“Twenty-first floor, right?” I questioned.
“All the way to the top, Ms. Blakely.” He pointed his long finger to the sky and I followed it with my eyes.
“Great. Thank you.”
I walked through the spinning doors to close the biggest deal of my life. I approached the security desk and gazed up into the eyes of a very large uniformed black man. He was bald, brooding, and about to bust the buttons on his shirt. He was a tall Mr. T., minus the ten gold rope chains and oversized pendants. I quickly shrunk under his commanding voice.
“Name?”
“Kasey Blakely, Crawford Enterprises.”
He scanned the list and crossed through my name. “Ms. Blakely, here’s your pass. Please return it on your way out. The elevators are to my immediate right. Twenty-first floor.”
“Thank you.” I grabbed the pass and headed towards the elevator.
After several stops on various floors, the elevator doors opened and I followed two fully suited men onto the executive floor of Crawford Enterprises. It was well appointed with rich leather seating, wall-to-wall windows and marble floors. A stunning blonde at the receptionist desk greeted me warmly by name.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Blakely. Mr. Crawford is expecting you.”
I smiled back and tried to hide my surprise at her knowledge of my name. Had everyone been briefed on me? “That’s great!” I replied. “Thank you.”
She gestured with her hand and a slight tilt of her head to follow, so I stepped forward and we walked side-by-side down the long hall. The walls were lined with great oil paintings of various sizes and different scenes, each one with an attached frame light at the top. I could picture in my head how incredible the hall would look completely dark with only the art lit. I admired my surroundings and knew that someone had put a lot of thought into every detail. I assumed that we were headed to the boardroom, but was surprised when we stopped at the open door of Mr. Crawford’s personal and very large office.
“Is there anything that I can get you Ms. Blakely?” she asked softly under her breath.
“No, thank you.” I walked gingerly ahead and saw Mr. Crawford behind a massive mahogany desk. He was on the phone and I felt like an instant intruder. I didn’t know quite what to do with myself. I took a step back trying to exit into the hall, but he motioned with the wave of his large hand for me to sit in one of the chairs across from him. I didn’t want to disrespect his first gesture of me, but the view behind him was incredible. I pointed to the floor to ceiling windows that comprised an entire wall of his office. He nodded his head up and down and continued his conversation.
“I’ll see you at Mastro’s at seven for drinks, then dinner. Please be prompt.”
There was a gap in his conversation, and whoever was coming to dinner, was now replying to his invitation. “That’s great, son. I’ll see you at seven.” He hung up the phone and turned his attention to me.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. The receptionist brought me to your office.”
“As instructed,” he replied. “I thought it would be better to meet here; less formal. I’ve been anticipating your arrival. I hope the flight wasn’t too long?”
“Not at all,” I reassured him. “I’m glad to be here.”
He spun around in his oversized leather chair, but remained still. I could feel the weight of his stare, like a heavy coat. He was sizing me up and I turned to meet his stare head-on. I started to walk back to the chair, across from his desk when he lifted his palm, halting me mid-stride.
“Incredible view, huh?” He gazed out the window. He rose from the chair and I was able to take in his height and stature. He had always been a challenging and lethal competitor, but if I didn’t know just how brilliant he was, I’d imagine the sheer presence of him would be enough to stifle the strongest challenger. He stood next to me and we both looked out to the cityscape below.
“Yes, it is.” I raised my hands to the warm glass.
“Your father talks about you with great pride, Kasey. He has every confidence in you.” I could feel his gaze upon me. “He never mentioned how beautiful you are?”
I felt a sudden flush of heat on my cheeks and struggled to control my blush. “That’s very sweet. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I was talking to my son, Jake on the phone. He’s my youngest and most trying. If you know what I mean?” He smirked and shook his head. I knew instantly that Jake was the son I’d read about and the one I’d be meeting for dinner. Thank God it included drinks, was my first thought. I’d known my share of arrogant assholes and wasn’t looking forward to meeting the youngest Crawford.
“We all have our challenges,” I said, cheerily trying to hide my judgment.
“He’s great, but his priorities aren’t always where they should be. He is one of my two sons, but it’s my oldest son Josh that’s going to help you run this corporation. Jake’s in marketing and it’s probably the best place for him. He’s quite the charmer.” He said, staring out at the Los Angeles landscape.
I knew he had two sons, but hadn’t put much energy into either of them. I had spent so much time looking at Crawford Enterprises as a corporation and Mr. Crawford as the CEO, but I hadn’t given his sons much consideration.
“Well, I look forward to meeting them both.” I looked up at him with all sincerity. If they played as big a role in Crawford as I did in Blakely, I’d have to invest the effort to know everything about both of them.
“Tonight you’ll meet Jake, but Josh is out of town. I hoped he would return before you went back to New York, but I’m not sure he’ll be back before then.”
He turned towards me and placed his warm hand against my shoulder. “Walk with me, Kasey.” He motioned for the door and we walked out of his office for what I assumed was a full tour of his corporation and life’s work. By the end, I wasn’t just enamored by the corporation, but by this giant of business…James Crawford.
Chapter 4
Joshua
I had come to New York with two missions in mind: To effectively look over Blakely’s merger proposal and to consider real estate options in the city. I was currently staying at my friend Brian’s place. He was an international attorney, and was out of the country a great deal on business, which left his high-rise vacant for weeks at a time. He was always gracious about me staying with him, but it wouldn’t always be convenient. With the upcoming merger, I anticipated spending a great deal of time in New York.
“Hey. Do you mind pulling over at that Starbucks up ahead?” I asked the driver.
“Sure.” He brought the car to a halt on the busy street. “I’ll just circle the block until you come out. There’s no way I’ll find a place to park the car.”
“Sounds great. I won’t be too long.”
I stepped out of the car and entered the café. I waited patiently as the over-zealous twenty-year-old girl with piercings in her ears, nose, and mouth eagerly turned to take my order. “What can I get ya?”
I stood curiously looking at her, thinking she’d actually be pretty without the addition of several holes in her face. “Venti, skinny latte, sugar-free caramel, no foam. Please.”
“Name?”
“Josh.” I watched as she took her thick black marker to my cup – SF, NFL, NF - Josh. All acronyms, except my name. Unwritten coffee code, but accurate. I went to the end of the counter and waited patiently as the baristas moved about at an unbelievable pace, pushing coffee to the rush of patrons.
I was scheduled to meet a real estate agent that morning and really hadn’t given much thought to where in the city I wanted to live. I’d originally thought I wanted to be close to Central Park. I ran and worked out daily and was enamored with the idea of running the park. But, I was allowing her to show me several places in different parts of the city. I only had a few basic requirements – state of the art kitchen, big bedroom, large master bathroom, and no carpet. Other than that, I was open.
“Josh.” I raised my hand and step
ped forward, grabbing my coffee in one hand and the New York Times in the other. It had been discarded and left on the table next to the counter. I stepped out and looked for the limo, which was making its way down the street. The driver came to a stop and jumped out to open my door.
“Stay,” I said, holding my hand up and opening the door myself. I slid into the car and the driver quickly ushered the car back into the busy traffic. I unfolded the paper and shuffled through the pages looking for the business section. There on the bottom of the front page was the news about the impending merger of Blakely Incorporated and Crawford Enterprises. It was big news and had continued to make both paper and television. Both outlets filled with speculation about what it would mean nationally and globally. I was a sucker and read it from beginning to end. It was always interesting to get the media’s perception of reality. I had just finished reading the rest of the business section when we pulled up to the real estate agency.
I walked into the building and was greeted by a very flamboyant male.
“Well, good afternoon. Who might you be?” he asked. I had to laugh at his overt and unprofessional flirtation with me, but played along anyway.
“Josh Crawford, and you?” I replied.
“You can call me Tommie… or Tom, which ever you prefer.”
“Great, Tom. I believe I have a ten o’clock with your boss.”
“Well doesn’t she have all the luck?” He put one hand on his hip and lifted the phone to his ear. “Ms. Sinclair, your ten o’clock is here. Shall I bring him back?” There was a short pause, and then he concluded with, “I’d be happy to.” He jumped to his feet and gestured with his hand. “You’ll need to follow me, darlin’.”
I laughed under my breath and was grateful that I was comfortable with my sexuality, because other men would have already kicked his ass. I followed him down the hall to the office of an older woman I assumed was Mary Sinclair. She was smartly dressed in slacks and a cream blouse. She had clearly had her share of plastic surgery and appeared incredibly tight faced. I could tell she’d probably been a knockout as a youth and was chasing those memories. I reached out a hand and she rounded her desk to shake it.
“Mr. Crawford, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“You as well, Ms. Sinclair. That’s quite a receptionist you have.” I laughed out loud and took a seat.
“Oh, God! I love Tommie, but he can be a bit over the top. I apologize.”
“As for my visit today, I mentioned I only have a few days to look around the city. I hope you took the time to find some of my basic requirements in the places we’re going to look at today?”
“Yes. I think you’ll be very pleased.” She pulled the spec sheets of several places and handed them to me. I scanned through them quietly and quickly, pushing two aside immediately and placing the others in a stack with the top four being my favorites.
“These are out, but the rest I will consider. The top four are the best, with the multi-level warehouse the most intriguing. It looks unfinished though?”
“It’s actually in the middle of a major renovation. It’s being redone by a developer who’s motivated to sell. It might be the perfect fit, Mr. Crawford, there’s still time to customize it to your exact specifications.”
“Well then let’s get going. I thought we’d just take my limo if that’s okay with you?”
We spent the better half of the afternoon perusing one place after the other. Uptown, downtown, the Warehouse District, and everything in between. I’d narrowed it down to about three and the warehouse was at the top of my list. It was away from the park, but I liked the idea of all the space and the fact that I could still make alterations to the interior was an additional perk. That withstanding, it was also the most expensive. I’d almost forgotten how expensive the New York housing market was and was quickly reminded after viewing each listing. It wasn’t uncommon to get very little space for a whole lot of money and if the space was large, you paid the price to have it. Being wealthy did have its advantages, this being one of those times.
I dropped Ms. Sinclair off a little after three and told her I’d call her in the next several days. I decided to head back towards Brian’s for a glass of wine and some digging time. I couldn’t get Kasey off my mind and wanted to know more about her. I just didn’t think the next time I’d hear her name would be from my father.
Chapter 5
Kasey
“Drinks at seven, Kasey.” Mr. Crawford said, as he led me through the spinning glass doors and into the shinning Los Angeles sun. “David, whatever she wants or needs, please see that she gets it,” he said, warmly, ushering me towards the long black car.
“Yes sir,” he replied.
I turned to shake Mr. Crawford’s hand and he pulled me into a warm embrace. “Your Dad has every reason to be proud of you, Kasey. You’re brilliant and savvy, and you certainly brought your A-game today. Hell, I’m proud of you and you’re not even my kid. We’re going to make a great team.” His hands were holding my shoulders.
“I’m counting on it,” I replied. “I’ll see you at seven.”
He beamed affectionately, released me, and turned and walked back into the building. I turned to get into the car and noticed that David had a firmly planted grin on his face.
“Are you smiling?” I asked.
“I guess I am,” he replied. “I’ve never seen him so…” He hesitated and looked to the sky for the perfect word, then looked back at me. “Warm. He clearly likes you.”
“Thank you. I like him too. It’s nice to see you smile. I thought I was going to have to spend the next two days charming you.”
“Okay, silly. Get into the car. Where do you want to go?”
“Back to the hotel, please.”
“Certainly,” he said.
I slid into the car and looked out the window as the car maneuvered through the urban juxtaposition known as L.A. Concrete and palm trees, rich and famous mixed with the poor and homeless. I sat quietly, contemplating everything, my mind a tight cluster of a million thoughts all running together. The merger, Mr. Crawford, and working with his sons, which led me to think about my dinner tonight. What would I think of Jake? Hell, what would he think of me? What was I going to wear? How I really needed to eat something. I shook my head and let out a small chuckle on my own behalf. It was times like this that I felt like such a complete girl.
I closed my eyes and let my mind wander to my morning encounter with my treadmill thief, Joshua. I pictured him standing there confidently asking me out and telling me he was used to getting what he wanted. How cocky? I didn’t know what he wanted, but I knew whatever it was, I’d probably give it to him. I hoped it included his tongue and my body, or maybe my mouth and his body. Either way, he made my body tingle with desire and my stomach nervous with butterflies. I knew I was already screwed because of my reaction to him. I hadn’t spent more than ten minutes in his presence and could barely get my bearings. I had committed to a date with him, when I could barely get through one conversation.
I was lost in thought when the limo came to a stop in front of my hotel. David opened the door and reached for my hand to help me from the car. “I’ll be back at 6:30 to pick you up, Miss Kasey.”
“Great. See you then.”
I walked into the doors of the Four Seasons, grateful for the cold rush of the air conditioning on my flush body and sensual thoughts of Joshua.
Chapter 6
Joshua
I kicked off my shoes, slid on a pair of jeans and a tee shirt, and poured myself a glass of wine. I sat down on the couch and fired up my computer. When it finally came to life, I opened up the search engine and typed in her name, Kasey Blakely. It wasn’t until I had her name typed that it all started to come together in my head. How could I have missed it? Then the results populated on the screen and the images of my beautiful brunette were before me. I was officially fucked.
I searched through the results and knew why she was so amazing. She wasn’t just beaut
iful; she was a fierce corporate executive. I knew first hand that it was all true. She and I were slated to be partners in the merger of our corporations, but had never met. I had just asked her on a god-damned date this morning and she had accepted. I was powerless to stop what I had already started. She was amazingly beautiful and the knowledge of who she was only made me want her more. I just didn’t know what to do next.
Then, with perfect timing my phone rang. I hesitated to pick it up when I saw it was my father, but hit accept anyway.
“Hey son. How was your day? Did you get a chance to look at any real estate?”
“I did. I think I’ve found some really good possibilities,” I said, trying to keep my conversation short, but not wanting to come across rude. “Wasn’t today your meeting with Mr. Blakely?”
“It was supposed to be, but Mr. Blakely informed me that he was going to be delayed by a day and sent his daughter Kasey instead. She’s a lovely young lady and extremely bright. You’ll like her.”
And there it was…Kasey Blakely in Los Angeles and with my father. How’s that for fate, I thought and laughed under my breath.
“Kasey Blakely,” I repeated, just wanting to hear her name again.
“Yes. She came in her father’s place. He’ll be here tomorrow.”
“Interesting. I met her this morning, and I couldn’t agree more, she is lovely. I’d have used the word stunning, or gorgeous, but lovely works,” I replied with a shit eating grin on my face that I was glad my father couldn’t see.
“Where’d you meet her?”
“She stumbled into me at the gym and then she got into my car this morning. I’m staying at Brian’s while I’m here and she lives in the building. I, of course, knew none of this and didn’t know who she was until about five minutes ago when I ran her name through Google.”
“What? Why?” He questioned. “The name didn’t register with you?”
“No, it didn’t. However, I’ve been so mesmerized by her that I haven’t thought of much else since.” I hesitated not knowing if I should continue. “I asked her to join me for dinner Saturday.”
Merger Page 3
