"The one on top?"
"It was a thick one," he said sheepishly.
She shook her head.
She looked at the file on her desk. "This is all you brought? One file?"
"Believe it or not, there isn't much that's not on the web. He keeps things close to the vest, I guess."
"Hmm, that just makes me wonder what he's hiding."
"You have everything, now. And I emailed you the electronic file...so, I guess that's it."
Olivia was still in deep thought. "Oh, yeah, thanks, Stuart." She watched him leave and then rose and followed him out. "I'll be down in legal and then I'm going to lunch. I should be back by three," she told Linda.
"You have your cell, right?"
"My cell." She had a habit of leaving it behind and sure enough it was still on her desk. She retrieved it from its cradle on the desk, placed it in her small bag and slipped the strap over her shoulder. "Yes, I have my cell."
Linda smiled. "All right, see you later then."
"Oh and if Mikey delivers my dresses, just hang them on the back of the door."
When she got to the main floor, she walked down the hall and leaned against a door jamb, softly knocking with her knuckle.
The chair turned and the man grinned. "Olivia, what brings you down to the lower levels?"
Olivia chuckled and shut the door behind her. "I need your help, Paul."
"Sure, sure, Olivia, have a seat. Now, what is it?" An old friend of her lawyer’s, she'd known Paul for years, in fact, it was he who suggested she put her resume in here at Dolby, Inc.
"I've just been given my first account to handle on my own, and well, I need more information than what's on the books, so to speak."
"Really? Who's the client?"
"Matasuki International."
Paul looked down at his desk and sighed. "Who'd you piss off?"
"I don't think anyone. All this has to be between us, Paul. What can you tell me?"
"I looked into them when I worked at the Bureau."
"I was right to come to you. Something just isn't right about them."
Paul shook his head. "I couldn't prove anything, they're pretty slick. They skirt just inside the law. But you're right," he smiled. "You would have made a great agent. You've got the instinct for it. Matasuki is ruthless and they get what they want by whatever means necessary, Olivia."
"What do you know about the man himself?"
"Isamu?" She nodded. "Not much, but I can get you copies of the files...just between us."
"Of course, and thank you, Paul, can I also get acquisitions? I have the past two years, but I need to go back further. I really need to be prepared. How soon can you get them to me?"
Paul shrugged, "Tomorrow morning?"
"Fine, thanks again."
Paul stood and walked her to the door. "Be careful, Olivia. This isn't a game with him."
She nodded. "I will."
He opened the door and watched her walk to the elevator. "And why wouldn't he want you, Olivia?"
She hailed a cab and waited for Dana to join her. She smiled when she saw her friend coming through the door and the two hugged.
"God, it's been ages," she said, full of Jersey accent.
"It has. You're the one that got married. Now, I hardly see you anymore."
"He's fantastic though, I could not be happier. So what's up, you didn't come down here just to see me?"
"Actually I did. I need to talk to you about Billingsly. I know you were close to Jeffry."
Her eyes expressed the sadness of her friend’s loss. "He was like a father to me, actually. What's this about Liv?"
"Dolby is trying to get Matasuki as a client and I've been given the assignment."
"Well, give it back, Liv.” Dana grabbed her arm. “Don't get involved with them in any way." Now she leaned in, looking around the restaurant. "I don't for one minute think Jeffry had a stroke. I think they killed him, and they intimidated Junior to the point of a near breakdown. He never would have sold the business. His father built it from the ground up, with blood sweat and tears. I mean it, Liv, let it go. There'll be other clients. Tell your boss, it's not worth it."
Olivia felt Dana's vice-like grip on her arm and saw the fear in her eyes, Dana was very serious and scared for her. What had she gotten herself into anyway?
"Mikey was here," Linda informed her when she got back. "And there's, like, five messages about the Gala on your desk," she added following Olivia into her office.
She glanced at the dress bag hanging on the back of the door as she plopped down into her chair. Linda was standing in front of her desk, biting her bottom lip.
She started to look through the messages."Okay, go ahead and open it."
Linda clapped and rushed over to the solid, long black bag and unzipped it from the top.
"Oh, Olivia. He said to remind you how much you owe him for this. Look..."
The first one was a fully beaded silver gown, high neck line in the front, but totally backless, with a slight train.
"It's nice."
"Nice? Olivia, really?" She pulled out the next one. A red silk chemise with a sweetheart neckline and low, draping back, with the same slight train. "Oh, with your hair, this would look stunning."
"I suppose."
Linda planted her hands firmly on her hips. "What's wrong with you?"
"I just have so many questions about this Matasuki thing. And at every turn, I'm getting more and more uneasy."
"You can always tell Mr. Grant you don't want to work the file and why."
Olivia stared at her for a moment. "My first deal? No, Linda. It's not that I can't do it. Something’s going on with this company, and it's not good. Dana only confirmed the gut feeling I already had."
Linda sighed, and re-zipped the garment bag. "You have to do what's right for you and for the company, and you'll know what it is when the time comes, Olivia. Trust your gut."
Once alone, Olivia kicked off her heels and made several calls.
Later Linda peeked in the door. "It's five, I'm about to go home. Do you need anything before I do?"
"No. Thanks, Linda. Have a good evening, see you in the morning."
"Okay, don't stay too late."
"I just have a few more folders to look through, and then I'll go home."
She stared at the lone manila folder on her desk and finally picked it up and started to read Matasuki’s history. Isamu took over the business ten years ago from his father, Satu, who retired and passed away a year later. His mother died when he was a teenager. He was married at twenty three, divorced three years later.
"Hmm, I wonder where she is?"
Was born... in New York? Moved to Japan with his father after his mother died. Has several degrees: finance, business, corporate law. Never worked anywhere else but his father’s, and now his company.
"How old is this guy, anyway?" She wondered as her eyes continued to scroll down the page. He's forty-six. Almost as young as Tyson. Only Tyson worked his way up, he didn't inherit the corporation.
She jumped when she heard a knock, and the door start to open.
"I saw your light was still on."
"Mr. Grant, uh, yes, I was just going over these Matasuki files."
As the door swung open the garment bag slipped to the floor. Olivia gasped, shot up and over to the door.
"I'm sorry."
"It's fine, it's just my gown choices for Saturday's gala. A friend of mine dropped them off."
"I could send a car for you. It would look good to show a united front to Matasuki."
"No. I mean, thank you for the nice gesture, but giving people the idea we're a couple is a terrible idea, sorry."
He smiled as he helped her re-hang the garment bag. Only inches away from each other, neither of them moved, until he started to lean in. Olivia backed away and picked up her briefcase, shoved the file, and her clutch inside.
"I should get home, I..."
"You have a date, I should have know
n."
"No, I just have a lot to do . . . with the Gala. I'm on the design committee and we're meeting in a little while."
"Oh, I'll walk you out."
Olivia wanted to say no, but she thought she'd said enough already, so she just nodded. She reached for the garment bag. He stood there smiling crookedly with the bag, resting over his arm.
"What are these dresses made of anyway? They must weigh ten pounds."
"One of them is beaded, it's the heavy one."
They stood silently in the elevator until Olivia could no longer stand the growing awkwardness.
"What do you know about Matasuki?"
"The company or the man?"
"Either one, actually." She gave him a side glance. "I've looked through everything we have on both and it's not much. What we have is the kind of thing we'd send out in our own press releases. Surface stuff. There's a lot more going on than meets the eye. I already know that."
The elevator bell dinged and the doors opened. Olivia stepped out and Tyson grabbed her arm.
"What do you mean, Olivia?" he asked as they walked outside.
"I don't know yet, but I'm going to find out. Taxi!" She grabbed the dresses from Tyson and stepped to the curb.
"Olivia."
She didn't look back and disappeared into the cab. Once she’d arranged her garment bag and settled into the seat, she thought about Matasuki’s recent acquisitions.
"I'm not going to let anyone compromise my company or my boss."
After all her meetings and the research she’d done, Olivia needed to unwind. Though sex was always her first choice, exercise was a better one. She changed into yoga shorts and a t-shirt, put a towel and bathing suit in her sports bag and headed to her building’s gym. Like usual, it was empty at this time of night. She warmed up and then with single-mindedness went through each machine.
"That felt really good. Now for the pool and sauna." She changed and took a few laps and then toweling off moved to the sauna and was shocked to find it occupied. A good looking man, with a great body was sitting at the far end, towel draped across his lap.
"Oh...I'm sorry, if you want to be alone..."
He smiled. "No, by all means, join me."
"I don't think I've seen you here before," she said as she spread out her towel.
"I just moved in yesterday actually. I'm Brian."
"Olivia." She lay down, hoping he'd understand she needed to relax. Though, as she closed her eyes, the image of his lean muscular body was still vivid in her mind’s eye. Was this the 'nice guy' Marvin had mentioned? If so, his apartment was on her floor. Bad idea to date him? Probably.
"Great to relax after a long day of work, isn't it?" She heard him say, and smiled. It was a much less intrusive way of finding out if she worked than just asking.
"Yes, it is."
"What is it you do, Olivia?"
"I'm an executive at Dolby Inc. Marketing, advertising, and consulting. How about you?" She sat up and leaned against the teak wall. It was obvious he wasn't going to leave her alone, so she might as well join the conversation. She watched his eyes rove over her. He seemed to be enjoying her body, too. She worked hard at staying in shape, but most men seemed to see her breasts first. He was at least looking at her face now.
"I have my own company. Corporate security, private investigations, that kind of thing."
"Hmm, must be interesting work."
"Sometimes, most of the time though, it's just routine stuff."
"I'm going to take another swim and call it a night. Nice to meet you, Brian. I hope you enjoy your new place."
"Oh, I'm loving it so far. Can we have dinner sometime?"
Didn't I say this would be a bad idea? "Sure, why not."
"Can I get your number then?"
Olivia laughed. "And what are you going to write it on?"
He shrugged. "I have a really good memory."
"Me too. You're the investigator. I think you can figure out where to find me."
Chapter Three
Brian was by the sauna toweling off when she exited the pool. He was really cute. She wrapped a towel around her long hair and another one around her body, slipped on her sandals, grabbed her bag and headed for the elevator.
"You're right, you were easy to find." He grinned and a dimple appeared on his right cheek. That was almost too much, but she managed to just smile back as she walked past.
He watched her walk. "Damn," he thought. When the elevator doors closed he took a few steps forward and watched the elevator’s floor indicator until the elevator stopped. "She's on my floor." He grinned again and shook his head. "This is a bad idea, Brian."
Olivia took a shower and then poured herself a glass of red wine. She was hungry too, but too lazy to fix much.
"Peanut butter and jelly goes perfect with red wine doesn't it?" She brought her gourmet meal into the living room and eyed her brief case. That Matasuki file was calling to her. One more bite of her sandwich, a sip of wine and she retrieved it, curling up on the couch.
"Let's see, where was I? Oh yeah, pretty much at the end. Ah...pictures, good."
One picture in particular caught her eye. The one where Isamu was looking straight into the camera lens, anger clearly filling his dark eyes. Eyes that even from a picture bore right into her. Her stomach tightened. He looked the typical part of a wealthy, well dressed, successful, Japanese business man. Paul's voice echoed in her head. "He's ruthless." Staring down at the picture of this man, she could see it, feel it, and a chill ran down her back. She squinted, who was the woman in the picture? She shuffled through the rest of them and found she was always in the background, not on his arm, but near. Was she security? His assistant? There was nothing in the file to tell her. She closed the file and tossed it on the couch beside her, running her fingers across her forehead.
"I hope Paul's files give me something more tomorrow."
The next day, she went through the emails Stuart had shared with her, starting from the beginning. They contained the usual banter. 'I can do this for you, so much better than anyone else, that kind of stuff. She was surprised there were no 'ccs' to Jerrod. As group leader, why wouldn't he get copies of everything? The more she thought about it the more it bothered her, so she picked up the phone.
"Stuart, I was just reading these emails. Didn't Jerrod go over any of this with you?"
"Of course he did. He's the one who initiated the talks with Matasuki in the first place, the one who suggested it."
"Really? I didn't see him 'cc’d' once on any of these emails and really, if this is his baby, why did he pass it off to someone else?"
There was a lag and Stuart’s lack of an answer just made her more suspicious.
"I'll find out and get right back to you." Then the line went dead.
Olivia resisted calling him right back, instead, slowly placed the phone back in its cradle. She sank back into her chair, mind racing. She picked up the receiver and then put it down again. Pushing up, she slipped her shoes on, smoothed her skirt down and swept her jacket from the back of her chair, putting it on as she walked out.
"I'm going down to legal."
"You have your phone, right?"
Olivia spun and walked back into her office, plucking her phone from her desk and slipping it into her pocket.
Linda smiled and shook her head as Olivia walked past again. "Kids."
Paul’s secretary glanced up as she approached. "I'm sorry, Olivia, Paul's not in. I'm a little worried, actually. It's not like him to not check in and he's not answering his cell phone either."
"That is strange, Maddy. Call me if you hear from him. Any deliveries today?"
"No, and you’re the second one to ask me that this morning. Jerrod Stone asked the same thing."
Olivia frowned, trying hard to cover how shocked she was. "Jerrod? Did he say what delivery he was talking about?"
She shook her head. "No, but he requested that any delivery for Paul was supposed to be taken right to him.
"
"Excuse me, but does he have that kind of power around here?"
She shrugged. "I guess, I don't know for sure, but he was so adamant about it, I just agreed. Don’t you think it’s strange?"
"It is. Listen Maddy, I don't want to get Paul in any trouble, so don't mention to anyone about my being here or asking about a package, but please let me know if Jerrod picks anything up."
"Of course. And just between you and me, Jerrod's always given me a weird vibe."
"That's because he's an arrogant ass," Olivia thought as she walked back to the elevator. She glanced down at her watch. Twelve-fifteen and Paul wasn't here? The elevator dinged but she'd changed her mind and let it go. She patted her pocket and feeling the small card case containing a few folded bills, a credit card and her I.D. she decided to leave for lunch now instead of returning to her office. Funny, she always had her ‘emergency’ card case, but somehow had to be reminded to take her phone. I guess that’s what Linda, was for, right?
She hailed a cab and once in, scrolled through her phone’s contact list, found one she wanted and pressed call.
"Clay, can you meet me for lunch? No, I don't want to come to the office, that's the whole point of going out for lunch. It's important, Clay, I’ll let you choose the place and I’ll pay.” She listened as he gave her the restaurant’s address. “Okay, thanks, see you there. Second Avenue, please," she instructed the cab driver.
Olivia scanned the dark, crowded restaurant. "So, this is where all the lawyers hang out."
Clay looked around as he pulled out a chair for her. "Yes, I guess it is. Now, what's this all about?"
"Have you heard from Paul?"
"No, should I have?"
"I don't know. He didn't show up for work today and he's not answering his phone."
Clay lowered his menu. "Maybe he's sick? Maybe he stayed over at his ex-wife’s?"
"Do me a favor. Call Maureen. I'm really worried. It's not like him and you know it. I asked him to get me some information from his old job. And the next day he doesn't show up for work?"
“I know exactly what you mean. Paul worked for the Fed's for eighteen years investigating white collar crime, corporate corruption, intellectual theft, fraud and other things he couldn't even talk about.” Clay sighed and pulled out his phone.
Corporate Ties (Silken Ties Book 1) Page 3
