CHAPTER
6
Maddie had been surprised
by Spencer’s decision to not escort her home even while she was extremely
grateful to not have had to share the dark back seat with him. If he had
escorted her, she just hoped she would have had enough strength to ignore his
deadly sex appeal until she could leave the car.
The weekend seemed both
too short and too long. Maddie desperately wanted to go into the office and see
if she would have the same physical reaction if she was in the same proximity
as Spencer, especially without his touching her.
Maddie arrived at work a
bit early only to find Spencer already behind his desk. She had her pad and pen
in hand when she entered just in case, and sure enough, he had instructions for
her. The last item on his list was to ask her for the Nordstrom receipts so he
could authorize the expense.
“There are no receipts
Spence. Saturday morning, I took back everything Sharon helped me purchase. As
I’m sure you saw Saturday night, I have clothing that’s quite suitable for such
events. There isn’t any need for the company to purchase appropriate clothing
for me, especially since I think those funds could be better utilized in some
other fashion, pun intended.” Maddie said with a laugh. “I know your company is
doing well, but it really isn’t fair to spend money in such a way that doesn’t
really benefit everyone.”
“Sharon believed it was a
necessity.”
“Yes, and perhaps it was
for her, but during my aunt’s life, I attended a number of functions that
required proper clothing. My aunt was also very frugal, so I learned to choose
clothing and accessories that might have been expensive at the time but were
well-made and the kind of fashion that lasts. In fact, most of the clothing
I’ve been wearing was originally my aunt’s. I know it’s a bit too large right
now, but I hope to gain back the weight I lost while nursing her. I also like
the fact it makes me feel close to my aunt plus, I’m practicing her frugality.
“As for funds, I do have
money of my own and can afford to purchase whatever I might need for any
occasion. I didn’t elaborate in our interview, but my aunt was an attorney with
Clarkson, Jakes, Williams and Morgan…she was the Morgan in the firm. During her
life she made good money and invested well. I was her only family and she left
me everything including her house in Madison Park. Once I’d completed the terms
of her will I sold that house because it held too many memories and bought my
little bungalow on Queen Anne.”
“So, you don’t really need
a job? You’re just working for the fun of it?” Spencer asked with a raised
eyebrow.
“No, I could probably live
comfortably without a job, but I need a job, this job, if you will. Taking care
of my aunt took so much of my time for so long, I pretty much lost touch with all
my friends. If I didn’t have a job, I’d probably waste away of loneliness.”
“I’m sure you could find
something to keep you occupied. There’s always some kind of volunteer function
for a wide variety of organizations. Or, you could travel, join some clubs,
make some new friends. There has to be more interesting ways to utilize your
time, Maddie.”
“Goodness, it sounds as
though you’d like me to quit. I thought you were impressed by my skills and the
work I did last week. Did I do something wrong Saturday evening? Did someone
say something to you about me?”
Spencer had to clench his
teeth to keep from shouting, “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” at the top of his lungs. He
heaved a sigh and looked directly at Maddie said, “No, you didn’t do anything
wrong and you did indeed impress me last week. I wouldn’t have hired you
otherwise. The fact you don’t need to work just came as a surprise. I always
thought that’s what people looked forward to and worked for, the ability to be
able to do whatever they please with lots of free time.”
“I am doing as I please
Spencer. I like your company and find the challenges offered by the job
interesting and rewarding. I like the people who work here and already feel as
though I’ve made a couple of friends; friends I could invite to dinner or attend
a movie with. Last week was just the beginning for me, so I hope your new
knowledge about me won’t interfere with my working for you.”
“No, no, of course not. As
long as you’re happy and continue to do an exemplary job, you won’t have any
complaints from me.”
“Great. I guess we’d best
get to business. I’ll let you know if I’m able to arrange the meetings you want
for tomorrow as soon as I’ve made the calls.
When Maddie closed the
office door, Spencer leaned back in his chair and softly swore. For a few
minutes there, he’d thought he’d be able to release Maddie from working for
him. That would have allowed him to pursue her and see if the attraction he
felt for her was as strong as it seemed to be. It would have also allowed him
to see if she felt an attraction as well. Judging by her responses about
working for him, she definitely wasn’t attracted. Well, he’d just have to make
sure they didn’t spend much time together.
Seated behind her desk,
Maddie breathed a sigh of relief. Spence had taken the news about her
inheritance well and seemed to understand her need to work and remain in her
position. She was proud of herself for being so calm, so patient when all she
really wanted to do was to climb over Spence’s desk and into his lap. Ah well,
that’s not going to happen she told herself. Get over it.
As the weeks and months
passed, Spencer came to rely on Maddie more than he’d ever relied on an EA in
the past. She was scary smart, almost seemed to have total recall of
conversations and the ability to read information once and repeat it back. Not
only did Spencer value Maddie’s contributions and knowledge, but other members
of the company had come to count on her opinion or advice when Spencer wasn’t
available.
The fact that Maddie had
seamlessly taken on many of Spence’s responsibilities as she settled into her
position and that staff also trusted her to provide answers previously provided
by Spencer allowed him to spend more time away from the office. If you’d told
him prior to hiring Maddie that this would have been possible, he would have
laughed because he was a hands-on boss and preferred being in charge. Spence
had to admit he’d come to value and trust Maddie’s abilities. In fact, he
sometimes thought he’d become the Lorax figurehead rather than the boss.
Spencer went out of his
way to make sure he didn’t touch Maddie. New clients, companies and contacts
gave him all the excuses he needed to stay away from the office. Phone calls
were their usual and almost daily contact. If Spencer went into the office, he
generally tried to do it once he knew Maddie was gone for the day or before he
knew she’d arrive. It wasn’t unusual for her to arrive at her desk to find a
pile of papers and instructions he’d left the night before. Honest with
himself, Spencer knew he used pretty much any valid excuse he could find to
stay away from the office and Maddie.
As for Maddie, she came to
treasure the fact Spencer and other staff trusted her so very much. She
realized she was an actual number two to Spence’s number one. She relished that
knowledge and hoped she’d never do anything to alter those perceptions and trust.
Still, at times, Maddie found herself drifting just a bit when she thought
about Spencer and the way his hand felt on her back at that first event.
Their avoidance of each
other wasn’t difficult to achieve, even when one of the mandatory charity
functions arose and Spencer needed Maddie to attend with him. He became used to
the beautiful woman that showed up for these events even though her event
appearance was like night and day to that of the office. Maddie made these
events even easier by meeting him at the various locations, insisting a
limousine was a poor use of company funds. After that first function, Maddie
also wore garments that while fashionable showed less skin and/or stressed her sculpted
figure. Thankfully, these events weren’t the norm and occurred only now and
then.
Meanwhile, Maddie cemented
her friendship with Annie and a couple other employees as well. She enjoyed
sharing dinners, movies and time with these women. She also reached out to a
couple of women who’d been her best friends in college. Lisa was a Microsoftie
and loved her job. Teresa had found her true love and was mother to three
adorable children. Maddie enjoyed renewing these friendships and found her life
full of various events with these women as well as hosting dinners and a book
club at her home.
True to his word, David
MacGuire had called her at the office following that first event and invited
her out. Maddie accepted and while she felt absolutely no attraction to David,
she definitely enjoyed the dinners, his laughing and superficial pursuit of her
time and attention as the months passed. In fact, Maddie had become a bit
concerned about David’s attentions. What had begun as a good time with a fun
guy seemed to be developing into a more serious interest on his part. She knew
she wouldn’t be going there and had begun to think it was time to call a halt
to their dating.
On what Maddie had decided
would be her last date with David, Spence just happened to be in the office
when he came to pick Maddie up for an early dinner to be followed by attendance
at a play given by a touring company. She was looking forward to the company
and the play, but not to the talk she planned to have at her house after. As
she gathered up her things, she was laughing at something David said when
Spence came out of his office.
“Well, hello David.”
Spence said, moving to and shaking hands with him. “What brings you by? I
didn’t realize we had an appointment.”
“Hi Spence. No, we don’t
have an appointment. I’m here for Maddie. We’re off to dinner and then to see
“Wicked” at the Paramount.”
Maddie felt Spence’s
sudden tension and wondered why he’d gone from very relaxed to a heightened
unease. “Was there something you needed Spencer. I’d be happy to stay and take
care of whatever it is.”
“No, Maddie, everything’s
just fine. You go on and have a good time. Nice to see you, David.” Spence
responded as he re-entered his office and closed the door.
He leaned against the door
and fought the mental images of Maddie in David’s arms, David’s bed, of her
hair loose and spread across his pillow, languid and drowsy from David’s
lovemaking. He hated these thoughts and the pictures they produced.
Get a grip man. Stop
thinking about your executive assistant like that. You know you set the rules;
and you know you have to abide by them. No matter how attracted you are to
Maddie, you simply have to ignore that attraction. It’s business, just business.
Now, either get to work or go home.
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