When It Feels So Right

by Celeste O. Norfleet

  As per their many advisories, one thing was definitely known about Titan; they played by their own rules. Rumored to have gained millions by unscrupulous business practices years earlier, they supposedly built a mega-corporation on the backs of honest working men and women. They were said to be ruthless to those they deemed a threat. They were unforgiving and unapologetic. They took what they wanted and did as they pleased.

  Unsubstantiated, their corporate value had been reported at more than twenty billion dollars. They belonged to a consortium, and operated just under the radar of the powerful conglomerates. But their profits flourished immeasurably, as noted by their PR person who, of course, claimed that all rumored accusations were unmitigated falsehoods and the result of tabloid journalism and vengeful failed business associates.

  Well, this was the opportunity to prove it one way or another, making her a catalyst for the truth. She intended to dig out whatever secrets the family hid in closets, get all the facts and leave no stone unturned and, as usual, remain unbiased and professional. That’s if she ever started.

  Jo waited another twenty minutes than gathered her luggage and walked to the exit. She grabbed the first cab in sight. She gave the cabbie the address and he looked at her strangely. “Is there a problem?” she asked.

  “Douglas Island, this the right address, you sure?” he asked, looking at her in the rearview mirror.

  “Yes,” she said pointedly. He nodded, pulled the meter flag down and pulled away from the curb.

  Chapter 2

  Andre Buchanan chuckled to himself as he walked away. He seldom made impulsive decisions like that, but in this case he afforded himself the latitude. His observation skills had always served him well. He’d watched her a few seconds before interrupting. Her body language and posture showed reserved tension. She was stressed and disturbed about something. She frowned as she looked around and spoke on the cell phone. He focused on her mouth. The soft coral tint and moistened luster made him wonder about tasting her.

  She wasn’t the usual type that attracted him. His tastes ran along the lines of nondescript executives too busy to demand anything more than he was willing to offer. Whereas they were brash and aggressive, she seemed to be the exact opposite. Still, there was something fascinating about her. Sure, he could have walked around her, but interrupting her phone conversation was more entertaining. He intended to disrupt her just long enough to get her attention. But to his delight her reaction upon seeing him made him smile almost as much as her appearance.

  Tourists outfitted in what mainlanders presumed Alaskans wore always made him smile. It was late September and the temperature was a moderate thirty to forty degrees, yet she had on a heavy hooded jacket with fur-lined collar, a knit sweater and wool pants. She was layered to the extreme and he assessed the possibility of peeling each layer from her body. Speculation on what he’d find made him smile again.

  He knew instantly that she was new to the area. He certainly would have seen her before. A woman like that you don’t forget easily. She stood out, even as she tried not to. With a knit hat pulled down nearly covering her face, it took him a second glance to get a better look at her. Light-colored eyes, silky smooth milk chocolate skin, high cheekbones with just a touch of innocent bewilderment. Yet it was her lips that ultimately drew his attention. They were full, sensual and kissable, just as he liked them.

  He chuckled again. She stood out, literally, in the center of the airport walkway. That alone he found intriguing. Why would a woman stand in the center of an airport walkway? The psychology of her position could mean almost anything. He knew he wanted to make contact, he just didn’t expect it to be so hands-on.

  Still, pulling her away from the oncoming cart gave him the opportunity to hold her close for a few seconds. Her expression was priceless. His smile softened then firmed. To his surprise his body instantly reacted to their closeness. That was unexpected.

  Afterward, he knew she’d be watching him. He didn’t need his doctorate degree in psychology to tell him that. He knew the effect he had on women and God knows he loved reaping the benefits. At six foot three his height and athletic build made him an imposing figure. He enjoyed it. It tilted the balance in his favor. He enjoyed that too.

  If he had more time he’d further investigate her arrival in his hometown, but that would have to wait. That’s not what he needed to focus on at the moment.

  Andre continued down the corridor and headed to the private lounge in the back of the airport bar. He walked in and looked around. Frequented mainly by first-class travelers and persons of notoriety, it was completely secluded. Most didn’t even know the small room existed. Unfortunately, his grandfather did.

  He walked over to the small narrow bar. A familiar face greeted him with a knowing nod then a quick glance across the room. Andre waited as the bartender poured two cups of hot coffee and slid them across the narrow counter. He nodded, picked up the two cups and replaced them with a hundred dollar bill. He walked in the direction the bartender had glanced. He found his grandfather sitting at a window seat with a young woman by his side. She wore too much makeup, with a top too low and a skirt too high. She turned, looked up at Andre and smiled.

  “We have company,” she said seductively.

  Ever since his grandmother, Olivia, died almost two years ago, it seemed his grandfather had been on a mission to find peace and comfort. The problem was he never could. He was troubled and angry with himself over his wife’s sudden death. No amount of anonymous female companionship could ease his troubles, although he kept trying and every gold-digging, wannabe sugar mama readily assisted.

  “Excuse us,” Andre said impatiently.

  “Give us a moment, dear,” Jacob Buchanan said, patting the woman’s bare leg affectionately. She licked her lips then whispered something into Jacob’s ear making sure her ample breasts brushed his arm. “I don’t think he’s into that,” Jacob said. She poked out her full red lips, stood up, grabbed her jacket and sashayed over to the bar. Jacob turned and stared out at the Juneau city lights.

  “Hello, Granddad.”

  Jacob smiled broadly. “Andre, I would ask what on earth you are doing here, but since you seem to always have a sixth sense about these things, I won’t bother.”

  “I’m looking for you,” Andre said, placing the cups of coffee on the small table. “Rumor had it you’ve been hanging around here for the past few hours.”

  “Why didn’t you call? You usually do.”

  “I tried,” he said smoothly, “but your cell phone’s turned off again, so I thought I’d stop by in person.” He held his hand out. Jacob reached into his pocket and gave him his cell phone while shaking his head and finishing his drink. He grimaced then smiled as the amber liquid burned his throat and heated his insides.

  “Don’t think I’ll ever get the hang of that silly thing, too many unnecessary buttons. I always push the red one too long when ending a call. Blasted thing turns itself off every time.” He watched as his grandson turned the phone back on and held it out to him. He took it and placed it back in his jacket pocket. “I thought you were still in New York and Los Angeles putting out publicity fires for Quinton and Cole.”

  “I’ve been away for nearly six weeks. I took care of it,” Andre said easily.

  Jacob chuckled and affectionately slapped his grandson on the back assuredly. “Of course you did. I knew you’d handle it with your usually clever manipulation. Who better to send into a media snake pit than a snake charmer?”

  “Not exactly, but close enough,” Andre said, knowing that his grandfather’s remark was more true than not. As Director of Public Relations and Communications of Titan Energy, his job was to maintain the public perception that highlighted the company’s vast advances while negating its many public transgressions. Thanks to his brother Quinton and cousin Cole, his job had become increasingly more tedious. He had to quash bad PR on a daily basis.

  His latest public relations nightmare was Cole’s ex-girlfriend
who, along with her attorney, decided she deserved a percentage of his Titan stock by way of a paternity suit. She’d gone for public sentiment by playing the destitute ex versus the rich businessman. While the Titan and Buchanan lawyers did their part, he did his. By the time the paternity test came back negative, her reputation as a con-woman was revealed as well as several other previously undisclosed lawsuits. His ex wisely withdrew the suit, citing unspecific reasons.

  More recently he wrapped up his brother’s case, which had been slightly more complicated. Quinton had been sued for sexual harassment by a former employee. The case was nearly airtight and the media was all over Titan personnel. The end result was that the complainant was found mentally unstable with fixation issues. They’d settled out of court to cut their losses and sponsored her full treatment. In both cases Cole and Quinton had been completely exonerated, but Andre was still fighting public opinion since the damage to their reputations had already been done. But that was his job.

  Now on his way back home for a few days of rest and relaxation, he got a call about his grandfather sitting in the airport lounge for hours. He had to come.

  Still, he hadn’t had a moment to himself in weeks. His nerves were frayed and his frustration level was through the roof. Perhaps that was why the last “problem” didn’t exactly turn out as he planned. He cleared his cousin of course, but there were adverse repercussions that he still had to deal with.

  “What was your strategic battle plan this time?”

  “No plan, I just relayed the facts.”

  “Overwhelmingly to Quinton’s and Coles’s advantage, of course,” Jacob prompted.

  “Of course,” Andre said, tipping the corner of his full lips slightly. Anyone watching might not have noticed a difference, but it was there. It was the slight smirk that relayed his restrained pleasure. “So what time is your flight?”

  “My flight?” Jacob asked.

  “Yes, I spoke with Dad earlier and he mentioned that you and he are meeting to discuss the consortium proposal in Anchorage tomorrow morning.”

  “No, we canceled. That’s next week.”

  “I was told that you canceled last week, and rescheduled it for tomorrow.”

  Jacob paused a moment to consider his schedule. “Ah yes, so I did, so I did. Well, that’s unfortunate.”

  “Why is it unfortunate?” Andre asked.

  “I’m here waiting for a very important appointment,” he said.

  “So I’ve heard.”

  Jacob raised his brow with interest, “I know you haven’t been siccing your countless spies on me, have you?”

  “I don’t have countless spies, Granddad, you know that,” he replied with cool efficiency without actually answering the question. It was his usual tactic and it seemed to work well. “So who exactly are you expecting?”

  “A friend,” he said evasively.

  Andre looked around. “Anyone I know?”

  “No.”

  “What’s the name?”

  “Jo.”

  “Joe what?” Andre asked.

  “Jo Butler.”

  “I don’t remember you ever mentioning a friend named Joe Butler. Is he a business associate?”

  “Hardly and more or less,” Jacob said, chuckling to himself.

  Andre smiled and shook his head. The evasive game his grandfather often played usually meant that he was about to do something the family wouldn’t approve of. The last time was with the interior designer he hired to redecorate his bedroom.

  She in turn seduced him then claimed that he was the father of her unborn child. It was later discovered that she was already a few weeks pregnant when she arrived in Juneau and that she’d dangerously slipped him several performance enhancement pills causing him to be rushed to the local hospital. Needless to say, when the family learned what she’d done they sought swift and severe retribution. It was Jacob who resisted and instead offered to set up a college fund for her child. Embarrassed, she declined his offer. With that disaster avoided, Andre kept a particularly close eye on his grandfather’s actions.

  It wasn’t that his grandfather was old and senile, it was that Jacob Buchanan had a huge heart. He gave more and trusted more than he should. Since his retirement from the company, he became more and more reclusive and more and more trusting. Plus, he enjoyed occasional female attention. It came out later that he knew exactly what the designer had planned. Either way, Andre wasn’t about to have that happen again.

  “Actually, Jo’s more of a friend of a daughter of a friend. You remember Lydia Gibson, she owns the professional fund-raising and concierge agency I use from time to time. The one that…”

  “Yes, I remember Lydia’s Lifestyle Management Agency quite well,” Andre said, knowing that he wasn’t going to like what followed. The last time his grandfather and Lydia put their heads together he had to bail his grandfather out of jail and elaborate an outlandish story to appease the shareholders. Fortunately the media bought it as just another Titan publicity stunt to raise awareness for global human rights. Andre glanced around, looking for a slightly overweight redhead with a laugh that would scare a witch. “Granddad…”

  “Now don’t granddad me. I’m not in my dotage. I know you and Lydia have butted heads a few times over the years. She’s a good friend and a damn good businesswoman. I’ve never requested anything that she couldn’t provide.”

  Andre sighed. This was exactly what he feared. His grandfather’s requests had a tendency to wind up on the front page of some tabloid newspaper. “Exactly what have you requested this time?”

  Jacob looked beyond Andre. “Ah that must be Jo,” Jacob said, smiling as a young woman entered the private lounge and stared at them as she approached. He stood. Andre turned and stood, following his grandfather’s lead.

  The woman approached, nodded, then continued past their table. She turned to smile at Andre as he looked at his grandfather, realizing his mistake. A cold chill sliced through him. “I take it that wasn’t Joe,” he said as both men sat. “Also, I presume this Joe is a woman.”

  Jacob smiled, “Indeed she is.” Andre closed his eyes and shook his head. This Jo was exactly what the family didn’t need right now. Jacob instantly took exception. “Now don’t give me any of your ‘time to save Granddad from himself’ guff, I know exactly what I’m doing. Jo will be staying with me for as long as it takes. We have things to do.”

  “If you needed a secretary, Granddad, why not…”

  “A secretary, Andre? If I needed a secretary I’d simply relocate one from corporate headquarters in Anchorage. No, this job is far more specialized.”

  “Specialized? Granddad, please, I must caution…”

  “Don’t go cautioning me, Andre,” he warned firmly, “this is nonnegotiable. Jo will stay with me at the cabin.” He stood to make his point, but wobbled slightly instead.

  Andre instantly stood and grabbed hold of his grandfather’s arm, steadying him. He looked around and nodded to the bartender who immediately picked up a phone behind the bar and made a call. “Granddad, what I mean is that maybe this isn’t the best time to invite a stranger into the Buchanan circle. With Dad preparing to run for a senate seat and our plans with the energy commission, perhaps we can…”

  “Nonsense,” he said firmly, “this is the perfect time. We’ll be fine. Your father’s political ambitions can only benefit from this. He’ll be vetted by the party anyway, why not let our truth be told the right way, our way. We’ll eliminate all assumptions and falsehoods.”

  “That’s not exactly how it works, Granddad. The truth has little to do with historical fact. Man has a way of making his own truth in history, recording it as his ego dictates.”

  “Including the Buchanans, and that’s exactly why Jo’s coming,” he said, chuckling. Then seeing the stern seriousness of his grandson’s expression, he reached up and patted his shoulder. “Oh, no worries, Andre, time has been kind. The Buchanan family secrets are buried deep enough that even I can’t find them
anymore. Just as well I’m sure.”

  “Eventually time runs out and secrets are never quite buried deep enough in some regards,” Andre mused. He noted his grandfather’s assistant, Bane, had entered the lounge.

  Jacob nodded. “I’ve been assured that Jo is an excellent writer and she…”

  “A writer,” Andre interrupted, “this Jo is a writer.”

  “Of course, how else am I going to have my memoir written? I needed to hire a professional biographer. She comes highly recommended with an excellent professional resume. Even you, dear grandson, won’t be able to find fault with her.”

  “Granddad, we talked about this months ago. You said you were going to hold up on that until later.”

  “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, my boy, but I don’t have too many laters left. At seventy-five I feel the urgency to tell my story my way. Now.”

  Andre backed off knowing his grandfather’s resolve. “Fine, I’ll handle it. I’ll find an adequate biographer, one more sympathetic to the family history. It’ll take a few months, but we’ll…”

  “Not necessary, Jo called earlier. She missed a few connections and her flight’s a bit late, but I’m sure she’ll be here in no time.”

  “And what about the energy commission meeting?” Andre asked. “As chairman emeritus and founder, your presence is crucial.”

  “Ah yes, that is a bit of a pickle. Perhaps we can postpone it until next week.”

  “No, Granddad, the meeting has already been postponed twice, once for Dad and once for you. Another postponement might make the commission overly cautious. This new venture is a Buchanan lead after all. We don’t want them to have second thoughts.”

  “No, of course not,” Jacob said, seeing his assistant at the door waiting for him. “I suppose I’d better attend.”

  “Excellent, I’ll wait here, meet your Jo and send her away until this is settled,” Andre said, knowing of course that he intended to pay Jo off to leave permanently. “There is no sense in having a stranger staying at the house unsupervised.”