Finding Meridian Ch. 03

The Beginning of a Bad Day in the Office

Meridian Hayden was sure today was going to be a bad day. Friday's were supposed to be good. First of all looking in the mirror first thing I the morning she looked like she'd been hit in the face, oh yeah she had been. It wasn't too swollen but she wasn't sure she'd be able to hide the black and blue with makeup. Hand prints were on arms where the guy had caught her. She decided to call her old friend Connor. He had moved here recently. Very few people knew her past. She was having a foreboding feeling of something bad happening. Damn I hate this.

"Hey Connor, it's M. I wanted to say hi and I'm having the wonky something bad is coming feeling. I feel it's for me but if you're out and about watch your back; you're the first person that came to mind. Now erase my message and call me silly, miss ya!"

Damn she thought as she was running late to work. Another fight with Ken before work. He believed her when she said she slipped on the stairs. He actually looked like he was going to hit her this morning before throwing a cup of coffee at her during their fight. Her throwing one back was surely going to cause a fight again tonight.

Yeah this marriage is going to work out well; I'll probably hold the pillow over his face with my knees while he is sleeping waiting for his death on our honeymoon. If this is love I need to start eating glass with a shot of drain cleaner afterwards.

The jerking of the hot and smelly subway car brought her back to reality. The man behind her practically ran her over while she was trying to exit. She flew out of the subway car. "Damn it, watch were you are going!" she screamed as she fell on the platform and now her heal was broken.

At least she kept an extra set in her backpack along with a Berretta 92FS fitted with a custom silencer and 3 extra clips were hidden in her purse in the backpack. She had a purse with a fake side shielded from security x-ray machines. It was still a habit to carry it. If her fiancé knew all the guns she had hidden around their flat he would certainly freak out. They needed to talk this weekend.

Am I GI Jane marrying a Ken doll? Great, she thought, just 2 weeks as a new daytime executive assistant to a top Chicago Billionaire and she's late to the office in Chicago. All I want is for him to take me on his desk. Damn it M, get a grip he's your boss and you just need a good lay. Oh shit, I'm not even married and in a relationship not getting laid.

"Whew", she said as she arrived in her office and quickly changed shoes. Everything was set for the new CEO of London, Mr. Logan Tiernay, and new President of London office, Mr. Drake Gaudet, of Benedict Imports. They were expected at 9:30 am. It was 8:40, enough time to check with Mr. Benedict and prepare for the meeting. She walked to Mr. Benedict's office to check on any last minute details.

"Good Morning Marcus, everything is set up in your conference room for the meeting at 9:30. Lunch reservations are confirmed. Both of their flights were on time and they arrived at their hotel without any problem. Is there anything you need assistance with?" she said.

"Good Morning Meridian, sounds like everything is wonderful. I just finished the final details. Can you step in and close the door. I wanted to talk to you for a minute about yesterday" he said.

Shit, this is going to be a bad day, I'm gonna lose my job after yesterday's lust session.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry about getting carried away yesterday. It was entirely inappropriate for me to do that especially with you getting married. I was a cad. I hope you can forgive me and will still stay working for me. I promise to behave myself." There he said it.

He then took a good look at her and realized the bruised cheek that looked like she had been hit. He also thought he saw hand prints on her arms she tried to hide with makeup.

"Yes, you should feel extremely bad about it. (He started to frown) It's not like I launched myself at you and attacked you like a 15 year old. I will accept your apology and add in my own" she grinned and giggled. He started to smile and laughed. He then stepped up to her putting his hand under her chin and turning her face so he could see the bruising on her cheek.

"Ok, I have to ask. You look like you got hit. Makeup is not doing a good job hiding it or the hand print. Please tell me Ken didn't hit you last night."

"Honestly, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me" he said while trying to control his anger. If Ken had hit her he would make sure the guy disappeared and died a violent death.

"Well last night was girls' night out and I was in charge of planning the evening. We went to a bar I picked out and there was a band. Everything was going great when I decided to enter the mosh pit." Marcus raised an eyebrow. She wasn't lying, it had happened before.

"Anyways, things started getting rough and before I was able to get out I got hit in the face. The hand prints were from the lovely guy who dragged me to safety."

Marcus didn't look convinced. "You need to find less dangerous hobbies." Finally releasing her chin and going to sit behind his desk.

"Oh trust me sometimes I can make walking dangerous to me and those around me."

"Your marriage is in 4 weeks correct? Are you excited? Where are you planning your honeymoon?" Marcus asked her.

She crinkled her face like she had eaten something bad. "Yes, the wedding is in 4 weeks. Excited like waiting for a root canal, I'm hoping for glassware since I seem to be chucking most of what we have at him when he opens his mouth. I'm considering a restraining order along with the marriage license. I'm going to make him read it for as his vows. For the honeymoon I am working on rearranging it to a location with a lot of jagged cliffs with sharp rocks below" she said.

Shit, I said that out loud.

Marcus laughed and said "Ahh, marriage and romance. There has to be something worth marrying him for or you wouldn't be, correct?"

Meridian scrunched her face again and thought "Umm, I'm drawing a blank. I will refrain from making any other commends and plead the fifth. I'd prefer to keep you off of the prosecutions witness list in the event of Ken Doll's violent and suspicious demise shortly after marriage. There really isn't enough time to schedule that into your calendar" she laughed.

Damn she is witty as hell. No matter how stressed I am she can make me laugh. She is such a doll with an attitude; I can't even get mad at her when she's late. She's not even pissed or weird after yesterday.

Marcus raised an eyebrow at her and said "Please tell me you really don't call him Ken Doll as in Barbie".

"Only while fighting, which is why I was running late this morning, sorry. Dodging flying coffee mugs makes my escape from the flat aka pit o' hell more complex. Speaking of that would you like some coffee this morning or tea? I seem to have better aim and he's wearing mine. To be honest, I nailed him so hard in the chest with the mug from across the room that he fell off the balcony down into the dumpster below. Luckily for him tomorrow is garbage day to cushion his fall but I don't think Saturday is "turn in your half assed fiancé dumpster day". I had to hurry and get out before he came running after me. " she asked.

Laughing Marcus responded "coffee would be great".

~~~~~~~

Marcus watched her leave thinking "damn if only she were single. Maybe she wouldn't be freaked about me being a vampire, what the hell am I thinking she's engaged".

After she left his coffee, she went back to her desk to finish up work.

Marcus grabbed the phone. "Damon, I need you to do a complete check on Kendall Emerson."

"Yes, sir. Is there anything specific you would like me to look for?"

"Any battery, abuse or the like but include the rest of his background."

~~~~~~~

Both Mr. Logan Tiernay and Mr. Drake Gaudet arrived. She thought she recognized them from the elevator yesterday. She really hoped she didn't. She walked them to Marcus's office.

"Did anyone need anything?" She said looking at them at the conference table.

"We are all set Meridian. Thank you. We'll call you if we need anything." Marcus said to her. She left the office closing the door behind her.

They waited until they could sense she had left the door.

Logan looked at Marcus asking him, "Who the hell hit her?"

"She said she was at a concert that went bad. It could have been the one we were stuck in traffic with. I'm having Damon check out her fiancé." Marcus said hoping they didn't pay any attention to the fiancé part. They just nodded their heads at him agreeing with checking out the fiancé. They both knew better than say something about her having a fiancé. They both knew if her fiancé had touched her it wouldn't take Marcus long to have the guy killed.

~~~~~~~

When it hit 11:30 she went to Marcus's office, knocked and reminded Marcus "Sir your lunch is confirmed for noon and the car will be downstairs in 10 minutes to take you". She helped clean up the table and put away the meeting materials while leaning over the table. Both Logan and Drake gave big grins watching her skirt creep up.

"Thank you, Meridian" Marcus responded.

Marcus started their telepathic conversation "Keep your eyes off my assistant's ass!"

Both Logan and Drake could read Marcus's errand thoughts about having kissed her yesterday.

Logan telepathically said "I only looked at her ass; I wasn't the one groping it yesterday".

Drake said "She is a hotty. If you decide you don't want her, transfer her on over my way".

Marcus growled and said "Back off she's getting married and if that falls through, I'll be the one waiting".

Logan said "Damn, Marcus waiting for woman, she's what 20. You need help planning his demise?" as he chuckled.

"If he hit her there won't be much planning. If he didn't honestly, he might not make it through the honeymoon" he then let them see the conversation this morning regarding the dumpster and vacationing near cliffs with jagged rocks.

"I didn't know they made a Dumpster Ken Doll" Drake said telepathically while laughing.

They all started laughing with both Drake and Logan saying "we really like her".

When he came out and she was finishing a phone call with "Connor" he felt jealousy hitting him especially when she said, Love ya Connor.

"We're headed to lunch, don't stay too late!" Marcus said. Still feeling jealous for her talking to some guy named Connor.

It was Friday so the office closed at Noon. She was only going to stay till 1 pm to catch up on work. Unfortunately the fighting with Ken had been distracting her. Ok the kiss between her and Marcus was still making her head swim. She kept telling herself it was just lust. She remembered that she forgot to tell Ken that the company closed at noon on Friday's during the summer. Damn why was she still lusting after Marcus, he doesn't even know her second life at night.