The Darkest of Shadows (13 page)

“Do you scare everyone you meet?” I asked, as the elevator opened after the twelfth floor. No one seemed willing to venture any higher.

He gave a slow, easy grin and then ushered me out of the doors when they opened at our floor.

It wasn’t hard to tell which of the offices belonged to Lawrence. There was only one, and its double doors where, not surprisingly, guarded by Frost—and moments later on the other side by Charlie. He gave me an amused wink and opened one of the doors for me to enter.

The antechamber of Lawrence’s office, where Tweedledee and Tweedledum were stationed, was almost as large as Patrick’s office had been. The architects had really focused on open, light-filled spaces when they decided to build this place. The only entrance to the room was via the elevator, which opened into a room about fifteen meters square. On the left as one exited the elevator was a functional-looking desk, presumably mine, while the whole right side of the room was floor-to-ceiling glass. A few strategically placed lounges completed the room, leaving a large, minimalistic space that was actually appealing.

Lawrence’s rooms were even larger, and he got two whole walls of glass. His desk occupied the left of the room when one walked in, a similar position to where mine was situated, and a massive row of bookcases lined the space on either side of that. There was a large conference table, easily able to seat twenty people, in one corner, while the rest of the room was taken up with more relaxed seating, a full lounge suite, TV, and a bar. Overall the atmosphere was formal, but comfortable.

“Lilly.” Lawrence had been sitting at his desk, but when he saw me enter, he rose and crossed the room in large strides. “Excellent. Here, have a seat.” He ushered me over to one of the lounges, and we sat opposite each other. “I assume you had no troubles getting here?”

I shook my head. “You have beautiful offices.” I took my time looking around, familiarizing myself with the room—anything, really, to keep from paying much attention to him.

“I’ve cleared my schedule for the day so that I could spend the time bringing you up to speed on everything,” he told me, and I was surprised to realize that he actually meant he did it himself. Most managers wouldn’t have a clue how to clear their schedule, but I had no doubt that when Lawrence said he did something, he meant exactly that. “I know we agreed on a one-month term,” he continued. “But if we could pretend that it’s a more normal situation, that would make this a lot easier.”

“Fine,” I conceded.

“How much do you know about my company?” he asked, then added. “Do you want a coffee or something?” indicating the bar area with a wave.

“No, thanks,” I declined. “I’m fine. As for what I know about your business, not very much. I know you were a competitor to Cartright and Nagel, but that was only a small section of your interests.”

“You’re right. Engineering Industrial projects isn’t really that big a focus for us,” he told me. “We do our fair share, but then we do that with almost everything. Monterey Enterprises has been in business for nearly twenty years. I started it when I was still at university and it grew from there. I own one hundred percent of the company; we have no board of directors or trustees to interfere with the operations. I have absolute and total control, and that’s the way it will always remain.”

“Not good at sharing, huh?” I smiled at his passion.

“Not one of my strengths.” He appreciated the fun in the situation; I liked that about him. “I won’t go into the full details of every project we have running—there are far too many of them, and honestly, I’d probably forget half of them in any event. We undertake works on small, large, and massive scales. We do a lot of charity constructions, underprivileged housing projects, youth hostels, return-to-work, and general compassion projects. We do high-rise development, both residential and commercial; town planning; resort development and sale; joint ventures; and management. Some we keep, some we sell, some we even buy. The list is extensive. Some are profitable, some not so much, some not at all. But overall, the company returns are better than average.”

“And you manage all this yourself?” I asked in surprise. It seemed a huge endeavor.

“Hardly.” He snorted in amusement. “What I do is pull the whole picture together. My company is divided into numerous different branches, and each of those areas has a management team in place. They are the people I deal with. They bring the details to me, provide me with all the data I need to make an informed decision about projects, and I tell them yes or no. They are the ones who then have to set about making it happen.”

“And you’re the face of the company.”

“Very much so. I am the one people see and associate with Monterey Enterprises. I’m the one who attends all the functions, does the networking, and makes the connections, so that when a major project comes up, I’m who they think about first. You’d be surprised how many projects we get sent directly to us as a result of a casual conversation at a party.”

“Hence, you need someone who won’t embarrass you.”

“Exactly.” He grimaced. “You have no idea how annoyingly dense some women can be.”

“Don’t judge me just yet,” I warned. “I could be one of those women. My heart could go all aflutter when I get in a room full of powerful men.”

“I have my doubts about that.” He assured me evenly.

“What would you normally be doing today?” Maybe if I could get an idea of that, I would know more about my role.

“I’m not actually supposed to be in the country,” he admitted a little sheepishly. “Certain events have necessitated my return, so my schedule is a bit haphazard. People cramming meetings in left, right, and center while I’m here. They’re going to be upset when they find out I’ve canceled today, and then you’re going to get them calling you tomorrow, trying to squeeze back in. Good luck with that.” He grinned in amusement. “I don’t really have what you would call a normal day. I’m never in the office long enough to schedule recurring appointments and create a routine. I pretty much live on my phone and e-mail,” he explained. “When I am in…whatever country it is, I schedule a debrief with my Managing Director, and I work out whatever issues need my attention and take it from there. There is one thing that you will need to know, and that is the MDs meeting. Every second month, wherever I am in the world, each of my managers flies to meet me, and we spend two full days in discussions.”

“How many of them are there?” I asked.

“Sixteen.”

That’s a lot
. “OK.”

“It’s your job to organize that meeting—and all my other meetings—and to coordinate our attendance at functions. You don’t have any other responsibilities except for me. The MDs’ own assistants will get them to and from the meeting, but you will obviously need to tell them when and where.”

That was all normal for me. The travel was slightly different, considering he didn’t seem to have a home, but I’d adapt to that fairly quickly.

“Where do you sleep?” I asked. “You don’t have a home, so I assume you just take a hotel everywhere you stay?” He must have serious baggage, and what was that going to mean for me?

“Depends. I don’t own a house that you would call my home. I have many properties all over the world, but they aren’t my home. I have corporate offices here and in the States, and in both of those places, there are private apartments where I stay.” He nodded toward a door off to one side of his desk. “That door leads into my private apartments. It’s usually unlocked. The only other access is through the door on the left, just when you come off the elevator.” I hadn’t noticed it when I came in. “That one you need a security card to get through, which should be coming for you later today.”

“What about your two shadows?”

“Frost and Charlie have rooms adjoining my private apartments. When we’re traveling, I usually stay in hotels, unless we are invited to stay privately with friends, but I usually get rooms big enough for us all to fit comfortably.”

Party of four. “Can I ask why such intense security measures?” It seemed a little over the top.

He hesitated for a moment, clearly uncertain about what to say. “You don’t get to be where I am in life and not make enemies, Lilly,” he said finally. “Security is necessary.” I must have looked a little wary, because he continued, more calmly, “There is nothing for you to fear. Quite the opposite, actually, with those two. You will be safer with me than you have been at any other time in your life.”

Something had me believing his words meant more than what they appeared to, more than referring to my physical safety.

“How long will you be in London?” I moved on, not wanted to dig any deeper into those thoughts.

“Two days. I’ve put off travel as long as I could, but I have to be in Italy on Thursday for a meeting and then to attend a charity event, so we’ll be leaving Wednesday afternoon. All my movements for the next week have been finalized, so all you need to do is familiarize yourself with them and watch. After that, you will be responsible for coordinating them yourself.”

“What sort of assistance do I have?” An important question for me.

“Whatever you need. There is a team of people in the company who look after pretty much anything you want. We have staff to organize travel, accommodation, meeting venues and anything else you need. Flights you don’t need to worry about, because my private jet is always on standby to take us wherever we need to be. All you need to do is make sure that it all comes together into as streamlined and manageable a schedule as possible.” He shrugged apologetically. “It’s not always possible; there are many times when things come up unexpectedly, and you will have to cancel and reorganize important meetings. And then there will be times when it might be possible to substitute for me, although clearly that’s a hard task to manage.” He grinned happily to himself.

Aren’t we the funny one?
I crinkled my eyes and gave him my “are you serious” look.

“I don’t produce a lot of paperwork,” he went on, “so pretty much the only time you will have to write a letter for me is for personal business, and then it’s usually done over e-mail anyway.”

“I’m sure I can handle that,” I replied.

“I know. Don’t think that I went into this arrangement without knowing you could handle it.” His words concerned me a little, with how much they implied he knew about me. It better be all business-related. “I know you still have your apartment here in the city,” he added. “But it would probably be easier for you to integrate into my schedule if you started out by staying here.”

Even knowing in advance that we would be traveling together, therefore sleeping in the same hotels, I was surprised to find myself hesitant when he suggested that I “stay here.” It seemed personal, too personal, and a little affronting, but at the same time I acknowledged the necessity of the arrangement. It would be easier once we started moving around if I had my stuff here, and it would definitely save on travel time.

“OK,” I conceded. “But I’m going to need to go back home tonight to get my things.” Which was a whole other problem. “How long will we be traveling? What sort of baggage should I take?”

“You may as well bring all your clothes, and then once you have a chance to go over the schedule, you can make that decision. However, due to the nature of this role, you will have a few perks. There is a business credit card, unlimited of course, that you can use for whatever expenses we have, but you will also have a personal business credit card that is for you to use for more personal expenditure items.”

“Like?” I asked.

“Like the events that we attend, they are very high-class, and as such, you need to dress the part. It’s not fair to ask you to foot the bill for clothing you wouldn’t normally wear; so all dresses that you buy for corporate events are a business expense, and you will use business funds for their purchase.”

He didn’t phrase it like there was much choice. “Shoes?” I queried with a raised eyebrow.

“Shoes, accessories, and jewelry for business social events are considered business expenses. Not that anyone will ever check,” he added. “The funds are for you to use as you see fit.”

“Is there a budget on that?”

“No. Not as long as you look the part, whatever you buy is fine.”

“Accommodation and travel are all part of the perks?”

“Certainly, as are food and entertainment expenses. Actually, there shouldn’t be anything that you spend money on. It’s all covered fairly generally by me.”

I could probably manage that.

“Do you have any questions so far?” he asked.

“Hundreds.”
Obviously
. “But I think we might work through them as we go along. Too much information on the first day, and I might run away.”

“We wouldn’t want that.” He rose gracefully from the lounge, his tall body dwarfing me as he towered above me. “Come on.” He held out a hand to help me up. “I may as well show you around.”

I released his hand almost as soon as I was standing; the heat of his touch made my cheeks flush with an unpleasant hotness.

He led me through the door in the back wall of his office and into a short corridor, which quickly opened up into a huge, open-plan lounge and kitchen area. There were a number of different hallways leading out of the room. One of those, I assumed, was the one that led to my office and the elevator, and the others probably led to bedrooms.

“Charlie and Frost have a room each down there,” Lawrence indicated a hallway that disappeared off behind the kitchen. “Once we’re in here, it’s fairly laid back. The boys tend to watch a lot of sports, so I had to stick a TV in each of their rooms—because trust me, you can only put up with so much American football before you want to do some serious damage.”

Great. I hated watching sports.

“I don’t entertain in here. In some of the hotels we will, but these are private apartments, and no one comes in, so you can relax in here.” He moved off slowly around the room. “A cleaning service comes in once a day when we’re in residence, and if you let them know in advance, they will come in and air it out just before we arrive.