8
Jamison dropped his briefcase on his desk and fell into his chair. His office was small, his mother’s doing. She thought his talents were better spent in London. What he knows now is she wanted him out of town, and away from Lacy. Well that ends today. He spun around and stared out at the skyline that hovered over the city below them. He loved the view but would give it all up if she agrees to his offer. One that will take the company by surprise and leave his mother with no other option but to support him. He whipped back around and slipped the key into his bottom drawer. He lifted a large manila envelope and pulled out a contract that will shock the company and his mother. But he was ready for anything she puts in his way. It was his time to step out on his own. He shoved the envelope in his case and knew there was one person who he wanted to share this with. He pulled out his phone and it rang. He didn’t recognize the number. He hit the speaker button and only heard faint cries, and a muffled voice.
“Mr. Michaels, this is Maria.” Her voice was just above a whisper but filled with fear.
“Maria, what’s wrong? Is it Lacy?”
“Yes, she’s a mess. Everything is gone, destroyed by that bitch Amy. You need to get down here.”
“I’m on my way, don’t let her leave.” Jamison hung up and flew down the hall. He beat the elevator button until his finger was bruised. He paced back and forth, waiting, then the door opened. His mother standing along the back wall. Shit, this was the last thing he needed. He stepped in and the door closed behind him.
“I asked you to stay behind after the meeting. We need to talk before you leave. Let’s go to my office.”
“No, Mother. I can’t. I have some place I need to be, and I’m already late.”
“Well, call them and cancel. We will be working late. Tomorrow is a big day for the company and we need to be ready.” Her smug attitude fueled his need to get out of the elevator.
He turned, facing the person who has controlled his life for the last time. “I’m not going to cancel. Now if you will excuse me.” The elevator door opened, and he stormed out.
“Don’t you walk away. I expect you in my office.” Her voice faded as he stepped through the automated door. The cool night air hit his face and he sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm the anger that rushed through him. He ran to his car and jumped in, grabbing his phone. He punched in her number and waited. It went right to voice mail. He tossed it in the seat beside him. It would take about thirty minutes in his traffic. So, he hit the gas. The brownstone was dimly lit as he pulled up in front. He rushed to the door and jerked it open. He flew down the hall to the faint voices in the conference room. He pulled open the door and stared at Maria, and Lacy, sitting on the floor. Surrounded by scraps of paper.
Lacy scooped up a tablet and tossed it in the box that sat beside her. “It’s no use. We have nothing left. That bitch ruined everything.”
Jamison dropped his hand upon her shoulder and she peered up at him. Her tear stained face, and reddened eyes broke his heart. His scanned the room, the damage was everywhere. Then he stopped at the dress. Their dress. She made another one. He gripped the shredded silk in his shaking hand. Lifting the red stained lace as he examined the destruction before him. Rage flew through his veins.
He turned his head and his eyes met hers. “Who did this?”
“That bitch, Amy” Maria said as she stood up. Dropping a handful of papers into the box. “She was here today, hanging out with that Rickter guy. Who knows, he could have helped her. If she wasn’t in jail I’d beat her ass.”
“Jail? For this?” Jamison asked.
“No.” Lacy said quietly. “She was my partner, until tonight. I found out she was embezzling from Borders. I was sick and had her arrested. She told me she left me a gift as they took her away. I guess this was her idea of payback.” Her voice broke and Jamison hated to see her in pain.
“I’ll get this cleaned up and be out of here by tomorrow.” Lacy whispered.
“What? No. You have to be here.” Jamison panicked.
“Why? I don’t work here, and with my dress, and designs gone, I have nothing to pitch. I’m finished, even before I got my chance to try.” Lacy jumped up and grabbed a tissue, wiping the tears that escaped down her cheek.
Jamison paced, his anger blinding him as he stared at the dress. It was the same one they designed for the contest. And then it hit him. “Is this our design?”
“Uh, it’s a dress I designed, why?”
Jamison lifted the silk underlay and traced the intrinsic design. It is the same. He knew it. “This is our dress. The one from high school. The designers contract. I recognize the lace pattern, and the design. But the jewels are different, they’re real, not the clay replica ones we made.”
Jason smiled as her face brightened. They loved working on that dress. It took them months, but he didn’t mind. It was the best memory he had of high school. Then it hit him. The dress. He had it. They could use it to make repairs.
He grabbed Lacy and lifted her, spinning her around and she slapped at his hands
“Put me down, what in the hell is wrong with you?”
“Nothing, I just figured out a way to fix this.” He taped on the table like he was beating a drum.
“What are you talking about?” Lacy asked.
“I have our dress. I kept it.” Jamison grabbed his keys. He knew if he left now he could be back in an hour.
“No way. You have it? Really?” Lacy said as she jumped up and down. Her excitement was infectious. The tension lifted, and a spark of hope returned.
“Maria, go get another sketch pad. We are going to make a mock runway. Hang the drawings on the wall.” Lacy spun around and Jamison caught her as she swayed. They laughed and she stood up on her toes, brushing her lips across his.
“We are going to have this room ready for tomorrow.” Said Lacy. “I might not work here, but our designs will be what the Fashion committee will want. Now go. I need that dress. And bring coffee.”
“And donuts.” Maria said as she left the room.
Jamison grabbed Lacy and pulled her close. He took her mouth with an intensity that left her knees weak. Raising his mouth from hers he gazed into her eyes.
“I’ve been thinking about that all day.” His breathy voice was intoxicating. She had no willpower around him.
She stepped up and kissed the nape of his neck. “Is that all you’ve been thinking about?”
Get a room.” Maria said mockingly as she came back through the door.
“We had a room, but then you showed up.” Lacy said, laughing.
Jamison glanced at his watch. They needed to get moving. It was late and with all the work in front of them it might be a long night.
“I’m going to go. I’ll be back in about an hour.” He dropped a kiss upon Lacy’s cheek and took off. The quicker he left, the sooner he could get back. Tomorrow was going to be a big day and the beginning of a future he has only dreamed of.
9
Lacy hung up long sheets of paper across the back wall, to mock the runway. She then took some papers to the adjacent corner and filled it with plain white sheets. This will be the interview pod. Her heart raced, and excitement rushed through her. Lacy grabbed her pencil and it flew across the paper. A design came to life and Maria grabbed her markers, filling the lines with color.
They both stepped back and admired the design that came to life in front of them.
“This is great. I see some bright reds along the back and then black lining the designer’s names. We can etch in their logo’s, draw a few models in the display. What do you think?” Lacy asked Maria who was shading in the letters.
“I like, and I also think we need the models wearing a few of the designers wedding gowns. But save yours for the interview area.” Maria grabbed a pencil and moved to the corner. “I see your gown over here, on a mannequin with the back drop filled with wedding décor, like drapes of satin and long sheer veils.”
Lacy was ecstatic as the s
ketches came together. They were about finished when the door opened, and Jamison stepped in. His arms were full, the dress draped across them as he kicked the door closed behind him.
“Wow, this is great. I know a few designers that will be impressed.”
lacy slipped her hands under the dress and lifted it off his arms. It was a teenager’s dream. A dress made of patched together silk, lace, and lined with clay beads, but perfect in her eyes. She hung it beside the damaged one and her eyes darted between them. She didn’t have any more lace and would have to make what was on the old dress work. It would take hours to remove the fake jewels, and even more to sew the real ones on. Her breath caught in her throat and she felt the panic rise inside her.
“Lacy, look at me.” She turned to Jamison and his eyes were filled with confidence. Just what she needed right now,
“I know we have a lot in front of us, but we have all night. And I’m good with a needle and thread.”
“And I can finish the sketches while you fix my dress. And don’t forget about the girls. They need room to express themselves.” Maria threw back her shoulders and stuck out her D cups and they all laughed.
“Okay, I can do this, now where’s my coffee? I’m going to need a few pots before I’m done with this.” Lacy shoved him towards the door.
“I have coffee, it’s in the car. And donuts. So, you two get started and I’ll be right back.” Jamison said as he stepped out.
“Oh, Sugar. He has it bad for you.” Maria tossed the markers in the box. “If you don’t retire those battery-operated toys and take him on, I will. He is one heavenly body that needs an angel like me if your too busy.”
Lacy tossed the paint-soaked rag at her friend and they laughed. “Leave my batteries out of this. now get to work. We have a lot to do.”
“Batteries? Who needs batteries? And for what?”
“Oh, honey. If you only knew.” Maria grabbed the box out of his hand and opened the top. “These look amazing and I’m sure they will taste just as good.”
Lacy reached in and grabbed a chocolate frosted donut before Maria made the box her evening meal. Jamison put a hot cup of coffee in her hand and she lifted it to her nose, slowly inhaling the sweet aroma of salted caramel, and mocha. Her downfall.
“How did you know?” She asked Jamison.
“I didn’t, but you obviously drink a lot of this stuff because it was a standing order under your name. Maria, I guessed you were a French vanilla fan.”
“You got it honey. Now you two sew, I’m going to paint.”
Maria took her donuts, and coffee, to the back corner and started to work as Jamison begun pulling clay beads off the old dress. They worked in silence for hours. Lacy decided to fix the new design by utilizing the material from the old dress. Filling in the areas that she cut away. Detailing the seams with jewels and ribbon. Sticking to the blue undertone and lining the princess neckline with her grandmothers lace she gently removed from her school project. She stood, arching her back, stretching out the stiffness she endured from hours of hunching over a needle and thread.
She stepped back and smiled at the picture before her. Jamison was stitching pearls along the base of the train, one bead at a time. Her heart fluttered. He was so handsome in his black suit, and bright blue shirt. A color that magnified the brightness of his eyes. When she met him, he was just another artsy nerd dreaming of having his own studio, then reality hit her life when she realized he was out of reach for a girl like her. But her heart never believed she wasn’t good enough.
“Hey there, wish to share your thoughts with the crowd?” Jamison reached his hand out and she slipped hers in his, lifting him off the floor.
Their fingers were entwined, and he lifted them to his lips, kissing the back of her hand. Her heart betrayed her and opened to the possibility of having a future with him. Something her common sense would argue. But right now, he felt right, and she wanted to hold that as long as she could.
“Wow, you two are amazing together. And I wasn’t talking figuratively. I was talking about the dress. It looks beautiful.” Maria lifted the train, tracing the lace trimmed neckline. “There’s just one thing wrong.”
“What? I see nothing wrong.” Lacy swallowed the panic in her voice and searched the dress, looking for something they missed.
“The tops not right, not big enough. I told you my girls need their space.”
“I told you I don’t have enough Lace for those girls, so this one not for you. But don’t worry. Once you give in to Tommy I will make one just like it with room for the girls.” They turned and walked to the back wall. The mock up on the runway was breathtaking. The red carpet, Models dressed in elegant gowns with long flowing veils. Flowers on pillars with attention to the mocking of all the designer’s logo’s in the back. Lacy was thrilled at how it all came together. She yawned as exhaustion came over her.
“I agree with you, I need some sleep. I’m going to go catch a few hours and be back here bright and early. Is there anything else you need from me?” Maria asked.
“No. I’m just going to clean up and get a few more of my things.” Lacy said softly. Her heart and soul was in this office. It was her first job, and she turned it into a dream. Now it’s nothing but a sad memory.
“You are coming back tomorrow, aren’t you?” Maria asked, a slight note of panic in her voice.
Lacy’s stomach churned with anxiety and a little fear. She wanted to be here, pitch her designs, show off the talent she has hidden for so long. Her heart pleaded for her to give in, show up. But her head was full of the truth. She was not even close to fitting in. But she couldn’t tell them, not after all the work they just did. So, she did what she only knew to do, lie.
“Of course. I’ll see you about ten.” She turned towards Jamison. “That’s right, isn’t it? You told me ten?”
“That’s when the announcement is scheduled. So be here about fifteen minutes before. I want to go over everything.”
“Why not do that now.” Lacy was curious. Why all the secrecy when it came to a contract they all had knowledge of.
“I can’t.” Jamison said. “I will have everything tomorrow. Just be here, Okay?”
“Okay, now I have to go. I have a police report to go file.” Lacy grabbed her things and followed Maria out the door. Jamison lingered in the doorway.
“Are you coming?” Lacy asked as she picked up the box by the door.
“No, I have a few more things to get done for tomorrow.”
Lacy gripped the door handle as a chill raced through her. What was he up to? There was nothing left to do. “Is there something I missed? Something I need to do?”
“No, just a few more things I need to have in order for the announcement. It won’t take me long. I’ll see you later.”
Lacy knew something was up but had to get the report done and put the nightmare with Amy behind her so she reluctantly left. Knowing that her future hung on the wall. With nothing, or no one watching over it. She knew she could trust Jamison, but why did her stomach turn at the thought of leaving her things there. She would go give her statement and come back. Maybe take it home, just to be safe.
10
Jamison sat in the chair, scanning over the documents he pulled from his briefcase. The contract was complete. His new venture. A Company of his own design, with Lacy in mind to run it, by his side. If she’ll agree to his terms. He shoved the papers back in the case and locked it up tight. He smiled, leaned back and his eyes began to close. He didn’t realize how tired he was until he sat down. His future was right in front of him, he just had to get through tomorrow to make it all come true. He stood, stretched and walked towards the couch. He laid down. He needed to go home but didn’t have the energy. He tossed and turned, unable to get comfortable when the front door slammed. Jamison sat up straight. His eye darted around the room and he fumbled for his case. No one should be here, not until tomorrow.
He hurried to the door and it swung open, Lacy on the other sid
e.
“Holy shit, you scared me to death.” Jamison said hastily as he fought to slow his racing heart.
“Really? Why? What were you doing in here?” The humor in her voice made him laugh. If she only knew what was in store for her tomorrow.
“I was finishing up my reports for the meeting and making a few adjustments to our display.” He stepped back, waving his arm out for her to look around. Her jaw dropped open and her face lit up. Once they left he outlined the red carpet with a backdrop of wedding items. Flower girl basket, ring bearer pillow and at the end a man down on one knee.
“You did all this? I love it. It puts all the pieces together.” Her voice was alive as she moved closer. “We have everything here that details a wedding. They have to love it.”
Jamison knew there was one thing missing, but not for long. He stared at a woman he dreamed of, one his mother made him believe was not good enough for him. The truth was he was beneath her. Her love for life, kindness, talents, he couldn’t even begin to be on her level. But he will try, if she’ll have him.
“Do you know how beautiful you are?” She jerked her head around and took a long, hard look at him. His smile widened at the thought of what’s going through her mind.
“Do you, Lacy? You have a heart bigger than Texas. You give to anyone in need and do for anyone who asks. Who’s there for you?” Her eyes lowered, and she cleared her throat.
“I stopped needing anyone a long time ago. I find helping others gives me all the happiness I need. How about you? Who’s there for you?” She hesitated at the end, like she didn’t want to know the truth. If she only knew she was the link to the only happy memories he has ever had.
“I stopped needing anyone a long time ago, too. But needing and wanting are two different things. You might not need anyone, but do you want anyone?”
Lacy’s questioning stare told him he hit a nerve.
“Have you been talking to Maria? She’s after me to find a man, did she put you up to this, because if she did I’m not interested. I like my batteries. Less heartache.” Her last words were just above a whisper, but he heard them. He heard all of them.
Seduction in a Suit: An Office Romance Collection Page 30
