Love, Inc Read online

  Maybe I will stay here for a week or so.

  Besides, it would give her great personal satisfaction to see the look on Wayne Blunt’s face when she made simple little changes that would turn his office systems into something more efficient and less of a time drain.

  She slipped on her Prada shoes once more and walked out of the office, closing the office door behind her. Her high heels tip-tapped across the hard, wooden floor and echoed around the hallway.. She turned around just in time to catch Wayne Blunt staring at her from his office. He was sitting down going through a pile of papers.

  A look of total surprise registered on his face when he saw that she was still at the office. He shouted across from where he sat. “You’re working late.” His door was wide open. Lexi wasn’t sure if it was a question or a statement. His green eyes twinkled at her. But she couldn’t quite read the expression on his face. He seemed both bewildered and a little pleased, she wasn’t sure which.

  “Is there a problem with me working late? Because if you can’t pay overtime I won’t-” she started to rattle off her litany of reasons as to why she would not bother putting in any extra time. But he stopped her mid sentence. “No, no. Not at all.” He got up and Lexi saw that even though she had at first thought he was a big, chubby guy, he actually had a lean and nicely built body.

  “Of course, I’d be happy to pay for overtime. I’ve just never had any temp ever work past five o’clock.”

  Lexi walked over and stood just outside his door. Trying to keep the sarcasm out of her voice she said, “It must be a total shock to your system, huh?”

  He smiled and she watched a cute little dimple form below his chin.

  She stood staring at him, weighing him up. He had a gorgeous face. Why hadn’t she seen that this morning?

  He seemed not to notice her searching stare and carried on. “Even Cindy would be out the door come five o’clock,” he got up from his desk, walked over to the door and placed one hand against the door frame. Nice jaw too, thought Lexi. She hadn’t heard a word of what he had said. Realizing that he was waiting for a comment from her, she stood to attention and said the first thing that might sound like a right answer or a statement in its own right. “I got carried away with the orders.” She could feel butterflies in her stomach and wondered if the prawn sandwich she had eaten at lunchtime was playing up. His voice was low and seductive. Or maybe he was just tired, wondered Lexi, staring back at him. It was like slow motion, as though time suddenly slowed right down. It must only have been a moment in time, but he stared right back at her, trying to find something else to say, so that she wouldn’t walk away into the night.

  “I always appreciate people who show so much dedication to their work,” said Wayne as he watched a lock of hair fall across Lexi’s face. He pondered briefly about pushing it away with his hand, then thought against it and shoved his hands into his pockets where they would do no harm.

  “There you are!” a clip-clopping noise emerged from the dark shadows in the direction of the warehouse. It was the blonde woman whom Lexi had met earlier in the day. She came and stood protectively close to Wayne, holding his arm, whilst he steadfastly refused to take his hands out of his pockets.

  A flutter of surprise skimmed across her Rubinesque face and Lexi noted that her dark roots needed dyeing. They looked so out of place with the rest of her blonde head. She glanced from the woman to Wayne and felt a touch of…what was it…..a twinge maybe, of jealousy? It didn’t make sense. And then she noted, with a little satisfaction, that he seemed to be slightly irritated by the dogged determination of the woman to hold onto his arm.

  “You’re the lady from this afternoon?” the woman asked, trying to instill a friendly edge to her voice. But clearly, she was wondering what Lexi was still doing here. When Wayne didn’t do or say anything to explain the situation, she pried further. “This is a late business meeting that you’re having,” she turned to Wayne dubiously.

  He replied, with just a touch of sarcasm, “It’s a little late for you, isn’t it Terri? You’re usually one of the first to leave when it turns five.”

  “So you’re Terri?” Lexi burst out. This was the Terri to whom she had been passing the orders. Terri’s eyes opened wide with fascination and she cast another glance at Lexi. She had thought Lexi was a business investor who had come over for a meeting with Wayne. It pained her greatly to see that Lexi was actually going to be working here for a while. With her slim figure and pretty face, she knew that Wayne, who didn’t have much time for women ordinarily, would surely notice her.

  Terri managed a vacant smile and a rather subdued, “Nice to meet you.”

  “I’m sure I’ll only be here a short while,” said Lexi, turning to go.

  Wayne’s ears pricked up at this. So this place really was too good for her was it?

  “Hey, we don’t keep our employees in chains here. You’re welcome to go anytime you want.” He said after her, with a look of annoyance on his face. Although, if truth be told, he was more annoyed by Terri hanging onto him like a five year old child might hold onto a parent when the school bell goes.

  Lexi looked at him oddly, not sure what it was that had made him so angry. She could see that something had sparked his anger.

  “Goodnight then, I’d better be off,” she said as calmly as possible. She had this enormous urge to get out of the building fast.

  She tip-tapped her way across the hallway and let herself out.

  Wayne looked at her as she walked away. He was a little disappointed and wondered to himself why he felt that way. He wouldn’t have minded if she had stayed and talked to him for a while longer. But clearly, these professional types didn’t think much of his industrial factory unit.

  Lexi walked out into the cool evening air. She felt a little stung by….what? The thought that Terri and Wayne were an item? They seemed so misplaced. And she could tell he seemed a little off with Terri anyway.

  Lexi sat in her car, taking a few deep breaths. Her reaction to Wayne confused her. But without a doubt, there was something about Wayne that she liked. A few hours ago she had found him boorish and unkempt and yet here she was thinking about his tight, lean body and his strong jaw. Men with designer stubble would normally put her off but Wayne, well, it made him look even sexier. Stop it. She reprimanded herself. She would stay here until the end of the week and wait until Karn found her a more suitable position.

  When Lexi had gone, Terri broke the uncomfortable silence and looked over at Wayne.

  “It’s late, do you want to get something to eat?” She looked up at him provocatively.

  “Just give me a minute,” it had come out rougher than he had intended it. The look of hurt in her eyes made him feel guilty. “We can grab something to eat Terri. But that’s all.”

  This seemed to appease her and a glimmer of a smile appeared on her face. He went back into his office and turned off his computer. He couldn’t help but feel annoyed by Terri. He wished that the one night episode a few months ago had never happened. It had been a long day at the office, he had offered her a lift home and one thing had led to another. It had been a huge mistake on his part and he regretted that anything had happened at all. Now the dippy girl seemed to think they could have a relationship but this was not for him. He wondered briefly if he was making a mistake going out with her for a bite to eat tonight. But perhaps he would take the time to sit her down and explain to her that the one night they had shared had been a mistake. That there would never be a relationship between them. He had no time for romance. And especially not with one of his employees. It was so wrong.

  The truth was, he didn’t even have the time to let her down gently. His business was all consuming and he was so driven. He knew it was a great business and he was passionate about it. He was committed to taking it to the next level. Seeing Lexi working late today had given him a good feeling. The girl not only looked good but she had a brain on her too. In fact, Greta had spoken to him before she left and
told him that Lexi had grasped the aspects of the order processing system so quickly, she had been amazed. She told him she hoped Lexi would stay. He wasn’t sure why the agency had sent her to him. Nonetheless, he was happy that Lexi had turned up. He looked at the yellow post-it note and decided not to call the agency just yet.

  There was something about Lexi that intrigued him and he was more than happy to let her stay for as long as she wanted.

  Chapter Four

  The next day Lexi turned up to work in a pair of flat loafers teamed with black Capri pants and a white sleeveless printed tie-neck blouse. Gone were the high heel Prada shoes although she would not part with her bag. Her long chestnut brown hair fell into layers over her shoulders and even with minimal make-up, Lexi still drew looks wherever she went.

  “Good morning!” she said, breezing into the office like a breath of fresh air. Greta looked up at her and almost did a double take.

  “Good morning, Lexi. You’re in a good mood today. I see you’ve dressed a bit more casually too,” said Greta lightly.

  Lexi replied, “I thought I would downplay the office look, and actually those high-heels are hell on a wooden floor anyway. I feel much more comfortable in these.” She stuck out a foot at Greta, showing off her comfortable loafers.

  Greta smiled cheerily and replied, “Well, you look nice and so effortlessly too.”

  Lexi looked up, having just put her handbag on the floor underneath her desk. She looked a little embarrassed. “Thank you Greta. Here,” she walked across to Greta’s desk. “I bought you a bagel. Cream cheese. I didn’t know whether you liked salmon or not but pretty much everyone likes cream cheese.”

  Greta looked pleasantly surprised. “Thanks Lexi. I don’t think anyone’s ever bought me breakfast at work before. You sit down, I’ll get the drinks in.”

  “Green tea please,” said Lexi, as she sat down and bit into her salmon and cream cheese bagel.

  She was in a great mood today. Last night when she got home and checked her figures, as was her daily ritual, nine new orders had come in during the day. She had slept wonderfully well and this morning when she checked her sales, another eleven orders had come in overnight. She had never had this level of orders, during the day or night, ever. And it made her spirits soar. She was actually raring to get back into work again. For some reason, the thought of being back at WB Enterprises was another thing that she found herself looking forward to. A part of her put forward the idea that she liked coming to work because Wayne sat in the next office across. He could see her clearly from his desk. She only had to turn her head to get a good view of him too. And he was so handsome, if a little rough around the edges, to look at.

  She did think about calling Karn at the agency but had decided against it. This little placement would do her for now. Besides, the work wasn’t high powered and even though she left late yesterday, it still gave her a couple of hours at home to work on her own fledgling business. Her little ASL clothing line was starting to sell well and even though she hadn’t yet started on a solid marketing and promotion strategy, her lacey, floral and brightly colored lingerie items were selling like hotcakes. To say she had been pleasantly surprised by the surge in new orders was an understatement. Lexi had stayed up last night getting her orders fulfilled and no doubt there would be more to do tonight. She would rush out at lunchtime to get last night’s orders to the post office for dispatch. Her own business gave her such a burst of excitement.

  And now it finally looked as though things were starting to kick off. Lexi reveled in the new found momentum and loved the sweet smell of sales.

  “Thank you.” She said, her mouth half-full of bagel as Greta set down her cup of green tea.

  Following just behind her was Terri, who came traipsing in, wearing an even tighter top. It was bright yellow and she wore it with a pair of jeans that seemed as though they would explode at the hips.

  “Good morning all,” she said airily, though her attention was solely on Lexi. At a glance she took in what Lexi was wearing and at once seemed a little deflated.

  “How are you this morning Terri?” asked Greta, sipping her tea slowly.

  “I’m good, no, If I’m honest, I feel great! Wayne took me to Alberto’s last night. We had fun.” She winked, set down the new batch of orders and sprang back out of the room again.

  Greta looked at the whirlwind that had just greeted them and caught Lexi looking at her. When Greta didn’t say anything, Lexi pressed further, trying not to appear too interested, “I didn’t realize she and Wayne were an item.”

  “Neither does Wayne,” replied Greta, rather flippantly and said no more.

  Well that told me didn’t it? thought Lexi, though in a way she admired the older woman’s lack of interest in gossip. She had hoped for the low down on the relationship for her own nosey interest but Greta was not going to spread gossip around the office. And for that Lexi was quite glad.

  She got on with her work and made it a point to understand more about the business.

  Greta, who had been with Wayne for the past five years, knew all about the ins and outs of it and gladly showed Lexi. Inwardly, she was quite surprised and secretly pleased that Lexi had shown such an interest at all. It was rare, no, it was impossible to get a temporary staff member who was so devoted. In fact, it was difficult enough to find a permanent employee who showed such interest in the business, let alone a temporary one.

  Not that Wayne took on much help or delegated enough. Greta felt that this had been Wayne’s problem. He took too much on himself.

  He had a great business but it had taken almost eight years to get to this stage. For three years, he had worked alone, trying to source new, exciting and useful products and then finding buyers who were looking for solutions to their problems. Problems that Wayne knew he could solve, because he was continuously growing his product range. More importantly, he listened to what the market was crying out for. He sought out complaints and problem points and tried to find solutions. In this way, Wayne was able to build up WB Enterprises relatively quickly. He had done well and she wished she could have helped more but she didn’t understand technology and Wayne, though he understood it, the products required so much overseeing with the assembly plant and the manufacturing and distribution side of things that he barely had time to sort out the other side of running the business. And he was far too stubborn to delegate work or find someone else to partner with. When this was the one thing that would help to propel his business to the next level.

  Thank goodness Lexi had turned up.

  Towards the end of her third day, Lexi decided that working at WB Enterprises was the right thing for her. She didn’t want a corporate contract right now, even though the money would be better. She had fitted in quite well to the organization. They were a small company but very busy. Most of the staff were in the huge warehouse building. Mainly men, working with manufacturing, packing and distribution. She noted that Terri spent a lot of time there, overseeing things. But she was always so provocatively dressed.

  Try as she might, she still couldn’t see the attraction between her and Wayne. Earlier that day Lexi had ventured into the warehouse when Greta was showing her around. She noticed that the men inside slowly turned and stared at her. “Don’t mind them,” said Greta, ignoring them completely. “They haven’t seen a pretty little thing for a while now. It takes away their ability to work and stare at the same time, so right now they’re just staring at you.”

  Lexi smiled inwardly. She was glad she had exchanged her flat loafers for her high heels. She would look ridiculous tottering about in them on the factory floor.

  “So, over there,” Greta pointed to upstairs, “is where Terri works. She’s normally processing the orders. Whatever you send her, it is her job to make sure it goes out in the right amounts and to the right addresses. And she also prepares returns labels. Not that we get many returns.”

  Lexi looked up to where Greta pointed and saw the bright yellow of Terri
’s top flash through the window. She wondered if Wayne might be in there also. She hadn’t seen him this morning…….not that she had been looking out for him.

  “Hey Greta,” it was the easy sounding tone of Wayne’s voice.

  Lexi’s heart skipped a beat as she turned and stared directly into Wayne’s deep green eyes. Her heart was beating so fast and loud she was sure it would burst through her top any minute now. Taking a deep breath, she struggled to compose herself. Not without noting that Wayne looked at her and smiled, a lovely, wide, genuinely happy-to-see-you smile.

  “Hi Wayne,” Greta turned to him. “Seems like young Lexi wanted to know more about the business. So I thought I’d give her a quick tour of the whole place.” Greta was really pleased that Lexi had taken such an interest in the running of their system. She truly felt that with Lexi’s technological experience and fresh young eyes, and her own wisdom and experience of running these manufacturing and distribution systems, between the two of them they might just be able to help WB Enterprises get on the road to becoming a more efficient and productive office environment.

  Remembering Lexi’s comment from last night Wayne’s eyes flashed. “I thought you weren’t staying here too long,” he said then quickly regretted the words as soon as they came out. He was annoyed at himself for saying something so foolish.

  Lexi, taking his words to face value, wondered why he couldn’t wait to have her out of his company. Ungrateful man. And before she could stop herself, “I just wanted to see how not to run a business.”

  Greta’s heart lurched as she stood in the middle of these two warring people. What on earth was going on?

  “She’s finished all of her work, Wayne. She’s processed every single order that’s come in since she got here and she has finished the outstanding ones that Cindy had left lying around.” Her tone was defiant and she was angry at Wayne. Could he not see a good thing when it happened? Here was a model employee and he was in danger of losing her if he carried on in this surly manner.