Chapter 5
It was decided and set in stone this time. Her third day at work would be the very best, most awesome day. That’s exactly what Zoe mumbled to herself when she left her apartment, bought a morning coffee on her way, got onto the bus, rode the elevator up to Blackwood Corporation, bumped into the Barbie receptionist and spilled her drink all over her cream sheath dress. It would be a better day. Well, fuck that.
The only upside was that her cup was half full and barely warm by the time the receptionist decorated her outfit. And Zoe couldn’t even scream at the girl whose big baby blues filled up with tears as she collapsed on her knees on the reception’s carpet and started sobbing.
What could go worse apart from the scene attracting people from surrounding offices, including her charming boss with Ellen on his heels, as well as Lance and Kai only steps behind. At the look on Blackwood’s face, her early morning mantra went straight down the toilet. His stare barely stopped at the poor sobbing supermodel at his feet and instead zeroed in on her.
“You can’t wear that at work.”
Zoe thought she’d misheard, but one look at Lance whose wince told her that her ears were functioning just fine. Ellen crouched by the poor receptionist and quickly dragged her away. Unable to utter a single word that wouldn’t get her fired on the spot and thus compromise her mission, Zoe bit her lip and went straight into her office. Dropping the now empty paper cup in the trash, she put her bag away when Blackwood appeared in her door.
“We have a meeting.”
“And I need a minute to try to attempt to be presentable again, sir.”
Blackwood looked at her long enough to make her body heat up. When he looked at her again, she could swear the icy gray had thawed just a little.
“Remove it.”
Again, it took all her wit and war-honed self-control not to tell him to fuck off. Instead, sarcasm, kicked in. “Of course, help me out of this dress, by all means. I always wanted to strut half naked in my underwear in an office filled with people in the middle of the day. So glad I thought to put on a garter belt this morning! At least I’ll be in proper business attire.”
This time, Blackwood blinked as he seemed to realize what he’d said and how it had sounded. Calmly, he put his hands in the pockets of his charcoal three-piece suit.
“Let me rephrase that, Ms. Somersby. As we are entering a critical phase of the negotiations, I need you at the office. But I guess this accident makes wearing that dress uncomfortable, so allow me to send it to the dry cleaners.”
It was the most words he had ever spoken in her presence. And his British accent was starting to hook her.
Zoe sighed, her irritation lessening. “That’s very generous of you, but I’ll tough it out. I just loved that dress and it’s difficult finding nice clothes that fit my figure.”
Blackwood frowned and looked at her body once more. “There’s nothing wrong with your figure.”
Speechless wasn’t her normal reaction, but at his sudden complement, her brain fried for a second. And then she saw a sliver of amusement on his face. It was quite unexpected. Before she could grasp it, he started talking again. “I’ll send someone to buy you another dress, so you won’t have to wear coffee all day, or return home.”
Wincing, she grabbed his forearm without thinking about it. The way his muscle flexed under the fabric made her jerk her hand away as she’d touched a burning pan.
“Thanks for the offer, but shopping for me is complicated, and I’m not kidding. Gimme a minute and I’ll be ready. You want me in the conference room?” As soon as the words escaped her mouth, they were followed by a painful moan. Instead of digging herself even deeper, she just passed by him and kept going.
As she went through reception, she gave a tight smile to the receptionist who returned it with a trembling smile, almost on the verge of dissolving into tears again. Zoe couldn’t imagine someone being so sensitive. She would never have survived in the real world.
As she was closer to the executive bathroom, where Zoe could lock herself inside, it was tempting to shove her head into one of their pristine toilet bowls and flush until she drowned her embarrassment.
One look in the mirror made her drop her head in defeat. At first, she’d hoped that the coffee stain would look somewhat artistic, intended by the designer, but she should have known that, with her luck, chances were slim. Mostly, it looked like exactly what it was. A brownish line from spilled coffee. Elegant.
Quickly, she took several paper towels and did her best to absorb the liquid and wipe her legs and arms of the sticky residue. That was the best she could do. Her hair was still styled in a fancy twist, her glasses perched on her nose. That would have to be enough. Her eyes detailed her body and it reminded her of Blackwood’s words about her figure. Touching her rounded hip, she straightened her shoulders. Was that only an empty compliment, or was it sincere? And since when did she care about what men said? It must have been something in Chicago’s water; Lance being a gentleman, Kai being a flirt, and Archer Blackwood being... still a mystery probably.
It was useless to hide in the bathroom forever, so she lifted her chin and left. Glad that the crying Madonna was not at her desk, Zoe made a quick detour by her office to check her schedule, grab her tablet, a pen, and notebook and went to the conference room for the first meeting of the day.
Just as she rounded the corner, Ellen shot out of her office. “Are you alright, Zoe? Oh dear! Look at that dress. Maybe with the proper treatment…”
Zoe smiled. “The only proper treatment is a garbage can. It’s ruined, Ellen. And it’s okay, it was an accident. How’s the receptionist handling it? I don’t remember her name, sorry.”
“Cynthia. She’ll survive. A fragile creature it seems.” A touch of sarcasm colored her voice, making Zoe appreciate the woman even more. “Are you sure you don’t want to get changed? Or ask someone to go collect a change of clothes from your home?”
Her mind reverted to Kai implying that he had opened her panties drawer and that wasn’t something she wanted to repeat. “I’ll think about it. But I’m late for our meeting.”
“Oh, about that, Mr. Blackwood has rescheduled it. It was with the Finance department and head of security for the meetings next week. By the way, have you seen the new chauffeur who was hired this morning?? Or that bodyguard for that matter.” Ellen fanned herself. “I feel like a cougar all of a sudden.”
Zoe couldn’t help but snort. “Well, if I ever talk to the men, I’ll let them know your interest.”
