The Things We Do For Money Ch. 02

Turns out she would not be seeing Mr. Matthews until the end of the week. Evidently some things had come up today that required his immediate attention, according to his secretary Joanna, who had sent Lacey an email to let her know that their appointment together had to be rescheduled to Friday morning. Lacey was not surprised one bit, as he was the CFO of a major marketing company, so it made sense to her that he had to deal with a lot of unexpected problems that required his utmost attention.

It was almost like Joanna thought she would be offended by the meeting being rescheduled or something by the wording of the email, but little did she know that it was quite the opposite. She felt immediate relief because that meant whatever was going to happen between them sexually was going to need to wait. Thank Jesus for that.

Meanwhile, Lacey was dealing with the anxiety mixed with the apprehension of seeing him again at the end of the week. Ugh, right before the weekend was going to start too. Did she want to see him again? Did she want to run and hide? No way for her to do that now. She had sealed her fate when she had signed that contract, something that was on the forefront of her mind numerous times this entire week. She couldn't get it and that blasted man out of her damned head.

Regardless, work was going smoothly, and Lacey was getting accustomed to her new job duties well. She was basically the middleman for marketing. New and existing customers called the front desk to schedule appointments with members of the team. The receptionist then put a ticket in their system that then emailed Lacey's inbox, which she intercepted, and created and scheduled the actual appointment based on the availability of the person they requested to have a meeting with. The meeting automatically emailed all parties involved to accept said meeting. And voila! That was that. It was quite a solid system, to be honest.

Though on top of that, she was also reorganizing the many file cabinets in the mail room, which in her opinion were a hot mess. They were obviously never put in order, just the order that they were received. So, she was having to start from scratch and take all the folders out, only to put them back into the cabinet in alphabetical order. It wasn't an easy task, in fact, quite a pain in the ass, but it was something that she was directed to do but only in her spare time when she wasn't checking schedules and making appointments. She had been told she would be taking phone calls as well but thus far that hadn't happened, and she was grateful for that, as she had enough going on already between the file cabinet and burying her nose in Outlook all day every day.

Thus far she liked the job. She liked the people. Everyone was nice, patient, and open minded about her being openly out and proud, having been very clear about that when she spoke of her relationship with Dawn. But this was New York, the city that never sleeps. It didn't really leave a lot of room for surprises when it came to homosexuality, as it wasn't an uncommon thing here. She was proud to live in such a diverse and accepting state, just like California had been where she had grown up for most of her life. Her home and private life were going to come up organically in conversations, it was the natural order of things as she got to know her coworkers.

What shocked her the most is how even the married women just gushed about Mr. Matthews. Saying how nice he is, how handsome, how wonderful of a boss, and how well he treated all the employees, even the male ones. And how much they would love to shag him if they weren't taken. She knew she shouldn't judge, but yikes. It was okay to have a crush, but actively thinking about cheating on your partner? She wasn't sure she liked that. But maybe she was a hypocrite, because she would literally be, as they so eloquently put it, "shagging" Mr. Matthews come Friday. And on top of that with the intent of having his baby. Behind her wonderful and loving partner's back. So, guess she probably shouldn't judge that much. No, pretty much at all.

The more they spoke of him highly, fondly, and often, the more it made her think that maybe he wasn't such a bad guy after all. He seemed nice, yes, but she also barely knew him from Adam. She had asked about his father, the CEO, Caleb Matthews, but was pretty much hitting a wall. Seems that no one had to deal with the man with the plan very often and that seemed like a good thing based on what little things she was hearing about him through the grapevine.

A lot of the women, even Joanna, were saying that he was both arrogant and chauvinistic, which was a bit alarming, because Mr. Matthews seemed his exact opposite. How had he raised such a great kid if he was that way? That was a conversation she would like to have with Mr. Matthews one day, if it wasn't a sore subject. Did they even get along? Did they see each other often? At work? Holidays? Or was there a big rift between them? It was juicy gossip, and she was kind of into it.

Lacey herself still spoke to her parents and often. They lived across the world in San Diego where she grew up, so she didn't see them much these days. They had to video chat on the major holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, due to both not having the means to fly to each other during the joyous seasons. That was going to change now that she had Mr. Matthews in her life. As soon as she started getting the bonuses, her life was going to be altered dramatically. Having money opened a world of traveling possibilities. Being able to see her parents again was one of them, hopefully on Thanksgiving and Christmas, or maybe she and Dawn would take an actual fucking vacation somewhere beautiful where they could just be alone and away from the world for a whole week. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Dawn did not speak to her parents at all. Hers were born and raised in the Philippines but came to the US, specifically California, when they turned 20. But because of their heritage and background they didn't understand nor accept her bisexuality, despite having lived in a suburb of San Diego where it was generally socially accepted for over a decade at the time that Dawn told them about it. While the country of the Philippines seemed to be more on the welcoming side these days, she sadly had not gotten that friendliness from her own family.

So, they had made the terrible decision to disown their own daughter and kick her out of the house when she was 18 years old. That's when she and Dawn had used their combined college money from their families to move to New York into the apartment they lived in now. Lacey's parents had been furious at her for sacrificing her education to move away from them, but they had also realized the necessity of Dawn needing to get away from the horrible situation she was in. They also took into consideration that that meant Lacey loved Dawn with all her heart, as she had sacrificed being close to her own family to make Dawn feel safe and for the betterment of her lover's mental health.

The good news was that one person in Dawn's family accepted her for who she was, and that was her older brother John, who Lacey absolutely loved and adored. He was a very nice guy, and because he had grown up in California, he had learned of being gay growing up among his peers as something that should be socially accepted with open arms. John was three years Dawn's senior. The last time they had seen him was Christmas of last year, but the siblings were constantly texting and calling one another. He was the only family she had left, after all, and she valued him and his opinions greatly.

Lacey never brought Dawn's parents up, as she knew that it was something that would never change and discussing them would only open old wounds that would likely never fully heal. Even if they changed their minds and wanted to be a part of Dawn's life again, Lacey wasn't sure that would ever happen. The hurt that they had caused her partner could never be forgiven and that was completely understandable to them both. No sense in lingering in the past and having it come back to bite you in the ass.

Sometimes it seemed it was even a sore spot between her and Dawn when Lacey mentioned how her parents had immediately been on board with her being gay. Not just that, even when she talked about them in general, which wasn't too often these days because she had picked up on the hurt it caused her significant other. She understood it, she couldn't imagine a world without her mother and father in it. They had welcomed everything with open arms and had even educated themselves about the pros and cons of homosexuality so they could have open conversations about their concerns with it. The whole process had been amazing, scary at first not knowing which way the coin was going to land, but amazing thereafter.

Thinking on it now, she wondered what they would think about her having a child with a man she barely knew. Guess she'd never find out, as she wasn't going to keep the baby or be a part of his or her life, so they would never even know that they had a grandchild somewhere out there. Unless for whatever reason, her relationship with Mr. Matthews extended past the contract. But the likelihood of that happening was zero to none. Once the baby was born, she didn't want anything to do with him or them. She had to think of it as being a surrogate. She would carry the baby for the sole purpose of giving birth for him to have a child, an heir to the company. That's it, that's all.

Not seeing Mr. Matthews all week gave Lacey a lot of time to come to terms with their newly intertwined fate and get adjusted to her normal job duties. She could prepare herself as much as she could for what was to come, or at least try to. She hadn't thought too much about their first encounter. In fact, she was doing her best to keep the man out of her head as much as possible, but it was difficult with everyone kissing his ass and praising him to the moon and back every two damn seconds. She didn't want to get attached to him, she couldn't. She loved Dawn, what was happening between her, and her boss was not inspired by love, or even lust at this point, not on her part. The man just wanted a baby and she had committed herself to giving one to him for the money he would provide her.

Lacey came in Friday morning and was told by Darcie at the front desk straight away to go on up and see Mr. Matthews for their morning appointment. Lacey already knew from Joanna that he had rescheduled their morning meeting for the two of them on Tuesday, but Darcie didn't look too happy that she was getting to have a one on one with their beloved boss, which was off-putting. The bombastic side eye she gave her was annoying, as she had thought they were becoming fast friends. Seems she would have to deal with some tension later, even though the receptionist was "happily" married or so she claimed.

This was it. It was time. Was this a personal visit this time, or was it something more? Seeming as they hadn't seen each other since Monday, she was guessing it would be more than a quick chat about her job performance and how she was getting along in her new position. Would they even talk about that, or would Mr. Matthews want to get down to business right off the bat? God, she hoped not. They had to at least work up to it, right?

Joanna confirmed their boss was waiting for her, and Lacey had to wonder if she had heard anything the day of her interview. Mr. Matthews hadn't exactly been quiet when she was... doing the things. If she did, Lacey couldn't tell at all by her expression. Her smile was friendly with no indication of anything sinister behind it. Well, at least one of the women around here wasn't jealous that she was seeing the man up close and personal today.

Lacey hesitated at the door but reassured herself that everything was going to be okay. It had to be. She was a big girl, and she could deal with this, face it head on.

Mr. Matthews was staring out one of the many expansive windows as she opened the door and came into his office. And what a view he could see. They were in the heart of downtown Manhattan, just a block or so away from Times Square. New York City was just gorgeous. The buildings, the people, the atmosphere, it was all so inviting and thriving. The sheer amount of people that lived here was insanity to think about.

Lacey felt like he almost seemed to be in a trance, as she didn't think he had heard her come into the room with him. But with his back turned to her, his voice suddenly came out clearly and it nearly startled her. "Close and lock the door, Miss Green, please and thank you."

Lacey did as he asked. "Oh. Good morning." He was being so cryptic. But then again this was the second time that she was seeing him in the flesh. She supposed they were still at their acquaintance's status, as they should be. She preferred it that way. The more informal they got, the easier she felt it would be to start getting attached, which wasn't part of their little deal.

He turned to face her finally and he smiled. "Well, aren't you a beautiful sight to see. How are you?"

There, that sounded more chipper, and his tone becoming laxer made her surprisingly relax a little, even though deep down she was very nervous at this moment. "I'm fine. Things have been going well."

"So, I hear. Darcie said you have already made a big dent in the file cabinet and you're doing a great job scheduling the appointments on everyone's calendar. You've impressed not only her, but me as well."

So, Darcie wasn't a total bitch, it seemed, having talked fondly of her at least. Okay, points were back in the receptionist's favor. Well really, when you think about it, she was just telling Mr. Matthews the truth. She had been doing a good job this whole week, performing her duties with precision. It kept her mind occupied, which helped a lot. And it felt good to be noticed, as the more she did, the more chances she had to be promoted into a higher role in the company.

"And here I thought she hated me. She gave me the stink eye this morning when she told me that I had a one on one with you. I don't think she liked that much. You know most of the female workplace, even the married and taken ones, have a crush on you, right?"

Mr. Matthews smirked at that. "Do they? Well, it's all in vain. I don't feel a single thing for any one of them. Nothing more than professional, anyway."

Lacey nodded. "I gathered as much." He had written that contract for someone completely new, someone fresh, not someone within the walls of the company. It was kind of smart, really. Less of a liability to bring someone new into the picture, someone he didn't know a thing about, other than what was on paper on a resume.

"You're a smart girl, Miss Green," he murmured, his dark eyes traveling to her lips and back.

That look he was giving her made her a tad uneasy and thus she almost wanted to tease him about complimenting her and being so nice, but she didn't. The atmosphere was still a little bit tense between them. She was unsure what the hell she was doing every second she spent with him. He wasn't being very domineering at this moment; he was being sweet. Was he buttering her up for what was next?

"Thanks." What more was there to say?

The silence lingered between them. It gave her time to really look at him and study him. He had such a strong, sturdy jawline, and she wondered if his father had the same, if they looked alike at all. His eyes were always filled with such intensity. He still looked so young, despite the well-groomed beard on his face. He was very fit, and it was obvious that exercise at home or the gym was a regular part of his routine. He was likely eating healthy and maintaining a strict diet on top of that. Or he had just been born with the annoying genes where somehow no matter what you ate, you had the ability to look like a model on the cover of a famous magazine.

At that moment, since he had looked at her lips as if he wanted to kiss her, she briefly wondered what that would be like. She had never kissed a man before, let alone one with a beard on his face. Would she like it or hate it? Would it make her want to slap him? Push him away? Or pull him in closer? More than likely the latter.

Wait. Why the hell was she even contemplating that it would have good effects on her? She should be loathing the notion of it all. What was wrong with her? Thinking about kissing her boss, her male boss. Had she really come to terms with this so easily? This was just it. This was her future. Foreseeable future, at least nine months of it, and that was that? Perhaps she felt resigned to her fate because of his enigmatic presence. He had a way about him of making her second guess herself every second she spent with him.

She heard Mr. Matthews clear his throat and her cheeks suddenly felt hot, as if he had caught her in the middle of thinking of something naughty. Was it suddenly warmer in here? Or did she unconsciously have a real physical reaction thinking about his mouth on hers? Evidently, her body really hated that she was a lesbian lately and was starting to reject that notion. She didn't like that one bit, it felt like she was betraying everything she believed in lately.

Mr. Matthews was the one to break what she imagined was awkward silence. "Penny for your thoughts?"

His question caught Lacey off guard. "Huh? Oh, just thinking about all the work that I have to do today," she said, lying through her teeth. Oh, Lacey. Just what have you gotten yourself into, girl? She didn't think he knew her well enough to know that she was lying through her teeth. "Those file cabinets aren't going to alphabetize themselves; you know?" Oi. Just throw salt on the wound, why don't you.

"Right. Well, I have an hour with you. And don't worry about anyone hearing anything we do in here; the office is soundproof."

Well, isn't that convenient. But it also made her feel slightly better about Monday. Joanna hadn't heard anything, because she just couldn't. Not even with her little ear pressed to the door. Not that Lacey thought she would do that, but still.

Lacey snapped out of her thoughts when she realized that Mr. Matthews had crossed the distance of the large office between them. It suddenly felt very cramped in there. She looked up at him and couldn't help but think that damn he was so freaking tall. And he still had that aggressive edge about him. He literally was a giant, towering over her, and she couldn't get over that fact. The way he was looking at her so intently made her want to squirm where she stood. But she didn't, trying to keep her resolve together. What was with him all the sudden?

He again looked from her mouth to her eyes. Why was he doing that? It made her feel butterflies in her stomach, fluttering all around. She couldn't fathom why.

"You still intend to honor our agreement, yes?" He asked, once again, the one to break the lengthy quiet. It felt like an eternity had been passed when it had been merely seconds.

Godammit. "Yes. Of course," she clarified, clearing her throat to try and ease some of this lingering tension in the air, so thick you could slice it with a damn knife. She was doing her best not to sound anxious about it all, but inside she was reeling, her stomach in knots. She wasn't sure if they were good knots or bad knots yet. And she felt physically dizzy and flushed. Why? Why was her body reacting in his favor whenever she was in proximity to him?

She tensed up when he leaned in, and she felt his hot breath on her ear. "Good. I've waited all week to see you. And I must admit, I've thought about you a lot during that time, Miss Green."

Oh, fuck. The way he was speaking, so low, so possessively, with a hint of a growl, an authoritative tone. It made her toes curl. What did he have in mind? Her head was spinning. She visibly shivered as she then felt his lips on her jaw, moving downward to her neck. She could feel the harsh hair of his beard tickling her flesh. It felt oddly... nice.