Melissa smiled and giggled the smile of a woman who was trying not to be amused. Honestly, it reminded me of Georgia when she tried to convince me she was mad at me.
No doubt in my mind, Melissa was head over heels and by the increased enthusiasm on John’s part, I wasn’t the only who noticed.
I had to give it to John, he’d been pursuing her relentlessly for months, trying to get her to cave with sweet notes and surprise lunches in the office fridge. He always went the extra mile, and while I appreciated it, Cynthia didn’t like what it meant for the office.
The crowd of employees clapped as Melissa got down on her knees and agreed to all sorts of things, but Cynthia’s eyes never released mine. They had the intensity of a hawk as she summoned me into her office with a flick of her fingers.
I crossed the space and entered the room with ease, taking a seat in the chair across from her desk and trying to wipe the smile off my face. I felt like I’d been called to the principal’s office to be reprimanded at my own school.
“Mr. Brooks—” she started, and I immediately cut in. Her voice was tense enough for the both of us.
“Relax, Cynthia. Everyone seemed to enjoy it.”
“Right. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. Until you find out about meek little Britney, the new intern who just experienced a date rape at college and now fears for her safety from pursuit at work.”
“Jesus. That’s terrible. When did we hire her? Is she okay? Do you think we need to set up some kind of—”
“There’s no Britney.”
“What?”
“I made her up,” she clarified.
“Fuck, Cynthia. You just made that shit up? That’s awful. Why on earth is that the scenario living in your mind?”
“Because it could happen.”
“I hope not.” Jesus. I had chest pain just thinking about imaginary Britney and her awful ordeal.
“We need to put a no fraternization policy in the new hire contract.”
“Cyn—”
“This is why. That was innocent to you, but it’s not innocent to everyone.”
“I appreciate where you’re coming from and this is a prime example of why I will forever entrust you as Director of Human Resources.”
“But?” she questioned with a hand going straight to her hip.
I scrubbed a hand down my face in frustration. “Just give me a minute to think this through before you go guns blazing and drop kick John’s lovesick ass out the door.”
“Fine. But, you can expect twenty-four hours of silence on my end and then, I won’t stop bothering you for a resolution.”
Jesus, this woman almost had as much bite as my Georgie when she was fired up.
I left the office that day feeling sick over the entire situation. Neither John nor Melissa deserved any bullshit reprimands for being attracted to one another.
Hell, if anything, John deserved an award for his persistence and Melissa deserved a million dollars for staying strong as long as she did.
I called Georgia on my way home that night, giving her the down and dirty on John’s explicit lyrics and Cynthia’s overall irritation. She had been in San Diego for the past week while the Mavericks played the Chargers and I was more than ready for her to be home.
“Man, she’s a bit of a hardass,” Georgia responded. “Honestly, I’m surprised she didn’t sue you for going through her files to find out I was Rose.”
“Truer words have never been spoken, Benny.”
“What are you going to do?”
I stared out the window as Frank maneuvered through traffic. “I miss you. And I was kind of hoping my beautiful, brilliant wife would have the answer to that question.”
“Aw, I miss you too, baby. But don’t worry, I’ll be heading home in less than twenty-four hours.”
“Thank fuck for that.”
She giggled. “But seriously, what are you going to do? Cynthia won’t let this one go.”
“What do you think I should do?”
“Well…I actually think the whole thing is pretty goddamn adorable. It makes me miss working with everyone. God, I bet Dean was beside himself when John was serenading Melissa.”
“Pretty sure I saw him recording it. And baby?”
“Yeah?” she asked, voice soft.
“There’s always a job offer waiting for you. You say the word and I’ll send over the contract.”
She laughed. “Pretty sure that’s offer number three for the day, Brooks.”
“There’s a reason they say third time’s the charm.”
“Not this time. And you should probably think about limiting yourself to one offer a day,” she pointed out.
“What can I say? I’m persistent and highly motivated by the idea of mid-afternoon sex in my office with my insanely hot wife on a daily basis.”
“I’ve got two ideas for you. You ready to hear them?”
“If one of them includes you naked, yes.”
“Monday afternoon, I’ll stop by your office and show you some of my very best moves.”