Bending the Rules: Breaking the Rules #2 (8 page)

Drake

I wake early Saturday morning after spending yet another
Friday night alone. I have had countless invites from Alina to join her and her
group of friends out for cocktails and what not, but I’m not interested. Plus,
if my father does indeed have people checking in on me, they may see my
interaction with Alina or any of her friends and misconstrue it as a
relationship, and that is not a risk I’m willing to take right now. My focus
needs to remain on turning this company around and getting back to Morgan.

Thinking of my dad now, I realize it’s been a little while
since I last checked in with him. I’m six hours ahead of him, so I guess I’ll
get some work done and give him a call a little later. I turn my computer on
and head into my kitchen to grab a cup of coffee and some toast before I dive
into my work.

Out of habit, the first thing I do when I fire up my
computer is check the email account that Garrett set up for me. To my extreme
elation, Morgan has sent me a new email. I haven’t heard from her since last
week and the non-communication has been killing me. Not like I’ve helped to
remedy that in any way. This was sent last night, so hopefully she was out
having fun, not sitting home alone miserable like I was.

From: Morgan Lane

Subject: Catching Up

Date: October 27, 2013 21:24

To: Drake Baylor Jr.

Dear Drake,

How are you? Where are you? I feel a little funny like I’m
not sure how to start of writing these emails to you, especially because I’m
really just writing them to myself, knowing you won’t be getting them. I like
writing to you though. It helps me to feel connected to you like you’re off
traveling somewhere exotic and coming home soon. But the truth is, I don’t know
if you’re ever coming home. I don’t want to dwell on that feeling anymore
though, Drake. I want to keep writing as if we are pen pals and I’m just
keeping you up to date on what’s going on in my life.

I started working for Thompson Manufacturing on Monday.
Adrian is a great boss. He gave me a few accounts to work on right away, which
was a great way to dive right into the company. It also gave me a nice
distraction from everything else that has been floating inside my head. Well,
when I say everything else, I really mean just everything else, which is you.
(sigh)

I miss you, Drake. My heart isn’t whole without you near me.
My apartment feels empty, no longer like home. I drive by your house sometimes,
hoping to see a light on. Hoping I can knock on your door and you’ll invite me
in to talk through whatever is wrong between us. I’m not sure what I could have
done to make you stay away. I go through everything that happened our last day
or two together, trying to figure out what I did to push you away. I know you
were freaked out about Adrian, but like I said before he said he kept his mouth
shut so now I’m just at a loss.

I feel like I’ve turned into a sad little girl who wallows
in her unhappiness, and I can’t do it anymore. I keep trying to find the
strong, independent, happy version of myself and I can’t find her anywhere. I
love you, Drake. I always will. I’ll never end this fight, but I have to think
that maybe it’s time to find some closure as well. I’m not saying I’ll move on
from you. I just need to let my heart heal from this pain. I need to find my
strength again. I want to be the person you fell in love with whenever it is
that you decide to come home, and I really hope you do. You will always own a
piece of my heart, Drake, and I’ll always be your home.

Love,

Morgan

FUUUUUUUCK! What the fuck do I do? How can I not respond?
How do I keep her in the dark and play by the rules when she tells me she needs
closure? I feel like I’ve just been gutted. Rage inside me swelling, I grab my
phone to call my sparring partner. No, I can’t do that, I’ll just end up
kicking the shit out of him to make myself feel better then I’ll end up with an
assault charge, and get locked up in a Swiss prison, and I’ll never make it
back to her.

I pick up my coffee mug and throw it against the wall. Damn,
that felt good. Next is my desk lamp. Okay, rage subsiding. I start picking up
anything within reach and throwing it against the wall until there is nothing
left but a shattered mess at my feet. I can’t help but think of the symbolism
that represents as I crumble to the ground.

I’ve been doing everything right for two months. I haven’t
broken any rules. I have even turned the company around in less than a quarter
and by next month this sector will be profitable again. I’ll make sure to
mention that to my father when I call him later. Right now, his is the last
voice I want to hear. Just thinking about him makes my blood boil, and I’ve
just calmed down. Shit, now I have a mess to clean up. At least it will occupy
my time a bit before I get back to work.

Chapter 9

Adrian

“Hey, do you have a minute?” I ask as I knock on Morgan’s
office door.

“Sure, boss, what’s up?” Morgan says as she looks up with a
smile.

“You have been here just over a month now, and because HR is
swamped while we make changes to our insurance and benefits packages I thought
I’d do your review. Of course if you aren’t comfortable with that because I’m
your boss, that’s completely fine, and it can wait.”

“No, that’s fine. When would you like to do it?” Morgan asks
with a little flush filling her face and a small bit of sweat grazing her upper
lip. She’s clearly caught off guard and perhaps a little nervous which shocks
me.

“No rush, how about you wrap up what you are working on and
meet me in my office. Does a half hour from now work for you?”

“That’s great,” She says with a little relief in her eyes.
“I’ll see you in a bit.”

This is the perfect set up. I’ve been a good boss and an
even better friend to Morgan over the past month or so as she settles in to her
job here at Thompson Manufacturing. I’ve lent a thoughtful ear, and a shoulder
to cry on multiple times as she heals her broken heart. I’ve been a steady presence
offering her strength and wisdom in her times of need. I’ve taken her for
dinner a few times, showering her with praise and companionship. I’ve basically
done everything in a non-romantic way to be there for Morgan and once again
show her what it’s like to have a relationship with me.

Now I’m about to bring it home with this thirty day review.
I’m going to spend an hour praising her, and reaffirming that this company is
where she belongs, and that as a boss, I’d like to be the one to support her dreams.
I’ll take good notes when she gives constructive criticism and make sure those
changes are made. I’ve also negotiated a bump in pay with accounting. She has
more than earned it in the month she’s been here. At the end of the meeting,
I’ll invite her to the club for dinner tomorrow night. I have taken the liberty
of inviting both Morgan’s and my parents to join us, and have also made
arrangements for some after dinner entertainment as we celebrate her new
career. This of course will be a total surprise for Morgan. I will show her an
amazing evening filled with great company, delicious food, and an awesome band
that will make sure to play a few of our favorite songs from when we were a
couple. If all goes well, it won’t be long until Morgan is once again mine for
good.

Morgan

I can’t believe it has already been a month since I started
working for Adrian. Sadly, that means another month has gone by without word
from Drake. As I get more comfortable in my role here at Thompson, my days are
filled with other things to preoccupy my thoughts than Drake. I wake more
focused on my day ahead, my mind feeling sharp as I go through my day rather
than the painful haze I’d been living in for the past couple months. I still
think about Drake throughout my day as memories are triggered by events, or
things I come across, but for the most part, I think my heart is healing.

I’m starting to feel happy again. Although my parents were
strict in my upbringing, my life has always been filled with happiness. My
mother always expected perfection from me, but my father also encouraged me to
be a kid, when appropriate of course. He would take me to the park and push me
on the swings, laughing in delight as I begged him to push me higher. Although
our relationship was never made public while we were together, just being with
Drake gave me the same face splitting smile and filled me with the same joy as
when I was on the swings years ago. Only this time, it was Drake pushing me in
life, encouraging me to find my joy.

I’m not sure why, but I’m a little nervous about Adrian
giving me my performance review. It makes sense, seeing as though he hired me
and I really don’t have a department head to answer to besides him. I think
because I know him so well, having him critique my work might feel more
personal than business. Either way, my thirty minutes of respite time are up, I
might as well go and get this over with.

“Hello again,” Adrian smiles as he looks up from his
computer. “Have a seat, Morgan. Thanks for doing this under such short notice.”

“No problem, I was just wrapping up a few things, where do
we begin?”

“How about you start by telling me how you are getting along
here at Thompson?” Adrian starts.

“I love it here, Adrian. I’m so grateful that you gave me this
opportunity. Some of my accounts are more challenging than others, which is
great because I love the diversity. I think I’m really hitting my stride here,
but of course there is always more to learn.”

“I’m so glad to hear it. I think you’re hitting your stride
as well. I’ve watched the way you interact with our clients, and you speak to
them with such ease and confidence. You are really good at your job, and I have
had very positive feedback from both our clients and your co-workers, so keep
up the good work.”

“Thank you,” I say as a smile crosses my face. “I really
appreciate it, Adrian.”

“You are so welcome, Morgan.”

“I mean it though. I really appreciate the positive feedback
and praise. I’m not usually the type of person who needs praise to know they’ve
done a good job. I enjoy working hard and having a purpose and let my work
speak for its self. But right now, your words are making me feel the happiest
I’ve felt in a while, so thank you Adrian, it really means a lot.” I say
genuinely.

“I should be the one thanking you, Morgan. You have become
such an asset to this company. I’m not the only one to notice either. I
consistently receive emails and phone calls from clients, management, and other
employees saying how great you are to work with and ask to personally work with
you in the future. You keep thanking me for this opportunity, but I’m just glad
you asked for it. Before HR reminded me that it was time for your review, I was
thinking of ways to say thank you for the hard work without muddying the boss/friend
waters. I wasn’t really able to come up with a way to thank you that would do
justice what your presence here means to me. Instead, I have come up with two
ways to thank you for your hard work. But you have to agree to one before you
can have the other,” Adrian says with a smug grin.

“And what would that be?” I answer Adrian’s smug smile with
a hesitant one.

“I’d like to invite you to dinner at the club tomorrow night
to honor your first month here at Thompson,” Adrian takes a pause, looking me directly
in the eyes for a moment before smiling even wider and continuing, “and to
celebrate your raise.”

“What? Raise? Are you sure?”

“Yes of course I’m sure, Morgan. You deserve this raise.
Like I said though, you have to agree to one in order to receive the other, so
would you agree to dinner with me tomorrow night?”

“Dinner sounds wonderful, Adrian, thank you. I would love to
join you. The raise though… are you sure you aren’t giving it to me
undeservedly?” I feel guilty for asking that after Adrian has just been so
generous, but I couldn’t accept a raise because of our history. That would be
so wrong in so many ways.

“Morgan, you deserve this raise. Truthfully, accounting
wouldn’t let me offer you what I had originally wanted to. Since you have
started with this company, you have offered great insight as to how we can
improve our bottom line and the deals you have done, or have in the works,
stand to generate a great deal of income for Thompson as well. So please don’t
think there are any ulterior motives in giving you this raise, Morgan, you’ve
earned it.

“I know Baylor Industries was your first choice when
graduating, and perhaps it makes the most sense for you to be working there,
but I’m glad you’ve joined our company, regardless of what brought you here. I
didn’t understand your need for a career and independence a few years ago,
because I wanted to be the one to give you the world. I think I always will.
But I understand now, and I know you’d like to earn the life you live for
yourself, I just want you to know that in whatever way you see me in your life,
I’d like to continue to support you and your dreams.”

“That means a lot. Thank you, Adrian, for everything,
especially the support you have given me this past month. I value our
friendship, my job, and everything else you have done for me. You are an
amazing person to have in my life and I’m grateful. What time should I meet you
for dinner tomorrow?” I ask.

“I’ll pick you up for dinner tomorrow, Morgan, be ready at
7pm sharp. Before I wrap this meeting up, is there anything you would like to
add? Are there any ways you can see Thompson improving besides what you have
already contributed?” Adrian asks.

“No, boss,” I smile, “everything’s perfect,” I say with a
feeling for the first time in a long while that perhaps there is more than one
meaning to my statement.

“Okay then, I think that should wrap our meeting up. Thanks
again, Morgan, for your hard work. I look forward to dinner tomorrow,” Adrian
says as he stands, signaling that it’s time for me to go.

“Me too, boss, thanks again,” I say, then turn to leave
Adrian’s office.

****

I hate running late. It’s a huge pet peeve of mine. I like
to live by the motto, “If you’re always early, you’re never late”. It makes
perfect sense to me. Now I’m hating life as I’m about fifteen solid minutes
from being walk out the door ready, and Adrian should be here in about five.
That’s another thing I hate, making people wait. I guess those two go hand in
hand.

I can’t help myself from feeling like this is a date. I know
Adrian asked me to dinner tonight while in a professional setting so I should
take it as such, but there was something about the way he smiled at me as he
asked that made me think he is up to something. Which in our history together
usually means he is. I spent most of my day trying to figure out if this really
is a date and if so, what does that really mean? Adrian hasn’t been shy about
the fact that he wants me back.

 I never wanted to hurt Adrian when I ended things as
college came to an end. Adrian has never been anything but wonderful to me. It
was so sweet that he wanted me to move in with him and most likely start the
rest of our lives together. As I sat across from him at one of the nicest
restaurants near school what seems like an eternity ago, I knew in my heart
that we were in two completely different places in our lives. Adrian was ready
to settle down, and I was ready to finally start living.

As I reminisce about my past with Adrian today, I find
myself daydreaming of the possibility of a future with him. When we were
together I kind of figured we would eventually get married, but it was never
anything I dreamed about. Girls meet the one they want to spend their forever
with and all they do is plan, and dream, and obsess over wedding themes and bridal
gown trends. It was never like that with Adrian. It always seemed sort
of…planned. Our parents loved the idea of us as a couple. They in turn became
great friends and still are to this day. We come from similar upbringings,
moral codes and value systems, so I guess it just always made sense. I don’t
want to be with someone who I just make sense with though. I want to be with
someone who I can’t be without. For me that person will always be Drake. It
still surprises me that I’ve been able to live without him for so long,
although there have been days where I wasn’t sure I’d go on.

Can I build a life with Adrian knowing I will never be able
to give him my whole heart? Will he still want me to have and to hold knowing
he won’t hold all of me? I’ll never be able to give myself wholly to Adrian. I
will always keep a piece of my heart for Drake. And what if he finally comes
back? Where do I go from there? If I were to marry Adrian and have Drake then
return to my life it would absolutely kill me. I will only ever say those vows
once. If I marry Adrian, it will be forever. It would kill me to be without
Drake but I’d stay true to my vows. What if I don’t return Adrian’s advances,
keeping him as a friend while I continue to wait for Drake? Will I wait forever?
Will I die a brokenhearted spinster with no one but my five cats to witness my
final breath?

Thoughts like these have plagued me all day causing me to
run late as I try on outfit after outfit, trying to figure out what ensemble
best fits the mood for this evening. Date dress or business dinner dress? Short
skirt that shows enough thigh but is long enough to keep it classy, or dress
pants that say I put an effort into looking nice for our evening but after this
party there will be no after party?

 I purposely leave my apartment door unlocked, and tell
Adrian to make himself at home when I buzz him in as I finally choose what to
wear. I’m going with a black mid-thigh cocktail dress with capped sleeves and
low square neckline that shows just a hint of cleavage but keeps you wanting
more. I’m pairing the dress with sheer black thigh high stockings that make my
legs look even longer than they are for my petite frame, and some cute black
ankle booties. Because we are going to the country club, I forgo longer, more
fun earrings for my larger diamond studs. My makeup is fresh with a romantic
evening feel, and I sweep my hair to the side with large curls. It’s still
country club conservative, but this look definitely has a sexy edge to it. Yup,
I’m going for it...it’s time to let myself go a bit, and go on a date with
Adrian Thompson.