“It’s good, I think, if you open your club up to everyone.”
“Mom. Sheesh. It’s not a club if everyone can be in it.”
“Well, at least this Janella person. You should let her in.”
“We’ll see. After the vote. Next time I go to Granny’s, we’ll vote then. Or maybe the guys’ll vote without me. It’s okay if they do since I won’t be back for a while.”
“I like your attitude.”
He beamed. “Thanks.” And then he frowned. “Just wish my pollywog had changed into a frog faster.”
Wednesday was an easy day. Shelly was caught up on her own work and her boss was in California.
Tom called twice under the pretense that he needed her to send him certain files. He could just as easily have sent her a text message or an e-mail. But he called. Which was more than fine with her. Both times, they talked a little longer than necessary about nothing in particular.
The second time he called, she glanced up in the middle of their conversation to find Lil lurking a few feet away, listening in, wearing a smirk on her full, sexy lips. Shelly sat up straighter in her chair and gave Lil a dead-on look that clearly said the other secretary should mind her own business.
With an elaborate shrug, Lil turned away. And Shelly made a mental note to steer clear of the woman from now on. Yes, Shelly wanted to get along with her coworkers, but Lil Todd was just too nosy for Shelly’s peace of mind.
At home that evening, Shelly enjoyed her family and admired Max’s new glasses. Her mom had taken him to the optometrist, where they’d been waiting to be fitted.
Later, Tom called. Shelly took the phone into her room and they talked for an hour. He told her he and Helen were still seriously concerned about Riki’s performance, but willing to stick with the designer for the next few weeks, as previously agreed—and yes, in the meantime, they’d continue the hunt for a possible replacement, just in case.
Thursday afternoon at one, Tom called Shelly on her cell. He’d just touched down at O’Hare. “Winston.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re the best assistant I ever had.”
“Why, thank you, Tom.”
“I want you to know how much I appreciate you.”
Shelly sat at her desk with a spreadsheet open on the monitor in front of her. She cradled the phone against her cheek and tried to look professional, though she had no doubt the fool’s grin on her face and her dreamy eyes would have been a dead giveaway if anyone was watching.
“I do know you appreciate me. Thank you.”
He said, “I think you should take the afternoon off.” Did that mean she wouldn’t see him till the picnic tomorrow? Her spirits drooped. Then he added, “You should meet me at my place. One hour.”
“But—”
“Winston.”
“Yes?”
“Never argue with the boss.” He hung up.
She set down her phone and stared blankly at her computer monitor. His place. One hour.
She was there five minutes early. The friendly doorman must have been warned to expect her. He gestured toward the elevators and called her “Ms. Winston.”
At Tom’s door, she raised her hand to knock—and the door opened. A strong hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. She laughed as she was pulled into warm, hard arms.
Vaguely, she heard the door swing shut behind her. And then he was kissing her. Madly. Deeply. An endless, tender, passionate kiss.
When they came up for air, he said, “I thought you’d never damn well get here. What is it about you, Winston? Tell me. What?”
But then he didn’t let her answer. He only kissed her again and waltzed her into his bedroom and took off all her clothes and his, too.
Later, they lay together in the afternoon light. He told her all about his trip. Then they made love again. And again.
Reluctantly, at five, he sent her home to her mom and her son, promising he’d be at her place the next day to pick her and her family up and take them to the company picnic. Shelly rode home in a warm haze of mingled fulfillment and anticipation.
The next morning, the doorbell rang at eleven-fifteen. Shelly went to answer. Just the sight of the handsome man on her doorstep made her heart skip a beat.
“Good morning.” He carried a big bouquet of brightly colored gerbera daisies. “A street vendor was selling them. I made the driver go back so I could get you some….”
She grinned like a long-gone fool and gathered the flowers into her arms. “They’re beautiful. Thanks.”
“You should put them in water.”
“I will. Come in.” She stepped back.
Max was lurking behind her in her small entryway. He had his arms folded across his thin chest and a very serious expression on his face. “Hello,” he said solemnly.
Tom glanced at Shelly. She gave him a nod. He stepped forward until he loomed over her child. “I’m Tom.”
Max gave the man before him a slow, cautious once-over. “Are you my mom’s boss?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Oh.” With great dignity, Max extended his hand.
Tom took it. They shook.
When Tom let go, Max said, “I just got back from Mount Vernon. That’s where my Granny lives.”
Tom nodded. “Your mom told me you’d been gone.”
Max tipped his head to the side. “But I bet she didn’t tell you everything.”
Tom took a minute to think about that. “You’re right. I’m sure she didn’t.”
“I’ll tell you all about it.”
“All right. Tell me. I can’t wait to hear it all.”
Max smiled then—a broad, open smile. “Good.” And he started chattering. “Well, first Mom drove me down there. It’s a long drive. We get to stop and have hamburgers on the way. I like ketchup on mine. And I like a chocolate milkshake, too. And French fires. But Mom always says I can’t have both so I have to choose. I had the French fries that time, on the drive down to Granny’s. And milk to drink…”
Shelly clutched her bright flowers. Her chest felt tight. Max’s cautious expression had vanished. Now his eyes shone and the tension had left his small body.
Just like that, it had happened. Her son had made his choice and decided to accept Tom into his world.
Uncertainty gnawed at her. It was one thing for her to take a chance on a man, but another altogether to find that her son already trusted him. If things didn’t work out between them…
No, she ordered herself silently. Don’t go there. Not now. It was a sunny summer day, the Fourth of July. A time for fireworks and fun.
Shelly put her second thoughts away.
Max was still talking as Tom listened, rapt. “And then we—”
“Whoa.” Laughing, Shelly put up a hand.
Max stuck out his little chin. “But, Mom, Tom wants to know about my trip to Granny’s.”
“And you’ll get to tell him.” She sent Tom a you-asked-for-it grin. “But right now, let me introduce him to Granny and then we can be on our way.”
Max reached for Tom’s hand. “Come on, Tom. Granny’s in the kitchen, I think….”
They got to Grant Park at a little after noon.
TAKA-Hanson had taken up a large, grassy area under the shade of some gorgeous old oaks. The picnic tables were covered in red, white and blue cloths, complete with centerpieces decked with American flags and red top hats.
The limo let them off, and Max stared with stars in his eyes. “Wow. This is gonna be some party, huh?”
And it was
There was softball. Tom played first base for the hospitality division team. Shelly, Norma and Max cheered him on. Shelly met Helen’s stepsons and their wives and babies.
HR had even hired a band. As the night came on, Shelly and Tom danced together on a wide wooden dance floor that had been set up under the stars.
Later, there were fireworks over Lake Michigan. Tom, Shelly, Norma and Max spread a blanket on the grass and watched the show. Max fell asleep ha
lfway through, his face so angelic and peaceful in the light of exploding bottle rockets and fountains of cascading multicolored fire.
When they got home, Shelly’s mom carried Max in to bed and Tom and Shelly lingered on the front step, sharing kisses as, high in the sky over Chicagoland, more fireworks exploded.
“I promised Max I’d take him to a movie tomorrow,” Tom teased before he left. “I said I had to check with you first, though.”
A movie? Her son and Tom were already making plans for things they’d do together? Her doubts of earlier that day resurfaced.
A nagging voice in the back of her mind chided that they were moving too fast, that she should tell Tom they needed to slow down….
But when she answered, all she said was, “Hmm. I suppose a movie is fine with me.”
“Max said, if I asked you nicely, you might even come with us.”
“You know, I just might.” Again, she spoke lightly, denying her doubts.
“He also asked for my phone number.”
“Don’t give it to him,” she warned. “He’ll be calling you constantly.”
“I’ll set parameters.”
“Oh. Right. Parameters. Of course.”
“That is, if it’s all right with his mom.”
“It’s okay with me. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Tom kissed her again. “I’ll check the movie listings in the morning, and give you a call. Invite your mom, too, will you?”
“I will.” She stood on the porch and waved as he drove away, her happiness bright as a firework fountain exploding over Lake Michigan in the Fourth of July night.
Yes, alone in her bed that night she worried—a little. That so much was at stake. Not only her heart—and her job. But now her son’s heart, as well. If things went bad with Tom…
But then, in the darkness, she smiled. Really, why not look on the bright side? Why not expect the best?
The next day all four of them went to a feature-length cartoon about a family of dancing hedgehogs. Tom gave Max his cell number and they all went out for burgers after the show.
Sunday, Norma watched Max so that Shelly and Tom could have the afternoon together. By then Shelly’s doubts were fading. Really, her life was just about perfect. It didn’t get any better than this.
Or maybe it did.
Maybe she and Tom were headed for a future together. It could happen. As each day passed she only became more certain that it would happen. She was falling in love with her boss. And she had a very strong feeling he was falling for her, too.
Monday morning, Shelly’s mom headed for home. Shelly hugged her goodbye and told her to drive carefully, then took Max to daycare.
She got to TAKA-Hanson at a little before eight. When Tom came in, they went over his calendar. He had some calls to make. And then, about ten-thirty, he hurried off for an emergency meeting with Helen and some of the finance managers.
He didn’t return until around two in the afternoon. As he entered his office, he gave her a nod. “Shelly. Do you have a moment?”
“Of course.” She got up and followed him in, warmth sifting through her at the naughty idea that perhaps they’d be sharing a tender interlude on the caramel-colored couch.
But then he went and sat at his desk and gestured for her to take a chair.
Aware of a sudden vague sensation of alarm, she took the one she always used when they did the calendar. “Is everything…okay?”
“No. It’s not. We have a problem. A serious one. You know Lillian Todd, right?”
“Sure.” She kept her personal opinion of Lil to herself. It seemed the most professional approach. “We…chat now and then. Around the water cooler, that kind of thing. We had lunch together at O’Connell’s last week, along with a couple of the girls from the office.” Shelly frowned. “You know, I haven’t seen her today. Is she all right?”
“What I’m going to say is strictly confidential.”
Alarm ratcheted higher. “Of course.”
“Helen’s impressed with you.”
Where was this going? “Well. I’m…pleased. I really like her, too.”
“She suggested I get your take on this. I agreed that sounded like a good idea.”
“Certainly. Whatever I can do.” Whatever this was…
“I just need it to be crystal clear. Nothing that gets said here can leave this room.”
“Absolutely. Strictly confidential. I understand…”
“Lillian Todd didn’t come in to work today. We’ve had a long talk with Louie D’Amitri, the manager she was working for, and we have reason to believe she’s been accessing financial files and correspondence that have nothing to do with her job at TAKA-Hanson.”
Shelly could hardly believe her ears. “You mean…you think Lil Todd is some kind of spy?”
Tom nodded. “She evidently became intimate with Louie and convinced him to give her his password, which allowed her to access areas of our systems that she never should have been able get near.”
Lil? Sexy, man-crazy, gossip-hungry Lil—a spy? “It’s so hard to believe….”
“Yeah, well. We do believe it. We believe that Lillian Todd has been copying crucial confidential information off our system and passing it to the competition.”
“But…how?”
Tom said, “The system keeps track of who uses it, and when. Louie, the poor sucker, is an honest guy at heart. He came to us today, confessed that she’d gotten him to give her his password. Luckily, we’ve been able to pinpoint what, exactly, she’s stolen. Unfortunately she must have figured out she was about to get caught. She’s vanished. We’ve called a detective service we keep on call. They sent a man to her place. It was empty. The manager said she’d moved out over the weekend.”
Shelly knew enough about big business to understand that, though a crime had been committed, the police would not be informed. Filing a complaint would mean admitting that TAKA-Hanson had been careless enough to allow its most carefully guarded information to be stolen. No self-respecting corporation wanted that kind of egg on its face.
No. This “problem” would remain in-house. Louie D’Amitri wouldn’t even be fired for giving access to the spy. He’d be offered reassignment, for the same money, out of corporate headquarters, where he’d no longer be in the TAKA-Hanson financial inner circle and where he’d have no access to top-secret information.
In other words, the corporate boneyard. No doubt Louie would decline the offer, take a fat severance package and try his luck elsewhere.
Tom said, “And what I called you in for…”
“Whatever I can do. Just say the word.” She still couldn’t believe it. Lillian, a corporate spy? It didn’t seem real. Lil, with her sly looks and swaying walk, had been working undercover for some other hotel chain, stealing TAKA-Hanson secrets?
“Since you’re clerical,” Tom said, “and since I trust you absolutely…”
“Thank you,” she told him softly.
His smile was bleak. “We thought you might have heard something—from Lillian herself, or from one of the other secretaries—that management wouldn’t necessarily be aware of, something that would help us figure out who she was working for and how to catch up with her.”
Shelly carefully considered before she answered. “I just…I didn’t know that much about her. I never had her phone number, even. She never mentioned her family, now that I think about it. Mostly, she just gossiped about everyone else in the office.”
“A good way to keep anyone from getting too close,” Tom remarked.
“Yeah. You’re right. And to get information, I suppose. Verna said she was really smart, that she had to be, given that she spent most of her time making the rounds of the office, gossiping, and very little time at her own desk. I mostly felt…cautious around her. I never wanted to tell her anything that she might tell everyone else.”
“Smart,” he said.
“Simple self-preservation. Oh, and I did hear the rumor that she was sle
eping with her boss.” Shelly gulped. After all, Lil wasn’t the only one who’d been in bed with the boss.
“Who told you she had a thing with Louie?”
Shelly told him the name of the other secretary. “I got the sense it was general knowledge, Lil and Louie. And, well…”
“Tell me. Anything. It just might help.”
She warned, “This is totally my take and nothing more.”
“Duly noted.”
“I…Well, I thought more than once that Lil was interested in you. But why wouldn’t she be?” When he arched a brow, she elaborated, “I mean, you’re single and handsome and the head of finance. Lil was always so…flirtatious with all the guys. I could see her considering you a big step up from a middle-aged, middle-management married guy—and hey, as a spy, she’d want to get as far up the corporate food chain here as possible, right?” Shelly glanced away. “Gee. Did that sound totally tacky or what?”
“What gave you the idea she was ‘interested’ in me?”
“Nothing concrete, I promise you.”
“Tell me anyway.”
“It was only…the way she would look at you—that sexy smile she gave you at the bar during Verna’s party. And then, later during the party, after you and I danced, I ran into her in the ladies’ room. She got all sly with me, asked me if I was having a ‘good time’ in this really snarky tone of voice. Then the Wednesday before we flew to Japan, she came by my desk to try and get me to go to lunch with her.
“I was focused on getting caught up before the trip and said I couldn’t—oh, and that’s another thing. She knew about both trips last week. I hadn’t told her about them. Though that’s not that big a deal, right? I guess she could have heard about the trips any number of ways, but still…She asked me how I liked working for you. She called you the ‘hunky CFO’ and, I don’t know, she just seemed jealous or something.” Shelly blew out a breath. “This is silly. I’m not giving you anything useful. I’m sorry.”
He was watching her intently, taking it all in. “Don’t apologize. What else?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Tell me.”
“I told her I couldn’t go to lunch that day, and suggested we try the next week. She said something like how anything could happen between then and next week. That struck me as odd. Then she shrugged and said ‘Why not?’ when I said ‘How about Tuesday?’”
In Bed with the Boss Page 11
