Tropical Storm - DK1 (53 page)

She sketched in an ear. “Which was more than your entire goddamn team could do in four months, José, so I wouldn’t knock it, if I were you,” she said.

“Besides, we won.”

“Well,” Eleanor crossed her legs and straightened her skirt a little, “she seems capable…and a nice person. I was surprised, Dar.” She gave the dark-haired woman a sweet smile. “I was expecting a sour geek or a beautiful airhead. You managed to mix and match quite nicely.”

Mariana saw the dangerous glint appear in Dar’s eyes.

The VP Op’s sketching stopped dead. “Eleanor, I think I said it well enough last time when I pointed out Dar doesn’t hire people to be friends or look pretty,” Mariana told the woman forcefully. “She makes my job easy.

And Ms. Stuart is extremely well qualified for the position.”

Dar put down her pencil. “Are we done here? I’ve got two more meetings to go to.”

“Yeah, I guess we are.” José threw down his pen and stood up. “C’mon, Eleanor, let’s go get a
cafecito
.” The Sales and Marketing executives left, leaving Mariana, Dar and Duks still sitting there. “So, what’s up with you,
chica
?” Mariana asked, leaning on the table and peering at her friend.

Dar looked at her. “With me? Nothing. What is it with you all today?”

She tossed the pencil onto the table. “Jesus Christ, what’s the problem, did I grow horns or something?”

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Duks patted her arm. “Hey. Hey, relax. You’re just really laid back, and we’re not used to that, my friend. Is this what Mickey Mouse does to you?”

Dar lifted her hands and let them fall onto the arms of the chair. “What, because I’m not screaming and yelling like a maniac, there’s something wrong?” She looked at the table. “All right, I’ll start bitching at someone. Will that make everyone feel better?”

“Dar.” Mariana gazed at her steadily. “C’mon now, can’t we just ask how you are?”

“I’m fine,” Dar responded. “Can’t I be in a good mood for once?” She spread her hands out to either side in question. “What in the hell’s wrong with
you
people?”

“Dar.” Mariana patted the table. “There’s nothing wrong with you being in a good mood. It just happens so infrequently. We were afraid we’d missed something, like your birthday.”

“Or your company anniversary,” Duks chimed in solemnly. “Which if we passed it by, you would be happy, no?” He picked up Dar’s pad and studied it. “You have good talent at this.”

Dar took the pad back from him. “You didn’t miss anything,” she said. “I just took a couple hours in Orlando and chilled out.” Her fingers curled around the pencil. “I needed some time out.”

The HR VP got up and circled the table, taking the seat next to Dar. “Hey, I’m glad to hear that,” she said in a sincere tone. “I know it’s been a rough year, my friend, and I worry about you sometimes.” She ignored Dar’s rolling eyes. “And especially since I heard you were under the weather the other day.

You finally go see someone about those headaches?”

Dar frowned. “You know, Mariana, I’d really hate to think someone’s reading into my medical files.”

“Uh uh.” The personnel director held up a hand. “Not me, my friend. Just gossip. But now that you confirmed it, is everything okay?” She leaned forward. “Dar, I’m asking as a friend, not because I need to know for the company.”

Dar glowered at her, then sighed. “Everything is perfectly fine, as a matter of fact. Dr. Steve thought he saw something in my EKG during my last physical, but it turned out to be nothing.” She paused, seeing the honest concern in her friend’s eyes. “But the stress is getting to me a little, I guess.

That’s what the headaches were all about.”

“Ah.” Mariana nodded.

“So, I took the opportunity to just relax a little while I was up there, and over the weekend, and I decided to try and not let this stuff get to me too much,” Dar said. “Last thing I want is to have to start taking drugs at my age.

This damn job’s not worth it.”

Duks grunted. “That is the truth,” he agreed. “It is good you feel that way, Dar. I, too, have been concerned about you.”

Had they? Dar suddenly wondered if she’d been crabbier than usual, or what. She didn’t think she had, but in retrospect, who knew? “Been a tough year.” She half shrugged.

“It has,” Mari murmured. “Well, look, maybe after Kerry settles in, you can take some time off. She seems pretty sharp. I’ve heard good things about 256
Melissa Good
her from a lot of people,” she complimented the absent woman. “Did she really steal that bid from those guys?”

Dar found herself smiling. “She’s damn good,” she agreed. “They didn’t know what hit them, stupid bastards. She nailed it.”

“Good to hear.” Mariana smiled at her. “She’s a sweet person, and you know something? She’s in your corner, Dar. Talks about you like you were the greatest thing since sliced white bread.” She sat back and gazed at the taller woman, noting the blush visible even under Dar’s tan. “You look good. You got some sun there, eh?”

Dar gave her a slight smile and nodded. “Are we done analyzing me now?” She stood up and dusted herself off. “Gotta go.”

Duks and Mariana watched her leave, then eyed each other. “You know, Dukky, if I didn’t know better, I’d say our good friend there found something other than Pluto and Goofy up in Orlando.”

Lou Dreyfus let a faintly sardonic smile twist his lips. “You could be right, Mari.” He slapped the table. “Well, let’s get going.”

KERRY FINALLY GOT back to her office after a very interesting meeting with the marketing people. It was obvious they didn’t like Dar. It was obvious that they wanted to be Kerry’s friend. It was obvious that they wanted her to give them dirt on her boss. Her phone rang and she picked it up. “Yes?”

“Oh, Ms. Stuart, glad I caught you in,” Eleanor Anastasia’s voice oozed through the receiver. “We were hoping you’d be able to attend a conference call tomorrow. It’s with the regional marketing people, and they just have some general questions regarding some of the new operations policies.”

“Um… Sure.” Kerry pulled out her PDA, and flipped it open. “When?”

“One o’clock, but we’re gathering for lunch downstairs beforehand, if you’d like to join us.”

I’d rather handle electric eels barehanded
. “I’m sorry, I can make the meeting, but I have things I have to do just before that.”
Like make sure my boss has lunch,
for instance.
She’d gotten a peculiar pleasure out of selecting items for Dar, and an even bigger kick from the smile she’d gotten when she delivered the tray.

“Well, that’s too bad, because we’re all dying to just let our hair down with you, but perhaps next time.” Eleanor sighed. “Tomorrow at one, then.”

“I’ll be there.” Kerry hung up the phone and made a face at it, then she turned her chair around and gazed out over the water. She felt a lot more relaxed than she had this morning, now that the “issue” was out of the way with Dar. “Mmm. I don’t know if I’m going to last until Wednesday, though,”

she commented to the window. Last night’s surfing on the internet had turned up lots of…interesting…things. Most had made her blush. She’d been honestly surprised at the range, though—from women’s health sites to pages and pages of amateur fiction.

That
had certainly been a revelation. She’d had no idea there was so much creativity out there. She’d ended up reading some of it until way too late, but it had certainly given her ideas. Maybe that’s why she wanted to make sure Dar was sure before…
Well, one thing at a time.
She heard a gentle knock on her inside door, and she felt a flutter deep inside her. “C’mon in.”

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The door opened, and Dar slipped inside, her jacket off and her shirtsleeves rolled up. “Hey, there.” She sauntered over and collapsed into Kerry’s visitor chair, letting her hands drop onto the arm and crossing her legs at the ankles. “How’d it go?”

Kerry inched her chair forward and propped her chin up on both hands.

“Dar, do you know what a limpet is?”

“Sure.” The executive nodded. “It’s a mollusk that attaches itself to a flat surface and lives off of it.” She paused. “Why?”

“I’m a flat surface.” Kerry gave her a wry look. “They want to suck me dry of information, chiefly about you.” She sighed. “They paint you in shades of black, black, dark brown, and black.”

“How’d I rate the dark brown?” Dar smiled sardonically.

Kerry gazed at her disheveled boss. “Hey, listen, are you still open for that dinner and a movie?” she inquired. “Tonight, I mean?” She felt her throat go dry, and she swallowed, waiting for Dar to answer.

A soft, low chuckle reassured her. “I was just coming over here to see if you were interested in doing something,” Dar admitted. “I, um…” She shook her head and crossed her arms. “Sure, you wanna see
Soldier
?”

“Ooo.” Kerry’s brows rose. “Yeah, I like Kurt Russell. I really liked
Escape
from New York
.”

Dar laughed. “Ssssnake,” she hissed, causing Kerry to giggle. “Yeah, me too.”

“Great. If you want to, we can stop by my place. I’ll put something together, then we can go to the movie from there.” Kerry went through her food inventory, and decided that no matter what she had, it was better than Frosted Flakes and chocolate milk. “Okay?”

Pale blue eyes peeked back at her from under long, dark lashes. “Sounds good to me.” Dar hauled herself out of the chair and patted Kerry’s desk.

“Pack it up. I’ve had about enough of this place today.” She walked through the door that led to the back corridor and let it close behind her.

Kerry waited, then she twirled herself around in her chair, accepting the half excited and half nervous churning in her guts as the price she’d have to pay for her bold invitation. “Well,” she straightened the stack in her inbox,

“maybe we’ll end up talking about movies all night.”
Sure.
She licked her lips as she thought about what it felt like to have Dar kiss her. “Or, maybe not.”

She shut down her PC and stood, glad the day was over. Glad the night was starting.
Just…
Kerry exhaled,
glad.

KERRY LET THE door close behind her, her mind already buzzing with prospective dinner possibilities. Dar had followed along after her, saying she had to make a quick stop. Kerry suspected her boss was just being polite, and giving her a chance to get her act together. But that was okay, she needed it, and it was okay that she had a minute to settle her thoughts. Except they weren’t getting very settled. They bounced back and forth between blue eyes and that lazy smile Dar had given her before they left the office, and she knew her hormones were busy dancing the mamba in her bloodstream which was making it very, very hard to think straight.

“Okay, Kerrison, let’s just calm your butt down now.” She put down her briefcase and took a deep breath. “First things first, change out of this monkey suit.”

Glad she’d had the chance to straighten up the place the day before, she went into her bedroom. She chose a pair of black jeans and a lavender polo shirt, slipping into them and tucking in the shirt and buckling the thin, leather belt. Her reflection looked back at her, and she smoothed her fingers over the dark denim surface and watched as her breathing pulled the soft cotton of her shirt taut against her body. “Well, these aren’t as baggy as they used to be, that’s for sure, but I guess it looks okay.” The jeans fit snugly around her body, attesting to her past few weeks of culinary indulgence, but the effect wasn’t as bad-looking as she’d feared.

As a matter of fact…
Kerry blinked at her reflection.
Maybe Colleen was
right, I’d taken things a little too far.
Both Susan and Ray had told her she looked a lot healthier and more relaxed since she’d started working for Dar, and she supposed that was true…if she looked at herself objectively, that is. She was sure her parents wouldn’t agree, though. She straightened her shoulders and ran her brush through her hair.
To hell with them
, she suddenly decided, as she opened the collar of her shirt a little, exposing her thin golden chain which held a tiny teddy bear charm. “Let’s see. A touch of perfume?”
Yeah…

She pulled open her top drawer and removed a small bottle, taking off the top and sniffing it. “Mmm.” She put a bit on her fingertip and touched it behind her ears, then put a playful dab down her cleavage. “God, I feel like a damn teenager on her first date.” She giggled at herself and put the bottle away, then met the steady green eyes looking back at her from the mirror. “I guess it is, in a way, though, because this is the first person I…” She stopped and took a breath. “The first person I’ve ever really cared about.” She gave
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herself a little nod of acknowledgment. “There, I said it.” She turned. “Right, Pooh?”

The stuffed, smiling bear held out his arms invitingly. “Not now, maybe later.” She shook a finger at him, then she went back out into the living room and glanced around, making sure she’d remembered not to leave out her laundry or anything like that. “Looks okay,” she told the fish, then she went into the kitchen and stood for a moment, crossing her arms over her chest and thinking.
She likes Oriental. Let’s see…I could do fried rice, and… Oh, right, I’ve got
that skirt steak. I can stir-fry that with vegetables. Okay.

She was busily chopping things up when a soft knock came at the door and she felt a teasing jolt in her gut. “C’mon in, it’s open,” she called out. The knob turned and she heard someone enter. “I’m in the kitchen.”

Soft footfalls crossed the carpet, and then Dar was just there, in the doorway, filling it. The dark-haired woman had traded her suit for a pair of white denims and a blue tailored shirt, which sported a small bumblebee embroidered on the left breast. She was also carrying an amber bottle, which she held up. “Picked up a little addition,” she advised, her eyes going over Kerry’s slim form. “You look cute,” Dar complimented her a smile.

To hell with them.
Kerry smiled back. “Thanks. You look pretty nice yourself. I like the bee.” She peered at the bottle. “Oh, that was a great idea. If you want to let it cool down a little…” She motioned with her head towards the refrigerator.