A Matter of Trust (10 page)

Work was her panacea, and she sought out Mayfield, the systems administrator at Innova, and introduced herself. She couldn’t begin a large-scale analysis of the company’s communication lifeline without the in-house expert being advised. He was courteous, but just barely. She wrote it off to professional territorialism and set up her equipment in an unoccupied conference room that Angela directed her to. It had an access port and a coffee machine. That was enough for her.

She saw Michael only fleetingly over the next several days as they passed each other coming and going in the halls, but those brief encounters were enough for her to see that, by midweek, Michael appeared more like her previous self. The shadows haunting her blue eyes had disappeared, and her quick smile was steady and warm. The fragility was gone.

It was just as well they were not working together, Sloan thought after the fourth time they’d seen each other and her pulse rate skyrocketed just from catching the tail end of Michael’s smile. The one time she and Michael were actually together while she installed another layer of intrusion blocks on Michael’s office computer, she found herself listening to the small sounds Michael made while working, or turning her head just enough to catch a glimpse of her as she bent over her drafting table, or watching her as she talked on the phone.
I can’t get anything done when she’s around
.

Usually the instant Sloan logged on and started working, she wasn’t aware of anyone or anything around her. But the fact that being around Innova’s CEO distracted her was more than just a worrisome personal problem. It was a bad time to lose focus—just when she was about to initiate the critical maneuvers needed to change over from the old system to the newer, streamlined, more secure one she had devised. Determined to get a grip, she tried hard to avoid the company of the first woman to really attract her in years.

*

It was close to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday when Michael opened her office door and walked down the hall to the room where Sloan was working. It hadn’t escaped her notice that Sloan had been avoiding her all week, and she could only imagine it was because of the scene she’d made in the office that morning after confronting Nicholas. Her own loss of composure embarrassed her still, and she could certainly understand if Sloan preferred to keep her distance.

It was hard to admit, but she missed the casual conversations with Sloan while they worked together, and she missed her quirky grin and quick humor, too. Nevertheless, as much as she respected Sloan’s unspoken barriers, she needed an update on the security consultant’s progress. Now that Nicholas knew of her intentions to divorce him, her sense of urgency was even greater. She had hoped for a quick buyout and a rapid dissolution of their partnership, but she didn’t trust her soon-to-be ex-husband to let the lawyers work out the details. Whatever he might be planning, she wanted to be prepared.

“Can I see you for a moment in my office, please?” she asked quietly.

Sloan looked up at the sound of Michael’s voice, immediately struck, as she was each time she saw her, by her beauty. Just that simple glance stirred a swift pulse of arousal that was as involuntary as her heart beating. Steadfastly, she ignored it. “Yes, of course. I’ll just be a minute.”

“Good,” Michael replied, suddenly happier than she had been in nearly four days. “I ordered some Chinese, and I always get more than I can eat by myself. If you’re hungry?”

“Always.”

When Sloan walked into Michael’s office a few minutes later, Michael was standing in front of her desk looking stunning, as always. Today she wore a forest green suit tailored just enough to accentuate the curve of her hip and the long line of her slender thighs. She offered a brilliant smile that sent the blood coursing hotly through Sloan’s veins, and she couldn’t stop herself from grinning, too. “You needed something?” She knew she was staring and hoped that her quick surge of pure lust wasn’t obvious.

“A quick update—just to settle my nerves.” Michael leaned against the desk, her hands clasping the polished wood on either side of her, apparently oblivious to Sloan’s reactions. “How are we doing?”

“Pretty well, actually. I’ve got a fairly good view of what we need to do.”

“Excellent. You can fill me in while we eat.” Michael pointed to the glass-topped coffee table in front of the leather sofas, indicating cardboard cartons of food along with wooden chopsticks in paper sleeves, a stack of paper plates, and napkins. “Help yourself. It’s the maid’s night off.”

Sloan occupied herself with the food, grateful for something to take her mind off Michael’s body. Eventually she pushed her plate aside and said, “I met with your systems admin, Mayfield. He was cordial, but not overly helpful. I was a bit surprised that he doesn’t seem to have set up much of a disaster recovery plan. But I have to admit, even today, when the rate of computer security incidents is up twenty percent over last year, that isn’t all that unusual. However, it needs to be done, and it’s going to take some time.”

“You mean if something goes really wrong, we’ll be in big trouble?”

“Theoretically—yes. Most major corporations are woefully underprotected from either external or internal hackers, and if a problem does arise, they’re even less likely to be able to survive an assault because of it. Your man Mayfield isn’t paying much attention to what I’ve been doing so far, but it won’t take too long for him to figure out I’ve installed a multi-tiered detection program that reports to an ICEcap server, among other things...if he looks for it.”

Michael lifted an inquiring eyebrow, and Sloan laughed, then explained, “Think of it as a secondary security checkpoint that accumulates detection data from multiple networked computers, then analyzes and tracks intrusions. It helps you find out who’s been poking around your system. The problem with any detection system, though, is that not all Internet transmissions are attacks. Some legitimate applications communicate with your network in the same way that hackers do. However, the more external points of entry to the system you have, such as access from personal home computers or distant office sites, the more holes you have in the system.”

“Which means that you can’t ever make the system airtight or intrusion impermeable, right?”

Sloan nodded approvingly. “Precisely. So, my job is to make the system as tight as possible and still allow those who need to get in to be able to do so. Mayfield is naturally curious as to some of the changes I’ve instituted, but I don’t think he’s particularly suspicious yet. Is he someone you can trust?”

Michael closed the cardboard cartons and disposed of them in the trash. “I really have no idea. I’m sure that lines of allegiance will be drawn rather quickly when it becomes known that Nicholas and I are divorcing. I think most of the design people will want to stay with me. As to management departments, it’s hard to say. Probably the bottom line will be their perception of who can run the company most successfully. And that’s where the problem will be. Nicholas has always been more visible on the managerial front. I’ve been content to work behind the scenes. I expect the fact that I’m a woman may decide it for some of them.” She made a dismissive gesture. “That I can’t change. The only thing I can do is demonstrate that I can bring in the bottom line—new accounts and completed projects. That’s where I intend to focus.”

“Well, it sounds like you know what you have to do.” Sloan thought it was a sensible plan, if it was really only money that Nicholas Burke wanted to exact from his wife. She had no doubt that Michael could handle the business challenges to come.

“Right now, I’m just hoping to keep things quiet for a bit longer until my attorney can present Nicholas with a buyout agreement,” Michael said. “Maybe in the end, money will sway him after all. We also have two big projects nearing completion—one with the government and one in the private sector. If I can bring these in on time with no hitches, that will go a long way toward solidifying my position. Obviously, I’ll need a good money person as COO, but first I need to be able to show the board that I can lead the entire company successfully, not just the design divisions.” Sighing at the thought of the struggles ahead, she asked, “What’s your timetable?”

“I’ll need the rest of this week at least to tighten things up here. Then, I have to visit your New York offices fairly soon. That seems to be the weakest link in the network. I’ll need a few days up there to physically evaluate the system. Meanwhile, Jason is backtracking IP addresses from the analysis engine I’ve loaded into your personal computer. Most of it will turn out to be nothing, but it’s always worth checking. I’ve got him working on off-site backups for all your critical files, too. You might notice the system is sluggish for a few days while we work out the data transfer.”

Michael absently drew a lock of hair off her cheek, tucking it behind her ear. Sloan watched the delicate movement of her slim fingers as she lifted the golden strands, struck by the grace and elegance of the small gesture. She must have been staring, because Michael blushed slightly.

Sloan quickly averted her eyes.
Christ, Sloan, get a grip. You can’t keep looking at her like she’s lunch.

“I appreciate how quickly you’ve been moving on this,” Michael remarked. “Since Nicholas and I are now officially separated, the timetable has escalated, I’m afraid.”

“Is everything all right?” Sloan asked cautiously. She didn’t make a habit of inquiring about personal issues with her clients—or her friends, for that matter—but she couldn’t help remembering how shaken Michael had been just a few days before. The memory bothered her even now.

“Yes. At least, I think it is. I haven’t heard anything from Nicholas’s attorneys yet, although I’m sure I will soon.”

“And from him?”

“Nothing.”

“Still at the hotel?” Sloan was inwardly relieved to learn that Burke had not been bothering his wife.
His wife.
Looking at Michael, she found it difficult to think of her that way.
Maybe because you just don’t want to be reminded of the fact that she’s straight.

“Yes.” Smiling ruefully, Michael confessed, “The suite of rooms at the Four Seasons is perfectly adequate for my needs. I have my computer so I can work in the evenings, and I took what clothes I needed when I left the house on Sunday night. It’s just...I
am
going a little stir crazy.”

It was surprising, really, because being alone was something she thought she’d gotten used to. Ordinarily, it didn’t bother her. But at night in the hotel, she found herself restless and agitated—aware for perhaps the first time in her life of being lonely. She kept thinking of the evening she’d spent with Sloan and the others at the Cabaret. Then, she had felt lighthearted and excited and somehow so free.
That
was the feeling she realized she missed.

Sloan said nothing, trying her best not to think about Michael in any way at all, except professionally. She definitely didn’t want to think about her in terms of dinner at the Monte Carlo restaurant, or a stroll along the riverfront in the moonlight, or perhaps a nightcap in the suite at the Four Seasons. She absolutely did
not
want to think about leaning over and kissing her. Which was exactly what she
had
been thinking about for at least ten minutes. She leaned back on the sofa to break the spell. It didn’t work.

“I was just wondering—is Jasmine performing again Friday at the Cabaret?” Michael inquired impulsively, then wondered immediately why in the world she had asked. It must have been just the memory of how happy she had been for those few hours, because it certainly couldn’t have anything to do with the fact that Sloan had made her feel so special. Or because the brief touch of Sloan’s long, lean fingers seemed to make her skin tingle.

“Actually, she isn’t,” Sloan said gently, sensing how hard it had been for Michael to ask. The quick flash of disappointment on Michael’s face caused her to lose what remained of her better judgment. “She and the troupe from the Cabaret are performing at the annual AIDS benefit at the Franklin Center. I have a table reserved. My associate and Sarah will be going. Would you like to join us?”

“Oh, I couldn’t. That’s very kind of you, but I’m sure you’ve already made other arrangements,” Michael said, thinking of the remark Angela had made about Sloan’s popularity with women. The idea of spending the evening with Sloan and her date was unexpectedly unappealing.

“No. No particular plans, and there’s plenty of room.” Sloan grinned somewhat sheepishly. It didn’t seem prudent to tell Michael that her date had dumped her after hearing that Sloan wasn’t interested in a serious long-term relationship. The timing had been terrible, but she’d had to find some way to explain why she hadn’t wanted to sleep with Claudia after their dinner date the previous weekend. It was hard enough to come up with an explanation to herself. She wouldn’t even consider that it might have something to do with the fact that thoughts of Michael had kept intruding all evening. “There would just be the four of us until Jason has to leave for the performance.”

“Jason?”

“My business partner.”

“Oh, yes.” Michael recalled the handsome young man she’d met briefly in Sloan’s office and, in almost the same instant, thought of Jasmine’s brilliant blue eyes and her elegant but strong features. The two images came together in her mind and she gasped in surprise. “Oh my God, Jason and Jasmine...oh my God.”

Sloan laughed. “Amazing, isn’t it?”

“Incredible. How ever did you two meet?” she asked and almost at the same moment caught that now familiar flash of barely disguised pain in Sloan’s eyes. Just as quickly, it disappeared. Clearly Sloan’s past was off limits.