Chapter One
“Holy smoking buns, a butt like his should be illegal.” Claire looked up in time to see the object of her co-worker and best friend’s admiration walk past their table in the cafeteria. Jason Danvers did truly have a butt to admire. At well over 6 feet tall with dark-brown hair that tended to curl up at the end, compelling ice-blue eyes that looked right through you and a rugged and tanned athletic build, Jason Danvers was very hard to ignore. His presence always seemed to dominate a room. His every movement impatient, Jason never seemed to relax. Every lady in the cafeteria was craning their head to get a better look.
“Suzy, keep it down before Mr. Smoking Buns hears you.”
“Oh Paleeeeze Claire, don’t tell me the drool isn’t pooling in your mouth as we speak.”
“Suz, you’re too much, what’s Jeff going to do with you?”
“Well I don’t know what Jeff has in mind, but I got thoughts of handcuffs and whipped cream myself.”
Claire had met Suzy on her first day at Danvers International, and it hadn’t taken long to form a bond with the outspoken, flashy and hopelessly sex-obsessed nympho. Suzy was what every little girl wanted to grow up to be, gorgeous and confident. With long dark-red hair, a tall slim build and curves in all the right places, Suzy loved pushing the fashion envelope at the office. Suzy handled special events for Danvers International, and as she often told anyone who listened, she was damn good at her job.
Her boss had long ago given up trying to stress the importance of professional dress attire to her and now suffered in silence when Suzy showed up for work in various forms of leather and lace or neon colored t-shirts with catchy slogans. Claire suspected she was so beautiful that no one actually cared what she wore, as long as they could admire her every day.
Claire considered today to be a subdued day for Suzy with only a blue jean miniskirt and a rainbow-colored shirt with a peace sign on it. Of course, the fact the skirt was barely legal and the bright pink hi-top tennis shoes were eye popping still managed to make her stand out in the cafeteria. Claire often wondered how she’d bonded so quickly with Suzy. Suzy had a colorful and sexy fashion style to say the least; Claire preferred a more tailored look. Classic slacks and tops or flowing dresses in neutral tones were her usual work attire. Where Suzy favored the ‘I’ve just had hot sex' hair look, Claire’s was long, auburn and tended to curl when loose, so she kept it pulled back from her face in a discrete ponytail, for the most part.
Suzy also loved the tanning salons even though Claire often lectured her on the dangers of that particular pastime. Wherever they went, men stopped to stare at Suzy. Claire, however, might as well be a picture on the wall or a potted plant for all the attention they paid to her. Suzy always begged Claire to let her do a makeover; she shuddered at the thought.
“I don’t know how you work so closely with him without attacking him,” continued Suzy.
“I value my job and I just don’t think of him in that way, or any man for that matter, right now.”
“You’re way too uptight, live a little Claire; you might actually enjoy it.”
Thankfully, Suzy seemed to run out of steam in a relatively short amount of time on her ‘live a little’ pep talk and packed up her tray. “Want to catch a movie later or check out the new bar on the corner?” asked Suzy.
“I’ve got to run over to mom's to pay her bills for the month.”
“One day you’re going to have a wild moment Claire, and I hope I’m still young enough to appreciate it,” Suzy said with a dramatic sigh. “Ok catch ya later and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do with hot buns.”
No matter what the differences between them, Suzy was a breath of fresh air in her otherwise dull daytime routine. Claire laughed under her breath and thought to herself that if Suzy had any idea what she was doing last night she would probably die of a heart attack on the spot. Hopefully, that would be over before anyone ever knew the lengths she was forced to go through to pay her mother’s medical bills. Claire gathered up her own tray and headed to the front to drop it off.
“How’re you doing today my love?” asked George. George had been with Danvers running the cafeteria for 30 years, hired back in the day Marshall Danvers, Jason’s father, started Danvers. George always had a smile for everyone and in truth, a soft spot for Claire.
“I'm good George, thanks for asking.”
“When are you going to let me take you away from all this Claire?”
“Now what in the world would Sara say, George?” Sara was George’s lady friend, as he called her, and the two were just a perfect match.
“Sara would understand if I had to trade up, we got an understanding.”
“George you wouldn’t even know how to get up in the morning without Sara, you better hold onto her with both hands, she’s a keeper.”
“That’s true but a guy can dream, right?”
“You're hopeless George, you have a good day.”
"You too love, see you tomorrow.”
~~~
Claire walked down the hall to the elevator bank. No corners were cut in the décor of Danvers, Inc., everything here was gleaming; white marble floors, soft off-white walls, and stainless steel elevators with mahogany walls inside. As Claire stepped into the elevator she once again forced herself to remain calm. Meeting her fear of enclosed spaces was what forced her to take the elevator every day instead of the stairs. While the stairs might be better for her physically, conquering her claustrophobia was far more important.
Danvers International was a huge glass and steel building with 25 floors. Jason Danvers' office was on the 23rd floor and his personal space was on the 24th and 25th floors. The door to Jason’s large office was closed as usual. Claire settled into her desk in the reception area, putting away her purse in the bottom drawer of her desk. Jason liked for the office to be very impersonal and Claire was always careful to have no personal items on her desk. His one concession to some type of informality was to address her by her first name, and he liked to be addressed by his as well.
Claire had been working for Jason as his assistant for three years. Her job generally required her to handle all the liaising with clients, suppliers and other staff. She was Jason’s right arm and ensured that all appointments, meetings and projects were scheduled and staffed as needed. Her office life was never slow or boring. Jason was a fair boss and always treated her well. In the time, they had worked together, they had managed to create a comfortable relationship. It wasn’t exactly a friendship because they didn’t have personal conversations. It was more of a mutual respect for each other’s abilities.