“Noted. I will recruit an assistant.” Juliette snatched her phone and sent a few text messages off. “The assistants will help carry everything, and I promise they won’t do any damage to anything. In the worst-case scenario, I will have your harp and paintings put into the vault at work.”
“This is going to be a disaster,” I predicted.
“But it will be a fun disaster. I’m sure everything will work out just fine.”
As it would take a miracle to convince Juliette otherwise, I remained silent.
Thanks to traffic, it took almost two hours to reach Juliette’s office building. It didn’t sink in just how wealthy the woman was until she told me how proud she’d been when she’d bought the building rather than renting it floor by floor. Owning the building and its land came with its own problems, but in the long run, it was cheaper and easier than paying rent.
I struggled to come to terms with the amount of money required to buy an entire skyscraper in Manhattan. After a certain point, the numbers no longer made sense, scaled so far beyond my comprehension I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be her.
Her casual nature about my so-called hiring bonus made a lot more sense when I thought about the skyscraper.
“You bought the entire skyscraper?” I asked, aware I’d asked the same question several times before.
Juliette parked her car in the underground garage, chuckling. “If you think buying the entire building is scary, the rent was far, far worse than the mortgage on this place, not that the mortgage lasted all that long.”
“Dare I ask? I’m not sure I can comprehend the value of this skyscraper.”
“It didn’t hurt that the previous owner was a dunce with his money and needed to unload some debt. I bought the skyscraper for ten percent over his mortgage, and as I was the only tenant in the building at the time, it made sense to him. He couldn’t afford the bills and his mortgage—and I refused to allow him to skimp on the maintenance. Really, I bullied him into selling by demanding he fix what he’d been neglecting. It was getting to the point where I needed to hire my own maintenance people. The last thing he wanted was me taking him to court over it, so he sold without much of a fuss.”
“I’m having a hard time believing you bullied anyone.”
“I enjoy bullying land sharks. He deserved every bit of discomfort I brought to his door. If he’d honored his contracts in the first place, I wouldn’t have kept badgering him about repairing things. The first time I could cite a serious safety violation due to his neglect, I won. I try to be nice, but there are limits and he was putting my employees at risk. For a while, I redirected most of my earnings into the building, and the company paid me a living wage for Hell’s Kitchen. They forced it on me, really. I was going to put all my profits into making sure the building stayed in good condition. I had the plumbing replaced as I renovated everything.”
Three men converged on Juliette’s spot while she killed the engine and unlocked the doors. They waited for her to emerge from the vehicle before heading to the back. I hurried to claim my harp, but one of them beat me to it, and I spluttered, debating how rude it would be to take it back.
Juliette handed me the painting depicting the winter landscape, and she took the other. “Your harp will be fine. We’re going to put everything in my office for the moment, then we’ll strategize moving everything to your new home. First, I need to appropriately dress you, and I should have several prototypes here that should work. I’m going to dress you up before abandoning you to the wolf.”
“I like how you’re calling this person a wolf.”
“He’s a very hungry wolf.”
I recognized the innuendo she attempted to foist on me before I opened my mouth. “I’m not saying what you want me to say. Also, I have a rule. No ring, no wedding plans, no nookie.”
“You have a ring. It came in a blue box, and it’s beautiful. I’ve seen pictures of the set. I believe he’s badly trying to tell you he’d like you to wear that set for the wedding.”
I set the painting beside me, careful to avoid damaging the frame. I lifted my hands and rubbed my temple. “That’s not how this works, Juliette. First, I don’t know anyone well enough to marry.”
“I have decided you will enjoy a series of dates over the course of a year. They will happen nightly in the comfort of your new home. At the conclusion of the year, you will realize I’m right, be madly in love, and go through with the wedding I will plan for you. I should have gone into wedding planning instead of designing, but at least I can design for the wedding, and that’s almost as good. Really, I will come up with the ideas and give bored minions extra work to do. I get bored minions near the end of a production run before the next run starts, so I have to find work for them to do, as I refuse to cut hours. I usually plan weddings. I love weddings.”
“But who pays for these weddings?”
“We do not discuss that,” Juliette announced, grabbing my laptop bag and settling the strap on her shoulder. “There’s a fund.”
I regarded her three minions, who unloaded the SUV. “Is she telling the truth?”
They grinned and nodded.
Clifford stepped around an SUV and waved at me. “It never fails to amaze me how fast Juliette works when she wants something. She didn’t do anything overly aggressive this time, did she?”
“She lured me into her SUV with a chai, and being a fool, I fell for it. Next thing I knew, she was rearranging a living room with bras. I don’t even know who I am anymore, Clifford. And now she’s planning my wedding? I’m not even dating anyone.”
“You’re not dating anyone yet,” he replied. “Well, kind of not dating anyone yet.”
“How could I possibly be dating someone and not know it?”
“Well, the other party seems to be very bad at trying to get your attention.” Clifford pointed at the painting beside me. “That, some games, a Tiffany set, and what else?”
“There is no evidence the Tiffany set is from the painting giver,” I replied.
“It’s from the same person,” he announced.
Oh. I frowned, regarding the painting. I’d already lost an hour admiring it, wondering who had painted it, why they’d chosen a wintry waterfall as the subject, and how a piece of art could feel so cold yet so warm at the same time. “The other presents are from other people, anyway. The zombie game is from Jonas. He said he was getting it for me for Christmas.”
Clifford smirked. “Was it?”
There were exactly two people who knew which games I’d enjoyed playing: Jonas and his penthouse-owning, painting-obsessed friend. The painting hadn’t been in the penthouse. I’d admired every painting he’d owned. I supposed I hadn’t seen a room or two, but I thought I’d seen the majority of them. Using my new phone, I texted Jonas to ask if I’d gotten the complete tour of the penthouse.
Instead of a text answer, my phone rang. Grimacing, I answered, “Hello?”
“You let Juliette into the house. Are you mad?”
“An absolute lunatic.” Relaxing, I grinned. “I had no idea she was going to steal your mother’s bras. I’m sorry. I went to get some things. I was gone five minutes, and she did all that in five minutes.”
“Sounds about right. Now, why are you with Juliette?”
“Apparently, she doesn’t agree with my current living arrangements and has decided I’m moving. To Manhattan.”
“You don’t work anywhere near Manhattan, Lee. And you refused to move in with me because I live in Manhattan.”
“I tried to tell her this, but apparently, I now work in Manhattan. Who knew? Not me. I’m waiting to see papers or something like that.”
“They’re upstairs,” Juliette announced, and she nodded in the direction of the nearby elevators. “We are going upstairs now so I can secure you as my minion.”
Jonas sighed. “You fool.”
“Yeah. She lured me into her vehicle with chai.”
“She always finds a way to latch onto the we
aknesses of her targets. What do you want me to tell Mom and Dad? I mean, Mom’s freaking because her bras are all over the house and she doesn’t know why.”
“There’s a ransom note with the bras.”
Jonas snickered. “Hey, Mom? Check for a ransom note with your bras. I believe the explanation as to why Juliette was in the house was there. Also, Shirley’s fine, but she was lured into Juliette’s vehicle with chai. I think Juliette may be hiring her? I overheard something about her being taken upstairs to secure her as a minion.”
“I’d be sorry about this, but the chai’s really good, and they cut my hours at the boutique, probably trying to bar me from insurance renewal. Then, to add insult to injury, my boss told me she’s resigning next year to go to design school, so she dumped the event on me.”
“I’ll let my parents know.”
“What are you doing at your parents’ house, anyway? You live in Manhattan.”
“Day off, and I always bother my parents on my days off. Didn’t I tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“I’m off for a week. Things are slow at work, so I took some time off to get a breather. Of course, I was expecting to need a week to recover from a Halloween bender, but what actually happened was a lot more fun.”
“Thank you for not forcing me to put up with you while drunk.”
“You’re welcome. So, you’re safe, and you don’t need to be rescued?”
“I’m safe, and I don’t need to be rescued. Juliette is excited enough about this insanity she’s concocting that I’d feel bad if I ruined her fun. If she starts to bother me, I will tell her no and call for a ride to sanity. By that, I mean to my parents’ house.”
“They’re here. Your parents, I mean. Mom invited them over, and they all came over at the same time, and well, your mother has now seen all of my mother’s bras.”
“I am so disappointed I missed that.”
“Once my mother got over the shock, they started talking about bras, and at that point, Dad and I went around the house looking for you to find you’d made off with your harp and your new paintings.”
“You can take my paintings out of my cold, dead hands. I don’t even care if they’re prints. They’re mine, and you can’t have them.”
“What if I told you they’re probably the real deal?”
“Then you definitely can’t have them, they’re definitely mine, and you would most certainly have to take them out of my cold, dead hands. I feel this is reasonable. They’re beautiful paintings, especially the winter landscape one. That one is my favorite, and I will fight for it.”
“I’ll make sure everyone knows.”
“I’m not going to take your paintings, and I’ll make sure they’re safe while we’re handling matters tonight,” Juliette promised.
“See, Juliette is taking care of my special needs. She knows to protect my paintings.”
“When are you coming home? All four parents wish to know.”
Juliette stole my phone with a maniacal laugh and said, “Which brat am I talking to? Oh. Jonas. Excellent. Tell your parents I’m keeping her forever, and they can’t have her back.”
I should’ve been more offended over her stealing my new phone, but I couldn’t wait to see what trouble the woman created next. While she dealt with Jonas, I turned to Clifford. “Is this her normal?”
“She doesn’t usually take people’s phones without asking first. She usually minds her manners, but I’m guessing she’s excited. Which is normal when she poaches a new employee.” Clifford stepped to the elevator and pressed the up button. “I really thought she’d wait at least a day before making a move. Really, Juliette?”
Juliette waved Clifford off, although she did step into the elevator when the door opened. “No. I’m not returning her. I don’t care how many parents she has there wanting to see her right now. I’m at my office, and I’m employing her properly tonight. Her first assignment will be to deal with her current boutique, and I’ll figure out how to get her to and from the place as needed. I’ll drive her myself and work in the cafe next door if I must!”
“She really will,” Clifford muttered, pressing the button for the ground floor. I squinted at the panel, which had once upon a time had other buttons that had since been removed and replaced with silvery discs.
I pointed at one of the discs. “What happened to the other floors, or is that just a weird design?”
“Juliette had this elevator converted to only go to the ground floor when she bought the building because she feels everyone should have to badge in to reach the upper levels. She has secure areas throughout the building. The other elevators have been disabled for the garage, and this one will not go to the upper floors anymore.”
I found the security enhancement interesting, but I decided I’d ask about it later. Juliette laughed at something Jonas said, and I questioned everything about working for the woman and what the future might hold for me. “How does she get anything done?”
“She works every spare minute between her schemes to make up for her scheming. Some weeks, she’ll disappear into her office and only emerge when her husband or son drags her out. She gets pissy if anyone other than her husband or son interrupts her while she’s in a design mood. When she gets inspired to design, we might not hear from her until it’s out of her system. She’s causing someone trouble the rest of the time, dealing with employee issues, or generally managing the company. And she does this around the events at boutiques. Starting in two weeks, she will have daily events until mid-December.”
“Daily events?” I whispered, wondering how it was possible for one woman to do so much.
“She has limited prep work she has to do; I’m on an entire team of people who help the boutiques plan the events.”
“Clifford, darling?” Juliette asked, lowering my phone from her ear.
“Yes?”
“Can you take Lee to the boutique each day and cover the shore boutiques and switch with whoever is working there until she’s cut loose? I’ve got a bunch of crybabies on the phone who will have spectacular meltdowns if I don’t make arrangements.”
Clifford chuckled. “We’ll take care of her transportation.”
“It’s fine, my minions will take her to the boutique daily, and someone will bring her back. Yes, daily. No, if you steal her, you have to return her to Manhattan. This shouldn’t be an issue for you. You live here.”
The elevator door opened on the ground floor, and we stepped into a bright lobby with two security desks. Clifford gestured to the nearest station. “Since you don’t have a badge, we have to check you—”
“The woman with the painting is with me, and if you have a problem with it, Yulan, you’re next.”
A dark-skinned man raised his hands and crossed his fingers in a gesture of warding. “I’m happily single if you please. You can’t just bring guests into the building without checking them in, Juliette.”
“Yes, I can.”
“No, you can’t. Check her in properly.”
I had no idea who Yulan was outside of being a single security guard, but I adored his ability to tell the woman no. To prevent a war from breaking out in the lobby, I strolled over, careful to avoid damaging my painting. “I’m Lee, and she’s trying to hire me.”
“If you need help escaping, please say so.” Yulan tapped on a keyboard, and a moment later, a printer whirred. He handed over a sticker with my name on it, and it proclaimed I was Juliette’s guest. “If she attempts to take you home with her, please tell her no. If possible, please tell her no where I can witness it.”
“You’re so mean to me, Yulan,” Juliette complained. “One day, I will find the perfect woman for you, and where will you be?”
“Probably married,” the guard replied with no evidence it bothered him. “But what if I want the perfect man?”
“Then I’ll find the perfect man for you. Would you prefer the perfect man? I mean, if you’d like the perfect man and woman for you, I’m alwa
ys up for a challenge, although I’m not sure how to go about that.” Juliette snickered. “Hey, Jonas? What if I need to arrange for several perfect people for one of my employees? What would you suggest?”
“No,” Yulan, Clifford, and everyone else in the lobby scolded.
“Why are you so mean to me?”
“I prefer one woman at a time,” Yulan announced.
“Well, then why did you have to go complicating things? If you want a man, say so. If you want multiple men, say so. If you want a woman, say so. I’ll accept any hints or tips on the type of perfect woman, however. You’re a tough one.”
“If I give you a hint, will you promise to leave me alone until next year?”
Juliette frowned, and her brows furrowed. “I’ll be generous and plan to begin my campaign no sooner than February, but I’ve got my eye on you, Yulan.”
“I don’t know what I did to deserve this, but I’m very sorry.” Yulan grinned and returned to his work, focusing on something on his desk.
Clifford snickered. “Looks like security just dismissed you, Juliette.”
“I’m surrounded by ungrateful wretches,” the woman wailed, her shoulders slumping. She sulked across the lobby to a bank of elevators. “And yes, you, too. Everyone! Except for the new one. I like her. She knows how to tell me no.”
I frowned, tapping the security desk until Yulan regarded me with a raised brow. “Does she always do this when someone tells her no?”
“You’ll get used to it. She’s had a rough day, and this is how she vents.”
“The worse her day, the more trouble she causes?”
“That sounds about right. Considering we’re supposed to be in a hiring freeze, whatever your boss did must have really offended her. She usually freezes hiring and so on until January at this stage unless she finds someone really special. She’s going to be yelled at by Human Resources.”
“Maybe you should go up and protect her from Human Resources,” I muttered.
The security guards exchanged glances.
“You know, ma’am, that’s not a bad idea. Cover me,” Yulan ordered, rising from his seat. “Give me a brief recap so I can keep things from getting heated.”
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