Chapter Nine
I HAD nowhere to look, but straight ahead, unless I wanted to watch danger unfold. I sighed and turned my gaze to Mr. Fresby. The first man I had been sidestepping. Thankfully, he wasn’t waiting for my answer.
He was observing Cole and Brent with amusement until his twinkling eyes found mine. He whispered, “Yes, I see why you wouldn’t want to leave Lion Security.”
I only just stopped myself from rolling my eyes, but I was pretty sure exasperation was painted all over my face. He grinned.
Miranda was the last to enter, sitting in the only spot remaining. She complained, “Cole, I wanted to talk with you. We can’t do that with you all the way over there.” A pretty pout.
“Sorry, Miranda. It was either this seat or that one. You know I like to sit toward the front,” Cole stated solemnly.
I stayed steady on my focal point. I wasn’t going to look at the men.
Mr. Fresby’s shoulders started shaking ever so slightly, his white hair blowing in the breeze from the air conditioner that had turned on as the driver pulled us out into the steady traffic.
If the woman had even halfway paid attention she would have noticed that Cole had climbed in early enough to take almost any spot. But, evidently she hadn’t because she asked, “Would you mind trading with me?”
I stayed eyes glued on Mr. Fresby. He looked even more tickled as he watched me. He stated quietly, “She’s talking to you.”
“Oh!” I was startled enough that I said the first thing that popped into my mind, turning to her. “I’m thinking Cole doesn’t want to sit by you.”
She glared hard enough that I was pretty sure she was picturing me up in flames.
Mr. Fresby choked on water he just taken out of a tiny fridge and I realized what I had said.
I stuttered, “What I mean is…well…” I got downright nervous at my mishap to their client and started babbling, “He was up late last night and up early this morning, warning me not to try to wake Brent up like I wanted. I didn’t listen and he had to deal with the aftermath.
It wasn’t pretty. So, he’s tired. Yeah. He needs some rest instead of chatting.
Brent and I kept him up most of the night, you see… ”
A hand was slapped over my mouth from behind, cutting me off.
Mr. Fresby must have given up trying not to laugh because loud whoops and knee slapping came from his direction.
I heard a “Good Christ!” from Stash and a choked gravelly chuckle from Zane.
I could see Ally rubbing her temples next to Miranda, whose eyes had gone someplace not pretty, shock and fire burning in their depths.
Brent’s eyes were bulging as he stared at me, and Cole spoke loud and clear from behind me, keeping his paw over my mouth, “It’s not at all what that sounded like.
We all spent the night at Brent’s home last night because of the incident that occurred at the art gallery, normal procedure when threating events occur.
Brent and Ember kept us all up most of the night reviewing Sensations files that we had on hand so we would be prepared to meet the board today.
“Brent slept with his head literally buried in a file. And Ember tried waking him by pulling the file out from under his head, tearing the papers badly. I fixed it. That was what she meant to say. And she’s correct.
I am tired and would like to have a few minutes to rest before any private conversations you would like to have with me. ”
Oh, Lord! I had practically said that Brent and Cole were bi and we were a threesome. To their clients. My eyes crossed. But, that might have been from lack of oxygen thanks to the warm hand still over my mouth.
Luckily, Miranda nodded like that made perfect sense, still glowering at me, but seeming to believe the story Cole had just thrown out there.
Brent turned a little more in his seat, only Cole and I could see his expression, his back to the rest of the group.
He wasn’t exactly happy with me at the moment, whispering almost inaudibly, so we could only hear, “Please refrain from saying things like that to the people that pay our bills.”
I nodded fervently and tapped on Cole’s hand.
Air would be nice. He released me and I gulped in oxygen as Brent turned back to Mr. Fresby, who had regained control of himself, wiping the last few tears from his eyes and Miranda, who was tapping her finger on her knee.
“I’m very sorry. Like I stated before, she is good at what she does, but she’s new.
I’m sure you two remember being nervous the first few years of your career and mistakes you made.
She didn’t mean any disrespect and will be nothing but professional while working with your employees. ”
They nodded. Mr. Fresby’s eyes were shining while Miranda gave me a mockingly superior glance since Brent put me in my place.
Her meanness might have affected me more if I had been an actual employee of Lion Security, but as it was I just felt bad about making them look unprofessional and found her petty and pathetic.
The limo rolled along smoothly for a few minutes of silence until Mr. Fresby asked, “So your first name’s Ember?” At my wide eyes, he grinned. “Ah, you thought I had forgotten. What would your last name be, Ember?”
The car’s occupants waited, politely quiet, for me to respond. When I didn’t, Brent sighed and stated, “Lerrus. Her last name is Lerrus.” He gave me a look that told me to get my act together. He had no clue.
I watched Mr. Fresby guardedly.
His eyebrows snapped together. “Lerrus? As in Richard Lerrus of Lerrus Energy?”
I nodded slowly. His eyes went hard. I became even cagier and leaned back into Brent’s left shoulder and Cole’s right one. They tensed. Between feeling my now rigid body and Mr. Fresby’s predatory stare, they knew something was up.
“That’s very interesting,” Mr. Fresby murmured, taking another survey my person. “It all makes sense now.”
“I had nothing to do with that,” I explained hurriedly.
His lips quirked, but not in amusement this time. “And yet you know to what I’m referencing.”
I felt my own eyes harden. “I’m not my father.”
“So you say,” he murmured, turning his face away to stare through the glass partition and the front window, expression completely unreadable.
***
The limo came to a smooth halt on the circular drive of Zion Suites, the hotel where we would be staying.
Ally and Stash had taken up the reigns of conversation during the rest of the drive after glancing at Brent and deducing he wasn’t going to save the day with his customary skills of small talk.
Miranda had talked cordially, but Mr. Fresby had only entered the discussion when asked a direct question.
Cole, Brent, and I were voiceless after my and Mr. Fresby’s exchange.
Departing the limo, Mr. Fresby told the crew that they were expected in the hotel’s complimentary conference room within an hour.
The board would be arriving here soon. He left us then, with one last appraisal of me, going inside the hotel’s large opened doors.
Miranda pulled Cole aside and they spoke quietly, intimately, standing close while the chauffer unloaded our suitcases.
Brent snagged my arm as we walked inside the doors.
The hotel was airy, open, and lavishly decorated with tiled floors in the open atrium, couches in peaches and light greens, small palm trees and exotic floral arrangements were placed strategically, giving the impression that you were outside in the tropics.
The large, front windows allowed natural light to dance over all.
There was a second floor ringing the atrium, open to view the lower level.
I could see a restaurant with tables seated next to the glass railing and the conference room where the glass reached the ceiling, taking the place of a wall with blinds that could be closed for privacy.
It was warm and comforting, but I felt nothing of it.
I needed to speak with Mr. Fresby. I had a bad feeling about what he had been silently planning in the limo.
I spied him sitting toward the back of the spacious entry, sitting on a couch already punching into his blackberry.
Zane, Stash, and Ally had gone to check us in and Cole was still outside with Miranda.
I’m not sure if I was feeling jealous about their up close and personal chat, but I was decidedly not comfortable with it.
Not that I had the right to be, though, so I kept my need to go and break it apart wrapped up tight inside.
“I need to speak with Mr. Fresby,” I told Brent quietly, breaking our half hour silence.
“Oh, hell no, darlin’,” Brent muttered harshly, tugging me away. “We’re going to discuss whatever the hell just happened, upstairs, before you can do any more damage.”
“Brent, stop!” I yanked my arm away from him. “You have no idea what he could do. I need to speak with him. Now.”
Brent stilled, slowly eyeing me. “Are you going to tell me what he could do that has you so riled up?”
I nodded. “Upstairs. But first, I need to speak with him. I promise not to make any more trouble for your company. This isn’t about that.”
Unbreakably hard, his eyes focused on mine. Green on Blue. “Fine, we need to make it quick, though. And I swear Ember, if we lose this account because you march over there and start rattling on like you did in the limo I’m going to bend you over my knee when we get upstairs.”
I winked at him, trying for joviality. “Promises, promises.”
He grunted before leading the way to Mr. Fresby.
Cole and Miranda entered then, Miranda strutting to the front desk to speak with the rest of the group while Cole eyes scanned the area.
They settled on us and followed our paths destination.
His eyes grew wide momentarily before his long strides ate up the distance between us, his gate automatically altering to ours when he reached us.
They were, again, standing on either side of me.