I Want Candy (38 page)

“There will be an increase in employee premiums and copays. I’ll let Mandy of HR explain in detail later. The increase won’t be terribly great, but for anyone watching their money, every little bit counts. We had to do this in order to keep the benefits reasonable. Also, there seemed to be some confusion about the 401k plan. Contributions and earnings generally aren’t taxed by the federal government or by most state governments, including Ohio, until they’re distributed. There’s a small window there, and Mandy will also go over that with you individually. Finally, I encourage all of you to obtain a financial advisor as well as review your stock portfolio regularly. I know that this can seem overwhelming, but you have to take ownership of your own finances. Allow a professional to help steer you in the right direction. Blue Sun is what it is because of all of you, so make your salary go as far as it can to assist you and your families,” Gabriel explained as the PowerPoint presentation began in the small auditorium.

Candy sat in the front row, watching him in his jet-black suit and light-blue silk tie. His shoes shined like black jellybeans under the high beams on the stage. Her stomach churned with excitement as flashbacks from the weekend took over her brain. She crossed and uncrossed her legs, trying desperately to get the silly grin off of her face and feign a look of complete seriousness. She flipped to the next slide, an orange sunset. Across it was the company’s motto in white letters, “Words from the heart start here.”

The lights were lowered as the slide show continued. There was occasional applause. Candy watched as Gabriel crossed his arms over his chest as he looked over his notes in the dimly lit room. After the presentation, applause broke out full throttle, with most employees standing up and cheering. She pushed her ink pen behind her ear and clapped slowly as she continued to watch the man she adored powerhouse his way across the stage to speak to the Vice President of the company. He returned to the podium. Everyone quieted and sat down.

“This year we’ve decided to have a holiday celebration to reward the members of our team with a seriously good time. This includes Heineken…”

Everyone burst out in laughter.

“Your spouse or significant other and children are all invited. Last year, due to budgetary worries, children weren’t invited, but to me, the holidays are all about family, and quite frankly,” Gabriel shrugged his shoulders, “our children should be there.”

Many people clapped.

“There’s a holiday party committee led by Candace Benet, so please provide your thoughts and ideas to her.” Gabriel briefly looked at her and turned away quickly.

‘Oh, what a Monday morning,’ Candy thought as she smiled down into her lap. She replayed pivotal moments of the weekend in her mind. Her head briefly lulled backwards as she could almost feel him pulling her hair as he straddled her over that chair. Flashes of his hands roughly moving across her skin made her nipples rise to attention. He had been so gentle and loving on the sauna room floor, and so aggressive moments later in the bedroom. His hot-and-cold lovemaking made it difficult to crack his code. He created mystery in his words and touch. He held her captive with what he said as much as what he did. She felt addicted to him.

The large meeting adjourned, and Candy watched as people mulled about, engaging in small-talk before returning to their offices and cubicles. Gabriel walked off the stage with two managers and strolled past her. As if in slow motion, they glanced at each other. She could smell his cologne and feel his energy in that fleeting moment. He bit his bottom lip, winked so quickly it was almost unseen, and continued to talk as he turned away.

‘Smooth, very smooth, Mr. Justice,’ Candy thought, smiling from within. She walked to her office and looked over the emails. Startled by her cell phone, she abruptly answered.

“Yes?”

“Girl, it’s me! You better tell me what the hell’s goin’ on. It’s Monday afternoon, and neither Jasmine or I heard anything from you. That man could have had you tied up in a dungeon somewhere!”

“You’re not too far off,” Candy joked. “Only there was no dungeon. Oh, Dallas, it was great,” Candy giggled.

“I can barely hear you,” Dallas said.

“I have to keep my voice down. These walls are thin. Look, the weekend was fabulous. He had wonderful meals prepared for us. We went for a bike ride. He even took me for a ride on his private plane over lunch. We played board games, Girl! Now how sweet is that! He’s just a big kid. He’s so awesome.”

“You’re dick-whipped,” Dallas said.

“Huh?” Candy laughed. “What does that mean? No, I’m not!”

“What does it mean, or no you aren’t? You can’t say both,” Dallas laughed.

“I know what it means, but why would you think that?”

“I can hear it in your voice. You mentioned the details of everything
but
that. I know you, Candy,” Dallas said. Candy imagined her friend with a hand on one hip.

“Now you sound like Jasmine,” Candy laughed. “Yeah, the sex was good, Dallas. I can’t deny that. It was too good.”

“There’s no such thing as too good!” Dallas teased.

“Yes, there is. It makes me wonder what secrets he’s keepin’. I don’t believe for one second a man gets that good without havin’ a bunch of conquests, but I can’t seem to stop thinkin’ about him,” Candy confessed.

“It doesn’t matter if he’s had a lot of conquests as long as he’s disease-free and monogamous with you. Don’t put this on ‘self-destruct!’ I can’t watch you do that again,” Dallas pleaded.

Candy sighed. “Well, I’m supposed to meet his daughter this weekend. She’s stayin’ over. I’m nervous. The girl’s fifteen. You know how teenagers are.” Candy shook her head.

“How old is Gabriel?”

“Forty-six – he doesn’t look it though. He’s got a little boy face and salt-and-pepper hair, mostly pepper.”

“Oh, we saw his photo, Girl. We looked him up online and watched some of his interviews. He was also in your company newsletter, remember? He’s quite handsome. I can surely see what the attraction is. He could have a few more inches in the height department, but 5’10” isn’t bad at all.”

“5’10” and a half – and yes, he’s gorgeous,” Candy swooned.

“You went from not wantin’ anything to do with him to bein’ all in his grill. He must have whipped it on you good!” Dallas teased. “Wait ’til I tell Jasmine about this.”

“Too late – she’s calling me right now,” Candy said as she heard her phone beeping and read the caller-ID.

“Call me later,” Dallas yelled as they disconnected.

“Hello, Jasmine,” Candy laughed. “I was just on the phone with Dallas. I have work to do. I don’t have time to be tellin’ my business to you two right now!” Candy snickered.

“You’re in love again. Damn it, Candy. I told you to not let this happen,” Jasmine chastised. I don’t want to see you hurt again.”

“I never said I was in love! Where did you get that from?”

“You don’t have to say it.”

There was silence.

“Jasmine, honestly, I don’t know,” Candy rubbed her forehead. “I don’t think about it. I’m guarded. I know that he…”

“Loves you,” Jasmine completed the sentence.

“Yes, I just know he does. It’s hard to explain. He said it, and I know it was real.”

“I believe you,” Jasmine sighed.

“What? No pessimism? No ‘men ain’t shit’ speech?” Candy teased.

“No, not this time,” Jasmine laughed.

“Well, I have to…”

“I know! You have to go, but call me and fill me in on the details ASAP!”

“Will do!” Candy hung up the phone and turned back to her email to see one highlighted red.

To: Candy Benet

From: Gabriel Justice

Message: CTMO Meeting

Candy and Gabriel had run down some code words and phrases in order to keep their relationship discreet. “CTMO” stood for “come to my office.” Candy swiveled in her office chair, grinning from ear to ear uncontrollably. She sang the first sentence of “At Last” by Etta James as she hopped up, grabbed her purse, and exited her office. The ride up in the elevator seemed to take an eternity. His secretary, Katherine, nodded “hello” as she swept past her and turned the large, golden doorknob. She walked in and saw Gabriel’s back towards her. He was looking out of the window admiring the rain clouds that were moving in.

“It’s getting much colder outside. The rain will probably turn to snow,” Candy said as she sat down in the chair in front of his desk. She laid the holiday party file on his desk and waited. He remained silent for a few moments before pivoting to face her. His dark eyebrows were furrowed and his lips slightly drawn down. He chewed on his bottom lip intermittently, as if in deep thought. Pushing his fingertips together in steeple formation, he tapped his foot a few times before glancing away and back up at Candy.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, concern growing.

“There are two things I want to discuss with you, but first I want to tell you how extremely thrilled I was with our time together this weekend.”

“I bet you were,” Candy nervously laughed.

Gabriel shook his head. “No, not just because of the intimacy. I’m talking about just getting to know you. All the mundane things we did, like your insisting on grocery shopping. It was fun shopping at 1:00AM with you, watching you explain how to pick the best citrus fruits. I loved just sitting on the floor talking to you about your life, childhood, and even your marriage. Each word you spoke pulled me closer to you. Hell, I was thrilled to just be able to play a card game on my bed with a beautiful woman and…”

“Gabriel, it was strip poker,” Candy sighed.

Gabriel smiled. “Yeah, it was strip poker, and thankfully you lost, but we did other things too. Don’t try to minimize it. You know what happened this weekend. I won’t make you acknowledge it to me. Just know that I meant everything I said, and I want to see you Saturday night, to meet Allison for dinner. We took it slow before consummating our relationship, but I think after these past few months, she deserves to meet you. Not to mention, she knows me as a workaholic, and suddenly I’m more available. She wants to know what’s going on, and I’ve always been open and honest with her. I don’t want to start lying now. I know you’re nervous, Candy, but it’ll be fine. Besides, you’re a part of my personal life now”.

Candy looked down at her shoes and smiled anxiously. Gabriel retrieved the file from his desk and looked at it.

“Are these the latest changes?” he asked as he opened it and browsed the first few pages.

“Yes. Inside is the contract for the band, the caterers, and the rent-a-Santa. Iris did an excellent job with all of that.”

“OK, I’ll look it over. I still can’t believe you roped me into this. I hate planning parties. Only
you
could get a CEO of a company to give a shit about planning the holiday party,” he smirked.

“Well, you know it boosts company morale. Besides, you said you wanted everyone to go out with a bang this year, and everyone knows you’re one of the few bigwigs in the world who actually cares about the people who work for you. People love you because you’re down-to-earth,” Candy explained.

“That’s very kind of you to say. I try. I know what it’s like to be the odd man out, and I’ll never forget it. I also know what it’s like to be the youngest in a group and have people not take you seriously. It was hard getting where I am. Sometimes being the brightest isn’t enough. This is a dog-eat-dog world. I really had to shake some things up.”

“I know. I’m sure it didn’t help that you have a baby face,” Candy grinned. “But once they saw your results, it was clear that you were the best man for the job.”