Chapter 7 - Nice To Meet You Mr. Ford

Olivia

“He did not even hear me out,” I mumbled to my sandwich. I can’t keep the resentment inside. After crying my eyes out, I had lunch with the girls. I tried to be quiet about it but they’ve already commented about my visibly red and swollen eyes.

“Girl, what are you so snippy about over there?” Charlie inquires. It’s lunchtime and they are gossiping. As usual, everybody’s intrigued about Mr. Cane’s hissy fits.

“I didn’t get the chance to defend my side. That’s what pisses me off the most. It would have been better if he didn’t just explode like that. Nothing wrong with getting the facts first, right?” I try to be objective about it.

“This about the crew in Montana? We’ve already sent people over. Did he not know you helped interview some? Thanks by the way. With the whole Evelyn business, people are quite distraught,” Andrea said. She is now officially part of the group.

“Yeah, anytime,” I say distractedly. Watching her fork a few pieces of the cold chicken she packed for lunch. Single mom’s life must be so hectic.

“Why didn’t you just say so to Mr. Cane?” Rosie, ever the pragmatic and sensible one, poses a good question.

“I don’t know... I, he was already shouting at me. I kinda just tuned everything out.” If they traced the shame in my voice, they didn’t mention it.

“Damn, you’re like a sheep in a lion’s den. If you’re not careful, he might just bite you.” Charlie makes light of the situation.

“I doubt he’d find me tasty.” I deadpanned.

“Ooh, she’s got jokes!” Charlie delightedly squeaks out. “This is why I like you. You make fun of yourself.” He points his salad at me.

“Yeah, and you make fun of us.” I’m on a roll. The girls laugh and we move on to much more pleasant topics.

A tap on my shoulder distracts me mid-laugh. I instinctively lean back on my chair and look up in defense. The group is justifiably alarmed by my jerky actions.

I see what looks like a male model grinning at me while holding his hands up. Indicating he means no harm. Why are all the men in this building so beautiful? I calmed down.

“Hey there, you’re Olivia, right?” Mr. Tall and Muscular ask me. In the corner of my eye, the girls stop all their chatter and observe us. I become self-conscious.

A few seconds pass. Charlie clears his throat. Gives the model guy a meaningful look and nudges me.

“Uh, yeah, yeah. I’m Olivia, Mr. Cane’s assistant.” I’m still dumbfounded why this good-looking man is approaching me. It must be a work-related thing. Has Mr. Cane sent him to scold me or something? Just the thought of my boss invokes intense feelings.

He lightly taps my arm. This triggers my reflex once more and I calm myself down. Fighting the urge to visibly flinch. It definitely yanks my thoughts back towards the present moment. I think I trailed off at the thought of my boss again.

“Just wanted to introduce myself. I’m Thomas Ford, head of the engineering department.” He states with pride.

“Hi, Tommy.” I hear Charlie mock him. Model guy trudges on, ignoring Charlie and pretending to not hear from his side of the table.

“Saw you at the Fair yesterday and you know, just wanted to say hi.” He scratches his chiseled jaw.

“And yeah, you can call me Tommy.” He continues, not minding my non-response. Not even sparing a glance at Charlie who at this point is visibly sulking in his corner.

Tommy gives me a shy and charming smile while looking down on me. He is really tall.

“Oh, I didn’t actually get to speak with everyone there yesterday.”

“I know. I saw what happened with Austin. It’s chill, just wanted to let you know there are good guys here. Austin may be a jerk sometimes, but it’s all good.” He inserts his hands in his pockets.

“Thanks, Tommy.” I smile back, albeit a little reserved, he’s quite adorable for such a big guy but he’s still a stranger to me.

“Well, see you around Olivia.” He walks away with so much suave, that my eyes don’t leave him until he takes a seat with a few nerdy-looking guys.

“See you ‘round Olivia.” Charlie mimics Tommy’s deep voice. The group erupts in giggles. Tommy actually looks back at us from across the room. That smile again.

“You do know he’s the resident fuckboy, right?” I shake my head. That explains it.

“He’s made it his business to score with all the hot ones in every department. He has a fetish for new girls - you’re fresh meat, honey.”

“Don’t listen to him, he’s just bitter Tommy hasn’t taken his hook-up offers.” Rosie inserts in the conversation.

“Excusé-moi, those quips are mere jokes. I’m kidding, he knows that. It’s just fun flirting with him. I like seeing him squirm. I have yet to determine if he’ll bend that way. You never know with these pretty boys. Besides, I look girly enough.” He says this while inspecting his manicured nails.

It’s definitely prettier than my bare nails.

“Well, it’s gonna be harder for you now that he’s got his eyes set on Olivia.” Andrea eggs him on.

“I don’t care. I’ll wait. I give him permission to cheat on me if it’s with our baby here.”

“Stop it, he seems nice.” I bow my head down. Determined to not let them see my amusement.

----

Someone left a bunch of sweets on my desk. Chocolates, to be exact. Is this the same person posting the sticky notes all over my workstation?

It’s become daily. Sometimes the notes say a simple hi with a smiley face or say sweet things like ‘Have a nice day’. Other times there are questions. The yellow ones ask me if I’ve already eaten lunch.

There are times, especially when Mr. Cane has been a dick, the sticky notes comfort me with encouraging words. Those random ‘how are you' keep me sane throughout the day. Just knowing that someone cared enough about my feelings. Isn’t that nice?

On the other hand, it makes me wonder how they know if I’m having a particularly bad day. No matter my conflicting stance on it, the notes keep on coming.

Now, there are chocolates? This is too much. It came inside an innocent-looking paper bag. I don’t know who dropped it off. It was just left on my desk. At first, I thought it was a mistake but there was a small scribble on the paper bag with my name.

I grab a piece. These are really really expensive ones. I’ve never actually had this. I’ve only seen them in commercials. I peel off the wrapper delicately, not wanting to squish what’s inside. I close my eyes, tasting the decadence of it. This makes up for all the shitty things that happened today.

From Augustus throwing a fit this morning to my mom cowering inside her room and to my lovely boss. This right here is gold.

To refrain from being a creep while I nibble on it, I check my emails. Andrea sent me the updates regarding the employees we interviewed.

I actually don’t know why I didn’t just say to Mr. Cane that I did my task. Once he started shouting at me, I just froze.

I’m really disappointed with myself, I thought by now I’d overcome this. Learned to defend myself. But no, it seems that I still cower in the face of people like this.

The elevator dings.

In the most smoldering look a guy can ever possess without looking like a prick, Mr. Cane saunters across the corridor.

I am not kidding when I say that it’s like a film is playing right before my eyes or maybe a cologne or men’s underwear commercial.

The white of his suit contrasts so well with his maroon jacket. The buttons are not done up in the professional way he always does. Paired with his disheveled hair and casual stance, no amount of bad attitude can mask his sex appeal.

“New girl.” His strong but husky voice is undeniably sexy and commanding.

I snap up from my seat. He opens his mouth to say something (most probably another task coming my way) but his eyes move over the chocolate wrappers on my lap and littered across my keyboard. With each passing second and every piece of wrapper, his eyes rest on, I sink further into the cushion of my uncomfortable seat.

I discreetly smack my lips, removing any traces of it on my teeth.

I must be hallucinating because of the delicious chocolatey goodness still in my system but am I detecting a hint of a smile on his gorgeous face?

The unmistakable glint of amusement in his eye involuntarily brings a small smile to my lips, against my better judgment. I do not want to give this man any power to elicit any good feelings from me when he was just screaming at me a few hours ago.

I clamp my mouth shut. My reaction made him smile even more. He is in such a good mood.

And then I see it: what begins with his eyes squinting and then slowly, his face produces one of the most charming grins I have ever seen. I literally just stare at his full-blown smile like a lovesick schoolgirl gawking at their crush.

He laughs, albeit in a short burst. It made me sigh.

He shakes his head at me and walks into his office.

My reaction to Mr. Tall and Muscular at lunch cannot be compared to my gobsmacked awe at this man’s charisma. Take note, this is against my will and that makes it more powerful.

I shake my hands to let go of the tension.

Take a few deep breaths. Next time, I’ll be more ready. Next time, I’ll be on guard better.

His door opens, “Ms. Blake, come here.”

His tone hypnotizes me towards his door. Unlike before when he just called me through the intercom, he now stands before the slightly opened door. He doesn’t turn his back and returns to his chair immediately too. He waits for me to get inside his office. I brush past him and feel his nearness. His body heat and presence, it’s intoxicating.

I hurry towards the seat in front of his desk. He takes his time. I can feel his eyes scrutinizing my every move. Unlike before where he barely spares a glance at me when giving me orders. His heavy stare follows me or rather, the look he’s giving me pins me to my seat.

I don’t move, I can’t breathe with him looking at me like that.

“Ms. Blake, why didn’t you tell me that you already performed the task I gave you?” He’s back to business as I ponder his question.

“You were already shouting, Mr. Cane.”

“But why didn’t you say something after?” He holds his chin between his thumb and forefinger. It’s this intense attention I’m getting from him that makes me more hyper-aware that he’s judging my next words.

“I’m sorry.” I don’t know what else to say so that he wouldn’t pry into the reasons why I hate confrontations. I can’t divulge any more private information because it would be another step in him getting to know me more. The more distance I can create between us, the better. I’m already infatuated, I don’t need him getting closer.

He hums his response. Trains those eyes to linger on my face.

“Get those wounds treated by the company nurse again this afternoon. You may go.”

I jump out of my seat and retreat to my little corner. Mr. Cane in a happy and good mood is downright creepy. I don’t know if I prefer the scary, screaming, and cold guy I experienced this morning.

Honestly, this calm and insightful one is more dangerous. His attention is dangerous.

If not too naive to be blind to the effect his physical appearance is having on me. I need to be more careful and keep my distance at all times.