Page 25 of In His Cuffs

The receptionist shrugged. “No idea. I haven’t seen him yet.”

“Meaning he’s in his office with the door closed?”

“Meaning he hasn’t shown up yet. I was the first one here today.”

Maggie blinked. World Wide Now had flexible work hours, except for certain prescheduled meetings. David Tomlinson was a by-the-rules and by-the-clock owner. Employees coming and going at all hours didn’t sit well with him and was one of the reasons he often reached for one of the many primary-coloured stress balls that he kept on his credenza. In all the time he’d owned the company, he’d never shown up late.

“He didn’t call in or anything.” Barb shrugged. “Since he’s not here, it’s kind of a mini-vacation for us. You should enjoy it.”

Maggie felt like a deflated balloon.

It had taken her all morning to psyche herself up, and he wasn’t even here?

After getting a much-needed cup of coffee, she headed for her office and slumped into the chair behind her desk.

She checked her emails and voice messages. There was nothing from David, but she had a response from a potential client she’d been trying to schedule a meeting with. She also had a message from their preferred caterer. Maggie and her mother had decided to host an open house as a way to increase business and introduce David to their existing clients. It would keep her busy for a while and, honestly, give her something to fixate on other than her boss spanking her again.

She wished the scene at the Den hadn’t met so many of her turn-ons.

Damn.

With determined focus, she sent a list of possible times to the potential new customer, studied the catering menu and made some notes to go over with David, since he now had to approve her budget. An hour later, her coffee was gone, she’d handled all the urgent tasks and she still hadn’t heard from her boss.

Her mother, however, showed up in a long, flowing skirt and tank top, with jewellery dripping everywhere—necklaces, bracelets, earrings, even toe rings. She’d obviously dyed her hair over the weekend, and her fingernails were manicured. She looked fresh and radiant and, as she theatrically threw herself into a chair, every inch a creative diva.

“What are you drinking?” Maggie asked, looking at the plastic cup her mother held. The liquid was deep green with chunks of something floating at the surface.

“Green tea latte. With soy.”

“Lactose intolerant again?” she asked.

“Still,” Gloria corrected.

She hadn’t been on Friday when Barb had brought in flavoured cappuccinos with whipped cream on top.

“Where’s the tyrant?”

“David?”

“Who else would I be talking about?” Gloria sipped through the straw and wrinkled her nose before schooling her features.

Maggie was betting the green tea phase wouldn’t last past Wednesday. “He’s not here yet.”

“I need his signature on a contract.”

With a sigh, Maggie nodded. For so long, it had been just the two of them. Since she’d joined forces with her mother about five years ago, they’d made quick decisions then moved forward. Gloria had signed all the contracts. Between the two of them, they’d handled all the negotiations. Now David double-checked everything, verified the math, set deadlines and reviewed every file. It was time consuming.

But, if Maggie were honest she’d admit that his attention made everything at World Wide Now run smoother than it ever had in the past. Last quarter, they’d posted their first double-digit profit. They had projections of how much profit they’d make per job.

On a daily basis, the staff complained about his interference, but the truth was, the business would have needed to downsize or relocate to a less expensive zip code if he hadn’t come along when he had. Her mother might chafe at answering to a man, and a young one at that, but there was no doubt she was now producing her best work.

David Tomlinson believed in exploiting each person’s talents. Sometimes that meant assigning them to a new position. In Gloria’s case, it meant getting her entirely out of the bookkeeping. She no longer saw bills. Even better, someone else was tasked with handling collections. Getting the financial burden off her shoulders had given her a lot of freedom.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com