11. Comes With The Territory
COMES WITH THE TERRITORY
“Why are we just hearing about this now?” her mother asked two days later.
Paris leaned back in her chair. She should have waited until her sister was here to make this call, but London ended up flying out of town this morning and wouldn’t be back until Sunday.
“Because it wasn’t that big of a deal, but I didn’t want you to hear it from anyone else.”
“Paris,” her mother said. The sigh was loud enough she pushed the phone back from her ear.
“I know you. Those things bother you about your job. Your career. You want to help businesses expand, do more, and be better. Sometimes that comes at the risk of people losing their jobs and you’ve never been okay with that. ”
“I hated it. I do. Always. But I tell myself it’s not me cutting those jobs. I always give options.”
“And most times businesses choose that option.”
“It’s life. I know it as well as everyone else. I’ve had people get angry and know I need to be cautious when I’m working.”
“Which comes with the territory.”
“But I’ve never had someone search me out after the fact and come here to give me hell. I could even handle the yelling and accusations.”
“Because you paint a calm and in-control persona, but those who know you well know that isn’t always the case,” her mother said gently.
“That’s right. But I had it handled until he swiped everything on Molly’s desk onto the floor. She jumped back and moved closer to me. He finally left. It was seeing Molly’s fear that got to me.”
“Bullshit,” her mother said. “Don’t lie to me.”
She closed her eyes and put her head on the back of the chair. “Fine. I was rattled. I was grateful that I wasn’t alone and even more grateful that London wasn’t here.”
“Your sister would have scared him right out the door.”
She let out a soft laugh. “Yeah. I don’t have her courage.”
“Don’t do that to yourself. Both my girls have their own strengths. You balance each other and know it.”
“I do. But it’s all good now. West had cameras installed last Monday when he found out about it.”
“I want to know why he didn’t find out for days,” her mother said. “And why you weren’t the one to tell him.”
If she was going to confess, she had to tell it all.
“Because I wasn’t going to bother West on a Friday over this. Then London told Spencer and it was taken out of my hands.”
She’d already gotten enough grief from West about it. Then Braylon. Nelson even came down to give her a hard time.
Her parents were so worried about the two of them moving here.
Maybe she was a tad bit nervous over it too. But there were enough people looking out for them. Or looking in on them.
And now Fletcher was added to the list.
The last person she wanted to see more of and in a situation like this. But he was only doing his job.
Even if it was irritating.
The way he’d walked into the conference room in his tailored shirt and pressed slacks. Locked, loaded and in charge. Those dark eyes zeroing onto hers, not interrogating so much as studying, like he was trying to read straight through her skin.
He unnerved her more than what Rick had done.
His presence made the walls seem closer. Made her skin feel tight and itchy, even a little sweaty.
She hated that her body noticed him before her brain had time to protest. And hated even more she was remembering every moment of him being here last week.
It was ridiculous. Annoying. Entirely unwelcome.
Fletcher Wilcox shouldn’t be added to her list of problems. He was security. A temporary presence. A professional necessity she hadn’t asked for and didn’t need to be reacting to at all.
But she was reacting.
He had stood there like a fixture in the room. Dark, solid, and immovable. Broad shoulders filling the doorway before he’d taken a seat, his posture relaxed but alert, like nothing could surprise him and nothing got past him either.
He didn’t pace. Didn’t fidget. Didn’t waste movement. He simply was.
Like she tried to be. Only around him, she failed at it miserably.
Then she resented how her pulse was steadier the moment he arrived. The air felt heavier, as if grounded with him in it. Safer, if she were being honest. That irritated her more than the attraction.
And she definitely didn’t want to acknowledge how good he looked doing absolutely nothing. Brown hair cropped just enough to look crisp. His clothes weren’t flashy, but expensive in that quiet, dangerous way that said he didn’t dress to impress, only to function.
Which somehow made it worse.
She had crossed her arms, annoyed with herself for noticing and feeling so much around him.
Annoyed with being put on the defensive. With the way her attention kept drifting back to him no matter how hard she tried to focus on the conversation at hand.
He’d met her eyes and she’d had the unsettling sense that he saw everything. Not just the composed consultant. But the woman beneath the facade.
That he saw her nerves and annoyance. The things she refused to show.
She didn’t like feeling read.
“Paris. Paris!”
“What?”
“I called your name a few times and you didn’t answer me. I thought maybe the call dropped.”
Nope. Just her walls as her mind flashed back to the sexy guy who was now on speed dial to the cameras in her office.
It made her wonder if he was watching her too. Did he have access to that or just his staff doing it in the pit?
That was what she’d been told it was called. The men in uniform watching the entire building but also those on the two floors above her.
Men in suits blending into the building along with those in uniform.
West took no chances with anything or anyone.
“Sorry. You drifted out for a second.”
Which was a lie. It was more that she’d drifted out of the conversation.
“Well, I’m back. Or you’re back. So what is the next step? Anything?”
“You know the cameras are here. Fletcher, the Head of Security, sat down and got all the information of what happened for West. Not sure why or what he’s going to do with it.”
She wanted to ask more but then told herself it was best not to.
Sometimes not knowing was better, even if it was putting her head in the sand.
“I’m just glad West is looking out for you girls.”
“Did you really think otherwise?” she asked dryly.
“Of course not and don’t get snippy either. So cameras and nothing more?”
“A wall,” she grumbled. “It’s going to not look as inviting, but I understand the reasoning.
This weekend a wall will be put in front of Molly’s desk, a steel door will be there with only badges letting staff in or staff letting visitors behind.
The new staff I’m interviewing were happy to hear that also. ”
It was easy enough to push it off as they were only a few months old and adding more security on as they could.
She didn’t want to scare anyone she planned on hiring and had two good candidates. Both who London met yesterday morning and gave her nod of approval for.
Today would be about checking references. She didn’t think there’d be a problem, and if there wasn’t, then they’d be passed on to West’s HR department for background checks.
“That’s always good.”
“So once that is done, we’ll be nice and safe and you don’t have to worry.”
“I’ll always worry. That is a mother’s job.”
She smiled. “You’ve got eight other kids to do that to,” she said.
“Don’t remind me. At least Phoenix is settled and has Crystal. So less there. London always has you.”
“And now Spencer. She’s in love. It’s so sweet to see.”
“I really like him. Your father does too. Two of my kids in relationships. That makes me happy. I’d like a few more.”
“Why don’t you bug the triplets?” she asked. “Dallas and Bronx deserve it.”
“What about Siena?”
“She needs a break. She has to deal with those two. I know what it’s like.”
“She holds her own,” her mother said. “And speaking of that, I’ll let you get back to work. Thanks for letting me know what happened, even if it’s late.”
“There is no reason to worry you. I’m not worried, you shouldn’t be,” she lied.
She hung up a minute later and got back to work. Time to check those references and get some job offers out there.
By two, her phone buzzed. “Yes, Molly.”
“When you were on the phone a package was delivered for you.”
“You didn’t open it?” she asked.
“Nope,” Molly said. “It didn’t look like supplies or anything. I thought it might be personal.”
“Okay, I’ll come up. I need to stretch my legs.”
She pushed back, more pep in her step after deciding on both of her new employees.
“How did it go with the references and the prospects?”
“Ryan accepted. I sent him the link to fill out his paperwork and I’m waiting for Jaylen to call me back.”
The phone rang on the desk, Molly looked over. “Might be her.”
She looked at the number and name on Molly’s phone screen and ran back to her office.
“It’s her, right?” she asked when her phone buzzed.
“It is. Good luck.”
Paris was feeling lucky today. She picked the phone up. “Hi, Jaylen, thanks for getting back to me so quickly. London and I would love to offer you the job.”
“Really?” Jaylen asked.
“Yes. We discussed the salary and benefits already.”
“That’s all great.”
“Wonderful. Are you interested?”
“I’m sorry. I meant to say yes, that I am.”
“I’m excited to have you on board then,” she said.
“I’m going to send you the offer letter now for you to sign and then all the rest of the background information for you to fill out.
It should take about a week and once that is done, we’ll send another letter with a start date.
How much time did you say you had to give to your current employer? ”
“Two weeks,” Jaylen said. “But sometimes they let you go once you resign. I’ve seen it before.”
“Then if that happens, you can start sooner.”
“Thank you so much, I’m really excited to start.”
“And we’re excited to have you,” she said. She hung up the phone and made two fists. “Yes!”
“Sounds like good news,” Molly yelled back.
She got up and walked back to the front. “It is. With any luck, we’ll have two new employees in a week. Ryan for sure, as he isn’t working, so can start once he’s cleared. Jaylen might be a little longer but said it could be sooner.”
Molly grabbed the box on her desk and handed it over.
“It came by a courier,” Molly said.
“Hmm.”
It was a blue box with a bow on it. Just her name and no return address or business, but they’d gotten thank you gifts before. A few since they’d been here.
A nice reminder that a lot of businesses were pleased with their work.
She pulled the bow off, then lifted the lid assuming there’d be a card inside. There wasn’t.
There was a dead rodent.
She screamed and dropped the box and Molly hit the panic button under her desk immediately before she even looked.
“Shit,” Paris said. “Why did you do that?”
“It’s a dead mouse.”
“Rat,” she corrected and took several steps back with her hands in the air.
Immediately the phone was ringing on Molly’s desk.
She reached over and hit the button. “What’s in the box, Paris?” Fletcher asked.
She turned to look at the camera. She was right. He was watching.
“A dead rat with a note.”
“I’m on my way. Don’t touch it.”
“I don’t plan on it. And call everyone off. It’s not a bomb.”
“It’s only me coming,” he said, the phone going dead.
“Damn,” Molly said, inching her head closer, glancing, then shivering. “That was pretty damn responsive.”
She blew out a breath. “It was. Just wish we didn’t have to test it this way.”