The Merger Mogul (16 page)

The waiter
pulled out KT’s chair and stepped back so that Daniel could seat her
himself.  He then offered them cocktails and left the menus and wine list.

“When was the
last time you were here?” asked KT looking around in appreciation.  Daniel
was looking at KT in appreciation. While the view of down town Manhattan was
just as spectacular as the last time he had been here it was the company that
was even more compelling.  Contrasted to the plunging neckline that Angela
had worn that night, KT was wearing a classy black dress with a high neckline.
Her hair was in a bun at the nape of her neck, but far from making her look
severe, she looked very sophisticated and yet appealing with a few strands of
hair curling around her face. Daniel knew it would take all his will power to
resist trying to seduce her tonight. 

“Earth to
Daniel,” she said when he didn’t answer.

“Sorry. I think
I was here a few weeks before my surgery, so it’s been quite a while.” He was
glad she couldn’t read his thoughts.

“I can see why
it’s your favorite restaurant. The view is amazing and I’ve heard that the food
is fabulous. What do you recommend?”

“Everything
I’ve had here is good but if you like seafood the salmon is excellent and so is
the tuna.”

“I’ll go for
the salmon.”

“What will you
have to start?  And save some room for bread. They make great bread and I
know how you love it.”

“Yum,” she said
in anticipation, sounding like an eight year old.

They gave their
orders to the waiter and as soon as he left Daniel said: “I won’t keep you in
suspense any longer.  I just wanted to tell you that I’ve decided to go to
Barbados for the next couple of months.”

“Barbados?
As in the Caribbean?”

“Yes. I have a
condo on the beach on the West Coast of the island so I plan to spend some time
just relaxing and thinking before I go back to work.”

“That sounds
wonderful,” said KT hoping her voice didn’t sound as hollow as she felt at the
thought of not seeing Daniel for two months. “I’m green with envy!”

“You’re welcome
to come down for a visit,” invited Daniel

“Uh, I don’t
think so, but thanks for the invitation,” KT replied smiling.

“I meant that
you could bring a friend.  I’ve got two bedrooms. And I’ll foot the bill.”

“That’s very
generous of you Daniel.  If I start to miss you really badly I might take
you up on it,” she teased.

“I’m serious!
Don’t dismiss the idea.  I would love to show you
Bar
…”

“Daniel
Tennant!”  He was interrupted by someone stopping at their table. 
This was getting to be a habit!  He looked up and his eyes connected to an
ample bosom barely covered by a turquoise top.  Angela!  He hadn’t
seen her since the night at the hospital.

“Angela!”

“I called you
several times when you were at Margaret but she wouldn’t let me talk to you,”
she complained with a pout.

“I’m sorry about
that Angel but I was feeling really low and didn’t want to talk to anyone.”

“You’re
forgiven, Mogul. It’s good to see you back on your feet again.  You look
great!” KT observed the visitor to their table and noticed that she was
practically eating Daniel up with her eyes. You didn’t need any real
discernment to realize that this was one of Daniel’s women.

“Thanks. 
Excuse my manners. KT this is Angela Pierce, a friend of mine. In fact Angela
probably saved my life by calling the ambulance for me and was with me when I
was rushed to the hospital.  Angela, Kathryn Taylor who was my
physiotherapist after the surgery.”

The ladies
exchanged brief greetings.

“Well I hope to
see you again soon, Daniel.  We never did finish that weekend,” she
reminded him with a suggestive smile, before heading back to her table. Thank
you Angela, thought Daniel. He braced himself for KT’s response and she didn’t
disappoint him.  She struck an exaggerated sultry pose and said:

“We never did
finish that weekend,” in the exact tone that Angela had used.

Daniel threw
back his head and laughed, attracting the attention of several of the patrons,
especially the ladies.

“Naughty!”

“I won’t pursue
that. So when do you leave?” she asked, deliberately changing the subject. She
really did not want to know about the unfinished weekend. She could just
imagine what it involved.

“On Sunday.
  That’s why I wanted to see you alone
tonight. I’m planning to spend some time thinking about the changes I want to
make to my business. If Jack Welch could get his boundaryless revelation on
Sandy Lane beach in Barbados, I’m hoping that I’ll be fortunate enough to come
up with something just as revolutionary to help merged companies succeed. I
really need to find some new services urgently because merger consulting is
taking a beating right now.”

“So I’ve heard.
I’ll be praying for you.”

“Thanks
KT.  That means a lot to me.”

The dinner
finished all too quickly for both of them and it seemed that in no time Daniel
was pulling up to the curb outside of KT’s apartment.

“Ten
forty-five. You have fifteen minutes to get to bed. You see, I’m a man of my
word.”

“That you are,
Mogul,” teased KT.

“I’ll pick you
up at 6.30 tomorrow,” Daniel reminded her. “Goodnight KT,” he said, leaning
over to give her a chaste kiss on the cheek.

“Goodnight,
Daniel” she replied getting out of the car feeling a little disappointed. 
Daniel had behaved as promised. So why did she feel so let down?  Was this
the real Daniel Tennant or was he just lulling her into a false sense of
security?

The elevator
glided swiftly towards Jonathan and Cassandra Bailey’s penthouse apartment.
Jonathan had been to law school with Daniel and was now a partner in a
prestigious law firm that handled a lot of the legal work for mergers. He and his
wife Cassandra had no children yet and were well known for the great parties
they often threw in their penthouse apartment.

KT had rushed
out from work that day and bought a dress for the party.  It was a black
and olive and draped elegantly from her shoulders to overlap across her bosom,
revealing just a hint of cleavage, hugging her curves and ending just above her
knees.  It had cost her a fortune but she felt that she might need a
confidence booster.  Her hair was pinned up in an elegant chignon with a
few enticing strands teasing her cheeks. Daniel was enthralled by the alluring
picture she made.

KT wondered at
the wisdom of going out with Daniel alone again as she silently acknowledged
how breathtakingly handsome he looked in his biscotti colored pants, teamed
with a blue and white striped shirt and topped with a dark blue blazer. She
nervously fingered the strand of faux pearls at her neck.  She was really
not looking forward to this party.  The women there were probably
beautiful, sophisticated and cliquish. KT wondered why Daniel even bothered to
invite her. Daniel closed the distance between him and KT and took her hands in
his, staying the nervous movements.

“Relax. You
look beautiful.” He pulled her closer and kissed the curve of her neck where it
met her shoulder. “I’ve wanted to do that since I picked you up,” he
confessed.  Before KT could respond, the doors opened into the lounge of
the penthouse and someone said:

“Daniel
Tennant! Welcome back to the living.” It was Jonathan.

Daniel
reluctantly turned around and putting his hand on KT’s waist guided her from
the elevator.

“Thanks
Jonathan.  It’s good to be back. This is Kathryn Taylor.  KT
meet
Jonathan Bailey.” Jonathan leaned over and kissed her
cheek, saying: “Welcome Kathryn.  You must be Daniel’s best kept secret
and I can see why.”

KT smiled,
relaxing a bit. “Thank you Jonathan. Please call me KT.”

“Well KT, what
can I get you to drink?”

“I’ll have a
glass of white wine please.”

“And I’ll have
a gin and tonic,” added Daniel.

“No
problem.  I’ll be right back.  Cass is probably in the kitchen
overseeing the caterers; I’ll let her know that you’re here.”

KT looked
around the room and was happy to see Claire Morgan engrossed in conversation
with another woman at the far end of the living room. At least she knew one
person here. The room was almost full of well dressed men and expensively
dressed women, chatting and drinking and occasionally pausing to sample hors
d’ouvres
offered by passing waitresses.  As Daniel led
them further into the room, several people stopped talking to greet him,
shaking his hand and welcoming him back.  Curious eyes roamed over her as
Daniel made introductions.  Jonathan soon located them in the crowd and
handed over their drinks.  He was accompanied by a tall elegant blonde
with warm brown eyes.

“Hi, Daniel.
  Great to see you looking so well,” she
said hugging him.

“Hi, Cassie.
  This is Kathryn
Taylor,
or KT as everyone calls her. KT this is Cassandra.”

“Welcome KT,”
greeted Cassandra kissing her cheek. “Daniel’s certainly kept you hidden. Have
you known him long?” she asked, turning towards KT as the men started to catch
up on business.

“Not really. I
was his physiotherapist after his surgery.”

“Oh, that
explains it.” KT wasn’t sure what it explained. Maybe why Daniel was with
someone like her rather than his usual glamorous type?

KT was
surprised to realize how short a time she’d known Daniel.

“I just
realized that I’ve only known him for a couple of months but it seems much
longer. I guess he kind of grows on you.” Cassie laughed as a striking blond,
drinking champagne and wearing a cocktail dress that struggled unsuccessfully
to keep her bosom well covered, joined the group.

“Daniel, it’s
wonderful to see you. You look great!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around
him in a hug. Daniel hugged her back, a bit too long in KT’s opinion.

“Thanks
Pam.  It’s good to see you too.”

“KT, this is my
friend and tennis partner, Pamela Highland.” Cassie made the introductions.
 “Pam, this is KT.  She’s the one who got Daniel back on his feet.
Literally.
She was his physiotherapist.”

“Well we’re so
grateful to you, KT. Does that mean Daniel can come out to play now?” she
laughed.

KT didn’t know
how to respond to that so she smiled politely and said, “I guess that’s up to
him.” 

“I’m not up to
playing just yet,” Daniel said.

“Well call me
when you are. I’d be happy to play with you,” she added with a suggestive
laugh. KT was sure she wasn’t talking about tennis.

Trust
Pamela.  She wasn’t known for her subtlety, especially after a few
drinks.  He’d better move on before she said anything more damaging.

“Well it was
great to see you Pam.  Excuse us folks but I see Claire waving at me.”

“That was a bit
abrupt,” commented KT as he steered her away. “Afraid she would give away
secrets?”

“There’re none
to give away’” assured Daniel.  KT wasn’t convinced.  Pamela had
seemed very well acquainted with Daniel.

“Hi guys”
smiled Claire greeting them. “You look great KT and you too Daniel.”

“Thanks
Claire.  You look wonderful yourself,” replied KT.

“Thanks. 
How does it feel to be back in the real world Daniel?” Claire asked.

That confirmed
KT’s belief that the surgery had temporarily displaced Daniel but now he would
return to his own world; the real world, as Claire called it.

“I’m not sure
Claire.  It’s great to see Jonathan and Cassie and some of the others but
I’m not sure that this is my scene anymore.”
That made KT
feel
a bit better.

“By the way,
I’m flying to Barbados on Sunday for a couple of months. I’ll be at my condo if
you need me for any emergencies. Margaret will give Bryan the number or you can
get me on my BB.”

“I can’t think
of a better place to recuperate.”

“I’ll try to
get some R&R but I also want to spend some time working on ideas for the
business.”

“I hope you
come up with some good ones. We need them. And don’t worry, we’ll hold down the
fort while you’re away.”

“Daniel
Tennant! I don’t see you for months and now I see you twice in two
nights.  What a coincidence!”

Daniel looked
around to see Angela, tonight in a silky red dress that was a perfect
complement for her dark hair which bounced around her shoulders.  He hoped
she wouldn’t make any suggestive comments like she did last night. This was
getting to be a bit much to deal with.

“Hi Angela.
  This town is obviously too small,” he
joked. “You remember KT? Do you know Claire Morgan? She’s one of the
Consultants at my firm.”

“Yes to both. I
believe I met Claire at the same party that I met you at.  That seems so
long ago. So you’re definitely back on the town I see.”

“Just temporarily.
  I’m actually about to fly out to
Barbados for a couple of months to finish recuperating.”

“Barbados!
Lovely, but you look perfectly well to me,” Angela said looking at him
admiringly
..

KT fumed
silently while maintaining a polite smile on her face. The woman could not be
seriously flirting with Daniel right under her eye.  She obviously didn’t
see her as any competition and maybe she wasn’t. After all, she wasn’t willing
to give Daniel what they so obviously were.

Daniel pulled KT
to his side as if sensing her withdrawal.

“Thanks to KT.
  She did a great job with me.” He bent
his head and brought KT’s hand to his lips for a kiss. KT practically squirmed
with embarrassment as her eyes met Angela’s over Daniel’s bent head. 
Angela threw a brief smile at KT that didn’t reach her eyes, as if to say: ‘OK
all yours, for now.’