He should make the rounds after his meeting with Big Cal and keep an eye out for her. He had a strict no-fraternizing policy when it came to KinCo employees, which basically meant everyone in town, but maybe this girl was a contract worker. In and out. No harm there, right? A romp in the sack with a beautiful woman would definitely help bring down his anxiety level—especially with one who would be leaving shortly thereafter.
He knew she was beautiful from his truck, but what he wasn’t expecting was the pull he felt when he got closer. That attitude of hers. And that adorable accent. She was trying to be tough, and he didn’t blame her, being on the road by herself. The attitude was kind of hot. He was sure that later, when they really met and she found out who he was, she’d feel bad about that. And she would be looking to feel better. And he would be there, happy to help her feel better. He remembered those eyes; that neck, and that smart mouth just begging to be kissed. And he would yank open that busted shirt and suck on those soft tits as he pushed her down on the hood of the car. She would be yanking on his hair as she begged him not to stop, and he wouldn’t, he wouldn’t stop until, until…
A loud groan escaped Chase as he finished off into the warm stream of the shower. He had to lean against the tile for a few minutes to catch his breath. He laughed out loud. No harm in a little imagination, he told himself. It was times like these he was glad he lived alone so no one could hear him. Well, Fitz could hear him, but Fitz was used to it.
Six more weeks, he told himself as he shaved and got dressed. He took one last look in the mirror before he headed out the door. It’s good to be me, he thought.
Chapter 3: Kate
A woman with a tight bun met Kate at the security office. She introduced herself curtly as, “Constance, Assistant to the President”, affixed VISITOR credentials to Kate’s chest, then turned with a straight back and walked toward a bank of elevators. Kate followed. As the doors closed, Kate flipped over her wrist and checked her watch. Ten minutes late. She silently cursed the woman for making her wait so long, shooting her a sideways glance. Maybe her bun was so tight it inhibited her motor skills.
As the doors to the executive floor opened, Kate had the urge to dart out in front, but she didn’t know where she was going. Instead, she gave the woman a nod and a smile, then followed her out and down the hall.
Kate was ushered into a brightly lit waiting area just outside the President’s office. As soon as her escort turned away, Kate scrambled around, trying to find any information she could on KinCo. Just as she found a product brochure, she heard a man yelling.
“Balls! Balls, dammit!”
Kate watched as Constance turned toward the office with an audible sigh.
“Constance! Get your tail in here,” the yelling continued.
Constance pushed herself up from her desk and stomped through the open office door.
Kate bent sideways and peeked through the window. A white-haired man was holding a computer mouse in his hand and looking in despair at the screen. He raised the mouse up, then slammed it on the desk, slid it around, then looked to the screen hopefully.
He frowned. He picked up the mouse and slammed it on the desk again with a pop. Kate watched as Constance reached out to take the mouse away.
“No,” she said. “No, Cal. That won’t work.” She slapped the back of his hand like a schoolteacher and yanked the mouse from him. She reached over the desk and pulled the keyboard towards her, pecking something quickly on the keys.
“I sent it to myself,” she said. “I’ll do it. Jeez.”
The man looked up and caught Kate spying. She began to lean back but he shot her a sheepish grin. “Busted,” he said. “I guess you can come on in, Ms. Piper.”
Kate nodded and stood, straightening her skirt. As she gathered her things, Constance walked back out to her desk. On the way, she gave Kate a little wink and a smile.
Dorothy, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore, Kate thought to herself. I am a long way from Boston.
She walked into the office and extended a hand. “Mr. Kincaid?” she asked with a smile. “Hello, I'm Kate Piper.”
Cal Kincaid stood to greet her, his enormous shoulders raised in a shrug. “Ms. Piper, I do apologize. You caught me with my pants down. I never could figure out those mice.”
“Mouse!” shouted Constance from the lobby.
“Right,” said Cal. “Never could get the hang of it. I’ll be happy if I never have to see one of those things again. Anyway,” he said, gesturing towards a chair, “Please, sit down.”
Kate looked around the office, surprised by how different it was from the rest of the KinCo building. She was transported back thirty years. The walls were wood paneling, covered with dozens of mostly black and white photos. As she sat, her chair sighed with the pleasure of worn, soft leather. Even Cal Kincaid looked like a man from a bygone era. He wore boots with his suit, and his jacket sported elbow patches and shoulder epaulets. He wore no tie, just an open plaid shirt that revealed tufts of white hair that matched the perfectly pomaded shock of white hair that covered his head.
Cal hitched up one side of his belt, then the other. He did not sit. Instead, he rested the tips of his fingers tentatively on the edge of his desk.
“This is a tricky time for KinCo, Ms. Piper,” he said. “I expect you’ve guessed that much or you wouldn’t be here.” He began to pace back and forth in the space between his desk and the massive bookshelf behind it when Kate heard a tiny click of the door opening. She turned to see Constance stick her head in.
“Here you go, Cal” she said as she handed him a stack of papers.
“Very good, Connie, thank you.”
Kate watched Constance close the office door gingerly as she left. Through the glass windows, she could see three employees waiting for Constance at her desk. She chatted with them briefly, then handed each of them a small box of Tupperware she pulled from a giant bag. Kate turned back before she was caught staring.
Cal took the stack of papers behind his desk. By Kate’s estimation, the desk was at least eighty years old and must weigh four hundred pounds. Its massive corners were carved like wooden rope, which seemed to draw up its muscle against the cords that trailed from Cal’s computer and spilled over the edge. The keyboard and monitor were tucked as far to one side of the desk as possible.
Cal sat down, moving aside stacks of paper held together by binder clips and covered in sticky notes.
“Ms. Piper, I feel a little funny asking you this,” Cal said with a little laugh, “but I’m sure you’re used to it in your business.” He pointed to the stack of papers Constance had carried in. “I have here, to my thinking, a ridiculously thick Non-Disclosure Agreement.” He pushed the papers towards Kate. “If you would be so kind as to sign it. After your thorough examination, of course.” He gave Kate a smile. “Thanks to Connie, you’ll see it’s marked where you need to sign and initial.”
Kate took the papers and flipped through them. The NDA was standard, although not necessary. She would never disclose any information about a client, current or former. She took the papers with a smile. “Happy to sign, Mr. Kincaid,” she said, her pen in hand.
“Cal, if it’s okay with you, Ms. Piper. Big Cal, if we become friends, which I hope we do.”
“Alright, Cal. Then I’m Kate, if that’s okay with you.”
They smiled at each other and Kate waited for him to speak.
“What do you know about KinCo, Kate?”
Kate bristled. She preferred to have more information than anyone else in the room so she could pull from that information like a carpenter with a toolbox. Sitting in front of Cal, she felt like she needed a hammer and all she had was a tie-twist. She was glad Lindsey was able to find some basic info in the few hours they had to prepare.
“KinCo was founded in the 1930s and is a manufacturer of various goods,” Kate said. “It is privately held and run. You seem to have a loyal customer base and very little scandal. In fact, in a basic search, very l
ittle can be found about your company. Your reputation seems in very good shape.”
Kate flattened her hands, leaned forward just a bit and lowered her voice, “You must have concerns that’s about to change, however,” she said, “or I wouldn’t be here.”
Cal tapped his fingers on the table twice, then stood. “May I show you something, Kate?” He walked around the desk to the far wall which was covered with black and white photos. Kate stood and joined him.
“I grew up in this company, in this town.” Cal began, pointing at a grainy picture of a young boy standing in front of a silo painted with the KinCo logo. “I’ve never known anything else, and never wanted to.” He pointed to another photo. “My mother and father started KinCo during The Great Depression. They weren’t looking to build a company, they just wanted to help their neighbors. Back then, this town was almost all farmers, but after the Depression hit, most trucks stopped running and folks couldn’t sell their crops, or buy anything else they needed.” Cal reached out to touch a photo of a woman standing on a porch in a simple smock, waving at the camera with a stern but honest smile. “My mom took every penny she had to build a local mill. A place neighbors could come with their corn or grain and grind it down to flour. Nobody had any money, so she took food in exchange. Soon, she found people needed certain things and had other things to barter, so her mill turned into a little store for the community.
Cal pointed at another photo. “If a thing was needed, and nobody had it, why, my mom just figured out how to make it. That’s how KinCo started. Just a neighborhood store that gave folks what they needed. After my parents were gone, I took over. I spent the first twenty years just hoping I didn’t shit the bed, if you’ll excuse my language.”
Kate nodded.
“Then, by what I can only consider grace from above, I met my wife, Rosemary.” Cal showed her a photo of a woman in a lab coat and protective glasses holding up a beaker for the camera. “We built KinCo into a national brand with just a few more products.” He winked.
After a moment, he looked back at the array of photos. “This company, these people, are―” he began, placing his palm on the wall, “have been our whole life. We’ve been happy here, have made lifelong friends and raised our son. I have been a very lucky man.”
Kate looked up to see Cal’s eyes shining. “I’m a big softy,” he said. “Don’t tell anybody.”
“Your secret’s safe with me,” Kate said.
Cal nodded, then put his thumbs through his belt loops and his weight back on his heels. “Things change, though. I know that.” He ushered Kate back to sit down.
As Kate sat, she felt the familiar crackle in the air that only came before someone divulged the most personal of information. She waited silently.
“Ms. Piper—” Cal said before correcting himself. “Kate, the time has come for me to retire and pass the torch. My Rose had to leave the company last year. Her arthritis got too bad. Now, I just want to spend time with her, maybe travel.” He took a breath. “Rose wants to take one of those European River Cruises, you know. Doesn’t matter to me what we do. I just want to see her smile.”
“I understand,” said Kate.
“My sister, Peggy, our CFO, has been pushing us for some time to make a significant change, and my retirement seems like a good time to make it happen. My son, Chase, agrees with her.” Cal paused, his brows drawing together. “They want to take KinCo public.”
Kate felt her fingers tighten against her thighs. She never moved her eyes from Cal Kincaid as her heart quickened in her chest.
He continued. “We have a good thing here, and going public is risky, but it also brings advantages that we can’t get otherwise.”
Kate nodded.
“To be honest, this whole IPO business makes me feel undressed. Like I’m standing here in only my socks. It’s a whole new world, I guess. Gone are the days when having the best product was enough. Now we have to assure the public we have the best leadership. Especially during this transition,” he said. “This is where you come in, Kate. A good friend of mine suggested I call you.”
Kate’s eyes widened. She thought she didn’t have a friend left in the world. Who would have recommended her?
Cal continued. “Basically, I need you to cover my hind-end. Protect our reputation through the launch, and make sure nothing tanks us. The Public, God help us, must have total faith in our ability to continue growing.” He shook his head. “This thing is happening. My one requirement―and this is non-negotiable, is that the company still be controlled and run by family. We can only do that if the family reputation remains intact.”
“I see,” said Kate.
“The way Peggy has this thing set up, the majority of shares will stay with family. Chase, my son, will be made CEO.”
“What is his function now?”
“Chief Operating Officer. I’m President only for this final stretch. Then Chase will run the whole enchilada.”
Kate’s stomach flipped. This wasn’t just some back-corner, two-day job. Pulling into the KinCo parking lot this morning, she expected someone to ask her to fix the company’s social media presence or try to remove some negative reviews. She hoped to get a week of work and pay her much overdo office rent. But this was different. This job could save her. If she could say she was part of a successful IPO launch, she would definitely get more work, even if there was still one evil bitch bent on her destruction. Kate gripped the arms of her chair. She didn’t know how this happened, but she told herself that maybe things really do work out if you do the right thing, just like her mother always said.
“Today, you will meet Peggy and Chase and the rest of the team. We have a corporate house for you to stay in during your time here.” He paused. “I hope that’s okay? I hope you don’t have another job that will take you away in the next few weeks. I’d feel more comfortable if you were close by.”
Hell, yes! She thought, but reigned herself in. “Of course, Cal, whatever you need,” she said. “I do have one key employee I’d like to bring in remotely as support. I assume you’ll also need an NDA from her?”
“Yes, we’ll email that to you for her signature.”
“You’ll have it back by the end of the day.”
“Now, full disclosure.” He swept some invisible dust off the corner of the desk. “I made the decision to bring you in last night, and our time line being what it is, did not allow me the opportunity to loop in Peggy and Chase.”
“I see.”
“Peggy might bristle a bit.” He lowered his voice. “That woman can get her underpants bunched faster than anyone I’ve ever known, but she’ll get on board. I’ll talk to her.”
“And your son?”
“He’s a gem.” Cal beamed. “He runs most of the company already. Hell, he’ll probably do a better job than I ever did. However, I will admit, he does have a general distrust of all things PR.”
“Oh?” Kate said. “Why is that?”
“He’ll explain, I’m sure,” Cal said. “I will tell you that this IPO is the most important thing in the world to Chase. There’s no way he’d endanger it. Oh–” Cal said, glancing out his office window into the hall, “here he is now.”
Kate turned and looked out the glass. There was a tall man in a suit talking to Constance. She handed him a piece of Tupperware, followed by a hug. He turned and walked towards Cal’s office, then stopped when he saw Kate inside. A strange look washed over his face.
“Chase, this is Kate Piper,” Cal said as the door pushed open.
Kate stood.
“Well, hello there, Ms. Piper,” Chase said. “I see you found your way here.”
Kate froze. Tall, light eyes. She tried to imagine this slick, perfect businessman in a baseball cap, face covered with stubble. Could this be the hot drifter from this morning? Oh my god, she thought, it is him.
She brought her hand to the safety pin holding her blouse together.
“Um, yes,” she said. “Thanks again for the direct
ions.”
Chase turned to Cal, “On the way from the shop, I saw Ms. Piper on the road trying to find her way.”
Cal began to apologize for not sending a car, and grumbled how nobody could ever find them, but Kate could barely hear him. She was locked in a gaze with Chase that muted everything else. The room began to buzz. She felt some thought floating just out of reach, but she couldn’t put her hands on it.
“Kate is here to help us for the next few weeks,” Cal said.
“Is that right?” Chase said, looking pleased.
“Kate’s come from Boston,” Cal continued. “She’s a Reputation Manager.”
Chase tore his gaze from Kate and looked at Cal, dumbfounded. “A What?”
“Now, Son, she’s not here to slap you around. She’s just here to manage our image going into the launch. Makes sense, right?”
Chase looked at him flatly. “Hell, no,” he said.
Kate began to speak, but Cal stood, silencing her. “Kate, would you excuse us, please. I think my son would like to have a word in private.”
Kate gathered her things and stepped out. As she glanced back into the office she saw Chase staring at her, his light eyes peering at her with suspicion. Yup, Kate thought, this is definitely the hot drifter with his distrusting face and clenched muscles. She pulled out her phone and texted Lindsey. “Get me as much as you can on Chase Kincaid, COO.”
Kate turned back towards the office to see Cal talking to Chase. He put his hand on Chase’s shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. Chase dropped his head and put his hand on the desk. Kate could swear she saw a slight smile then a shake of his head as if he were admonishing himself. Then he stood and shoved both fists down into his pockets and nodded at Cal. They finally shook hands and walked towards the office door.
Chasing Kate (An American Dream Love Story Book 1) Page 2
