Chapter 5: Flavor of the Week
Harper was a diligent employee. She always had, for as long as everyone could remember, been a workaholic. She had vivid memories of, as a child, diving into several books to read a day. Even at the age of nine, the young brunette had been an overachiever, and because of this, it really bothered her when people slacked on their job.
Case in point, their very own CEO, Alexander Carmichael, the chairman’s only son.
It made her scowl just thinking about it. No matter how much Lucas had tried to tell her that it was actually his job to make up for Alex’s shortfall, for her, it was an injustice.
Hunched over at her work desk, Harper yawned at a series of urgent emails on her screen monitor and the pile of folders on her desk. Taking her first sip of the hot coffee, she soon got on with the first email.
“Why’s my brain not working?” she murmured, dragging a hand down her face with a drawn-out sigh after a few minutes. “How on earth am I going to finish all of this with those images in my mind?” She paused. “Stupid Alex and his naked ass,” she hissed, silently voicing her frustrations.
She closed her eyes and listened to her surroundings. The ticking of the clock on the wall. The chatting of the people in the other cubicles. Her phone vibrating.
Dammit.
She opened her eyes and wheeled her chair over to the edge of her desk, and read a text message from Lucas.
Lucas: Boardroom. Now.
“Shit,” Harper breathed.
Harper’s gaze fixed where it sat, looking at a stack of paperwork on her desk for a moment before she snapped out of her zone. After two quick sips of her coffee, she rushed out of the floor to the boardroom on the eighteenth floor.
The eighteenth floor.
Her heart started to beat quickly in her chest as soon as she had arrived on the floor where, only a few hours ago, she had witnessed a flagrantly obscene act.
Brushing off the fresh images in her mind, she swallowed hard and compelled herself to behave and stay as professional as she could. What else could she possibly do? Question Alex and demand some answers on why he chose the office to have sex with a woman? Of all places! No. She’d only embarrass herself and risk losing her separation pay once Lucas accepted and finalized her resignation.
“Harper, what took you so long?” Lucas asked as soon as she entered the massive boardroom.
“I…” She looked around. Jeffrey, their department head, and Olga, the company CFO’s assistant, were there, but Alex was nowhere to insight.
She let out a sigh of relief and took a seat in the corner closest to Lucas’ chair, taking out a notepad and pen, ready to take notes.
But as soon as Jeffrey and Olga got into an argument over quarter profits, Harper’s mind drifted off, barely paying any attention to anything in her surroundings. She tried hard to keep a straight face when all she wanted to do right now was desperately crawl under her thick blanket and get that much-needed sleep.
She let out a long yawn, but before sleep could take over her and knock her out, the door swung open. Shaking her sleepy head, she saw Alex joining them in the boardroom. She was suddenly on her toes. Then images from last night came floating back into her mind: particularly Alex’s firm, round ass.
She shook the image off her thoughts.
“Are you alright, Ms. Fritz??”
Harper shut her eyes to shake off yet another image that was pretty disturbing for her ― Mira’s naked ass on the desk. And when she opened her eyes, she’s met with Alex’s grey eyes.
The man was unquestionably handsome, tall, all chiseled cheekbones, tousled dark brown hair that screamed bedroom look. He was unnervingly attractive.
Lucas leaned in and whispered, “Harper.”
There was an awkward beat of silence as they all sat and waited for her.
“Ms. Fritz?” Olga called her name a little louder.
Harper snapped out of her thoughts. “Ah…I’m sorry. What was the question?”
Alex smirked and crossed his legs, making himself more comfortable on the elegant white couch. “There’s no question, Ms. Fritz. You just suddenly looked like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Not a ghost, but your naked-ass, Harper thought.
Alex grunted, then his lips stretched into a lopsided-smile. “And did you think of it more often, Ms. Fritz?”
Harper swallowed and adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose. “I-ah…I’m sorry, Mr. Carmichael, did I think more often about what?”
He stared at her for a moment, then went on to say, “Leaving the company.”
Her shoulders drooped, and she let out a small sigh of relief. “Well…” She turned to Lucas.
How long had they been talking about her resignation?
“I told Alexander about your intention to quit,” Lucas informed her.
“Oh.” Harper slumped in her seat. If she were to have it, she’d never want to discuss her intention to quit with Alexander, not after what she had witnessed. But why did Lucas suddenly think that their CEO should know about her plan? He was no head of HR. Lucas was her boss, and she felt that anything between her and her boss shouldn’t concern Alex anymore.
“Cat got your tongue?” Alex asked, smiling.
Harper could feel her blood rushing to her head, but she still managed to fake a smile that never really reached her eyes. “I’m not really―”
“Hush.” Alexander waved a hand to her and turned to Lucas. “You and I will talk about it in a separate discussion. And where the fuck is Lerman, Olga? Isn’t he supposed to be here? I should be somewhere, but here I am.”
Somewhere else getting laid, Harper thought. She looked down at the empty note pad on her lap, getting more and more irritated. How could this man embarrass her like that? Just because he was the CEO didn’t give him any right to treat her that way.
When she looked up, she saw Alex looking at her again, one side of his lip raising just a little bit to form a light smile.
“He’s in a conference call with your father,” Olga informed Alex.
Alex grinned and turned to Jeffrey. “Fill me in on the suppliers’ meeting you had the other day.”
Jeffrey soon started with his report, and Alex stood up and walked to the seat closest to the board in front, his broad back now on everyone behind him.
Lucas leaned a little closer to Harper. “Could you please quickly call Mr. Larson for me and informed him we’d have to move our meeting to two o’clock?” he told her quietly.
“Okay.” Harper silently stood up and exited the room, relieved to be able to calm herself down finally.
As she approached to open the heavy office door, it swung out at her in an alarming arc, and she clashed with a redhead, who was absorbed in something on her mobile phone.
“I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”
“I’m fine! How about you? Are you okay? I am so sorry.”
They both babbled over one another.
When Harper got a better look at the woman, she immediately felt conscious. The redhead was tall and gorgeous. She was wearing a white pencil skirt that clung to her long, slender legs.
“Totally my fault! I should have watched where I was going,” Harper said.
“No. Trust me, it’s me. I’m such a klutz.” The redhead softly laughed as she attached her name badge back to her chest.
“I’m so sorry again, Miss…” As Harper tried to read the name, her eyes widened. “…Mira?”
Mira smiled sweetly. “That’s right. Mira Patterson.”