Page 6 of Differences

Wes,

Last night was fun. Remember to laugh and enjoy life.

Thanks for the McDonalds. Have a fry every once in a while.

<3 Taja.

I laughed at the note.I made my way to my bedroom and put the note on my nightstand. It was a memory that would stick with me forever. I knew I would never see Taja again, and I could say last night was one of the best nights of my life. I wouldn’t lie and say it didn’t pain me to wake up and see that she wasn’t there.

I walked into my bedroom and made sure all of my expensive jewelry was still in place. I checked my wallet, and all of my cards and cash were there. Maybe Taja was different, but I would never know.

3

Weston

Two Months Later

“I’m thinking we should do IG stories on you guys, letting people know you all are normal people, just in a higher position. This will let the people know we are also more family-friendly, and relatable,” Taja added while she flipped through her presentation.

I rolled my eyes. I had been sitting in this useless meeting for forty-five minutes and was not convinced. People did not need to know about our personal lives. That’s none of their business. The only thing they needed to be concerned with was buying a product and continuing to buy them.

After the long night with Taja and me, I didn’t expect to see her again. However, a couple of days later, she interviewed for the new social media manager position. Now, here we were two months later. The makeup company wanted more exposure. Everyone was down for it, but I wasn’t. That could’ve been money spent elsewhere, but that was a losing battle. Then, to make matters worse, she was so free-spirited and happy twenty-four/seven, which annoyed the fuck out of me. She spent most of her days interacting with everyone in the building, and everyone loved her. Every time I saw her making someone smile or laugh, it irritated me. I wanted to be the person who made her smile and laugh every day, yet she had someone doing that for her at home.

“I was also thinking we could start a web series. We’ll research the shows that most of the buyers for our company use social media to gain information. We can have our models do makeup tutorials and introduce the new soaps and lotions on all social media platforms. We can run ads on the different platforms and radio,” she suggested.

“And how much would that cost? I see you’re throwing a lot of suggestions but no price,” I countered with a smirk.

Taja stared at me with a blank look on her face. Everyone at the table looked between the two of us. They already knew where this was going. It was a common thing between Taja and me since she started working here to have this banter back and forth.

“Well—” Kara, the COO, tried to speak up, but Taja cut her off.

“Mr. Jones, when I thought of these ideas, I made sure I had all of my numbers in the budget.” She tossed a folder at me. “Especially with someone whose pockets are tight, metaphorically and in real life.”

A couple of people snickered. She was referring to my attire, as I was known for wearing tight suits. However, they weren’t tight. It’s just that all of my suits were tailored because they were expensive and nice. I took pride in looking the best from head to toe.

Taja clicked the remote and went to the next slide, showing the budget for each project she suggested. Just from scanning it, I could tell that nothing was expensive, and it wouldn’t cost the company any damage. From day one, Taja came into this company, and every idea she had was passed on with a bang. I won’t lie and say a part of me wasn’t thrilled that it wasn’t my last time seeing her after that night. However, the thrill left once word got out around the company that she had a man. It stung me to know that she wasn’t single. A part of me wondered whether she was on some get-back mission or after a bag. Regardless of what it was, I still couldn’t get her off my mind. I made it my mission some days just to get under her skin and vice versa, only if that gave me the opportunity to talk to her.

“Hmm...can I please have this sent to my email so I can review it?” I asked, ignoring her smart comment.

“I sent it at five this morning. I’m figuring you missed it because of all the bruises on your neck. Get well soon,” Taja sassed.

More people giggled under their breaths, along with the COO and CEO. Taja turned back to her presentation and continued. Taja made sure not to let me get the best of her. She had a rebuttal for everything I said. By the time she was finished, everyone was excited and on board. I couldn’t lie. It looked like a solid plan, but again, I needed to review the financial part of it. After the meeting, I was in my office studying the bruises on my neck. I thought I’d done well at hiding it. Suddenly, there was a knock at my door.

“Come in,” I permitted.

Taja entered the room with a scowl on her face. Before I could even ask her what it was that she needed, she went in on me.

“Are you serious? You approved the financial part, but you’re not taking part? What’s the point of doing stories on the leadership team when all but one is not taking part?”

“Are my suits tight now?” I asked, standing from my seat with a smile on my face.

“Weston, I’m not in the mood. Why would you not participate? That defeats the purpose.”

I made my way around the desk to stand in front of her. “Are you sure that’s why you’re in my office raising hell? All because I don’t want to take part in your little leadership interview series?”

I stepped closer to where I could smell her scent and hear the shift in her breathing. Taja turned her head to avoid looking me in the eye. I took my finger and turned it back to me.

“Did these upset you? I asked, pulling down the collar of my shirt, showing off my hickies.

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