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Before she can reply, my door bursts open and the whirlwind that is Julia Kellogg comes bustling in. Her perfume is so cloyingly sweet that I can smell it all the way across the office, making my eyes sting.
“Darling!” she calls out as she comes striding over to my desk. Behind her, Hollie is standing in the doorway with an unreadable expression on her face.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Clarke. I asked for her name, but she insisted on coming in.”
I want Hollie away from Julia as quickly as possible. Not only do I not want Hollie to overhear anything she might say, I also don’t want Julia to get any idea of my desire for my young assistant. She’s the kind of woman that can smell blood in the water and wouldn’t be afraid to lash out at her.
“It’s fine, Miss. Simmons,” I reassure her. “I have a few minutes for Miss. Kellogg.”
She silently slips out of the door, closing it behind her, and I’m left with Julia.
“Why are you telling people you’re my girlfriend?” I ask coldly.
She laughs dismissively at my question. “Oh darling, you know it’s inevitable. Besides, we’ve been seeing each other for months.”
I look at her as if she has two heads. “What are you talking about? We went out three times and we haven’t spoken in months. We’re not dating, we were barely fucking.”
I notice a flash of anger in her eyes before she’s able to smooth over her features, giving me a placating smile. “Archer, don’t be silly. You and I are so good together. Can you imagine the power couple we would make? Every time that we’re together, our pictures always end up all over social media.”
She says that like it’s a good thing. I’m wondering if this woman has lost her mind. Julia and I have traveled in the same social circles for years. While she isn’t a big player on the Seattle business scene, her father is. Julia has what I would consider a “vanity career” as an interior designer. Meaning she’s basically given jobs by her parents’ friends that she would never get on her own. Julia Kellogg is nothing more than a glorified debutante.
We slept together a few times about four months ago, but I don’t think I’ve spoken to her on the phone in the past three. There was obviously nothing between us other than two people looking for a night of release. The thought of falling into bed with her again has absolutely no appeal. Especially after she’s barged into my office, proclaiming that we’re in some sort of relationship.
She’s clothed in designer couture from head to toe, with a Hermès bag hooked on her arm. She has a thick layer of expensive makeup on her face that I’m pretty sure would leave a stain on my white shirt if I gave her the opportunity to get close enough. Everything about her presence is practiced. She has a poise that I once would have called elegant, but now seems wooden. Was I really ever attracted to this woman?
She’s basically the exact opposite of Hollie, who wears simple clothes that show off her curves without revealing too much and only a light smattering of makeup to enhance her natural beauty. Frankly, Julia looks like she could use something to eat. How I didn’t hurt myself on her bony frame is beyond me.
“Archer,” she pouts at me while moving closer. God, even her voice is grating. What the fuck was I thinking?
She doesn’t seem like she’s getting my subtle hints, so I decide to lay it out for her. “Look Julia, I thought after months of no contact, you understood that our brief entanglement was over. I didn’t realize that I would have to spell it out for you so plainly. I’m not interested and frankly, I don’t have the time at the moment.”
“Excuse me?” She practically shrieks at me while her head rears back like I’ve slapped her.
“Come now, Julia, let’s be adults about this. There’s no reason for hard feelings. I’m sure we’ll run into each other from time to time. Let’s not make this awkward.”
“You know what, Archer? Fuck you.” Now she’s dropped all pretense, her voice no longer in that sing-song tone she had when she entered.
“I believe you already have,darling.”
I guess she didn’t appreciate that. Snatching the closest thing to her, which happens to be a Mont Blanc pen, she throws it at my head, which I deftly dodge.
This woman needs to get out of here. Now. I was blessed she’d been off my radar so long. Apparently, she’s seeking some attention for one reason or another. Perhaps her father has tightened his purse strings again.
“Julia, are you going to leave now, or do I need to call security?”
A rage fills her face that she doesn’t bother to hide. For a moment I’m worried she might actually come over the desk at me.
“You don’t deserve me, Archer Clarke. You’ll be crawling back to me and I won’t give you a second chance.” She makes her way out the door and I’m certain she would have slammed it if the mechanism hadn’t caught it, bringing it to a gentle close. I’m sure that pissed her off even more. This day just keeps getting better.
I try to go back to work, but my heart isn’t in it. I’m going to be taking off early to meet my friend Reed, anyway. I might as well get out of here.
Reed and I met during freshman orientation at Stanford, bonding over the fact that we both came from high-profile families and both of us had lost our parents. We were close throughout our college careers and remained that way until this day. While I immediately moved back to Seattle after college, he spent some time in San Francisco practicing law, before also making his way up here and opening his own firm, which has quickly taken off. There aren’t many people I can sit down and have a drink with, but Reed is one of them.
I gather up my things and head out the door. I’m about to tell Hollie I’m leaving for the day and to forward any important calls when I notice that she’s not at her desk. It’s not completely out of the ordinary for her to step away, but I guess I’m used to her always being here when I need her. The woman is making me soft. I’ve never relied on an assistant as much as I rely on her.
I pull out my phone and shoot her a text message. Even though I’m not expecting a response to my simple instructions, I’m still a little disappointed when one doesn’t come through. I notice that I’ve been hanging around her desk for the past five minutes and decide to take off before someone notices that I’m standing here waiting for her like a teenage boy about to ask out his crush.
Determined to wipe the temptress from my thoughts, I slide my phone into the side pocket of my coat, but not before I glance at the screen one more time. Just in case. There’s still no response from her. She’s probably using the restroom.
