Playing With Power - Book 2: New Adult Office Romance (5 page)

Hearing that, Ali jumped up and down, flapping her hands like a flightless bird trying to take off. Lauren turned her back and covered her other ear with her free hand.

“I was already on my way out of the city when the idea struck me so I figured, why turn back when I can bring you up here with me.”

“And where exactly is ‘up here’?”

“I’m at my little place in Sonoma. Plenty of spare rooms, great restaurants around here. You and your friend are welcome to stay over the weekend. I have plenty of work to do so it’ll feel more like a vacation than business, I promise. Plus, I’ve got a nice little barbecue planned for the fourth.”

“It’s a little presumptuous, don’t you think?” Lauren felt a bit put out. She didn’t like being passed around like a commodity, plans made without any of her input.

“I’m giving you the opportunity. It’s completely your decision whether you take it or not. I have to go but I hope I see you pulling up in a couple of hours. Take care, Lauren.”

She hung up the phone and stared blankly at the screen until it went dark.

“I swear, I’m gonna straight up slap you if you don’t tell me what’s going on.”

Lauren said in a nearly monotone voice, “He called the office and arranged for us to stay over the weekend at his house in Sonoma. A limo is coming to pick us up in an hour if we want to go. Apparently he wants to go over stuff for StyleSpur. Oh, and he’s having a party for the fourth.”

“If we want to go?” she said incredulously. “
If
? You’re kidding, right?” Ali was already stuffing her clothes into a suitcase. “When a rich gorgeous man invites you up to his vacation house in Sonoma-frickin-California, you go.”

“But don’t you think it’s a little weird?”

“Yes, but again, when an extremely wealthy, connected, and well-known investor invites you to his vacation house for Fourth of July weekend, you go. It’s fine! He’s not just some guy off the street. We’ve already Googled him and we’ll be together. I’m not getting any rapey vibes here and to be honest, I wouldn’t mind if that guys locked me his basement dungeon for a while. Now, get your ass in gear and start packing!”

“Okay, I suppose it beats what we were planning on doing.” Lauren grabbed her suitcase and paused. “This is completely crazy, right? Like, totally bonkers?”

“Completely and you just got another text.”

Lauren practically leapt across the room to grab it off the bed.

Sorry Lauren, something came up, I couldn’t tell you straight away. An investor, Landon DeWitt, called the office and offered to pay to change your flights. I accidentally let it slip you were with Ali, sorry! It’s already come through, I’ll forward the reservations now.

“I can’t believe any of this is happening,” she muttered.

“What? What now? Is he flying us to St. Kitts or something?”

“You got your wish, Llama. We’re flying back first class,” she said shaking her head in disbelief.

She rushed over to Lauren and took her face in her hands. She kissed each cheek with a loud smack. “I am so unbelievably happy I came on the this trip with you,” she declared before bouncing away in celebration.

Lauren could do little more than laugh as she packed up her things, her mind a jumble.
Is this just business or something more? What if I misread the entire situation and he really just does want to talk about StyleSpur? I have to remain completely professional until I’m sure...but even then, what about Nick? I shouldn’t even be having feelings for someone else yet, right?

Traffic was light as the limo cruised over the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a rare clear day so the girls took photos of the city, poking their heads through the sunroof like a couple of kids headed to prom. They settled into their seats and after a little giggly deliberation, decided to pour a couple vodka tonics from the wet bar. Ali was in the mood to celebrate but Lauren simply needed to settle her nerves. This whole thing was so unlike any experience she’d ever had. The day before, she hadn’t even been aware of Landon’s existence yet here she was going up to stay at his vacation house for the weekend.
It’s business,
she chastised herself.
I’m getting all worked up over something that will probably turn out to be nothing at all.

With the city behind them, Lauren was surprised how quickly the suburbs trickled away to rural land. The colors shifted to muted browns and oranges, almost the colors of the desert. The California landscape was everything she’d expected but at the same time surprising. The iconic palm trees were a familiar sight but she hadn’t anticipated the beautiful steep, undulating hills created by eons of tectonic activity. With sun-bleached grasses and groves of trees sprouting from the small valleys, it was almost as if she could see the Earth moving and shifting before her eyes.

After a few twists and turns, they found themselves cruising through wine country. Huge vineyards dotted the landscape, the tan grasses giving way to lush greens. The perfectly ordered and straight rows of vines hugged the terrain, rolling and curling with the ground. The hills opened up and offered long breathtaking views of the valleys below. They passed several handsome estates offering wine tasting and vineyard tours, their parking lots filled to the brim.

“You do realize we’re doing that before we go, right?” Ali said pointing out the window. “Nothing is more upper class than getting drunk in the middle of the day on an expensive bottle of wine.”

The limo slipped through the small town of Sonoma. Through the tinted windows, Lauren saw tourists strolling the sidewalks. They ducked into art galleries and antique stores hunting for that one treasure they could take back home. It was a quaint town that was obviously dependent on tourism yet remained authentic enough to still feel like a hidden gem. The trip became much more interesting as the town disappeared behind them. A few miles down the road, the limo turned on to a smaller road and pulled to the shoulder, parking in front of a black convertible. Ali and Lauren looked at each other in confusion.

“What’s going on?” Lauren asked. The driver of the convertible was removing their luggage when their door opened.

It was as if they stepped into an oven. The cooling effects of the bay far behind them, the heat truly felt like California in the summer. Her body quickly growing damp with sweat, Lauren repeated her question to the driver.

“The road becomes too narrow and winding for the limo to safely navigate. Mr. DeWitt has arranged for this car to take you the rest of the way.”

Lauren turned to Ali and saw she was still holding her drink. Ali raised the glass, downed it in one gulp, and handed it to the driver.

“I knew I packed my booty shorts for a reason! Let’s go!”

Lauren called thanks over her shoulder as Ali pulled her towards the convertible, now packed with their things. This driver looked more like a gardener or housekeeper, with his tanned skin and dirt stained white shirt. He held the seat forward as they climbed into the back. Ali folded in her impossibly long legs and the girls buckled up.

“All set back there?” he asked, elbow flung over the back of the seat.

“Yeah, how far is it?” Lauren asked. She was growing more anxious by the minute.

“Only a few miles, we’ll be there soon.”

The convertible peeled away from the shoulder, spitting rocks and dust in it’s wake. The girls let out surprised yelps and latched on to each other, laughing. The breeze felt great and instantly dried the sweat on her brow. Within a mile she understood why the limo couldn’t go any further. While paved, the road resembled a mountain path full of steep switch backs. Left and right, left and right they made the dizzying climb through a thickening forest. The road was dotted with gated drive ways and they could only catch glimpses of the sprawling mansions hidden deep within.

“Listen, I wasn’t going to say this but now that we’re getting closer I have to. Because you’re with me and because I’m here on business, we need to be on our best behavior, okay?”

“You mean
I
have to be on
my
best behavior,” Ali said with a smirk.

“Both of us. I just don’t want to blow this.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s not gonna be a business deal you’re blowing this weekend.” Lauren slapped her knee and hoped the driver hadn’t heard her. She hated that Ali could see right through her.

“Just business and a little bit of controlled, adult fun.” Ali opened her mouth but Lauren cut in, “Not that kind of adult fun. Fun that you have like when your parents and grandparents are around, okay? You perv.”

Just as Lauren started to feel nauseous from the movement, the car slowed and stopped in front of one such gate. After a pause, the gate opened, the house appearing through the trees as they slowly made their way down the drive.

“Holy shit,” Ali whispered.

The driver smiled. “Pretty nice, eh? Wait till you see the other side.” He grabbed their bags from the trunk and led them through the front door. “I’ll take these to your rooms. Mr. DeWitt is in the middle of a long business call but wanted you to make yourselves comfortable out on the patio. There’s a bar and some food prepared. My name is Phillip and if there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Thank you, Phillip,” Lauren smiled.

Ali grabbed Laurens hand as they walked through the house to the back, their heels echoing on the tile.

The contemporary architecture was masculine and simple. Sharp corners, dark stone, and huge expanses of windows that felt as though the house were part of the forest outside. They walked through the open plan kitchen and living room and stepped out on to the patio. A variety of seats and lounge chairs surrounded the deck side of the infinity pool. A small spread of berries, cheeses, meat, and crackers was arranged on the counter beside the clay oven. Lauren grabbed an ice cube from the chilling wine and held it against her neck, noticing that the forest was expertly cleared to provide an amazing view of the green valley below.

“This is just...unbelievable,” Lauren said in a hushed voice. She was uncomfortable not knowing where in the house Landon was, so she kept her voice low. The girls grabbed a little food and two glasses of wine and reclined by the pool.

“I feel like I’m in an episode of Cribs. Or Punk’d...I don’t know, something produced by MTV. I’m just saying, if Ashton Kutcher pops out somewhere, I wouldn’t be surprised,” Ali said before biting into a juicy strawberry.

“Well, I didn’t expect this to happen when I woke up this morning. I’m literally going to sweat to death out here. I didn’t bring anything to wear for this kind of weather.” Uncomfortable, Lauren pulled her long T-shirt away from her sweaty skin.

“You can borrow something of mine for tonight and we can do a little shopping tomorrow.”

The girls chatted quietly for over a half an hour. The wine did a great job settling Lauren’s nerves until she heard Landon’s voice echo in the house behind them. It sounded like he was finishing up a phone call while walking towards the pool. Her heart racing, Lauren did her best impression of calm.

“Ladies, I’m so sorry to have kept you waiting.”

He was barefoot in shorts and a white T-shirt, his blond hair tousled. She was surprised to see more than a couple tattoos, some exposed, some shadows under the shirt but all expertly placed to be hidden by business attire. The girls stood awkwardly as he approached.

“Lauren, I’m so happy you made it,” he said shaking her hand with a quick kiss on the cheek.

“I can’t thank you enough for inviting us. Your home is amazing. This is my friend Alanna. Everyone calls her Ali or Llama, but that’s a long story you probably don’t want to hear.” Lauren bit her tongue as she started to ramble.

“You can just call me Ali, that’s fine,” she said sweetly, extending her hand and offering her cheek.

“It’s a pleasure. Well, I’m glad to see you helped yourself to refreshments. I was just about to get started on dinner but I can show you to your rooms first. By the time you freshen up, dinner should be just about ready.”

As he led the way to their rooms, down a hallway to the left, Ali silently went crazy. Mouthing
hubba hubba
behind his back, she pretended to swoon, to pant...generally, she looked like a Warner Bros. cartoon from the 1940’s. Luckily, Landon didn’t see her antics but Lauren cringed at the thought of an entire weekend like this.

6.

Lauren leaned back in the deck chair with a satisfied groan. She glanced at Ali who was trying to fork up every last morsel and wondered if she would go so far as to lick the plate. Dinner was seared salmon over a bed of fresh summer vegetables and quinoa. Landon had whipped together an amazing sauce that was better than anything Lauren had ever tasted.

“That was delicious,” she said wiping her mouth with a paper napkin. “Where did you learn to cook like that? Don’t tell me you’re a trained chef too.”

“No, no. A little more depressing than that,” he said as he gathered the plates together. Lauren snatched hers before he could take it and followed him into the kitchen.

“When my parents split, they both became workaholics so I suddenly had a lot of free time on my hands. With no brothers or sisters to play with, I did what any normal 12-year-old boy does...I got hooked on cooking programs.” He was rinsing the plates off and setting them in the sink. Their fingers brushed as Lauren handed him a plate, the connection brief but lasting.