First Class Sin, page 6
Law thought about her amazing curves and her hungry mouth. “No, not a gun.” An amazingly soft mouth, though, and perfectly perky nipples in breasts that seemed to defy gravity. Those were weapons enough.
“Seriously?” Law could hear Omar’s eye-roll. “How is our plan going to work if you end up in bed with the consultant?”
“Technically, there wasn’t a bed.”
“Geez. Seriously? If I could, I’d fire you.” Omar sighed.
“You can’t. I’ll resign first.”
“But how are you going to be objective now?” Omar sounded perturbed. Law guessed he understood why.
“Come on. Since when did I ever let feelings get in the way of business?” Law asked.
“Never,” Omar admitted. He knew as well as anyone that Law wasn’t a man to be easily swayed by his feelings. He built his business based on cold, hard logic.
“Why not just cut your losses? Just tell me your first impressions. That’s all we really need.”
Why did Law not like that idea? He wanted to get to know Juliana better. He told himself it had nothing to do with the firm slope of her bottom, either.
“What about the report?”
“What about it?” Omar seemed unfazed. “You know if we both push this merger through it’s happening, report or no.”
That was mostly true.
“Let me spend a little more time with her.” Law realized he was on the verge of asking Omar’s permission. He never asked anyone’s permission. Except Juliana’s. Her permission was the only one he needed.
“Sure, but I don’t think I’m the reason you want to spend time with her.”
“This is just business,” Law said.
“Is it, though?” Omar sounded doubtful. “Wait—has she become too attached? Like...what was her name?”
“Amber.”
“Yes, Amber. The semi-stalker.”
Law shook his head at the memory of the last girl he dated. She’d wanted to marry him before they’d finished dessert on their second date. He’d had to break it to her softly: she wasn’t his type. She didn’t take the breakup well. She’d even threatened to slash his tires. She hadn’t, though, thank goodness.
“Actually, she seems fine with one and done.” Law wheeled his bag to the exit, walking past the oversize Chicago flag, emblazoned with the four stars. He glanced around and found a cluster of limo drivers, most of whom were in black ties and white shirts. One held up a sign with his true last name on it: Mason.
Omar cackled a laugh. “Are you serious? She’s not interested? What? Did you have performance issues?”
“No,” Law snapped, feeling defensive. “She seemed very satisfied to me.”
“Some women are very good at faking it. Just ask my wife.”
Law couldn’t help but laugh. Omar’s wife was a gorgeous physician, and they happened to be one of the most perfect couples Law knew. It was the one area where he was jealous of his friend. Law wanted that kind of stability, that kind of love.
“Don’t even joke about that. Hailey is in love with you. You both kind of make me sick, actually, with all your gooey Facebook posts.”
Omar laughed. “You’re welcome. You can repay me by leaving our consultant alone. Let her go on to her next in-flight conquest.”
Law felt a little morose as he thought of her loving the next man she met on a plane. Why did he care? he wondered.
“Maybe I should call her.”
“No. No.” Omar sounded forceful on the phone, and Law could almost imagine him vigorously shaking his head. “Your ego is just bruised because she isn’t falling all over you. Let sleeping dogs lie, my friend.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s an independent consultant. Key word: independent.” Omar let out a frustrated-sounding breath. “And because if you tick her off, she could throw a wrench in the merger. Promise me you’re not going to mess this up?”
“I’m going to hang up now, Omar. Don’t worry. I’ve got a plan.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Omar said grimly.
CHAPTER FIVE
JULIANA CLUTCHED HER phone to her ear as she rode the elevator up to Wickham Consulting, juggling her laptop bag, a latte and her phone. It was just after eleven in the morning. She hadn’t even planned to come into the office today—preferring to work from home—but her Wi-Fi had gone out and it was either head to the office or lose an entire day of work. She couldn’t afford to fall further behind, not with the big presentation at Blue Sky looming. She pressed the phone to her ear and listened to yet another excuse from yet another Blue Sky accountant about why she didn’t have the reports she needed for the employee retirement funds.
“What do you mean those numbers aren’t available?” She tried to keep her voice calm, but her heart thudded in her chest. She needed those Blue Sky pension and 401K expenditures to finish her own report. They were not just important, they were also essential to her work even making sense. How could she recommend that AM Air buy Blue Sky if she couldn’t provide debt numbers?
“We’re waiting on a few line items and the quarter only just ended,” said Jim, the not-so-helpful Blue Sky accountant on the other end of the line.
“The quarter ended more than a week ago, and those numbers should be ready to go. I don’t need final numbers. I just need estimates.”
“We’re doing the best we can,” Jim said, though his tone suggested he wasn’t actually trying that hard. Juliana suspected, not for the first time, that the numbers people at Blue Sky were stalling. “I’m sorry, but Mr. Mason was fairly clear that we had to check and double-check these numbers before giving them to you.”
Robert L. Mason, the mysterious Blue Sky CEO that she’d never met. He seemed always to be out of the office, traveling to satellite offices, never available when she sat in with some of the other top executives at Blue Sky. Juliana almost thought the man was a ghost, or a figment of the other executives’ imaginations.
“You tell Mr. Mason that I need those numbers by Monday.”
“I will, but he’s traveling and—” the assistant began.
“And tell him that I’m still waiting to get that one-on-one interview I was promised. I have some questions for him about Blue Sky pension plans.” They were held over from the company’s first stab at employee retirement. Pensions in general were hard to fund, which was why companies usually opted for 401Ks. Mason had bucked that trend for years, but eventually came to the understanding that he couldn’t fund the pensions, just like dozens of other companies. But the company still had obligations to old flight attendants, mechanics and pilots.
“I’ve put in the request multiple times, Ms. Hart, but I can promise I’ll put in another request today. Mr. Mason is a very busy man.”
The elevator doors dinged open, revealing the open-cube, sleek offices of Wickham Consulting. The large open floor plan was dotted with glass and metal desks; most of the offices were walled in by glass, so everyone was visible. The floor’s big windows looked directly into another high-rise in downtown Chicago, though sunlight did occasionally squeeze in between the two glass behemoths. The idea for the open floor plan was supposed to mean more collaboration, but now the office, as usual, just looked empty. Most of the consultants were doing what they did best: work on site with clients around the world. Juliana nodded at Keisha, the front office receptionist, and went to her corner cube with a tiny sliver view of Lake Michigan. Bright spring sunlight sparkled on the water, making it seem much warmer than it probably was. From the fiftieth floor, cars far down below rushed along Lake Shore Drive, looking like little toy Matchbox versions.
“I’m sure he is, but it’s very important I speak with him.”
A few people nodded at her as she walked in, but as usual, there were no big smiles. She’d made a point of keeping her distance. She walked down the long line of cubes to her desk and noticed some of the men in a nearby office huddled together, sharing some private joke.
“I’m not sure if I can manage that this week...”
“Manage it,” she bit off, barely restraining her anger. “Or this report will not be done in time for the board meeting, and then you’ll have to tell Mr. Mason that.”
She hung up, frustrated. Did Blue Sky want this merger to go through or not? She’d heard Mason was 100 percent on board with selling the company he’d built from scratch, but he certainly wasn’t acting like it. Maybe the successful CEO was having cold feet. It wouldn’t be the first time. Juliana glanced over at her coworkers who’d stopped talking and were staring at her. Caught looking, they abruptly disbanded, making Juliana think whatever joke they’d been sharing had been about her.
I’m probably just being paranoid, she thought. They gave her curt nods. She’d made it more than clear she wasn’t the kind of colleague who had time for idle chitchat. She was here to get work done—period. She slid her laptop bag onto her desk, realizing she hadn’t been here except for the brief pit stop last week, when Garrison had taken the opportunity to corner her in the conference room. She hadn’t seen or talked to him since then. She shook herself. She needed to focus on work, not Garrison.
Juliana strategized about whom to hit next. She needed answers only Mason could give her, and yet he was stalling. But why? Was he hiding something? Maybe Blue Sky wasn’t as sound an investment as everyone thought. Of course, her job was to find out. She fired off about a dozen emails, though if the CEO was dodging her, then how could she expect anybody else to answer her requests? She’d just have to keep asking for a meeting. She’d fly to Seattle if she had to. She needed to get those numbers.
She booted up her laptop, scanning the office. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Garrison engrossed in some meeting in his glass office. She made a mental note to keep tabs on him. The last thing she needed was to find herself alone with him. Juliana’s plan was to evade and avoid, do her work, then get the hell out and go to her sister’s for dinner.
Then Garrison saw her and made a beeline for Juliana’s desk. She tensed and realized how sad that she used to actually look forward to talking with him. Since he’d been one of the few people in the office who didn’t seem to care about her “distant and cold” labels. Then again, he was her boss and he had to talk to her, but they’d developed a rapport that she’d thought was friendlier, until Garrison mistook it for far too friendly.
“I wasn’t expecting you in today,” he said. He looked older. The wrinkles under his eyes more pronounced. And he had dark circles there, as well. Had he had trouble sleeping?
“I hadn’t planned on coming in,” Juliana said, voice flat. Take the hint, buddy. I’m not interested. He hovered over her desk, too close.
“Well, I’d love to hear where you are with Blue Sky. Maybe a quick meeting to go over the details in the conference room?”
Juliana felt bile rise in her throat. The windowless conference room. No, she wasn’t going in there. Not today.
“No.” Juliana’s voice came out sounding too forceful. “I mean, I’ve got a conference call shortly and then...meetings.” Nice one, Juliana. Even her excuses sounded lame. “But I’ll email you an update.”
Garrison didn’t look pleased, but he could damn well be unhappy. Juliana was going to do everything in her power never to be alone with that man again.
Juliana had always thought of herself as self-sufficient, independent, able to tackle any problem. The last role she ever wanted to play was victim, and she wasn’t going to start now. Besides, he’d made a play; she rejected him. Now he just needed to get the hint.
“I’d love an update when you get a chance and then we can strategize on next steps.” Garrison’s tone made it clear he wasn’t going to be fully happy with an email.
She squeezed her eyes shut and found herself back in the conference room. When he’d cornered her, closed his eyes and tried to kiss her. Why did it shake her up so much? He hadn’t actually kissed her. And it wasn’t like it was the first time a man at work had expressed interest. But usually they got the hint and left her alone. Garrison seemed determined not to give up.
She’d not led Garrison on intentionally. She searched her memories, trying to figure out if she’d sent him signals that he’d misread. Sure, she’d laughed at his off-color jokes and turned a blind eye when he’d made comments about what she might be wearing. She hadn’t told him that when he said she looked good in a new skirt the comment made her a tad uncomfortable. But she’d given him the benefit of the doubt. Assumed that he hadn’t meant anything by it. Hell, he was married with two kids in the suburbs. She’d suspected he might be interested, but she’d told herself it was mostly in her head, or it was just a harmless crush. Part of her, especially her awkward inner fourteen-year-old, would always doubt men’s attraction to her, anyway. And it had been nice to have an ally in the office, somebody who didn’t snicker about her behind her back. She’d never imagined he’d misread the situation so badly.
Garrison moved away from her desk, and Juliana desperately tried to focus once more. Her watch pinged with an incoming text from Law.
How’s my frequent flier doing this morning?
Thankful for the distraction, she studied the message a moment. Sure, she’d told him she wanted to keep things simple, but seeing his missive on her phone made her smile, despite herself. She felt isolated and alone in her own office and wanted a real connection with someone. She knew she ought to ignore him. An entanglement would just be messy. And yet she figured, what harm could a little text do?
Wishing I was with you in a bathroom.
That much was true. Juliana remembered Law’s strong hands, the urgency, the blissful release. That was what she needed right now. She didn’t want to think about Garrison or what she ought to do next. She wanted Law’s strong hands to distract her.
That could be arranged.
Juliana barked a laugh, feeling a blush spread across her face.
You could come to my hotel tonight.
Juliana suddenly felt tempted. A night of pure bliss, with a stranger, no strings, no attachments, no complications. She thought about what it would be like to explore Law’s perfect body, to distract herself from the mess her work and personal life had become for one night. Then she remembered the promise she made to her sister. It was her birthday, and she’d be driving out to the ’burbs tonight to celebrate with her and her husband. Ugh. She couldn’t cancel on her, not when she’d been AWOL for weeks.
Can’t. Sister’s birthday dinner. The ’burbs.
Come after?
Law didn’t give up; she’d give him that much. But was that really a good thing? Garrison didn’t seem to give up, either.
Won’t be back tonight. Spending the night there.
It was the routine. Her sister plied her with wine and then offered up the guest room. She knew how much Juliana hated to trek back to the city late at night. And she also knew that men gave up easily. A few hurdles, and they backed down, almost to the one.
Law didn’t respond. For a minute Juliana thought he was turning out to be like every other man she’d ever dated, easily derailed. It wouldn’t be the first time a man had gotten frustrated trying to compete with her hectic schedule.
Then came another message.
How long are you in town?
The man wasn’t giving up, after all.
Till Thursday. Have a 5 p.m. trip to Honolulu.
Okay.
Then that was it. She stared at her phone for several minutes, but no new message popped up. No push for another meeting, no suggestion for a dinner date tomorrow night. Nothing. Hmm. Maybe she’d read him wrong. Maybe he had given up. Easily chased away just like all the others. It was why these kinds of distractions were a waste of time. She’d been right, then. But why did she feel a tiny tinge of disappointment in her chest?
Juliana tucked her phone away and tried to focus on the work at hand. Work would save her as it always did from thinking too hard about her personal life. That was the beauty of work. It was difficult, challenging and sometimes frustrating, but work was something she could do something about. Her personal life? How men felt about her? That was entirely out of her control.
She was so far behind and had so much to do before her big presentation in Seattle in less than two weeks. Then she’d have to find time at some point to run out to Michigan Avenue and buy a birthday gift for her sister. No matter how hard she worked, her to-do list never seemed to shrink.
* * *
Juliana stood on the doorstep of the quaint three-bedroom Colonial her sister and brother-in-law bought last year in the western suburbs. They’d been city dwellers for years, but had decided they wanted a yard for their dog, Roscoe, and were probably going to start a family soon. It was the worst-kept secret in the family, and her mother called regularly to ask if Juliana had any hint about whether or not Heather and Jason had “news.” Juliana felt it was a little unfair and put a lot of pressure on the couple, especially since everyone in the family seemed to want a blow-by-blow update of their sex lives. It was one more reason Juliana was glad she’d focused on her career and didn’t have to worry about their mother nosing into her sex life. Nobody wanted to know where she was in her cycle.
The big oak panel door swung open and her sister stood there, dark hair up in a sleek ponytail, wearing her suburban casual uniform of yoga pants and half zip pullover.
“Jules! You made it!” Heather gathered her younger sister up in her arms and Juliana went, feeling a little guilty for not seeing her for so long. Work just came first. But her older sister knew that. She looked good—a bit flushed in the cheeks a little and like she might have gained a little weight since the last time she’d seen her—was it longer than a month?
“Of course I did! Happy birthday!” Juliana pulled away from the hug and handed her sister a boutique store bag. She hadn’t had time to get a card—or wrap the gift—but the clerk had tied a nice pink ribbon around the handles and she hoped her sister would like the scarf and earrings inside.
