We had been courting Masterson and Co. for more than two years, and they were our white whale. They were a British company who had first reached out to Artemis Tech about promoting a product of theirs eighteen months ago. They were hugely successful in Britain, and I knew if we could secure them for the US, we’d be on to something lucrative.
I had been chipping away at them for months now, but still hadn’t managed to get them to commit. Now seemed the perfect time to finally get them on board. If anything were challenging enough to get my mind off Mona, it was securing Masterson.
I called Neil up to the office first thing in the morning to let him know what I was planning. He sat across from me as I laid out my game plan, and his eyebrows raised higher and higher with each new detail. When I was done, he paused for a moment and eyed me suspiciously.
“What is it?” I asked, shifting back and forth in my seat.
Neil knew me better than anyone, and I had the feeling he had seen straight through my plan.
“It seems like a lot of work,” he began slowly. “For something we don’t necessarily need at this time.”
“Are you saying I shouldn’t do it?” I asked, cocking my head at him, defensively.
He held his hands up.
“I didn’t say that,” he replied, calmly, “but I think you have to figure out why, exactly, you’re doing this.”
“To land the deal,” I shot back, firmly.
He looked at me for a moment, and I could tell he was considering whether or not it was worth it to call me out on my obvious lie.
“Is it about her?”
Neil jerked his head toward Mona’s office door.
Mona wasn’t in yet, and I had no idea how we were going to interact, given what happened on Friday. The thought made me nervous, and I hoped I could get out of the office by then.
“What do you mean?” I demanded, assuming if I went hard then he might back down and forget about it.
“I know she’s your type and that you don’t have a whole lot of restraint when it comes to the women who work for you,” he pointed out.
I could tell he was trying to be delicate despite the bluntness of his words.
“I don’t think of her like that,” I lied, swiftly, rolling my eyes and dismissing him. “I just want to land this deal, that’s all.”
“As long as that’s all that it is,” he warned. “We can’t afford a repeat of the Jeannie situation.”
“I know, I know,” I shot back, crabbily.
He was right, but I didn’t want to admit it. Everything that happened with Jeannie had been pretty fucking unpleasant, and I had no desire to relive something like that again.
“You sure? We can find someone else. Move her to another part of the company. We don’t have to dissolve her contract. It’ll be fine.”
“No, no,” I shook my head. “I’m not interested in her like that. And besides, she’s a good assistant. I don’t want anyone else working for me right now.”
“Whatever you say.”
Neil nodded in agreement, rising to his feet.
That was the thing about Neil. At the end of the day, he did trust me. He would put everything in place to cover our bases if things didn’t go to plan, but he did trust me, and I appreciated that more than he knew. I just had to earn his trust now, with the Mona thing, one way or another.
“Good luck with Masterson, and keep me updated,” he said over his shoulder as he went for the door.
“Of course,” I agreed and watched him leave.
I hated that everyone knew about what happened with Jeannie and me, but that’s how it worked in a building like this. I should have kept it in my pants if I didn’t want a scandal. I wondered if Mona knew about all that yet. I’d be surprised if someone hadn’t told her, but then, maybe they at least had the good sense not to scare her off so early in the game.
I ducked out early to go down to resources and pick up the files on all the interactions we’d had with Masterson over the last year and a half. I could have sent Mona to do it, but I wanted to put off seeing her for as long as was humanly possible. Even with my new found resolve, I wanted to avoid any uncomfortable situations.
If she walked into our office and told me she wanted me right then and there, I knew all thoughts of this new deal would go straight out of my head, and I would be completely unable to resist her.
I collected everything we had and went back upstairs. Mona’s office door was open just a crack. I took a deep breath and stepped inside, making sure she could hear me come in so I wouldn’t have to directly alert her to my arrival.
She stuck her head out a moment later. Her hair was down around her shoulders, thick and wavy, and all I wanted was to rake my fingers through it as I kissed her hungrily.
Damn it! So much for resolve..
“Good morning,” she said shyly and nodding, her cheeks flushed. “Good weekend?”
“Yes, thanks,” I replied. Better if you had been there.“Could you clear my schedule of anything not totally vital for the next few days? I want to focus on something new, and I’m going to need all the time I can get.”
“Of course,” she replied smoothly, her tone impenetrable. “What are you working on?”
“A new deal,” I replied, vaguely. “Well, an old one, but this time I’m going to make it happen.”
“Sounds interesting,” she said, grinning. “Let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help.”
“I will.”
I nodded as she ducked back inside her office. I found my heart was thumping in my chest, almost dangerously fast for a man of my age. Jesus, I would need to work a little harder if just one mild conversation with her was enough to put me in this state.
I sat down at my desk and focused. I had to go over our full history with the Masterson group and figure out what approaches worked best with them. Soon enough, I had completely lost myself in my work and had forgotten about everything else, even Mona.
When I was confident in the best way to begin, I sent off an email and was surprised when I heard back within minutes from James Masterson himself, agreeing to speak with me later in the day.
The rest of the afternoon sped by as I focused on my work, and it wasn’t until Mona stuck her head back out of her office with a panicked look on her face that I so much as looked up from my desk.
“What’s up?” I asked, and a flash of amusement played on her face before she responded, as though what she had to say was pretty juicy.
“There are two women downstairs waiting for you,” she announced. “Tracy Clements and Kyra Tan?”
“Oh, fuck!”
I got to my feet.
“Didn’t you cancel all my appointments?”
“I did,” she said. “Or at least, I tried to. Seems like Ms. Tan didn’t get the message, and Ms. Clements is here of her own accord.”
“Fuck,” I muttered.
Tracy and I had split up months before. Hell, we had hardly been in a relationship to begin with. What was she doing here?
Kyra, I had planned to meet with around this time, but I was hoping to avoid that conversation. It was never fun cutting things off for good, even if I was pretty sure she knew it was for the best.
“What do you want me to do?” she asked.
I looked down at my papers. James was due to call any minute, so I couldn't go downstairs and give them the send off they both deserved.
I knew Kyra would be furious with me if she thought I’d been seeing Tracy at the same time I’d been dating her. This had every chance of turning into a giant cluster fuck, and it was the last thing I needed on this particular Monday afternoon.
“Stall them,” I said, getting to my feet. “If you can, get rid of them both, and make sure they don’t lay eyes on each other if at all possible.”
She lingered for a moment, regarding me with a playful smirk. I think she knew exactly what was going on, and she had every intention of jibing me for it.
I looked up at her ex
pectantly, and she vanished back into the office for a moment before emerging with her jacket on.
“I’m on my way,” she assured me, and a few seconds later, she was off toward the elevator. I hoped she could find a way to keep my exes at bay, if only for the time being.
Chapter 7
Mona
Holy crap, how in the hell was I going to avert this crisis? My mind was racing as I hurried downstairs to intercept Kyra and Tracy, hoping to God all the while that they wouldn’t see each other.
Then again, if they were both dating him, which it seemed like they were, and if they weren’t connected to any of his business ventures, then maybe he did his best to keep them apart. It’s possible they had never even met.
I arrived at reception and laid eyes on both women. I could tell who they both were from a mile away, even though I’d never seen them before in my life.
One stood tall in smart business wear, looking like she’d just strolled out of an office of her own. She must have been Kyra because she looked completely calm, as though she belonged there.
The other was dressed expensively but casually, in sharp statement heels and a slouchy t-shirt that was obviously made to look less costly than it was.
I looked back and forth between them, pausing for a moment as I came up with a plan. Then I straightened my back, took a deep breath, and walked straight up to Kyra.
“Ms. Tan?” I greeted her, making sure my voice didn’t carry enough to alert the other woman.
She looked up at me and smiled politely, obviously pissed she’d been kept waiting.
“Yes, hello,” she nodded, reaching out to shake my hand and looking me up and down. “And you are…?”
“Mr. Paulson’s new assistant,” I replied with a respectful nod. “I called you earlier, but you must not have received my message. Unfortunately, he’s been pulled away last-minute and won’t be able to meet with you today.”
I saw the other woman looking over at the two of us, craning her neck as she tried to make out what I was saying. I deftly steered Kyra away from her and back toward the door. She reluctantly followed my lead, and I could tell she was put out.
“Typical Oliver,” she said and rolled her eyes. “You tell him to call my office and reschedule, okay? I’m not trying to fix this up again.”
“I’ll do that.” I bowed my head and peeked up as I watched her march angrily through the revolving door.
With a relieved sigh, I turned to the other woman. This one could prove to be more difficult, considering she’d turned up out of nowhere. Who knew what her business was with Oliver?
I beamed widely as I made my way across to her, but I could see her jaw was tense and tight as I got closer.
“Who was that woman?” she asked, nodding toward the doors as I extended my hand to her.
“A business partner of the company,” I replied smoothly. “She had to cancel an important meeting due to personal issues. What can I help you with?”
“I want to see Oliver,” she demanded, planting her hands on her hips and looking down at me. She was at least a full foot taller and and that coupled with her bitter attitude was a little intimidating.
“I’m afraid Mr. Paulson is out of the office today,” I responded with a polite smile, dropping my hand once I realized the chances of her actually taking it were slim. “Can I pass on a message for you?”
“Give him this.”
She fished around in her almost comically enormous purse and pressed a magazine firmly into my hand. I unfolded it, and it fell open to a page with a huge photo of her and Oliver engaged a tight embrace.
I glanced at the page and back up to her, realizing I’d seen her before. Tracy was a socialite, a regular in the back pages of magazines just like this one.
“I know he has contacts,” she said, tossing her hair over one shoulder. “I know he can take care of this. I don’t want to see any more pictures of the two of us anywhere, do you understand?”
“I’ll pass on the message,” I promised, nodding and managing a tight smile, more for show than in kindness.
“Thank you,” she sighed dramatically. Then, she turned on her heels and exited the lobby, her heels stabbing into the parquet tiling with every step.
I waited for her to vanish onto the street, and then turned to head back to the elevator. My heartbeat slowed. That was easier than I thought it would be. The receptionist shot me a look, and the two of us shared a knowing smile as I pushed the button to call the elevator.
It was over, thank goodness, and I was confident that I had dealt with it with grace and professionalism. They had both left the building, at least, and I managed to prevent any confrontation between the two of them. I felt like punching the air and cheering as the doors slid shut.
I looked at the magazine in my hand as I was whisked upstairs and shook my head at the photograph. It must have been taken a few months earlier. His hair was definitely longer and looked as it had when I’d been researching him before starting at Artemis.
They were holding hands, and he was holding his hand up to shield the glare of the cameras – in vain evidently.
Why was she so mad about this? What kind of relationship did they have? Did his exes and girlfriends make a habit of showing up at his work? I wasn’t sure I could take another encounter like that one.
When I got back to the office Oliver was pacing back and forth on the carpet, agitated. He turned as soon as I walked in.
“So, how did it go?” he asked, and I grinned at him, shaking my head in amusement at how desperate and nervous he was.
“It went fine,” I assured him. “I sent them each on their way before they could have a turn in with each other, so you’re good.”
“Thank God,” he said, shaking his head.
I could see the color slowly returning to his cheeks. I observed him for a moment and felt something flutter in my chest.
“When did you become such a playboy?” I teased lightly, knowing I was straying toward dangerous territory.
“Hardly.”
He rolled his eyes.
“Do you know what Tracy was here for?”
“Yeah.”
I held out the magazine.
“She wanted you to call the magazine and make sure they don’t publish any more pictures of the two of you together.”
He opened the magazine, looked at the photo, brow furrowed, and then rolled his eyes.
“How old are these photos, anyway?” he muttered, mostly to himself, and tossed it down on the table.
“I’ll get it sorted.”
“Good.”
I nodded and felt a little punch of excitement in my stomach as I realized the victory I’d pulled off.
“Is this something I’ll have to deal with often?” I asked as I made my way toward my own office. “Chasing off your girlfriends?”
“They’re not my girlfriends,” he replied firmly. The look he gave me unleashed butterflies in my stomach. He wanted to be very clear in that regard, it seemed.
“Whatever they are, shall I just set up barricades around the office?” I teased as I leaned in the doorway.
He grinned.
“It might be our safest bet,” he agreed, and suddenly, the sound of an incoming video call sprang to life on his laptop, drawing his attention away. “Sorry, I’ve got to take this…”
“Of course, go ahead.”
I ducked into my office and pulled the door shut behind me, an odd mix of emotions lingering in my chest.
I was feeling a lot of things. The first was triumph – I’d pulled off a delicate operation, and hopefully, Oliver would remember that when it came to keeping me on or giving me some kind of promotion.
But at the same time… those women. They’d been about as different from me as it was possible to be. Each of them was well-known in her admittedly very different field. They were impeccably groomed and incredibly gorgeous.
Their images were seared into my brain. These were the kind of women I’d seen
in magazines, who people followed in social media. I was just a college graduate in her first real job. I was hardly a success. I had only a fraction of the looks, the charm, or the money to compete with either one of them. If that was his type, then I didn’t stand a chance.
I looked down at my nails, chipped and short, and clenched my fists to hide them. I was nothing more than a bit of fun to him, a harmless, office flirtation to pass the time until he could get out on the town with his fancy women again. How could I have thought for a second someone like him would go for someone as ordinary as me?
I forced myself to get back to work and tried like hell to ignore the sound of his voice drifting through from the other room. He sounded excited, almost childlike, as he chatted away, and I wondered who he was charming, and to what end.
I typed up a couple of emails, going as slowly as I could to avoid going and waited for the day to be over. I was disheartened by the encounter with his exes.
If indeed they were exes and not current girlfriends. I couldn’t help but wonder if they were actually current lovers and he was just determined to keep them a secret.
All I wanted was to go home, crack open a bottle of wine, and forget this whole day had ever happened.
Chapter 8
Oliver
It was late in the day, around four, and it seemed like everything I’d been working on had suddenly come to an abrupt stop.
I sighed and leaned back in my seat. I was pretty confident that my meeting with Masterson had gone well, even though I was a little flustered by the unexpected visits from Kyra and Tracy.
What were the chances that both of them would show up here at the same time? At least they hadn’t bumped into each other. I knew Kyra would tear me a new one if she thought I had hooked up with someone else at the same time as her, and Tracy was probably coked out of her mind anyway.
I was surprised Mona was able to get rid of them both so easily, and part of me wished I could have been there to witness it.
Protecting Her Heart Page 90
