For the first time in my entire life, there was one employee in my building who didn’t hide or giggle to their co-worker while I was in the room. Except Alex, of course, but he didn’t count.
I know the usual expression I carried when I was in a room of employees that I’d never met—nor intended to—faded the moment she stood, and I saw those eyes that’d never left my dreams. Those eyes that glossed over when she climaxed while riding me into ecstasy. I recovered whatever expression I held when our eyes locked and forced it all down. I missed this woman more than I imagined.
Holy shit, she worked here? How long had she been working for me? Did she know who I was in London? There’s no fucking way. She did role play well with me, though. Maybe she knew who I was the entire time.
Then I saw something I never thought possible—on top of realizing Avery was working in my building, and I never fucking knew it. I saw the black curls of a little girl who I assumed was her daughter, Addy, and I pinched my lips together to hold back the humor of what in the hell could have transpired to make Avery bring her daughter to work in her cubicle with her.
“Mr. Mitchell,” Perry, my senior manager on the public relations floor, caught me as soon as I spied the adorable child scribbling on a magazine—ironically, the magazine that did an exclusive write up on me and Mitchell and Associates. “I assure you that we do not allow children on the floor.”
I ignored Perry and went over to Avery’s desk. Avery’s eyes were fierce, and I knew why. She made it perfectly clear that no one fucked with her daughter.
“It’s fine, Perry,” I said, moving toward where Avery was staring me down like a mother bear watching over her cub.
I looked down at the magazine, which was written about my success as a young CEO of one of the largest companies in the nation. Addy wasn’t aware of my approach, and I saw where she was intently scribbling over my face, and it was taking all I could not to laugh at how Avery must’ve loved her daughter doing so.
“Is something wrong?” Avery asked.
I didn’t know how to respond to her. Shit, who was afraid of who?
“Mr. Mitchell,” Stefanie started. I assumed Avery worked for her, given the placement of Avery’s desk. “We’re going to fix this issue of the child.”
Addy looked up at me. Her bright blue eyes blinked slowly because I must’ve looked like a giant in her presence.
“Hi,” she said. “Your face.” She looked at the magazine, then back to me.
“Avery, I need to speak with you about your daughter,” Stefanie said.
“That will not be necessary, Ms. Blythe,” I said and knelt next to Addy. “Hi, I see you must not like my face?” I smiled and pointed at the sharp lines drawn across it.
“Your face is pretty,” she said. “Why are you in my book?”
“I guess I got lucky,” I mused. “My name is James. My friends call me Jim or Mitch.”
I felt the anxiety of everyone in the room, and it was thick with fear and annoyance. All geared toward my being here and this sweet little girl.
“I like Mitch.” She giggled and popped two dimples in each of her cheeks in doing so. “I’m Addison.” She went back to coloring, “My friends call me Addy.”
“May I ask why such a sweet girl like yourself is working today? You should be playing with the kids in the children’s center, I would assume.”
“Mommy said I have to learn work before they let me play,” she said.
My eyes shifted over to Avery’s, and hers were still ablaze. Though it was a short amount of time, I’d remembered these beautiful blue eyes well. All memories of this blue-eyed beauty pushed aside; I knew something must have happened to piss her off.
“Is Addy here because you do not trust the preschool? Perhaps a sick child wasn’t sent home?”
“More like the preschool wouldn’t allow her in,” Avery shot back, eying me and everyone standing around me. “I told her that she was lucky and got to come to work with me instead.”
I rose up and glanced around to locate Alex. “Mr. Grayson,” I called out to my vice president.
“Right here,” he said, walking over from speaking to someone in an office down the hall. “Wow, hey there,” Alex said, his eyes meeting Addy’s.
“Hi,” she said, still working on dissolving my face with her colors.
“Nice to have you working in our public relations department, young lady.”
“Alex, handle the issues with that video file and the advertisements that failed to send. I need to speak with the women in the preschool facility.”
It didn’t take much for Alex to do the math at that point. Typically, I would have called down and handled matters, but I didn’t. His eyes went from me to Addison to Avery, and then his features went soft, and he nodded.
“We’ll fix the problem,” he said, then rounded up the herd and left me to speak with Avery.
I looked back at Addy and Avery. “Would you both mind joining me on a field trip?” I asked, trying to make this exciting for Addison. I didn’t even need to. The kid wasn’t frightened of any of us. I loved that fearless nature.
“Where to?” she questioned.
“Addy, don’t be rude. This nice man, who you demolished with your colors, is going to take us down to where your school is.”
“Good.” She sighed. “Your work is really boring, Mom.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” I answered Addy with a smile.
“I’ll join you,” Stefanie interjected. “Again, I’m so sorry about this, Mr. Mitchell.”
“Why are you sorry?” Addison asked before I could dismiss the woman.
“Addison Jane,” Avery scolded her daughter and took her hand. “It’s rude to talk when adults are talking.”
“Ms. Blythe, please stay. Thank you,” I said, before the woman eyed Avery and rushed back toward her office. I nodded toward Avery, then smiled at Addison, “I believe our field trip awaits the three of us.”
“Yes,” Addison’s smile beamed.
Avery and Addison followed me into the elevator, and I hit the button to the lower level, where our daycare and preschool was located.
“How long have you been working for us?” I finally broke the ice of quiet awkwardness.
“A week,” Avery said flatly. “Listen, I don’t need your help.”
“I understand that. However, would you rather Addison work? She’s already informed me it is quite dull, and there’s the whole child-labor law thing.”
Avery narrowed her eyes at me skeptically. “Fine, then. Maybe you can convince those women who run your cute little preschool and daycare to take her. I had no idea there would be a problem.”
“Her records were turned in, correct?” I asked.
“Of course, I brought all of that. I’m not a fu—” She stopped herself, and I smiled, knowing the woman cussed like a goddamn sailor. “I brought everything required.”
“Then let’s find out why this super-smart little young lady isn’t in preschool.”
“I needed ‘sperience,” Addison spoke up. “Mommy said that’s how I get in.”
“Ah,” I pointed toward her magazine. “Looks like you gained enough experience.” I looked at Avery, hoping I grabbed the right word for Addison’s excuse for not being in preschool. “You colored my face out like a champion.” I laughed.
Addison giggled, and it was the sweetest sound. “I’m sorry, Mitch,” she said. “Your face looked mean. Ya know?”
“I need to work on that, don’t I?”
“Yes,” Addy said. “You look pretty right now.”
“I’m smiling,” I responded.
“Smiling is pretty.”
“It most certainly is,” I answered.
After the elevator opened, we were soon around the corner where our Children’s Center was located. When I walked in, Janice Spokes and her intern turned three shades of pink. Her eyes drifted from mine down to Addison, then Avery. That’s when I felt Addison clutch my hand. I was shocked at the gesture, but then livid that the little girl would think to hold onto my hand in the first place. Was she scared of these two? What did they do to make her reach for my hand?
“Addy,” Avery whispered, “come stand with Mommy.”
I gave Addy a reassuring smile. “I’ll take care of this.” I knelt to where Addy stood quietly at Avery’s side. “Should I use my smiling face or the face you scribbled on in your book?” I inquired when I saw her serious expression wasn’t wavering.
“Scribble face,” Addy answered and then looked at the two women who had plastered smiles on their questioning expressions.
I rose and turned to the women. Their faces were curious and confused, as well as they should be. “Ms. Spokes and Ms. King,” I said. “Did Miss…”
Son of a bitch, I forgot Avery’s last name.
“Miss Gilbert,” Avery said.
“Yes, thank you. Did Miss Gilbert have any difficulty with her daughter’s paperwork today?”
“No, Mr. Mitchell.”
I looked at Addison. “It appears the children are having snack time. Would you like to join them?” I glanced to Avery. “Any food allergies?”
“None,” she said. “Though she eats like her mother does.”
I smiled, but Avery remained indifferent. “There’s plenty of food. Try not to spoil your dinner, though,” I said.
If I hadn’t turned and knelt back down to reach Addison’s eye level, I would have never had the smell of coconut and berries hit all of my senses after she hugged me. I patted her back. “Better hurry.”
Addison scurried off, and I stood to bring my full attention back to the women. “While the aides assist the kids, I would like to meet with the one who refused one of our employee’s children.”
“That would be me,” Ms. Spokes boldly spoke up.
I’d never been in this room, and I only knew the woman through staff meetings when we decided to open the preschool, but it was evident that the woman thought she owned the place.
“Very well. Where’s your office so we can speak privately?”
I didn’t fail to observe her glare at Avery before she motioned for me to follow her.
“Come with us,” I said to Avery.
Avery didn’t need the invitation. I could tell she wanted a piece of this woman herself.
“You will wait outside, Miss Gilbert,” Ms. Spokes said.
“You’re fucking kidding, right? That’s my kid in there, and I’m not leaving a decision about her to be left up to you or him,” Avery snapped.
“Excuse me?” Ms. Spokes countered. “You do realize you’re in the company of Mr. James—”
“Mitchell,” Avery finished for her. “Amazingly enough, Mr. Mitchell is CEO of the company’s preschool that wants to reject my daughter.”
“Avery,” I said, knowing I should have kept it formal with last names, but that slipped. “Please allow me to ask Ms. Spokes why Addison was…” I paused to ensure I heard correctly. “Addison was rejected?”
“Yes. Rejected,” Avery confirmed.
“What is the meaning of this?” I asked Ms. Spokes in a demanding tone. “Do not even think about giving me any excuses either, Ms. Spokes, or this will be your last day watching over this department.”
“We don’t have enough staff,” she said indignantly.
“How long has this been an issue?” I asked.
“At least a month.”
“I’ve heard nothing of the sort. I haven’t had any requests to expand this department. Did I miss something that you may have sent my way?”
“No.” She stood solidly. This woman was an old crow. “We told the parents we were full.”
“That is not your duty, ma’am,” I said sternly, and the woman finally broke and sat in her chair. “Those are not merely parents. They are my employees who depend on my company’s Children’s Center for numerous reasons.” I kept my gaze locked on hers, “I must know exactly how many children are in other daycares or preschools due to you not informing upper management there was an issue with a shortage in staff?”
“Eight, maybe.”
“Eight, maybe?” I questioned. “Maybe is not a word I like hearing from a woman that my company entrusts with our employees’ children and their safety.”
“I can’t remember,” she whined.
“That is no excuse. That is eight parents—my employees, might I remind you—who have had to scramble to make other arrangements despite what was promised would be made available to them. I should have had something on my desk, informing me that more staff was required before the first child was turned away. I’m not quite certain I can trust you in such an important position, one that requires someone to look out for what’s best for my employees and their children. You will be replaced.”
“I’m fired?” She covered her heart.
“You will be transferred to a different role if that satisfies your needs. Currently, I do not care for your callous attitude or negligence. Until your replacement has been hired, I suggest you will work with your temporary replacement,” I said. “An official announcement will be emailed to all employees, announcing their children are welcome back to our Children’s Center. We have more than enough room here, so I know that space is not the issue. That is all, Ms. Spokes.”
“I am so sorry, Mr. Mitchell.”
“You might say that to the employees you’ve shunned; however, I do not see you as the type to apologize to the parents who’ve been placed in difficult childcare situations. I am thankful I found this child on one of my office floors with her mother, or I would have never known there was an issue. I will be working with human resources and our child development recruiters to find your replacement, and I do hope it’s immediately.”
“And where do I transfer to, Mr. Mitchell?”
I turned from where I was leaving her office. “Well, that’s a question you might want to ponder for a while. Sleep on it tonight, perhaps? You see, the fear I see in your eyes is most likely the same that was in the parents’ eyes who depended on this daycare and preschool for their children. It’s in all their offer packages, and yet, here you are turning them away and making a liar out of me.”
“My Lord in Heaven,” she sat in her chair, frazzled.
“There are plenty of internal transfer positions available within the company,” I said, seeing the woman was about to become my brother’s heart patient if I didn’t slow it down some on her. “Look them up.”
“Thank you,” she muttered.
I turned and felt Avery on my heels. “Ms. King?” I called out to the other woman who seemed to work alongside Ms. Spokes.
“Yes, Mr. Mitchell.” She popped over to me as a young college intern would.
“We will be making changes to this department. Until then, no child will be turned away. You will find a way to ensure they’re taken care of. The additional staff will be hired, trained, and working by the end of next week. You will also be reporting to someone besides Ms. Spokes.” I saw her expression fall. “If you’d like to resume working here, I would like to know here and now.”
“Absolutely, Mr. Mitchell.” Her eyes darted from Avery to me.
“Very well, then,” I said. “I should have never needed to accompany one of my employees down here to find our childcare facility wasn’t operating correctly. The blame falls squarely on Ms. Spokes, but for the future, please know that there is a chain of command that ends with me. I decide the fate of every department, and I need to know what everyone needs. This all will be fixed, and I do hope you are more than welcoming to little Addison.”
I left with a certain amount of bubbling rage inside that the old bag had made decisions for my company without telling me. Bullshit. It was unacceptable, and a horrible fucking way to reconnect with Avery. God only knew what she thought of my company after this debacle.
“You almost gave that woman a heart attack.”
“My brother’s a heart surgeon. He would’ve saved her miserable life,” I said, angrier than when we left the daycare, but feeling more than familiar with Avery. I wasn’t like this with anyone but Alex when I was this fucking pissed. I was, however, holding in more shit than I was letting Avery know.
Avery laughed. “She reminds me of that old bitch who gave you trouble on the tour.”
I tried to smile at the memory, but I was too busy wondering how many other departments in my company were fucked like this.
“Possibly yes.” I looked at her. “It is nice to see you again, Avery. I hope Addison enjoys her new preschool.”
Avery was stiff, and I knew she was probably pissed off at the curt way I was responding to her. I couldn’t mask my irritation, though. I couldn’t bring her into my arms like I wanted to. I couldn’t steal her over to the elevators that led up to my office and tell her I regretted everything—that I now made exceptions in fucking my employees, and that exception was her and her alone. I couldn’t do anything but get my ass involved with these department heads and fix all of this shit.
When I was back on the top floors, Alex met my short fuse. “I want more surveillance on that daycare until a replacement is found.”
“On it. Everything cool with Avery and her daughter?” he tried to probe, but I wasn’t interested in small talk.
“Addison is in the facility. I need someone on those cameras. We can talk more about it later. I just pissed off the woman running that place, and I want her watched until she’s replaced.”
“I’ll handle it now,” Alex said, leaving and knowing we’d catch up after I cooled off some more.
What a fucking joke. In order to fix this, I would assemble a new team to inspect all of my departments. Never again would something like this go undetected. Of all places for things to go wrong, I couldn’t believe it was with our employees’ children. Good God.
I was embarrassed, pissed, and now fucking furious that I couldn’t give in to what I really wanted—to express my apologies to Avery. To beg her for another chance. No, the asshole CEO had to leave and do his damn job instead.
