The Secrets Duet

by Brownell, Rachael

  “What else, Becker?”

  Shit! I know I’m missing something. What am I missing? He’s not going to tell me. I have to figure it out for myself.

  “Come on, Becker. What else? The clock is ticking. You have to get in there unless you want to be late.”

  “I don’t know. What am I missing?” I know I sound defeated. Defeat would be hard to hide right now, especially from Montgomery. I’m screwing up my first assignment.

  “I’m not going to tell you, but I have faith you will figure it out when you need to. Get in there. Let’s take this prick down.” Click.

  That was my pep talk? Great!

  I flip down my visor and fix my hair. I stare for a second at my dark auburn curls which are currently piled on top of my head. I should have left my hair down. I grab my lipstick out of my purse and freshen it up. I know I look the part, but I need to mentally be the part which I’m about to play. That’s when I remembered. I wanted to jump up and down, celebrate my mental victory, but I knew someone could be watching. Actually, the chances someone was watching me were pretty good. If I were Mr. Taylor, I would be watching.

  I get out and make my way through the parking ramp towards the elevators. I open my purse and pull out a piece of paper with the floor number on it. I know exactly where to go. I’ve been studying this man and this case for almost a year now. This is part of playing the part.

  I wait for the elevator to climb to my floor. It’s the only sound I hear and then the ding echoes through the garage. I take one step inside and when I turn I see him. How long was he standing behind me and why didn’t I notice him?

  I put my hand out to hold the elevator for him as he takes a step forward. I’m not supposed to know who he is, but that face is hard to forget. He’s almost too handsome.

  “What floor?” I ask, trying to sound confident and unaffected by his presence.

  “Same as you.”

  Really? Is he playing games with me already? He must know who I am. He was probably watching me while I sat in my car. I wonder if he heard my conversation with Montgomery. If he did, I’m as good as dead before this elevator stops at our destination. There’s only one way to find out – I need to play along.

  “Really? Are you sure about that?” I make eye contact, challenging him.

  “Pretty sure.”

  “Okay. You hit the button then and we’ll find out.”

  He never breaks eye contact as he reaches past me and hits the button for the top floor. Damn! He smells amazing. I resist the urge to close my eyes and take a deep breath as he steps back. The only thing I can’t control is my smile. I know I’m supposed to smile, it’s part of playing the part, but it was involuntary which scares me a little. This guy is already in my head.

  “Do you believe me now?”

  “Depends. How did you know which floor I needed? Are you a stalker?”

  “Ms. Becker, I know a lot about you.”

  The way he says it makes me take a step back. Good. I should be a little shocked by this as an applicant. As an Agent, I should be more in control of my actions.

  “Do I know you? You apparently know who I am.”

  “No. You don’t know me – yet.”

  “Care to enlighten me?” I’m keeping my voice light, playful. I need him to believe I have no clue who he is. I’ve been trained to do this. I can do this.

  “Taylor. Thomas Taylor. I believe you have an interview with me in less than five minutes.”

  I put on my best shocked face and then quickly compose myself. I reach my hand out to shake his, but he makes no move to return the gesture.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Taylor,” I say as I pull my hand back and stand up a little straighter.

  “You too, Ms. Becker.”

  The elevator dings, signaling our arrival and the doors open. Without another word, he steps past me and disappears around the corner. I look up and see a beautiful brunette smiling at me from behind a desk with a phone between her ear and her shoulder.

  “Hello. Can I help you?” she asks as she sets the receiver down.

  “I’m here for an interview with Mr. Taylor.” My voice squeaks slightly. I need to appear confident so I stand up straighter.

  “Your name?”

  “Maggie Becker.” She breaks eye contact with me and looks down at her desk.

  “Go ahead and have a seat, Ms. Becker, and I will let Mr. Taylor know you’ve arrived.”

  Did she not see him exit the elevator? I know that was him. He looks the same as he does in the pictures in his files. Maybe not as sexy – Shit! I need to stop thinking about him like that if I’m ever going to make it through this interview.

  I watch as she walks down the hall, the same direction Taylor headed. Once she rounds the corner, I take a seat and try to focus on the enormous task ahead of me.

  My interview was supposed to start at nine. It’s now almost half past and I haven’t been called back. Maybe he made his decision already? That’s not possible. He talked to me for less than five minutes. What if he already knows who I am? He definitely checked my background before I got here. Did he figure out I’m FBI? Am I sitting here waiting for no reason other than to be killed?

  That’s not possible. My alibi is solid. My background went through the most rigorous checks that the government has and no one found any loopholes. It’s believable, mainly because all of it’s the truth. All they had to hide was where I’ve been for the last year. This has to work.

  An hour passes before the receptionist shows me back to a large conference room. I wait in there for another fifteen minutes. I’m about at my limit when Mr. Taylor enters with two other men in tow. I know who they are. I’ve seen their files. They may not be on the FBI’s most wanted list, but they are just as dangerous as Taylor is.

  I want to run, but there’s nowhere to go. I’m trapped. I really hope this goes well. My heart starts to beat harder in my chest and my palms sweat as Taylor closes the door. I wipe my hands on my shirt and straighten my spine, attempting to look completely calm and in control.

  “Sorry to keep you waiting, Ms. Becker. These are my associates, Branch and Scott Mink. They are going to be sitting in on our interview, if that’s all right?” I nod my head in agreement. “Good. Let’s get started.”

  I sit up a little straighter in my chair and cross my legs under the table. I try to hide the fear I’m feeling as all three men surround me at the table. I need this job. I need to get on the inside. I cannot fail.

  It’s game time.

  “So, Ms. Becker, tell us a little about yourself.” The way Taylor speaks so easily, like he already knows what I was about to say, sends a shiver up my spine. All eyes are focused on me, so I try not to let it show, yet I can’t help but readjust how I’m seated. They are making me nervous.

  “Well, what exactly would you like to know? That’s a pretty broad question.”

  “Whatever you feel like sharing is fine.”

  Damn it. He’s supposed to ask me questions. I was prepared to answer questions not talk about myself.

  “Okay. Well, I grew up in Minnesota. I went to Texas Tech and graduated with honors last year with a degree in Business Administration. Instead of starting my career right away I decided to backpack around Europe for a few months. That turned into almost a year abroad and now I am sitting here, hoping to gain employment with Taylor Industries.”

  I knew he was looking for more. I knew he wanted me to spill the beans about my parents or my childhood so that I might mess up my story. The only flaw in his logic is I actually lived that life. There would be no messing up my story. It’s not something I will share unnecessarily, though.

  “You must have had a lot of fun overseas. How were you able to afford that if you had just graduated from college? Did your parents pay for your trip?”

  Here it comes. Just the mention of them and my shield goes up. The emotion is real and I’m sure he’ll see that. It will help to sell him my story. You can’t fake it wh
en you actually lived it.

  “No. My parents died in a car crash when I was younger. I’ve been living off my inheritance ever since. I put myself through college and treated myself to a vacation.” No emotion, except the tears which are stinging my eyes. Damn it!

  “I’m sorry to hear that. You seem incredibly well-adjusted, considering.”

  What the hell does that mean? Considering? Is he trying to piss me off because it worked? I no longer feel the tears in my eyes. All I feel is pure rage towards this man. That’s what I should feel.

  “Um… pardon me, but what exactly do you mean by that? Considering?” I need to get my head on straight. I’m letting him get under my skin just like Montgomery told me he would try to do. This is how he operates. This is how he weeds out the ones which work for us.

  “I’m sorry if I’ve offended you. I didn’t mean anything by it. I meant you’ve grown into an accomplished person despite the setback you suffered when you lost your parents. It was supposed to be a compliment. Apparently, I’m not good at giving them.”

  I don’t say anything for a few minutes. I’m mentally challenging myself to calm down and I think he can see it. Neither of the other men has spoken yet and I’m beginning to wonder if they plan to. All three of them are staring at me, waiting, but I’m not about to give in.

  Taylor’s ego has given me the edge I needed. I need to bait them for a few minutes before I land this job. Not saying anything is going to drive me crazy, but it will work. At least I hope it will.

  Branch gets up from where he’s seated on my left and walks behind me. I resist the urge to turn around and see what he is doing. I hear what sounds like liquid being poured into a glass. I also see the attention of the other two men is focused behind me, on Branch.

  It’s now or never. I need to make my move before this becomes any more awkward. So I stand, straighten my blouse and skirt and move towards the door. I pause before reaching for the handle and turn towards Taylor.

  “Thank you for your time, but I don’t think this is going to work out for any of us. Have a nice day, gentlemen,” I say, without breaking eye contact with Taylor. I reach for the door handle and turn the nob but it won’t budge. I try again but still it doesn’t move.

  Seriously? They locked me in. I can’t leave by choice? I should have seen this coming. I should have known they would find a way to trap me in case I wasn’t the person who I was claiming to be. Montgomery said I should keep my eyes open. Apparently, Taylor is more distracting than I originally thought he was. I never noticed them lock me in.

  I’m starting to panic a little, so I take a deep breath to calm myself down. Why am I calming down? I need to look scared. They need to be able to see their actions are causing me to freak out a little. A normal person would be freaking out in this situation.

  I turn back to Taylor and find him grinning at me. “Have a seat, Ms. Becker. We’re not finished here.”

  Without a word, I make my way back to my seat. I sit up straight and put my game face back on. I don’t want any of them to see how scared I am at the moment. I don’t even want to admit it to myself. I shoot each of them a dirty look and cross my arms over my chest, accentuating the little bit of cleavage I have as a distraction from my real emotions. It doesn’t seem to work.

  “We have a few more questions we would like you to answer. If that’s all right with you, that is.” Branch is giving me the option? A moment ago it felt like I didn’t have a choice in the matter.

  “What would you like to know?” I keep my voice steady, but there is no way I can hide my uncertainty which is lingering.

  “First of all,” Taylor begins, his victory evident in the smile still plastered on his face, “I would like to know why you want this job.”

  “Right now I don’t.” Shove that up your ass, Mr. Taylor.

  “I understand that you’re probably a little upset by the fact we are forcing you to finish this interview. However, it will still be your choice to accept the position or not. So, why did you apply for this position?”

  I make eye contact and let him think I’m considering my answer before speaking. “I need a job. It’s close to my new apartment. I don’t know my way around the city yet, but I do know parking can be a challenge so I wanted to be able to walk to work if I needed to.”

  “Good reasons, but not what I was looking for. What is it about this company, or the position, which interests you?”

  “I wanted to work for a company where if I proved my worth I would be able to move up. It’s not the position which struck my interest, it’s your company. It has grown fast over the last couple years and it’s continuing to grow as we speak. That says volumes about you and the way you operate.” I didn’t want to compliment him. It was painful but necessary. I had to speak the truth.

  “Thank you. Our little operation has seen some success and we are looking to add talent to help continue our success. You obviously are talented, on paper, but what do you believe you can offer which will help our business continue to grow and be successful? What makes you stand out above the rest? Why would you make the best assistant?”

  “Aside from my degree, my family has a long line of successful business ventures which are still running today. I feel like it’s in my genes.”

  “I would hate to hit a nerve again, but at the risk of doing that, why you aren’t running Becker Industries if you want to be in the business?”

  I figured he would ask me about Becker Industries. Do I tell him the truth or do I try pleading the fifth? It sounds like he’s on the fence about giving me the job. I should probably go with the truth.

  “Honestly?” I wait and he nods. “I would if I wanted to live in Minneapolis.”

  “So, it’s location which is keeping you from running the family business? Your business?”

  “In a nutshell, yes. I haven’t been back there since I left for college and I don’t plan on going back anytime soon. I’m on the Board of Directors, but I’ve given up some control of the company. I own 51%, so I still have the final say in most things, but I do not run the day-to-day operations. If they need me for something, a decision only I can make, we have conference calls or they come to me.”

  Talking about that part of my life is hard. I don’t want to talk about it, but I know it’s necessary. Montgomery would be proud of me right now. He knew Taylor would ask. He knew I would have to talk about my past and he even tried to prepare me for it. Every single time he did, I cried. I’m not crying right now. Right now I’m doing an internal victory dance because I didn’t shed even one tear.

  “I see. The only problem I have is you still control the company. Insider trading is a big deal. I have to be able to trust that you would not share information about our company with the leaders of your company.”

  “It’s not my company.” How do I get him to see this? He’s a guy. What analogy can I use to get him to believe this wouldn’t be a problem for him? “It’s like a football team. I am the owner, but the coach calls the plays. I don’t have as much say as you think I do aside from signing the paychecks and deciding if the coaching staff is doing their jobs.”

  He finally breaks eye contact with me and looks to Branch. Branch nods at him and then turns to me. For a moment I think he’s going to ask me something but he doesn’t. He just continues to stare at me.

  Taylor turns to Scott and he nods as well. Scott gets up from his seat and heads towards the door. I watch as the door opens for him and he leaves us alone in the room. All eyes are back on me, but no one speaks. I shift in my chair, waiting patiently for something to happen, or someone to speak, when Scott reappears with an envelope in his hands.

  He drops the manila legal envelope on the table in front of me. It has my name written across the front. I look to Taylor and he nods towards the envelope. Apparently I need to open it right now.

  I flip is over and pop the clasp. I slowly pull out the paperwork and look through it. It’s a contract. A lengthy, wordy, contract.

/>   “The position is yours if you want it, Ms. Becker. I need for you to decide right here and now, though. If you decide to accept the position then I will need for you to read and sign your contract. The contract is highly detailed. There are a number of things you need to agree to before you can officially be hired. First, there is a confidentiality agreement in there. That is the most important piece of paperwork which you will need to sign. I suggest reading it carefully before you sign it. There are also a few pages which dictate the details of your job. Including what you are and are not responsible for. Everything is laid out for you in black and white. You will never be asked to do anything outside of those tasks, nor are you allowed to. There is a reason for that and we can discuss that reason should you decide to accept the position. Also – “

  “Wait. You mean the job is mine if I sign all your paperwork? I have to agree to all your terms and conditions? What if I disagree with something? Is there anything in here which is negotiable?” I ask, motioning to the stack of paperwork in front of me.

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t read through it yet.”

  “Scott. Branch. Why don’t you go and grab an early lunch. Ms. Becker and I are going to go through her contract together. Line by line. We can reconvene after we are finished here.”

  Scott and Branch both nod before getting up and leaving us alone in the room. I’m staring at Taylor, really taking him in. He stands and I take a moment to appreciate his beauty. All of it. From head to toe. I have a feeling this assignment is going to have me questioning a lot more about myself than I originally thought it would. Morals. Ethics. My heart. Montgomery is going to be pissed.