Sobs overtake me, wracking my body, and I collapse to the floor in a heap.
What the hell am I going to do now?
Chapter 3
Gabriel
I run my hands through my dark hair in exasperation. I need to get up and walk around, but if I do that I’ll never get any work done. I’ve been reading through these documents that my temporary secretary typed and they’re all wrong. Whatever agency sent her over, I need to have a word with.
I make corrections to all the documents and put them in a pile on my desk, my agitation brewing. I’ll have to have someone else with actual experience in this line of work redo them. My phone rings loudly on my desk. I try to ignore it and keep working. It rings again so I look at the caller ID. After a moment’s hesitation, I decide to answer it. I could use the momentary break from work. “Hello?” I say, as I put my pen down and flex my hand a few times to relieve some of the cramping.
It’s my friend Tim. “Hey Gabe, whatcha up to? Working hard?” He asks playfully.
“Of course. It’s a weekday, isn’t it?” I reply in a serious tone.
Tim is my best friend and has been the more laid back of us two. “You say that like weekends are any different,” He teases. “Haha.” I say sarcastically into the phone.
I pick my pen back up and resume working while I talk. “So, what made you call so early?” I ask him, “I can’t remember the last time I heard from you before noon.”
“Well, I wanted to tell you about this auction that’s coming up. It’s in town.” He explains.
I stifle a sigh. “I don’t know. I have a lot going on at work right now,” I hedge, trying to make an excuse.
“Aw, come on, it’s been forever since we hung out, or since we’ve gone to one of these! Besides, at least this one’s in town, so there won’t be any long trip.” He says, trying to convince me.
This time, I let out the sigh. I realize it has been a long time since I’ve gotten laid. Besides, it might do me some good to take my mind off of work. “Ok,” I relinquish finally, “Count me in. When is it?” I ask him.
“Great! In about a month. I’ll call you later on to let you know for sure. Trust me, this will be good for you.” He says.
I just smirk, and pencil it into my calendar as a meeting. “Yeah maybe so.” I reply.
He laughs, “It will be,” He assures me, “I promise. You need to loosen up and stop focusing so much on work.”
I just shake my head. “Goodbye, Tim.” I say before hanging up.
I put the phone down and get back to work.
There’s a reason I don’t cut loose, or have relationships. I try not to think about it, but I can’t help it. It was heartbreaking all those years ago to have to break up with the only woman I ever loved. I promised myself that I would never hurt like that again. So far I’ve done a good job of it.
These auctions play a huge part in that, to be honest. I can just go and pay for the services that I need without any of the messy emotional attachments that usually go along with a relationship. Frankly, I prefer it this way. It’s easy and its convenient.
The more that I think about it, I realize that I am excited to go with Tim to the next auction. It will be good to have some fun again. That’s usually the kind of women that you meet at these things anyways. They just want a little bit of fun, or to let their wild side out. It’s definitely not the worst way to spend an evening. But for now, I force myself to concentrate on work.
And now that I’m looking forward to the auction. I push all the messy feelings about my past aside.
After making the necessary corrections, I take the documents out to an employee who has been working with me for years, a sweet elderly lady whose name fails me at the moment. “Could you type this up for me again? The temp that the agency sent over has no idea what she’s doing.” I confide in her quietly.
She glances behind me to the temp, and whispers to me: “Sounds about right.”
We both share a quiet laugh and I leave her to her work. “I’ll have them on your desk by lunch.” She assures me.
I like working with competent people. I want my company to run like a well-oiled machine. I ignore the temp, who tries to smile at me as I walk by. I walk into my office and shut the door. I don’t believe in workplace relationships, too messy. Besides, I’ll see plenty of women like her at the auction. Young, and gorgeous, only good for a few turns and not much else.