“Why?”
“Why? Why what? Why did I stop by or why do I want to know when you got in? Regardless, the answer is the same—because you’re my boyfriend.”
“Do we really have to get into this right now?”
“Get into what? Joseph, what time did you get home last night?”
“I didn’t.” He met her eyes.
“You didn’t?” She pulled her eyebrows together. “Did you sleep here?”
“No.”
“Oh my God!” She scrambled off his lap. “You were with someone else.”
He dragged his hands down his face. “I had a lot to drink and I—”
“Did you have sex with another woman last night?”
Joseph didn’t answer as he met her eyes. “I had too much to drink.”
“Did you have sex with another woman?” she repeated, her voice more angry now than hurt.
“We never said anything about other people.”
He’d barely uttered the words before she slapped him hard across the face. “You bastard!”
“Jesus!” he yelled, pulling his head back. “Fuck!” He lifted his hand to his watering eye. “What in the fuck is wrong with you?”
“I hate you! You climb out of another woman’s bed this morning and then have sex with me in your office the same afternoon,” she began, her face contorted in hurt and anger. “You have no respect for me.”
“That isn’t true.” He continued to touch his reddening cheek.
“What do you think? I’m your whore?” She was livid.
“No, God no.” He reached for her hand.
“Don’t touch me,” she whispered, jerking her hand out of his reach. “You have absolutely no respect for me.”
“That isn’t true. Now sit down so we can talk about this.”
“Talk.” She shook her head, tears now evident in her eyes. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Kathy, I—”
“You what? What?” Her voice caught. “Did you know yesterday was our one year anniversary?” She angrily wiped at the tears falling down her cheeks. “I am such an idiot. I thought things were going well between us.” She crossed towards the door.
Joseph was out of his chair and following, reaching the door as she began to pull it open. “Don’t.” He closed the door, pressing his body against the back of hers, his mouth at her ear. “I’m sorry. I made a mistake.”
“Let me go, Joseph,” she whispered, crying now. “I want to leave.”
“I’m an idiot,” he said. “Don’t leave.”
“This is over. You aren’t capable of a committed relationship.” She pulled unsuccessfully on the door. “Let me out!”
“Not until you let me talk.”
“Open the door!”
“Calm down,” he said through clenched teeth, one hand moving to her shoulder. “I want to talk to you.”
“Open the fucking door!”
“Hey.” There were three loud knocks on the door. “What in the hell is going on in there?” It was Kevin Stuart’s voice.
“Nothing,” Joseph said.
“Kevin, he won’t let me leave,” Kathy cried.
“Joe, open the Goddamn door!” Kevin banged again.
Joseph stepped back, his jaw clenching and unclenching as Kathy swung open the door, pushed past Kevin and the half dozen associates gathered outside the office, and fled down the hall.
“What in the hell?” Kevin asked after slamming Joseph’s door. Several inches shorter than Joseph with a husky build and thinning blond hair, Kevin had an uncanny resemblance to Bruce Willis. “We could hear the two of you all the way in the lobby.”
Joseph crossed to his bar and poured himself a generous amount of scotch.
“Until today there were actually associates on board who had never seen you put on a public display with some female,” Kevin fumed.
“I’m not in the mood.” Joseph pushed past him and dropped down in the chair he’d been sitting in with Kathy moments earlier.
“Oh, you’re not?” Kevin raised his eyebrows, his hands on his hips, standing directly in front of Joseph’s chair. “And do you think we were in the mood to listen to your love quarrel as we met with clients?” The muscles in his jaw were shaking as he spoke. “It sounded like you were raping her in here.”
“Yeah, well, I wasn’t. She was breaking up with me.”
“Let me guess.” He tapped his lip with his index finger. “She found out you fucked the weather lady last night.”
“How did you—”
“Know you fucked her? I was sitting next to you, Joe. Her foot was in your crotch half the night. And we all know how much restraint you have.” He dropped down into the empty chair and reached into his jacket for his cigarettes.
“You can’t smoke in here.”
“Go to hell,” Kevin said through the side of his lips as he lit the cigarette. “You drive me to it.” He inhaled deeply, leaning back in the chair as he blew out a stream of smoke. “You’ve got to stop this, Joe. Half the office heard you.”
“So I saw.”
“I mean having sex with her. Everyone within your general vicinity could hear her. They were standing around gossiping about it when the yelling started.”
Joseph briefly closed his eyes. “Nothing’s happened in this office since Tanya left,” he said, referring to his ex-secretary who cried sexual harassment when he tried to break off a one-month relationship. It was easier to pay her off than deal with a scandal, but Kevin was still pissed about it. The money came right off the top of their profits and he seemed to resent Joseph more as time passed.
“I know. I was starting to believe you actually changed and, until last night, I thought you were serious about Kathy. You’re priceless, Craig.”
“Why don’t you go home to your wife? I’ve had about all I can stomach of you for a day.”
“You’re not alone there.” He leaned forward and stubbed out his cigarette in a decorative ashtray on his desk.
“That isn’t an ashtray,” Joseph said.
“I know.” Kevin smirked as he stood up. “Have a nice weekend.”
3
By the end of her second week in the B2B Division, Lia had digested enough information to feel completely overwhelmed. There were two distinct branches within the division, one tasked with identifying new elite clients, either from within the existing customer pool or from outside the organization, and the other with nurturing and sustaining established relationships. Lia was part of the latter group.
She spent nine hours a day reading files and attempting to memorize as many facts as possible about the several hundred clients identified as “elite”. Unfortunately, the task was proving daunting. The names, faces and details all seemed to blend together. She leaned back in her chair in her small cubicle, wondering if she should take a break.
“Tell me you aren’t trying to memorize every file.”
Lia glanced up to see a petite woman in a smart pants suit who couldn’t have been more than five feet tall, with short brown hair, huge brown eyes and a friendly smile.
“Hi,” the woman said holding out her hand. “I’m Kay Thompson.”
Lia returned her handshake. “I’m Lia Merrick.” She knew instantly the other woman wasn’t a B2B. The B2B women only wore skirts and dresses. A week after Lia’s appointment with the personal shopper at Neiman Marcus she was issued a complete wardrobe consisting of business suits, skirts and both day and evening dresses. Lia considered her clothes a uniform.
“Do you want to go to lunch?” Kay asked. “I was a B2B. I can give you a few pointers that will hopefully keep you from pulling your hair out.”
“That would be great,” Lia said, instantly liking the other woman who was certainly being more helpful than any of the B2Bs. Most barely acknowledged Lia, and the ones who did weren’t offering advice, they were merely sizing her up.
“I just returned from vacation,” Kay said as they walked towards the elevators. “Otherwise,
I would have saved you from what I’m guessing was an overwhelming week.”
“There is just so much to absorb,” Lia said, “and everyone is busy. I’m not sure who I’m supposed to talk to when I have a question.”
“Didn’t Stan assign you a mentor?” Kay pushed the down button for the elevator.
“Yes, Carmen Gonzalez.”
“Carmen!” Kay exclaimed before quickly covering her mouth, her eyes looking around. She didn’t speak again until they were alone in the elevator. “I’m sorry, but sometimes men are so stupid. Carmen is the last person who should be assigned that role.”
“I can’t argue with that.”
Carmen Gonzalez was one of the original B2Bs and, according to Stan, held a wealth of information on the workings of the division. Unfortunately, she didn’t appear interested in sharing this vast store of knowledge with Lia. And it wasn’t because she was busy with her own work. Lia figured she spent seventy-five percent of the day arguing on the phone with someone named Marcos, who Lia was ninety-nine percent sure wasn’t a client.
“Just forget about Carmen,” Kay said. “She’s worse than having no mentor.”
When they were seated across from each other in the cafeteria, Kay asked, “Have you been to any client functions yet?”
“No. Stan wanted me to orient myself with the client folders a bit more first.”
“Reading about all the clients is a waste of time,” Kay said. “The majority don’t attend the functions.” She leaned forward and took a sip of her Diet Coke. “When it’s time for you to attend, Stan will send you an email with a list of which clients are attending a particular function. That’s when you familiarize yourself with the client files.”
“That sounds more manageable.” Lia speared a piece of lettuce with her fork. “How long were you a B2B?”
“Not long. Probably less than three months, but Stan liked me, so he transferred me to his Strategic Marketing Division.”
“You didn’t like B2B?”
“I didn’t like it or dislike it,” Kay said. “I was still trying to figure everything out and then one day Stan called me into his office and said it wasn’t working out.”
“Why?”
Kay shrugged. “I have no idea. That’s how the B2B works: Stan brings people in and he either likes them or he doesn’t.” She lifted her hands. “And if he doesn’t, you hope he offers you another position.”
Lia felt a knot of apprehension in the pit of her stomach. “He did say the attrition rate in the first year is over fifty percent.”
“More like ninety percent. There is a reason the B2B girls who make it are so uppity.”
“That’s a lot of pressure,” Lia said, almost to herself.
“You’ll be fine.” Kay patted her hand. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“No, I’m glad you did.”
“Obviously Stan saw something in you he liked. And he probably gets better and better at identifying that ‘it’ quality. I was part of the original group.” Someone behind Lia caught Kay’s eye and she waved. “Claudia! Here’s someone who can definitely help you assimilate,” she said, returning her gaze to Lia.
“How was your vacation?” Claudia asked, stopping beside the table.
“Incredible! Have you met Lia Merrick?”
“No.” Her gaze shifted to Lia. “I’ve seen you around, but we haven’t officially been introduced. I’m Claudia.”
“Hi.” Lia smiled. She’d seen Claudia getting out of a Porsche that morning and figured she was doing well as a B2B. She was stunning, with silky black hair falling just past her chin, dark brown eyes, flawless skin and a voluptuous body which undoubtedly turned men’s heads wherever she went.
“Join us for a minute.” Kay scooted over to make room. “Lia’s trying to learn her way around and who better to answer her questions than you?” She turned to Lia. “Claudia’s been a B2B since the beginning and, unlike her friends, is willing to talk to underlings from other departments.”
Claudia rolled her eyes. “You’re not an underling.”
Kay smiled. “I came upon Lia earlier trying to absorb all the information in all the elite-client folders. I told her she was wasting her time.”
“I just don’t know what to expect,” Lia said. “I don’t want to be unprepared when I start attending the client functions.”
“Don’t worry about any of that.” Claudia met her eyes. “Stan wants you to mingle. That’s it. The clients will like you or they won’t. Just be yourself.”
“Told you.” Kay said.
“Okay.” Lia nodded, still unsure.
“I like meeting new people and partying, but if you don’t”—Claudia shrugged—“then it probably isn’t for you. Or maybe you’ll attend a few functions like Kay here,” she said, patting Kay’s forearm, “and meet the man of your dreams.”
Lia’s eyes swung to Kay. “You dated a client?”
“Dated?” Claudia laughed. “She married him.”
Lia was surprised. “So Stan doesn’t mind—I mean, he doesn’t care if we date clients?”
“Nope.” Claudia shook her head. “Are you going to finish that?” She eyed the remaining half of Kay’s sandwich.
“It’s all yours.” Kay slid her plate to Claudia. “Maybe if you opened your eyes and looked around a little, you’d meet the man of your dreams at one of the client receptions.”
“No way.” Claudia shook her head. “That is definitely not going to happen.”
“So you don’t date the clients?” Lia asked.
She looked down at her perfectly manicured nails. “I didn’t say that.”
“She doesn’t say much,” Kay said. “Claudia never shares the details of her private life.”
“Maybe because there’s nothing to share.” She continued to study her nails. “How about you, Lia? Is there anyone special in your life?”
“Just my daughter.”
“You have a daughter?” Claudia lifted her eyes. “You’re divorced?”
“It was final less than a month ago.”
“Hi, everyone.” A tall woman with striking green eyes and long blonde hair stopped beside their table. Her tailored dress clearly identified her as a B2B. Like Claudia and every other B2B, she was extremely attractive. Lia had never seen so many attractive women in an office setting and knew being beautiful was one of Stan’s B2B prerequisites.
“Kathleen, have you met Lia Merrick?” Kay asked.
“No.” Her gaze shifted to Lia. “Hi.”
“Hi.” Lia smiled politely.
“Kathleen only has three months on you,” Kay said. Her eyes swung back to Kathleen. “And guess who Stan assigned to be Lia’s mentor? You won’t believe it.”
“Who?” Kathleen tucked her hair behind her ears.
“Carmen.”
“Carmen?” Her mouth dropped open, her eyes swinging from Kay to Lia, then back to Kay. “You’re kidding.”
Kay shook her head. “No, I’m serious.”
“Oh my God. What could she possibly teach someone besides how to talk on the phone? That’s it,” she said in a low voice. “This proves what I’ve suspected since the day I arrived. They’re sleeping together. There’s no other explanation. I have never seen her do a lick of work, so obviously she’s doing him.”
Claudia rolled her eyes. “I don’t think so.”
“You don’t?” Kathleen shifted her gaze to Claudia.
“No. I don’t.”
“Then explain to us exactly what she’s doing, because when she’s here—which isn’t very often—she’s talking on the phone. And considering she’s speaking Spanish, my guess is she isn’t talking business.”
“I have too much of my own work to do to worry about what Carmen’s up to,” Claudia said. “In fact, if I don’t leave now I’m going to be late for a call.” She patted Kay on the back and gave Lia a smile before walking off.
Six dozen red roses and six weeks after the altercation in his office, Joseph, dressed ca
sually in a tan cashmere sweater and black pants, climbed out of his black Mercedes in front of Kathy’s art gallery on King Street in Old Town, Alexandria.
Kathy looked up as he entered. “What do you want?” she asked coolly, stepping out from behind a desk in the corner of the gallery. She was alone in the shop and dressed casually in loose camel-colored silk pants and a black turtleneck, her blonde hair pulled back in a clasp at her nape.
“You,” he said, walking slowly towards her. “I want you.”
“Joseph,” she began, shaking her head. “I can’t. I—”
“I’m an asshole.” He moved his hands to the sides of her face, staring down into her green eyes. “I’m sorry I hurt you.” He lowered his head and kissed her softly on the lips. “Give me another chance.” He kissed her again. “I need you.” He kissed her again and she began responding, her body leaning forward into his. “I need you so much,” he said again before opening his mouth over hers, eliciting a moan from her as she wound her arms up around his neck.
“I hate you,” she whispered when he finally lifted his head, her tear-filled eyes meeting his.
“I love you,” he said. It was the first time he’d said those words to a woman.
Hours later they lay naked in her bed, their bodies entwined, a light sheet pulled over them. “Joseph?”
“Hmm?” His voice was deep with sleep.
“I want to talk.” She slipped out from beneath his arm and situated herself on the pillow beside his, their faces just inches apart as they lay facing each other. “Did you have a good time in San Francisco?” She had joined him on a business trip to San Francisco the week before his indiscretion with the weather woman.
“Of course.”
“Why didn’t you call me that week? We have this incredible five days together and then nothing.”
“I was working.”
“You couldn’t spare five seconds to send me a text? To ask how I am? To let me know you were thinking about me?”
“I don’t think you realize how much I work.”
“I think I do. You’re out of bed by four thirty every morning. Even the nights you have time for me, you don’t arrive until after nine. I think I know exactly how much you work.”
When I Saw You Page 4
