A Boss to Love and Hate (2 page)

"Thank you. See you at 5." Julie made her way to her office and stared blankly at her computer screen. What was she letting herself in for? Max was a maniac and she had already started to dislike him. He was arrogant, bad tempered and very pushy. In fact, he displayed most of the traits she most disliked in men. Still, she found him intriguing, he was good looking and well built, he was certainly easy on the eye, maybe as she got to know him better he'd reveal he also had some attractive personality traits.

The day flew by and Julie dreaded the meeting with Max. She took a seat in the meeting room at 4:59. At 5 on the dot, Max rushed into the room, slamming the door shut behind him before grabbing the seat at the head of the table.

"Good, you're here already, let's get started. I've gathered all the data you need to get up to speed. Here, take this folder and report back to me with your recommendations by 8 tomorrow morning," Max pushed a huge folder over to Julie.

Julie felt her temper rising. "What? You really expect me to review all of that and make an informed recommendation by first thing tomorrow?"

"Yes, that's what I just said. Do I have to repeat everything twice?" Max scowled.

Taken aback, Julie hesitated, "It's just that there's no way I can be thorough and get through all of this that quickly," she pointed at the bulging folder.

Max glared at her, "Julie, either you're in or your're out. What's it going to be?"

"If you're going to expect miracles then I'm out," Julie snapped back as her temper started to boil over. Max was really starting to get on her nerves.

Max furrowed his brow. "What? Are you turning down the opportunity of a lifetime?"

"Let's not be so dramatic, Max. I can do this and I can do it to a high standard. Give me two days and you'll see what I can do. And I guarantee you the client will be impressed. Or get someone else to do this and you'll spend the next 2 weeks cleaning up the mess."

Max stood up, "You're way out of line with your tone of voice. I'm your manager, and don't you forget it," he screamed.

Julie stood up and stared him down, "Don't you ever raise your voice like that with me again or I'll have you in so much trouble with the H.R. department you won't know what hit you. Got it, Mister?" Julie grabbed the folder, left the meeting room and slammed the door behind her.

Max stared at the door and grunted under his breath, "I'll show her who the boss is here, she won't get away with this."

Two days later Max looked up from the report on his desk and smiled, "Julie, this is excellent work. I'm very impressed with what you've come up with. Some of these ideas are pure genius. Well done!"

"Thanks, Max. Like I said, I just need enough time and you'll never be disappointed with my work."

Max smiled and rolled up his shirt sleeves to reveal his muscular forearms. "Sorry, I lost it the other day. I'm used to working with idiots so I get stressed out at times. I can see now I don't have to worry when it comes to you. It's a huge weight off my shoulders. Thank you."

"It's nothing, forget about it. So, what do you want me to prioritize going forward?" Julie smiled back and tried not to stare at his well toned arms.

"Julie, I need you to get your bags packed. We'll be working out of the client's office in Brussels for the next 4 weeks. We leave tomorrow."

"What? You expect me to drop everything to go to Brussels just like that? No warning, nothing. I take it this is some kind of bad joke." Julie glared and tried to control her temper.

"Not at all, calm down will you, Julie. What difference does it make? Work here or work over there, it's all the same."

Julie gritted her teeth and knew this was one argument she wasn't going to win. "Ok then, you win, I'm not happy about this but I'll go along with it. In future I expect more notice, ok?"

"Sure, no problem, they sprung it on me this morning, I didn't see it coming either. I would normally never do this, seriously. I'm not as bad as you think I am. Look, I'm flying over there tonight for a meeting but we already have the booking confirmations for your flight and hotel room. I told them to get you a room at the back overlooking the gardens, I thought you'd like that. I'm at the front, I can't sleep if it's too quiet, the traffic noise helps put me to sleep." Max handed Julie the tickets and watched her wide eyed expression as she noticed the booking was for the best hotel in Brussels.

"Oh, thanks, that was kind of you. I'll see you tomorrow in Brussels in that case." Julie hurried back to her desk. She couldn't make her mind up about Max, she found him extremely annoying but at the same time there was a part of him that could be considerate and thoughtful when she least expected it, plus he really appreciated all her hard work. And she still wondered what he'd look like without a shirt.

To be honest she was missing nothing by leaving London for a few weeks. She had planned to meet her online friend but FastDriver hadn't replied to her in weeks. He had mentioned he would be on the road a lot but so what? He could still stay in touch. She missed their playful banter, he could be very funny and his messages always made her smile. For weeks now she'd checked her messages 3 times a day but he had disappeared. She missed him. Maybe he'd lost his password and he'd turn up again one day out of the blue. And then they'd finally get to meet. Then, at last, she'd get to see what he was really like. You never know, he might turn out to be her ideal man: talk, dark and handsome, intelligent yet considerate and great company. She reread his last message where he had talked about dancing with her in the light of the full Moon. He was so romantic, she couldn't wait to hear from him again.

If only Max could be more like him. Max? Now there was an interesting man. Great body, very driven but just a little too driven. Although she had fought it Julie couldn't deny it. She liked Max, she would never admit it to anyone in the office but she did like him. It was exciting working with him and he seemed to like working with her. Sometimes when he moved close to her at his desk, she'd smell his after shave and get distracted. She'd for a fleeting moment imagine him stepping out of a sun drenched swimming pool, water dripping from his muscular body, his wet thick black hair swept back. She wondered if he had a hairy chest. Then, she'd snap out of it and block those feelings. Thinking like that was most unprofessional. Any anyhow, a good looking man like Max must have women chasing him around town. He'd never go for a girl like her in a million years.

Why was she even thinking about Max in these terms? That's what got to her. She'd never had such intense feelings for someone she'd worked with. Max either infuriated her or impressed her greatly, he either made her weak at the knees or he made her want to slap him. It was never neutral. He somehow knew how to press her buttons. He aroused strong feelings in her.

Maybe Brussels would be fun after all. Maybe she'd finally figure out what Max was all about. That was, if she wasn't working day and night. Well, either way she was determined to keep everything strictly professional. No meeting for drinks in the hotel bar at the end of the day, no going out for dinner, just the two of them. It could get awkward very quickly especially if there was drink involved. No, she had decided, Max and her were colleagues, and it was best to keep it like that. She knew she couldn't trust herself with him if she let her true feelings express themselves. She might do something she'd later regret.

So many of her friends said to trust your heart and not your head but that was not very practical. If she did that, who knows what would happen?

By the end of the second week in Brussels, Max had relaxed a lot, the project was ahead of schedule and he hadn't lost his temper in over a week. Julie was enjoying the work and she loved her room with the private terrace looking out over the gardens. Some time away from London was doing her the world of good.

It was just after 2 on a Friday afternoon when Max announced they were so well ahead of schedule that they both deserved a break until Monday. "I'm heading over to the art gallery this afternoon, you're welcome to join me or you can do your own thing, whatever you like. Please do whatever suits you, you've earned it."

"Really? I mean we can wrap up at 2, and, you're going to an art gallery," Julie laughed. "Wonders will never cease as my grandmother used to say."

"Come on, Julie, it's not that strange. I did n't tell you this but I'm an amateur painter, I've even put on my own exhibitions."

"No way! You, the big shot business man are a painter?" Julie giggled, "Forgive me while I laugh."

"I'm serious, Julie. I studied art in University but after a few lean years I moved into the business world. My two brothers wanted to go to University, they're much younger than me, and by the time it was their turn my parents didn't have the money to pay for it so I had to get earning real money."

"That's so sweet, Max. I never knew that about you. And there's something I haven't told you. In my free time I paint, I have a small studio or garden shed as most people call it."

"Well, there's a surprise, we do have something in common after all," Max laughed and led the way out of the office. "Come on then, let's get moving and get over to the gallery."

Max hailed a taxi and Julie watched a thunder storm move over the city as they made their way through the streets. When they hopped out of the car, the heavens opened.

"Here, take my jacket," Max took off his jacket and draped it over Julie's shoulders as they scurried up the steps and into the gallery. Julie rearranged her hair while Max got the tickets.

"It's lovely and warm in this jacket. Thank you, Max."

"Hold onto it, Julie. It's cool in here and you need it more than I do. Although I would like a hot drink, let's grab a quick coffee before we go any further." They walked over to the gallery cafe. "Julie, take a seat, I'll get you your usual."

Max returned with the drinks and laughed, "You look like a little girl with that big jacket on."

Julie picked up her drink, looked into Max's brown eyes and smiled, "This is almost like a date, not quite, but almost."

"That's what I was thinking. I like you, Julie. As I've got to know you over the few weeks I can see there's much more to you than meets the eye. You're bright, hard working and very creative.

"You saved my bacon yesterday at the final hour during the client meeting. That was a serious error in my report, I should have spotted it, but I didn't. You could have sat back and let me get lambasted for that one but you didn't. You stepped up when the pressure was on and dealt with the problem head on. The way you got us out of that jam was pure brilliance. Thank you. I won't forgot that."

"It's nothing, Max. Forget about it. When you took over as my manager I was appalled by the way you behaved. I hated your guts, I even thought about requesting a transfer you annoyed me so much. I was foaming at the mouth with some of your requests. You were completely unreasonable. But since we started working more closely, I can see you've got a good heart. You can be abrasive at times but I've got used to that. I even like you, a little bit, but not too much." Julie smiled.

Max sipped his coffee. "I'm not as bad as people make out. My job comes with a lot of pressure, when it comes down to it if I don't get results I'm out. If I mess up, I won't have the money to pay for my brothers' education, they're both coming to the end of medical school and it's very expensive. I can't afford to not succeed.

"Anyway, enough about me, do you have a steady boyfriend?"

Julie pulled the jacket closer around her. "Not really, although there is one guy I'm in touch with by email but we've not met yet. He's into all the things I enjoy. He's an artist too, he plays tennis like me, he likes to travel and he's very witty."

"Sounds like me," Max laughed.

Julie blushed and sneaked a peek at Max's brown eyes. "Hmm, he does actually, only he's in Cardiff."

Max picked up his coffee. "I grew up in Cardiff. And I worked there on a project before I moved to London. Maybe I know him, what's his name?"

"I only know his username, FastDriver."

Max choked on his coffee and spurted, "You must be joking! I used that username for a blind date service until it locked me out for inactivity or non bill payment, something like that. With moving to London and the new job I just hadn't got around to sorting it out."

Julie's eyes bulged, "You're FastDriver? Come on, you don't expect me to believe that, you must have been looking at my computer."

"Honest to God, Julie, this is not a wind up. I've known Merlin for years because he visits Cardiff a lot, I even have close friends who hang out with him. And because he's famous for his matchmaking I thought I'd give it a go. Phone him and ask or if you like I can prove to you right now this is for real, I 'll tell you your username."

"Go on then, Max, what name do I use?"

Max looked Julie in the eye and lowered his voice. "I've been emailing BlueCat."

Julie shivered and shook her head, "This is ridiculous, this isn't funny, Max. It's not right to play with someone's feelings like this. If this is a joke, you must, you simply must tell me now."

"I can assure you, Julie, I would not joke about something like this, and I certainly wouldn't do that to you. I like you, I mean, I respect you too much. And to prove it, I'll tell you the last message I sent you."

Julie glared at him. "Ok, go on, I'm all ears."

Max took a deep breath and paused before saying, "I told you when we meet, we'll dance in the light of the full Moon."

"Oh my God, it is you." Julie's mind flashed back to Merlin's room, the fortune telling and Linda's insistence that Merlin had found her a husband. She was speechless, all she could do was stare at Max and wonder what to do next.

Max had booked a table in the finest French restaurant in Brussels. Still feeling overwhelmed by the revelations of the day, Julie wore her favorite dress, an elegant black evening gown.