Breene, K F - Growing Pains 01 (28 page)

He was looking at her
incredulously.

“Well?” she said in defense. “You
wouldn’t want to work with that, right? I had to say something!”

“You do sound like my wife. Or my
daughter. Believe it or not, I was once a man like you describe.”

“I bet your wife beat it out of
you, huh?”

“In so many words, yes,” he
laughed. “But, as you say, it was an image. A key in the door of ambition.”

“And look at you now.”

“Look at me now. That’s right. Although,
I would be nowhere without my Emily.”

“I hope that’s your wife.”

He laughed, “Yes.”

“Well, Sean is actually a really
decent guy under it all, he just gets weighed down by the image, I think. But I
do trust him. Other than that, I keep to my job and make sure I give the best I
can.”

“No one can ask for more than
that.”

“Well, they certainly can, but
that’s another story.”

“What about Tom and John, the
Senior and Junior VPs?”

“You’re trying to glean
information! Well, you’ve come to the wrong source. I have met John only a few
times and never so much as seen Tom. John is a nice enough guy. I hardly talk
to him, though. Pity about his name.”

“What do you mean?”

“His name is John Susan.”

She was met with a look of
confusion.

“Susan. As in, ‘Boy Named Sue’ by
Johnny Cash?”

“Oh! ‘My name is Sue, how do you
do? Now you’re gonna die!’” Tory quoted, and then burst into laughter that
resulted in a lot of people looking their way.

Sean was across the dining area
with John, looking at her with his arms crossed. She couldn’t tell if he was
mad or worried, she was obviously making a scene. She needed to tone it down.

The dessert showed up as she
whispered, “I always thought he wanted to be called John because he wanted to
be all young and sell an image and all that. Like sales guys do, right? Then I
heard the last name and it made sense.”

“Well, Krista,” Tory said, avoiding
his dessert. “Thanks for the interesting and lively chat. Someday I do hope you
will get to meet my wife. She’d love you.”

With that he stood up and moved off
toward the restrooms. Krista was left on her own to finish her dessert and then
her wine, and then to listen to the president give a speech about how the money
donated would help some organization or other.

As people started to leave later in
the evening she figured it was safe to get up and head to the bar. She had a
good buzz already, but no one was talking to her anymore so she figured one
more wouldn’t hurt.

Full glass in hand, she turned back
toward the dining area and right into Sean, standing so close her foot bumped
his. His heat and smell shocked into her body, mixing with the alcohol and
liquefying her bones. She wanted to reach out a sure hand and feel those hard
pecs, or connect her body with his, reaching around to feel his perfect butt.
Fantasies exploded her thoughts; what it would feel like to trail her fingers
along his warm skin; slide her palm up the inside of his leg; cupping his—

Don’t touch his crotch!

“How did it go?” Sean asked
quietly, lightly grabbing her arm and steering her away from any listeners.

“How did what go?” she asked
stupidly, looking up into his eyes. They were dark and ominous and tinged with
worry.

She couldn’t help the lean,
frustratingly unashamed of her breast making contact and sending ripples of
heat into her core. His hand tightened slightly.

“Dinner. With Mr. Hartling?”
Apprehension lurked right below the surface of his words.

“Mr. Hartling is someone of note?”
she asked, bewildered. An abominable snowman called “Fear” chased the heat from
her body. Suddenly, Tory’s conversation topics seemed a lot more designed. And
spot on.

She might have seriously,
unforgivably f**ked up on this one.

“Are you serious, Krista?” Sean
said with an edge to his voice.

Fuck.

“He is the CEO. of the company we
are chasing!” he seethed.

Her stomach hit her shoes. She
broke away from Sean to think. To recall every word she said. Every word she
heard from him. It took ten minutes to realize she should definitely have kept
her mouth shut on a ton of stuff!

But at least she did lie in the
right places, so that was good.

Oh God, but was it good enough?

Sean, seeing this reaction, led her
to a bench beneath a tree at the outskirts of the event. In solitude, he sat
her down and pulled up a chair so he was directly facing her, his intense eyes
focused on her unwaveringly, “Tell me everything.”

Krista tried to think through the
buzz of lust; tried to turn her thoughts from the primal energy radiating from
him like heat weaves off concrete in the summer.

“Okay,” she blew out a breath, gripping
the arms of her chair with claw-like fingers to keep her body from leaning in
and soaking up that heat. “He was suspicious of me at first. That confused me
because I didn’t know who he was. He asked me about…uh, oh, what I did! For a
living. I told him.”

“Did you mention the company name?”

“Of course I did. It would’ve
sounded stupid if I omitted it. Plus, I didn’t know him from Avery.”

“Who’s Avery?”

“I don’t know, just a name--
Anyway, so he asked something about...uh...—oh, I know, he asked why I was
there dateless. Here. So I said it was a gold star for doing well in a
presentation—it was a white lie—and that my boss didn’t like these things. I
think he agreed with that logic. But that was at the bar. Um…”

“I need more than that, Krista.”

“Um, let’s see. Oh, he asked about
jewelry at one stage. I mean thank God I didn’t know who he was or that would
have been tragic, right? I would have lied all over the place.”

“But you didn’t?”

“No. He made a comment that
different colors are taboo—you know, gold and white gold worn at once. I
informed him that that was his generation talking. And—“

“More detail,” Sean whispered, eyes
roaming her face.

On lust hiatus, Krista let spill
every word in her head. His presence, his passion for this event, for his job,
was acting like truth serum. She couldn’t refuse. She told him the
conversation, from beginning to end, leaving out nothing. Not even the swords.
She told him what she said about him, and also what she said about John.

Sean listened to every word,
leaning forward to catch every syllable. His knees pushed between her,
spreading her thighs, lifting her dress. His fingertips tickled her inner
thigh, dangling from his slackening arms.

They’d stopped talking without
realizing the absence. He perched on the edge of his seat, his body trying to
close the distance to hers. She yearned for the same thing, hands loosened,
allowing his draw to pull her closer.

The lights twinkled around them,
enchanting, reflecting in his deep eyes, burning with lust and something else, something
close to anticipation.

Her lips parted, chest heaving,
desperate for breath. Her legs parted, too; she was past thinking, past
consequences.

Her hand reached for his knee as
his made more contact with her bare leg. Her heart was beating wildly, her
mouth dry, sopping wet between her thighs. Shamefully she opened her legs wider
to him, permitting his hand to reach for her apex, almost there. Her hand slid
up his knee, reaching for his body, needing to see how it felt, how he felt.
Inside her. She needed some part of him inside of her.

“Sean?” Someone called in the
distance, shattering their isolated bubble beneath the fairy lights.

This scene would look all kinds of
wrong.

It was all kinds of wrong.

Krista jerked back, closing her legs
with a snap. Sean flinched, confusion marring his face, before he backed off
and stood up, eager to put distance between them. Just like he had with
Theresa.

Krista’s heart sank. His guilt
reinforced her own. She knew better—most women knew better at her age. Guys
like Sean were smoke and mirrors. The wonder was why she insisted on falling
for the same old song and dance. She knew better, but she still let herself get
sucked in. It was so stupid!

Plus, this was definitely her
fault! She bit the guy for cripes sake! Obviously he would push his luck.

Still.

As he called to the voice,
revealing where he was, she could see his body uncomfortably bent at the
middle, his forehead slick with sweat.

At least I had some effect. Theresa
didn’t have him uncomfortable like this.

It was a small consolation, but
she’d take it.

John and Monica came in sight, took
in the scene. John stalked over. Monica hesitated a second, eyes narrowed,
before walking behind John as if he needed backup.

“What happened? Was it amenable?”
John was saying as his eyes bored into Krista’s.

“I think it was the best thing that
could have happened,” Sean said. All traces of heat from a second ago were
completely gone; his voice was ice.

Everyone looked at him.

“Explain,” John snapped.

“I think it must have been obvious
to Mr. Hartling that Krista didn’t know who he was. He asked questions that she
answered honestly, but that also helped us out. She basically pitched him an
idea already.”

“What?” John said too loudly.

“She didn’t know it, John,” Sean
took a step closer to Krista with an edge to his voice. He sounded more in
command than John. He was made for a huge office and a large bankroll. Why did
he have to be so hot to boot? It wasn’t fair.

“Still doesn’t,” Sean was looking
at her. “But it’s genius when you think about it.”

Sean was right about one thing—she
had no idea what he was talking about. She didn’t pitch anything.

“He asked about her jewelry,” Sean
continued. John faced him. “Then about her sapphire ring. One comment led to
another, and she was telling him that they should be marketing to people her
age because that age group is young and stupid with their money. Her friend
bought a $1200 purse, why not a piece of jewelry? Her friend could afford
neither, but would buy both. It makes sense. Her being a researcher and
effective debater gave weight to her argument. Her not knowing who she was
talking to gave her innocence; she sold it without knowing it. Without setting
off his alarm bells.”

John was looking at Krista like she
was a chessboard and he was Bobby Fischer.

Sean went on, “And he asked about
us.”

John’s eyes snapped back to Sean.
There was fear lurking behind his gaze. It made Krista wonder what John had
done to get where he was. Who he had stepped on.

It was the first time Sean actually
smiled since he’d accosted her. “She called me a womanizer and for you she
noted Johnny Cash’s song ‘Boy Named Sue.’”

Krista’s mouth dropped open. It was
one thing to admit all that to Sean—the guy had some sort of truth voodoo—but
to tell the freaking Junior VP? That was low. That was sell-out material! If
she wasn’t so scared she’d be sacked on the spot, she would’ve been livid!

“She also said the company and its
upper management were loyal, and that I was trustworthy. Also that I challenged
her. She didn’t know anything to say about you or Tom, and she wasn’t asked
about anyone else,” Sean finished up.

John turned back to Krista. “And
were you telling the truth? Would he believe you about Sean?”

“I was telling the truth,” Krista
said sullenly. “Though the trust issue is strained now, and I was hoping that
comment about ‘Sue’ wouldn’t get back to you.”

Thankfully, and the cherubs did
sing, John cracked a smile. “I don’t mind about Sue, you rat. Though I’ll
remember it, trust that.”

John sounded like he was in good
humor, but he also called her a rat and basically said he held a grudge. Krista
glared at Sean and crossed her arms.

John clapped his hands. “Good.
Phew. We dodged a bullet there. I thought we were sunk when Tory changed seats.
Sean, thank God I let you talk me into giving her a nice raise and a new
office. Can you imagine if she had been disgruntled? Or anyone else from
Research talking to him? I shudder to think.”

John walked around and shook his
head. Then he stretched. “This is good.” He threw a couple boxing punches at
the air. “They officially bought out and now they are asking questions about
our sales team. We have our foot in the door. If we can keep momentum, we may
land them after all.”

He swung around to look at Sean. “I
want at least three proposals on my desk by Monday. I want them ready to go
just in case.”

“They’re already done. We have
about six ideas, four good to go now,” Sean answered coolly.

“I don’t just want ideas. I want
support. Numbers. Pictures. All of it!” John fired back.

“Done. All of it, done. For all six
ideas. Photo quality is HD. No old imagery. Graphics are in place, numbers are
valid, organized, and have footnotes. We are ready to go at a moment’s notice.”

John looked at Sean as though
seeing him for the first time, “Dare I ask about research on sapphires?”

“Also done, for jewelry in general
and sapphires in particular. We have data on region, demographic, market,
everything. You name it, it’s there. Also organized, categorized and equipped
with footnotes. Graphs and other multimedia are presentation ready.”

John just blinked for a minute.
Utterly still. Then: “You really do make my job easier.” He smiled and walked
away.

~*~*~*~

“I do my best,” Sean said to the
retreating figure before he looked back at Krista. Unlike the smoldering look
he’d fallen into mere minutes ago, this time her eyes held retribution.
Frankly, it scared him a little. He had a feeling that when she was pushed to
it, she had a mean temper.

Regret welled up in his chest at
what he was about to do. She wouldn’t understand the necessity of the act. To
her, it would smack as betrayal. He hated how often Ray was right lately.

Sean took a step closer to Monica.

“Your party made it all possible.
Excellent work,” he purred into her ear.

“Naturally,” she laughed, shooting
Krista a look of triumph.

I’ll go to hell for this. Sean
thought. In fact, if Monica kept taunting her, Krista might just put him there.

With a smug expression, Monica
turned Sean by the elbow, leading him away from Krista, “You did excellently
tonight.”

Sean ignored her. Out of the corner
of his eye, he saw Krista still facing them, a look of astonished defeat on her
face. He’d just set himself way back. Possibly to a place he couldn’t come back
from. But if he’d chosen Krista over Monica, Monica would’ve ruined the other
girl. Krista would’ve become another Joanna, another side effect to the gossip
he created within their company. That fate wasn’t fair to Krista. Better the
sting now than the ache later.

He felt like he’d been punched in
the gut.

Monica stopped him just outside the
perimeter of the event, sheltered and secluded. Sean didn’t have to guess what
came next.

“Why don’t we head to my place,”
Monica said quietly, leaning against his body. Her hands slid up his chest.

Sean looked down on her.
Uninterested. He didn’t bother to hide it, “Let’s get back to the limo. We need
to head.”

Monica laughed silkily, her hands
now at his belt line. They slid down to his hips. She ground herself against
him. “Playing hard to get, huh? I’d suck your c**k right here if this wasn’t a
work thing.”

Not in his current state, she
wouldn’t. He felt so sick about what he did to Krista, his balls would probably
curl up inside his body.

“Let’s go,” he said gruffly.

She laughed at him again.

“I’m so glad we got the only kid in
Research!” Judy exclaimed drunkenly as Sean opened the door to the limo for
Monica. To Krista she said, “Did you know that Tommy has a huge crush on you?”

Sean nearly turned and walked away.
He did not want to hear this conversation, and he did not like the look on
Krista’s face as he helped Monica in.

“He asked her out,” Marcus said,
pouring a glass of wine for Ray, who had his hand out.

“Caught me by surprise,” Krista
said as she relaxed. “Didn’t see it coming. I acted like a complete bitch about
it.”

“I heard you stomped on the poor
guy,” Judy responded.

“I didn’t mean to, though,” Krista
whined with a hand over her eyes. “Seriously, you guys. He just blurted it out
in front of a million people! I blinked and stared and looked like an ass, but
really, I was taken aback.”

“You seem to be completely dense
about that sort of thing,” Marcus stated. “But, good news, it has kept at least
five others from asking you.”

“Are you serious?” Krista asked,
aghast.

“Oh yeah. But Jacob wasn’t
deterred,” Marcus went on with a smirk.

“Until he read my email.”

“Oh yeah, I heard about that!” Judy
exclaimed delightedly. “That is disgusting. Sean, how is getting him fired
going?”

Sean watched the dark shadows
outside the car speed by, not bothering to bring his gaze back into the car as
he said, “Top secret, I’m afraid.”

“Well, I hope you do. He spies on
everyone.”

“I need proof, though,” Sean said
seriously. “I have someone collecting data, so we’ll see what he comes up
with.”

“Who’s collecting data?” Judy asked
Marcus.

“Me, obviously. Do you think he
would trust some reject with this kind of thing? You’d be shocked what I’m
finding. Thank God I’m not a chick or he’s not g*y. I’m surprised he gets
anything done!”

“Can we talk about something else?”
Krista said uncomfortably.

Sean’s eyes swung to her, unable to
help himself. Unable to read her face in the dark, he let his eyes rest for a
second, but then darted away again.

“Like how you stole my limelight
tonight?” Marcus asked with a mock pleasantness to his voice.

“Why, because I look better than
you?”

“Fat chance, gorgeous.”

“Oh, then because I’m more
fashionable?”

“Girl, you don’t even want to go
there!”

“Is it because I am, dare I say,
the ‘y’ word?”

“Oh no you did not try to throw age
into this!” Marcus said, getting totally ghetto with it. Ray and Judy were
cracking up.

“It’s because Marcus was supposed
to get the guy,” Ray said. Then Ray put his glass forward for more wine.

“Is that from the event?” Monica
asked, horrified.

Marcus rolled his eyes at Monica
then answered, “Tory was supposed to sit next to me.”

“Did you scare him earlier or
something?” Krista asked.

“Why?”

“Well, he seemed like he was on the
run. Like he was hiding out in nowheresville with me.”

“Probably hiding from the sales
superhero that followed him around all night,” Marcus said in a droll tone.

“Was that a dig at me or John?”
Sean asked in a flat voice.

“Someone get that man a drink!”
Marcus yelled. “He’s misplaced his humor.”

“You have to crack a joke that’s
funny if you want people to laugh,” Krista shot back.

Judy slapped Marcus on the leg as
she laughed.

“Now is a perfect time to mention a
well-placed ‘I told you so, Sean.’” Ray said, taking a gulp. “I told you Krista
could do it.”

Sean ignored him, not wanting to
hear it. Ray had been right—Krista, left to her own devices, could charm even
an unbeliever. Not only that, but she’d saved his ass tonight. Tory had smelled
the ambush and went running, trying to dodge. Sean would’ve lost him; scared
him away with his reputation alone. It was Krista who saved the day, and then
Sean had ostracized her for it. He was the biggest kind of ass**le imaginable.

He was still looking out the window
when he felt Monica’s leg press firmly against his. He ignored her, too.

Ray said, “I told him Krista knew
the most and should sit next to him. But did he listen to me? Noooooooo.”

“You guys should have seen when I
first met him at the bar,” Krista said as she looked at her lit phone screen.
“I didn’t know who he was, but I did know I was supposed to be chatty and
friendly with people, so while I was thinking of something to say, turned
toward him, with my freaking mouth open, looking at the sky—just standing
there, mind you …he finally asked if I was alright. He obviously thought I lost
my brain or something!”

Everyone started laughing, except
for Sean and Monica.

“Wait a minute. What is our little
Kristie up to?” Marcus said.

That was about when Marcus flipped
on the roof light. Krista looked up from her phone with a red face and guilty
expression. She didn’t need to explain. Sean’s intestines shriveled.

Marcus started laughing. “Booty
call, huh? Don’t feel bad about it, honey, I already placed mine!”

“I married mine. Tragic!” Judy
laughed.

“Me, too,” Ray said with a slight
slur. “Now it’s a booty beg.”

Apparently Sean was the only one in
the party who kept himself sober for the precession. Well, him and Monica.

Everyone but Sean looked at Ray,
stunned.

“Ray …dark horse,” Krista uttered
into the din.

That started a whole new wave of
laughter, which Ray joined in.

While Krista had been the last
picked up, she was the first dropped off. She was also halfway down the small
aisle, drunk, and slightly wobbly. Sean watched as she clambered out of her
seat, stumbling and half crawling down the small aisle of the limo. Monica
huffed at her amid the chorus of laughter, about to say something to Sean about
it, but Sean was already up, positioning himself near the door to intercept,
wanting to keep her from falling out on her face.