Now, Please (6 page)

“He has an assistant that watches potential marks pretty closely. He would’ve tried to catch Bruce at dinner. Failing that, he would’ve followed soon after Bruce left. I just hope not too much damage has been done.”

“Won’t it be a little obvious that your father is following him around like a begging dog?”

“He’s sly. He’s had a lot of experience in this sort of thing.”

“I think you give the man too much credit.”

We came upon an area with small, circular tables positioned around the floor near a short bar with glittering bottles of alcohol on glass shelves. A man with a white apron and a large belly shook a silver canister behind the bar.

Bruce sat at one of the small tables. Three other white bucket seats surrounded the table, one of them occupied by Hunter’s nemesis.

“I will say that it’s scary how well you know your dad,” I murmured.

“He taught me his tactics. He wasn’t impressed when I called them unethical and refused to follow his teaching.”

The hairs stood up on my arms with the viciousness in Hunter’s voice, and the harshness of his tone. We walked up to the table, me smiling, Hunter doing his customary blank face.

Bruce glanced up with a troubled expression. Upon recognizing us, he stood and put out his hand. “Sit, please. I guess I don’t have to ask if you know Rodge.”

Rodge laughed good-naturedly. He made no move to leave. Instead, he rested his hand on the back of the chair next to him. “Please, have a seat, Olivia. It’s nice to see you again.”

His slimy voice curdled my smile. I stepped back as if the chair was on fire. “I’ll just get a round of drinks, shall I?”

“Of course not. Sit here,” Hunter said in his commanding voice, pulling out the seat next to Bruce.

I scurried over and took the seat gratefully, noticing Rodge’s hand slowly slide off the top of the seat as his eyes turned hard. A predatory smile graced his face as he ticked his head in a “whatever you wish” sort of way.

“What can I get everyone?” Hunter hadn’t dropped the roughness from his voice.

“They have a cute little waitress that comes around,” Rodge said easily, crossing a leg over his ankle. “Sit, son. Join us. We were just discussing why I wouldn’t lay anyone off if I was granted the buyout.”

Hunter sat without expression. He glanced at me. “Do you need anything?”

“I’ll just wait for a drink.”

“Yes, talking business in front of disinterested parties would be incredibly boring.” Bruce turned in his seat and put a finger in the air. The waitress bustled over immediately.

“I’ll have another.” Bruce held up his empty glass.

Rodge tapped his glass and gave the woman a wink.

“Another?” She nodded at him, answering her own question. Her attention turned to Hunter. He looked at me.

“Do you have Blue Moon?” I asked.

“Blue Moon?” She nodded at me before looking back at Hunter again. She’d answered her own question again.

“Your best scotch, neat,” Hunter said.

“Please,” I muttered.

“What’s that?” Bruce asked as the woman moved away, leaning toward me.

“Oh.” I bit my lip before allowing a sheepish smile. “Just finishing Hunter’s sentence. You know…the social etiquette thing…” I scratched my cheek to put a barrier between Hunter’s eyes and my red face.

Bruce’s booming laugh rocketed out across the mostly empty bar area.

“My son has never had great manners,” Rodge said with laughter in his voice.

As Hunter’s expression darkened, I waved Rodge away. “Not at all. The man is a first-grade gentleman in most things. He’s the only man who’s ever stood when I got up, or pulled my chair out and waited until I sat. That’s old school, right there. He’s just used to giving orders.” I leaned back as the waitress came back with drinks. “Just have to get used to it. Everyone has their quirks.”

“That is true.” Bruce took his beer from the waitress. She put the rest of the drinks on the table and wandered away.

“So how have you found the lectures so far?” Bruce asked Hunter.

Hunter reached for his scotch unhurriedly. “For a beginner, perhaps they have some value. But I find some of the theories rather limiting.”

“You haven’t learned anything, then?” Rodge asked with a straight face. His eyes glimmered as he swirled his whisky lazily. The ice cube clinked off the sides of the glass as it swam around. He hid the tension with his son surprisingly easily.

Hunter’s jaw tightened. Clearly he found hiding the tension more difficult. “No, and I doubt you did either. Hopefully the topics will prove more interesting tomorrow. You were smart for missing a few, Bruce.” Hunter took a sip and put his glass back on the table.

“Yes. I got to work on my hobby without my wife nagging that I need to get out of my office.” Bruce nodded at me. “Did you update?”

“Yeah. But, honestly, I didn’t see any difference.”

“It was more the early levels. You’re almost finished with the game. Smart girl.”

Rodge leaned forward with just the trace of a smile, his eyes taking on that predatory quality again. Clearly he didn’t like being left out of a conversation. I had no doubt he’d try to interrupt as soon as he could. People like him weren’t happy unless they were dominating the conversation. If they weren’t talking at you, they were talking over you.

Polite me would’ve tried to include everyone, but this was business. I needed to keep Bruce’s focus. Besides, Rodge sucked. I loved having an excuse to verbally spit in his eye.

“I told you, I need to shut off from time to time,” I said to Bruce. “And I can program, too. I can see how you set the game up, to some extent. I’ve learned your rules, so now it’s just a matter of exploiting them.”

“You cheat!” Bruce pointed at me with a beaming smile.

“I analyze,” I corrected.

“She’d be great in business,” Rodge said, leaning closer to Bruce. “If only I’d found her first.”

Bruce didn’t acknowledge him. His eyes had taken on that focused gaze that meant he was thinking about his hobby. “You’re right in the middle of my age demographic. I would love your insight on a new game I’m designing. Especially because, right now, it’s geared more toward men. My daughter hates it. Maybe you can help me with content, and then proof the bugs that always crop up…”

“Oh, that’s right—she’s in computers, correct, Olivia?” Rodge asked. He tried to catch my eye. “You went to Stanford, didn’t you?”

With some effort, I ignored the direct question. I didn’t even glance in Rodge’s direction. Focusing solely on Bruce, I said, “Yeah, sure, if you want. I don’t have oodles of time, but I should definitely get a hobby. It would be nice to use my education.”

“Stanford, huh?” Bruce nodded, a gleam to his eyes. “Yes. This could work.”

“What I have for you tomorrow can wait, Livy,” Hunter said in a non-concerned tone. “You’ll have plenty of time to speak with Bruce.”

“That’d be fun to sit in on,” Rodge tried again, leaning way forward in his chair.

In contrast, Hunter leaned way back, crossing his ankle over his knee. Utterly relaxed. He was letting me lead.

Bruce snatched his phone off the table and started pecking at the screen. “I have a couple-hour stretch.” He glanced at me in excitement, like a kid discussing building a tree house. “Give me your room number and I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Okay. If it gets me out of work, I’m all in.” I laughed and sipped my drink.

Bruce winked at Hunter. “I’ll owe you one.”

“Well, it’s not like Hunter will be particularly put out.” Rodge laughed good-naturedly. “She’s just an admin, after all. Lovely to have around, but not really integral to the business.”

Rodge had progressed to using cheap shots now, had he? He thought I was useless as well as worthless?

Ordinarily I’d roll my eyes. I didn’t care what a man like him thought. Especially since his admins
were
probably useless. They were probably pretty, dumb, and eager. He probably paid them next to nothing, too. But if playing the wounded dove got Rodge a sour look, I’d ham it up.

I let the smile melt from my face. Lowering my eyes, I picked at my nail, trying to portray how bad that comment stung.
Woe is me, I’m just a lowly admin.

Glancing up through my eyelashes to see if they were buying it would definitely blow my cover. Instead, I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear and hunched my shoulders. I leaned toward Hunter and quietly said, “I think I’ll hit the ladies’ room.”

He stood immediately and pulled back my chair so I could get out. I felt his hand slide down my back as I moved away.

It was irritating that I had to let Rodge think he had got the upper hand. I hated showing him my vulnerability, even just pretending. But if Bruce grew even a little indignant on my behalf, it’d be worth it. Tarnishing Rodge’s character would be the first step toward victory. Hunter and I
had
to beat that snake of a man.

After I washed up, I made my way back out to the table. I noticed Hunter’s vacant seat right away. I also saw that Bruce sat rigid, looking at his beer. Rodge was smiling and chatting as if nothing had happened.

Both men glanced up when I returned.

“Ah, you’re back.” Rodge beamed up at me. “It’s much more dismal when all the beauty leaves.”

I gave him a placating smile before asking Bruce, “Speaking of beauty—where’s Hunter?”

“Here.” That velvety voice made me shiver as Hunter came around me. He didn’t place his hand on my back, but his eyes delved into me, connecting intimately. “Did you want to head back?”

In confusion, I looked at my beer level. It was still half full. His scotch was, too. I frowned. “Can’t leave fallen soldiers behind.” I met his concerned eyes again and lowered my voice so the others wouldn’t hear. “Why? Are you okay?”

“I’m more concerned about you, Olivia,” he whispered, turning his body to face me, cutting the other two out. “If you’re uncomfortable, we’ll leave right now.”

It dawned on me that Hunter didn’t know I was acting. He didn’t know me well enough to know that someone like Rodge wouldn’t affect me. Nor did he realize the power of a six-figure salary to a poor girl with a bunch of debt. I’d shovel dirt with a smile on my face for six figures. I’d wander around this place and serve coffee—who cared? There were way worse things. Like living on the streets.

“Oh, no. I’m good. Well, my feet hurt a little, but another beer should cure that issue.” I patted him on the shoulder and moved to my seat. He braced his hands on my chair until I was comfortable. Only then did he sit down himself.

“So what would you do with my company, Olivia?” Bruce said with a bright tone as he settled back. His eyes were serious, though.

Maybe I’d hammed it up a little too much…

“I’d probably wander into your IT department and geek out.” I laughed and sipped my drink.

“Yes, you probably would. I’ve spent a lot of time there.” Bruce looked out over the bar. “I have a problem. I have three different voices telling me different things about what they would do, but I have no idea what would be best for the employees.”

“Well, preserving them, certainly,” Rodge said easily, lightly resting a hand on Bruce’s chair to make himself known. I couldn’t tell if he knew he’d dug himself a hole a moment ago.

Bruce glanced at Rodge with a contemplative expression, giving Rodge the platform he needed. Boy did Rodge take it and run. He leaned back and began a long-winded explanation about how he could keep the employees and their expertise, and still grow the company. He talked on and on, using business jargon and patting himself on the back at every opportunity.

My eyes glazed over in boredom and I signaled the waitress. When she showed up, thankfully Rodge paused in his speech, giving me a moment to say what had come into my head. “Keeping on the extra people would mean a long, boring day for those without anything to do. If I was in that situation, I’d go crazy.”

“I can’t imagine you’d sing that tune if you were the one losing her job,” Rodge said with a condescending smile.

“I live cheaply. I was stressing after college because I didn’t have any income, but if I had unemployment, especially with all the extensions the state is granting, I’d survive. I’d rather job-hunt with a free day and money coming in than go to work and hate my whole day.”

“Yes, well—”

“What do you think, Hunter?” Bruce interrupted. “You’ve been awfully quiet.”

Hunter didn’t so much as shift positions. “I don’t have an opinion that you’d want to hear in a bar. A takeover is not a ten-minute debate over just one issue. For example, you have too many people as it is. The extra salary expense is siphoning off what you could be putting into product development. More redundancies in staff means a bigger money pit, not to mention it eats away at morale when you have people walking around half-dead with boredom, as Olivia said.

“No, I wouldn’t keep on the extras. I’d offer a healthy package, aiming at the younger crowd who would stick out their hand with a smile and then go blow it in Europe. Then I would focus on breathing new life into your old hobby. The possibilities just five years down the road would excite you, I’m sure. But that will all take time and planning—things hard to express with an opposing viewpoint seated next to me.”

“Point proven, decidedly.” I widened my eyes and grimaced comically at Bruce over the rim of my glass. I lowered my voice to a stage whisper. “He sure told us.”

He laughed and stood. “Yes he did. Food for thought. Well, I need to hit the hay. My mind is whirling from all this business talk.”

“Mine is half-dead with boredom,” I said with a smile before I sipped my drink.

Bruce said, “Thanks for joining me. I’ll see you in the lectures tomorrow.” His gaze hit mine. “Which room are you in? I’ll call the room tomorrow to see what time you can come geek out with me.”

I gave him the number as Hunter stood. He put a hand out to help me up. “We’ll head away, too, I think. It’s late.”

It was barely nine o’clock, but I took a swig and stood anyway. Without bothering to look at Rodge, the snake, I tucked my hand into Hunter’s arm and let him lead me away. We trailed behind Bruce a little and gave a wave when he turned a corner. As we exited the building and found the golf carts, Hunter said, “You’re a genius. I hadn’t thought about young people who wouldn’t mind being laid off. And I bet Bruce hadn’t, either. That helps me a great deal, Livy.”