Gentlemen Only

Proposal

"Bianchi and Archer, Incorporated." Meredith balanced the phone in the space between her chin and shoulder, attempting to sound as pleasant as possible despite the fact a rather important file was falling apart in her hands. Answering phones had never been difficult for her: in fact, it was relatively easy compared to interacting in person, and her preferred method of communication.

She glanced toward Jet for assistance; however, his desk was just as messy, if not more so, than hers. Colored folders lay scattered amidst greasy fast food wrappers and empty travel mugs. The faint scent of coffee lingered in the air, mingling unpleasantly with the stale whiff of cheap cheeseburgers, causing Meredith's nose to wrinkle.

Jet wasn't normally so slovenly. The disgusting state of his desk caused an anxious worry to permeate her thoughts.

More troublesome still was the unkempt look Jet had adopted over the past few days. In lieu of his soft, wavy locks was a tufted mess of unruly hair that stood up more each time he ran a hand through it in frustration. His eyes were tired and half lidded, ringed with dark circles and weary wrinkles. Mustard stained the upturned collar of his days old dress shirt, which was soiled to the point it might stand up and walk out of the room on its own.

The reason behind the lackluster hue of his eyes and his sudden foray into the life of a hoarder was simple: Lex Archer, his business partner and vice president, had foolishly mistaken a donkey for a mule at the local fair, and upon attempting to mount the ornery beast, found himself in the nearest emergency room with his rump in a sling.

Needless to say, Archer's absence required Jet to perform the work load of two men, and the strain was beginning to have a toll on him.

Meredith listened intently as the person on the other line began to speak, but her sharp blue eyes were trained on her frazzled boss, who was currently muttering to himself in Italian.

"This is Anthony Donnell with the offices of Moretti and Stelle." A crisp, pleasant tenor meet her ears.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Donnell." Meredith greeted, still eyeing Jet warily. "What can we do for you?"

"Mr. Moretti hears you're the best." The cool voice continued, causing Meredith to pause mentally, unsure how to respond. Sure, they'd been receiving some attention in the press lately, and even published an interview with Archer in the daily post, but the firm was still a far cry from nearing stardom.

"Thank you." Meredith settled on the simplest reply she could manage. An uneasy feeling brewed in the pit of her stomach, though she couldn't put her finger on the reason why.

"We have need of your services." Anthony continued, saving Meredith the trouble of repeating herself.

Meredith gazed dejected at the mess of files piling up around the office. "I'm not sure if Mr. Bianchi is accepting any new clients at the moment." She warned kindly. "Do you mind waiting on hold while I discuss it further with him?"

An amused chuckle tumbled through the line. "Not at all. Tell Jet that Joe says hi for me, doll. He'll have time, I promise you."
The assurance felt cold and calculating, despite Anthony's amicable tone.
Meredith gently placed the receiver on her desk.

"Jet." She spoke in hushed tones, careful to keep her voice low so as not to be overheard.
Jet gave no indication that he'd heard her. He'd been staring, unblinking, at the same file for five minutes, all the while babbling incoherently.
Meredith sighed, resigning herself to walk the few feet between them and grab his attention.

"Jet!" She raised her voice a little louder, reaching out a slim hand to softly jostle his shoulder. Her fingers prickled at the contact, sending a radiating thrill up her arm that spread to her chest. The pressure there intensified tenfold as his beautiful eyes darted upward and held hers in a dazed stare. His full lips parted as the haze dissipated from his gaze, and Meredith blushed, realizing she'd been staring at his mouth.