Playing with Power - Book 3: New Adult Office Romance (4 page)

Lauren was so tense she nearly shouted when the HipChat message popped up from Parker.

Lauren, conference room...bring your A-game

Nearly an hour after his arrival, Lauren found herself walking toward Landon. Strangely, as she approached the conference room doors, all she could think of were the reality shows her roommate Jessica always watched. She felt a sudden rush of empathy for the contestants walking to their fate; to be voted out, fired, eliminated.
I’m never going to laugh at them again, I swear. God, this is it. My legs are shaking so much. I feel like I’ve had two pots of coffee.
Coherent thought fled her mind as she pushed the door open.

There he was.

Parker bizarrely got to his feet and greeted her warmly. “Of course you know our Lauren,” he said guiding her over to Landon like a prize. The moment they made eye contact, time seemed to move too quickly and too slowly all at once.

“Of course, so nice to see you again,” he replied standing. He extended his hand and she instinctively took it. Her mind went completely blank, her body running on instinct. She held her breath as he leaned in and kissed her cheek. Like photographs, memories and images burst forth. The way his stubble had scratched her chin the first time they kissed in the pool, pressed against the wall, their slippery skin touching. The smell of his cologne, the same as the one he’d worn to the beach.
I think he was even wearing that same shirt the first time I saw him at the conference.

“You too,” she managed to say sheepishly. She quickly took a seat opposite. Attempting to ignore the nervous sweat, the obvious flush in her cheeks, and overwhelming nausea, she focused on Parker. “So, how can I help?”

“Great question. See? That’s why we love her around here, such a great attitude. I was just catching Landon up on our latest sales projections and we started to head into some technical territory, so I thought who better?”

“I was just telling Parker how impressed I was with you when we met in California,” Landon said. Lauren was sure they could both hear her heart pounding in her chest.

Taking a deep breath, Lauren spoke.“Well, thank you. I, uh, it’s easy to be passionate about something you believe in.”

Landon’s eyes were intent on hers. She gripped her hands together to keep them from violently shaking. “Oh, it wasn’t just your passion I was impressed with. It was your obvious talent, caring, and attention to detail. I knew when I met you, when you told me about this company,” he said glancing at Parker, “I knew I had to get involved.”
Oh sweet—what is he doing? Is he trying to kill me?

“It’s a good thing you did before someone else got in here. Things move so quickly in this industry, don’t they? Here, I think I’ll move the presentation back a little and we can continue.” Parker strolled over to the laptop in the corner.

With Parker’s back turned, Lauren glanced across the table and caught Landon’s eye, giving him a flustered look. He smiled warmly and winked, his warm brown eyes sparkling. Instantly, she felt the stress of their reunion fade only to be replaced with another worry. Like a slap across the face, she realized she’d been so caught up in seeing him again, she’d completely forgotten the deceit they were attempting to pull under Parker’s nose. If he caught any hint, the slightest suggestion that something was going on between them, MyBFC could fail before it even began. She’d lose her job and possibly face lawsuits that could ruin her professional career. This sobering thought focused her mind, clearing it of the nervy fog she’d been living under for the last day.

Luckily, Landon took control of the meeting straight away. She could tell by Parker’s reaction that this was a dramatic shift from the conversation they’d been having before she’d entered. For over a half an hour, he relentlessly pinned Parker down, lobbing her a few softball questions to make it appear as though he weren’t on a full offensive. Not only was it extremely satisfying to watch Parker writhe under pressure, they were valid questions that poked holes in their business plan. Lauren found herself appreciating Landon on a new level. It was obvious his reputation as a sharp businessman was well-earned.

“Our clients are excited to continue their relationships—”

“Are they? Really? Because I know a few people over at H&M who are starting to question their partnership with StyleSpur,” his tone making it almost sound like an accusation. “While they may have originally appreciated the novelty of what you do, they don’t like the fact that the more customers using your service means fewer go into stores. It’s much more difficult to create a brand atmosphere online. Customers lose out on the chance to browse and impulse buy, to feel like they’re
part
of an image.” Parker was momentarily speechless. Lauren couldn’t help but think,
That’s a really good point. We should probably talk about that later.

A palpable silence stretched between them, Parker’s face contorting as he searched for the right words to counter. Lauren sat looking at her lap trying not to smile or reveal how impressed she was. Landon continued is a more amiable tone, “Well, I think that’s enough for right now. I’d like to have a look over your offices if you don’t mind.”

Parker quickly recovered. “Of course! Tell you what, if you aren’t busy, why don’t we head out for an early lunch? I’ve got the perfect place in mind.”

“Sounds great. My flight isn’t until later so I have plenty of time, thank you.” Landon folded his suit jacket over his arm, slung a leather bag over his shoulder and made for the door. “Lauren, I’d love it if you introduced me to some of the staff you told me about.”

“Yes, of course!”

“Actually, Lauren, if you don’t mind hanging back for a second. I’ll send her right out,” he said over her head to Landon. Parker’s face remained calm, almost friendly, but his tone dramatically dropped. Apparently Faith and Lauren weren’t the only ones who were aware of their constant visibility in the office. “This asshole, what a piece of work. I have to hand it to you, if you spent a weekend with this jackass and he’s still interested, you’re a lot better at this than I thought you were.”

“I think he’s just very thorough.”

“No, he’s a jackass. I’ve met guys like him before. They get this weird power trip by knocking other people down. I’m the one doing the actual fucking work, what does he do? Floats in here, makes me beg for money, and then takes a cut of my business and I’m supposed to be grateful?” Parker was nearly spitting mad yet spoke through a fake smile, which completely creeped Lauren out. He took a deep breath and continued, “You’re coming to lunch with us.”

“What? No!”

“Would you like to answer that question again?” he said through gritted teeth. “He obviously likes you, you spent time at his house, you have a good rapport with him. I’m not doing very well one-on-one. Do I need to continue?”

“I’m just surprised. I’ve never gone on one of these lunch meetings,” she said looking through the window to Landon. Faith had scooped him up and was introducing him to various people in the main office.

“You are now. Slap on another coat of lipstick cause we’re about to kiss some major ass.” Lauren rolled her eyes and walked away. As the door closed behind her she heard him say, “I appreciate how hot you look today. Good to see you putting some effort in.”

As they entered The Modern, Lauren felt out of depth and more than a little under-dressed. This Michelin star restaurant, tucked inside the Museum of Modern Art, was filled with natural sunlight. They were seated at a table facing the courtyard. Museum guests wandered between an array of suggestive and beautiful sculptures. She did her best to act like this was something she did every Wednesday afternoon but felt more like a child pretending to be adult. The food was incredible, the atmosphere bright and creative. More than a few times she looked across the table to Landon and briefly imagined they were on their first date. She suspected the feeling was mutual, her heart skipping a beat every time she caught him looking at her.

Lauren felt like a hormone-crazed teenager. She and Nick had only slept together once since she’d returned from California. After realizing their physical attraction would make mending their relationship more difficult, Lauren told him she wasn’t ready to continue. In fact, she’d started to wonder if the only reason she stayed with Nick this long was because it was familiar. Plus, the sex was always so good. There was something about having Landon just feet away that made her body go into overdrive. She loved knowing the long sleeved shirt concealed his secret tattoos and imagined ripping it off his body. Remembering the night they’d shared, barely sleeping, exploring each other for hours, Lauren couldn’t concentrate. Inevitably, Parker’s voice broke through her fantasies. The barely-functioning alcoholic had insisted they all begin with cocktails despite the early hour. She and Landon still sipping their first, Parker had just received his third. The conversation was casual and loose, growing looser with every drink. For most of the lunch he’d skirted a pretty tasteless line until jumping right over the edge.

“See, I have this theory,” he slurred. He’d unbuttoned the top button of his shirt and sat sloppily in his chair, seemingly unaware of his appearance. “Men are like fine wine. We just get better and better the older we get. Our market value is always increasing, right? But women have a wall, a definite point where they start depreciating in value. You know what I mean,” he said to Landon.

“I’m afraid I don’t,” he replied. The sardonic tone completely flying over Parker’s head.

“So take Lauren for example,” he gestured to his left toward her. Inwardly, she cringed.
Don’t do this.
“She’s in her prime. Mid-twenties, thin, gorgeous but that doesn’t last forever. Things start to sag plus, the older she gets, the more retarded her kids’ll be.”

“Parker! I don’t think this is really an appropriate conversation—” Lauren started.

“Oh hush, I’m saying you’re hot as hell now,” he leaned on his elbow and pointed at her. “You should really focus on getting married soon, lock that guy in before things start rolling downhill. I’m just looking out for you,” he shrugged, taking a sip of scotch from the glass tumbler.

Landon reached across the table. “Parker, you’ve got a little something on your—” he said as his arm brushed against a glass of ice water, dumping it in Parker’s lap. He jumped to his feet, sober enough to bite off the string of profanities Lauren was sure he wanted to shout. “Oh, I’m so sorry! God, I’m not normally so clumsy, here let me help.”

Parker snatched the linen napkin from his hand and blotted his pants. “No, no, it’s fine. Let me just go clean up, excuse me.”

Lauren pressed her lips together as she watched Parker storm off to the bathroom, storming away awkwardly with his crutches. When he was out of earshot, she leaned forward and said, “That’s the second time in a week I’ve seen that happen and it hasn’t gotten old.”

“I’m not sure how, but you managed to undersell what a prick he is,” Landon said shaking his head. “I think I’m going to enjoy all this a lot more now.”

“God, me too.” They looked at each other, almost as if seeing one another for the first time. Lauren smiled demurely and looked away to the garden, suddenly feeling shy.

“It’s really good to see you,” he said softly. “I’m just sorry it had to be like this.”

“Oh, it’s fine. It was gonna happen one way or another.” The look in his eye made her feel like she could easily spiral out of control. She wanted nothing more than to feel his lips on hers, to drag him back to her apartment and—but instead, she steeled herself and continued, “Would you like to meet at the office later? There was something you said earlier that I think we should address.”

He nodded. “Sounds like a plan. Let’s meet for a drink first though, yeah?”

Lauren glanced over his shoulder and noticed Parker returning. “He’s coming back, but yeah, text me when and where.” She straightened and smiled warmly, hoping to convey an air of professionalism. She needed to counter the dark look on Parker’s face as he sat. His time in the bathroom had obviously sobered him up a bit but his temper was volatile, to say the least.

“Hey man, really sorry about that! Have Faith send me the dry cleaning bill, okay? Really.”

“No, it was just an accident, wasn’t it?” he shot a look at Lauren that indicated he wasn’t so sure.
He can’t possibly blame me for that,
she thought.

The lunch concluded amicably. Landon’s charms apparently worked on everyone because by the time they were on the street saying goodbye, Parker was back to his old self again. Landon made sure to leave him feeling optimistic yet unsure.

“We’ve got a lot to talk about,” he said as he shook Parker’s hand, “but I think we’re heading in the right direction.”

“Wonderful to hear!”

“Lauren, I’ll be looking for your email early next week,” he said shaking her hand as well. “Thank you both, again, for meeting me today. Sorry to have taken up so much of your time.”

“My pleasure.”

“Anytime!”

“Great,” he said standing in the open door of a cab. “Have a good afternoon.”

“You too.”

“See you later,” Lauren called out.

His face betrayed nothing. Instead, he waved and stepped into the taxi, zipping away in a flash. Fresh panic pulsing through her veins, she slid into the backseat of the next cab, Parker shutting the door behind. She told the driver the address and prayed Parker hadn’t heard what she’d said. After a few blocks of silence, he turned to her and asked, “What did you mean, see you later?”