Give Up On Me

by Tressie Lockwood

She almost fell into her chair. “Tell me what?”

  “Bennett backed out of our deal. We can’t even sue him because we didn’t have a contract yet. I was bringing it to him this morning.”

  “What could possibly have happened that fast? Did someone else get to him?”

  Her father’s expression turned bitter. He started to speak, seemed to focus on her, and then clamped his lips shut. Janae gathered her strength and walked around her desk to lean on it. She folded her arms over her chest.

  “I have his number. Maybe I should call and have a talk with him.”

  “You don’t negotiate business, baby girl.”

  “Oh, I’m not going to be talking business per se. I’m going to ask him what hell his deal is that he would string you along. I know how these big companies work. They had all our info before you showed up to the first meeting. He probably knows every detail about our financial standing and how we’re hanging on by a thread. He knew he was doing us the bigger favor, but if he did, then he should have had the decency not to string you along!”

  “It’s business, Janae.”

  “No, it’s something else. I might not know him, but I know you. Dad, you’re not telling me something. You might as well spill it because I always get it out of you eventually.”

  He grumbled. “I don’t need my daughter lecturing me.”

  She waited, jaw tight, and just as stubborn as he was.

  “All right! Maybe I should make you the negotiator. You’re hard as nails, Janae.”

  “When I need to be.”

  He heaved his shoulders in a huge sigh. “I told you Bennett and I hit it off so well we could be friends. It wasn’t all on my part. He said because he felt like we could have played golf together, he would level with me.”

  “You don’t play golf.”

  “I would have tried it. Anyway, that’s beside the point. He said late last night, he got a call from Margaret Foust.”

  Janae’s mouth fell open. “You mean Matt’s grandmother?”

  “Yeah. What it boils down to is she told him if he does business with us, he will regret it.”

  Janae’s temperature rose. “She threatened him?”

  “Not in the way that I said it. I’m just telling you what it amounted to. She said if he does business with us, he’ll find himself blocked in a whole lot of other directions that will lose him millions.”

  “She’s a hotel owner! What could she do?”

  “She has a lot of influential friends, including congressmen.”

  Janae swore. She could attest to the truth of Margaret’s connections. The faces and wealth at her party told the story, and Margaret knew she knew. “That bitch.”

  “Janae.”

  “It’s true, Dad.” She paced, rubbing her temples, which had started to pound. “We can figure out something else, maybe work with smaller clients, cut some bigger deals. Heck, going residential might not be such a bad idea.”

  “I have a few names in my address book, old clients I might be able to stir up. There were some small renovations they put off. Maybe now is a better time.”

  “That’s the spirit. We’re fighters.” She tugged on his arm until he rose, and she got him moving toward the door. “First, go home and take a shower because for real, you’re lighting up the office. I’ll do some more thinking and come up with a few other ideas. We’ll beat this. I promise you.”

  Her dad grinned. “What would I do without you, Janae?”

  She didn’t answer, and he tottered over to his office. Her dad wasn’t stupid. He knew Margaret wouldn’t pressure his potential client unless she wanted to send Janae a message to stay away from her grandson. Janae had just told him Matt was talking about marriage. One would have to be blind not to see the manipulating witch for what she was, and Janae wasn’t going to stand for it.

  She left her dad’s company to drive over to the hotel on Boylston Street. The opulence of the front desk and lobby impressed her—a super wide winding staircase, a tiled floor so shiny she saw her reflection like looking in a mirror, a bouquet table spread big enough for six men to have to transport it, and tranquil mood-inducing recessed lighting. However, she didn’t give a damn about design right then. All she cared about was punching Margaret Foust in her snooty nose. Of course, she wouldn’t do it.

  “Hello, can you tell me where the management offices are?” Janae asked the clerk.

  The woman smiled, and today it grated on Janae’s nerves. “Is there a problem, ma’am. I’d be happy to help.”

  “No, you can’t help. I need to see Margaret Foust.”

  “The owner?”

  Widened eyes. Did no one ask for her here? Maybe their management offices were somewhere else. Now that she was here, she realized that must be true. She felt like an idiot, which soured her mood even more.

  “No,” she answered the stupid question. “I’m asking about the maid.”

  The woman blinked.

  “Of course the owner.”

  “Ms. Foust doesn’t work inside the hotel. She has a regular office in the financial district. Let me get you the address and directions.”

  Janae bit off a groan but thanked the woman. She gave her credit for keeping the smile in place despite Janae’s attitude. After that bit of run around, Janae arrived at the offices of Foust Realty and Investments?

  She approached the receptionist with hesitance, figuring she’d be given a hard time. “Hello, I’m Janae Wilson. I’d like to see Kyler Foust.”

  “Do you have an appointment?”

  “No.”

  “Usually, Mr. Foust doesn’t see anyone without an appointment.”

  Janae leaned an elbow on the high desk. “I’m sure either he or his grandmother will see me.”

  “Ma’am, I highly doubt—”

  Janae held up a hand. “Let me stop you right there. We’re not going to have an argument back and forth as to whether I’m right or you are. What I want you to do is check to see if Margaret or Kyler will see me. Then we can play the rest by ear. Sound good?”

  Resentment flashed in the woman’s eyes. Her nose was almost as high as Margaret’s, and she had nothing to show for it. Janae didn’t get how some people could be uppity as a damn clerk, or in this woman’s case a receptionist. She was a dime a dozen, and she thought she was some kind of special snowflake.

  The receptionist opened her mouth as if she would continue to argue, but a deep voice cut her off. “Janae?”

  Janae turned to find Kyler heading toward her. A wave of intense dislike washed over her, almost making her sick all over again. She swallowed the emotion and faced him. “I need to talk to you,” she snapped.

  “Sure, this way.” He gestured, so matter of fact as if she wasn’t there to ask him where he got off threatening her family’s livelihood.

  Janae followed him stiffly down a couple hallways and into a huge office with massive floor to ceiling windows that overlooked Boston. She wanted to walk over and peer out to see if the cars looked like ants, but resisted. Her dad’s offices were all on ground level, and she had never had a reason to visit a skyscraper.

  Not wanting to look like a green idiot, she stood in the middle of the floor. Kyler moved behind his desk, ready to take a seat. He noticed her standing there and gestured to a chair. “Please, take a seat.”

  “This isn’t a social call,” she snapped. “I know your grandmother threatened Samuel Bennett of Bennett and Company to get him to back out of the deal he had with my dad. That’s low and disgusting, but you two want to make it seem like I’m some kind of growth on society’s ass.”

  She thought he looked amused for a second. Then his face turned expressionless. He didn’t even have the decency to look angry. “You have a way with words, Janae. I assure you, we’re aware of your intelligence.”

  “Bite me. Where is your grandmother so I can tell her to stay the hell away from my dad and his company? He has nothing to do with my personal life.”

  “You work for him.”
>
  “And what?”

  “Janae, take a seat.” His voice went low, and she strode over to his desk and slammed a hand down on it.

  “Or what? You’re going to threaten me, too? If you want to play it like your gentleman’s sensibilities won’t let you sit down if I’m standing, you can cram it. Oh, wait no. You don’t want me standing while you sit down because it will make you feel small. I didn’t realize your self-image was as shoddy as your grandmother’s. Where the hell is she?”

  His eyes narrowed, and lips thinned into a line. He was pissed all right.

  “I’m here, Janae, and would you please lower your voice?” Margaret swept through the doorway. “I can hear you down the hall.”

  Janae spun around to face her. “You don’t have to hear it for much longer. I’m going to say one thing, and then I’m out. Stay away from my dad and his company. Don’t threaten him again, or you’re going to deal with me the hard way.”

  “Oh the hard way,” the old hag said. She was unmoved by Janae’s outburst. “I assume that’s pretty bad. I’m not up on the street slang of—”

  “If you say it, so help me…” Janae bit between clenched teeth.

  “—young people,” Margaret finished.

  “It’s hardly street slang. Don’t try to act like you were born rich, Margaret, because you weren’t. You might not be in my generation, but you damn sure weren’t a silver spoon.”

  “You know nothing about me.”

  Janae shrugged and waved a hand. “I know what Matt told me. What he didn’t say was you’re a manipulative witch who thinks she can get away with whatever she wants. Well, I’m here to say that’s not happening. Leave us alone. If you think threatening some weak stupid ass man who can’t run his company without caving to an old woman is going to make me or my dad give up, you’re wrong.”

  Janae started past her, but Margaret blocked her path with a folder she held in her hand. Margaret sneered at her. “Read it.”

  “Buzz off.” Janae started to push it away.

  “Your dad might find it interesting. Maybe I should go straight to him instead.”

  Janae froze. She recalled how devastated her dad looked that morning, how she had to fight to get him to come out of his office. His company was his baby, the place he found solace after her mother left.

  She took the folder and schooled her features before opening it. To her shock, Margaret had done her homework. When she said Janae didn’t know anything about her, she was right. Janae knew a few facts passed on to her. Margaret had done a thorough investigation and gathered up every speck of information about her dad and his business.

  “Flip to the last three pages,” Margaret said, a note of delight in her tone.

  Janae couldn’t resist taking a look. When she did, her knees almost gave. A strong hand encircled her elbow, and Kyler almost dragged her to a chair to sit down. She fell into it, panting.

  “T-this is a lie,” she whispered. “My dad wasn’t involved in that bastard’s scheme to cut corners. The job for the apartment complex has been put on hold indefinitely because Larry is such a cheat.”

  “Really? Because my information says otherwise.” Margaret sauntered over to Kyler’s desk and waved him aside. He moved, and she sank into the chair. “Larry Wilkinson will swear in court that your father offered him cheap materials and plans that would never pass city inspection. When Wilkinson protested, your father said not to worry, he had an inspector waiting to sign off on the project at completion.”

  Janae jumped to her feet. “That’s a damn lie.”

  Margaret shrugged. “That’s for a jury to decide.”

  “You know if Dad goes to court even if he’s cleared his reputation will be ruined.”

  “That’s right. His business is on the verge of collapse, and I’m thinking the smallest push will make it tumble over. Of course, paired with the Jenkins matter, there are all the others in that folder, former, current, prospective men and women I can buy and sell with the snap of my fingers.”

  “All to get me out of Matt’s life?” Janae said dully.

  “Exactly. Now, Janae, let’s talk about George Gonzalez.”

  The room swayed. Janae raised her hand to her mouth. She pretended to clear her throat as she lowered her gaze to the floor until the dizziness passed. She would not throw up in front of these people and show them how much they got to her. Margaret had cornered her, and she needed time to come up with a plan to fight back.

  “I get it,” Janae said. “You know about George and Annie. Let’s not go into details.”

  Annie had cancer, and she needed treatment. If the company went down, not only would George lose his insurance, but his paycheck. They were just one family desperately counting on her dad.

  “You have twenty-four hours to decide,” Kyler announced.

  “What?” Janae shot up from her chair again. “You can’t be serious. I need to talk to my dad and—”

  “And talk to my brother?” Kyler shook his head. “Let me make it clear to you, Janae. If you breathe a word of this to Matt, we will expose your father for the dishonest businessman he is.”

  Kyler’s sour smile said he knew their trumped up folder was all lies. He just liked repeating it because lie or the truth, it hurt her deeply. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she tried to speak and failed. Rather, she raised her chin, turned, and walked out the door. Neither one of them tried to get a last word in. They had said all they needed to, and she was sure they felt she would be back—on her knees.

  Chapter Ten

  “Honey, your voice sounds funny,” Matt said over the line. “Are you crying?”

  “What? No.” She cleared her throat and wiped her eyes. Throwing him on mute real quick, she sniffed and pressed tissue to her nose. Afterward, she took him off mute. “I have a tickle in my throat because I ate a really sour pickle.”

  He chuckled, and her heart cracked a little more. She had always loved his laugh and his voice. And his smile, his eyes, his everything…

  “Ew,” he moaned. “Make sure you haven’t been eating them when I get back next week. I want to kiss you.”

  “So you won’t kiss me if I have?”

  “I will, but it will be hard.”

  “You’re cruel.” She almost had another crying fit but caught herself just in time.

  “Honey, do you know how much I miss you?” Matt’s voice dropped so low and sexy, even with her being miserable, her body lit on fire.

  “No, tell me how much,” she said.

  He outlined it, telling her about every part of her body and how much he wanted to love on it with kisses and caresses. “And then when I get to that sweet ass, I’m going to nip it and spank it. Maybe I’ll massage the sting away.”

  She dug into her box of tissue and came up empty. A bunch of wadded used ones lay all around her on the couch and on the floor. She thrust the box away and sat back.

  “Matt, when are you coming home?”

  “Next week, Wednesday. I wish it was sooner. I hate being apart from you. Tell me you miss me, Janae. I have to hear it.”

  “I do miss you. I love you very much.” She had told herself she wouldn’t say it again, but the words sprang to her tongue unbidden. “Remember that every day forever, okay?”

  “You say it like I won’t see you again.”

  She forced a laugh. “Don’t be stupid. We’re apart so much because of work, and I want you to think about me when we are.”

  “You never leave my thoughts, even when I’m with you.”

  She choked. “H-hold on!”

  Throwing the phone on the couch, she ran down the hall to the bathroom and dropped to the floor in front of the toilet. Coughing and gagging, she struggled to draw in a breath. Her stomach muscles contracted, determined to get rid of the food that wasn’t there. She had lost her appetite from the first moment she opened that folder Margaret gave her.

  She rinsed out her mouth and brushed her teeth then returned to the living room. “Matt
?”

  “What happened? You’re not lying to me about being sick, are you, Janae?” His voice held a note of worry.

  “No, I’m fine.”

  Just dying inside. No big deal.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, tell me about what you’re doing.” She brushed the tissues on the floor and laid on the couch, her head propped up with a throw pillow.

  “I conducted a management class. One of the managers is having a hard time, and a couple of the long-time employees are clashing with him. His choice of response wasn’t the best, so I had to step in to make peace.”

  “What did he do?”

  “Do you really want to know?”

  She wished she had a blanket and ice cream. “Yes, tell me everything. I want to hear you talk.”

  “You miss me, honey?” His tone gentled so much, almost like a caress.

  “Yes.” Her voice cracked. She sobbed a little before slapping a hand over her mouth.

  “Janae!”

  “No, it’s nothing, Matt. I’m about to come on my period. You know how I get.”

  He sighed. “Yeah, angry this month ready to kill me and next month emotional. Don’t scare me like that, honey. I was about to book the next flight home.”

  “You’d do that?”

  “In a second if I thought you needed me.”

  I do need you.

  “False alarm. Just hormones all wacky.” She tried to sound normal and failed. “Talk to me some more?”

  “You got it.”

  He shared with her every detail of what he had done since they were apart, and she encouraged him to keep going. Late into the night, she listened to his voice, letting it soothe her aching heart for the time being.

  Janae cradled her phone in her hands as she sat at her desk. She had cried the rest of the night after she got off the phone with Matt. Only a couple hours remained until she needed to be in Kyler’s office giving him and his grandmother her decision.

  She heard the door to her office open, but she didn’t look up. The chair on the opposite side of her desk squeaked, and a heavy hand came down on her head to stroke her hair. She clenched her teeth together.