“Well?” Rita hovered over my desk.
“Well, what?”
She sighed in aggravation. “Do you want to hear it or not?”
“Can it wait? I’m late.” I grabbed up my handheld mirror and stretched my mouth open for lipstick application.
“No, it can’t wait. You’ll want to hear it before you walk into the meeting.”
I wiped at the side of my lip with my pinky and put down the mirror. “Hurry, if I’m late Charlene will grab the donut with rainbow sprinkles.”
Rita leaned closer as if my office walls had ears or any interest at all in her gossip. “Ginny down in accounting had lunch yesterday with Frank, the owner’s executive assistant—”
I thumbed through the papers on my desk for my latest sales report. “To the point, Rita. Rainbow sprinkles— remember?”
She rolled her eyes. “They’ve narrowed the field of prospects for marketing manager down to two names, you and Darren.”
My face popped up. “Darren? You mean the guy I’m sleeping with?”
“The very one.”
My mind flashed back to the morning. Darren had left so early I hadn’t even heard him get up. “Well, I’ve got to get to the meeting or I won’t be considered for anything.” I clutched the reports under my arm and slid past Rita who looked disappointed by my reaction. I’d known that both of us would make the list of potential candidates, but I hadn’t expected for us to make the final two. This would definitely put a twist in our sex life.
My slip-on shoes made a ridiculous amount of noise as I hurried down the hall to the boardroom. I decided to stop and stick my head into Darren’s office. He glanced up from his computer. The man had perfected the sexy just got out of bed but still look presentable for work look. “Hey, Babe. I’ll be right there.”
“Did you turn off my alarm clock this morning?”
My question caught him off guard, and his mouth hung open for a moment. “Uh, no. I was up before it went off. I didn’t want to wake you.” He smiled rather insincerely.
“Just wondering. I’ll see you in the meeting.” I shrugged off his strange reaction to my question and slid into the boardroom.
Charlene was already in her usual spot daintily plucking off the rainbow sprinkles from my donut. She pushed a few into her mouth. “Hey, Jayden, congratulations. Rumor has it you’re in the running for marketing manager.”
How was it that everyone in the office knew but me? I needed to spend less time on sales calls and more time at the water cooler. I smiled weakly and looked pointedly at the donut. “Thanks.”
I grabbed my seat across from the painting of the sternly browed Arthur Kingsley, the founder of the century old Kingsley Advertising Agency. Coworkers spilled into the narrow room. Darren walked in last. Without glancing my way once, he took his usual seat near the head of the table.
Just like in school when the principal walked into the classroom, all chatting came to an abrupt halt and postures straightened as Arthur Kingsley III entered. He had the same stern brow as his grandfather, but his eyebrows were considerably less bushy and he wasn’t sporting a gray handlebar moustache.
The meeting started with the usual pep talk from the owner followed by the mind numbing discussion of sales data for the month. I glanced surreptitiously in Darren’s direction. He was great at putting up a pretense that he was intrigued by the charts and numbers, but I knew he was having a mind debate about which sports bar he’d hit tonight to watch the game.
Mrs. Compton, the general manager, called on Darren first to brag about his monthly numbers. They were impressive and he’d taken the time to print out pretty colored pie charts to go with them, but they still weren’t as good as mine. I’d had a stellar month and Darren knew it. The night before he had tried various ways to coax the numbers out of me, including ways that made me heat with a blush just thinking about them, but none of his techniques had worked.
Darren finished his presentation and sat back smugly in his seat. He picked up his phone and lowered it into his lap. My phone vibrated seconds later. Charlene cast an admonishing look my way as I lowered the phone to my lap. There was a text message from Darren.
“We’re over. I’ve been seeing Carly in the mailroom”
At first I smiled to myself thinking, oh that Darren, always a jokester. I mean Carly was cute in that pathetic lost kitten sort of way. My thumb smoothed over the screen on my phone and I read the message again. My gaze shot up the table toward Darren. He pretended to be engrossed by Charlie Morgan’s sales numbers. He didn’t look my way for even a second, but a hideous smirk crossed his lips. He was not joking.
My fingers slid over the key pad frantically, and I was about to push send when in the fog of my emotional turmoil I heard my name called.
“Jayden, let’s hear from you next.”
I looked up befuddled and bleary eyed and that’s when it happened. The text message, still fresh in my mind, spurted from my lips. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
Shocked, open-mouthed expressions lined the long table as a simultaneous gasp sucked the air from the room. Darren stared down at the table with a grin as wide as the Mississippi River.
“Jayden,” Mrs. Compton’s tone reminded me of my mom’s after I’d stayed out too late with a boy. “Why don’t you leave the room and compose yourself. We’ll speak later.”
I blinked back tears as I gathered up my papers and left the uncomfortably silent room. Rita was on the phone as I raced past her desk. She hung up quickly and followed me into my office.
I sat down and stared out the window in a state of shock. If I hadn’t been so angry, I would have cried.
Rita stared wide-eyed at me. “This isn’t about the donut, is it?”
Her question took a moment to register then I laughed. I pressed my hands against my face and mumbled into my palms. “What the hell just happened?” I dropped my hands into my lap and leaned back in the chair.
“I don’t know,” Rita said. “I’m waiting for you to tell me. You raced past my desk like your ass was on fire, and I’ve never seen that look on your face. It will haunt me forever.” She pressed her hand to her chest dramatically.
The chair squeaked as I sat forward. “I’m sorry. Darren just screwed me so badly, I could kill him. I’ve botched the promotion. Hell, I might even be fired.” I relayed the entire ugly story to Rita and her anger grew along with mine as I spoke about it.
“He planned the whole damn thing so he could get the manager position.” I stood and looked down to the street below. “And to think last night I let him . . .” My mind drifted toward revenge.
Rita’s voice sprang over my shoulder. “Last night you let him— what? What did you let him do?” she asked anxiously.
I waved her off. “Never mind that. I’ve just come up with a plan. Is the meeting over?”
Rita hung her head out of my office. “Yep, looks like it’s breaking up.”
I hugged Rita and walked into the hallway. Heads poked around cubicles and curious stares watched me through windows as I marched to Darren’s office. His door was closed but I didn’t knock. Sally, his pointy faced assistant, had just sat down to take dictation. They both looked up as I walked in. I shot Sally a look that told her where to place her notepad, and she scurried out of the office.
Darren pushed his chair back from the desk and crossed his fingers behind his head. “Sorry about that little joke in there, Jayden.” A grin strained to break free on his arrogant face as he dropped his arms and leaned forward to check his cell phone, an annoying habit he pursued even when we were in bed. His blue eyes smiled up at me. They were the same blue eyes that had smiled up at me over my pillow the night before only this time they were cold as ice. “I have to admit— did not see that reaction coming. I mean I’d wanted to throw you off your game a bit when it came
time for you to speak . . . but, wow.” He chuckled dryly. “Thought old man Kingsley was going to fall over from a stroke.”
My gaze flickered to his smart phone where his fingers still hovered. Darren’s entire life was on that phone, both personal and business. He called it his lifeline.
“And what about Carly?”
He withdrew his fingers from his phone and leaned back in his chair. “Carly? We’ve gone out a couple of times. But she’s not you.” He had the nerve to float a smarmy gaze over my body.
“You knew last night that we were the only two on the prospect list. And you knew you didn’t have sales numbers to beat mine so you had to pull a dirty trick. You have now topped my Biggest Assholes I’ve Dated list.”
“Come on, Babe, don’t be so mad. I’m sure you’ll just get written up and warned.”
My insides flamed with anger and then my opportunity presented itself. I lunged forward, and before he knew what was happening, I’d snatched up his cell phone and raced out of his office. I heard his rolling chair hit the wall as he jumped out of it to follow me.
The entire office stopped their work to watch. For the first time this morning, luck was on my side. The elevator doors had just started to close. I slid between them and turned as Darren came running toward the elevator.
“Jayden, come on now. It’s not funny.” He looked pale with worry as he smacked the elevator buttons. But he was too late. I was on my way down to the basement and his precious smart phone was in my possession. The doors were five inches from shutting completely when a wickedly beautiful idea struck me. I pressed my face closer to the shrinking gap and held the phone out.
The doors shut just as Darren made a futile grab for it. “You bitch!” he yelled. The sound of metal and glass crushing was the best sound I’d heard all morning. As the elevator descended, the remaining piece of phone slid down with it until it finally broke in half.
Chapter 2
My cell phone still had the Jingle Bells ringtone I’d downloaded last Christmas. I squinted into the thin stream of light peeking through my blinds, picked up my phone, and looked at the screen.
“Hey, Rita.”
“God, you sound awful.”
“I feel awful. Is it possible to get a hangover from orange soda?”
“It might be a first. How much did you drink?”
“I don’t know— a case maybe.”
“Holy shit. Listen, Jayden, I think if you made an appointment with Compton and explained what that jerk did to you, she would give you your job back. You were the company’s number one salesperson.”
I laughed weakly. “I can just hear the conversation now. I’m sorry I lost my mind during the meeting, but your new manager, Darren, screwed me twice, once in bed and once in the boardroom.”
“Well, that might not be the best way to go about it.”
“So did the pig get over the loss of his phone?” I moaned as I sat up. “Shit, I sound like my grandfather when he’s pushing off the couch.” I glanced across the room to my mirrored closet door and was horrified by the person staring back at me. “Crap, I look like him too.”
“Darren is walking around the office like a rooster on steroids. They are going to regret handing that blowhard a position of power.”
I stood and walked to the blinds. For a moment I considered opening them, but then decided I’d grown rather fond of the cave-like atmosphere. “To tell you the truth, Rita, I don’t think I even want my old job back.” The coffee table in the living room was lined with orange soda cans and cheese puffs. “Boy, I really went on an orange food bender last night.”
“Huh?”
“Oh nothing.” I picked up a cheese puff and pushed it into my mouth. It had lost some of its crunch. “I think it’s time to try something new.”
“Like what?” Rita asked.
“I don’t know.” I picked up another cheese puff and noticed the half empty jar of marshmallow crème. The evening was coming back to me in small pieces. I’d overdosed on junk food and soda as I watched the entire series of The Lord of the Rings. Although that was not entirely true because I’d fast forwarded to the parts with Viggo Mortenson and had skipped the rest. I dipped the cheese puff into the marshmallow and ate it. “Maybe I’ll start a cooking blog. Ten thousand ways to cook with cheese puffs.”
Rita huffed through the phone. “Look, I have a lunch break in two hours. Why don’t I stop by and pick you up—”
“Thanks, Rita, you’re a good friend, but I’m not really in the mood.” I looked down at my pajama pants. I’d been wearing them for two straight days. After dropping the f-bomb in front of the very prim and proper owner and then following up that little folly with the elevator slash phone incident, I’d gone home for the day. By that evening, Mrs. Compton called me to let me know that they were letting me go.
“I’ve got to go, Jay. My break’s over. You sure about lunch?”
“Yeah, another time, huh?”
“All right. Take care and lay off the orange soda.”
I fell asleep on the couch watching soap operas and woke to my mom standing over me with a scowl of disgust.
I sat up groggily. “Mom, I didn’t hear you come in.” Why I had given my mother her own key was beyond me. She’d convinced me that it was for my safety and now it was too late to ask for it back.
She picked up the remote and turned the television off. “It’s comforting to know that any stranger could walk in here and find you in this state of undress on the couch.”
I glanced down at my pajamas. I’d changed out of the ones with cartoon sheep and had opted for the more sophisticated pair with fuzzy kittens. “I’m not undressed and strangers don’t have keys.”
It was obvious Mom had been to the salon and manicurist. She was wearing her two hundred dollar jeans and cashmere sweater. All she needed was the thousand dollar purse stuffed with a Chihuahua to complete the look. Instead there was a newspaper under her arm. She dropped it on the coffee table and cheese puffs flew in every direction. “I brought you a paper.” She sat on the couch next to me.
I combed my hair back with my fingers. “Mom, I’m not really interested in world events or coupons. Kind of have other things on my mind.”
She rolled her eyes. “This is what we used back in the old days to find a job. Classifieds are at the back. You need to start looking for another job. The longer you stay on this couch, the harder it will be.”
“This coming from a woman who spends her mornings at the day spa and comes home to a maid and chef. You are so lucky you found Michael. He’s such a cool guy.”
Mom shrugged smugly. “Third time’s a charm, I guess.” My real dad had left my mom when I was eight and my sister was ten. He was never much of a kid person so I hadn’t ever missed him too much, and I’d hardly spoken to him since. The second husband was a nice guy, but he was dull and Mom bored of him after two years of marriage. She’d had to work two jobs to keep us under a roof. Then she caught the eye of Michael Benson, a real estate mogul. He is ten years older than her but he treats her like royalty. And I had to admit she deserved it.
“So I suppose Darwood got the manager position,” Mom said sharply.
I smiled. “You can stop calling him Darwood, Endora. He’ll never be your son-in-law. He’s out of my life for good.” I flopped back with a sigh and propped my feet on the coffee table. “If only I were a witch. Then I could just wiggle my nose and create any life I wanted.” I daydreamed about that possibility a moment. “I think I’d just lie around on the couch all day in expensive lingerie and have Ryan Gosling tend to all my needs.”
Mom patted me on the leg and stood. “Well, I have a lunch date with Michael.” She kissed me on the top of my head. “You need to wash your hair.”
I sighed mournfully. “Look at you, Mom. You’re more than hal
fway to a hundred and you look spectacular.” I looked down at my pajamas. “I’m only twenty-five and I look like something the cat threw up.”
“First of all, thank you for pointing out that I’m half way to a hundred, and second of all, get your little butt off that couch and stop feeling sorry for yourself, Jayden Marie Clark.” She turned to leave then stopped and turned back. “I just remembered the other reason I came besides the paper. Your sister is getting married again.”
“Like you said, third time is a charm.” Tricia had managed to get three proposals in the same amount of time I’d managed to land zero. Not that marriage held any appeal for me. It had always been career first. Of course, now I didn’t have that either.
“The wedding is in two weeks.”
“Jeez, two weeks. Did she get pregnant or something?”
“I wish,” Mom said resignedly. “Maybe someday I’ll be a grandma.” She looked pointedly at me. “Seeing as how I’m so close to the century mark and all.”
“Yes, but you are remarkably well-preserved, Mom.”
She blew me a kiss and shuffled out on her designer high heels.
I stared at the newspaper for ten minutes then shoved it aside with my foot. It would be easier to search for a job on-line . . . eventually. I’d changed my relationship status on Facebook immediately but I hadn’t been on the computer since. I switched through all the channels three times and threw the remote down in disgust. It landed on the newspaper. Moms and their secret powers— they were scary. I picked up the paper and skimmed the headlines which talked mostly about the rotten economy and ridiculously high unemployment rates. Terrific. I struggled through the endless sheets of newspaper and found the classifieds. By the time I’d found the jobs page my apartment was covered with newspaper. I was either under qualified— strip club dancer, a C cup was not going to cut it, or overqualified— sales clerk at an office store. There was a wide variety of jobs but nothing that caught my fancy. I dropped the paper on the cushion next to me and an ad I hadn’t noticed caught my eye. Wanted: Girl Friday, wide range of duties, requires travel abroad.