it.”

Chloe licks her lips and giggles adorably. “Come to The Bridge tonight. I put the address in your phone under the name
Walnut Grove
.”

“I’ll try to make it,” I say flatly.

She grins as she places her finger on my bottom lip. “Oh, you’ll come, Adam Ford.” Chloe reaches in to kiss me, but does a fake-out by adjusting my tie instead. She turns to walk away, stopping briefly to look back over her shoulder.

She owns me – and she knows it.