The Brothers Drakos ~ Book 1

8 - Why We Love Mondays

Getting up for work on Mondays was possibly the feature in daily life that Rayne disliked most. It wasn’t really what her occupation was or even the coworkers, it was just her boss. Monday was evidently a genuinely hard day for him as well because he was always more drunk than any other day of the week. The little Rayne knew of Josh was his philandering caused a divorce and custody of his kids to the ex-wife. No one wanted to be with him longer than a day and it was very likely all he did was sit and drink all weekend, alone in his house.

Rayne decided on black capri slacks and a simple round V-neck blouse with variations of flowers and swirls of color and her favorite wedge sandal.  Comfortable but business casual as required. Her hair was a perfect straightened bob again and her makeup was light and subtle with dramatic attention to the eyelashes and liner. It made her eyes sparkle without the need to display tons of other makeup.

Pulling into the office the askew angle Josh’s truck was parked in its space told Rayne everything she needed to know. He had not slept much and was still entirely intoxicated. This was no different than most other Mondays in the few years she had been working there. The door was locked so she had pull out keys to enter. This might seem like nothing to anyone else but if he was there, parked crooked and the door is still locked… he was asleep on his couch and it was not going to be a good day.

“Well nice of you to show up on time Rayne.” His words were slurred and indistinct.

She looked at the clock on the wall as she walked in, Seven minutes past Seven. Technically she was twenty-three minutes early and this morning she was not in the mood to be put down. There was little sleep and when slumber happened the only dreams were of Dimitri and Darius. She knew denying what that meant in her heart and soul was futile but for now, she would ignore it and move on with life as best possible.

“I am early by twenty-three minutes actually. Did you need me here starting at seven from now on?”

“You are not early! My workday starts at Seven, you should be here.”

“Well my employment offer says 7:30 to 1:30. If that is going to change, I need a new employment offer. Let me know when it is ready.”

“Mouthy and disrespectful today I see. Careful pet, you might need to be nice to me so your job stays intact. You are on very thin ice as it is.”

“Thin ice for what Josh? I cover for you; I take all your insults and I do all the work around here so you can sleep the drunkenness off or get laid in your office. I don’t want to lose this job but there are moments like this I would rather work fast food and make nil, than deal with you.” She stopped and realized this was where she had been trying not to get to.

“Well perhaps you should just go back home. Insolate child, I hold any hope of your job being available and will not be spoken to in such a manner!”

She just stood there unable to move as she was pretty sure the next move would be a severe punch to the throat. It had been a trying stressful few days. Beyond losing her temper more times that she liked to count, the very thing she was looking for to be happy was held between two very different men that she couldn’t stop thinking about.

“Fine.” She said heading for the door.

“Wait, you would just quit and leave? How would that look on your resume?”

She just stood there turning to look at him. The thought of throwing things or telling him off was present but she really did need this job for the time being.

“I think my resume would be fine as long as I list the reason why I left.” She said flatly.

“Perhaps we are all having a bad day. Let’s start over and you can get to work. But I suggest you cover up that hickey on your chest. It is very unappealing to see and quite incomprehensible that someone would want you that much.”

That was it. She couldn’t take it anymore. Looking down she realized her purse was pulling the V-neck off kilter and there was indeed a small hickey on her upper right breast area. Damn Dimitri. Setting her belongings on the desk, Rayne retreated with her phone to the ladies room and tried to stop the tears from falling. She knew she wasn’t the hot model type but to say no one would want her was so malicious. She did have men that wanted her, two of them in fact. Asshole. Her breaking point was nigh. Calling Marcos was the only course of action that might stop this downward spiral as Billee was already work.

“Hey lovely! How are you? Aren’t you working today?

“Yes.” The tears starting flowing.

“Oh no, what is wrong Rayne?”

“I came to work and he said…” was all that could escape her lips through the sobs.

“Calm lovely, Calm. Take a deep breath and tell me. I am going to sit here and eat my cereal while we hash this out. Do I need to come get you?”

She took a moment and looked up at the ceiling. A few deep breaths later and several released sobs, Rayne gained some sort of stillness. Recanting everything that had happened since the party, without a detail missing, Rayne told Marcos everything.

“And then he said he was surprised anyone wanted me in a s*x way. I get I am not the top model or anything but I am not that bad.”

“Actually lovely you are very aesthetically pleasing. I should know, I have seen you for years in all manners of mood and time. Even Brayden believes you are the most gorgeous woman he has seen at the House of Drakos in a long time. And he likes men and women love. One stupid drunkard shouldn’t define who you are and how you feel about the beauty I see all the time. Can I come punch him?”

She laughed a little at the serene demeanor and question about hitting her boss. As much as that idea appealed to Rayne, she needed this job for a while longer until this last semester of school was over. Two more months, two classes and then she was free.

“No I will survive. I just knew it would be never ending today and I had to handle it before I walked away and lost my job. I love you for listening and helping me work through this morning.”

There was a loud crash in the other room and Marcos turned to look. Not seeing anyone he figured one of the brothers just bumped or dropped something in the office. He had stayed with Brayden and House Drakos for longer than he ever stayed with anyone else.

“Alright lovely I will be over about 9 a.m. in the morning and crash there until Wednesday. I can not wait to set up this shoot and finally have the body model I longed for in my art. You call me if you need anything. Got me?”

She nodded as she spoke, “Yes Marc. Thank you. I love you so much.”

“That is because I am amazing and quite witty lovely.” He laughed and hung up the phone.

Composing herself and check mascara run off, Rayne exited the bathroom to find Josh gone and his office door closed. Peace and quiet finally. Rayne sat down to assess the weekends expenditures, invoices, proposals and try to finish up early.

~~~~~

The emergency room was surprisingly empty. Dimitri rarely, if ever, had reason to go to a doctor, let alone an emergency room. Unfortunately today he was fearful that hitting the wall in his office broke his hand.  Of course the one place that his fist went through the wall there was a large pipe and stud. His knuckles were severely swollen and it was extremely difficult to even move three of his five fingers.

“Can I help you sir?”

Dimitri held up his hand to the check in counter girl. She grimaced and asked for his insurance card and driver’s license. Handing her his license she nodded at his indignant facial expression. Calling to the back a chart was ready, after roughly five minutes of typing.

“Well Mr. Drakos, we should really stop running into one another like this.”

Dimitri looked up from his phone to see Billee standing before him with a chart in hand. She was in deep teal scrubs and her hair in a messy bun.  Her smile was almost glowing and the matter of fact look on her face was telling. Showing Dimitri back to the triage room, she took his weight, height and proceeded to ask him the typical medical questions and then some.

“Weight and height are good. Blood pressure is 110/72 and heart rate is 65. You are very healthy sir. Any history of cancer, high blood pressure, treating women you want like s**t?”

Dimitri’s gaze pulled up to look at Billee. “I don’t think that is one the sheet nurse.”

“Well, I am in charge at this moment and I want to know the answers to my questions. Are you planning on dragging this out and making her miserable? If you want to be with her will you actually treat her like an intelligent person and not your s*x toy. I mean I can’t say being your s*x toy wouldn’t be an interesting time but honestly, she is hurt by your words. I am unsure how someone like you apologizes or fixes things but unless you want me to cut off that hand and kick your ass, you need to figure your s**t out.”

Looking at his hand she pushed on it lightly. His gaze at her was intense and her orders to do something really aggravated him but the love she used when speaking about Rayne made him think.

“Looks like we need an x-ray. I will give the doctor my findings and he should be in shortly.”

Billee went to leave. “Look Billee, I am a damaged, broken man in many ways and my control fixation is too keep me sane and on target. Rayne is that oddity that comes along almost never and she is vexing me. I don’t do love or happy endings. I damn sure don’t submit to a woman and her needs.”

“That’s funny Mr. Drakos, from where I am standing you submitted to her the day you couldn’t keep your hands off her and kept coming back for more. I will get the doctor now.” She walked out and shut the door.

His hand was throbbing and he didn’t want to deal with things that were currently happening but Billee made one point he couldn’t argue with, he wanted Rayne.

After a quick visit, an x-ray, and the decision that his hand was not broken just severely bruised, Billee came back with paperwork to sign.

“Just need to sign this paperwork and pay on your way out. Here is a script for pain meds and you need to rotate ice a few times a day.”

“I can’t love her.”Dimitri said.

“Also you might want to refrain from use of the hand and not punch anything else.”

“It isn’t possible.”

“Sign here please.” Billee said flatly.

“Dammit Billee you wanted something from me, this is what I have.”

“Ok so you can’t love her, then what? You will f**k her and spank her and let her make you breakfast while there is no hope of you feeling anything for her? How fair is that?”

Her words were blunt and cutting. He had emotions, especially ones that didn’t heal. But love wasn’t in his nature and he wouldn’t ever let someone that close again. He couldn’t. Could I?

“I don’t need to explain myself to you but I will give you my word. I will not harm her and I will try to keep it so she is happy with me. That is all I have.” He look at his watch notating the time, 9:51 a.m. and he had already showed more reaction because of a woman than he cared to admit. Dimitri needed to spank her, touch her, taste her, and find his way inside Rayne and soon. It seemed to be such a necessity; it was presently all consuming.

Billee nodded and put up an open hand to lead him to the front. She knew that he was severely marred, it was easy to see but something was screaming that Rayne might be his savior.

~~~~

Looking at her computer clock she realized her stomach was growling from lack of food that morning and the fact that it was 11:25 a.m.  Lunch was calling her but she had thirty-five minutes to wait before lunch could commence.  Josh was a stickler for her being there until he left for lunch.

“Have you gotten anything done today or are you still wallowing because I laid out the truth for you? You performance evaluation is due next month but perhaps we should take a look at it this week.”

The front door to the office opened and what walked in would have made anyone’s jaw hit the floor. Beyond him through the glass double front doors, the hot blue Aston Martin was parked acutely in sight. The suit he wore fit like a glove. Navy pants and jacket had been tailored to perfection fitting his form in perfection. Long square-toed leather shoes in coffee brown and a belt to match gave the outfit a finished feeling but it was the fitted silk shirt in white and maroon silk tie that elevated it his look from smart to f*****g sexy. Dimitri’s hair was neatly tied back and his face was stern with purpose.

“Can I help you sir?” Josh sloshed out, sounding a bit intimidated.

“I am here to see Joshua Bengles. We have some business to discuss.”

“Well I am only seen by appointment but I am Josh.”

Rayne looked at Dimitri and back to her boss. She was sure this had something to do with what she mention in anger previously.

“Well I assure you with the amount of money we spend with PMMI, I don’t need an appointment.”

“Well it is lunch time, so perhaps we can meet tomorrow? Mondays are very busy for me and…”

“Well Mr. Bengles, since my brother and I spend millions with you annually, I think lunch can wait. But where are my manners. I am Dimitri Drakos.” He extended his hand to Joshua but didn’t step closer. Causing Josh to have to walk to Dimitri. Ever the control freak.

Her bosses face went white as he shook Dimitri’s hand. “Well this is an honor Mr. Drakos. Please come into my office and…”

“No thank you I prefer this conference table here. Now, first I need a year’s worth of invoices with detailed charges, rate change percentages and all original purchase orders with detail lists of rate changes.”

“I…I can’t have that for you on the spot.”

Dimitri looked at Rayne and walked overextending his hand. “I apologize…for my rudeness and lack of politeness. I am Dimitri.”

Rayne was lost for a moment. She looked from Josh to Dimitri and smiled. “Rayne Mills. I can get you the reports in about ten minutes if you have the time to wait?”

Josh’s face went flush with anger and he walked towards Rayne with irate facial expression. “Rayne, I don’t think you have the capacity to understand all that Mr. Drakos is asking.”

Dimitri clenched his good hand into a fist. “Thank you, Miss Rayne. I will happily wait.” Turning to Joshua and stepping closer he said with a clenched jaw. “I am unsure who taught you how to speak to a woman and employee that works for you but I assure you that ridicule and talking down is never the right thing to do. No man should ever forget that his woman or employees or any human being deserves to be conversed in such a degrading and dispassionate manner.” Dimitri said glancing to Rayne for a millisecond.

Was that just an apology? Holy s**t! He does actually feel something for me. Rayne tried not to smile as she typed in the necessary information to run the reports Dimitri needed.

Sitting at the conference table for nearly twenty minutes on video chat with Darius they came to the conclusion that not only had I been correct they were getting ripped off but it was for much more than a few million annually.

“Can we see when and how these highlighted charges were input and rate updated by which personnel?”

Joshua was sweating profusely at this point. Rayne honestly was enjoying every minute of it. She sat and typed quickly to access the information. Dimitri rose and stood over her shoulder leaning down so his breath was on her neck. Her hand was shaking as she tried to bring up all the information in one report.

“I apologize this is taking a bit longer but I am filtering out what you don’t want and creating a custom report. I am almost done.”

“You have nothing to apologize for Miss Rayne. I have the patience needed to wait for this information. I should be the one that makes amends it seems, I mean…taking you away from your regular workday.” He kept his face straight but inhaled her scent deeply.

Pointing to the screen, “If you look here, there are about ten of the charges in question, they were all originally charged at the standard rate but changed a few weeks before the due date with “industry rate increases”. It seems they were all authorized and changed by the same person.”

Dimitri stood back up and straightened his jacket and tie. Grabbing the report off the printer he began to pack up his things. “Well Joshua it seems we will need your board, your boss and you on Thursday at our office to sort this out. I suggest you make that happed or we will pull all our contracts from your company and to date that will cost you close to a 30-million-dollar loss.“ He handed Josh his card and grabbed all reports and computer from the conference table.

“Miss Rayne, thank you kindly for your assistance and to be sure we will get all the answers need, I require you at the meeting on Thursday as well.” With that final comment he nodded at Rayne and left the office.

Joshua went running into his office and shut the door.  There was some screaming and loud explaining on the phone, along with cussing. Rayne smiled and grabbed her purse to leave for the day.

Guess Monday’s aren’t too bad after all ! She thought to herself musingly.