Chapter 30

The leftover pizza was a bigger hit than soggy cereal for the foursome around the table.

“Do we pick out a bed for Molly or let her choose her own?” Hailey wondered.

“I think we select a style that is going to work with the overall décor,” Katelyn said. “We’re staying here for three or four months but Phil might want to rent this out at some point. I think the bed in the master bedroom is what we’re looking for. We can get three sleigh beds but pick out our own style of mattress. We can grab the bed and box springs for Molly’s room and leave the mattress for her or just get one in the mid-range.”

“We could call her and see if she likes firm or soft,” Hailey said.

“Oh, she likes them firm,” Tiffany cut in. “I prefer mine hard – oh, we’re talking about mattresses. My fault.”

“One of these days I’m going to turn you over my knee,” Phil threatened.

“Yes, please!” Tiffany gushed. “Bare bottom and everything?”

“I told you the little tramp would enjoy it,” Hailey said.

The joking continued until they arrived at the home furnishings store his mother had recommended. Four teenagers wandering into her store didn’t impress the young clerk. She hadn’t noticed the box truck parked out front. She decided to watch them to make sure that they didn’t fuck on the mattresses. Someone had found a semen stain on one that had been delivered a month earlier.

The women walked around and inspected the beds while the male of the group headed to the electronics section to look at wall-mount televisions. He pulled aside a clerk in the section to talk about something and the woman approached the group of females.

“Is there something particular that you’re looking for?” she asked.

“We’re looking for three identical double beds, sleigh style, cherry wood,” Hailey said. “No press wood and no junk. We’ll also need three mattresses and three box springs. These two will select the mattress they want and I’ll pick out the third one. We need things that are in stock.”

“We won’t be able to deliver anything until Tuesday,” the clerk bristled at the woman’s attitude.

“We don’t require delivery,” Hailey said, irked that the woman’s eyes had followed them since they entered the store but it had taken her 10 minutes to walk over to them. “We have a box truck in your lot. All we require is for you to have someone put them in it. That means you have to have them in stock today.”

The beds the women were looking at ran $1,500 each. A mattress and box springs would cost $800 more. These kids didn’t look the type that could drop $7,000 in an afternoon.

“I don’t think we’ll be able to help you,” she said. “Our delivery crew won’t be back until 11 o’clock or later.”

“Very well,” Katelyn said, picking up on Hailey’s irritation. “Phil, we’re done here. This woman apparently isn’t impressed with a $10,000 sale for 10 minutes of work. We’ll find what we need somewhere else.”

The electronics clerk was well on the way to selling three plasma televisions and he wasn’t going to let that go without a fight.

“I’ll call the manager,” he said. “That girl’s an idiot. Give me two minutes and we can work this out.”

“You have until they overrule me,” Phil said. “You should know I don’t get to make decisions.”

The guy laughed and picked up a phone at the counter. He explained what was happening and a moment later an older woman walked out of the back.

“Linda, go back and count stock or something,” the manager said. “Ladies, I understand you have specific needs. How can I help?”

The manager listened to Hailey’s explanation and nodded.

“Phil, I think you can go make that guy’s morning. What are you looking for?” Hailey said.

“TVs for the bedrooms,” he said.

“And a video game system?” Tiffany asked hopefully.

“And a video game system,” Phil said, shaking his head.

“I’m going with Phil,” Tiffany said. “Pick me out something you’d like, Hailey. It’ll be fine.”

She grabbed Phil’s arm and dragged him back to the electronics section and headed to the gaming section.

“We’ve lost her,” Hailey told the amused manager. Katelyn was trying out the different mattresses and selected a nice pillow-top model. When she looked at the price she shook her head and moved to another one.

“Phil said cost doesn’t matter,” Hailey pointed out. He explained that he had set a budget of $25,000 to furnish the apartment and hadn’t spent a penny of it. “If there is something you want, you get it. If I have to call Beth, I’ll do it.”

“This mattress costs $700!” Katelyn said. There were no other patrons in the store, which had opened only minutes before the group arrived.

“Phil, is $700 OK for a mattress?” Hailey yelled. She wanted the clerk in the back to hear the answer.

“How would I know?” he asked. “Does she like it?”

“She likes it,” Hailey yelled back.

“Then get it if she wants it,” Phil told her. “The TVs and video system isn’t included in your budget – but remember we need to get new bedding and some kitchen items.”

“We’ll be fine,” Hailey said. “I figure you’ll have about $15,000 left in your budget.”

“OK,” Phil said as he went back to the electronics clerk. Tiffany was looking over controllers, pulling four of them over to the counter. Hailey saw Phil laugh and ruffle her hair. She smiled at the byplay.

“I’d be more than happy to show you to our kitchenware department when we’re finished here,” the manager said eagerly. “What are you looking for?”

“The works,” Hailey admitted. “We’re setting up housekeeping for our summer internships. We have a large penthouse apartment and we need to furnish everything but the living room and the master bedroom. I have to admit that I’m not well versed in kitchen equipment. We have all the appliances and a microwave. We’re lacking cookware and I think Phil wouldn’t protest a new set of dishes and cutlery.”

“Phil wouldn’t care if we ate on paper plates with plastic forks,” Katelyn interrupted. “We’re not going to need All-Clad or anything like that. We’re college kids and our cooking habits reflect that. We’ll want mid-level pots and pans and a dinnerware pattern we can replace easily if one of them gets broken. Can you help with that if we go top-shelf on the bedroom?”

“I can help with that if you don’t go top-shelf on the bedrooms,” the manager said. The guy had already put $3,000 in purchases on the table in electronics.

“That’s good to know but I think Phil would prefer the bedrooms be upper-level from the outset,” Hailey replied. “We can upgrade the kitchenware as we gain skill. Katelyn, did you like the cherry sleigh bed?”

“I really did,” Katelyn admitted.

“OK, we’d like three sleigh beds with split level box springs,” Hailey said. “One of the pillowtop firm mattresses and two mediums. That should handle things here. If you want to get someone started on that front, I can point him where we want things put. Katelyn can accompany you to kitchenware to take care of that end. Do you have bedding – sheets, pillowcases and the like?”

“We don’t,” the woman said with genuine sorrow. “I can point you to a nice place where you’ll be able to find it, though.”

“Perfect,” Hailey intoned.

Katelyn and Tiffany went to pick out the bedding while Phil and Hailey drove back to the apartment building with the beds. Two young men were waiting in the garage. Phil waved as he got out. They paid him no attention because their attention was fixed firmly on Hailey.

She was wearing a jean miniskirt and a sweater and both teenagers’ eyes were fixed below her waist as she climbed out of the truck – and above her waist as she walked over to them.

Their eyes jerked to Phil when he introduced the two guys.

“This is Alan and Carson,” Phil told Hailey. “They’re Ray’s boys – and my private labor force.”

Alan was 16 and Carson a year younger but both men gulped when Hailey extended a hand in their direction. It was accompanied by a warm smile and Phil wondered if both guys would turn to jelly. He would have understood as Hailey often had the same effect on him.

Hailey directed traffic as the three guys muscled the purchases into the elevator and then into the appropriate rooms. Phil extracted two hundred dollar bills from his wallet and handed them across to Hailey while he finished connecting the television in what would be Molly’s room during the summer – they hoped.

“Give this to the guys for helping us out,” Phil instructed. “They’ll tell you their dad said they couldn’t accept anything from me but make sure they get it anyway. I figure you’ll have better luck than I do.”

Hailey gave him a kiss, pressing her body against him, before walking out in the living room.

She held out the bills and boys shook their head.

“We’re doing this because Phil has always helped out our family,” Carson said. “We can’t take money for it.”

“Doing something nice for its own sake is a wonderful thing,” Hailey admitted. “It doesn’t do much good when you want to take your girl out on a date, now does it? Just go ahead and take it and I’ll swear I stuck it in your jacket pockets without your knowledge.”

“We try not to lie to our dad,” Alan said.

“Also good,” Hailey agreed. “Now will you please take the money or do I have to go to desperate measures?”

“We really can’t take it,” Carson said.

Hailey nodded. She pulled the younger boy into a hug and slipped $100 into his pocket as he reveled in her perfume. She repeated the process on the older brother but he returned the hug enthusiastically.

“I hope a hug will be enough payment, then,” Hailey said as she pulled back. “Thank you both for your help. I’ll make sure we tell your father just how nice you were.”

The boys were blushing as they boarded the elevator, looking at Hailey as she stood in the door as they left.

Phil was standing in the corridor shaking his head.

“I thought you were going to have to tuck it into your bra and let them take it out with their teeth,” Phil joked. “How soon until the others are back?”

“Not long enough!” Hailey said. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss and a cuddle.

“I thought I might show you where you’re going to be working this summer,” Phil said, running his hands over her soft butt after lifting the miniskirt to her waist. She wore a tiny pair of thong panties beneath it.

“Is it nearby?” she asked. She had never been to the headquarters of Barton Holdings.

“Across the street,” Phil said, nuzzling against her hair. Hailey pulled back and took his hand to lead him to the bedroom. He had high hopes about what it might portend but she pulled him past the bed and through the double doors to the deck.

“Where?” she asked.

“Wrong side of the building,” Phil told her. “You can see the top of the building from here. That’s where Mom’s office is but I’ll have to lift you up on the railing if you want to see anything below the sixth floor.”

“OK,” Hailey said. She pulled him back when he started to step over the wooden slats that separated the deck from the edge of the building.

“What are you doing?” she asked urgently. “You could fall!”

“There is plenty of room,” Phil laughed. “Do you think this is the first time I’ve ever done that? The girls and I used to wander across the edge of the building all the time – or we did until we got caught. That pretty much put an end to that.”

“I’ll get behind you and hold your waist so you can see the top of the building,” Phil continued. “Then I’ll come right back across and we can take a few minutes to go check out the building.”

“Let’s just do that,” Hailey said, looking at the edge of the building nervously. “I just found you and I’m not going to let you tumble off the side of the building just trying to impress me.”

They walked across the street and Phil swiped a card at the entrance of the building. There was an armed security guard at the desk. He immediately looked up when the door opened. It took him a second to recognize the owner’s son but he smiled when he did.

“Picking up some things for your mother?” he asked, sliding a clipboard across the counter. “You know the drill.”

“Actually, this is my girlfriend, Hailey,” Phil said. “She’s going to intern here this summer and I thought I’d show her around. Is that a problem?”

“Not at all,” the guy said. “I’ll still need you both to sign in.”

Both affixed their names to the registration sheet and headed to the elevator. Phil punched the number for the top floor as Hailey seemed intent to take in every detail of her first visit to Barton Holdings.

The top floor housed the executive suites. Beth’s office was in the center just across from the elevator but behind a large desk where her gatekeeper sat. Very few people got in to see Elizabeth Barton-Warner without laying out the entirety of their purpose to Elizabeth’s assistant.

Beth had been her father’s executive assistant, a position that had been unfilled since she’d taken over as CEO. The woman outside of Beth’s door had the title of administrative assistant and she had far less authority than Beth had once wielded – but far more authority than almost everyone else in the company.

“This is Bonnie’s desk,” Phil explained. “She’s mom’s A.A. She handles her schedule, takes care of her expenses and generally makes sure that no one tries to monopolize too much of her time. You’ll need to get on Bonnie’s good side. I suspect you’ll be spending a great deal of time with her. I would estimate that she is at least the third most-powerful person in the company, maybe the second.”

“What’s she like?” Hailey asked.

“She’s OK,” Phil told her. “I probably get a pass because of who I am. We had a bit of an issue when she first started. I called for a ride one afternoon and she wouldn’t put me through. I wound up having to walk four or five miles home. I’m not sure what Mom said to her but I’ve never had a problem getting through or my calls returned since.”

Phil directed Hailey to an empty office and opened it with the same keycard that let him into the building. It was empty.

“I figured this is where she’ll put you,” he said. He gestured to a door on the side wall. “That leads to Mom’s office. This was her office when she was Grandpa’s executive assistant.”

“You think I’ll have an office?” Hailey asked with wide eyes.

“I think you’ll need one,” Phil replied. “This isn’t going to be a make-work job. She’s going to expect you to bust your tail.”

He pushed the door open to his mother’s office and gestured Hailey through. She walked through and stopped, turning around and around in the room. There was a huge desk along the near window, with neatly stacked files on one corner. There was a telephone on the opposite side and two comfortable-looking chairs in front of the desk. Hailey saw pictures on the wall and took them in.

There was a picture of Phil that looked like his senior portrait, a wedding photo that showed younger-looking versions of David and Beth Warner, an older man and woman that Beth took to be Phil’s grandparents, and a couple with two blonde girls in the late teens that she suspected was Phil’s uncle, aunt and cousins.

“Wanna do it on Mom’s desk?” Phil asked with a wink.

“Are you crazy!?” Hailey asked before realizing Phil was joking. “Sorry.”

Phil pointed out two chairs and a small sofa in the corner of the office.

“That’s where she meets with people she doesn’t want to intimidate,” he explained. “Those she does want to feel the fear she instills have to meet with her in the biggest conference room at the end of the hall. Let’s lock up and I’ll show you.”

After a trip down the hallway, Hailey walked back into the open office and took a deep breath as she looked around. The thought that this could be her office filled her with wonder.

“I’ll talk her into giving you a small budget to decorate,” Phil said with a wink. “She had it redone into office neutral when she moved where she is now.”

“I don’t need to decorate,” Hailey said, looking around and sitting down behind the desk and rolling the chair forward. She put her elbows on the desk and looked up at Phil.

“Well, Mr. Warner,” she said sternly. “What do you have to say for yourself?”