Playing With Power - Book 2: New Adult Office Romance (3 page)

“Oh my god, Sahra?” she exclaimed, her voice forced and high pitched. She folded the soiled napkin and stood to embrace her, remembering half way through the gesture how filthy she was. Sahra was polite enough to offer her hand instead.

“Lauren Kemp, I can’t believe my eyes. What on earth are you doing here? I haven’t seen you in what, five, six years?”

“Something like that, what a surprise!” She hoped Sahra couldn’t hear the insincerity in her voice. “How’ve you been? Here, have a seat.”

Lauren winced as Sahra had to step over a piece of broccoli the busboys had missed. She tossed her long black hair over her shoulder and smiled sweetly, balanced on the edge of the chair. They looked at each other wordlessly for several heartbeats, both waiting for the other to speak.

“Oh, and this is my friend Ali. Ali, Sahra.” She hoped Ali could relieve a bit of the awkwardness.

“We met at MIT, what feels like forever ago,” Sahra said as the girls shook hands. Ali smiled and took a sip of her drink, happy to blend into the scenery and spectate.
You just love watching me squirm,
Lauren thought. Sahra turned back and said, “What
are
you doing here? Aren’t you still living in New York?”

“Yeah, I’m just here for business. Obviously you’re still living here. Are you a true West Coaster now?”

“Oh, totally! I love it out here. You couldn’t pay me to move back to New York. People are too honest out there...” she laughed loudly. “But anyway, you look great like always.” She leaned toward Ali conspiratorially, looking Lauren up and down. “I was totally intimidated by her in college. Smart, gorgeous. All the guys in our class loved her. Who can compete with that?”

“Well, when you’ve got it, you’ve got it,” Ali responded coolly.

“Right? I was just the token Asian sidekick.”

“You weren’t the Asian—” Lauren started before getting cut off.

“Oh, it doesn’t matter now, that was forever ago! So you’re out here for work? God, I’m
really
busy myself but I can’t complain. I still have enough time to do a little modeling here and there and I’ve started making jewelry on the side, which is great. My boyfriend is CTO at Meep and we just became furparents!”

“Furparents?” Ali asked, biting back a giggle.

“Yupper! We adopted this little rescue Bichon Frise, hypoallergenic you know, cause of my allergies. Sampson is our little furbaby!” Sahra proudly presented her phone, swiping through photos of a tiny white dog looking tortured in various outfits.

“Ah.” Ali rolled her eyes and knocked the last of her cocktail back.

A bald man with dark skin approached and Lauren recognized him as one of the men she’d been with. Placing his hand on her shoulder he said, “Sorry to interrupt but Lee’s outside with the car.”

“Of course, I’ll be right there. Listen, Lauren, how long are you out here?” her dark eyes intense.

“Uh, well we’re flying back Friday but I have a pretty packed schedule—”

“Nonsense. We have to get together before you go! Anytime you can squeeze me in.” Sahra handed her a business card from her purse as she stood. “It was so great seeing you, Lauren. Please call me. Nice meeting you, too.”

“Mmmhmm,” Ali mumbled with a slight wave.

“God, I’m so fucking embarrassed,” said Lauren after she was sure Sahra had left the restaurant.

“I hate women who shake hands like that. You’re a normal person, shake my hand like a normal person. You aren’t a princess for fuck’s sake.”

“Why did she have to be here?” Lauren moaned.

“Oh don’t sweat it but you do realize you’re totally frenemies, right?”

“No we aren’t. We just haven’t seen each other in a long time,” she insisted.

“You didn’t notice the serious resentment lingering there? The Asian sidekick remark?
Oh em gee, totes furbaby, el o el.”

“Oh stop reading into things,” Lauren said slipping the card into her purse without looking at it. “It’s not like I’m actually gonna call her. Let’s give them a minute and then can we please get out of here? I think the crème fraîche is spoiling.”

3.

Over 200 people filled the large room. Lauren stood at the top of the stairs and looked out over the sea of business people mingling over their catered lunches. Only half way through the day and she was absolutely wrecked. The event had begun at 7:00 a.m. with a breakfast socializing event, which meant Lauren had gotten up before 6:00 a.m. to get ready, tiptoeing around the hotel room as to not wake Ali. There was something sadistic about having to socialize with strangers at such an early hour but the coffee had helped. The next few hours had been a combination of networking opportunities and presentations from various members of the startup world. Hungry and tired, Lauren just wanted to skip the rest of the event but knew if she did, it would somehow get back to Parker.

Her rumbling stomach made the decision for her, enticing her down the stairs and into the throng. With a plate piled high with sushi and finger foods, she spotted a somewhat quiet corner where she could peacefully eat.

Just as she popped a large piece of rainbow roll into her mouth, an overweight man in his late 30’s approached, sweat stains circling his armpits and neck.

“Hello, I’m Elliot,” he said extending his hand. Lauren shifted her plate to her left, motioned she had a mouthful of food, and held up the badge that hung from her neck.

Lauren Kemp

Lead Programmer

StyleSpur

“Nice to meet you Lauren! I’ll give you a minute to chew there,” he said. He eagerly smiled at her as she worked on the sushi, a part of her wishing she’d choke just to give her an excuse to get away.

“Hi Elliot,” she coughed, swallowing quickly. “How are you?”

“I’m doing fantastic, Lauren. How about yourself?”
He must be on something. No human is this perky naturally.

“Oh you know, better than some, worse than others.” Apparently this was the funniest response Elliot had ever heard. His bark of laughter was loud enough to echo through the large room, turning more than a few heads and startling Lauren in the process.

“That’s great. I love it! Can I steal it? Promise to give you credit every time I use it,” he said with a wink.

“Um, suuure.” Lauren wanted to melt into the floor. “So, Elliot. What do you do?” It seemed to be a safe enough question and one everyone opened with.

“Lauren, I’d love to tell you what I do. I work for Stationary Solutions, the largest distributor of stationary products to startups in Silicon Valley. No matter how digital our world gets, every office needs pens and paper, am I right?”

“Uh, yeah, I suppose that’s right.”

“Take yourself for example. You’re a programmer. How many times have you found yourself reaching for a pad of paper to jot down some idea? Maybe you’ve been disappointed by the quality of the pens your office manager has been purchasing. Cheap isn’t always cheerful!”

“I guess. Never really thought about it—”

“Lauren! That’s just it! Stationary Solutions makes it so you never
have
to think about it.”

Just then, a hand gently touched her elbow. A man with golden brown eyes and dirty blond hair appeared at her side, smiling mischievously. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked at him bewildered.
Maybe I’m dying of boredom and my brain created this male model as a coping strategy to save my sanity.

“I’m so sorry to interrupt, but I need to steal Lauren for a moment,” he said smoothly. Without another word, she allowed herself to be guided away from Elliot who was left gaping. When the man slipped his hand to the small of her back, Lauren was afraid her knees might buckle. “I apologize for being so forward but I couldn’t stand another second of that,” he whispered in her ear.

“He wasn’t that bad,” she replied, not wanting to sound like a bitch.

“Lauren, right? Lauren, I know you like to use pens, right Lauren? Well, Lauren, have I got just the pen for you.” She laughed despite herself. “Oh, it’s all in good fun. Look, he’s already onto another mark,” he said pointing to Elliot’s sweaty back.

They found a small space near the windows. She quickly glanced at his chest, looking for the badge with his name and info but found nothing. She checked his trouser pockets, remembering that a few men had clipped their badges there. Nothing. With a start, she realized it made her look like she was checking him out. A blush rising in her cheeks she stammered, “I don’t think it’s fair you know my name and I don’t know yours.”

“Landon DeWitt,” he replied offering his hand. “Nice to meet you, Lauren Kemp from StyleSpur.”

Lauren had never before met someone that nearly took her breath away. Even touching his hand, a gesture she’d done hundreds of times, elicited an exciting response. He was probably a little over six feet tall and tan. She noticed his cheeks dimpled slightly when he smiled.
Get yourself together, woman!
“It’s nice to meet you as well. Are you here with anybody?”

“Now who’s the forward one? I suppose these meetups are a bit like speed dating,” he laughed.

“Oh god, no. I meant are you here representing a company.”

“Nope, I’m single as they come,” he replied with a sly smile. “I’m actually presenting after lunch if you’re interested.”

“Let me check. My boss scheduled me into specific seminars...” she said fumbling to pull up the itinerary on her phone. Afraid she was making an absolute fool of herself, she was glad to have an excuse to break eye contact. He leaned close and scrolled to his module, the heat of his arm against hers sending electrical shock waves through her body. “There?” she asked.

“That’s it. ‘Venture Capitalists: What do they want and how to give it to them.’ Sounds a lot more seductive than it really is, I’m afraid.” She was both thankful and sorry when he pulled away.

“No, it sounds right up my alley, actually. It’s what we’re here for, right?” She realized she was still holding a full plate of food but her hunger had disappeared the moment Landon touched her. She set the plate down beside the window, took a deep breath, and tried to compose herself. If only her stomach would stop doing that weird flutter!

“Oh wait, StyleSpur—” he said leaning on his back leg. “You’re based in New York, right?”

“Midtown Manhattan.”

“No shit. Parker Jarvis is your CEO isn’t he?” He took a step closer, his eyebrows furrowed, and dramatically looked her up and down from each side.

“What is it? What’re you doing?” she laughed nervously, smoothing her skirt.

“I’m just checking to see if you actually have an asshole magnet stuck to you somewhere. Between our friend Elliot and Parker, you seem to easily attract them.”

“Are you saying you’re an asshole?” Lauren said, finally feeling like she had a chance to gain the upper hand conversationally.

“Not at all. I was attracted to you for a completely different reason.” His steady gaze nearly melted her. He was confident without being cocky, sure of himself without being abrasive. He smiled softly realizing he’d left her flustered and continued. “I’ve met Parker before, a few times. He’s quite the character. How long have you worked there?”

“I was actually their first hire, so just over three years.”

“Pretty and the patience of a saint then. I’m genuinely impressed. Even Parker’s own family can’t stand him for that long.”

“He’s uh,” Lauren paused searching for the right words, “pretty particular, yes.”

“He’s a sexist dick head but I appreciate your diplomacy,” said Landon. He scratched the back of his neck absentmindedly, tempting Lauren to bit her lip.
I am
so
glad I didn’t leave early,
Lauren thought.

Completely wrapped up in their conversation, Lauren hadn’t noticed that the crowd was thinning out. People were starting to trickle away from the lunch and grab seats for the next class, something Landon seemed to realize at the same time and checked his watch.

“Ah, nearly time for me to start.” He took her hand in his and said, “It was a pleasure meeting you, Lauren. I hope to see you in the crowd.”

“Th-thank you, you too,” she stammered. With a parting smile, he left her in the quickly emptying room. She took another deep breath and let it out slowly, her pounding heart finally slowing. For moments she stood, her mind reeling until she realized she’d have to hurry if she wanted to grab a seat in time to watch his presentation.

4.

The small, bustling auditorium felt claustrophobic and irritating. Networking and schmoozing continued in the aisles, overly happy expressions plastered on nearly every face. Lauren paused in the doorway and scanned for empty seats, briefly considering just standing out of the way in the back. A bank of bright lights illuminated the stage ahead, a single microphone stand waiting. Not used to high heels, her aching feet screamed for relief.
Who knows when I’ll have another chance to sit down.

As she weaved around the small groups, a voice rang out, “Lauren!” She ignored it, assuming that obviously they were calling for another Lauren but the voice was so insistent she felt compelled to look. Glancing to the middle section of the auditorium, she did a double take. There was Sahra, hands cupped to the sides of her mouth, shouting for Lauren’s attention. When they made eye contact she jumped up and waved.