Closing the door behind me, I swallowed my saliva before facing him.
The meeting ended not long ago and now we were currently in his office. When I turned around to face him, my body went still as I found him standing very close to me which was very unusual. His gaze was like lasers.
"Arleen."
"Yes sir."
"It is not only important to know what to do, it is also important to know when to do it."
I slowly nodded because I knew where he was driving at.
However, instead of scolding me there and then, he asked something different.
"What's next on my schedule?"
"You are to choose out of the list of influencers Isaac and Clara selected for the first packages to be delivered to." I didn't hesitate to reply as I had already memorized his schedule for the day.
"Where's the list?" He asked and luckily for me, I already got that covered.
"On your desk."
Without saying another word, he turned away from me and went to his desk to go through it.
What a relief! I thought to myself.
As I got ready to leave, I heard him stop me.
"Come over."
What again? I thought to myself but did as I was told.
Coming to stand in front of his wide desk, I watched him glance over the first page before flipping it over to the next with disinterest.
While he was on the fourth page, he asked another question.
"What time is the grand opening celebration for SNW?"
"By 9pm. That's your last schedule for the day."
"Good. Once I'm done, you'll take this to Isaac and Clara and ask them to pick you a nice outfit from our closet as you are my plus one for the celebration."
I was left speechless for some seconds before reminding him of something.
"You already have a plus one sir."
"And that's you." He stressed on it but I couldn't leave it at that.
"What should I tell Miss Rachael?"
I threw the question at him because I didn't know how I was going to phrase my English in a way that she won't get offended because she had been picked by him some days ago to be his plus one.
"You'll figure it out."
As he said that, he handed me the file but I remained unmoving as I stared at him in shock.
"But…"
"No buts, just do the needful. You may leave."
I blinked several times as I took the file from him.
Was this his way of punishing me for leaving his side? Or was this just the beginning?
Rachael was a rude lady and it was hard to make her understand something, especially this particular one.
May the good Lord help me, I prayed in my mind and left his office.
Once I got to my desk I sat down and took in a deep breath before exhaling because I was going to war.
Picking up the business phone from my desk, I dialed her number and it took some seconds before she picked. It was better to handle her first before going to meet Isaac and Clara.
"Secretary Arleen?" Her voice came through and I felt my heart quiver but I took all the courage in me to speak.
"Good day Miss Rachel, I'm calling to inform that Mr Damion just canceled on you…"
"I'm aware."
"You are?" I frowned because I was expecting her to yell at me or ask for an explanation.
"Yes, is that all?" She sounded bored.
"Yes ma'am."
As soon as I said that, she ended the call and I could tell that she was very annoyed but tried to control it.
Did Damion call her personally? I stared at his office door in amaze.
There were times he acted out of the ordinary and made me forget all my worries.
Getting up, I rushed over to Isaac and Clara's office which was still in the building.
Our company dealt with clothing, shoes and accessories for both genders and Isaac and Clara were in charge of fashion and design because they were good at styling and had a large taste for it.
In no time, I got to the office and Isaac smiled brightly on seeing me.
"He has marked out the ones he want." I announced and handed the file to him while searching for Clara, his partner.
"Where's Clara?"
"She's at the cafeteria."
I made an 'o' shape with my mouth before filling him in on what my boss said.
"Change of plans, Isaac. Miss Rachael is no longer his plus one to SNW's grand opening."
A heavy frown settled on his forehead as he gave me a curious look.
"I'm guessing Mr Damion is planning to go with you."
"You got that right." I nodded and slumped into a nearby couch.
"You should be happy."
Without waiting for me to tell him about the outfit, he was already going through the racks of clothes.
"I should be happy but I have plans," I drawled.
"What plans?" He asked absentmindedly without facing me.
"I need rest."
"Love never rests, my dear. Use this opportunity to win him over."
Isaac and Clara already knew about how love struck I was with Mr Damion. Actually, they found out on their own.
"Something tells me he's aware." I bit my lower lip after telling him that.
"If he's aware and hasn't addressed the issue then this means you're not doing something right." Isaac thoughtfully said.
"And what am I doing wrong?" I wanted to know.
"Are you asking me?"
"Of course, who else? You're the only man in the room." I drawled.
"You should know his taste in women since you're close to him."
My senses came alive at Isaac's words and I slowly sat upright as I gave it a thought. I had never thought about that.
Coming to stand in front of me, he held out a long strappy navy blue corset gown with a large slit at the front.
"This was selected for Miss Rachael but it will suit you more."
"That's not my style."
"Oh darling, it definitely is. Stop being naive and embrace this new path." He urged.
It wasn't my first time being Mr Damion's plus one. I was his secretary so I had the opportunity of going to several events with him but I never dressed out of my comfort zone.
"Are you sure you want to win him over?" Isaac asked in a bored tone as he stared down at me.
"Of course." I answered.
"Then do the needful. For your information, he appreciates women who love to dress up."