Page 5 of The Fool

Ben rolls his eyes, knowing he’ll have to face her roommate, Saffy, who drives him up the wall with her political rants and feminist rhetoric. I’ve never met her before, but I sure as hell have had to hear him going on about how much she annoys him. Whenever I suggest moving out might be the answer to this problem, he usually tuts and musses with my hair before skulking off to his man pit.

“Ok but that means we’re coming back here tonight,” he declares when she gets up to go.

“Oh, God, please don’t come back here having loud, cringe-worthy sex,” I groan.

“Sorry, little sis, but we’re always loud!” He smiles smugly at the same time as I put my finger in my mouth to feign sickness. Leah’s no better, grinning as she kisses him on the cheek to say goodbye.

“See you later, Bea,” she says with a wave, “we’ll talk strategies later.”

When the door bangs shut, Ben puts his hand on my shoulder and smiles sympathetically. He’s an overprotective pain in the ass sometimes, but he has always had my back. No one could ask for a better guy to be their brother.

“Seriously, Bea,” he says softly, “I hate seeing that guy upset you like this. Don’t let him bring you down. You must be good if that Cameron whatever-his-name-is thinks you are, he is the CEO after all.”

I’m so exhausted and crestfallen over it all, I simply offer him a fake smile and a nod. I think he knows I’m pretending but chooses to let it go. After a moment of contemplative thought next to one another, he eventually gets up to go and get ready for his date. Meanwhile, I release a long sigh and take a healthy swig of wine. Another night alone with a good book and solitary drinking. I would call my best friend, Finn, but I know he’s working at his top-notch restaurant. Sometimes, Finn is the only one who can bring me out of my funk, but I guess that’s not going to happen tonight. At least it’s Thursday already, which means only one more day to get through with Satan in a suit.

_____

Bea

“Good morning, Mr Carter,” I beam with a big fake smile for him as he walks through my office. My grin is stretched across on my face to the point whereby my cheeks hurt from how horrifically wide it is. Of course, Nathaniel completely ignores me and walks past with a familiar frown, all the way up to his own office. I shrug the whole thing off for it’s no different from his usual response to me. Robotically, I turn to face my desk and switch on my computer for the day, however, out of the corner of my eye, I notice he has stopped. My whole body freezes in nervous anticipation of what he is about to complain about.

Truthfully, it could be absolutely anything. He once chastised me in front of the whole office for wearing a blouse he considered to be too bright. He also, rather embarrassingly, called it an abomination to fashion and an insult to anyone who had the misfortune to look directly at it. That was a particularly bad day, one that led straight to a bottle of wine in the fridge as soon as I got home and cried for the entire evening. I’m ashamed to say, I threw the shirt away.

“Some of us have been here since seven, Miss Summers,” he says dryly, “the least you can do is be here on time.”

“Oh, I decided to pick up your mail early. I know how much you hate waiting for it, so I thought I’d have it here waiting for you,” I try to explain.Actually, I was here ten minutes early, asshole!

“Be that as it may, I expect you to be at your desk by eight thirty, sharp!” he demands.

“Yes, Mr Carter, sorry, Mr Carter,” I reply in a fluster.

“And it would be nice to have a coffee waiting for me when I come in,” he bellows over his shoulder as he walks into his office, slamming the door behind him for good measure.

And so, it begins!

_____

Bea

At ten o’clock, I bring Nathaniel his cup of coffee, ensuring it is to his exact liking. He once spat it out because I had taken too long which meant it wasn’t hot enough. By now, I think you can understand why I wince every time I knock on his door. I want to interact with Nathaniel Carter as much as I want to listen to my brother’s sexual antics all night. Alas, I have little choice with either.

“Come in!” he summons, sounding like he’s the king of the world.

Taking in a deep breath, I eventually brave it to walk inside, only to find Cameron Carter, the CEO, sitting in the chair opposite to him. His laid-back stance inside the office chair, together with his beaming smile that always appears to be genuine, puts me a little more at ease. Usually, a man this attractive, especially in a position of authority, would have me feeling like jelly, however, I know he is completely besotted with his fiancée. I doubt he even sees me as a woman. The way he looks at Lily whenever she comes to visit is something I aspire to one day have with a man of my own. If only I would allow myself to let anyone come near me, I might be in with a chance. Even after all these years, I still don’t trust anyone enough to let them get close. Only my parents, Ben, Finn, and Leah.

Looking at them both in such close proximity to one other is like looking at twins. They both have a dark complexion with black hair and olive skin. Nathaniel is slightly fairer than Cameron but only marginally so. Cameron is also taller and broader than his younger brother but again, not by much. Nate’s also taken to growing a short beard, as is the fashion at the moment, whereas Cameron remains clean-shaven. I am forever noticing the attention they receive from the opposite sex; it can be quite comical to see women swooning at their feet. Not that I can blame them, it’s just a pity one of them is a complete dick.

“Morning, Bea!” Cameron beams at me with his kilowatt smile. “How’s my favorite PA this morning?”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Mr Carter, I would have gotten you a drink too if I had known you’d be here,” I apologize, knowing his younger brother still would have reprimanded me if I had unintentionally missed him. “But I’m fine, thank you, Sir.”

“Oh, don’t even worry about it, and none of this ‘Sir’ crap,” he says in a friendly tone of voice, “call me Cam.”

I laugh nervously, knowing I could never comfortably refer to any of the management by their Christian names. I immediately look over at Nathaniel whose expression is currently pulled into the polar opposite to that of his brother. He’s sitting back in his chair, looking stiff and stern, the whole time clicking his pen in and out while he waits for me to finish putting his coffee on a coaster.

“So, I hope you’re all ready to attend next week’s meetings in London, Bea,” Cameron says with another breathtaking smile. “And I hope it doesn’t inconvenience you too much being away for the week. We will, of course, compensate you for your travel.”

My first reaction is to frown, most likely looking as though I’m trying to work out some inexplicable equation. In truth, I’m simply trying to find the words with which to answer him.

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