Merger (2 page)

“Hello,” I
answered quickly, trying to stifle the ring but eager to talk to my friend.

“Good morning
, K.K! How’s the corporate stealth today?” She loved to jab at me, chatting away in her perkiest morning voice, affectionately using my nickname. Kasey Kelly Blakely was my name, but my family and friends dropped it to a mere acronym.

“All good
! I’m on my way out…about to leave for L.A!”

“I’m jealous! Hanging by the ocean sounds divine.”

“I know, but no beach for me.” I countered. “It’s all business this trip. I have a meeting with Mr. Crawford today and, if it goes smoothly, I’ll be home tomorrow or Saturday. You and I will have to pop the top on some serious champagne when I get back. Girl, this merger is in the bag.”

“There’s my cocky friend
,” she shot back, chuckling at my bravado.

“I don’t fail. I’m a Blakely…remember?”

“How could I forget? I live in your wake, friend.”

“Hardly!
”

“I know, but you liked hearing it, didn’t you?”

“Definitely,” I laughed, loving the comfortable exchange only best friends shared.

The elevator chimed, the doors opened, and Benny and I stepped into the lobby
. I took off at my usual fast pace, still chatting with Beth, unaware Benny trailed behind as I made my way to the building entrance.

“Benny just got here and we’re getting ready to leave for the airport
. I’ll have to call you later…but Beth, wait!” I’d almost forgotten the best part. “Listen, there’s a hot new guy in my building. His name is Joshua, and he’s smoldering!”

“Smoldering?
”

“Uh huh, I’m just going to leave you with two words…holy guacamole!” I was baiting her until our next conversation
.

“Bad analogy K.K., you know I hate guacamole.”

“And you know I love it.” I laughed as I pictured her nose scrunched up and her mouth turned down in disgust at my reference to guacamole. “Honestly, I can’t say much more, because there isn’t much more to tell. He was at the gym this morning, and being ever so graceful, I tripped over my own feet and fell into him…literally!”

“Oh god! Tell me you didn’t!” She
moaned and I could almost feel her roll her eyes through the phone. I couldn’t say much to defend myself; I was less than graceful and knew it.

Reaching the doors of the building, still distracted by my phone conversation, I set my eyes on the first limo parked at the entrance and continued listening to Beth as a hand moved to open the car door. I slid easily onto the plush leather seat of the car, tossed my purse and computer case to the next seat, and interrupted Beth in the middle of another playful insult about my clumsiness
.

“Beth, got to hang up! I’m leaving and need to brief for my meeting. I promise, when I return we’ll party. Cross my heart.
”

“Sure. I have a big renovation over on the Upper East Side
—the most amazing warehouse. You’ve got to see it. It’s huge, so it’s been all consuming.”

“Sounds fabulous! I’ll have to check it out when I get back.”

“Sure, we’ll go out when you get back. Champagne and dancing. Our night must include dancing.” I could picture her fluttering around on the lit dance floor as we spoke.

“Okay, dancing will be included. Don’t work too hard.”

“Is there anything else?” she asked. “Work hard, play harder.
Ciao
!”

I pushed “end” on my phone and repositioned my things on the seat. The smell of cologne caught me off guard, and a powerful presence pulled me back into the moment
.

“Los Angeles, huh
? Dancing?” I heard his deep voice repeating my words.

“Oh, fuck…really?” I said under my breath and quickly looked around to discover I was in the wrong car
.
What an idiot
. My intense and handsome treadmill thief, now fully dressed in a very sharp, expensive suit, and was standing at the open door with his head hung low into the car. Had I been able to melt and seep from the seat through the doorframe I certainly would have, but no such luck.

“I’m so sorry.” I
offered, with only a slight glance up into his crystal blue eyes. I started gathering my things and moved to slide out of the car, but he slid onto the leather seat, entrapping me. Now I was face-to-face and thigh-to-thigh with the most beautiful man alive. I was rendered stupid and breathless…again. Stunned and totally unprepared for his substantial stare, I looked down shyly and tried to plot my escape.

He reached for my chin, turning my eyes back to his. “I have business to attend to here, but L.A. sounds fun
. Interested in company?” His smile was bright and mischievous, but his tone was serious.

“It’s business. I’m sure it would bore you to death,” I blurted as I attempted to maneuver around his legs and out the door. Another awkward remark! I was talking to him like he actually meant he’d go to L.A. with me.
I am so stupid.

Benny stood outside the open door, staring at me as if I’d lost my mind, and me feeling sure that I had. This was the second time I’d been speechless within a two
-hour span, which was quite unlike me. I needed to escape the car before I lost what little self-respect remained. I was a controlling overachiever: the one that rarely rattled. I’d never been this groveling mess of a woman. Whatever this guy had going for him left me zapped. All my genius, charm, and confidence lay on the floor of his limo.

I grabbed Benny’s hand as I kneeled and crawled over Joshua to exit the car. A million thoughts consumed me. Did I remember perfume? Was I pretty? For
God’s sake…did I remember to use deodorant this morning? How did my hair look? As these thoughts pelted my pitiful brain, I clumsily grazed my entire body against his as he sat smiling, watching my less than classy climb to freedom.

I finally made my way to the sidewalk. As I smoothed my dress and made an effort at composure, he climbed from the car, grabbed my arm
, and gently turned me around.

“Would you have dinner with me when you get back?”

Oh my God, he’s asking me out?
I couldn’t think, let alone speak. His suit, his face, and his scent all played on my senses.

“Um…sure.”
Don’t throw up! Don’t throw up!

“No
sure
about it, Kasey, it’s a date or not,” he pressed. “I am not in the habit of playing games. When I see something I want, I go and get it, right or wrong. I can give you my number or you can give me yours.”

His words were commanding and sexy. I was more than nervous; I was scared shitless. If I said yes, what would I be committing
to? If I said no, I’d surely regret not experiencing whatever that commitment might be. I was sure he didn’t have to play any games. Women probably fell at his feet; I was helpless to be any different.

“Yes,” I replied with more confidence.

I was at a quandary about volunteering my number and too bashful to ask for his. Then Benny spoke loudly beside me, “Ms. Blakely, it’s time to go. Your plane leaves at eight.”

My Adonis, who clearly took no prisoners, now knew my first and last name and proceed
ed to take note. “Ms. Blakely, no number necessary. I’ll arrange dinner at eight on…I failed to ask when you’d be returning?” He stared at me and waited for my reply.

“Saturday.”

“Wonderful. Saturday, it is. The challenge will be mine to find out all I can about you before then. Goodbye, beautiful.”

Smiling with delight at the newfound knowledge of my name, he winked
, and got into the backseat of his limo. The door closed, and the car pulled into the street, a blur of blackness and taillights. I stood bewildered, completely flustered by what just occurred.
What the hell just happened?
I turned to Benny, who was shaking his head and chuckling at my expense. He opened the door, and I climbed into what was hopefully
my
limo. “Ugh!” I grumbled, for the second time that day.

*******

I sat in the limo thinking of the stakes ahead. Locking this merger down between Crawford Enterprises and Blakely Incorporated was paramount. My father had been working on or talking about this deal for the last year. This was his single-minded goal and would be the greatest business accomplishment of his career. Crawford Enterprises, our biggest competitor, was a mirror image of our own corporation; however, we were on opposite coasts – Blakely in the east, Crawford in the west.

The owner and CEO, James Crawford, was a worldly and charming man in his late sixties
. He had turned his company into a multi-billion-dollar profit machine, with holdings in real estate, oil, and gas. It had been a long year of negotiations; our companies were the perfect fit.

Mr. Crawford was my priority. Knowing the company wasn’t
the same as knowing the man. My father found him shrewd and uncompromising, but I had surmised that those were probably his best traits, the ones that made him successful. There was nothing I enjoyed more than walking into a meeting and completely stunning grown men who foolishly took my looks to mean I was my father’s brainless clone, but soon found out otherwise.

Similar to my family arrangement at Blakely, Crawford Enterprises was not only run by Mr. Crawford, but also his two sons. I knew plenty about one son and virtually nothing of the other
.

Jacob Crawford, the youngest son, was often in the press and had been dubbed by the media as a “playboy
.” I’d be an idiot to deny he was completely gorgeous, but I’d known more than one good looking prick in my life, and the last thing I needed was to be constantly worried about how the west coast side of our business was running.

As for Joshua Crawford, the eldest son, I knew nothing.

I turned from looking out the window to see Benny smiling at me from the rear view mirror. “What?” I smirked. I knew what was going through that head of his from the mischievous grin on his face, but I certainly wasn’t going to play into it.

“It appears you have an admirer.” Benny’s voice was non-committal, but the look on his face spoke volumes
.

“I met him at the gym this morning. He stole my favorite treadmill. I don’t know anything about him except his name, and the fact that he’s super forward and gets what he wants, which I assure you won’t be me, so you can quit with that shit-eating grin.” I shook my head at him. “And why the hell did you let me get in his car?”

“Oh, no you don’t. You did that all by yourself.” He waved a finger at me. “Sometimes you get so focused, Kasey, that you rarely see the road before you. And don’t be so sure about him not getting what he wants. I do recall a pretty firm ‘yes’ to his request for dinner.”

“I was so caught off guard I didn’t really know what to say
. ‘Yes’ seemed like the logical answer at the time.”

“Or, ‘yes’ could be the right answer to a handsome charmer who took you by surprise. It’s rare to see, pretty girl, but I think he
‘
had ya at hello
.’” He laughed at his own reference to Jerry Maguire, and I had to admit I found the reference clever.

“Had
me
at hello? I might have been stunned by his charm and cologne, but he didn’t have
me
, I assure you.” Even I had to beam at my smugness. Benny was right, but I’d never admit it.

“Well, I don’t know what it was, but he wasn’t going to take ‘no’ for an answer, and I’m glad he didn’t. Don’t discard fate
, K.K.—you need more than work to have a happy life, and you haven’t really dated anyone since that jerk. What was his name? Blake?”

“Yes, how could I forget Blake…what a complete dick
wad.” Benny laughed at my reference and, in turn, I did too. What started out funny now had Benny and me in stitches.

“I love you, Benny. Thanks for making me laugh. I’m not up for anything serious right now, but I certainly agree that going out to dinner can’t hurt.” I
looked back at him through the rearview mirror. “Oh, and let’s not forget he already knows my full name. Thanks for that too.”

“What’s a man to do? You were just standing there with your mouth open, and I thought you needed help with your name.
” Hell, maybe I did need help with my name. Twice my treadmill thief had caught me speechless.

We rolled onto the tarmac at
7:35. After my espresso and a few good laughs, I was ready to depart New York for the City of Angels. I always found it odd that it was referred to as the City of Angels, but as cities go, I found the people sad. I remembered someone once telling me the motto of L.A. was “fake it till you make it.” The motto was probably true, because, for the most part, everyone was over made. Lips too plumped, breasts engorged with saline, whiter than white teeth, and barely-there wardrobes.

I enjoyed California but found myself anxious to get home after every trip. It was sad but true
; I’d grown up in the concrete jungle of New York City. It was and always will be, the
“apple”
of my eye. I liked the fast pace and glittering skyline. I enjoyed the food, the culture, and the drive for success. NYC was as much a part of me, as I was it.