Page 13 of The Butterfly Effect
I locked the door behind the girls and turned off the lights, telling myself I’d clean the kitchen in the morning. When I climbed into bed, I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts. I hovered over William’s phone number on my list and considered texting or calling him, but what was I supposed to say to him? We had a plan, and picturing his face the next day when he heard about my supposed hookup made up for the lack of contact tonight.He was jealous.
I tookthe stairs to my office two at a time, unable to stand another ride on the groaning, uneven elevator. My frustration from last night was still writhing through me, causing my blood to pump. With the echo of my pulse in my ears, I thought back to my pathetic hookup. Women weren’t an issue for me and never had been. Generally, I could easily have my pick of any woman and if I wanted to take her home, she was willing. The woman last night who I hadn’t bothered to get a name from had been eager, but I couldn’t get into it. My mind was occupied by the blonde-haired woman I kissed in my office earlier in the day.
By the fourth floor, I was appreciative of my expensive personal trainer. I was able to climb the stairs quickly without my breaths turning into desperate panting. When I stepped through the door and into the office, several heads turned my way, and I ran my hands down the front of my gray suit jacket to straighten it and my tie as I walked. If people were going to stare, I may as well give them something to stare at. At least one of them. Except Julianna didn’t even turn her head, leaving her focus on her friend. I stared at her long hair lying down her back and pictured myself wrapping my hand in it and tugging until her head was tilted back and her eyes were on me.
She ignored me even as I walked past her desk and leaned forward in conversation with her friend. Her friend’s voice was low, but not too quiet to be overheard. “You went home with him last night, didn’t you? You slept with him, you little minx!” her friend goaded.
Julianna let out a small sigh. “Yes, okay? I went home with him. Happy?”
My back stiffened, but I didn’t stop walking when her friend started asking her questions about how it was. I didn’t want to hear her response. Suddenly, I was angrier about my botched hookup the night before, knowing now Julianna had a much more successful one. Who was he?
I swung my office door shut behind me, slamming it harder than intended. I saw red, imagining the way her eyes might have rolled into the back of her head and knowing it wouldn’t have been me to put them there. I told the woman I didn’t play games, but here she was testing me.
I watched the office through my window until my breathing slowed. Everyone who had watched me walk through the office had returned their attention to their computers in front of them, and the murmur of voices and the faint scent of everyone’s morning coffee filtered through my thin door.
Sandra walked from her office and along the perimeter of the room, moving confidently in the direction of my office. She wore what looked like the same gray ensemble from the previous couple of days. Did she have any other clothes? Clearly, she was a plain woman, and I wasn’t a fan of plain women.
Before she made it to my door, I sat at my desk and picked up my cell phone. The whole pretend-to-be-on-the-phone hack was played out years ago, but I didn’t think she’d question it. She knocked and quickly opened the door, probably hoping for a better meeting than yesterday. Her heels clicked against the floor before she abruptly stopped, noting my out-held hand with a single finger up, and she closed her mouth instead of speaking. I waved my hand to dismiss her, pointing to the phone pressed to my ear. She mouthedsorryand winked before backing slowly out of the office.
When she was gone, I sat the phone back on my desk. I’d have to meet with her, but I needed to make a pit stop at a certain desk on the way. She could wait a few minutes. I straightened my tie, standing up from my desk and tucking my phone in my pocket. As always, people turned towards me when I opened the hollow wood door of the office. My shoes made an even clack on the floor while I walked, and when I got to Julianna’s desk and those connected to it, I cleared my throat.
“Good morning.” Her friend and the two others looked up at me and returned my greeting, but she kept her head down. When she didn’t respond, I placed my hand on her desk and leaned forward. “Julianna, I said good morning.”
The sigh she let out was sweet and almost defeated. “Good morning, Mr. Carlisle.” Her voice was different, like when someone talked to their grandmother or to a café regular.
A quiet growl rolled from my chest, and I stood up straight. “I expect you are all aware of the importance of the Great Lakes Brewing account. I certainly know Julianna is.” The group nodded, and I was pleased to see all four sets of eyes looking at me. A smirk pulled at the side of my mouth, and I made eye contact with the eyes I’d been wanting to see all morning. “We will meet at one to go over what you have for Monday’s meeting. Please come prepared.”
Julianna squinted at me, a clear suspicion radiating from her, but she nodded along with her team. My smirk became a full smile for a split second before I turned away, returning my mouth to a line when I walked past her desk and continued to Sandra’s office. I was sure she’d released a heavy breath when I moved. The tension she held when I put her on the spot was sweet, and I pictured being the one to release the buildup for her, hearing the way her voice would crack when she cried out.
My fist was stern on Sandra’s door when I knocked, and it only took a few seconds for her to open it like she had been standing behind the door waiting for me. I raised my eyebrow at her, sure she had watched my interaction with her team through her office window. “You needed something?”
“Oh, nothing important. I just figured I’d check in for the morning.” She said it as if she were having a conversation with a friend by the water cooler.
“I don’t have the time for small talk, Ms. Warner. If you need something real, you know where to find me.” I turned on my heel before she could recover her composure and exited, walking back to my office.
I ignored the heads turning as I moved quickly across the open space. Even Julianna looked when I strode past her desk, and for a split second I thought about dragging her to my office and bending her over my desk. I didn’t stop, though, and I roughly shut my office door behind me when I got there.
My work was enough to occupy my time until the meeting with Julianna’s team, but flashes of anger still continued to come over me. Who was the man her friend had asked her about, and where would I be able to find him to tell him to never touch her again? I smiled when I imagined how angry that’d make her, and I pictured her going from yelling at me to yelling my name really quickly.
I was the last to enter the conference room, and when I did, everyone stopped their conversations. Sandra had decided to join us, but I couldn’t be angry when she’d left the only open seat between her and Julianna. Julianna rolled her eyes, and I made my way to my seat at the table.
Clearing my throat, I broke the silence. “Tell me what you’ve accomplished on the Great Lakes account.” I wasn’t one to beat around the bush, and I liked when employees learned that early. My father was always too busy growing up to be bothered with much small talk, something my older brother and I both learned from him. We didn’t want small talk—we wanted to get to the point. No fluff, as he’d say. My younger brother somehow managed to escape this personality trait.
“I’ve put together a series of graphics that can be used in advertisements, newsletters, and social media posts as part of Sasha’s campaign,” the man across from me said, gesturing to the woman next to him.
I nodded. “And your name is?”
“Grant, sir. Sorry. I’m the graphic designer.” He presented himself well. I was pleased to see that even though he didn’t wear a tie, he did have on a nice button-down shirt with a vest. His hair was well styled, and I assumed he grew up in a family who had some wealth. In my experience, men who didn’t have reputations to uphold didn’t always dress so nicely.
I reached my hand out for the file in front of Grant, assuming they would be the documents he mentioned. “I’d like to see these designs,” I said before turning to the woman next to him. “Sasha, was it? Explain this social media campaign Grant refers to.”
As she spoke, I looked through the papers in front of me. She spouted off an unoriginal, straight-out-of-a-textbook plan. It was clear she hadn’t thought outside of the box, and annoyance flooded through me after several minutes of her speaking. I slapped the folder shut on the table.
“I’ve heard enough. That plan is unoriginal and clearly subpar. These drawings are okay, but they’re not great. Where is the creativity? Where is the real effort? I don’t pay you to gossip at your desks and drink coffee. The meeting is on Monday, and I expect all of you to be prepared with more than this before then.”
The team was silent, their surprised faces indicating that my voice was louder than necessary. It echoed off the thin walls. Could the entire office hear my lecture? I hoped they could, and that it would yield better results from all teams. Sandra had a sly grin on her face as I yelled at her team, quickly removing it when I cleared my throat and brought my attention to her.
Before I could say anything, Julianna’s voice cut through the tension. “With all due respect, my team has had this assignment for three days. If you ask me, I’d say you need to lighten up a bit and acknowledge the work that has already been done. Monday’s meeting isn’t a deal breaker, and you know it.” The fire in her eyes sparked a heat in my core, a heavy mix of arousal and anger. People didn’t talk back to me, whether I’d fucked them or not.
