Chapter 13
CHAPTER 13
K acey
Hate wasn’t an option when you were forced to remain professional.
Which I’d managed to do successfully up to this point. What about the long haul?
It was Friday afternoon, an hour before normal people left for the day to enjoy time with their friends or family. My boss, the arrogant ass that he was, had called a meeting for five-thirty. Who the hell knew how long he intended on keeping me.
Meanwhile, he was completely aware I was leaving on an early flight for New York. The sooner I put the past behind me, the sooner I could focus on my new life. Although I was still wondering if I’d made too many crucial mistakes.
I needed coffee and some fresh air. Even if for only a few minutes. I filled my cup and headed downstairs. At least the office building had a beautiful patio filled with chairs and a fountain off to one side. It was peaceful and the place I’d escaped to more than once since arriving on Monday.
Five long days.
Who was I kidding? Five torturous days.
I wanted to convince myself they’d been terrible based on Sebastian’s nasty attitude, but that was only half the reason. The other continued to be my ridiculous attraction to him. He’d purposely come to dinner the night before, doing everything in his power to keep me uncomfortable and on edge.
As if the spanking he’d dared me to accept hadn’t done so. I’d been so shocked by his demand I hadn’t acted like myself at all. Who used corporal punishment these days? Didn’t he know I could sue his ass and win a lot of money?
No, he knew. He just didn’t care.
The man acted as if he was invincible. Just like he had the night before at the bar. Yes, I’d made an absolute fool of myself, but the man’s cock had pushed into my legs. The thought made me cringe as I walked out to the stone surface, immediately slipping on my sunglasses. The last I’d looked it was raining cats and dogs in New York.
Maybe this was a bright send-off, another sign coming home was a good idea.
I had to try to keep thinking that way or I might resign. Even the salary might not make up for how irritating he was.
I noticed a group of women sitting together laughing and talking. Two were technically on my accounting staff while the other two were administrators. When they noticed me, I was certain they’d clam up, perhaps even leaving the area.
“Kacey. Why don’t you come sit with us?” Sheila motioned for me. I’d immediately gotten along with her, but I’d gathered a sense she was upset with being passed over for my job.
I tentatively walked closer, reminding myself I wasn’t here to make friends. Although it wouldn’t hurt to have a couple.
“Hey, guys,” I said.
Sheila pulled out a chair while Babs eyed me warily. She was an excellent negotiator, never allowing the collections calls she had to make bother her. I’d been shocked there was a need for collections at all. At this level, it seemed preposterous. Changes should be made to the contracts to avoid that from continuing.
“Debbie, Winter, this is Kacey Taylor. She’s the new head of our department.” Sheila patted the seat until I decided to sit down.
“Oh, yes,” Debbie said as she leaned in. “You’re working with the ogre.”
“At least he’s a handsome ogre,” Winter suggested.
“I wouldn’t call him an ogre,” Sheila piped in, acting as if I might be offended.
“I would,” I said, and I could see relief in their eyes as they laughed. I would never go into my real feelings about him in front of the other employees.
However, that didn’t mean I couldn’t get a little dirt on the man. It might come in handy. Especially since he’d acted like I was part of his growing list of problems. I’d already noticed a few red flags, but with heading back to New York, I didn’t have the time needed to delve into the issues.
What I did know was that if a single additional contract was pulled, the financial crunch would start to crumble the company from the inside out. That hadn’t taken an expert to see. He was well aware something was off, but hadn’t pushed any buttons as of yet to find out why.
That surprised me.
“That man is like Napoleon only much better looking,” Babs finally piped in.
“Has he always been that way?” I asked, trying to sound casual.
“Pretty much since I got here six years ago,” Babs answered. “It was much worse when he was fighting with his wife.”
“Oh, God, yes,” Sheila said, whistling. “She truly dragged him through the wringer.”
Winter folded one arm across her chest as she sat back. “Do you blame her? Can you imagine being married to him?”
“Honey, I have it under good authority she ran around on him.” Sheila shook her head.
“Really?” I asked.
She nodded. “The rumor mill has it was with a friend too. I don’t have any other specifics. Everything was pretty tight lipped, but I used to hear them arguing. And don’t say anything. I don’t want to lose my job over his sex life.”
“Speaking of sex. I wouldn’t mind going a round with him if I could use a ball gag.” Babs laughed. I happened to know she’d been happily married to the same man for over thirty years.
“Yeah, who needs a man to talk during hot sex?” Winter asked the question, but all four were laughing.
Meanwhile, I was thankful I had on my sunglasses. If I hadn’t thought to bring them with me, they’d know how hard I was blushing.
“I have a feeling you can handle him though,” Sheila said to me directly after their chuckling had calmed down.
“God knows he needs someone. Can you imagine your wife sleeping with a friend?” Winter sighed. “There has to be something good about him other than being Mr. Hotty of the year.”
“He’s not that hot,” Debbie insisted.
I was only half paying attention, but it only accentuated that he was sizzling, not just hot.
“I feel a little sorry for him,” I said more in passing. Learning the truth about him did provide an insight to his constantly grouchy moods. “He’s not a man who likes to lose.”
“No, he’s not. Rumors are flying around you were hired to eliminate staff. Is there any truth to that?” Babs was pointed, which was something I already appreciated about her.
“I’ve been here a week and taking next week to get out of New York. I have zero recommendations at this point, but I don’t see the need.” That was just another lie. A few positions had already been eliminated, but another twenty percent would need to be laid off if I couldn’t find a way out of the mess.
If the man would allow me to talk to make suggestions.
Just thinking about him created a throbbing pulse between my legs. It had to be a natural reaction to the fact he was a jerk. There was no other reason. Good looks were nothing when you were a jerk.
“That’s good to hear. I have babies to feed. Lots of babies.” Babs grinned. “My husband runs a farm. I’m the big breadwinner.”
“Oh.” I almost felt sorry for her. If I had any success with getting the two owners to alter their contracts, her position wouldn’t be needed. “Well, I should get back to work.”
“Good luck in New York,” Sheila said as I got up.
“Thanks.” Why did I have a feeling that Sebastian Winfield held a basket of secrets?
I headed toward the elevators, unable to stop processing what I’d just heard. What I’d learned over the years of working in business was that money didn’t make the man. Being an owner of a company or a name didn’t make that person any more important than anyone else.
The only thing that mattered in my mind was if the person was decent, kind, generous. That was true wealth to me and so far, I’d seen none of that from Sebastian. Did that mean he deserved to be hurt by someone? I’d be lying all over again if I didn’t say an arrogant prick like him didn’t deserve to be put in his place, but I had a feeling the failing relationship had been a significant blow. If only to his ego.
I stepped off the elevator, immediately running into Drake. He seemed friendly enough, although I’d noticed him leering at me more than once. It always made me terribly uncomfortable, but at least I didn’t need to work with him.
“Ms. Taylor. It’s good running into you,” he said as he gripped my arm, stopping me in my tracks.
“Why is that?” I looked down at the hold, already feeling a little nauseous. There was something about the man I didn’t like at all and I’d yet to put my finger on why.
“I wanted to see if you’d consider having a drink with me after work.”
A drink? I hadn’t been prepared for him to ask me out. “I’m sorry, but isn’t there a rule that absolutely no fraternization is allowed?” I was using a tactful word, but in black and white in the handbook, dating and hooking up were strictly prohibited.
He chuckled as if I’d just made a joke. “I’m not asking you out on a date, Ms. Taylor. I simply like getting to know the people who work for me.”
“So you take every new employee out for a drink?” I knew better. He was more arrogant than Sebastian and certainly acted as if he was better than others.
“Some of them, yes. Do I take it you agree?”
I felt a presence off to the side and dared take a quick look. Sebastian stood maybe twenty feet away and the look on his face was just as possessive as I’d seen the night we’d engaged in carnal activities.
“I can’t. I’m leaving very early on a flight to New York. But thanks for the offer.” I pulled my arm away just as Sebastian was heading in our direction. From the expression he now wore, I could tell he was furious at seeing the interaction.
“Sure. Maybe another time. Sebastian. We should go over some numbers before you leave today.”
Sebastian looked at him coolly before concentrating his attention on me. “I’ll stop by your office after my meeting with my financial analyst.”
It was the first time he’d actually used the term around me.
Drake sighed. “I’ll be waiting.”
Sebastian waited until his partner had walked away before addressing me. “I need to see you.”
I glanced at my watch, fearful I’d lost track of time. “We already had a meeting set up in a little over an hour.”
“We’ll do it now.” With that, he turned on his heel and walked away.
It took all I had inside not to yell after him, but what I wanted to say couldn’t be done in public. Nor could I say it to my boss. Damnit, the man made me so angry. I hurried to my office, snatching my iPad before smoothing down my skirt. I’d already sent him a few recommendations, but hadn’t gotten into the meat of what I considered the issues. To me, the meeting was redundant. I honestly thought he was using our daily meetings as a control mechanism, picking my brain as if I’d confess to something horrible that I’d done or was thinking of doing.
I’d worked with a tough man my entire career, my New York boss the epitome of difficult, even condescending, but it was nothing like being both attracted to and loathing the man who called the shots.
Yet I’d committed to this and all the speed bumps Sebastian tossed in my direction weren’t going to push me away. I knocked on his door lightly, expecting him to bark admittance.
“Come in, Kacey.” He hadn’t used my first name since I’d arrived, which had been fine with me.
By keeping the names on a professional level, it had somehow swept the images of his hot, naked body into the shadows.
At least in the daylight.
Nighttime was a different story.
When I walked in, as usual he was standing in front of the window, his hands in his pockets. He was always contemplative, never quick to draw any conclusions. He was without a doubt one of the most brilliant men I’d ever met, but always had something on his mind.
I moved to one of two chairs opposite his desk, sitting down because he always insisted I do so. Today I had difficulty keeping my eyes off his desk where he’d spanked me. It had been strangely thrilling in a twisted kind of way.
I’d even fantasized about what it would feel like to surrender totally and completely to him. I’d woken covered in perspiration and desire.
I shook off the memory and tried to wait patiently. After a full minute had passed, I couldn’t do it any longer. “Did you have an opportunity to read over the email I sent?”
He turned his head, allowing me to see his profile. My stomach fluttered. The man was far too good looking for his own good.
“What did Mr. Caffrey want?”
His question seemed blunt and out of the blue. “To ask me out for a drink.”
I wasn’t expecting him to tense, but he did and as he turned around, I could tell he was more than annoyed with his partner’s actions. “Is that all?”
Every word out of his mouth had been contemptuous lately. “What does that mean?”
“That means I’ve seen you talking to him before.”
“So? He’s one of the owners.”
“So, I didn’t like it.”
I had no idea what to say to him. “How am I supposed to react to that?”
The darkness in his eyes was entirely different. More than just possessive. They were riddled with anger and… did I see jealousy in them?
“You don’t need to react. You simply need to tell me if there’s anything going on between the two of you.”
“You have no right to ask.”
“As your employer, I believe I do.” He moved around to the front of his desk, sitting on the edge. Maybe the move was meant to squelch the tension between us, but it only made me that much more uncomfortable.
“I’m not dating him if that’s what you’re asking. I’m not dating anyone because I’m concentrating on my career.”
“That’s good to hear because we’re going to be working very long hours together.”
“So you’ve told me more than once.” What was the man looking for?
“I need to know you’re thoroughly committed to your job and that I can trust you.”
Wait a minute. I knew what he was getting at. He had found reasons not to trust his own partner. I could sense it. “You can trust me. I haven’t done anything to disprove that, have I?”
“No, you have not.”
He was being very formal, choosing his words carefully. “Then why are you acting as if I have?”
“You tell me.”
Great. This was just another one of his tests. I had nothing to lose at this point. “I can’t find any activities regarding Waterhouse Industries. From what I’ve read, they’re incurring a similar downtrend in sales. But I did find something interesting.”
“Interesting? It’s obvious you’ve already put together a theory in your mind.”
I did, but I had no proof whatsoever. However, with him mentioning his sudden uncertainty about his own partner, my twisted mind was putting various scenarios together.
“Yes, but with no evidence. Yet. I think you have someone sabotaging you.”
“How so?” He crossed his arms, but my eyes fell to the way the thin material of his trousers was stretched across his muscular thighs. Suddenly, my mouth watered.
“Although I don’t have access to certain files on the server, from what I can tell, the design recently presented by Waterhouse Industries to Francis Kane’s company closely resembles the new Gulfstream that you commissioned for use on first class international flights.”
I could tell my suggestion was something he hadn’t thought of.
The design was brilliant, albeit an expensive ride. However, from what I’d seen of the stunning replica of the interior, which was currently hanging on Sebastian’s wall, the passengers would be treated like kings. Interior cabins, a bar and restaurant, and all the amenities flying in the poshest environment one could provide. The gamble was the fact that the private jets that usually held twenty-five passengers would now be cut to ten.
Plus, the price tag was much heftier than a Cessna or a smaller Gulfstream, which would limit the market.
“Agreed.” He had a smirk on his face. “Any idea who?”
“No, but I think you do. Your partner.”
“Possibly. However, I won’t jump to any conclusions. Knowing that trust is vital on my end, I may need your help while you’re in New York.”
I would be plenty busy just getting packed up, but I had the distinct feeling Sebastian asking anyone for help was a rarity. “If I can.”
“I’m going to set up a meeting with Mr. Kane, whose headquarters is in the Big Apple. He’s the gentleman you chastised me about with regard to my tone. He’s been one of my largest clients, brokering deals for many of the wealthiest people in the world. He also had connections to the airlines where some of our planes have been sold. Losing his support would mean a significant dip in profits.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“I think having you there will temper his mood.”
Sebastian lifted a single eyebrow as he looked at me. “As long as you can hold your temper.”
He chuckled. “I’ll do my best.”
“Then I agree, but on one other condition.”
“What is it with you and your conditions?”
“My mother always taught me to go after everything I wanted.”
“Ah, yes,” he said with amusement in his tone. “You’d like the CFO position.”
“I would, but not with this company. At least not yet, Mr. Winfield.”
“A good answer and I think we’re at the point of using our first names. Don’t you? After all, we do know each other a little more personally.”
“Yes, we do.”
“I’ve looked over some of your other recommendations including contacting the corporate moguls of international hotel chains. That would bypass the broker situation.”
“I think not having all your eggs in one basket would be a good idea. You build luxurious planes and you could even establish a marketing program that will make it difficult for them to refuse.”
“You have a sense of marketing as well. Perhaps that’s something we’ll talk about during our time in New York.”
“I’d like that.”
“Why don’t you go home, Kacey. Get some rest before your flight.”
Just when I’d convinced myself I could keep hating him, he did something nice. “That would be great. You do have my number?” Duh. Of course he did.
“I do, but I assure you I would find you if absolutely necessary.”
Why was it his words sent white-hot electricity racing down my spine?