Eye Candy (3 page)

“Come on now, Mr. Malone, I know everyone who walks through those front entrance doors. Besides, I overheard her asking the concierge what floor Donaldson and Bradshaw was on.”

By now, Harold was putting the finishing touches on my shoes. He carefully rotated his shining towel over the bridge of my shoes making it pop like a miniature firecracker. He did this with precision as if he was still in the military.

“There you are, Mr. Malone. All shined up and ready to go.”

I looked below to check out his work and found it to be impeccable as usual. By now, he was rolling down the bottom of my slacks.

“So how much do I owe you?” I asked while standing up still admiring my shoes.

“It’s just five dollars for you, Mr. Malone.”

I reached into my pants pocket and pulled out a ten-dollar bill. Then I gave it to Harold and continued my journey to the elevators.

“Thank you, Mr. Malone,” he said with a large grin on his face. “Enjoy your day and give my love to your wife and kids.”

“Will do,” I replied back.

As I moved away from Harold’s workstation, there were two gentlemen who walked up seeking to have their shoes shined. Before I arrived at the elevators, I noticed the sunlight beaming off my shoes from the building’s skylight. It was positioned directly above the center of the lobby and always was an attraction to visitors who came into the building. Of course, the marble tiled floor beneath it received just as much attention too. I passed the friendly concierge and said good morning to her as always. She smiled at me, said good morning also, and then I got on the elevator with a group of people.

I finally made it to the thirty-second floor, where my firm was located, and proceeded out of the elevator. As I walked through the large double-glass doors, which had Donaldson and Bradshaw plastered on the front, I could feel the electricity in the air. The workers in the office were buzzed with energy and seemed a bit more lively than any other mundane Monday morning. As I made my way pass the desks of a few junior designers, I politely nodded and they returned the favor. My well shined loafers walked on the expensive dark tan carpet pointing in the direction to my corner office. I had traveled this route so many times I figured I could do it with a blindfold on by now.

When I reached my destination, there was Jane sitting at her desk which was just outside my office. She was staring at her computer screen as if she was reading something. Jane was like the grandmother I never really had. She was always smiling, neat in appearance, and had the solution to every problem that came up. She had been with the firm longer than I had been and garnered much respect from all the workers.

“Good morning, Mr. Malone. How was your weekend?”

“It was just fine, Jane. What about yours?”

“It was just grand,” she said smiling as I stopped at her desk. “I had my grandchildren over the weekend while my daughter and son-in-law went to Gatlinburg for some time to themselves.

“Oh, really.”

“Yes, we had a great time.”

“So how old are your grandchildren now?”

“Well, Joey is six and Alana will be five later this year.”

“My how time flies,” I stated. “I remember it like yesterday when you were showing me their baby pictures.”

“Yes, I do remember that too. By the way, I know your twins’ birthday is coming up next month. Has your wife decided where their celebration will be?”

“She told me this morning it was Six Flags, White Water, or a traditional birthday party at our home.”

“Well, those choices seem interesting enough.”

“Yeah, the challenge is deciding on which one. Of course, Brandon wants to go to Six Flags and Braylon selected White Water.”

“I see what you mean, Mr. Malone. Trying to get identical twins to agree on the same event can be challenging.”

“So were there any messages for me early this morning?” I asked changing the subject back to work.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, there is just one,” she replied. “Mr. Bradshaw sent out another message reiterating the meeting at eight-thirty in conference room A. He still plans on introducing the new consultant to all the senior designers and specific staff members regarding the revitalization project.”

“Sounds great, Jane. Is there anything else?”

“Yes, but not pertaining to work. It has been a month since you last sent roses to your wife at North Atlanta High School. Would you like for me to send the customary red dozen to her today?”

“That would be perfect, Jane. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

I slightly turned my body and motioned to go to my office which was only a few feet away. Before I could, Jane interrupted me.

“Oh, Mr. Malone, there is one other thing I wanted to discuss with you.”

“Yes,” I said stopping in my tracks.

“I came up with a few ideas for you and your wife’s fifth-year anniversary. I think you’re going to like one of the concepts because it’s different yet original.”

“Jane, you’re the greatest. Let’s talk about it later.”

She smiled and blushed all at once and went back to looking at her computer screen. Meanwhile, I entered my well-cleaned office and took a seat in my plush chair near the window. Outside my window, I saw traffic backed up for miles on I-285 which was normal in Atlanta. Before I could do anything else, in strolled my colleague, Sebastian.

“So, there is the man of the hour I’ve been looking for,” he said calmly walking in and taking a seat on the edge of my desk.

“Well, now you’ve found him,” I said in a confident way. “I assumed you received the notification about the eight-thirty meeting?”

“Yeah, I received the memo from Mr. Bradshaw already. Since we have a few minutes, let me tell you about my gorgeous date this past weekend.”

“Come on, Sebastian,” I said cutting him off. “When are you going to try and settle down?”

“When there are no more beautiful women in Atlanta,” he said proudly. “Seriously, Aaron, maybe when I’m fifty years old.”

“Fifty!”

“Okay, maybe forty-five. And speaking of beautiful women, the buzz around the office this morning is that the consultant Mr. Bradshaw hired for the revitalization project is a knockout.”

“Yeah, that’s what I heard already too.”

“Well, that shouldn’t matter to you one bit,” he said standing up. “You’re happily married, right?”

“That’s right, Sebastian.”

“Good,” he said straightening up his tie. “That will leave more room for me to get better acquainted with her.”

“There you go with your antics again.”

“Anyway, Aaron, your plate is full even if you weren’t happily married. You’ve been assigned one of the biggest projects in our firm’s history, the twins’ birthday is right around the corner, and your fifth-year anniversary is in two months.”

“Exactly.”

“Oh, come on Aaron, you’re so close to mastering the five-year itch and you don’t even know what to get your wife for the big anniversary.”

“The five-year itch,” I said inquisitively. “What’s that?”

“They say if a married man can go the first five years of marriage without cheating, then he never will.”

“Well, leave it to a single man to come up with something like that. So, what do you suggest I do for my wife on our fifth-year anniversary?”

Before Sebastian could give an answer to my question, the phone which sat on my desk disturbed our conversation. There was a sweet and kind voice on the intercom.

“Mr. Malone are you there?”

“Yes, Jane.”

“I just wanted to inform you your eight thirty meeting starts in five minutes.”

“Thanks, Jane. We are on the way out.”

Sebastian and I put our manly conversation on hold as we made our way to conference room A. The conference room which could hold almost fifty people was located on the floor below us. We opted to take the stairs instead of dealing with the busy elevator.

When we arrived in the conference room, the place was buzzing with noise as everyone greeted their colleagues. I scanned the room which had a large rectangular cherry table placed in the middle of the floor. There were comfortable looking chairs on each side of the table as well. From the large windows, we had a panoramic view of Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, and even Alpharetta. Since the meeting was only for senior designers and upper management within the firm, there had to be at least thirty people already sitting at the table. We took our seat at the far end of the table. On the opposite end, at the head of the table, sat Mr. Bradshaw. To his right was his CFO, Mr. Black, and next to him was a very beautiful woman.

“Alright everyone,” said Mr. Bradshaw in his distinctive voice standing up as the crowd went silent. “Let’s begin the meeting since everyone is here now. As you all may know I’m Thomas Bradshaw the CEO and owner of this prestigious architect firm Donaldson and Bradshaw. Today, I’ll be disclosing the full plans for the General Motors assembly plant revitalization project you all have been waiting for.”

As Mr. Bradshaw gave his introduction speech, he naturally commanded attention. He was a very confident man yet brash when he had to be. Albeit, he received respect from everyone within the architect and financial world. This tall man with many years of experience and knowledge was dressed in a grey lightly-visible pin-striped suit which was obviously tailored-made. He even had the perfect color pocket square to accentuate his tie and shirt. He briefly talked about his humble beginnings and how his great-grandfather started the company on drive and determination after immigrating to the US from England in the nineteenth century. It was your classic rags-to-riches story which I had heard before but I listened with enthusiasm.

“Well, enough of my story and how the firm was started,” he said. “Now the items you all have been waiting for. It gives me great pleasure to announce that Aaron Malone will be spearheading the revitalization project as the lead designer. Aaron, please stand up.”

As I stood up, everyone in the room gave me a big congratulatory clap and it was well deserved. I had worked diligently since joining the firm and now all my hard work was paying off. As I smiled and raised my right hand as a gesture of thanks to the crowd they continued to clap. It seemed as if I had won some type of award or prize. After the clapping had ended, I took my seat.

Now ladies and gentleman,” began Mr. Bradshaw still standing at the head of the table. “Please give a warm welcome to the consultant I have assigned to the revitalization project as well. I introduce to you, Ms. Tiffany Towns.”

Right on cue, Tiffany stood up, smiled politely, and greeted the room full of eager on-lookers. The crowd’s claps were almost noticeably louder than when I stood up. Her body was well-defined and chiseled. And on top of that, she was drop-dead gorgeous.

“Well, looks like you’re going to have your hands full with that pretty young consultant,” whispered Sebastian in my ear.

“Quiet Sebastian, let’s hear what she has to say,” I whispered back to him.

Mr. Bradshaw took his seat while Tiffany addressed the wondering crowd. She briefly explained her educational credits such as her undergraduate degree in engineering from Georgia Tech and a master’s degree from Stanford propelled her consulting career. Her biggest achievement included consulting on the development of the Palm Islands in Dubai.

“Well-educated, experienced, and looks to kill for,” whispered Sebastian in my ear again. “Hope you’re not easily intimidated by all that talent and beauty rolled up into one.”

“Not a chance,” I quickly responded back to him. “Besides, it’s not a competition, we’re working together.”

By the time Tiffany finished her speech the participants within the room were quite impressed. That’s saying a lot since there were many designers with years of experience under their belts. Before she sat down, Mr. Bradshaw rose to his feet and thanked her. The crowd clapped again one final time. Then Mr. Bradshaw adjourned the meeting as he had a video conference scheduled from his office in a few minutes. He suggested to everyone that they take this opportunity to familiarize themselves with Tiffany. Mr. Black left right behind him.

Sebastian and I stood up as my colleagues came over and continued to congratulate me. Everyone else gravitated towards Tiffany. I decided to break away from my circle of friends and make a warm greeting to her. Nevertheless, before I could make a move, I noticed she had excused herself from the small crowd near her and was making her way over to me.

“Hello Aaron,” said Tiffany with a million-dollar smile and extending her right hand to me.

“Hello Tiffany,” I replied back shaking her soft hand. “It’s finally a pleasure to meet you.”

“Actually the pleasure is all mine, Aaron. I’ve heard so much about your work. Your reputation precedes you exceptionally well.”

“Why thank you. Your credentials are quite impressive at the least. I look forward to our working relationship.”

“As am I.”

“Ummm,” mumbled Sebastian as he motioned for me to introduce him.

“Oh, by the way, this is my good friend, Sebastian. He is one of the senior designers here at the firm.”

“Nice to meet you, Sebastian,” Tiffany casually said.

“Nice to meet you as well,” exclaimed Sebastian as the two exchanged handshakes.

“So how are you transitioning back to Atlanta again?” I asked Tiffany turning the conversation towards us.

“Very slowly,” she said. “So much has changed since my college days here. But, I still love Atlanta.”

“So where are you staying?”

“I’m staying in temporary corporate housing at the Twelve Hotel in Atlantic Station.”

“That’s interesting.”

“Yes, I know you were one of the contributing designers for the hotel.”

“So, I see you’ve been doing your homework on my past achievements.”

“It’s always good to know who exactly you’re working with,” she stated in a bold tone. “I see you’re married also.”

“Happily married with kids,” I said raising my left hand and looking at my wedding band.

“Well, you gentleman enjoy the rest of the day. I’m going to mingle a bit more with some of your colleagues.”

Tiffany departed from us and formally introduced herself to a few senior designers waiting to speak with her. When she was out of our hearing range, I finally spoke to Sebastian.