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First off like to think my editor sexnovella

39.

The ride to the hotel was interesting. From the part of me fuming, to me checking her out on the ride back. I was still hot from what she told me, even though she never said anything, I know that after I read it wasn't going to be good to say the least. After a few minutes I've calmed down, and now I was just checking her out, I would steal a glance, and Kate would catch me, and smile, and I would turn away in embarrassment, and she would shake her head very slightly. This process would happen a few minutes and then a few minutes later. This happened a few times before we made it back to the hotel.

From us parking to going up the elevator to our doors nothing else happened. I told Kate, I wanted to get comfortable and then we'll meet and my room with the information, and we'll go over together. She flashes her million dollar smile and disappears behind her door. I open mine and disappear behind it, too.

Whew, I say to myself, as I start to remove parts of the suit, to get confront able, dammit Katie what are you doing to me, girl. We are boss and assistant, these things never work out as you want them to, as I remove the last part of clothing, that I'm taking off. This leaves me down to a white undershirt, and a pair slacks.

I sit down and wait for her to show up, hell why I'm waiting I'll flip on the TV, by the way where the hell is the remote, as I start searching the couch for it, okay I had it when I was watching the puppies...

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!!!

"Yeah?!" I say loudly, while I'm looking for the remote.

"It's me, boss!" A female voice responds back.

"Yeah, Kate," I say, "door's open!" as I'm still searching for the remote.

The door opens, and Kate walks through carrying one large cardboard crate, "boss, what are you doing?" She sees me looking for the remote.

"Trying to find that damn remote," I say as I have flipped the seat cushions over, and running my hands under the couch.

"Are you talking about the remote that's sitting on the little stand beside the couch?" She motions with her head, as her hands are full.

"How...," I say, "I swear to God it wasn't sitting there 3 minutes ago," as I see it, and start to put the couch back to together.

"Where do you want it, boss," Kate asks, still holding the crate.

"Let's do it on the table," what did I just say, as Kate looks at me curiously, "um, just place the box on the table it'll be fine," trying save what I was saying.

"Uh hmm," Kate smiles sultry, as she places the box on the table, "I'll be back with the other one," as she heads out the door, and back to her room.

"Huh?" I said as I get up and walk towards the crate that's on the table, "another box?" as I open it up, and start looking at the contents of said box, "damn this thing is full," As Kate renters the room with an identical crate, and looks just as full as the way she's carrying it. She places it on the table and sits down, I open the other crate, look through it, and shot her a look, "what the hell, I said, just info on my predecessor, and the complaints," I ask not angry, but maybe she misunderstood me.

She reaches into one of the crates, and pulls out a single manila folder, handing it to me, "this is all the information that is available on him, and the rest are complaints," she says as she hands me my predecessor folder.

"Holy shit...," my mouth drops, "are you saying that all of these are complaints? I thought all these were just the companies in the area," I start thumbing through some of the names, "oh my God! JL, FEI, Bakersfield Bakery, and more, all these are complaints?"

"Yep," is all Kate says.

"What the hell has...," as I open up my predecessor's folder, "this..," as I look at the name," ...oh that's a problem."

"Yes."

40.

My predecessor's folder is only 4 pages front and back. It doesn't say a lot about what happen, that he was unceremoniously terminated, in June, for illicit unsanctioned activities going back over the complete 4 years of his term as the Senior Coordinator for the Southeastern Division of USA. It also tells how he got the job, with no experience in any field that involves marketing or sales. And plus it also shows his name, Franklin (Frankie) Spencer...

"So," I start, "Mr. Spencer's son was in charge of this Division?" I ask the now rhetorical question.

"Yes for the 4 years," Kate bites her bottom lip, "and during those 4 years, he almost ran the whole division into the ground."

"Do you know what, 'unceremoniously terminated for illicit unsanctioned activities' means?" I ask.

"Well, in this folder," she says, as she pulls out another folder, and hands it to me, "is some interesting traveling information, from his time as the SCSD (from now on this stands for Senior Coordinator for the Southeastern Division for the USA)."

I start reading through the list, ...Chicago four times, Hawaii seven times, Seattle 5 times, Green Bay 3 times..., really Green Bay? New York 8 times, okay what the hell, all he did was travel, and not to a single place that's in the division," I stunned by what I'm reading, really Green Bay, I mean outside of the Packers what's up there, and these dates don't coincide with any games that remember.

"I also did some checking too, not even one of these dates coincide with a major sport team playing in the area, so I don't know what he was doing in those cities either," Kate states.

How did she know that I was thinking that, I wonder to myself, I just shake my head and keep my mouth shut as I grab a compliant, and start to go through it.

I see Kate look at me, she's about to say something, but she bites her lip to stop herself.

"Actually, Katie," I stop reading for a moment, "do me a favor, go and call Donnie and tell him we need to reschedule our get together for tomorrow." I start again reading a seven page complaint from Bakersfield Bakery, "I have a feeling that we are going to be busy tonight, and I'm sorry about it to, Katie," I say as I look at her apologetically.

"It's fine Aden, I understand, it doesn't matter what we do as long as we are together," she says as she dials the branch office.

"Okay," what did she just say at the end of that, I look at her as she walks away placing the call.

"Hello," Kate starts, as I hear her part of the conversation, "could you ease connect me to Mr. River, I'm Mr. Jones's assistant from the day before...just let him know that Mr. Jones would like to speak with him please...thank you.... Hello Mr. River...Donnie...it's Kate, Aden's assistant, I'm calling to see if you wouldn't mind rescheduling your dinner with him tomorrow...nothing's happen he just won't be able to make it....that's great, thank you I'll let him know...bye," Kate looks at me, "Donnie said it was fine, sounded kind of worried if anything had come up, but that's about it."

"Thanks, Katie, what did you say before the phone call, I didn't catch all if that?" I ask

"Oh, I..," Kate stammers a little, "I said about tonight it would be no problem, that I understood, that's all, by the way are you getting hungry?" she tries to change the subject.

"That's sounds awesome, actually I'm pretty hungry," I flash a smile, for the first time since looking at these complaints.

"Where do you want me to go, Aden?" She asks sweetly.

"Um," I say as I lean back in my chair, "where ever you want to go," I look into her eyes from where I'm sitting, "you know what I like and don't like, Katie."

"She smiles, and blushes a little, then she turns towards the door, looks at me one more time, and with a flirtatious look, "yes I do don't I," as she opens and walks out the door.

41.

When Kate leaves, I put myself completely into the complaints. I've decided to place the complaints into two distinct piles. One is called "the Franklin's" and these are the major ones, that I need to go in person and fix, most of these are no return calls to the major players in the area. And the second is called "minors" which are simple mistakes that either can be corrected by a phone call or email. As I'm going through the stacks of complaints from the crates I notice that the major list isn't as bad as I thought but they still are a problem. This is insane fucking Frankie should have been fired years ago. Why the hell did Apex let this go on for so long, hell most of these aren't horrible but, they still are a problem. Not talking the Bakersfield Bakery about using different shipping contractors that would be simple to fix, as long as Frankie had picked up the phone and talked to them, which he didn't do. Freaky idiot.

I'm still going over the complaints, and I don't hear the knock on the door, or the door opening, or even Kate trying to talk to me, or even the bag of food that she has placed on the table. How did this go on for so..., I look up and see Kate sitting across from me, just staring at me. I give her a puzzled look.

Then Kate starts to laugh uncontrollably, while shaking her head at me.

"How long have you been sitting there, Katie?" I lean back in my chair, and look her in her soulful green eyes.

"Not long," as she smiles and starts to pull out the food from the bags, "I just wanted to see how long it would take for you to notice me, that's all."

"Okay...," I give her a perplexed look, not really grasping on what she said, "..., well anyway," trying to change the subject, "what's for dinner?"

"Well for you Aden, I got you a double cheeseburger," I start to ask her about the tomatoes, but she then says, "with tomato, of course," I see her crack one of her million dollar smiles, "and also a mess of fries to go with that juicy looking burger. And for myself, a delicious looking spicy chicken sandwich, with a mess of fries, also."

"Yum, sounds great," I say as Kate hands me, my Styrofoam box of deliciousness, "wow, you weren't joking about these fries were you," as I open the box and my double cheeseburger, without tomato of course (which is wrapped in tinfoil) is completely buried in fries.

"Yes," she says, as she takes a couple of fries puts them between her beautiful lips, and eats them, "and they are awesome," as the 18 year old resurfaces.

I just look at her and shake my head, even with a mouthful of fries, she's still cute as hell, I think to myself, as I eat my burger and we make eye contact.

"What?" she tries to say in between bites.

I swallow what I'm chewing on, "Nothing, nothing at all," and we just keep eye contact, while we eat and say nothing, just enjoy each other's company.