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Even though I used to worry that my clothing would make me stand out, I came to realize that people actually look at me less. Nobody wants to make eye contact with the weird grunge style girl, and that suits me just fine.
My clothing is a mix of comfortable yet practical at the same time. I like to have lightweight clothing while I do deliveries since I’m usually running all over the city. I grab my keys, my iPod, and my messenger bag and rush out the door.
When I arrive at the courier office exactly one minute ahead of schedule, my boss still manages to shoot me an exasperated look. He reaches under the desk and pulls out a parcel before handing it over to me. “Here’s the address, now you need to get going right away to make sure you get there on time.”
I take a look at the address and a sudden spark of familiarity shoots through me. When I glance at the name on the top, I shove the parcel back towards my boss like its poison. “Nuh- uh, I’m not doing it, you’ll need to find someone else.” I cross my arms stubbornly and wait for the blowback.
Marvin’s face twists pleadingly. “You have to do it, Victoria, there is no one else. This client paid a large sum of money for this service, and you get seventy percent of the cut. He was very specific about that. And besides he asked for you personally. It has to be you or else the deal is off.”
“Oh, you have got to be kidding me!”
Why the hell would he ask for me? The part of me that wants to be flattered is largely overshadowed by my annoyance. I planned on keeping him a part of my fantasy world, not the real one.
“I’m not a prostitute Marvin, he can’t order me specifically. This is a courier service, how could you even agree to that?”
Marvin shakes his head seriously at my insinuation. “Look, Victoria, it’s not all that unusual with high profile clients to ask for someone specific. They only trust certain people to get the job done and I guess you were it. Trust me I tried to get him to let me send someone else because you haven’t even been here long enough to do a job like this one. With this kind of commission, it’s ludicrous really, but he insisted. And I had no choice but to accept. If you don’t do this job it could ruin my business reputation. You have no idea how powerful that family’s word is.”
I roll my eyes and snatch back the parcel. “Fine Marvin, I’ll do it. Only because I need this job and I don’t want this prick ruining your business over me. But you owe me big time!” I turn on my heel and stomp out the door. As it closes I hear Marvin yell a thank you behind me in his New Jersey accent.
Chapter Four
Victoria
I linger in front of the impressive Maddox Corp building with exactly five minutes to spare. I want to spite this infuriating man and bring his documents two minutes late just to waste his time. But against my better judgment, and out of desperation for one of the only jobs I’ve got here, I step inside.
The inside of the building is all glass and marble, furnished with modern designs. People are milling about in expensive business attire, and I feel totally out of place. I’m coming to regret my decision to feel uninhibited in my clothing choices this morning, especially now that I have to face Gabriel. He’s probably going to think I dressed like this to lure him in. The thought never even occurred to me before, but now it’s consuming me.
Maybe it’s the fact I have no idea what his reasons for doing this are. There is no way he could be interested in me. And how the hell did he know where I worked? That’s a little freaky. But it’s too late to turn back now, so with a deep breath I make my way to the front desk to check in. The woman sitting behind it is dressed to perfection with a flawless black skirt suit and not a hair out of place in her tidy bun. I roll my eyes as I walk away from the desk with my visitor’s pass in hand, making my way to the elevators.
After a long two minute wait, I crowd into one of the lifts with eight others. It looks like I’m going to be late after all. After stopping at several floors, and more people coming and going, I finally make it to the top of the building. I am precisely five minutes late when I step out the doors and am confronted by one Gabriel Maddox with a scowl on his face.
