Her Two Bosses (NaNoWriMo '23)

Just a normal workday

The next morning...

Evangeline woke to the sound of rain. She huffed, seeing the downpour happening. A pop tart for breakfast with her single cup brew coffee, she readied herself with galoshes and her old raincoat over her navy-blue suit dress and cream blouse. With her heels and mended purse stuffed in the waterproof computer bag, she made her way down the flights of stairs.

As she exited the building, a voice called out her name. It was the driver from the yesterday afternoon, holding an umbrella.

"Ms. Fenner, the bosses have asked me to take you to work." The driver announced, guiding her to the car. Climbing in quickly, she felt relieved that she did not have to walk in the rain. She watched as the driver hurried to the driver's door and go in.

"This is very nice of them." She said to the driver as they were pulling away from the curb.

"Yes, and I will be taking you home as well. In fact, I am to be your driver now." He looked at her through the mirror.

A look of shock went across her face. "What?" Evangeline looked at him. His hazel eyes smiled kindly at her. He was an older gentleman with wore a dark suit and crisp white shirt with a simple black tie. On his head was a driving cap that hid his thinning blond hair.

"Yes. This way they will know that you will be safe. You are valuable to the bosses." The driver told her. He watched her as she sat back in the seat. He returned his attention to the street ahead.

"Umm, what is your name?" Evangeline asked in a curious tone.

"The bosses called in Mr. Roland. You can call me Howard or Howie if you like, Ms. Fenner." He replied.

"Thank you, Howard. You can call me Evangeline." She looked at him, a ghost of a smile played on her lips.

"From the poem by Longfellow. Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie?" Howard asked.

"Yes, it was my grandmother's favorite." Her fingers played with something under her cream colored blouse, at the center of her chest.

"I bet people tried to call you Evie all the time." Howard said playfully. He noticed a sour look at the nickname. "A name like that should be said fully for there is good meaning to it. It means good news." Howard hoped to get the look off her face before she arrived at work. The bosses would be at his throat if she came to work upset.

"It does." The sour look faded as she stared out to the rain.

They arrived at the building and Howard held the umbrella out for her. She thanked him. He told her that he would be there at five to pick her up and if she needed to be taken to the grocery store, he would be happy to help.

She made it to the floor, seeing that they had not arrived yet, for she was earlier than usual. Using the key they provided to the offer, she went inside. She place the agenda for the day on their desks. She looked over the coffee bar to see if she was familiar with the machines. She was and started to the brew the drink. The scent of coffee filled the air.

Relocking the office doors, she went to her desk and set up her laptop. She was working on the schedule of meetings when the two men came from the elevators. Rake is in another classic black suit, this time paired with a black oxford shirt. Leo was a beige suit with a clean white shirt. They were holding their satchels in their hands as they walked together.

"Good morning, sirs and thank you for the use of the town car. I really do appreciate it." She spoke first to them, letting a small smile play at her lips. Rake noticed and gave a smile back.

"Your commute to and from work worried us." Leo unlocked the doors. The scent of the coffee caressed his nose, making him nearly moaned. "You made coffee. Thank you." He went right to the machine.

"The four cups he had this morning are never enough." Rake quietly spoke to Evangeline, making her smile bigger with a little giggle. That was the look he wanted to see all the time. Her happy.

"The agendas of the day are on your desk. A meeting with the management staff is at 10:30 am at second floor conference room. If you need anything, I am right here." Evangeline said, closing the office's doors. Rake went to the side board where Leo was placing the finishing touches in his cup.

"She is spoiling us already." Leo took a sip of the magic bean juice. Rake made himself a cup of coffee and went to his desk. He was looking at the agenda when he noticed the change Evangeline made. "Why is the outline in such a shade of blue?" He heard Leo said.

"Blue? Mine is dark brown." Rake looked up from his desk. Rake walked over to look at Leo's. True to his work, his was in a blue shade. Rake picked it up and held to the light. "That is odd, but why...wait." Rake held the paper next to Leo's face. "The blue. She matched it with your eyes." Rake told him. He went back to his. The brown was exactly his iris shade.

"Our angel colored coded them to match our eyes." Leo looked at the paper. Oh the little things that she was doing was going to make them fall more in love with her. Rake nodded, returning to his desk. They had to focus on their tasks before them. Soon, their sole focus was going to please their angel.

The workday was normal. Evangeline answered called, getting messages arranged and made meetings for the upcoming weeks. Dry cleaning was dropped off and Evangeline place it in the closet behind her desk to not disturbed the gentleman. 

Lunch time was rolling around and she wondered if she should eat what she bought which was a tin of chicken salad and cracker or use her last few cash dollars on vending machine. As she pulling on the box kit from her purse, the doors of the office opened.

"Last minute business lunch at the Plaza." Rake told her as they walked out. "Bring your laptop to take notes. We will feed you for the trouble." Evangeline sprung up, getting her laptop in the bag. The Plaza was a world-renowned restaurant with a waiting list of four months for a dinner reservation. She followed them to the front of the building where a limo was waiting for them. Evangeline kept her excitement down for she had not been in a limo for years.

"May I ask who the lunch is with, sirs?" Evangeline asked. The men looked at each other, like trying to figure out how much to tell her. They were in fact, doing that exact thing for it was business outside the broker firm.

"You will learn that we have several businesses in the city. This meeting is for a night club we just purchased last year." Leo volunteered the information. "The Velvet Rose." They watched for her reaction.

"The gentlemen's club on Fourth and West Street." Evangeline looked at them with a bit of awe. Of course, her hot bosses would own a gentlemen's club known for the best entertainment in the city. High class dancers and performers of the fair sex. Top tier cocktails and bourdons were drinks of choice. Low lighting and plush red velvet draping everything that stood still.

"You heard of it?" Rake asked.

She nodded. "I have." She bit her lip in a way that made the men want to hear more.

"Have you been in there?" Leo asked. The look at her face made them think she had.

"To pay for college and support Trent while he went to law school, I was a waitress and bartender there." Evangeline lowered her eyes, not wanting to see the disgusted looks on their faces. The scholarship did not cover everything, and her parents were not helping at all. The little money she had from her grandmother's estate would only go so far.

She applied and worked her ass off for the tips she earned. She paid for her schooling, their first apartment together, and worked on the weekends while she had her first secretary job for, she was the sole financial support when he was finishing his law degree.

"Look at us." Rake commanded softly. She rise her eyes to them. "There is nothing wrong for a woman to support herself in any fashion. This is a cruel world for the female sex. I bet you can still make a mean cocktail." He got her to softly smile again. Leo smiled too.