by Chiah Wilder
I poured hot sauce over my kung pao chicken. “What have you found out?”
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then sipped the steaming tea. “You have a leak.”
“I fucking know that.” I was paying the guy premium bucks to learn what I already knew. Years before, a business colleague had referred Ivan to me. The guy had been going through a messy divorce and had a mistress who’d been blackmailing him, and he’d ended up walking away without much of a financial disaster. I’d been impressed and had used Ivan’s services whenever the need arose.
“You didn’t let me finish. There is a definite leak, but I still don’t know who it is. DTG is a sham. It’s set up just to ruin Velocity, but it’s aimed at you. There are several smokescreens surrounding the company, and I’m working on clearing them up.”
I shook my head. “You mean DTG doesn’t do any business other than steal Velocity’s accounts?”
Ivan raised his eyes as he shoved the spoon in his mouth. Then he nodded. “They don’t have any other accounts. They only have a handful of people working there.”
“How in the hell can they operate a campaign, then? When they steal our clients, what the fuck do they do with them?”
“Subcontract the campaign with another ad agency. The client thinks it’s working with DTG, but another agency is doing the work.”
“That’s financial suicide and fucking crazy.” A knot formed at the pit of my stomach, and suddenly the taste in my mouth was bitter. I pushed the dish away from me.
“Agreed, but the whole existence of DTG is to ruin you. Whoever set up the company is goddamn vindictive and crazy. You’ve pissed someone off real bad. Any husbands want to kick your ass?”
“I don’t date married women. I can’t imagine who’d be out to get me like this. Maybe it’s not me. It could stem from business dealings my grandfather had in the past.”
“Maybe. I’ll know more when I hear back from some of my contacts. Which reminds me, I need a couple thousand bucks as an advance. I’m going to have to go out of town to do some of the work.”
I nodded, not really listening to what he was saying anymore. Who hated me enough to want to destroy the company? It wasn’t just about me now; it was about the employees who would be out of their jobs if Velocity started to lose money. I’d stop over at my grandparents’ after work to talk over what Ivan had just told me.
“I’m also looking at your employees. I’ll keep you posted.”
Glancing at my watch, I pulled out fifty bucks and gave it to Ivan. “I’ve got to get back. This should cover lunch, and I’ll wire the two grand when I get to the office.”
Once outside, I waved over a cab since it was later than I’d thought. Normally I’d walk the short distance to the office, but I had an afternoon meeting with Lindsey, Doug, and Gwen on the new sports account and I didn’t want to be late.
The building lobby was teeming with people, which was common for a Friday afternoon. I glanced over at the coffee kiosk as I did every time I came into the building in the hopes that Cierra would be there. Pretty lame, I knew, but she’d wiggled her way into my life without even knowing it. When I’d first seen her at Beta, I thought she was damn hot and would be a good fuck. But as I saw more of her and got to know her, she stirred something inside me that was deeper than the desire to screw her. I wanted to know everything about her and be part of her life.
The day we’d spent together was burned into my mind. I didn’t know what the hell she wanted from me. She ran hot and cold, and it’d pissed me the hell off when she’d pushed me away. I’d wanted her more than anything, my dick harder than a fucking rock, and she’d left me aching for her. I swore that was it, that I’d make it a point to prove that I could forget about her, but I failed miserably. She’d been slinking in and out of my mind all week, and I’d kept waiting to hear her soft knock on my office door, but it never came.
Instead of pushing the button for my floor, I pushed Cierra’s and leaned against the cool gold-toned wall. I just wanted to make sure she was okay. She’d made her intentions clear to me the Saturday before, but we worked together, and it was natural for a boss to make sure his employees were doing well.
What a load of shit.
I walked down to her office, but she wasn’t there. Walking inside, I could smell the lingering scent of vanilla and musk and Cierra, warm and sweet and sensual.
“Cierra left early, Mr. Prescott.”
I spun around and a curly haired woman stood in the doorway with several files in her arms. I’d seen her around, but I couldn’t recall her name.
“Thank you. I just wanted to go over a couple of things before tomorrow night. I’m sorry but I don’t remember your name.”
“Sofie. Do you want me to call her for you?”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll connect with Lindsey.” I walked toward the door and Sofie stepped back.
Lindsey came out of her office. “Trace. I was just going up to your office for the meeting. What brings you down here?”
Fuck. “Just seeing how everyone’s doing.” I knew Sofie was still in hearing distance, but I didn’t want to tell Lindsey that I was looking for Cierra. If I did, I’d meet a barrage of questions I wasn’t in the mood to answer.
“And how are we doing?” She smiled.
“Great. Let’s go up together.”
As Lindsey and I rode the elevator, I didn’t have a clue what she was talking about. My mind was still on Cierra, her familiar scent still in my brain. We walked into the conference room and Doug and Gwen were already there. I took a seat and began the meeting.
“Well I’ll be damned,” my grandfather said as he threw another log into the fire. “DTG is a front. Do you think it’s being used to launder money?”
I picked up the brandy snifter and swirled the rich amber-colored liquid around. “I don’t think so. Ivan’s under the impression that its sole existence is to destroy Velocity… or me.”
“That doesn’t make sense. Who would go through all this trouble and expense to destroy you? And why? If it was something related to the app you patented, that was several years ago. And you’ve been having yourself a pretty good time for the last few years. Why now?”
“Because I’m CEO. There’re people out there who don’t like it,” I said softly.
“Bullshit! The board of directors likes it, the stockholders like it, and I like it. Velocity stock has gone up ten dollars a share since you’ve landed several high-profile accounts.”
“But DTG is determined to take them away from us. Absolute Glam pulled out, and Vita Health gave the word that they were going with DTG. They said DTG underbid us substantially.”
“The others stuck around because they know the reputation of the company. We’re expensive but we give the best goddamn campaign in the city. The amount they pay us, they get back tenfold in sales. And if what you say is true about DTG contracting the work out, the other two accounts will be running back with their damn tails between their legs. There’s no way this DTG can sustain itself long-term.”
“I think the same thing, but what if it’s some crazy billionaire who wants to dick around with me? A lot of guys weren’t too fond of me because I never had a hard time getting a woman.”
Thomas Linder laughed so hard it brought on a coughing fit. I rushed over with a glass of water in hand and rubbed his back to calm him down. “You’re going to be the death of me, boy,” he sputtered as he brought the glass to his lips. After swallowing a few gulps, he put it on the coffee table and looked at me. “There’s no way DTG came about because you had a good time with a lot of women. It does seem like it could be something personal, but I can’t imagine what it could be.”
“You don’t think it’s a competitor out to get you?”
“No. They would’ve done it before, and to set up a phony company isn’t the way a competitor would go about it.”
“Well, one thing is for certain—someone from inside Velocity is giving information to DTG.”
“Has Ivan been able to narrow it down?”
I shook my head. “He’s looking into the employees, but he’s working on finding out who’s behind DTG. Once we know that, finding out who’s selling the trade information will be much easier.”
“I hate to think someone in Velocity is doing that. I always thought of them as family. It saddens me to hear it. I hope it’s not someone who’s been with us for a long time. That would definitely be a hard pill to swallow.”
I nodded and looked toward the door just as my grandmother walked in. “How nice of you to drop over,” she said as she came over to kiss me. “I hope you’re not talking business, but from the look on your face, Tom, I bet you are.”
“He’s just updating me. Do you expect me to shrivel up and die?”
“I’m just trying to make sure you don’t die,” she said sweetly as she sat on the cushy chair next to my grandfather.
I smiled at the familiar banter between my grandparents. “I needed to talk to Grandpa about some things. He’s still the boss, and I needed his opinion.”
“I heard you asked Victoria Pettinger out again. You must like her since she’s the only one you’ve asked out twice.” My grandmother folded her hands on her lap.
“Your network is good,” I said. I knew she was chomping at the bit to get the lowdown on Victoria, but I thought I’d make her wait for a few minutes before I said anything. The fact that she was cheerful meant Victoria hadn’t told her grandma what a heel I was on our first date.
“So…?”
“I asked her to accompany me tomorrow night for the launch.” The truth was Victoria had asked me because she wanted to meet some of the movers and shakers in the advertising and business world. I suspected she was looking to find an eligible bachelor to snag, having realized I wasn’t vying for that role.
“I’m so happy. Victoria is a lovely young lady, and her grandmother and I have been friends for years. And she’s working in advertising just like you are now. I think you two make a wonderful couple.”
“I wouldn’t start conspiring with Mom in planning my wedding. We’re just going out as friends to a business event.”
“It’s important for a couple to be friends. I just knew the two of you would hit it off.”
My grandfather huffed. “I wish I could go to the launch. Vibra’s been one of our best clients for the past several years.”
“I know, Grandpa. It must be hard to stay behind.”
My grandmother shook her head. “How many launches, extravaganzas, and other events have you been to, Tom? More than I can count. You know how excited you get at these events, and you’d be grumpier than usual if you couldn’t eat the food or have a few drinks.”
“You don’t have to keep reminding me of all the things I can’t do anymore,” my grandfather grumbled.
“We can go out for dinner tomorrow night at Nature Food.”
“I’m not going to spend good money for rabbit food. And that white stuff they try to pass off as meat is a joke.”
My grandmother chuckled. “You mean tofu? You’ve never had it. The way they prepare it at Nature Food is very tasty.”
“The only way to prepare it is to throw it in the trash and grill a steak.”
I guffawed and my grandmother threw me one of her disapproving looks. “Oh, Tom, you’re just being impossible.”
“Tell me we’re going to Rancher’s Steakhouse and you’ve got a date.”
“Then we’ll stay home.” A frown creased my grandmother’s forehead.
“Actually, Grandpa, Nature Food is really good. And they have turkey, chicken, and grass-fed beef.”
“Humph,” he growled.
“Grandma really wants to go out, and it’d do you good to get out of the house.”
He looked at my grandmother, then at the crackling fire. “Just this once. But if I see any of that tofu in my food, we’re leaving.”
With sparkling eyes, she nodded, then went over and kissed the top of his head. He wrapped his arm around her waist while tilting his head back. She bent down and they kissed. It was quick, but it held all the love, hope, sadness, and hardships that they’d been through during their fifty-year marriage. And for the first time, I wished I could have what they did.
Standing up, I grabbed my car keys. “I better get going. I’ll let you know how tomorrow night goes.” I gave my grandma a quick hug and squeezed my grandpa’s shoulder, then let myself out.
Instead of turning on Fillmore Street, I went straight, driving toward lower Nob Hill. Slowing down as I passed Cierra’s building, I noticed a black Lexus parked with the motor running across the street. A man sat behind the wheel, looking at Cierra’s building. It wasn’t a big deal, but for some reason I got a bad feeling from it. I went around the block and the car was still there. Slowing down, I tried to look at the driver, but he’d crouched down and I couldn’t see much. I went to the top of the hill and made a U-turn, and as I came back, the Lexus sped away from the curb, almost hitting my car. I swerved to avoid the impact and looked in the rearview mirror, trying to read the license plate. No such luck. Turning around, I tried to pursue him, but he had a head start and was nowhere to be seen.
I drove back to Cierra’s building and pulled into the parking space the Lexus had occupied a few minutes before. I looked up and could see Cierra’s apartment. My gut told me the guy was watching her place. The lights were on in her apartment and her shutters were open. I stood watching her, and the irony wasn’t lost on me that I was doing the same damn thing Lexus guy had done. But in my defense, I wasn’t there for any sinister reason. Something told me Lexus guy was.
Then Cierra came to the window, beautiful with her long hair spilling in front of her. She paused for a few seconds, then closed the shutters, vanishing from sight. I switched on the ignition and headed back to Pacific Heights. I’d have a couple shots of vodka and then head out to meet up with Nick, Drew, and Jeff at one of the bars in Union Square.
And I knew that while I sat there drinking absinthe, listening to the chatter of the women who’d inevitably join our table, all my thoughts would be of Cierra.
Chapter Sixteen
Cierra
I pulled on a pair of black heels to complete the look and fluffed my hair in the mirror. I had to admit I looked pretty damn good, and I didn’t have to use most of my paycheck for it, lucking out by finding the dress at Nordstrom’s Rack. The minute I saw the black tulle cocktail dress with a spattering of crystal beading, I loved it. When I saw it was backless, I had to have it. I wanted to look awesome for the launch since so many high-profile people were going to be there.
Yeah… I didn’t think that was very convincing.
I hated to admit it, but I’d bought the dress to wow the hell out of Trace. For the past week, I’d acted like I didn’t care whether I saw or talked with him, but the truth was it was the longest week I’d had since I started working at Velocity. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hurt by Trace’s indifference. So what did I do about it? I bought a sexy, in-your-face dress to show him that I didn’t give a damn if he wanted to ignore me. I only wished Cory could’ve come with me to really show Trace I didn’t care.
I pulled out a few tendrils from my upswept hair, swiped on dark, wine-red lipstick, and grabbed my satin clutch. A final glance in the mirror assured me that I at least looked the part of assistant director of marketing, even if I was beyond jittery at that moment. The phone buzzed on the countertop. Perfect timing. I grabbed it and checked to see who was calling me—the cab had arrived. Sliding on my black cashmere cape, I opened the door and walked out.
On the ride to the Four Seasons, butterflies danced the samba in my stomach. I would be under a microscope by the press, the stockholders, the board of directors, and a ton of other people who had money and influence in the business community. Everything I’d worked for over the past few months culminated in that one night.
There was an air of excited tension as I entered the ballroom. The team
and I had managed to pull off the launch of the year, and a thread of pride and satisfaction wound around me. Heads turned to look at me, and a woman rushed up to take my cape. Scooping a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and taking a sip, I looked around. Yeah, this was exactly what I’d pictured all those months before when we’d started planning this event.
It looked like some kind of fancy post-awards show party, with everyone dressed impeccably and mingling easily. The booze and food were flowing, and the phones were set up under little glass display cases, giving the impression of some ancient and important artifact that wasn’t for the consumption of the general public—yet. Those glass cases would slide down later in the night and allow guests to play with the new phones. I couldn’t wait to see their faces once they got their hands on them.
“Cierra, you look lovely,” Lindsey said as she came toward me, husband in tow.
“Thanks. Isn’t it exciting?” I asked as I snagged my second glass of champagne.
“It’s beautiful. You did a wonderful job in overseeing all of this.”
“Thanks, but I definitely didn’t do it by myself. The team we have in our department is amazing.”
Several more people came up to me, hugging and air-kissing. Photographers came over and snapped a zillion pictures of me, Lindsey, and the people on my team who were there. It was crazy and I was loving it. When Sofie joined me, I clasped her arm and tugged her into the photo shoot.
“You look sensational,” she whispered between clicks.
“You do too.” I beamed and took in her blood red short dress with gold metallic threading. She squeezed my forearm, and then we smiled widely for the cameras.
My face felt like it would break with all the smiling I’d been doing, and I was happy to spend a few minutes with Sofie and Colin just chatting. Waiters carrying silver platters of bacon-wrapped shrimp, mini quiches, jalapeño poppers, and chicken teriyaki and pineapple on skewers weaved in and out of the crowd. I managed to scarf down some of the poppers and quiches before I had to schmooze with the editors of the technology magazines who were milling around the glass cases.
