Business and Pleasure (10 page)

Besides
, I think, dismissing all
thoughts of the meeting and Davidson’s odd request,
I can’t
dwell on this right now. I need to work
. I pick up a manuscript
and begin reading; hoping the story is good and it’ll distract me…
at least for a little while.

*****

Again, luck is on my side, and the
manuscript drew me in and held me there. Before I know it, two
o’clock rolls around, and I need to leave soon. I’ve been reading
and editing all day, and my eyes feel like they’re crossed
permanently.

I lean back against the chair, tip back my
head, and close my eyes for a few minutes. On the way out, I decide
I’ll stop by the ladies’ room and throw some cold water on my face.
Maybe that’ll help a little.

I rest my bleary vision as long as I can,
and then I gather up my purse and cell phone, say good-bye to
Natalie, and then head for Neo Corp.

As I walk, I ponder the meaning of today’s
meeting. Earlier, I shot off a quick email to John Davidson, asking
him for more information, but I never received a response. No
matter how hard I try, I can’t think of a likely reason to call an
impromptu meeting, and after a while, I decide not to worry about
it. After all, I’ll know soon enough.

Before I reach Neo Corp, I stop off and grab
another latte. My headache has finally ceased, and my dry mouth is
gone. The latte will work as an afternoon pick-me-up, one I have a
feeling I’m going to need, in order to deal with whatever is coming
at this meeting.

I walk into the gigantic conference room,
where I find every one of Neo Corp’s board members —and I do mean
every
one
of
them
—sitting there, and
after a moment, it becomes obvious from the way they look at me
that they’ve been waiting on my arrival. People sit jam-packed
around the enormous oak conference table, while others stand lined
up against the walls. My seat still sits empty, so I sink into the
chair and wait, along with all the others, to see what Mr. Davidson
has to say.

“Good afternoon, everyone.”

Well, doesn’t he look sharp today, in his
blue Armani suit
?

“I’m glad to see all of you here. There have
been a couple changes made since yesterday that I feel the need to
share with all of you. First of all, as all of you know, we lost
our dear friend and fellow board member Jackson Smith a few days
ago. He decided it was time for him to retire.”

What
?
When did this happen
?
Why wasn’t I made aware of this
?

“We’ve been searching for the ideal
replacement for him, and now, I believe we’ve found one. Everyone,
I would like you to meet our newest board member, pending a vote,
of course…Mr. Robert Barnes.”

What
!
Bob
?
No fucking
way
! I find myself overrun with shocked anger that drives me to
my feet in a fit of rage.

“No! There is
no
way
I will
allow this man to be a board member! No!”

John’s eyes go wide and he looks shocked.
“What’s wrong, Elizabeth?”

I ignore John’s question, and instead, I
focus my attention on Bob. “You’ve got a lot of nerve; you know
that? I catch you red-handed trying to sabotage my publishing house
and I run you off, so what do you do? You come here and try to
meddle in the affairs of my parents’ company. What the hell’s your
problem? Why don’t you go find someone else’s company to mess with,
and leave me and mine alone?”

“I don’t know what you are referring to,
Elizabeth. I let certain people know that I was looking for a job,
and Mr. Davidson, here, jumped at the chance to work with me.”

My hand itched to smack the smirk off Bob’s
face, but I held my temper and turned to address Davidson. “John,
you
can’t
be
serious
.”

“Elizabeth, he’s a perfect candidate for
this position, but like I said, it’s still up for a vote.”

“Then I know what my vote will be.”

“As is your right.”

“May I remind all of you that I still own
fifty-one percent of this company? If I want Robert out of here, I
will get him out.”

Mr. Davidson’s expression switches from
placating to pissed. “You do not have to remind us of that, Ms.
Hamilton.”

“Good.” I say, albeit grudgingly. What I’d
really
like is to run Robert Barnes out of here after
putting a foot up his ass, spiked high heel and all.

“Alright then let’s continue this meeting on
Friday, when we will take a vote and make our final decision. Good
day.”

I stride out of that meeting too furious to
speak. My face is probably blood red, because it’s burning hot. How
dare Bob try to butt in on my parents’ company? If he’s looking for
revenge, he’s on the right path. He has to know how pissed he’s
made me, and he’s probably loving every minute. Too bad his
happiness over my displeasure won’t last long. I’m more determined
than ever to put that man in his place. Over at Hamilton, they’re
still going through his computer files. It’s time to kick things
into high gear. I dig my cell out of my purse and call Guy in our
IT department. I let him know I need every single bit of info from
Bob’s computer. I’ll need the name and topic of content for every
file—along with every email he has sent or received in the last six
months—sent to me as soon as possible. Like, yesterday, since I’ll
need time before Friday to sift through everything and see what’s
there. Once I make Guy understand the urgency of his mission, and,
as an afterthought, ask him to keep an eye out for anything that
might be even remotely incriminating, I hang up. I’m just about to
drop the phone back into my purse, when the darned thing starts
ringing. I glance at the display screen.
Alex
. He’s probably
wondering how everything’s going today.

“Hello, Alex,” I say, forcing a cheerful
note into my voice.

“Hello, beautiful. How was your day?”

“Ha! If you only knew. The past few hours
have been downright insane.”

He doesn’t speak for a moment, as if he’s
absorbing my statement and planning his own response, then he says,
“I’m coming to pick you up. Where are you?”

“I’m almost home.”

“Okay. Stay there; my driver and I will be
at your place in twenty minutes.”

“Where are we going?” I don’t much feel like
going out, so I hope he won’t mind if I decline any plans he might
have for a date.

“To my place.”

“Oh. Good.”

I breathe a sigh of relief, but then he
chuckles, and I realize how what I just said must sound and I groan
inwardly.

“I’m glad the idea pleases you,” he says. He
follows with another chuckle, and then disconnects before I have a
chance to respond to his teasing.

But I’m actually only a little embarrassed.
I’m too busy being excited.
His place
!
Oh, my God
! Am
I ready for this? He came to my place, so it’s only logical he
would want to take me to his, I suppose. The second I get home, I
run to my bedroom to shower and change. I wonder if he plans on
having me spend the night. If so, I should take an overnight bag,
but he didn’t say anything, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to ask,
so I won’t even worry about it.

I throw on a loose, floral print skirt with
a matching blue top and strap on some blue Jimmy Choo heels. Before
I know it, Alex is downstairs, buzzing me over the intercom.

In the downstairs foyer, I talk into the
speaker on the wall near the front door. “I’ll be right down.”

Laughter from behind me draws my attention,
and I spin around.

“Well, well, sister dear. What are we
rushing off to? Or should I say
who
are we rushing off
to?”

“I have had one hell of a day, Becca, so I’m
going over to Alex’s to hang out with him for a while.”

“That’s fantastic! You know, if I’m not
mistaken, this is the first time you’ve ever gone to a man’s house.
You must really like him.”

I sigh, unable to completely hide my
annoyance at her meddling. It’s not that I don’t love my sister or
that I think it’s totally none of her business, I just want a
little time for me—time to figure things out regarding my
relationship with Alex—before I attempt to explain it to someone
else. “I might like him. Anyway, don’t wait up.”

“Oh, I won’t.”

I run out the door, feeling as if I can’t
get down the elevator fast enough. Why am I so excited? I mean,
this isn’t a first date, and so what if it’s the first time I’ve
ever gone to a man’s house…an apartment is an apartment, right? So,
what’s the big deal?

There’s the big deal, I think, as the doors
open and I see Alex standing there. He’s the big deal. My
excitement has nothing to do with going to his place…I just can’t
wait to be with him…no matter where we go or what we do.

Alex smiles, leans in to kiss my cheek, and
then takes my arm to escort me outside, where he left his long,
black M3 parked at the curb. He must have a preference for black
cars, like I do. I’ve always thought they help you blend in…retain
your anonymity. Alex looks stunning, as always, this time wearing a
black, Jay Kos suit with a white shirt and a black and white tie.
He looks delicious.

“Good evening, Ms. Hamilton,” he says, once
we settle inside the car.

“Good evening, Mr. Preston.”

He takes my hand and pulls me close to sit
right next to him. He’s so close; I can feel his breath on my
neck.

“I’ve missed you today,” he says. “Maybe I
can get you to relax a bit tonight.”

My heart’s racing. “That sounds lovely. I’ve
missed you, too.”

He dips his head and kisses my neck. Every
muscle in my body grows tense. Why do I react like this?

“I love how you respond to me,
Elizabeth.”

There he goes again, reading my thoughts.
His close proximity has me catching my breath.

“Calm down, baby. We have all night. I can’t
wait to have you all to myself at my place this time.”

My heart is now pounding, thumping against
my ribcage. I’m totally focused on Alex, on what he might have in
store for me tonight. I’ve almost forgotten everything that
happened today. Almost. We pull up to the Trump International
Towers, and I shake my head. Of course…where else would Alexander
Preston live? As we ride up in the elevator, Alex takes my
hand.

“I would take you right here and now if I
could, but unfortunately, we’ll have to wait.”

I’m sure my palms are beginning to sweat,
but he doesn’t release my hand as we step off the elevator and walk
down a short hallway to the door to his place. He unlocks the door
and steps aside, allowing me to enter before him. My first
impression is that it looks like a miniature palace. The living
room, which we enter first, is pristine, not a thing out of place,
and if I didn’t know better, I’d say no one lived there.
Floor-to-ceiling windows just like mine line the wall, but he has
solid black furniture with gray accent pieces. There’s a circular
fireplace in the middle of the living room, which I find
makes
the space. Talk about romantic.

Alex leads me over to a cute little dining
area, although I guess “cute” is an odd way to describe something
so exquisitely decorated. The glass table is situated right in
front of the window that overlooks Central Park, and a huge
chandelier hangs above. The chairs are white, in direct contrast to
all the dark furniture in the living room, which defines and helps
separate the rooms.

“I hope you’re hungry, Elizabeth. I had my
cook prepare dinner for us.” Alex nods toward a man standing near
an archway leading into the kitchen. “Joseph, this is Ms. Hamilton.
Elizabeth, please meet Joseph.”

At Alex’s mention of food, my stomach
growls. I cast him a sheepish look, and he chuckles. I ignore both
him and my embarrassing belly, and offer the chef a smile.

“Pleased to meet you. And yes, I’m obviously
starving,” I say. “Thank you, Alex, but you really didn’t need to
go to all this trouble.”

“No trouble for
me
at all. Joseph did
all the work.”

He pulls out a chair for me, and I sit down
before a table setting consisting of gold-plated silverware, fine
crystal goblets, and white plates trimmed in what I imagine must be
twenty-four carat gold. I’m used to fine things, and I definitely
don’t live in a hotel, but even I’m impressed with this spread.

Alex takes a seat at the opposite end of the
table, Joseph disappears into the kitchen. A moment later, he
returns carrying a large serving dish filled with what looks like
penne pasta and shrimp. The spicy aroma says it’s some kind of
Cajun dish. My mouth waters.

“Oh, my…this looks delicious, Alex.”

“Yeah, Joseph knows how to cook, that’s for
sure. He owns a restaurant not far from here, but he will come and
fix something here if I ask him to…for the right price,
anyway.”

All three of us laugh, and I can tell by the
way they act and speak to one another that the two men are
friends…that they like one another, and their relationship
transcends that of a normal businessman and his client/customer.
I’m not sure how I can tell, but I have a feeling Joseph would
probably come over and cook a meal for Alex anyway, regardless of
the pay. Can’t say I’m surprised; I can’t imagine anyone
not
liking Alex. He’s kind, charming, and he’s definitely not hard on
the eyes.

“So, Elizabeth, tell me what happened today.
Something else went wrong, I presume?”

I sigh. I don’t really want to talk about
this afternoon’s events, but at the same time, the sooner I talk
about it, the sooner it will stop bothering me so much.

“Well, everything was going fine, until
Davidson, from Neo Corp, contacted me about a meeting this
afternoon. Mind you, this came as a complete surprise. We never
meet on INSERT DAY HERE, and he left a message with Natalie, so I
didn’t even have an opportunity to ask him why we were meeting.
When I get there, I find out that one of our board members has
stepped down, and they have found a replacement. You’re not going
to believe this, Alex…guess who they want to be our next board
member.”