The upside of not being able to sleep was that Samantha got to work almost forty five minutes early despite how long it took her to get ready. Her meeting with Connor wasn’t until two, but she was anxious to get into her office and prepare. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been able to focus on anything for longer than five minutes at a time without being distracted by picturing Connor’s face, wondering what they years had done to his youthful features. She had Tammy call Connor’s office to confirm the appointment, even though it had been set just two days before. She also had Tammy confirm every aspect of the meeting. The conference room availability was confirmed. Each team member was reminded of the time and location of the meeting. Mr. Slone’s assistant confirmed it was on his calendar. Even the availability of refreshments was confirmed. Still, Samantha couldn’t shake her anxiety. She felt unprepared. She wanted to make sure at no point was she going to have to be alone with Connor. If he didn't remember her, it would be easier to hide her devastation with other people to fill the space that had grown between them. If he did remember, she was terrified about what he might say to her if she didn’t have some type of buffer. She knew she deserved every angry thing he could want to say to her, but merely imagining the words crushed her. She wasn’t prepared to listen to them. Not here, not at her work, where she was supposed to always be in control. She was scared to admit how easily she could lose control to Connor.
She assigned Tammy to meet him in the lobby and escort him into the conference room, something she had never done before. She knew it was mildly rude and unprofessional not to meet him herself, but she couldn’t help the little indulgence. She needed to ease herself into the encounter, into being confronted with the full force of his smile, his eyes, his charm, and the raw desire she knew she still had for him, whether she was willing to admit it or not.
Connor arrived fifteen minutes early and alone, hoping to increase his chance of catching her unprepared. He had the exact opposite desire as Samantha. He was determined to get her alone. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do when he did, although he had several fantasies. He knew he wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to find out what would happen between the two former lovers behind closed doors again for the first time in so many years. He was more than a little nervous, but he was mostly excited and impatient. He was like a man dying of withdrawals and Samantha was his addiction. She held the promise of his salvation while bring his ultimate demise. He was noticeably annoyed when he saw a chubby and cheerful assistant approaching him at the reception desk instead of Samantha. She was still avoiding him, still denying him his drug of choice.
“Mr. Grayson! Welcome to Phillips, Morrissey & Tanner. Ms. Cane is going to pull Mr. Slone from another meeting and wanted me to show you to the conference room. Is it just you or are we waiting on anyone else?” her bright smile was small compensation for the insult of not be greeted by Samantha herself. Connor didn’t have a large ego, but regardless of their history, as a professional courtesy she should have come to meet him herself. Underneath his irritation, his heart raced uncontrollably at the sound of her name. Ms. Cane. He tried to ignore the fact that he was noticeably relieved that she wasn’t a Mrs. Was she Ms. Cane because she wasn’t married or because she wouldn’t take her husband’s name? Connor wouldn’t be surprised if Samantha was the kind of woman who would never let herself be defined by her husband. He tried to remind himself that he was getting paid to be here for a reason, and it wasn’t Samantha. He snapped himself back to reality. He realized he had been completely ignoring Samantha's assistant while he was lost in thoughts of her personal life. Connor swallowed his pride and his curiosity, turning the full force of his charm on to Tammy.
“Thank you. It is just me, ready when you are,” Connor said through a forced smile. Tammy didn’t notice. Connor was too gorgeous, fake smile or not, for anyone to notice the curt undertone in his voice.
“Great. Please follow me,” Tammy said as she turned toward the conference room. Connor followed obediently, taking in his surroundings as he went. Part of his job was to understand the existing environment within a company and to identify early any possible tension points. Despite Tammy’s cheerful demeanor, the office itself seemed very stagnant and repressed, more so even than a standard law firm. Connor was immediately struck by the sense that while these people may work well together, they were certainly not a team.
“Here we are,” Tammy pointed to a richly furnished conference room. “Can I get you anything? Water? Coffee? Soda?” Tammy rambled a bit while her eyes trailed up and down Connor’s fit body, something he was used to, especially in his lucky suit.
“No, thank you…” Connor trailed off while keeping eye contact and smiling at Tammy. The pause was enough that most people with common sense would have realized he was waiting for her to tell him her name. Tammy was not intuitive in the best of circumstances. With Connor’s grey eyes focused on her, she was completely incapable of catching the hint.
“I’m sorry. What is your name?” Connor finally asked after Tammy stared blankly at him long enough for him to realize she didn’t get it.
“Oh. I’m Tammy. Ms. Cane’s assistant. I’ll be just down the hall if you need anything,” she replied with a schoolgirl giggle.
“Thank you, Tammy.” Connor gave her a quick wink while adding an ounce of sultriness to his voice as he said her name. Tammy giggled again, staring at Connor a bit too long before turning and leaving. Connor knew from then on, he would be able to get anything he needed from Tammy. It was now five minutes before the agreed upon time and Connor was standing in a conference room by himself, trying to control his growing frustration.
Samantha knew the second Connor was in the building because she had made sure Tammy got a call from the receptionist immediately when he checked in down in the lobby. Although she had been preparing for him since the morning, she was still thrown off by his early arrival. After Tammy had been dispatched to reception to greet Connor, Samantha went to her boss’s office to bring him to the conference room. It was completely unnecessary. He knew about the meeting and could find his own way to his own conference room. But, it was the best excuse Samantha could come up with to avoid being alone with Connor. To her displeasure, her boss was already out of his office and heading toward the conference room when she met up with him. She was hoping to find him on the phone or at least in his office so that she could distract him with some asinine question to push off having to see Connor for at least a few more minutes. No such luck. With every step closer to the conference room, Samantha’s heart began to beat faster. She seriously debated faking a faint. Had her boss not been hard on her heels, she might have. She took one last deep breath before turning the corner and stepping into the conference room. She saw him and froze.
He was alone, but even if the room had been full of people, Samantha would have only seen him. He was standing across the room, gazing at the city below with his hands in his pockets. He was stunning. Samantha couldn’t move. Time seemed to stop as she took in the sight of a grown up Connor Grayson. He had always been attractive, but all those years ago he was just a boy. Today he stood in front of her as a man. The sight of him was mesmerizing from head to toe. The afternoon sun colored his chocolate brown hair, perfectly tousled back and out of his face. He was angled slightly away from her, highlighting his strong jaw line while still letting her see the tension in his steely eyes. His shoulders and chest were still athletic and solid. With his hand tucked into his pocket, his jacket rode up enough to let Samantha trace the outline of his firm ass, the sight of which brought a familiar warmth across her body. She was completely unaware of how long she stood in the doorway of the conference room, taking in every inch of his body, until Mr. Slone cleared his throat behind her and tried to push his way past. At the noise, Connor turned to face them. An uncontrollable smile lit up his pensive face as his eyes met Samantha’s.
It was then Connor’s turn to take in the sight of Samantha. She would have been happy to know that
her outfit choice had its exact intended result. In the few seconds Connor had to trace his eyes over her body, he was both nostalgic for the girl he had fallen in love with while developing new fantasies about the provocative woman standing in front of him. Her skirt instantly reminded him of the one she had worn the first time they had met, causing an unprofessional swelling in his pants. She was undeniably beautiful. He felt his chest ease as he noted the naked ring finger on her left hand. He was the first to speak as Samantha was still struggling to catch her breath and recover her composure.
“Good afternoon. I am Connor Grayson with Republic Consulting,” he said confidently as he started closing the space between them. He was speaking more to Mr. Slone, seeming aware that Samantha was not entirely in possession of herself. He reveled in the lust she still held for him in her eyes. Mr. Slone held out his hand and introduced himself before Samantha was able to.
“Jeremy Slone. I am the senior partner who will be managing the merger. However, most of the day to day interaction is going to be handled by one of our most capable associates,” he said, shaking Connor’s hand as his eyes turned to Samantha waiting for her to introduce herself.
“Samantha Cane,” she blurted out as she shot out her hand to shake Connor’s. Connor took her small hand inside his warm and sizable palm. The touch sent electricity shooting through Samantha’s body increasing the warmth she already felt across every inch of her skin. Feeling her hand in his reminded Connor of all the nights their hands freely explored each other’s bodies. The soft touch seemed to affect both of them deeply. It felt more intimate than a handshake should. Their bodies spoke to each other like long lost friends desperate to get reacquainted. Connor had to resist the urge to bring her hand up to his lips and kiss the inside of her wrist. This simple touch made them both desperate for more contact and yet wary of their abilities to pull away.
If Connor hadn’t already noticed how uncomfortable Samantha was by her body language, the growing sweat in her palm as he held it longer than he needed to would have confirmed it. He couldn’t resist the urge to torture her further, seeing how far he could push her discomfort. She had ignored him, avoided him, and kept him waiting. Now was his opportunity to make her pay for it, and so much more.
“Ms. Cane,” he began in a mockingly familiar tone. “We know each other...” he drew out the words, lengthening her uncertainty. “In a manner of speaking,” he finally released her hand while keeping his eyes locked on hers, a wry smile on his lips. Samantha’s eyes were filled with terror, a plea for him to stop on her lips, but she couldn’t speak the words. Her eyes shot to her boss, trying to think of a way she could side step Connor’s comment without giving away her discomfort. She had been scared of what he would say if they were left alone, but now she realized she should have been worried about what he might say in front of her boss and co-workers. No one in Samantha’s life had ever known about her time with Connor. In one moment he could change that, spilling their past to the entire firm. Could she explain their past if she had to? She couldn’t even admit to herself what Connor meant to her. She would never be able to explain it to anyone else. Luckily she wouldn’t have to. Connor either found his sympathy for her or a greater sense of decorum, before he continued his story. Either way Samantha was thankful his teasing stayed suitable for work.
“We are both graduates of the illustrious Jefferson High School,” he said with a knowing smirk. Samantha released a subtle sigh of relief. Reality began to dawn on Samantha that a strange sort of battle had begun between herself and Connor where the winner would be determined by control. He had landed the first blow by showing he had power over her based on their intimate past. Samantha was quick to plot her strategy. If he was going to tease, she would ignore. Connor had started this game, but Samantha had too much on the line not to be the victor. This was her office, her boss, her career. She would show Connor Grayson how powerful she still was.
“Right. I believe you were quite the sport star, if I am remembering correctly,” she said with a subtlety snide undertone. It earned her a quick wink from Connor that luckily Mr. Slone wasn’t able to see.
“Mr. Slone, I have a shameless favor to ask of you,” Connor turned his attention to Mr. Slone, controlling the conversation.
“Is that so?” Mr. Slone asked with an uncontrollable sense of curiosity. Samantha too had no idea what was going to come out of Connor’s mouth next. She was trying to prepare her next move, watching their interaction.
“I have been told that you happened to be married to one of the city’s most sought after interior decorators. I am going to shamelessly beg for an introduction to your talented wife. I am afraid my bachelor pad is in desperate need of a mature renovation,” Connor’s playful banter and easy compliments had their intended effect. Mr. Slone was now beaming with marital pride. Connor had guessed right that his wife was the best way to endear himself to Mr. Slone. Samantha colored at the word bachelor as her eyes involuntary went to his left hand. She fought the smile that was forming on her lips.
“I will arrange the introduction, but I can’t promise she’ll have the time,” Mr. Slone said with a gentle chuckle. “Like you said, Abby is in pretty high demand. And, please call me Slone,” he added with a friendly smile. Slone! Samantha’s smile died instantly, replaced with a scowl. She was furious. Mr. Slone had been her boss for three years and she wasn’t allowed to call him anything but Mr. Slone or Sir! In less than five minutes Connor had already ingratiated himself with her boss. Another point to Connor in their silent war.
“Ms. Cane, I have the rest of the team standing by if you are ready,” Tammy chimed in from the doorway, her eyes still noticeably dancing over Connor. Now Tammy was under Connor’s power too. Within his first fifteen minutes he had won over the two people Samantha worked closest with. He was invading her life, worming his way into the hearts of her colleagues. This office was Samantha’s whole world and he already seemed to fit in better than she did.
“Absolutely, let’s begin,” Connor responded for Samantha, irritating her further by his presumption that he was in charge. But, everyone followed his direction. His calm confidence made him a natural leader. People had always gravitated to him, deferred to his judgment. The fact that this was her office and these were her people hadn’t changed that. Samantha was beginning to feel vulnerable as the volleys kept coming. She needed to regain the power.
For the rest of the afternoon Samantha and Connor engaged in an unseen power struggle. They were surrounded by people, but tussled in a world of their own. They had an unspoken language they used to emotionally joust with each other. Both subtle and cunning, they fought to dominate the conversation, be the center of attention, and earn the interest of those in the room. They struggled to be the one in control.
Samantha was losing handedly and it infuriated her. She was determined to get the upper hand before the end of the day. After two hours, the meeting was coming to a close and her time was running out. Connor had listened intently to each of her team member’s presentations, asking intelligent questions during each that seemed designed to allow the presenter to display their knowledge. When Samantha tried the same, she sounded accusatory and ended up intimidating rather than motivating. She wasn’t like Connor. He was a genius at making everyone feel important. When he gave you his attention, it felt like you were the most interesting person in the world. Samantha knew that feeling too well. It was intoxicating and right now all of her co-workers were getting drunk off Connor Grayson. He was too charming and engaging. She couldn’t get the upper hand with all of them fawning over him. If she was going to gain control, she was going to need to do what she had been dreading since she had first received his e-mail, really since the last time she had seen him eleven years ago. She was going to have to get Connor alone.
Some people were slowly trickling out of the conference room. More were huddled around Connor at the end of the conference table, asking him follow up questions, laughing at his easy jokes, and getti
ng just a few more minutes with his lively personality. Samantha was irked, as she waited for the room to clear a bit. Clearly, she was going to need to be more direct to get Connor alone.
“Mr. Grayson…” Samantha had barely begun before Connor cut her off.
“Please, call me Connor,” his voice dripped with honey. It made all the women in the room melt. Score one more point for Connor. He was definitely winning.
“Connor,” she began again with a forced smile. “I have last year’s international billing hours for Keiretsu Holdings in my office. If you have the time, I would appreciate going over them with you,” Samantha’s eyes locked with Connor’s. This was what he had been waiting for. She couldn’t ignore him any longer. He had forced her, quite obviously against her initial inclination, to seek out time with him. There was no doubt that she was daring him to be alone with her. Samantha thought if he refused, she would have won. She had no idea she had just played directly into Connor’s hands. There was no way he would turn down a single moment alone with her.
“I’d love to,” he let a touch too much devotion slip into his reply and Samantha’s cheeks flushed. Samantha found herself regretting her request and this entire stupid power game. She just overplayed her hand and was headed down a road she could no longer control. Who was she kidding? She hadn’t been in control since the second Connor walked back into her life. The only power she’d ever had with Connor was to simply walk away. That was no longer an option unless she wanted to look for a new career.
Lucky Charm Page 4
