Conquest of the Heart

by R. J. Dillon

  Faith knocked on the door and opened it at the same time. Adrian was on the phone, and motioned for her to come on in.

  “Yes. That’s right honey, just the employees this time. Agnes has already taken care of the catering and the entertainment. You don’t have to lift a finger … I know you’re excited … Honey, Faith is here now to join me for lunch. I’ll call you later, okay? … I love you, too. Bye now.”

  Hanging up the phone, he said, “I’m sorry about that. Juliet has been calling me all morning since the memo went out about the party. She absolutely loves seeing everyone.”

  “No apologies necessary. How is she doing? I can’t wait to see her again.”

  Faith had seen Juliet when Adrian was visiting the Paris office, and again when she came to visit New York before starting the new job. Juliet was the sweetest woman anyone could ever know. She was petite, standing only five feet, two inches tall. Her hair was almost completely white, and she kept it cut short, to fit her small rounded face. Her eyes were as blue as the Caribbean ocean.

  Adrian and Juliet were childhood sweethearts. They married young, and had Gavin when they were in their late twenties. They never had any other children. Juliet had a difficult pregnancy with Gavin, and almost lost him during her second trimester. They were told additional pregnancies would be high risk, and were advised to use adoption as the safest, more reasonable option for more kids. Instead, they directed all of their love and affection toward their son. Juliet cared so much for Gavin, but she was no pushover. She was quite the spitfire if you pushed the right buttons, and boy could Gavin do it. He did his best not to cross her, knowing there would be hell to pay if he did.

  “She’s doing fine,” said Adrian. “Are you hungry?”

  “Famished,” Faith smiled as she grabbed her stomach. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and that was only a cup of yogurt and some cherries. She had been nervous about her first day, and didn’t want to get sick, so she kept her meal light. “I could eat a small horse right now.”

  Adrian laughed boisterously and said, “Well let’s get you fed. I don’t want to find any missing employees because I let you starve.” They continued to laugh as they walked out of his office.

  As they walked toward the elevators, Gavin was in his office preparing to meet with a client. He heard laughter and looked out and saw Faith and Adrian. He watched as they approached and waited for the elevator, studying Faith’s every move – her walk, her smile, even how she carefully swept loose hairs that were going astray behind her ears. He hadn’t gotten a chance to speak with her yet. He knew Adrian would be keeping her very busy for the first few weeks until she was able to set her own schedule and agenda. He himself was going to be in and out of the office with engagements. ‘I guess I’ll have to wait until Saturday’, he thought as he gathered up his paperwork, carefully placed it in his portfolio and left for the afternoon.

  “So where are we going?” asked Faith as the limo pulled around to pick them up.

  “You said you liked Mexican food, so I chose Agave. It’s one of the best Mexican restaurants in the city. Speaking of which, how are you adjusting to New York? How was your move?”

  “As with work, I’m still getting settled, still digging out of my boxes. I never in my life thought that I’d move to New York. The pace is so fast. In Paris, things are so much more laid back.”

  “Well, I know that your first months with C&A will be a little stressful, but they’ll quiet down a bit. I’m not one to overwork my employees. Family should always come first, do you understand? I mean that wholeheartedly.”

  “I know you do. Thank you.”

  The driver pulled along the curb on Seventh Avenue in front of the restaurant. He came around the car to open the door for Faith and Adrian. As they walked in, Faith looked around, taking in the tall buildings, the atmosphere, the sounds. The host showed them to their table on the patio, which was perfect for such a warm day. They were handed menus and their server brought them some water.

  Faith opened her menu and asked, “So what’s good here? What do you suggest?”

  “Well, I like the Masa Crusted Chicken Sandwich. It’s my favorite. I also like the Steak Wrap, and the BBQ Sliced Steak sandwich. Please tell me you’re not thinking about just having a salad?”

  “No. I’m really hungry, so you’ll have to forgive me because my manners are going to be out the door once we get our food.” She smiled and continued to look at the menu. “I think I’ll try the Grilled Adobe Chicken Breast Quesadillas. Those sound delicious.”

  “I’ve never tried their quesadillas. They do sound good,” said Adrian.

  Their server came out and politely spoke, “Are you ready to order? Do you have any questions about any items on the menu?”

  Adrian ordered for both of them. “We’re ready. The lady will have the Grilled Adobe Chicken Breast Quesadillas, and I will have the Masa Crusted Chicken Sandwich.”

  “Anything to drink?”

  “I’ll just have water,” said Faith. “As will I,” said Adrian, handing their menus to the server.

  “So, we’ll go over my schedule when we get back to the office? What hours would you like me to work?”

  “Yes, we’ll cover all of that when we get back. Right now, I want to talk to you about another matter.”

  Faith raised her eyebrows. “Uh oh. Please don’t tell me there’s drama already.”

  “No, not exactly. It’s about Gavin. You know you’ll eventually be reporting directly to him?”

  “Yes. We haven’t formally met, but I figured he’d have some time set up for us to go over his expectations.”

  “That’s what I’m concerned about.” Adrian got a serious look on his face. “He has some very deviant behavioral patterns that I’m almost certain will impact you. I’m sure he’s already drumming up a plan to make you his next prize.”

  “Prize?” Faith looked bewildered.

  “Yes,” said Adrian, embarrassed. “The women in the office are not strangers to him. He knows them very well, if you know what I mean.” Adrian looked Faith directly in the eyes. He was very concerned about her welfare. Gavin was extremely cunning. There hadn’t been a single woman in the office that Gavin approached with the ability to deny him. He didn’t want Faith to get hurt.

  “So he makes it a point to get all the women he works with to sleep with him?”

  “That’s a nice way to put it. Not all of them. He tends to be picky, but regardless, I don’t approve of this,” he said shaking his head disappointedly, “and I definitely don’t want this to change your mind about working for us. We really need your expertise. He will be your boss, but ultimately, I have the final say in any decisions or changes that need to be made. If you ever have any problems, please come to me. You can come to me any time you need to talk. You’re going to need that outlet.”

  Faith smiled and took Adrian’s hand. “Thanks for the warning, and thanks for the open door. You’ve been so kind to me, so helpful. I just want you to know how much I appreciate that.”

  At that moment, their lunch arrived. They ate and enjoyed more conversation.

  Saturday came faster than expected. It was such a busy week, with promotions, tours, meetings, and training. Everyone was looking forward to a break.

  Gavin finished a jam-packed week of meetings with clients and prospects. Chandler helped him end his week with a bang, literally. It was morning, and she had just left his bed and gone home to get ready for the party. He still had her smell on him, so he couldn’t wait to shower and head over to his parents’ house to help get things ready. He also had a few things to pick up on his way there.

  As he showered, Gavin couldn’t stop thinking about Faith. He was looking forward to talking to her. He had heard from most of his colleagues that she had a very charming and warm personality.

  Gavin shaved, brushed his teeth, and ran his fingers through his hair to style it. He didn’t like to overdo it on the cologne, so he always put it on his skin, not his c
lothes. It was uncharacteristically warm for April today, almost seventy five degrees with a slight chance for rain. He opted for a good old pair of jeans and a white button-down Veronesi embroidered sport shirt with French cuffs. He slipped on a pair of white Di Nella oxfords, grabbed his keys and locked up before getting into his car.

  Gavin wasn’t a big spender. He was pretty conservative with his money. However, when it came to cars or a house, he spared no expense, and got what he wanted so he only had to buy it once. He eased into his black CL65 AMG Mercedes Benz, revved up the engine, and drove off to complete his errands. He always bought a huge bouquet of flowers for his mother when he visited, and he needed to pick up $500 gift cards for the employees – C&A’s way of saying thank you for all their hard work.

  Faith had an exhausting first week and she was looking forward to a fun and relaxing evening. She slept in until about ten o’clock, went for a run, and took a long hot bath when she got back. She lit some candles and turned on Yanni in the background. She closed her eyes and escaped to a secluded beach where she was swinging in a hammock with a tall glass of chardonnay, smiling as she swayed in the gentle breeze. The phone ringing brought her back to reality. She jumped up, startled, splashing water on the sides of the tub. She sighed, pulled herself up out of the tub, and wrapped a towel around her body. Whoever called would have to leave a message. She applied her lotion, topping it off with body glitter. Like Gavin, she didn’t appreciate the overzealous cologne wearer, and spritzed it on before she put her clothes on. She decided to wear a red Calvin Klein abstract zig-zag print halter top with a pair of dark blue jean capris and a black belt. She tied the top portion of her hair up, with the rest hanging down. A pair of black four and a quarter inch Via Spiga wedge sandals, dangle gold earrings and gold bracelet completed her outfit. Faith didn’t like to wear makeup, and always kept it simple with tinted lip gloss. She had to get a few things for her house before heading to the party. When she moved, her father had a going away present delivered – a liquid silver Jaguar XF Supercharged. She hadn’t driven it much since she had only been in New York for a week. Today, she would get to test it out. She grinned as she slid into her car, started it and slowly drove away.

  Gavin arrived at his parents’ house early to help get things set up if necessary. His mother greeted him with her usual bright and sunny smile. She gave him a huge hug.

  “Hi, honey. I’ve missed you!” She squeezed him tight.

  “Mom, you’re gonna suck the life outta me,” he squealed. She let go and they laughed.

  “So, how have you been? Are you starting to settle down?” She paused. Gavin rolled his eyes. ‘Here it comes,’ he thought. “Is there a lovely young lady in your life, perhaps someone serious that you can spend some time with?” She always asked this question when he saw her. Like Adrian, Juliet did not approve of Gavin’s promiscuous behavior, though she didn’t try to push him too much.

  “Mom, I really don’t want to discuss my personal life right now. You know I hate talking about it with you. I brought you some flowers,” he said handing her the bouquet. “How are you?” He tried to change the subject. It never worked. His mother was a persistent little thing.

  “I’m fine. So is there someone in your life? Just one someone?” she grinned, raising her eyebrows.

  “I’m not going to talk to you if you don’t stop. You know where I stand. Like it or not, it’s where I’m at right now. Nothing more, nothing less. Just accept it.” He crossed his arms and looked sternly at his mother.

  She sighed and said, “Alright. I won’t ask anymore today.” This conversation would be happening again. It was a hot topic in their home.

  “Good,” Gavin snared. “Where’s Adrian?”

  “Would you please call him Dad or Father? You’re not at work.” It displeased her when he did this.

  Adrian and Gavin liked to keep their work relationship completely separate from their personal one. Over the years, their personal relationship became distant as Gavin’s behavior changed for the worse. They hardly spoke, but still loved each other very much.

  “Where is Father?” he said majestically.

  “He’s out in the backyard, watching the waves.” Adrian and Juliet lived near the ocean. The crashing of the waves was soothing to them. Their backyard was enormous, and they loved to have parties. If they didn’t have an official reason to have one, they made one up.

  Gavin strolled out of the house and into the backyard where Adrian was.

  “Adrian. How are you?” he asked, extending his hand. Even though they worked in the same offices, they kept very different and very busy schedules. They barely saw each other.

  Adrian shook his hand and said, “I’m well, Gavin. Have you been good?”

  Gavin slapped him gently on the shoulder and said, “Define good?” He had a very sly smile on his face.

  “That means I don’t want to know,” Adrian said shaking his head. “Did you get the gift cards? I’ll have the staff hand them out as guests arrive.” It was better to talk about something positive that didn’t upset him.

  “I did. So, how is Faith doing? I haven’t had a chance to meet her yet?”

  “She’s doing great. She’s ambitious, strong, level-headed. Don’t you even think about pulling any of your stunts with her,” Adrian said, eyeing Gavin. He knew this would do no good. Faith was too beautiful for Gavin to resist.

  “Wouldn’t dream of it,” he smirked, rocking back and forth from heel to toe.

  Just then, they heard voices. Employees had begun to arrive. They turned, and went back toward the house to greet them as they came in. There were hors d’oeuvres, chicken, barbecue ribs, potato salad, baked beans, salad, fruit, desserts a mile long, and every beverage you could think of. Gavin, Adrian, and Juliet mingled. There were so many guests all at once, it was amazing.

  As Gavin walked around speaking to his colleagues, he glanced around, looking for Faith. She hadn’t arrived yet. He hoped she was coming. As he searched, he saw Chandler. He really didn’t want to deal with her this afternoon.

  She slinked up to him, “Hey, baby.”

  “Oh, would you please stop talking to me like that. For goodness sake, Chandler, there are people all around us.” He was extremely irritated.

  “It’s no secret that we’ve been together. Hell, it’s no secret that you’ve been with everyone. You could be the poster child for ‘Pimp My Ride’,” she giggled.

  Gavin glared at her, and walked away. He had had about enough of her, but couldn’t quite give up a good lay.

  Moments later, Faith pulled up the driveway and parked. As she walked up to the house, Juliet was looking out the window, and saw her coming. She practically ran to the door.

  “Faith honey, it’s so good to see you,” she said, giving her an even bigger hug than she gave Gavin.

  “Hi, Juliet,” she returned the hug. “It’s good to see you, too.”

  “Let me take a look at you.” Juliet backed up and looked at Faith up and down. “You look stunning.”

  “Aww, thank you,” Faith smiled.

  Juliet wrapped an arm around Faith’s and they began walking through the house together.

  “Your house is gorgeous, Juliet. I can’t believe how big it is.” Faith looked around in awe, viewing art and sculptures.

  “That’s the problem. It’s too big. Why do you think I like to have everyone over all of the time?” she giggled. She was like a little girl having a huge birthday party. “How was your first week at work? Did you get settled in your home okay?” asked Juliet, as they kept walking.

  “I did. I’m glad to be here, because I was really tired. I’m ready to have some fun and meet the rest of my colleagues.”

  “Well this is the place to be. Why don’t you go on back and mingle?” she said, secretly hoping she’d run into Gavin first.

  “Okay,” said Faith. “I’ll talk to you later.” She smiled and walked through the patio doors and out back, greeting people she recognized as she we
nt.

  Adrian and Juliet had been concerned about Gavin for some time. His behavior had gotten worse with age. They begged him to settle down and get married, but he wasn’t ready. When Adrian went to Paris, and heard that Faith might be moving to America, they saw this as an opportunity to do some scheming of their own. If they knew Faith like they thought they knew her, she would not be an easy target for Gavin. Maybe this would help him see that not all women were alike, and maybe he could see her as someone that he could possibly spend the rest of his life with. They knew it was a long shot, but they had to try.

  Out back, Faith took a glass of sparkling water with lime, and joined some people she recently met, and Carter. They laughed and enjoyed each other’s company. Carter was glad to get talk to her without Gavin, but that didn’t last long. Gavin spotted them and walked toward them. He again, was awestruck by how beautifully put together Faith was. She was stunning to look at.

  Carter turned as he approached. “Gavin! I was wondering where you were.” They patted each other on the back.

  Gavin smiled, “I’ve been looking for you, too.” He looked over at Faith and said, “Faith, we finally meet. It’s a pleasure.” He reached for her hand, and kissed the back of it. “I must say, you do look beautiful this evening,” Gavin said as Carter rolled his eyes.

  Faith coyly smiled and pulled her hand away from his. She was sitting comfortably in a padded lawn chair with a group of people by the fire pit. “Thank you. You don’t have to flatter me. It won’t work.”

  Gavin’s smile started to flatten. He looked around and said, “What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

  “Adrian warned me about you.”

  “Really?” he said, irritated. “Adrian should mind his own business.” The group was quiet, eager to hear more.

  “It’s his business and his reputation that’s on the line because of you. You’re the reason I’m here. He wants a better image for his company, and your inappropriate behavior is not helping,” she snapped. “You’re an intelligent man, Gavin, and you’re my boss. I’m looking forward to learning from you, but I won’t be a part of your mess. I suggest you start taking the welfare of the company more seriously, and handle your personal life a little more discreetly.” She stood up, smiled and said, “It was nice to meet you.” She walked away, talking to other guests.