by Julie Cannon
“I know.” EJ was relaxed in her chair, sipping her coffee and crossing her bare legs. She was wearing navy shorts with a crisp white tank top and boat shoes. She had seen Dee look at her legs as she had not-so-casually strolled across the dining room to her table a few minutes ago.
“At the risk of maybe not wanting to know the answer, why didn’t you?” EJ admired Dee’s honesty and willingness to tackle things head-on. “Because as much as I wanted to, and believe me I wanted to,” EJ paused and ran her gaze over Dee’s body from head to toe, “I didn’t want you to hate me or yourself this morning for breaking your rule.”
“Vivian was right, you are quite chivalrous.”
EJ felt her face flush with embarrassment. “When did she say that?”
“Last night when you offered to walk them to their room. She whispered it to me when she said good night.”
“And that made you blush?” EJ asked easily.
“No, that wasn’t it.”
“Do tell, Ms. Walker. It must be something good because you’re doing it again.” The way Dee had reacted made EJ want to know exactly what it was.
“Do you always play by the rules?” Dee asked, trying to change the subject.
EJ tilted her head as if deciding to go along or stay on topic. “When it matters.”
“That’s an interesting answer.”
“Don’t you think you’re worth it?”
“I have no idea how I should answer that question.”
“How do you want to answer it?” EJ asked, and for the second time in less than twenty-four hours Dee’s answer really mattered to her.
“Of course I’m worth it,” Dee replied honestly.
EJ uncrossed her legs, leaned forward, and looked directly into Dee’s eyes. They were sparkling, confident, and direct. “From what I’ve seen so far, Ms. Walker, I definitely agree.”
“Emery? You’re starting to scare me.” Jack spoke quietly, yet effectively jerked her back to the here and now. She looked at her friend, her human-resources advisor who also happened to bear a striking resemblance to the actor Matt Damon. Shit, she thought. Another battle to add to the constant war she’d been having with herself the last two weeks. If she confided in Jack, told him she and Dana had known each other, he would be obligated to counsel her against hiring her. If she disregarded his advice and hired her, he would be required to report her action to the auditors that hovered in every corner of Martin Engineering these days.
However, if she didn’t tell him then he could legally and morally claim, what was it called, plausible deniability? He could honestly say he had no idea. But what would that do to their friendship and the unequivocal trust they shared? She wanted to drop her head into her hands and pretend it was in the sand instead. What a cluster fuck. She had gone on that cruise to rest, heal, get away from the stress of this job, and look where she was now. It didn’t get much deeper than this.
“Hire her.”
Chapter Eight
Dana didn’t see Emery until late in the afternoon of her first day. She’d spent the morning with the requisite new-hire orientation and paperwork, lunch with the other new hires, and the afternoon in the legal and ethics training mandatory for all employees at Martin. Dana had expected all this but was still on edge about her first meeting with her new boss.
She hadn’t heard from Emery since her presentation to the board and was surprised when Jack called and offered her the position. It took another two weeks for the drug test and background screening before she was finally an employee of Martin Engineering. It happened exactly one month from the day the ship had returned to Ft. Lauderdale.
It was four thirty and she was settling into her office when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She glanced up, expecting to see Adam, the administrative assistant she would be sharing with Emery, but saw Emery herself. Her heart jumped once then settled into a slightly faster-than-normal beat.
“Welcome to Martin,” Emery said formally.
“Thank you, it’s good to be here.” Dana suddenly didn’t know what to say next. It would be difficult to act like she and Emery really didn’t know each other, but maybe that was true. She knew EJ Connor practically inside and out, but the woman standing in her doorway wearing a tailored royal-blue Chanel suit was a complete mystery.
“Come in.” She raised her hand palm up, indicating for Emery to sit in the empty chair across from her.
“Getting settled?” Emery looked around the office she had chosen for Dana. There had been an empty office next to hers and Adam didn’t even try to hide his surprise when she told him to move Bob, the head of the legal department, into that one and put Dana three doors down. At the time Emery had thought it was a good idea, but when she saw Dana behind the chrome-and-glass desk she quickly realized that geography wouldn’t stop her totally visceral reaction.
She purposely had scheduled back-to-back meetings all day so she wouldn’t have a chance to think about Dana being in the building. Her plan had failed miserably as she had to more than once ask someone to repeat what they had just said. This would not be easy. Plus, Dana’s desk had a glass front, offering her a complete view of long, tan legs. She knew what those legs felt like wrapped in silk, how they felt as they glided over her skin and captured her. And when she saw Dana cross those beautiful legs a wave of desire pulsed through her. Her jaw slackened, her mouth not far behind.
“Yes, thank you. Adam has been very helpful.”
“Did I just hear my name?”
Adam entered the office carrying a large box. He set it on the desk and started pulling out items and handing them to Dana. Emery used the distraction to pull herself together. Holy Christ, this was not going to be hard, it was going to be impossible, she thought as she clenched her thighs. She almost winced at how painfully hard her clitoris was. Bad move.
“I’ve got all of Ms. Worthington’s personal information for your flight this week,” Adam said, efficiently stacking paper in Dana’s printer. “You leave Thursday morning at seven, sorry it’s so early.” He turned and looked at her. “But you have that meeting with Congresswoman Hecker at four tomorrow, and if you change it one more time it’ll look like you’re avoiding her. Your return flight is Friday evening at seven thirty, arriving at eleven eighteen. You’re booked in adjoining rooms at the Aria and—”
“Adam, take a breath, for crying out loud,” Emery finally interjected. “Sometimes you’re worse than my mother.” She liked to tease him. “Don’t you have this written down in one of your colorful folders that we can just look at? Dana just started. She’s not used to your rapid-fire efficiency. Sometimes I can barely keep up with you.” And as distracted as she was right now, this was definitely one of those times.
“Sorry.” Adam didn’t appear to be the slightest bit offended. He picked up the now-empty box. “Of course I do. It’s all in the green travel folder on your desk. And this,” he turned to Dana and picked up the folder from the corner from her desk, “is your green travel folder.”
“Everything has a color around here,” Emery said, chuckling. “Red is hot, gotta do something with it within twenty-four hours. Blue means do something with it in the next few days. Yellow means to sign, purple is FYI, and orange is read if you have nothing else to do.”
“Your orange folder has grown in the past few weeks, and I for one am very happy to see that,” Adam said playfully. “It was always empty before you went on vacation.”
She defended herself. “That’s because I had a company to run.”
“And see where it got you? You worked yourself sick.” Adam had found her practically collapsed at her desk and got her to the hospital.
“Adam, how many times have I told you not to scold me in front of a new employee, especially on her first day. Please wait at least a week or so. I need to establish some level of respect first.”
“Thanks for bringing all this stuff in, Adam. I’m sure I’ll need a refresher on the colors, but I think I’ve got the green
one down.” She put the folder in her briefcase.
“He’s a gem,” Dana said after Adam left her office. “Where did you find him?”
“It was more like he found me. He was a temp hired to work in another department, and when my admin at the time kept screwing something up he stepped in and fixed it. He came to me and said I needed someone more efficient and effective, and that he was my man. That was eight years and two companies ago. At times, if it weren’t for him shooing me home, I’d probably never leave.”
“Well, I’m sure he’ll teach me everything I need to know in no time.”
Emery glanced around the almost-empty office. Except for the company-provided plant in the corner and three paintings on the adjacent wall, it was pretty bleak. “Whatever you need to spruce this place up is fine. Adam knows all the ins and outs of everything so he’ll get you all set up.”
Adam returned, this time bearing a huge arrangement of roses, carnations, daisies, and button poms. “Delivery for you, Ms. Worthington. And if I do say so myself, very special delivery.” He placed the vase on the corner of Dana’s desk.
“Wow,” Emery said. “Somebody likes you.” And for some completely unjustified reason she didn’t like it.
Dana opened the sealed envelope and silently read the card. Emery watched her smile and return the card to its pale-green envelope.
“Just a friend wishing me good luck in the new job,” Dana said, since both she and Adam were obviously waiting to hear who they were from, even if it was none of their business.
“Well, when you’re through with that friendship, send him my way,” Adam said before scurrying out the door.
Adam’s comment surprised her. Obviously he hadn’t detected that Dana was a lesbian. “Adam is a bit out there,” Emery explained when Dana looked surprised. “We’re all pretty open around here. We don’t flaunt it, or carry billboards, but I refuse to lead an organization that is homophobic. It’s simply a nonissue.”
Dana regarded her with a thoughtful expression. “Isn’t that a bit unusual for a company so entrenched with government contracts?”
“Yes, but it’s my company. Actually it’s the shareholders’ company, but I’m in charge, and I set the standards and lead by example. I don’t hide my personal life, but it hasn’t come up too many times in conversation either.”
“A workaholic?”
“Some would say so.” She saw the flash in Dana’s eyes that told her she remembered why she had been on the cruise. Thankfully, Dana didn’t say anything. “I prefer to think that my job is to turn this company around, and with a company this size and with the hot water it has been in, that in and of itself is more than a full-time job.” She wanted to relax but couldn’t. The mere fact that she and Dana were in the same room together having a benign conversation unsettled her.
Dana pulled out a pad of paper and uncapped her pen. “So tell me about Columbus.”
*
Columbus tested Emery’s will. They sat together in first class, and with the delay on the tarmac the seventy-minute flight ended up lasting closer to three hours. Sitting that close to Dana without touching her was absolute torture. The subtle scent that she would forever attach to Dana floated in the air. They were scheduled to go directly from the airport to their first meeting, and both had dressed for it. Dana had chosen a dark-blue skirt that rode up over her knees when she sat down. Emery wanted to run her hands over the contrasting lighter-blue blouse to verify in fact that it was silk. Of course that urge had nothing to do with the fact that she simply wanted to touch Dana again.
She struggled to maintain focus during the series of meetings as she introduced Dana to the other attendees. The firms that bid on large government contracts were mostly members of the good-old-boy network, with the same names and faces competing for the same contracts. One such firm, Bethel Engineering, was led by James Bethel, a big-mouth boor and general overall sleaze, in Emery’s book. He smelled like the stale cigar he constantly held between his thick, sausage fingers and had hair in places she tried not to look at. He leered more than he looked, and she felt the need to shower after every interaction with him. It was the morning break and Jim Bethel was headed their way.
“Emery, who do we have here?” Jim asked, switching his unlit cigar to his left hand as he prepared to shake hands.
“Dana Worthington, James Bethel, president of Bethel Engineering. Jim, Dana is Martin’s new VP of corporate strategy.” Her stomach churned as Jim turned what he thought were his charms on Dana.
“So pleased to meet you.” He grasped Dana’s hand in both of his and his fingers moved over the back of her hand. She quickly looked at Dana. Anyone could see that she showed no outward sign of noticing the almost inappropriate gesture. But Emery knew her, and the slight tightening of her muscles around her mouth gave away her dislike of Bethel. Good girl, Dana. Watch out for this guy.
“Thank you, Jim. I’ve read a lot about Bethel. Quite the reputation you have.”
Zing!
“All my doing, young lady. I’ve worked hard to get Bethel where it is today.”
“I have no doubt your company is the spitting image of you,” Dana said sweetly.
Zing number two.
“Why didn’t I know you were on the market, Dana? I can always use someone with your obvious talent under me.”
Emery had heard enough and was just about ready to rescue Dana when she spoke up.
“I tell you what, Jim.” Dana began to step a little closer to Bethel, almost conspiratorially. “When I’m through with Emery, you’ll be the first one I call. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to follow up with Dan Hoskins on something he asked me about earlier.”
Zing number three and you are out! She watched Dana stride away and felt a new sense of respect for the woman she’d hired. She was more than capable of handling her own in any situation and had just proved she could slide out of a potentially sticky situation with grace.
Chapter Nine
Dana was the center of attention most of the day. A new person rarely entered the mix. Emery watched her quickly grasp the often-technical conversations. She was eloquent yet able to get to the point quickly, asking probing questions that showed she had more than a beginner’s grasp of the industry. But when business ended, the inhibitions of the members of this group of men slid away with each round of alcohol.
Here too Dana was not a wallflower, often leading the conversation away from controversial topics, most often personal questions about her. Their table accommodated eight, and sitting across the table from Dana she learned that she was the oldest child, her parents were divorced, her father moved to South Dakota when she was fourteen, and she’d grown up in Denver, where her mother still lived, along with a brother who was an emergency-room physician and a sister who was an actuary. She liked mountain biking, skiing, and running half marathons whenever she had the chance. She was well read, her taste running from John Grisham to Mark Twain. Her choice of music was just as varied, and she loved any movie with a lot of blood in it.
“Emery, how was your vacation?” the man sitting next to her asked. “I heard you went to Fiji or someplace like that.”
“Yeah, Emery how did you manage that? You never take time off,” the man next to Dana added.
She looked into the cup of coffee she was holding, and in that few seconds she saw the entire three weeks in the smooth, dark liquid. An instant later the images started moving and she realized her hands were shaking. Setting the cup back in the saucer she looked up and directly into Dana’s eyes. It was as if she too was remembering everything. Dana’s face flushed before she looked away.
“It was the southern Caribbean, not Fiji. They’re not even in the same hemisphere, and it was good.” She answered vaguely, hoping they would lose interest in her. She wasn’t so lucky.
“You went on a cruise, right?”
“Yes.” It didn’t surprise her how fast news traveled in this tight-knit business community.
“What was
the ship? What was the cruise line? What were your ports of call? How long were you out?” The questions kept coming from around the table. She wanted to remember every minute of the cruise, but alone, in the darkness of her room, not sitting around the table with seven other people, one of whom had shared almost every minute with her.
“Come on, guys. You don’t want to hear about my summer vacation, do you? This isn’t grade school. Let’s talk about something else. Pete, didn’t you just move to New Jersey?” She was desperate to change the subject.
“Who cares about New Jersey? We want to hear all about your vacation, Emery. You’re practically an enigma to all of us, and we want to know you’re human. Come on, give.”
Other than being completely rude, she really didn’t have any choice when everybody chimed in with their taunts to kiss and tell. “All right, all right.” She avoided looking at Dana.
“We left from Ft. Lauderdale and were out twenty-one days.” She intentionally didn’t name the ship or the cruise line. She didn’t need these guys Googling the lesbian cruise line. She wasn’t in the closet but refused to be anyone’s titillation. We stopped in the Bahamas, St. Thomas, Martinique, Bonaire, Aruba, and a few other places.”
“I hear the rooms on those ships are like cracker boxes,” somebody said.
This time she couldn’t help but look at Dana. She knew Dana was remembering the first time she saw her cabin. It was at the end of their second evening together.
“Holy shit, this is your cabin?”
She closed the door behind Dee and set the key card on the small table by the door. At a little over thirteen hundred square feet, her penthouse verandah suite was larger than her first apartment. It had a king-size bed, oversize whirlpool bath and shower, a separate living room, dining room, dressing room, and private verandah with its own whirlpool tub. She would have been perfectly content with just a shower, a table and chair, and a comfortable bed. However, after meeting Dee she was glad she had a king-size bed.
