Chapter 4

A full four weeks have passed since I agreed to work as Mr. Blake Benson's personal bitch. So far my job duties have included everything from making copies of informational packets, to taking all of Blake's phone calls, and yes – to even running out to get Blake lunch...which I'm currently in the process of doing.

For the third day in a row.

"Welcome to Cardy's, how can I help you?"

I lean closer to the drive-thru speaker and reiterate Blake's lunch order which I now have memorized.

"Ah, yea. I'll take a tuna sandwich on wheat, hold the relish, with a pickle on the side, a diet coke and a chocolate chip cookie."

"That'll be $9.84 at the next window. Thank you!"

I pull a ten dollar bill out of my back pocket. Believe it or not, I can actually get a whiff of Blake's musky cologne as I hand it over to the worker. She smiles at me warmly. Her eyes light up in recognition when she hands me the change.

"You sure like our tuna sandwiches, huh?" she asks with a wry grin.

"It's not for me," I respond coldly.

"Oh...sorry."

The girl blushes at my verbal rejection and closes the window. I tap my fingers against the steering wheel irritably. The first four weeks working for Blake wasn't terrible. In fact, for the most part he left me alone. I was able to get my work done with minimal interaction and disturbance.

This fifth week, however, has been hell. Every day my job duties seem less about being an employee and more about being Blake's personal lackey. My knuckles turn white as I clench the steering wheel, just in time for the drive-thru window to pop open.

"Thanks and have a great day!" she says to me, handing the bag over.

Her voice isn't nearly as chipper as it was the last time she spoke to me. I snatch the bag out of her hand and throw it into the passenger seat. My tires screech as I pull out of the drive-thru lane and head back to work.

A piece of me wants to jizz all over his tuna sandwich. And when I say a piece, I mean 95% of me. If it wasn't for the fact that I was now making a pretty sick salary, I would too. My car whips into the work parking lot. I purposely park in the middle of two parking spots.

When I jog back into work, I notice Kansas eyeing me from her register. I'm sure she's curious why I've been taken off the floor. I'm sure she's even more curious why I'm in Blake's office all the time. He hasn't told the other staff members that I've taken a new position within the company. So I haven't either.

I ignore her probing stare, keeping my focus straight ahead while I make my way to Blake's office. His door is left open just a hair. I push it open without knocking and plop into one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"...yes, that'll be fine, Luke," Blake says into his cell phone. "Actually, hold on a minute."

Blake lowers his phone, covering the receiver with his other hand.

"Callum, do you have pressing plans over the next three days?"

I mentally think through the various party invitations that have been given to me. Of course I have plans. Is this dude serious? There's not a single night that goes by where I don't.

"Yea, I do."

"Do any of them consist of family plans, weddings, and/or graduations?"

"No..."

"Then cancel them, please."

I narrow my eyes. "Why?"

Blake pulls the phone back up to his ear. "Luke? Yes, I'll need two plane tickets. Round-trip."

There's a slight pause in the conversation.

"Yes, everything for two is fine." Pause. "Separate rooms." Pause. "Thanks Luke, I'll let you know if anything changes."

Blake disconnects the call and sits back in his chair. His eyes drop to the paper bag filled with his food now clenched between my fingers. Despite my feelings of animosity, I reach forward and obediently set Blake's lunch on his desk.

"Thank you, Callum."

"Hmph."

I cross my arms over my chest and slouch into my seat. Usually Blake dismisses me within minutes, but by the look on his face, I have a feeling I'll be here for a while. He takes his time opening up his lunch. The smell of fresh tuna invades the clean air and I grimace.

"That shit smells awful," I say with a sneer. "Can't you wait to eat it until I leave?"

Blake pauses mid-bite. He stares at me with careful inspection, tilting his head to the side.

"Where's the diet Coke?"

I stiffen at the realization that I didn't wait for his diet Coke. Shit.

"I forgot it."

I start getting up from the chair, but Blake lifts a hand to stop me.

"No need to go back," he says and opens up the bottom drawer of his desk. "I always keep a spare."

He pulls out a can of diet Coke and snaps the top open. I watch his adam's apple bob up and down as he guzzles down the first few gulps. He picks up his sandwich again and takes a bite, delicately dabbing at the sides of his mouth with a napkin.

"You'll be working overtime the next few days," he says switching the subject. "We'll be heading out of town tonight and won't be back until Saturday morning."

"I'm not going."

"You are," Blake replies simply. "Now, all the arrangements are being taken care of, so you won't have to bother with any of those. But while we're there, you'll be needing to take care of a number of things."

I grit my teeth.

"We're going on a site visit," Blake explains. "There's a new property that just opened up, and I think it'd be the perfect spot to open up a new store."

"Don't care."

"If all goes well, I'll be signing the contract while we're down there," Blake continues without flinching at my words. "My gut tells me it'll be a store with great profit."

Blake stares off and frowns. He seems to be calculating or thinking about something in his head. The fact that he's making me go with him is infuriating. I have a social life. Just because he doesn't shouldn't mean mine gets taken away.

"Why do I have to go?" I ask.

"There's a lot to do. I'll need help with it."

"So why don't you bring your wife or girlfriend or something to help you out? Business by the day, pleasure by night type of dealio? It'd be a win-win."

Blake raises a brow. "I neither have a wife nor a girlfriend."

The news shouldn't surprise me, but it does. Even though the dude is incredibly irritating, bossy, haughty, and overbearing as hell, he's young, has money, and is...decent looking. I can't imagine it's hard for him to find a girl if he wanted to.

"Why?" I find myself asking.

Blake's gaze intensifies while he stares at me. "Why what, Callum?"

"Why are you single?"

"I never said I was single," Blake corrects me. "Just that I don't have a wife or a girlfriend."

"Wha-"

I stop myself mid-question and my eyes widen. Blake said he doesn't have a girlfriend or a wife...yet there's a chance he's not single. Is he...gay? My jaw seems to unhinge at this new discovery. I find myself leaning forward in disbelief.

"You like dudes?" I ask, a mixture of horror and curiosity in my voice.

Blake sighs. Without answering my question, he turns back to his desk to continue eating his tuna sandwich.

"I'll need your address before you leave," Blake says. "I'll be by to pick you up tonight by 5:00 PM. Make sure you're packed and ready to go. Any questions?"

"Yea. Do you like dick?"

Blake waves his hand and takes another bite of his sandwich. "That's enough, Callum. You're dismissed."