The Rebel Queen
Page 23
“Sorry,” I said with a half-hearted smile. The girl huffed and dropped a quarter into my outstretched palm. By the time I turned back to Samuel, he was gone, but the shock of seeing him followed me out of the coffee shop and back to the office.
* * *
Every time I slid into a chair behind the mahogany conference table, my pulse beat a little bit faster. Corporate life made my blood sing like the headiest drug. I took my normal seat next to the head of the table, where Ansel, the president, would sit. It was a position of honor and one I’d worked hard to attain. From beyond the gleam of polished hardwoods and brass, my co-workers stared at me. Usually the room hummed with friendly banter. This morning an eerie silence prevailed. I was still too overcome by my encounter with Samuel to analyze the source of the quiet.
“Good morning, everyone.” Ansel entered the executive conference room, his jaw clenched tight. He was a slender man; bookish glasses perched on his nose, with wisps of gray threading his brown hair. “Thank you for joining us at such short notice.” The strain around Ansel’s eyes caught my attention more than his words. “We’ll get to the crux of the matter in just a minute.” Instead of sitting next to me the way he usually did, he remained standing and shifted from foot to foot, avoiding my curious gaze. “We’re waiting on one more person.”
“Is everything okay?” I asked him, studying his face with concern. “Can I get you anything?” Ansel might be demanding and overbearing, but he’d always been kind to me.
He didn’t answer but patted my hand absently before turning away. I followed the trajectory of his gaze.
The smile on my lips fell away when the woman from the coffee shop strode into the room. She walked to the front and rested a hand on the arm of a man staring through the wall of windows at the blue sky outside. A man I’d failed to notice until this very second. The square set of the broad shoulders beneath an impeccable black suit brought the world to a stop for the space of an entire second. He stood with his hands shoved into his pockets, face turned away, the split of his suit jacket revealing a bite-worthy ass beneath the tailored trousers. Messy blond hair brushed the starched white collar of his shirt. When he glanced at the woman, morning sunlight glinted off random gold hairs in the scruff on his square jaw, the glare obscuring most of his face. Samuel. A frisson of anxiety rippled through my gut.
“I could use some coffee,” Brian, head of advertising, said from my left. He leaned into my shoulder, whispering over my ear. I shivered and not in a good way. He was such a creep.
“Get it yourself,” I hissed, my eyes glued to the source of my anxiety.
“But you’re so good at it,” he replied, unruffled by my rebuff. For reasons unknown to me, Brian continued to treat me like a receptionist, asking me to make coffee, copies, and schedule appointments for him whenever Sadie, the receptionist, was out. He wasn’t a bad-looking guy, solid build, sandy brown hair, hazel eyes, and he could be charming when he wanted. He also had a reputation for sleeping with the staff, in spite of his fiancée and our company policy. When his thigh brushed against mine beneath the table, I glared and slid my chair to the side. Sleazeball. He smirked. “Pardon me.”
“Looks like we’re all here,” Ansel said, drawing my attention away from Brian. “We can go ahead now.”
Sam turned to face the group. I lifted my coffee cup to my lips. Grass-green eyes rested on my face. Brian’s thigh bumped me again beneath the table. I jerked, and the cup slipped from my fingers and landed on the table with a clank. Lukewarm coffee poured down the front of my pink silk blouse. Brian cursed and sprang to his feet, brushing at the splatters on his khaki pants. Camille, head of accounting, grabbed a handful of tissues from the credenza and thrust them at me, but I just sat there, staring numbly at Samuel.
“Dakota?” Ansel’s voice drifted through the chaotic haze in my mind. A frown puckered the space between his brows. My composure snapped into place.
“Excuse me,” I said. “I’ll be right back.”
Before anyone could speak, I sprinted out of the room and into my office. I closed the door behind me and leaned against it, pressing a hand against my chest to calm my racing pulse. It just wasn’t possible, was it? How could he be here? For the second time this morning, memories better left forgotten flooded my thoughts. Sweet, drowsy kisses. Riding bicycles in the rain. Laughing over morning coffee. The painful squeeze of my chest forced me to cut them off.
“Dakota? Can I help you?” A light tap at the door and the voice of my assistant, Melody, called me to action. “Ansel said to hurry.”
Of all the places in this enormous city, what was he doing here? I didn’t have any idea what he’d done since our divorce or the career path he’d taken. I didn’t want to know. I’d managed to get past our morning brush at the coffee shop by shoving it deep down into the darkest recesses of my being and padlocking the door. I could hardly avoid him now. Not when he was in the next room.
I shrugged out of the blouse and pulled my jacket from the closet. With shaking fingers, I buttoned the front and took a hasty glance in the mirror on the back of the door. A bit more cleavage revealed than I preferred, but it would have to do. I opened the door, thrust the blouse at Melody, and returned to the conference room. Samuel had taken me by surprise, but I’d never let him know. I couldn’t, not when I was the one responsible for our breakup.
“I apologize for the delay,” I said, wearing my winningest smile. “Let’s get to business, shall we?”
Ansel tapped the table, calling the room to order. “I’d like to introduce you to Samuel Seaforth, president of Infinity Enterprises. This morning, Samuel took over controlling interest of Harmony Developments and he’ll be heading up the company from today forward.”
The blood left my face and drained all the way into my toes. A murmur of concern rippled around the room. Samuel Seaforth was taking over the company. My company. All of my plans for the future withered and died in front of my eyes at this unwelcome revelation.
Samuel shoved his hands deeper into his trouser pockets, a gesture so familiar it brought a sharp stab of nostalgia. Our eyes met again and a tremor shook my hands.
“Thank you, Ansel,” Samuel said, still staring at me. “I want to assure everyone that we mean to make this merger as painless as possible. There will be growing pains, of course, as we blend the two companies into one and reorganize the company structure. And to that end, we are asking you to reapply for your positions.” He gestured to the woman at his side. “Dahlia will be conducting interviews throughout the rest of the week in order to get acquainted with each of you and determine who’s best suited for the positions.”
“Some of us have contracts,” I interjected. Ansel had insisted I sign an employment agreement when I took the Project Acquisitions Director position. Now I had to wonder if he’d known all along about the merger and had taken steps to protect me. I cast him a grateful glance. He answered with an almost imperceptible nod.
“So you do, Ms. Atwell,” Samuel said. His deep voice dwelled on the syllables of my name, and not in a good way. “You and I will discuss your situation at a later date. In private.” He dismissed me with a turn of his head, addressing the rest of the room. “Now, let’s talk about our future.”
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Short Stories
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Before You Go
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About the Author
Jeana is a USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author from Indiana. She gave up a career in the corporate world to write about sexy billionaires and alpha bad boys. With over twenty books, three series, and many awards beneath her belt, she’s never regretted her choice to live out her dream. She’s a free spirit, a wanderer at heart, and loves animals with a passion. When she’s not tripping over random objects, you’ll find her walking in the sunshine with her rambunctious dogs and dreaming about true love. Subscribe to Jeana’s newsletter and get the inside scoop on new and upcoming releases, giveaways, and much more! CLICK HERE
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