by Watson, Lisa
Adrian set his laser pointer down. “Thank you,” he said walking over to his desk.
“Give me a minute,” he told his team and picked up the phone.
After a few seconds, he said, “I’m sorry, everyone, I need to take this.”
The team filed out of the office and left him to his phone call.
Later that evening, Adrian met Milán, Justin and Sabrina for dinner.
“I’ve got some great news,” he said after he greeted everyone and sat down. “There’s a new opportunity to get in with a loft conversion downtown. They’re looking at companies now to be their exclusive agent when the lofts are ready to go on the market.”
“Sweetheart, that’s incredible news,” Milán said excitedly and then kissed him.
“I still have to get used to that,” Justin said shaking his head.
“Shut up,” Adrian joked.
“Congratulations, Adrian,” Sabrina chimed in. “I know Anderson will pull it off.”
“We’d better. I heard there are two other companies in the running.”
Milán squeezed his arm. “Doesn’t matter,” she said confidently. “I know we’ll win.”
He laced his fingers through hers. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen.”
“So how’s the potential new business coming, Milán?” Sabrina asked. “You are still thinking of starting your own company, aren’t you?”
“I’m almost ready to go. It’s scary and exciting at the same time. Of course I’ll be working out of my loft for a while until I find a small office space, but I may already have some potential clients.”
Justin whistled. “Wow, so soon? I thought you were still in the planning phase.”
“No, I tackled all the business paperwork some time ago. Most of it arrived while we were on vacation. My business cards and promotional materials should be arriving any day now. I’ve also got a few meetings lined up that could prove promising. Tiffany’s even promised to help take some brochures around to local Realtors and businesses for me.”
Sabrina hugged her. “I’m so proud of you, Milán. I know you’ll do incredibly well.”
“You know you don’t have to do this right now,” Adrian chimed in. “You know you can work at Anderson as long as you like.”
Milán smiled. “I know, but you understand that I need to break away now that we are a couple,” she reminded him. “Besides, I think it’s time I tried to make it on my own. With no safety nets.”
Adrian placed a finger under her chin. “Escucha me. You will always have a safety net. ¿Comprende?”
“Yo sé,” Milán said kissing him on the lips.
Several seconds later, Justin cleared his throat. The two sat back in their seats, but continued to hold hands.
“So how’s Norma Jean?” Justin inquired. “Has she settled down yet or is she still trying to parade you two around town every chance she gets?”
“Definitely getting better,” Milán laughed.
“Yeah, she’s taking a break,” Adrian informed them. “Dad put his foot down.”
“I wouldn’t get too comfortable,” Sabrina warned. “You never know what Jeanie’s up to.”
After dinner, the foursome walked a few blocks of the Magnificent Mile before the Langleys decided to call it a night. Adrian and Milán waved good-night to their friends and continued on.
“You were kind of quiet after dinner,” Milán observed. “Is something wrong?”
Adrian pulled her close. “No, sweetheart. I’m just thinking about the presentation.” His thoughts turned to Tony Ludlow. He didn’t know if he’d thrown his hat in the ring, but he wasn’t taking any chances. Just thinking about the man made him frown.
“Okay, now I know there’s something wrong,” she told him.
He shook his head. “It’s nothing you need to worry about. I’m done thinking about work. The rest of the night it’s just us.”
Milán looked up at him, but remained silent. Pick your battles, chica. He’ll tell you when he’s ready. I hope you’re right, she mused. With that, she turned her attention back to their date.
*
The next week was a blur of activity at Anderson. The excitement simmering around the office was almost tangible. Adrian worked long hours, and Milán had taken on a few new clients so they hadn’t seen much of each other. She missed him. What she wouldn’t give to be back on Eleuthera at their private island paradise. Sitting at an outdoor café waiting for her potential client, Milán was looking over the menu when her cell phone chirped. She picked it up off the table and scanned the screen. Adrian. She grinned at his suggestion they meet for a midday rendezvous at his place in thirty minutes.
“I can’t,” she said aloud as she tapped her answer on the screen. I’ve got an interview. A potential client wants to meet about some upcoming work. It could be big. She typed the last letters in all caps.
Tonight, then?
Milán readily accepted. She typed her reply and then dropped her phone back in her purse.
“Excuse me, are you Miss Dixon?”
She glanced up to see a tall, well-dressed man looming over her.
“Yes, I am,” she repeated indicating for him to sit down.
*
Later that evening, Adrian sat in his bedroom with his feet propped up working on his laptop. He had a consultation in the morning with the developer and had some last-minute details to go over. He was confident that Anderson would win the business and nothing could persuade him otherwise. By this time tomorrow night, he would be out celebrating with Milán, his employees, friends and family. He loved when a plan came together.
His cell phone rang. He grabbed it off the table next to him. “Hello, Mom,” he said after checking the Caller ID.
“Hi, honey. I swear you get a girlfriend and you fall off the face of the earth.”
Adrian chuckled. “Need I remind you that you’ve wanted me to do just that for over a year?”
“That’s true,” Norma Jean agreed. “That hardly means I expect you to forget my phone number—or where we live.”
He stared out the window. “Not possible. So what’s really bothering you?”
“I just miss my son, that’s all,” she replied.
He was filling her in on the latest developments at the job when his doorbell rang.
“I’m sorry, Mom, but I have to run. Tell Dad hi for me, and I’ll call you tomorrow after the meeting.”
“Good luck, honey,” she said warmly.
“Luck has nothing to do with it,” he joked before hanging up.
Adrian set his laptop on the love seat and went downstairs to answer the door.
When he opened it, Milán was standing on the other side beaming brightly. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. They embraced for several moments before Adrian broke contact. “You smell good, and look even better.”
“Thank you,” she said stepping into the living room. She unbuttoned her coat and slid it off.
“Wow.” Adrian whistled. “Is that for me?” he said letting his gaze travel across the black lace teddy she wore.
“All for you,” Milán said huskily. She stepped around the coat and straight into his arms. She kissed him thoroughly, her hands sliding up his back to yank his shirt out of his slacks. “We have some celebrating to do,” she informed him.
“Really?”
“Mmm-hmm,” she replied undoing the buttons on his shirt. “I got my first freelance job. I’ll be the design consultant for a real estate company downtown.”
“That’s my girl.” Adrian hugged her. He took her hand and they went upstairs. He set her down in front of the bed. “So, what’s the job?”
“It’s supposed to be huge. We’re talking very high-end condos. My client wants me to stage them.” Her arms slid around his neck. “It’ll be great exposure for me.”
“Is that so? You know there are other parts of you I’d like to see exposed right about now,” he said kissing her neck.
; Before Milán could respond Adrian’s cell phone rang.
“Damn,” he muttered. “I’m expecting a call, but I’ll be brief.”
“You’d better.”
With a swish of her hips, Milán sank down on the bed and watched him.
“Hold that thought,” he said before hitting the talk button on his phone.
“Hey, man. Now’s not the best time—” he began, but stopped after a few seconds. “What? Okay, but make it quick.”
After another moment, his face dropped. “Are you sure?”
Milán sat up and stared worriedly at Adrian.
After he hung up, Adrian scooted his laptop out the way and sank down onto the love seat with the cell phone still in his hand. Utterly still, his jaw clenched rhythmically.
“Adrian?” Milán scooted to the edge of the bed. “What is it?”
He looked over at her. Anger hardened the lines of his face. “The company that just hired you—what’s the guy’s name?”
“Anthony Ludlow. Why?”
Standing, Adrian tossed his phone onto the couch. “Tony Ludlow hired you.”
“Yes,” she said patiently. “I don’t understand why you—”
“That bastard’s trying his best to piss me off,” he snapped.
Surprise registered on her face. “You know him?”
“Of course I know him,” he said impatiently. “He’s Anderson’s biggest competitor, Milán.”
She stood up. “What? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“How was I supposed to know you’d accept a position with that jackass?”
“How was I to know the two of you were rivals?”
“I’m sure he must’ve mentioned it,” Adrian countered.
“No…he didn’t.”
The censure in her voice only made him more annoyed. After all, he had forbidden his employees from mentioning Ludlow’s name in his own damn office. He started pacing across the floor, a string of curses littering the air behind him. Milán resumed her seat on the edge of the bed and watched him.
After a full minute of Adrian’s tirade, she said, “Why do you let this man get to you so much?”
He stopped and stared at her. “Ludlow makes it a point to go after what I want. He never misses an opportunity to try and get the upper hand.”
“What are you saying?”
“Come on, Milán. It’s well-known that you work for me, and he could probably find out that we’re a couple. It’s hardly rocket science,” he said drily. “He’s not sincere about that job offer. He’s just keeping his enemies close to try and find a weakness and then exploit it. He thinks he’s found one by hiring my girlfriend.”
“Gee, it appears you don’t think much of my professional abilities,” she snapped.
“Of course I do, but this isn’t about your professional abilities, trust me.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Because I know Tony Ludlow. He doesn’t make a move without ensuring it keeps him one step ahead. But it doesn’t matter. He won’t gain the edge he’s looking for. Tomorrow you’re going to tell him where he can stick his job offer.”
“What?”
“You’ll quit and then let him know his plan to gain an edge over Anderson fell short.” Adrian smiled. “I can see the SOB’s face when you—”
“I’m not quitting.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
“I have an agreement with him, Adrian. He’s my client. I just can’t back out after agreeing to be his designer. I gave him my word.”
“Are you crazy? Your word was given under false pretenses. He doesn’t want you to design anything. He’s hoping to do reconnaissance on what Anderson’s strategy is to win listing for the condos.”
Anger flared in her eyes. “Do you know how insulting you sound right now? You’re saying that he doesn’t care about my abilities, and that I got this job not on my own merit, but by the fact that you and I go together.”
“Uh, yeah.” He crossed his arms. “That about covers it.”
“Que son ridículas,” she said hotly.
“I’m ridiculous?” he thundered. “You don’t see how you working for him looks from my side, or to my staff? What part of this doesn’t make sense, Milán?”
“You know, I’m not sure which is worse. Your vanity or your paranoia.”
His jaw tightened. “This has nothing to do with vanity, and I’m sure as hell not paranoid.”
She threw her hands up in disgust. “This is pointless.”
“I’m glad you agree. So you’ll tell him you’ve changed your mind.”
A determined look crossed her face. “No, I’m not. I’ve given my word, and I’m not about to take that back because you have a problem with Anthony Ludlow.”
His expression was serious. “I’m telling you, Tony can’t be trusted and he’ll use you to his advantage. You’re either on my side on this or you aren’t, Milán. As my girlfriend, I would think this wouldn’t be that hard a decision.”
She stepped back. “You’re right, Adrian. It isn’t. The bottom line is you don’t trust me enough to know that I would never spy on you, or do anything that would hurt you—or your company. So I guess I’m done.”
“What the hell does that mean?” he asked softly.
“It means we’re through.”
“You can’t be serious,” he said skeptically. “You’re willing to break up with me over a difference of opinion? It’s our first argument, Milán, and you’re throwing in the towel already and I’m the one with loyalty issues?”
“It’s more than that and you know it. You don’t respect me—or my abilities.”
“It’s not your abilities I’m questioning,” he shot back. “It’s his.”
“I’m able to keep business separate from pleasure—sadly it seems you can’t.”
He watched her go. “This is stupid,” he said aloud.
She left without saying another word. After a few moments, Adrian heard his front door close forcefully. Milán had really left. Well one thing’s certain, I’m sure as hell not chasing after her, he told himself. With a loud expletive, Adrian sank onto the couch and put his feet up. After a few moments, he ran a hand over his jaw. Picking up his cell phone, he dialed Justin’s number and waited. When his friend picked up, Adrian filled him in on his blowup with Milán.
“You should let things cool off before talking to her again,” Justin cautioned. “Give it some time.”
“This makes no sense at all. Hopefully she’ll realize her mistake by morning, tell Ludlow where to go and then we’ll patch things up.”
“You’re sure about that?”
“Of course,” he said tersely. “I know Milán won’t risk what we have over this.”
“For your sake, I hope you’re right,” his friend replied.
“Of course I’m right, Justin. If it’s one thing I know, it’s women.”
Chapter 29
Norma Jean eyed her son over her coffee mug. She shook her head. “Do you know anything about women?”
Adrian let out an impatient breath. He’d been hearing this comment or something similar for the last two weeks. It was grating on his nerves.
“Mom, we’ve been over this hundreds of times. Milán broke up with me, not the other way around. I’m sure she’ll come to realize her mistake and she’ll fix this.”
“Oh, wake up,” his mother snapped. “I’d say that ship has sailed. You haven’t seen or talked to Milán since she left. Every time I speak with the poor girl, she sounds more and more distant. She’s a good friend of mine, and this stupid quarrel of yours is starting to affect our relationship.”
“Stupid?” Adrian’s temper flared. “She went to work for Ludlow, Mom. What’s worse, she refused to quit even after I told her about him.”
“If he was such an issue, you should’ve told her from the start, but we all know how you love to keep stuff to yourself when it has anything to do with work—and to make matters worse you ordered her to give
up her first client.”
He bristled. “I can’t believe you’re trying to turn this around on me. And besides, I didn’t order her—I asked.”
“I heard the recap, Adrian. You demanded.”
He threw his hands up. “So what if I did? What if I worked with someone I used to date? You don’t think Milán would have a problem with that?”
“Considering that’s probably half the unmarried women in Chicago, why would she? Besides, she’d never met Tony Ludlow, much less gone out with him.”
Adrian pushed away from the table. “This conversation is getting us nowhere. My relationship with Milán will either work out, or it won’t. I’ve tried calling her, but she won’t pick up. That speaks volumes.”
“Maybe she can sense that you aren’t sincere about getting her back.”
“She’s the one that walked out on me. It was our first argument and she hightails it out the door? That tells me we weren’t as solid as I thought.”
“Nonsense,” his mother countered. “You have to work this out without playing the blame game.”
“Thanks for the insight,” he said standing up. “But I’m not the one that bolted.” He laughed without humor. “Kind of ironic isn’t it, considering my track record?”
“If you ask me—”
“I didn’t.”
“You’re both at fault,” she finished. “So you both need to fix it.”
Adrian walked around the table and kissed his mom on the cheek. “I love you, Mother, but I’m begging you to stay out of it. I’m going to say goodbye to Dad. I’ll see you for dinner on Thursday, okay?”
She huffed, but nodded. Norma Jean watched her son walk out of the kitchen. Setting her cup down on the table, she tapped it absentmindedly.
“I know that look, Jeanie,” her husband said from the door. He came in and sat across from his wife. “Don’t stir up any trouble,” Heathcliffe cautioned. “You promised Adrian you wouldn’t interfere.”
“I did no such thing. He said he was coming over for dinner, and I nodded.”
“Jeanie—”
“Don’t start, Cliff. Our son’s in love with Milán Dixon. I can see it in his eyes. He may be too pigheaded to realize it on his own, but a mother knows.”
“That may be true,” Heathcliffe countered, “but it’s his life. He’s got to live with the decisions he makes.”
