Bree Javen looked at her friend as she slowly sipped her steaming coffee. Roxanne sipped it, then returned the look.
“You just met the guy. You don’t know anything about him,” Bree said, then sipped her coffee.
“Well, I know he’s handsome and is called Max Johnson,” Roxanne replied dreamily. Bree rolled her eyes.
“Forget the basic details. What about where he lives? What he does? Who he is, stuff like that,” she said.
“I shall know with time. As you’ve said, we’ve just met. Come on, Bree, I thought you have an eye for steaming hot guys. I mean, did you see his sideburns? His bushy brows? His savage gray eyes?” Roxanne asked excitedly, then sipped her coffee. Bree blew the steam from her coffee.
“If you ask me, that guy is trouble. And what sort of guy keeps long hair?” She criticized.
“My sort of guy. He’s my sort of man. I feel pulled to him. By what, I don’t know,” Roxanne said, then smiled.
“He looks like the type of guy who can hold you by the legs, turn you upside down, and use your hair to mop the floor,” Bree said with a searching look at her friend, then gulped down her coffee at once.
“He can use it any day, anytime, and anywhere. I don’t care,” Roxanne said while gazing at the ceiling, then giggled and downed her coffee as well.
The two friends went and put their cups on the rack of dirty dishes, then went back to their desks.
“You seem to really like this guy,” Bree commented after they had both taken their seats. Roxanne nodded.
“But I have everything under control. Don’t worry about me. I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself,” she said. Bree raised her eyebrows and stopped trying to help her friends see things in her perspective.
There was silence as they both found something to occupy themselves. Roxanne couldn’t stop smiling, even when she noted Charlie approaching her with his hands behind his back.
“Is that smile for me?” He asked gently after also smiling, then turned to Bree. “Hi, Bree,” he greeted.
“Hi, Charlie. Looking sharp,” she replied.
“You’re looking good yourself,” he said to her, then turned to Roxanne. He was clad in a silver suit with a polka-dotted tie and a well pressed clean shirt.
“Maybe,” Roxanne replied to him in a friendly manner.
“You look wonderful,” he whispered to her, after eyeing her from head to toe, then took out his right hand before her. “I bought you a present,” he said softly. It was a box of chocolates. She got up and hugged him after putting the box on her desk.
“Thanks, Charlie. You shouldn’t have,” she said while smiling after the hug, then they looked into each other’s eyes.
“I-I’ll see you later, Roxanne. I have to get back to work,” he said uneasily, not sure whether to kiss her or not. He refrained and started going.
“Sure,” she replied, then scratched the nape of her neck lightly with the nail of her index finger as she watched him go. She sighed, then sat heavily. Bree looked at her, then the box.
“Awww. Chocolate? That’s the man you should love, Rox,” she pried.
“Unfortunately, he isn’t. I like him, but as a friend. Nothing else, no matter how hard I try,” Roxanne said remorsefully, then popped open the box, took out a piece, and tossed it into her mouth. She put it within Bree’s reach. “Help yourself to some,” she said to her. Bree didn’t wait to be told twice. She took two pieces and put them in her mouth.
“You don’t know how much I love chocolate, Rox. If I were you I’d stop torturing the poor guy and love him back. He’s so loveable and good-looking,” she advised.
“I’m trying, Bree, but apparently, my heart beats for Max. I feel as though I’ve known him all my life. You felt that way when you met Keith, right?” Roxanne whined.
“I guess,” Bree replied, then shut her eyes and enjoyed the milky taste of the chocolate.
Trish swayed towards them and looked at both of them.
“I see there’s a party going on here,” she said, while eyeing the chocolate. They gave her blank stares. She added, “Anyway, Roxanne, we have a staff meeting in the boss’ office at 2 p.m.,” then said to Bree, “Follow me,” and turned and left. Bree looked at Roxanne quizzically, then stood, stroked her hair, and went after Trish. The telephone rang again.
“Hello?” Roxanne chirped.
“Hello, Miss Roxanne. I need you in my office right now,” the caller instructed.
“Yes, sir,” Roxanne replied, then replaced the telephone on its cradle and strode to her boss’ office. On arrival, she knocked on his door and after she was granted entry, got in slowly.
Mr. Reynolds was swinging on his chair while studying some papers deeply when Roxanne got in. He looked up at her.
“Please have a seat, Miss Roxanne,” he requested. She did, then cleared her throat. He gave her the papers and said, “These are detailed accounts of our commodities and their prices on the stock market. I need a printed, summarized report on them within 20 minutes. Are you up for the challenge?” While looking straight at her.
“Yes,” she replied, almost immediately, after a glance at the papers. She had to prove her competence.
“Good. That will be all,” Mr. Reynolds said briefly.
“Excuse me, sir,” Roxanne said, then got up and left the office with the papers. She didn’t take a good look at them until she arrived at her station and took her seat. Bree had returned and was going through some forms that required her filling in.
“What did Trish want?” Roxanne asked her after a while.
“She needed my help in carrying some boxes into the company van. Thanks to her, I’ve got muscle cramps,” Bree started, then paused and continued, “But on the plus side, I got the chance to watch some really gorgeous guys as they offloaded some crates from a lorry. Their continuous winks and smiles at me told me how much they want me.”
“Don’t forget about Keith,” Roxanne said, again as she worked.
“He’s my man. I love him. It’s just that experiences like the one I had boost a woman’s ego, you feel me?” Bree replied, then glanced at her friend. She nodded.
“Did I forget to mention that they paid no attention to Miss Boobs, even after she tried flaunting her goods?” Bree added with a smile, while doing her work.
“Ouch,” Roxanne replied, then they both laughed lengthily.
After a while, Trish walked up to Roxanne’s desk and slammed three papers on her desk.
“Here are the progress reports of this department. The boss wants them printed and edited. Get to it,” she said with a sardonic smile, then swayed back to her desk. Roxanne sighed, then glanced at the papers.
“If I had known being secretary involved all this, I would have turned it down,” she said wearily, while scratching her brow.
“You can do it, Rox. Just hang in there,” Bree comforted.
Roxanne quickened her pace of work. If all those were to be taken care of, she had to work fast.
“My weekend was the best,” Bree said, after a brief silence.
“Let’s hear about it,” Roxanne encouraged, while working. Bree breathed in and out, smiled as she remembered it, then started narrating.
“Keith took me to a romantic getaway at the beach. We survived on nothing but seafood, and during the day, we swam side by side, raced on yachts, then sunbathed in the afternoon. At night, after a cool refreshing bath in the beach’s raging waters, he would set up a tent, light a fire, then go fish our dinner while I sat by and relaxed. After dinner, we would cuddle each other and count the stars till late, then sleep after, of course, getting cozy. You?”
“I’m glad you had an awesome time. Mine was ordinary. My brother had a party on Saturday and I had to supervise it, while on Sunday, we went to church and I spent the afternoon listening to some music in my room,” Roxanne replied casually. Suddenly, the telephone rang. She received it.
“Wise Enterprises, Miss Roxanne Simmons speaking. How may I be of service to you?...sir, we do not sell pizza. We are not a fast food joint. This is a company…yes.” She paused as the caller apologized for the mixup, then continued, “It’s alright, have a nice day—and snack,” and returned the telephone in its cradle and glanced at her watch. There were 15 minutes left before lunchtime.