Sweep Me Off My Feet

“Yes, and I did, quite a lot actually… the only thing I remember is that the guy introduced me to this drink…”

“Green ghost,” Michael said, and Angela nodded.

“Yeah, green ghost.”

Her smile grew wider.

“Nice to see you again,” she said in a soft voice, and he forced out a laugh.

“Touché.”

They stood there looking at each other before Angela finally broke the eye contact and began backing out of the office.

“I should probably get back to work.”

He nodded.

“And I should probably get to those files,” he said as he looked at her turn around and walk out of the office.

She could feel his eyes on her as she slowly walked towards the stairs and for a moment, she was tempted to stop and look over her shoulder. And she did and regretted that move almost immediately because she found that he was still looking at her. Her cheeks were terribly flushed as she practically ran down the stairs and rushed to her office. When she got there, she sat down and buried her face in her hands wondering what she had to do to take back the last half an hour or at least the last five minutes. Anything to let her reclaim her dignity because as it was, she felt like she had hung herself out to dry. Why the hell did she have to tell him that she was the one he was taking about to whoever was on the other end of the line?

For the next few hours, Angela was just sitting in her office trying as hard as she could to get some work done, get anything done to at least put a dent in her work load, but nothing seemed to get her mind out of the embarrassing valley she had found herself in. It had been two hours since she talked to Michael, but everything about their conversation was so fresh on her mind. She was still lost in her own head when Darlene poked her head into her office for the second time that day.

“You are needed upstairs again,” she said before quickly rushing off, hardly giving Angela any time to react.

She felt her legs get weak and once again, her heart racing. There was very little she could do to calm herself down, but she knew that she needed to do it anyway. She got up and took a long, deep breath before making her way upstairs once again. She found herself slowing down when she got closer to the office but after taking another deep breath, she walked right up to the office and gently knocked on the still open door.

“You called for me?” she asked.

Michael looked up from the file he had been looking at and then got up.

“Yes, do you mind coming in and shutting the door?” he asked, and she nodded reluctantly before she walked in and gently closed the door.

“This is it. This is the end of my career as a store manager,” she thought to herself as she slowly turned around.

Michael began slowly walking towards her.

“I know that we just met… professionally speaking… but I have to say, you are… stunning, Angela Carter.”

Angela felt a wave of relief wash over her, but at the same time, she was unsure of what she was supposed to do next. She wanted to stay there and listen to what else he had to say, but she also wanted to get out of there.

“Say something, please.” Michael’s voice was soft.

“I don’t know what to say. I am just surprised… I guess…”

“Friday was great. I mean, I had not had the freedom to just go out and enjoy myself or even meet new people, but I did and I met you. I don’t regret anything except the fact that I was a little under the influence… but I am clear headed now and I want the clear headed Michael O’Brien to get to know Angela Carter. Maybe over dinner?”

Angela bit her lower lip. It was the only action she could control at that moment.

“Okay,” she found herself saying. “Okay, dinner it is.”

Michael’s eyes lit up.

“Great.”

She walked to his desk and grabbed a pen before she looked at him over her shoulder.

“May I?” she asked. “I just wanted to leave my number since my phone is still downstairs in my purse.”

He nodded.

“Sure.”

She scribbled her number on a piece of paper before she turned around and walked up to where he was.

“Can you meet me at Villa D’Este at eight?” he asked, and she shook her head.

“I’m sorry, Villa D’Este? As in the place people call in to get on a list?” she wondered out loud, and he laughed.

“Don’t worry. The chef is a good friend of mine. So, eight?”

She nodded.

“I’ll see you there, Mr. O’Brien.”

“Michael. Please, I insist.”

She smiled and walked out of the office, feeling a lot better than she had been feeling earlier. She got to her office and called Candy.

“Hey, I need two things. Someone to babysit my son tonight and an outfit good enough for a Michelin star restaurant,” she said when Candy picked up.

“Done and done,” Candy said excitedly.

*****

Angela could hardly recognize herself when Candy was done with her later that evening. Candy had brought her a simple black long sleeved midi-dress that framed every inch of her curves perfectly. She paired the dress with a pair of green heels and her curls straightened out to a soft silky look that cascaded over her shoulders like a black waterfall. The dress might have been more business than flirty which was exactly what Angela was going for. She did not want to look like she was trying a little too much to be this flirty girl. When she got to the restaurant, she felt a lump in her throat as she was led to a private table on one end of the restaurant. She had heard of the restaurant and even driven past it once or twice, but she had never once pictured what it might have been inside. The warm tones of the interior décor, coupled with the soft music were just perfect. She could tell by the envious looks she was getting from the women and the almost perverted glares from the men that the outfit Candy had brought her was doing exactly what it was supposed to do.

“Here we go, ma’am,” the hostess told her before she walked in the room.

“Thank you.”

She smiled at Michael who had stood up as soon as the door to the private room opened. It might have been a small dining room, but it was still bigger than most rooms. Hell, the room was bigger than her own bedroom for sure.

“Hi,” Michael said in a soft voice.

“Hi.”

He walked up to where she was and pulled her chair for her.

“You look… breathtaking,” he said as she sat down.

“You clean up pretty damn well too,” Angela said as she looked at his dark fitting suit.

When he walked back to his seat, the room got a little too quiet and Angela found herself wondering why she was there in the first place. This was not just another man out there. This was a man in charge of her career. This could very well go badly and she could very well lose her job.

“This was a bad idea,” she thought. “This was a very bad idea.”