Hey guys so here is another chapter for you! Also, we have created a new mini-series which is coming today, so look for it!
Mercedes felt her leg shake as she tried her best to quell the nervousness inside her. Carter's appointment went great, and his first new treatment went off without a hitch. He even had more energy.
Everything was working out, except she was growing low on funds. As great as the million dollars was, between paying for his treatments, fixing up the house to accommodate him, and paying his Nurse Jane, she needed to find a job so that she could make sure they didn't go into debt again.
As she considered what job would work for her, she realized that in order to take care of Carter and herself, she needed to make over a hundred thousand a year. Though she had a ton of experience, not many people wanted to take a chance on her.
She had started to feel discouraged, especially since her only options would soon be going back to that auction house or working for Shane. Neither one sounded appealing to her. Then, as she was cleaning out her room, she found Sam's business card.
A part of her wanted to throw it away, but then she remembered how sweet he was; even if he couldn't give her a job, maybe he would give her a reference. So she took the chance and called him.
She didn't get through and just left a message, but the next day, she was surprised to get a callback and was told she had an interview at 11 a.m.
So she got up and helped Carter start his day. The moment Jane arrived, she went to her room to get dressed, though finding an outfit was challenging. She wanted to dress to impress, but considering the last time Sam saw her, she was practically naked.
Settling on a form-fitting white pencil skirt that had black adornments, she paired it with a sleeveless black shirt and a pair of strappy black heels. She opted for minimal jewelry while her hair was in soft waves, falling below her shoulders. She assessed herself in the mirror before figuring she'd done enough, considering it was an interview. She looked and felt both sexy and professional.
As she walked out of her room, she heard Jane and Carter both whistle.
"Hot Mama, are you going to work or out on the town." Jane teased.
"Yeah, sis, you look amazing," Carter added.
Mercedes blushed, rolling her eyes at them playfully. "Thank you both. I will be gone all afternoon, but if you need me, please text me, and I will be here quickly."
Jane shook her head. "Go, we will be fine; you hired me because you know I can take care of your brother."
Mercedes nodded, grabbing her portfolio. "Ok, ok, I know. Have fun, you two."
Mercedes blew her brother a kiss before she left and headed to Sam's office. Once she arrived, she made her way to the top floor, nervously fiddling with her phone. She knew Jane had things under control, but she was still worried.
As she signed in, she walked to the front desk and smiled softly at the man sitting at reception. "Hi, I am Mercedes Jones I am here for an interview with Mr. Evans."
"Hello, Ms. Jones, I am Blaine, Mr. Evans's assistant; he's running slightly behind; once he finishes his conference call, he will be right with you."
"Thank you, Blaine."
Mercedes took a seat, looking down at her nails nervously. Normally, she would call Santana, but she needed to stay focused, and San always found a way to distract herself from the task at hand. Ninety percent of the time, it was needed.
Sam's door opened as she went over the typical interview questions, and he stepped out.
Her breath hitched as she caught sight of him. He stood tall with his broad chest displaying the fitted pinstripe suit. The man was sexy without even trying to be. Their eyes locked, and she stood before Blaine even called her name.
"Welcome, Ms. Jones. If you will come into my office," Sam said, extending his hand.
Nodding, Mercedes followed him and sat in the chair across from him as Sam shut the door.
"I was surprised to finally hear from you," Sam said, taking a seat.
"Finally?" Mercedes asked, confused.
"I gave you my card almost nine months ago."
"Oh, yes, I was getting my brother settled. I had to stay at my dead-end job for a few months while my brother finished the treatment he was on, and then I took some time to be with him while he started the new one."
"And how is he?" Sam asked.
"Great." Mercedes beamed. "He has so much more energy, and I think he's on the mend."
Sam nodded. "Well, that is great to hear."
Mercedes smiled as they looked at each other for a long moment. Clearing her throat, Mercedes sat up straighter. "So I had heard that you were hiring for assistants?"
Sam exhaled deeply. "We were, but unfortunately, the position was filled yesterday."
Mercedes frowned. "Oh…may I ask why I am here if the position has been filled."
Sam smiled. "Well, I have another building about forty minutes from here, and we are looking for a receptionist. I thought you would be perfect for that job."
Frowning, Mercedes shook her head. "Oh, thank you, but no. I can't."
"You can't?" Sam asked, surprised.
"Forty minutes is too far. I need to be on call for my brother, and if something goes wrong, I need to be there right away; forty minutes can easily turn into an hour with traffic, and here I am less than ten minutes away."
"I understand. I am really sorry, and I wish I could help you."
Mercedes offered him a sad smile. "I do, too. The money you gave me helped, but I just…thank you for your time," she said, standing.
"I will keep your application on file, and if anything comes up here, it's yours," Sam said, standing himself. "Here, let me get the door for you."
Mercedes nodded as Sam stood in front of her, and the moment the door opened, everything seemed to go in slow motion. Mercedes saw a beautiful blonde woman standing at reception, with a way too-short dress and hands on her hips. She turned to Sam and smiled.
Then suddenly, Sam's arms were around Mercedes, and he pulled her close. It caught her by surprise, and when Mercedes turned to scold him, he cupped her cheek and kissed her.
And had she been able to feel her knees at that moment, she would have stormed away.
Sam stared at an angry Mercedes, and he didn't blame her. What he did was reckless and horrible, yet his lips still burned from that kiss.
When Mercedes' application came across his desk, he wondered if it was her. Even though they didn't have a position to fill, he wanted to see her again. He didn't know why; he just did.
And when he saw that it really was her, he wished he could fire someone at that moment because the way she lit up a room was intoxicating. And the fact that she was there confirmed his suspicions that she had not returned to the Auction house and she really was just trying to help her brother.
Offering her the job at the other building meant he wouldn't see her often, but he'd still see her and be able to help her out. Yet her reason for not taking it was legit, so he was determined to spend the next few days trying to find a place to put her.
At that moment, he had no intention of touching or kissing her; no, that craziness came from Quinn. He hadn't seen her in years, and the fact that she was standing at reception, looking beautiful, threw him for a loop, and all common sense went out the window.
He was a grown man with a thriving business and more money than he could spend in five lifetimes, yet the moment he saw her, he was that young man heartbroken by seeing her with Biff. The only logical thing to do at that moment was kiss Mercedes. Once he was finished, he would introduce her to Quinn as his fiancee.
Thank God for Blaine, who was able to think on his feet. He ushered Quinn to the conference room, asking to give the love birds a few minutes more. They said they couldn't stop at one kiss. Hell, Sam didn't want to stop kissing her at all.
Once he pulled Mercedes back into the room, he stepped away from her in case she spoke with her fists.
"What the hell was that?!" Mercedes asked him after a few moments of silence.
"I am so sorry, I am so sorry." Sam pleaded.
"I don't know what kind of game you got going on here, but if you think just because you and I met at that auction house, you can accost me!"
"No! No, I promise no. Please, Mercedes, just let me explain."
She folded her arms across her chest. "You have a minute."
"That woman out there, her name is Quinn Fabray. She was my first true love, and I caught her cheating on me. She wanted money and power; I was not the man you see now. I never told her what I saw; I just broke up with her."
"And today was the first time you have seen her since?" Mercedes asked.
"Yeah, and my brain short-circuited. I am sorry. Please let me make this up to you. I can pay you," Sam said and instantly regretted it.
"Pay me? Wow…"
"No. Please, I just meant I could help you. I messed up, and I just…I am not this person. And it's important that you know that."
Mercedes shook her head with a small laugh. "Sam, you were in the room with a practically naked woman, and instead of taking advantage of me, you made me feel safe, and you still saved my brother's life by letting me keep the money. I know what kind of man you are; one thing like this won't change that."
Sam cleared his throat. "We can go tell her the truth right now."
Mercedes looked at him for a moment. "You helped me when all those sick bastards wanted to hurt me. This is the least I can do for you."
Sam looked at her and smiled. "Thank you."
"Now the question is, do you want her back? Still love her?"
Sam shook his head. "No...No, I don't want her, I just… If that makes sense, I want to show her what she missed out on."
Mercedes nodded as she walked over to him and put her hands through his hair. "If you want to sell it, then you gotta sell it," she said as she gently tugged on her shirt and ruffled her hair. Pulling out her mauve lipstick, she put it on, then pulled Sam closer to her with his tie and placed a messy kiss on his neck.
"There. Now let's go."
It took everything in him not to moan at the feel of her lips on his neck; no other woman in his life had ever made him feel this way.
Taking her hand, he led her to the conference room, where Blaine stood immediately. Quinn gave Mercedes the side eye as she looked her up and down.
"I am sorry about that. I didn't expect to see you, Quinn. It's been a while," Sam said, moving further into the room.
"It has, and I see you are doing great for yourself. I always knew you'd be rich." Quinn said, stepping into his space with her hand on his chest.
"I'm Mercedes; we didn't get a proper introduction," Mercedes said, moving between them.
Quinn frowned. "Yeah, the fiancee. How did you two meet anyway?"
"It was at an Auction about nine months ago, and ever since that night, I knew she was the one," Sam said, keeping to most of the truth. "But that's getting off-topic; why are you here?"
"Oh, well, you know Howell Industries is trying to merge with you, and since we know each other, I figured I would come and try to sweeten the deal."
Sam raised an eyebrow. "You work for Carl Howell?"
"I am his business partner and ex-wife."
"Ex? What happened to Biff? I heard you two were engaged a few years back?" Sam asked.
"Checking up on me, Sammy? We were married for about two years, and then I left him."
Mercedes shook her head; it was clear this woman was just looking for the biggest wallet to drain. "So you are twice divorced?"
"Three times, actually, Carl was my third; I guess I was always chasing after my first love. I am currently single, so…just putting that out there."
Sam cleared his throat as Mercedes laughed. "Well, if that first love is Sam, you can just keep it moving."
"I'm sorry?" Quinn said, looking shocked.
"You can keep your sorry, and you can keep it moving. Sam is my fiancee, and I don't plan on letting him go or divorcing him, so…just putting that out there."
Blaine stifled a laugh that he covered with a cough as Quinn gasped. "Well, I never… anyway, I just wanted to invite you to our fundraiser this weekend. You should come, Sammy. It can be fun."
Sam nodded. "If it's an invitation from Carl, I will be there with my plus one, as long as she isn't busy." He said, looking at Mercedes and praying she'd agree to go.
"It just so happens that my calendar is free, so it looks like Sammy and I both will be there."
"Fabulous," Quinn said with a forced smile.