His Corporate Claim

by J. D. Fox

  “Did anyone tell you that you are a cruel woman?”

  “Not lately, so I must level up my evil ways.”

  The elevator door pinged open. I swung my head toward it and panicked for no reason other than at some point today, I needed to pretend to be Lucius’s fiancée. My heart sped and nausea rose from my stomach. If this didn’t go right, I would have alienated myself from my workmates and screwed myself out of a good job. I should have thought of that when Lucius spun out this scheme yesterday.

  My mouth turned as dry as the Colorado desert as I spotted both Lucius and the client walk off the elevator, with the client laughing at whatever Lucius said. I turned to flee into my office when Lucius called my name.

  “Talia,” he said. The acoustics of the room boomed my name like a clapper striking a bell and I had no choice but to turn.

  “Yes, Lucius.”

  The two men walked toward me, and I tried to swallow but my mouth remained stubbornly dry. They both looked like GQ models, and even though I long ago dismissed Lucius as a romantic possibility that didn’t mean I failed to appreciate his good looks. I might have gotten used to Lucius’s attractiveness, but now, walking side by side with another man just as dreamy, rational thought fled my mind. I couldn’t breathe, and my panties seeped embarrassing wetness. Dear Lord. Will I get through today with a single shred of my dignity intact?

  “Sam, I want you to meet Talia Winton, my fiancée. Talia, meet my baby brother Sam.”

  Oh, HELL no! I hadn’t dissed a client but my new boss. I can barely breathe now, and I clutched the salad container fiercely, hoping I could get through this greeting without further embarrassment.

  “I believe we’ve met,” said Sam. Oh, God. His voice was deep, smooth and warm conjuring images of me melting into his arms. I shouldn’t contemplate these impossible thoughts. This is my workplace, where I solemnly vowed never, ever to dip my toes into romantic waters. I am doomed and hell is too good for me.

  “I’m so sorry, Mr. Palmer. I didn’t know— I mean—”

  “Please, Talia, call me Sam. Lucius told me we’ll be family soon.”

  My face flushed. This affirmation of my fake engaged status focused my awareness on my newfound status as a liar. Yep, I have a ten-thousand dollar ring on my finger and dishonesty on my lips.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Sam. Lucius has told me so much about you.”

  “He has?” said Sam with a sexy smile. “What did he tell you?”

  Lucius laid his hand on his brother’s shoulder, probably saving me from spewing more untruths.

  “All the bad stuff,” he said. “I didn’t want my beloved to think she got the worst of the family deal by marrying me.” Lucius tossed a wink at me, and the suggestive expression in his eyes made me want to shrink against the wall. Or hit him. When had I become this violent?

  “I’ll just show Sam his office, and then you can come and talk with me in about fifteen minutes. Okay, sweetheart?”

  Sweetheart?

  “Certainly, Lucius.” My eyes narrowed. Oh yes, I’ll certainly have words for him about calling me “sweetheart” in the office.

  “I look forward to working with you, Talia.”

  “Me too,” I said and stopped. Staring into his warm and sexy brown eyes I couldn’t think of another thing to say. Oh dear, when did I become inarticulate?

  Lucius frowned, and now I definitely wanted to slink into my office and not come out, especially since other co-workers were arriving back from lunch. But he steered his brother toward the stairs to the second floor.

  I stalked to Eva’s desk and handed her the salad as her eyes popped out of her head watching the men take the stairs.

  “Lucius’s brother is hot,” she said.

  “Eva!” I scolded.

  “What? He is. Can I have him?”

  “Eva, he’s not a puppy to bring home.”

  “Says you. I wouldn’t mind bringing him home.”

  “Listen, I shouldn’t say this—”

  “Then don’t.”

  I huffed then lowered my voice.“Lucius told me Sam shares his proclivities.”

  “How’s that? That they’re both dreamy?”

  “No. He’s a player, like Lucius.”

  “That’s okay. I wouldn’t mind playing with him.”

  “Only worse.”

  “How can he be worse than Lucius?” she said too loudly. Co-workers heads swiveled toward us.

  “Keep your voice down,” I said.

  “Sorry.”

  “Lucius didn’t say.”

  “Then I wouldn’t mind finding out on my own.”

  “Knock yourself out,” I said. Then I caught Lucius leaning over the second-floor railing staring at me. “I’ve got to go.”

  “Give your fiancé a kiss for me.”

  “You’re horrible.”

  “True. I will not stop having fun with this.”

  “Go ahead. I still remember how to short sheet a bed from summer camp.”

  The click of my heels on the hardwood floor reminded me of a ticking time bomb. When I reached the second floor I found Lucius in his office. With a knock on the glass door, I announced my arrival.

  “You wanted to see me?”

  Lucius’ office was a study in ultra sleek. An enormous glass window gave a panoramic view of the Rocky Mountains. A large metal framed desk with a glass top heightened the effect of airiness in the high-ceilinged room. To the left sat a white bookcase, though he displayed more knick-knacks than books in it. In fact, I don’t recall Lucius reading anything other than his computer screen or cell phone.

  In fact, he was staring at his computer screen as I entered and sat at the chair before his desk.

  Lucius sucked in a breath as he stared at his laptop and shook his head.

  “Sam wants to see the sales figures. I told him you’d help him access the server files.”

  “Okay.”

  “And he wants the sales managers to meet at Aspen this weekend for team building.”

  “This—” I said in shock. “Lucius, you know I need my weekends.”

  “It’s not good to show my brother than you won’t work as part of the team. He’d give a negative report to corporate about your work.”

  “He wouldn’t.”

  “Why do you think he’s my father’s favorite son? Runs to Daddy with every little problem. Help me out here, Talia, and do this for one weekend.”

  I sucked on my lip because I needed the time to get Mom settled into her new extended care facility.

  “Well, fine. Then I need Friday off.”

  “Friday I have special appointments set up for you before you head to Aspen.”

  “What appointments?”

  “You’ll see on Friday.”

  I resisted the urge to sigh; Lucius was stubborn once he made a decision, and there was nothing to do but play along.

  “Then Thursday. Damn it, Lucius this is important.”

  “Okay,” he sighed “Thursday. Now go see my brother before he has a cow over those sales figures.”

  I didn’t know which Palmer I wanted to smack first, but I decided to leave before I did violence to this one. I got as far as the door when a stray thought hit me.

  “Why didn’t your brother tell me himself about the weekend?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe, he didn’t want to appear heavy-handed on his first day here.”

  Sam Palmer didn’t strike me as a coward, but his brother knew him better than I did. I walked the few steps to the Sales Director office and tried to keep the butterflies fluttering in my stomach in check. If he has as much pull as Lucius says he does then he can stall my advancement at Palmer Media.

  “Hey,” said Sam. He glanced up and his bright smile warmed me like a cup of hot chocolate. “Lucius told me you were a master of getting into this server.”

  “He overrates me,” I said.

  “He said you could help me better than him. Here, take my seat.”

  Hmm. That c
hair should be mine. I didn’t take it during the transition because I was able to keep a better eye on the comings and goings of the sales force from the first floor.

  “Sure,” I said.

  Sam stood and pulled the rolling chair out. I didn’t expect how warm the chair seat would feel from him sitting in it. But I ignored the heat and the salacious thoughts that threatened to run through my head as I clicked into the server. There wasn’t any special trick to it, and I couldn’t understand why Lucius had me do this.

  “Do you need a user id and password?”

  “Please.”

  My face flushed as I inappropriately thought of Sam pleasing me.

  Get it together, Talia.

  “I’ll send a request to IT. What’s your email address?”

  “My company email? It‘s spalmer@palmercorp.com.”

  “Aren’t you the easy one to find?”

  “My father believes in transparency, though my place isn’t that well carved out in the corporation.”

  “Meaning what?”

  “That I’m a small fish in a large pond.”

  “I doubt that. You don’t appear in any way small to me.”

  He leaned over the chair and set his hands on the headrest. His cologne, a woodsy citrus scent rolled off him, and I swallowed hard. My body betrayed me again by dripping into my panties, and I hoped to god that I didn’t leave a moist spot on his chair.

  “Here is a guest ID that you can use for now. It has read-only capabilities, but once you get your permanent user ID and password you can do what you want.”

  “Can I?” he said. His voice dropped an octave and sounded so damn sexy that my hands shook as I typed.

  “With the files. Of course, you can. You’re the sales director now.”

  “And what are you?”

  “Pardon?” My attention wavered because I couldn’t find the files he’d wanted. Funny how the folder wasn’t where it was supposed to be. I did a name search and found it mislabeled. Who the hell would do that?

  “I asked what position you work here at the company.”

  “I’m one of three sales managers. I handle traditional air media. Then there’s Martin who handles web sales, and Jessica who handles national print.”

  “That sounds comprehensive. And in your estimation, which of you is best qualified for the Sales Director job?”

  “Me.”

  “You sound sure of yourself.”

  “I am, but I’m also a team player. My turn will come.”

  “I’m sure it will. What are you doing now?”

  “Opening the sales revenue folder for you. Here it is. Have fun.”

  I tried to push the chair back to stand, but he didn’t move.

  “If you’ll excuse me. I have work to finish.”

  “I had hoped you’d stay and go over these figures with me.”

  “If you need me too, I will, but I have a bunch of things to get done before Aspen this weekend.”

  “I’m sure you do. I’ll call you if I have questions.”

  “Please do,” I said. “If you don’t mind, I need to get back to work.”

  “I’m sure you do,” he muttered under his breath, but he stepped away so I could stand.

  I didn’t ask him what he meant. I had to get out of this office before a vital organ exploded, like my head— or my heart.

  Chapter Four

  Sam

  Wednesday Morning

  “It’s hard to argue with business,” I conceded to Lucius. He’d been standing at his coffee machine with his back to me when he dropped the news. My brother’s sudden announcement that he needed to leave town this morning to meet new clients perplexed me. He announced last night while I settled into his condo that his and Talia’s wedding was this weekend. Now his luggage sat by the front door as if his upcoming nuptials were the least of his concerns.

  “Doesn’t Talia mind?” I can’t imagine any woman would be happy that her fiancé would take off days before the wedding. Though I was no expert, I expected there were things that needed to get done. Leaving them to your future wife seems like a bad way to start married life.

  He set a cup of coffee down on the table in front of me, then stood straight and looked toward the kitchen window. Lucius fiddled with his cufflinks while the corners of his mouth drew tight. “Naw, she’s a sweetheart,” he said at last. He leveled his gaze at me. “Hey bro, do me a favor. Drive Talia to the lodge?”

  Drive her to the lodge? Whoa, wait. Why did he need me to do this? When I’d found out that the woman who currently occupied my lustful thoughts was Lucius’s fiancée I vowed to keep a discrete distance from her. Eventually I’d get over this crush, but I did not need to be alone in the same car with her for an extended period.

  You can be grown up for a few hours.

  Sure, and my cock will be too.

  “Wouldn’t she want to drive up with her friends?”

  Lucius shook his head. “Talia’s car is a wreck waiting to happen only it doesn’t know it yet, but she refuses to give that thing up. Also, she wants a small intimate wedding and she hasn’t invited anyone. So I’d appreciate it if you’d get her to the lodge safely.”

  Well, the explanation didn’t answer all my questions, but I knew that if I interrogated him, he would get ticked off and shut down more attempts to communicate.

  “Sure. No problem.”

  “Good. Now, remember, she’ll be off on Thursday and Friday. Pick her up at the Ritz Carlton at 4:00 PM on Friday.”

  What was this? I suppose a bride wants to get ready for her wedding but two days before the event? Besides, the lodge has a full spa facility.

  “The Ritz-Carlton? Why?”

  A small smile played on his lips. “It’s her regular spa day. But don’t worry, she’s usually done by 4:00 PM. These spa days are costing me a fortune, but, hey, got to keep the little woman happy.”

  Talia didn’t strike me as the “little woman” type, but Lucius knew her better than I did.

  He kept talking, ignoring my perplexed expression. “I’ll text you her number just in case. Take my car; the keys are on my home office desk, and you’ll find the car in the condo parking lot on level two. Don’t forget Talia. I can’t get married without a bride.”

  “Sure. What about dad and the rest? Shouldn‘t you invite them?”

  He shook his head. “As I said, Talia wants a small, intimate wedding.”

  This was not a good idea. Dad may not think well of Lucius, but he’d be furious if he didn’t know about the wedding beforehand.

  “Still,” I said.

  Lucius raised his eyes to the ceiling. “If you think it‘s important, I’ll call him.”

  “And the aunts?”

  He sighed, as if inconvenienced. “Yes, the aunts. But no cousins.”

  “Lucius--”

  “I’m not expanding this wedding. I hope to God Talia won’t get angry with me for inviting Dad and the aunts.”

  Lord only knows what my hard-headed brother would say to our father. It would be something along the lines of ‘I decided to get married this weekend and thought you wouldn’t come so I didn’t invite you. But then Sam changed my mind.’

  Yeah, that wouldn’t work out well. “Tell you what— let me take care of those arrangements. That way she can blame me and not you.”

  Lucius broke out in a bright smile. “You will? Thanks, Sam.”

  “Why doesn’t Talia want to invite anyone? Doesn’t she have a family?”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “All the more important she meets ours.”

  “You’re right. Look, I gotta go. See you in Aspen. Oh, and Sam? I’m glad you’re here. You’re a big help.”

  That last bit surprised me. Lucius, genuinely glad to see me? This hadn’t happened for several years. But this is a new Lucius. Marriage might be good for my brother. He left, leaving me in alone in the apartment and I sat at the table with the cup of coffee that Lucius fixed for
me.

  I held the cup in my hands and stared at it. These small gestures were so unlike him. I had to hope that Lucius had changed, and was trying to turn his life around. It would be a welcome thing, and the idea gave me hope for my brother.

  But something doesn’t ring true about this situation, and I can’t figure what.

  For an engaged woman, Talia doesn’t seem enthusiastic about the prospect of marrying Lucius. I thought it strange that they didn’t live together as many engaged couples do. Lucius had explained it as Talia’s way of keeping boundaries between work and home, and said that once they married they’d move to a new condo that they were closing on soon.

  “It’s not a problem, bro,” Lucius said clapping my back last night. “Talia’s worth the wait.”

  Still, the situation was damned strange.

  But what did I know about romance? The truth is women in my social circle bore me to tears. Most spent their time obsessing over their looks and their social connections, and that didn‘t get my motor running. I wanted someone different.

  “Talia’s different,” sprang my traitorous thought. No. That direction was a no-go. Firstly, I didn’t know her well enough to say she’s different, and second, she was my BROTHER’s fiancé.

  Talia Winton was on my “do not fly” list, despite the dirty fantasies that ran through my head whenever I thought of her in the skintight beige dress.

  Pulling my phone from my pocket, I dialed my father’s number. He answered gruffly.

  “Palmer.”

  “Hey, Dad.”

  “Sam. How’s Denver?” My father’s guarded tone told me he expected the worst.

  “The air is thin and hot.”

  “That’s Denver. Did you find out anything?”

  “About the business, nothing yet. But here’s a shocker for you: Lucius is getting married.”

  My father said nothing, which worried me. “Dad?”

  “Forgive my silence. I’m surprised. Who is she?”

  “A woman here at work. Her name is Talia Winton.”

  “That name is familiar.”

  “I told you, Dad, she works here. But there’s more.”

  “Yes?”

  I sucked in a breath. “They are getting married this weekend at the lodge in Aspen.”

  “This weekend?” He sounded annoyed, as if I’d interrupted his golf game. Come to think of it, he probably did have plans to play this weekend as part of glad-handing for a business deal.