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| Site contents Copyright © 2005-2015 Bridget Midway All Rights Reserved |
"Casual Fridays"
After eating a bit of her salad, Cherish wiped her mouth before speaking. “I do love my job, even with the
scrutiny.”
Vonda snickered. “I knew you would. You always did love organizing and keeping things straight.” She cut her
gaze to the side and a sly smile slithered across her face. “Speaking of straight, here comes your boy, literally.”
Cherish turned to see her executive assistant, Perry Stone, strolling toward her with papers in his hands and a
stoic expression on his face. Seeing him sent a ripple through her belly. And she smiled to herself with the
notion that Perry could be “her boy” as Vonda had so named him.
Nothing about him personified a commanding person. He styled his mousy brown hair in the standard corporate
manner, parted to the side. Although he never slouched or looked down when he walked, his slender frame fed
into the idea that he had to be some sort of pushover.
With her previous assistant, a quiet yet efficient mature woman who wore glasses with a chain connected to the
arms, Cherish could care less what the woman did for fun, or even if she was married and had children. Perry.
He proved to be an enigma, one who snagged her interest and kept her aching to unravel the silent mystery
surrounding him.
Perhaps the fact that she hadn’t really dated in over four years had something to do with her obsession with
him.
Obsession. That accurately described how she regarded her employee. Cherish checked his personnel file
when he became her assistant. She wondered if he knew that she was a whole year younger than him. If he did
know, did it bother him?
What the personnel file didn’t tell her was whether his statuesque height came from his mother’s side of the
family or his father’s. Did he get that lean physique from swimming or did he work out? Or how many women
and girls throughout his life crumbled when he stared at them with those sky blue eyes of his. And when did this
straight-laced, clean-cut corporate rat race runner develop the calluses on the palms of his hands?
Cherish set her knife and fork onto her plate and placed her hands in her lap. With each step he took toward
her, Cherish’s heart pounded harder and faster, matching rhythms with his footfalls. The thumping sounded in
her ears, drowning out the idle chatter in the sun-drenched room.
“As fine as he is, rumor has it that he’s playing for the other team,” Vonda said in a whisper as she leaned
toward Cherish.
The statement forced Cherish to whip her head around. “What?”
“Gay. Folks around here said he’s gay. Doesn’t bother me one bit. Hell, I have a few uncles and cousins who
came screaming out of the closet.” Vonda stared at Cherish’s assistant and sighed. “Just seems like a waste.
You could have had him chasing you around your desk.”
Cherish rubbed the back of her neck with her hand. The mere thought of doing something so inappropriate at
work enflamed her face.
“For one thing, I don’t want to know anything about his personal life.” Thank goodness Vonda didn’t know about
Cherish’s previous scouring of his personnel file. “Point two, if he is gay, which I don’t think he is, that’s his
business. And the final point,” and she had to make this quick since he approached them fast, “I would never
do anything inappropriate with an employee at work.” She cut her gaze away from Vonda. Her stomach
wrenched at the tale she just told.
“Your loss.” Vonda managed to get in the last word just as Perry stood by their table.
“Sorry to disturb you at lunch, Miss Burke.” His deep voice rolled over Cherish.
Cherish took a deep breath and held it until he spoke again.
“I have those papers you asked for. You said you wanted them as soon as possible.” He held them up as
though he had to prove to her that he had them.
Cherish exhaled, relieving the burning in her lungs. “Please set them on my desk. What about sending out the
invites for my meeting in two weeks?”
“Sent this afternoon. You should have a copy in your e-mail inbox. I also took the liberty of setting up your hotel
reservations for the company executive retreat next weekend.”
“You’re taking part in Mr. Utterman’s weekend excursion?” Vonda crossed her arms over her chest as she
stared at Cherish with her mouth agape.
“I can’t believe you’re not.” Cherish shook her head. She also couldn’t believe how easily Vonda managed to
turn on and off her real persona with her business one.
Just minutes earlier, her friend cursed like a Tourette’s spokesperson. Now she sounded eloquent and
businesslike.
Vonda cleared her throat before speaking. “I would like my stellar performance, the accounts I get and the
money I make for Stratum to gain me notice as oppose to business bonding sessions.”
Perry faced Vonda. “If I may, ma’am, Miss Burke knew the benefits of connecting with other executives in this
company. Participating in activities like these set up by our own CEO could only further her career.” Perry
glanced down at Cherish for a moment before returning his gaze to Vonda.
“You might be right. I just can’t imagine kayaking, hiking and building fires as a way to get closer to the boss.”
Vonda spun her now empty water bottle between her hands.
“If you change your mind about the excursion, I can speak with your assistant to match accommodations with
Miss Burke.”
Vonda chuckled. “That’s awfully nice of you, but my assistant is very competent. Whatever I decide to do, she’ll
be able to handle it.”
Perry cocked his head in a slight nod.
Cherish sat up straighter once she realized how much her shoulders had slumped. “I certainly cannot read
those papers here during my lunch, Mr. Stone.” She pointed to the bundle in his hands. “Leave them on my
desk. I should be finished here shortly.”
He offered a slight smile to acknowledge her position and his understanding of her reque. “If you need me, Miss
Burke, I’ll be at my desk.”
Just as he turned to leave, Cherish blurted, “Have you eaten your lunch yet? I mean, I hope you didn’t wait for
me to –”
“I’m fine, ma’am.” He smiled and all of the pictures on the walls, the tables around them and the chairs melted.
Or maybe Cherish had finally lost her mind. She blinked a couple of times before she refocused.
“Thank you for thinking of me.” He turned and hurried out of the break room.
Her gaze automatically dropped down to his ass. God, what an ass.
As though picking up on Cherish’s lecherous thoughts, Vonda said, “Sucks that he’s gay.”
“He’s not gay.” Cherish crossed her legs. “That I know for sure,” she mumbled.
“What?”
Cherish shook her head. “Nothing.”
“Look at that. Your assistant comes up and you get all straight and rigid.” Vonda nudged Cherish on her arm. “I
mean, look at you. It’s Friday and you’re still in a suit with your pearls and your hair in a bun. You can relax. It is
Casual Friday.” To punctuate that fact, Vonda leaned back to show off her very casual black denim pants and
her fitted top that showed more cleavage than someone in her position should.
Cherish smoothed her hand over her skirt that hid her thick thighs. “I like my outfit. I want to be respected.
People expect me to dress like this.”
“What people?”
Cherish remained mum. She stared at her remaining salad left on her plate as she pondered over her own
words.
“You need to loosen up, sistafriend. There’s a whole world out there. The job is great and all. But woman
cannot exist on work alone.”
“I have more than just work. I do things.”
“What? I never see you do anything.”
Cherish pushed back from the table and lifted her tray. “I don’t have to do everything with you. And I certainly
don’t have to tell you everything about my life.”
“No, you don’t. But as your friend, I want to know that you’re happy.” Vonda stood. She gasped and grabbed
Cherish’s arm. “Hey, why don’t you come on out with me tonight? I’m going to be hitting this hot new club down
at the oceanfront. Supposed to be hot.”
“Hmm, braving the nightlife in Virginia Beach during the summer. I’ll pass.”
Vonda opened her mouth to protest, but Cherish cut her off. “But you have fun. If I don’t see you before the
end of the day, have a great weekend.”
At approximately five-oh-one tonight, Cherish would start that life that Vonda didn’t know about, couldn’t know
about, ever. Every week, Cherish looked forward to Friday. That was when she truly lived.
* * * * *
Cherish jammed her thumb on the twenty button in The Westin elevator car even though the lit button signaled
it knew her destination. It had taken her several tries to coordinate swiping the room key card she picked up at
the front desk and getting that damn floor button to light up and stay lit. It didn’t help that her hands trembled.
At her floor, the elevator dinged, waited a beat before opening its doors. Cherish took a deep breath and
managed to slip between the doors before they closed. She glanced at the envelope that held the card key to
confirm the room number.
Outside of the door, she held up the card over the reader by the knob. She could have opened the door on her
own and waltzed inside. But it wouldn’t have been right. She knew why she had the card, to get up to the floor.
At this moment, once she knocked, her life as she knew it would change.
She raised her fist into the air and knocked on the door. It felt like decades passed before she heard the
tumblers in the door handle turning. Cherish raised her gaze to eye level. Once she established eye contact
she could go on with the rest of the night and weekend.
The door opened. Standing on the other side stood Perry, shirtless and glaring at her. With his part gone, his
slicked back hair showed off his face and that strong jaw line that defined his face. He held onto the doorknob
as he stared at her.
Every Friday for a year Perry would give Cherish that look. And every Friday, she felt the same way. The jittery
feeling in her belly remained until she did what she knew she had to do to start this weekend right, the proper
way. His way.
In one slow, smooth motion, Cherish lowered herself to her knees in the hallway outside of the door. She didn’t
care if there was a hallway full of people or what it looked like to anyone else. Cherish Burke no longer existed.
“Good evening, Sir.” She crawled through the doorway on her hands and knees.
“Hello, Little Lamb.”
~ ~ ~
Copyright © 2009 by Bridget Midway. All rights reserved.
scrutiny.”
Vonda snickered. “I knew you would. You always did love organizing and keeping things straight.” She cut her
gaze to the side and a sly smile slithered across her face. “Speaking of straight, here comes your boy, literally.”
Cherish turned to see her executive assistant, Perry Stone, strolling toward her with papers in his hands and a
stoic expression on his face. Seeing him sent a ripple through her belly. And she smiled to herself with the
notion that Perry could be “her boy” as Vonda had so named him.
Nothing about him personified a commanding person. He styled his mousy brown hair in the standard corporate
manner, parted to the side. Although he never slouched or looked down when he walked, his slender frame fed
into the idea that he had to be some sort of pushover.
With her previous assistant, a quiet yet efficient mature woman who wore glasses with a chain connected to the
arms, Cherish could care less what the woman did for fun, or even if she was married and had children. Perry.
He proved to be an enigma, one who snagged her interest and kept her aching to unravel the silent mystery
surrounding him.
Perhaps the fact that she hadn’t really dated in over four years had something to do with her obsession with
him.
Obsession. That accurately described how she regarded her employee. Cherish checked his personnel file
when he became her assistant. She wondered if he knew that she was a whole year younger than him. If he did
know, did it bother him?
What the personnel file didn’t tell her was whether his statuesque height came from his mother’s side of the
family or his father’s. Did he get that lean physique from swimming or did he work out? Or how many women
and girls throughout his life crumbled when he stared at them with those sky blue eyes of his. And when did this
straight-laced, clean-cut corporate rat race runner develop the calluses on the palms of his hands?
Cherish set her knife and fork onto her plate and placed her hands in her lap. With each step he took toward
her, Cherish’s heart pounded harder and faster, matching rhythms with his footfalls. The thumping sounded in
her ears, drowning out the idle chatter in the sun-drenched room.
“As fine as he is, rumor has it that he’s playing for the other team,” Vonda said in a whisper as she leaned
toward Cherish.
The statement forced Cherish to whip her head around. “What?”
“Gay. Folks around here said he’s gay. Doesn’t bother me one bit. Hell, I have a few uncles and cousins who
came screaming out of the closet.” Vonda stared at Cherish’s assistant and sighed. “Just seems like a waste.
You could have had him chasing you around your desk.”
Cherish rubbed the back of her neck with her hand. The mere thought of doing something so inappropriate at
work enflamed her face.
“For one thing, I don’t want to know anything about his personal life.” Thank goodness Vonda didn’t know about
Cherish’s previous scouring of his personnel file. “Point two, if he is gay, which I don’t think he is, that’s his
business. And the final point,” and she had to make this quick since he approached them fast, “I would never
do anything inappropriate with an employee at work.” She cut her gaze away from Vonda. Her stomach
wrenched at the tale she just told.
“Your loss.” Vonda managed to get in the last word just as Perry stood by their table.
“Sorry to disturb you at lunch, Miss Burke.” His deep voice rolled over Cherish.
Cherish took a deep breath and held it until he spoke again.
“I have those papers you asked for. You said you wanted them as soon as possible.” He held them up as
though he had to prove to her that he had them.
Cherish exhaled, relieving the burning in her lungs. “Please set them on my desk. What about sending out the
invites for my meeting in two weeks?”
“Sent this afternoon. You should have a copy in your e-mail inbox. I also took the liberty of setting up your hotel
reservations for the company executive retreat next weekend.”
“You’re taking part in Mr. Utterman’s weekend excursion?” Vonda crossed her arms over her chest as she
stared at Cherish with her mouth agape.
“I can’t believe you’re not.” Cherish shook her head. She also couldn’t believe how easily Vonda managed to
turn on and off her real persona with her business one.
Just minutes earlier, her friend cursed like a Tourette’s spokesperson. Now she sounded eloquent and
businesslike.
Vonda cleared her throat before speaking. “I would like my stellar performance, the accounts I get and the
money I make for Stratum to gain me notice as oppose to business bonding sessions.”
Perry faced Vonda. “If I may, ma’am, Miss Burke knew the benefits of connecting with other executives in this
company. Participating in activities like these set up by our own CEO could only further her career.” Perry
glanced down at Cherish for a moment before returning his gaze to Vonda.
“You might be right. I just can’t imagine kayaking, hiking and building fires as a way to get closer to the boss.”
Vonda spun her now empty water bottle between her hands.
“If you change your mind about the excursion, I can speak with your assistant to match accommodations with
Miss Burke.”
Vonda chuckled. “That’s awfully nice of you, but my assistant is very competent. Whatever I decide to do, she’ll
be able to handle it.”
Perry cocked his head in a slight nod.
Cherish sat up straighter once she realized how much her shoulders had slumped. “I certainly cannot read
those papers here during my lunch, Mr. Stone.” She pointed to the bundle in his hands. “Leave them on my
desk. I should be finished here shortly.”
He offered a slight smile to acknowledge her position and his understanding of her reque. “If you need me, Miss
Burke, I’ll be at my desk.”
Just as he turned to leave, Cherish blurted, “Have you eaten your lunch yet? I mean, I hope you didn’t wait for
me to –”
“I’m fine, ma’am.” He smiled and all of the pictures on the walls, the tables around them and the chairs melted.
Or maybe Cherish had finally lost her mind. She blinked a couple of times before she refocused.
“Thank you for thinking of me.” He turned and hurried out of the break room.
Her gaze automatically dropped down to his ass. God, what an ass.
As though picking up on Cherish’s lecherous thoughts, Vonda said, “Sucks that he’s gay.”
“He’s not gay.” Cherish crossed her legs. “That I know for sure,” she mumbled.
“What?”
Cherish shook her head. “Nothing.”
“Look at that. Your assistant comes up and you get all straight and rigid.” Vonda nudged Cherish on her arm. “I
mean, look at you. It’s Friday and you’re still in a suit with your pearls and your hair in a bun. You can relax. It is
Casual Friday.” To punctuate that fact, Vonda leaned back to show off her very casual black denim pants and
her fitted top that showed more cleavage than someone in her position should.
Cherish smoothed her hand over her skirt that hid her thick thighs. “I like my outfit. I want to be respected.
People expect me to dress like this.”
“What people?”
Cherish remained mum. She stared at her remaining salad left on her plate as she pondered over her own
words.
“You need to loosen up, sistafriend. There’s a whole world out there. The job is great and all. But woman
cannot exist on work alone.”
“I have more than just work. I do things.”
“What? I never see you do anything.”
Cherish pushed back from the table and lifted her tray. “I don’t have to do everything with you. And I certainly
don’t have to tell you everything about my life.”
“No, you don’t. But as your friend, I want to know that you’re happy.” Vonda stood. She gasped and grabbed
Cherish’s arm. “Hey, why don’t you come on out with me tonight? I’m going to be hitting this hot new club down
at the oceanfront. Supposed to be hot.”
“Hmm, braving the nightlife in Virginia Beach during the summer. I’ll pass.”
Vonda opened her mouth to protest, but Cherish cut her off. “But you have fun. If I don’t see you before the
end of the day, have a great weekend.”
At approximately five-oh-one tonight, Cherish would start that life that Vonda didn’t know about, couldn’t know
about, ever. Every week, Cherish looked forward to Friday. That was when she truly lived.
* * * * *
Cherish jammed her thumb on the twenty button in The Westin elevator car even though the lit button signaled
it knew her destination. It had taken her several tries to coordinate swiping the room key card she picked up at
the front desk and getting that damn floor button to light up and stay lit. It didn’t help that her hands trembled.
At her floor, the elevator dinged, waited a beat before opening its doors. Cherish took a deep breath and
managed to slip between the doors before they closed. She glanced at the envelope that held the card key to
confirm the room number.
Outside of the door, she held up the card over the reader by the knob. She could have opened the door on her
own and waltzed inside. But it wouldn’t have been right. She knew why she had the card, to get up to the floor.
At this moment, once she knocked, her life as she knew it would change.
She raised her fist into the air and knocked on the door. It felt like decades passed before she heard the
tumblers in the door handle turning. Cherish raised her gaze to eye level. Once she established eye contact
she could go on with the rest of the night and weekend.
The door opened. Standing on the other side stood Perry, shirtless and glaring at her. With his part gone, his
slicked back hair showed off his face and that strong jaw line that defined his face. He held onto the doorknob
as he stared at her.
Every Friday for a year Perry would give Cherish that look. And every Friday, she felt the same way. The jittery
feeling in her belly remained until she did what she knew she had to do to start this weekend right, the proper
way. His way.
In one slow, smooth motion, Cherish lowered herself to her knees in the hallway outside of the door. She didn’t
care if there was a hallway full of people or what it looked like to anyone else. Cherish Burke no longer existed.
“Good evening, Sir.” She crawled through the doorway on her hands and knees.
“Hello, Little Lamb.”
~ ~ ~
Copyright © 2009 by Bridget Midway. All rights reserved.