I picked up what she was saying and started clapping with the rest of them. “Thank you all,” I said as the clapping faded. “Take the day. Go home. Go shopping. Go enjoy the sunshine.”
Again, they looked to Saige. They saw her as the boss, not me. I supposed that should be expected. I looked to her as well, giving her the go-ahead to tell them again.
“Guys, why are you still sitting here?” she teased. “Go on. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
The woman with the kid, Lana was her name, stared at me. “Why?” she asked me.
I shrugged. “Because I wanted to do something nice for you. I wanted to show you all how much I appreciate the hard work you’ve put in. Please, take the rest of the day and spend it however you want.”
“I can’t afford to lose the hours,” she said. “I have plenty of things to do.”
“I’m sorry,” I said and held up my hands. “I wasn’t clear. Take the rest of the day off with pay. Everyone will be paid for the full eight-hour workday.”
That got them excited, but alas, they looked to her once again. “With pay?” she asked me.
I nodded. “With pay.”
Saige grinned and turned to face the people watching us. “You guys heard him,” she exclaimed. “We are all witnesses. Go! Don’t wait for him to change his mind.”
Everyone got up but they looked confused. It was making me feel like I was really a shitty boss. “Have a good day,” I said with a wave.
They made their way out of the conference room with a buzz of conversation following them. Saige looked at me with a big smile on her face. “With pay, huh?” she teased.
“I guess I should have made that a bit clearer.”
“I think you found the honey pot,” she said with a wink.
I leaned over. “I found the honey pot last night,” I said.
She shuddered. “Damn you,” she hissed. “How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Just so easily talk like that. You can make anything sexual.”
I smiled. “I am a sexual man, and you are a very sexual and sensual woman. It’s not much of a leap.”
“What are you doing now?” she asked.
“Like this moment?”
“No. You sent everyone home. Now what?”
I shrugged. I wasn’t sure if this was her asking for sex. I would clear my whole schedule if that was what she wanted. “What do you want?” I asked in a husky voice.
She touched my chest. “I was going to ask you to lunch. Nothing sexual.”
“Bummer.”
“I need to take care of a few things,” she said. “How about thirty minutes?”
“Works for me. I need to make a few calls.”
We went our separate ways. I closed my office door and sat down. I had a bunch of stuff to do, but instead of doing any of that, I called Davin. “Don’t tell me,” he answered.
“Tell you what?” I asked.
“I don’t know. You are calling me in the middle of the day. What did you do?”
“Man, I haven’t done shit. Why do you always assume the worst?”
He was silent for a second. “Do you really want me to answer that?”
“No.”
“All right.” He laughed. “What’s going on? Are you checking up on the bar?”
“Not really,” I replied. “I am going to brag a little.”
“About?”
“I just gave the staff here at the tax firm the day off. With pay.”
He started coughing. “Who is this?” he joked. “Where’s the other guy?”
“Very funny. I told you, I’m bragging. I did a good thing. I rewarded them with a paid day. Half day. That was a good thing.”
“Are you giving me a paid day?” he asked.
“No.”
“What made you do that?” he questioned.
“I don’t know. I guess Saige is wearing off on me.”
He burst into laughter. “That explains it.”
“Explains what?”
“You were moved to do it because you are trying to impress her,” he said. “You are trying to prove you can be good.”
“I am good.”
“You know what I mean. You are trying to prove you aren’t the asshole she thinks you are.”
He was probably right. “She gave me some good advice. I’m taking it. I think it works. They seemed happy. And she invited me to lunch.”
“Wow, afternoon delight,” he joked.
“I don’t know, but I wouldn’t turn her down.”
He laughed. “Of course, you wouldn’t. You’re hung up on this one.”
“I am not hung up on her.”
“Yes, you are. Why deny it?”
“It’s not like that,” I said with a laugh. “You know that is not how I am.”