Kissing Mr. Bradley

Chapter 4

It was the last Friday of the month when I got the phone call I had been waiting for.

When I didn't get the call a few weeks earlier, I never let up hope. I was patient and confident in my plan. I knew Ethan wasn't going to stay away for far too long.

Maudie was on the other end of the line. She spoke slowly and steady as if each and every word was important all on its own and I needed to pay close attention.

She proceeded to reintroduce herself but I told her there was no need. Maudie was an unforgettable aspect of Bradley & Sons. Her perky voice rang through without a formal introduction.

"Ms. Hastings," she said, ignoring my offer for a first name basis relationship. "I'm calling on behalf of Mr. Bradley. He would like to meet with you in his office the following Monday morning."

Maudie's words reached my ears like a blaring siren.

"Really?" I replied. "May I ask, why?"

"I cannot disclose that information," she continued. "Also, I would like to relay a personal message from Mr. Bradley himself."

"Go on," I urged.

"In the words of Mr. Bradley," she started. "If you're going to be late, don't bother showing up at all."

The phone went off with a quick click and I wondered if that was also part of his message. It had to be a classic Bradley move to get the last word in before anyone else. Either way, I was dead set on meeting him for the second time.

On the Monday I was expected to meet with Ethan, I arrived earlier than the doorman. Even Maudie was surprised to see that I was sitting in the lobby before she got the chance to settle in behind the front desk.

"Can I get you anything?" she asked as she set her bag on the countertop. "Coffee? Tea?"

"Vital fluid," I replied. "The Ethan Bradley special."

Maudie's face turned pale. "Human blood?"

"It was a joke," I said as I flipped through the pages of a glossy magazine. Ironically, Ethan was on the front cover. He was featured on the list of top-billionaires under thirty. On the cover, he was leaning back in a wooden chair with a cigar between his lips. His hair, dark and disheveled, hung over his eyes and an unbuttoned shirt exposed his post-workout body. There were a few other pages with Ethan on the print. On page thirty-five he wore a suit, holding up his wrist and showing off a diamond encrusted watch, advertising the season's newest additions in men's accessories.

"Hm," Maudie sounded, taking my attention away from the magazine. "You must've made a good impression on Mr. Bradley."

"Why is that?"

"He never asks for a callback."

"I'm sure it's nothing," I said with a shrug, but I knew I wasn't called back for no reason other than Ethan had given in.

When the time finally arrived, I followed Maudie to Ethan's office. We took the same route, from the elevators to the top floor and down the long corridor. It brought a fleeting feeling of deja vu. I lived the moment before, except this time I was willing to change the outcome of it.

"Good luck," Maudie said again, only this time it was met with a more serious tone than the playful one from before.

Sitting in the leather seats of Ethan's office, I was closely being watched by the security cameras I never noticed before. There was one on Ethan's desk, faced right in my direction. I spotted a few others in the corner of the ceiling and behind a potted plant next to the window. The entire ordeal was comical to me. Being seen as a potential threat by one of the wealthiest men in the city was a compliment I never thought I'd appreciate.