It’s Only Temporary by Iona Rose

Connor

Iwas deeply immersed in organizing ad clippings from the day’s papers for one of our clients. They were in the midst of a massive campaign and part of our job was keeping track of the newspaper ads and maintaining their files.

My office phone rang and I picked it up, with half my mind on the work I was doing.

“Connor, could you come into my office for a few minutes,” Samantha said.

I kept my voice even. “Sure.” I replaced the receiver and fought down feelings of irritation. She had been calling me into her office unnecessarily and it was beginning to wear me down.

The guys had advised that I play along with it but that was easier said than done. I rose from my desk and headed to her office, plastering a pleasant expression on my face.

Her door was ajar and I walked right in.

“Close that door behind you,” she said with a smile. “Have a seat.”

I sat down and looked at her expectantly.

“You look wonderful in that suit,” she said. “There’s something about a man in a well-fitting, obviously expensive suit.”

I groaned inwardly but smiled. She had been doing this for a while, showering me with inappropriate and unwelcome compliments on my dress code. She stood up and I saw that she was wearing a skirt suit. She walked around her desk and came to lean on it near where I sat.

Her skirt, which was already short, rode up, revealing slim, pale thighs. I glanced away. She chuckled softly.

“You don’t have to look away. All women love being admired by handsome, successful men. I’m no different.”

My heart beat thrashed in my ears. This was my boss. What the fuck was I supposed to say to that?

“I was thinking, we could have dinner together and get to know each other better before the conference next week.”

My ears perked up. “Conference?”

“Oh yes, I thought I told you about it,” she said. “It’s a two-day conference in San Francisco. All the heavyweights will be there. It will be a good opportunity to mingle with them.”

I found myself nodding enthusiastically. I wasn’t looking forward to going with Samantha but I’d tolerate her for the opportunity.

“I’ll make reservations. My driver will pick you up at seven,” she said, walking round her desk to sit back down.

I took that as my cue to leave. Back in my office, I found Marjorie seated in the visitor’s chair. I shut the door.

“Hey,” I said, feeling like a traitor.

She smiled. “Hey Connor. Do you have a few minutes?”

“Yes of course,” I said and sat down.

She pursed her lips. “I’m leaving the company.”

Shock rumbled through me and I stared at her wordlessly. Marjorie had been so devoted to the company and I’d figured the only way she would leave was if she was fired. It had not crossed my mind once that she would leave of her own violation.

“Oh,” I finally said. “Where are you going?”

“I’ve decided to form my own agency. I’ll start small and I’ve already put out some feelers and there are a few clients who’ll move with me. These are the clients I found myself over the years.”

I nodded. I wasn’t going to judge her for taking her clients with her. Everyone did that when they moved jobs. Some clients were adamant that they would only work with specific people and they moved with them wherever they went.

I admired Marjorie for making that decision.

“I know that Samantha is just buying time until she fires me but I’m one step ahead,” she said.

“Clearly.”

“So anyway, I came to offer you a partnership. We’ve worked well together over the years and I’d love it if you brought your experience on board. We’d go fifty-fifty.”

I blinked at her and then looked around my office. I swung my gaze back to Marjorie. “Oh wow! That’s one thing I’ve not thought about.”

My dreams had always been to rise up the corporate ladder and work in a company where I felt my talents were being utilized.

“I know it’s a lot to hit you with but can you give it some serious thought and get back to me with a decision. I’ve done a lot of the leg work so it’s not as daunting as you would think,” Marjorie said, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

“I’ll think about it,” I said.

She left soon afterward, leaving me to ponder her proposal. The agency was medium sized and with Samantha at the helm who knew how far we were going to go. I’d never given serious thought to owning my own company but after seeing the strides Bianca and Eva were making with their own company, it sounded attractive.

My cell phone vibrated with a message. I smiled when Bianca’s name showed on the screen.

Bianca: Hey you… still alive?

I chuckled. I’d been quiet but it had been a busy day.

Me: Oh yeah. How’s my lady doing?

Bianca: Great. Looking forward to this evening. You’re an addiction Connor Kennedy.

Dread filled me. I’d forgotten about my dinner with Samantha. My mind wandered to Marjorie’s offer. How much of this attention could I take? Samantha was not taking the subtle hints that I wasn’t romantically interested in her.

Now, I had to sacrifice another evening with my girlfriend for a ‘get-to-know-each-other-dinner’ with her. I typed a message to Bianca, hating that I was disappointing her, again.

Me: I’m sorry sweetheart, not going to make it today. I have a dinner engagement with my boss.

I hit send and sat waiting for her response which I was sure was going to be an angry one. When my phone vibrated, I quickly jabbed at the screen.

Bianca: No worries at all. Work first, then play. There’s always tomorrow.

Her graciousness made it worse. I wished she had complained. That would have made it easier to bear.

Ifelt like a kept man as I was driven to Samantha's place to pick her up. It didn't help that her driver was a man of few words, except every so often, I met his gaze in the rearview mirror. I shifted in my seat and tried not to wonder what he thought of me.

Was I a faceless man in the list of men ensnared by Samantha? Did she make a habit of dating younger coworkers? The thought did not sit well with me.

I was relieved when the car came to a stop in front of Samantha's apartment building that made mine look like an outdoor toilet. The driver called her on his phone and I left the car and went to wait for her outside the building door. When I saw her figure striding across the marble lobby, I grabbed the door just before the doorman did and helped it open.

She stepped out and gave me her cheek to kiss. It was awkward as fuck and definitely not the way boss and employee related. I couldn't once remember Marjorie crossing the line in the five or so years we'd worked together.

"I'm looking forward to a nice evening of us getting to know each other better," she said.

I held the car door open for her and when she entered, I shut it and hurried to my side.

The only good thing about that evening was the comfort of her car. I was exhausted and the temptation to close my eyes and allow myself to drift off to sleep was great.

To my surprise, Samantha had picked a seafood restaurant better suited for a romantic date rather than a work-related dinner.

We were led to a candlelit table in a discreet corner of the room. I glanced around furtively praying that no one I knew was in the same restaurant.

Samantha took the drinks menu and after perusing it for a few seconds, ordered a bottle of wine without consulting me.

"Isn't this nice?" she said. "We should do this more often, it's very relaxing, especially for me. I rarely go out on dates. This city is dead as far as a woman's social life is concerned."

My jaw fell open. What the fuck did she mean by a date?

"Where do you meet women?" she continued.

I saw my chance to straighten a few things and went for it. "I don't go to any place to meet women. I have a girlfriend."

"How nice for the both of you," she said without missing a beat. "But I think you're too young to settle for one woman. This is your chance to look around. Date as many different types of women as you can."

"That's not really my style."

The waiter brought our wine and poured it for us. Then he handed us the food menu. I ordered quickly before Samantha got it into her head to order my food for me.

At least she had good taste. The wine was lovely. The only way to get through the evening was to get plastered. Or at the very least, tipsy.

"So tell me about your girlfriend?" she invited.

"What do you want to know?"

Before she could answer, a shadow fell across the table. I looked up to see a smiling Angie. For a second, I thought I was seeing things.

"Connor! Fancy running into you here," she said and bent her head to kiss my cheek.

Her gaze moved to Samantha. She frowned and then shot me a questioning glance.

"How have you been?" she said when she saw that no introduction was forthcoming.

"I've been well, thank you, and you?" I asked politely.

"Good, but I miss you. Call me, I'd love to catch up over lunch or dinner," Angie said, completely unashamed to say that in front of another woman I'd taken out for dinner.

"Enjoy your evening, it was nice seeing you," Angie said.

She kissed me again on the cheek, almost killing me with the strength of her perfume.

"I take it that's an admirer," Samantha said.

"She's an ex-girlfriend," I said and instantly regretted it. The less I told Samantha about my personal life, the better. "Tell me about the conference."

"Oh yes. In addition to mingling with the industry heavyweights, the hotel is something else and I'm looking forward to really relaxing." She went on about the couples massage and the private Jacuzzi's in the room.

I listened politely as she spoke. I had no worries about the conference and Samantha coming on too strong. My plan was to immerse myself in all the available seminars and lectures. Like a sponge, I was going to learn as much as I could and network with as many people as I could.

Samantha would find out soon enough that my only reasons for being at that conference were professional reasons.

Our dinner was brought and as we ate, I was relieved when the conversation turned to work. She had brilliant ideas, it was just a shame that she was trying to mix business and pleasure.

After dinner, we finished off the rest of the wine and this time, I insisted on paying.

"A man's man," she purred when the waiter left. She placed her hand on top of mine on the table.

I resisted the urge to fling it off.

"Your girlfriend is a very lucky woman," Samantha continued. "I hope she knows that."

I smiled. "I'm the lucky one. She's a wonderful person."

We left soon afterwards and I wished that I was going home to Bianca. The driver dropped off Samantha first and I walked her to her apartment door.

"Would you like to come in for a night cap?" she said in a way that left me in no doubt as to what else was on offer. "Your girlfriend doesn't have to know. I can keep a secret."

I shook my head. "I can't. I'm beat." I should have told her the truth. That I wasn't interested.

I'd tell her next time, I vowed to myself.