16He woke to the sound of his alarm wailing. Carelessly he made a swipe for it and missed terribly, instead knocking over a picture frame. Finally he sat up and turned the alarm off properly. He laid back, intending to go back to sleep yet when he rolled over he felt something soft, warm and very girly still in his bed.
Quickly he climbed out of bed before he placed a hand on the girl's hip and shook her.
The girl, whose name he had already forgotten, sat up startled and looked at him with bewildered blue eyes. The blonde stood up quickly, and began to search for her things.
"Can you give me a ride, I'm going to be late for class?" she asked.
"Nope."
"You're a dick."
He laughed tauntingly. "And you're a slut."
As she pulled on her skirt she added. "My friends warned me about you."
"Well I guess you're a stupid slut then."
He continued to laugh as he watched the girl finish getting dressed. He followed her down the stairs and to the front door. The entire time she was on her cell phone crying to one of her friends, and begging for a ride.
She stood at the door, as she talked to her friend and after a few minutes, Blaine got tired of her conversation and crying, opened the door and shoved her out of the brownstone.
He quickly slammed the door before he heard her screaming. As her shouts grew louder and louder he went back to the door and cracked it to hear what was being said.
"I Swear To God, You Have Not Heard The Last Of Me Blaine Carmichael!" she screamed.
He laughed, and shut the door again.
After a shower and a shave Blaine quickly got dressed before he left the house. As quickly as he could he made his way down the street to the corner coffee shop. He briskly walked inside before he headed to the counter.
As he approached he noticed the girl in line ahead of him, and looked her over from bottom to top. The girl wore pink chucks, tight black dress pants, a bright pink camisole and a large curly black afro, with random pink curls in it. Blaine watched as she bent over, looking at the selection of sandwiches in the cooler, changed her mind and grabbed a green apple.
Blaine tapped her shoulder. The girl turned around and he was greeted by a smooth brown face, with a pouty grin and big brown eyes.
"Uhm, can I help you?" she asked with a delightful Australian accent.
"No, but I can help you?"
She smirked. "Now how exactly can you do that?"
He extended his right hand. "Well first by telling you that my name is Blaine Carmichael." As he shook her hand he waited for her to introduce herself. She didn't. "Second, by buying you coffee and your apple." He stepped beside her. "Third by telling you that I'm free tonight."
"Well first I'd like to tell you that I already know you're name." she let go of his hand. "Second, I'll buy my own coffee and apple. And third, I'll give you the pleasure of being the first person to turn you down. It helps that I'm beautiful though, right?"
Blaine shook his head. "No, it makes it even more devastating, that you're going to miss out on something so wonderful."
She bit her lip before she asked. "Wow. However will I survive?"
"No one should have to live their life never getting the opportunity to get to know me better."
She laughed. "Right. And boys like you are the reason my dad didn't want me to come to this awful country."
The person ahead of her in line stepped aside and she quickly ordered her coffee. After she'd paid for everything she stepped aside to wait. Instead of stepping up to order Blaine moved over beside her.
"Someone is persistent."
"I have a question."
"I'm sure I have an answer."
He smiled. "How do you know my name?"
She grabbed her cup of coffee before she told him. "I live in the house next door to you. I've gotten your mail by mistake a few times."
"Well then I guess I know your name too." she smiled and waited for him to proceed. "You would be Nataljia Strickland."
She laughed. "That would be your other neighbor, mate. But nice try."
Blaine followed her as she began to leave the café.
"So what is your name?"
She shrugged before she began to cross the street. "I don't know."
C. Z. Ryklief.
That was the name that was printed across all the bills that happened to have ended up in his mailbox the next day. All it had taken was a few suggestive looks and promises of dates towards the mailwoman and Blaine had gotten what he wanted. Yet this made him feel a bit disturbed at how easy it was to get someone else's mail put into your box.
Blaine smiled when he realized that not only did he have a first and middle initial, plus a last name. He also had a legit reason to stop over at the girl's house and talk to her.
After he'd ran upstairs and put on his robe and slippers, he had his keys and was out the door. With her letters in hand he locked his door before he made his way over to her house. He stepped onto the stoop and quickly rang the doorbell after clearing his throat.
He waited a bit before he yet again rang the doorbell. After a minute he heard someone trudging down the stairs before the person approached the door.
"Who is it?" the feminine accented voice called.
"It's your neighbor, Blaine."
He heard a deep sigh and a "Blimey." before the door was opened. The woman stood before him with pink square rimmed glasses, a robe and a coffee mug. "Morning."
"Morning Ms. Ryklief." he greeted before he extended his hand holding her mail.
She giggled. "Determined to find out my name huh?"
"Very much so."
"Would you like some coffee?"
"Please."
She grabbed her mail before she pointed to the bottom step of the stoop. "Can you grab that paper for me?"
Blaine walked down the three steps, grabbed the paper, before he made his way back to the door. She smirked at him before she opened the door wider and let him step into the foyer.
"Well?"
"Well?"
"Since I'm in your home I think it's only right that I know your name."
She took a deep breath before she instructed him to follow her into the kitchen. He watched her grab a coffee mug, before she poured him a cup. She set his cup in front of him, along with a bowl of sugar cubes and a tiny carafe of milk.
"Thank you for the coffee, C. Z. Ryklief."
"Campbell Zori Ryklief."
"Can I call you Camp?" he asked with a grin.
"Belle or Zori."
"How about Zoribelle?"
She gave him a coy grin. "No one has ever called me that."
He looked her in the eyes. "Can I?"
She nodded. "Sure."
The two sat at the table and sipped their coffee quietly.
Campbell smiled. "So, all that hype and you have nothing to say. You're not going to take this opportunity to hype yourself up."
"Well, if you insist." he began. "Right now I'm working at Brynstien, Carmichael, and Rodgers, as an advertising assistant manager. I'm twenty six; I have my own home, as you may know-"
"I also know that college girls hate you and you're dad is the owner of that advertising company you work for." she interrupted.
Blaine looked at her sideways. "And how do you know this?"
Campbell extended her hand. "Meet your new boss."
He shook her hand looking at her sideways. "Seriously?"
"Well, while you were off skipping work yesterday, I had my official interview with your father at the office. He told me that my first priority is to make sure that I straighten you up."
Blaine scratched his buzz cut black hair. "So it's just a coincidence that you ended up buying the place next door to me."
"Actually your father found the place for me."
He shook his head and tried to think of a way to change the subject. "So, have you had the chance to check out the city yet?"
Campbell stood before she made her way to the coffee pot to refill her cup. "Uhm, not yet. I've only really been here for about three weeks and I've been trying to decorate and get adjusted to this crazy country."
"What would make you want to leave a great country like Australia to come here?"
"Oh so you know Australia?"
"I've been there on vacation."
"So you've never lived there?"
"Well, no."
Blaine watched her lean against the counter with her mug in her hand. Her robe had come open and now she stood in front of him with her tank top and panties completely visible. Something about that smiley face on her crotch was doing its job and making his day so much better.
"Australia is a beautiful country, but America is a better country." she explained. "So far I've liked it better than the others."
Finally looking from her crotch back to her eyes Blaine asked. "You've lived in other countries."
She nodded before taking another sip of her coffee. "I was born in Africa; my mother is Egyptian and my father Tanzanian. When I was two we moved to Amsterdam, and when my parents separated when I was five, me and dad moved to Australia."
"And you've lived there since?"
"I went to Cambridge for college, and then moved to Japan after graduation. I lived there for two and a half years, fell in love, got engaged and then realized I needed to get out of there. So I started to search for a new job, I got in touch with your father and here I am today."
"Wow. Sounds like you've got a lot of stories to tell."
She sighed. "I do. But unfortunately for you I have to go to work, so you won't get to hear them today."
Blaine set down his coffee mug before he told her. "But its Saturday."
He followed her to the front door. "But you're so lucky to have an awesome boss that works on weekends and requires the same from her assistant. So I expect you to go home, shower, get dressed and meet me at the office in two hours."
Walking out the door he turned and looked at her with a pout. "But its Saturday."
"You should have thought about that before you decided not to show up yesterday to meet with me properly. Oh and when you show up at the office it would be nice if you brought something for us to have a late lunch. I'd prefer a salad or a tuna or chicken sandwich, maybe a plain yogurt, and a venti blueberry white tea lemonade. Also a copy of the Wall Street Journal and the newest issue of Cosmo."
"Seriously?"
She looked at him with not a single hint of a smile on her face as she nodded. "Very much so. And you should really get going. Cause when I say you have two hours I really mean one and a half. I expect everyone who works under me to be early or not show up at all."
With that she closed the door in his face.
As he made his way down the stairs Blaine could only laugh to himself. He had no idea who this woman was, and couldn't wait to get to know her and knock her off her high horse. Obviously she didn't know him and his father that well, and he couldn't wait to show her who she thought she was messing with.
When Blaine got off the elevator and stepped into the office holding lunch and Starbucks for him and Ms. Ryklief, as stated by the nameplate on the door of the office he had been hoping for, it was two hours later.
He knocked on her door and heard her tell him to come in.
"Good afternoon." She said as she looked up at him over the portfolio she had been leafing through.
"Yes it is." he said setting everything on her desk. "I get to see you twice in one day."
She grinned. "Yea, but you'll change your mind once I tell you that I'm sending you home."
"You're joking right."
"Nope." she said grabbing her drink and her sandwich. "You're late."
Feeling his temper rise Blaine reminded her. "You said I had two hours."
"And I told you I expected you to be a half hour early. So enjoy you're four day weekend."
Now letting his anger rise to the surface he demanded. "What do you mean four day weekend?"
Unwrapping her sandwich she explained. "Well you decided to take off Friday; you're late today so I'm sending you home. Tomorrow is Sunday, so no one will be here. Then I figured you must not like your job that much so you would really appreciate having Monday off too."
He stared at her. "Who do you think you are?"
"Well, I know I'm your boss, and your neighbor. I know that you're a spoiled little dad's boy who no one has had the balls to stand up to. Luckily I wasn't born with balls, huh?" she smiled at him. "Thanx for lunch. You can leave now."
Furious at this point Blaine left her office, slammed the door and immediately went into his father's office.
His father was seated behind his desk on the phone and held a finger up for his son. He quickly wrapped up his conversation before he hung up the phone.
"Hey son. Wasn't expecting you to be in here on a Saturday. Have you met your new boss?"
Blaine closed his dad's door before he admitted. "She's the reason I'm here on a fucking Saturday and she's sending me home."
"Why would she do that?" Douglas Carmichael asked with a grin.
"She says I was late." He watched his father nod. "And you're just okay with that."
"Just fine."
"How can you let this woman get away with bossing me around?"
His father stood. "I figured it would take a woman bossing you around to straighten you out. I know how much you hate being told what to do by a woman so much that you would start shaping up so that she wouldn't have to reprimand you."
Blaine frowned. "That's a real dick move."
"Oh, and did I mention the best part?" Blaine frowned knowing that it wouldn't be any great news. "She's only twenty three."
That was all Blaine needed to hear to sending him storming out.