by KT Grant
The sadness in Colette’s voice showed me a vulnerable side I had yet to see from her. Now the reason why she pushed me to speak with Victoria made better sense. Maybe she thought I could bridge the gap and help establish a relationship between them again. It was humbling but a lot of pressure on my shoulders. If I failed, Colette would be unforgiving. A shiver ran up my spine by the idea she could destroy my career before it began.
“What’s wrong? You’re cold?” she asked with real concern.
“I’m moved by what you said about you and Miss Nox.” I patted her knee, much the same way she’d done to me in the car earlier. “During my interview, I’ll slip in how great of a person you are, and how your employees, including me, look up to you.”
She dropped her arm around my shoulder and hugged me. “Thank you. Maybe you’ll be the one to break through the barriers Victoria has constructed.” She knocked on the glass partition and the driver got out and opened my door. “Once the interview is finished, hurry back to the office and see me.”
The command was all I needed to get moving. With a final goodbye, I left the car and walked up my front steps, unlocking the door. Entering the foyer, I closed the door and then sat on the bottom step leading up to the next floor. My heart pounded in my chest and a buzzing rebounded in my ears. I had survived the night in my new role as a cosmopolitan reporter, but barely.
In less than seventy-two hours I would have to impress a person who had rattled me in a way no one had ever done before.
It was scary, thrilling…and arousing.
Chapter Five
At ten to nine on Monday morning, I arrived at the Nox Media Holdings Headquarters on Broadway with a notepad, portable recorder and a handful of pens just in case one ran out of ink. Clutching the strap of my messenger bag, I peered up at the forty-story building, the sunlight bouncing off the windows.
I was like many other women starting their work week, or so I thought. I wore my one suit, a violet, single-button blazer and a pleated tweed skit with the hem right at the knee and wedge pumps I found in back of my closet. I didn’t wear my hair like I did on Friday night. I smoothed it back in a French braid that had taken me almost an hour to perfect. Along with my makeup I had painstakingly applied to my face with a shaky hand, I looked older and more mature. On the outside I appeared confident. But what I felt on the inside was very different. I’d slept poorly over the weekend, and had been up before the sun rose. I made the mistake of drinking a full pot of coffee. At least the caffeine jitters had finally disappeared. But eventually I would crash. I just hoped it happened after my interview.
Rolling back my shoulders, I strode in the building and over to security. I said my name and showed them my driver’s license. They created a name tag for me and then talked to someone on the phone to confirm my appointment. I started to stick the name tag on the lapel of my jacket, but paused. My name was spelled, Linsey, not Lindsay. Great, just great.
I spotted the large round clock on the back wall. It was nine o’clock on the dot. I should be with Victoria at this very moment.
I started to sweat and a shrill whistle vibrated in my ears. I was near meltdown mode. As I tried grabbing the attention of one of the guards to tell them I had to hurry and go up to whatever floor Victoria was on, a woman about my age with shoulder length blonde hair appeared at my side.
“Lindsay Pinke?” she asked, showing a picture perfect smile.
I ran my tongue over my slightly uneven, not as white teeth and smiled in return. “Yes, I’m her, I mean she.”
“I’m Annette, Miss Nox’s executive assistant. Please, follow me.”
I trailed behind the woman whose skirt was much shorter than mine. “Does Miss Nox know I was here before nine? Security took too long and then they spelled my name wrong.”
“Miss Nox is fully aware of what time you arrived.” Annette waved her badge over an electronic turnstile and it opened, allowing us to walk through and toward the elevators.
“I don’t want her to think I’m running late,” I said while we waited for the elevator doors to open.
“Miss Nox doesn’t like tardiness.” Annette sent me a side glance and then swiped her badge over a silver pad on the wall next to the elevator.
I smoothed my palms down the sides of my skirt. We were the only ones at this elevator while other ones had groups of people waiting. Very strange.
The doors opened and we walked inside. There was one button to the fortieth floor.
“This is the only elevator that goes to the top floor where Miss Nox’s office is located. She, authorized guests and her personal staff are only allowed entrance,” Annette said and pressed the button. The doors shut with a soft swoosh.
A nervous fluttering in my stomach started again as the elevator rose. Annette didn’t offer any small talk. The silence amplified the beating of my heart in my ears.
“Miss Nox’s office is on the top floor? I asked.
“Yes. Her family has owned the building for over two decades,” she said.
“The rent must be astronomical.” Rents in Manhattan didn’t come cheap, especially companies owning properties on Broadway near Central Park.
“Very.” Annette started typing on her cell. “But Nox Media brings in enough revenue to pay the rent each month. Miss Nox can show you the company’s portfolio and last quarter’s earnings if you request them. She has nothing to hide.”
She had a defensive tone when she spoke of her boss. It made me wonder if she took her role as Nox’s executive assistant seriously, or perhaps their relationship was more than just professional.
“You’re very dedicated to Miss Nox. How long have you worked for her?” I asked.
“Almost three years, right out of college. She’s amazing to work for.” The elevator pinged as we reached our destination. She shot me a curious glance. “Why do you ask?”
“Just information for my article,” I said in a breezy manner. The doors opened, saving me from explaining further.
We stepped out into the hall and in front of two glass doors. Annette held up her badge in front of a pad like she had done downstairs and a green light blinked. She then pushed on the doors and held them open for me to enter.
“The office doesn’t open until nine-thirty, although I arrive at nine. Miss Nox is here between seven and eight,” she explained as we passed a group of empty cubicles and offices enclosed in glass.
“Does Miss Nox always come in that early?” I asked.
Annette stared down at her cell. “Monday through Thursday. She works from home on Fridays.” We came to another set of glass doors and she swiped her badge over another pad on the wall. “I texted Miss Nox. She’s free to see you now.”
I’d expected Victoria to be free to see me since she told me to be here at a specific time. But I kept my comment to myself and matched Annette’s long strides with my own.
We stopped in a small seating area complete with leather couches and chairs. A few feet away was a large brown door with Victoria’s name imprinted on a gold plaque.
Annette didn’t knock. She walked away from me and held her phone to her ear. She then said something I didn’t catch and nodded. Finishing the call, she faced me again.
“The door is unlocked. You can go in. But knock first,” she said, indicating the large, imposing door.
“Thanks,” I murmured and rapped on the door. I heard a muffled voice tell me to enter. I glanced back over my shoulder, expecting Annette but she had disappeared. I grabbed the handle and turned, opening the door. I entered but didn’t venture more than a few steps.
The woman standing in the middle of the room was the only vibrant and colorful addition. Victoria wore a tight, cherry red A-Line dress and matching heels. She had the same pearl necklace and bracelet on as Friday night. Her hair settled in waves over her shoulders. She didn’t appear as a hard-nosed businesswoman or the rude and almost condescending one I had met three days prior. I still found her intimidating. Something sharp stirred deep
within my belly, which caused my pulse to speed up.
“Good morning, Miss Pinke,” she said, walking toward me.
“You can call me Lindsay,” I said, swallowing hard.
Her eyes dropped to my chest and the corner of her mouth twitched. “An interesting way to spell your name. Some type of nickname?”
I covered my name tag instead of shaking her hand. “Security misspelled my first name.”
“But they spelled your last name right.” She dropped her arm at her side. “Do you always wear some type of pink to go along with your name?”
“Not usually.” I wore the pink blouse because I thought it looked nice with my suit, and not because I was trying to be clever.
I couldn’t say if she believed me or not. She had a shuttered expression on her face. “I like the color red, as you can see from the dress I’m wearing.”
“But not in your office?” I asked, inspecting the large room that felt too clinical and cold, although it was spacious with windows from the floor to the ceiling on one side. Black and white photos of city landscapes hung on the opposite wall, which was an understated beige. Even the carpet was a bland color.
“I’m in the process of redecorating. New carpeting and furniture should arrive next week. Let’s sit near the windows. The light is perfect there,” she said, and moved in that direction.
“You don’t want to sit at your desk?” I assumed she’d want to show her power by sitting behind the wide desk while I sat across from her in a smaller chair. The glass table near the windows would be much more personal and intimate.
“I sit behind my desk almost every day for more hours than I can count. My chair has a permanent indentation of my ass imbedded in the seat.”
A laugh erupted from my mouth. “Oh my god, I can’t believe you said that.”
With more refinement than I would ever have, she sat down on one of the chairs facing the room. “Why?”
“Because you’re being too nice to me.” I blurted, wincing as I spoke. Ugh, me and my stupid mouth!
Her eyes widened and she sputtered…or maybe it was a snort. Whatever it was, she held back laughter.
“I’m a nice person most of the time. I’m leery of you because of who you work for.”
“You mean Colette?” I sat and extracted my notepad and recorder from my bag.
She crossed her legs over the other. “Has she told you about her connection to my family?”
“She was once friends with your aunt and uncle, and she met you when you moved in with them after your parents’ death. She said she was like your big sister, but you lost touch after you moved to England.”
“Big sister?” Victoria shook her head and her knuckles whitened as she gripped the chair arms.
“You see it differently?” I cleared my throat, wishing I had changed the direction of the conversation away from Colette. I started to press the record button on the recorder but she set it aside.
“Before we begin, I’m going to establish some rules. Any questions about my former relationship with Colette is off limits. You can ask me anything about my company and my position as CEO, including some personal questions about my likes and dislikes, and mundane things like that. But the years prior to me living in England are something I won’t talk about.”
“Is it because your parent’s death still hurts to talk about?” I asked, trying to ignore the shift in the air. The easygoing atmosphere had been replaced with a stifling tension.
Victoria loosened her grip and folded her hands on her lap. She kept her gaze on my face. “The events surrounding my parent’s death, and the outcome of my life after are common knowledge. If you respect my wishes, I’ll give you new information that should interest your audience.”
“I appreciate that, in light of your…turbulent relationship with Co—”
“That woman and I don’t have a relationship to speak of. She knows why, and using you to find out what I think of her, won’t help her cause.”
“Cause? What do you mean?” I asked, trying not to squirm in my seat.
“You can’t think you’re the first sweet young thing Colette has thrown at me.” Victoria leaned forward with a brittle smile. “Why do you think she sent you to me?”
I refused to back down or submit to this woman with the massive chip on her shoulder. She’d learn I wasn’t a pushover or some silly twit. “She believes in me and wants me to prove I’m worthy—”
Victoria slapped her hands on the table and jumped up from her seat. I jerked back as she leaned in close enough for me to smell her coffee scented breath. “She’s not testing you. She’s testing me, Miss Pinke.” She flicked the tip of my nose and then went over to the windows and stared out of them.
I sat there frozen, other than my chest rising with each inhale and exhale I took. My eyes stung as I held back tears. The worst possible thing would to break down now.
Victoria finally turned back around. The bravado she easily flashed had vanished.
“She knows my weaknesses too well. You could end up being one of them,” she whispered.
“Me-me?” My voice came out as a squeak and my throat tightened.
She rolled her head across her shoulders and walked back to the table. Instead of taking her seat, she stood behind me and dropped her hand on my shoulder. I tensed, watching our reflection in the window, paralyzed in my seat. My heart quickened and my stomach reeled.
She tugged on my braid and twisted it around her hand. I bit down on my bottom lip, my breath escaping through my mouth in short pants. Heat spread up from legs and along my sides to my torso, and reddened my face.
She bent down low, her mouth brushing the edge of my ear. “It would be too easy to seduce you right now. But I’m not going to do that.”
Why? I mouthed, barely swallowing back a moan.
“Unlike the others before you, I believe you’re an innocent. Plus.” She pressed her cheek to mine. “I don’t want to be your downfall and ruin your life. Think of it as my birthday gift to you.”
I spun around in my seat, flinching from the hold she had on my hair. “Le-let me go.”
She backed away with her hands raised.
Jumping out of my chair, I snagged my bag, flustered and confused. “How did you know it’s my birthday?
“I had you investigated over the weekend so I knew who I’m dealing with.” She moved behind her desk.
I made my way to the door, trying not to hyperventilate. “You need help.”
She lifted a small remote and the door behind me buzzed. “It’s best if you go now.”
I wrenched open the door. It banged against the wall. I didn’t run but I bolted down the hall and toward the door that would lead me to freedom. Annette, typing on her cell, opened the door.
“I’ll take you back to the elevator,” she said, sympathy lining her voice.
I held a trembling hand to my forehead where it started to pound. “You don’t want to know what happened between me and your boss in her office?”
“Miss Nox’s business is her own and not mine.” She studied my face. “I take it the interview didn’t go as you had planned?”
We reached the elevators, and with a tap of her badge, the doors opened. I marched inside and shot her a look of disgust. “Your boss is a bitch.” I then jabbed the button and the doors shut on Annette’s disbelieving face.
The tears I’d kept in check fell from my eyes. I scrubbed them away from my cheeks, angry at myself. I cursed both Colette and Victoria in my head over their sick game I’d been coerced into.
Hurrying out of the building, no one seemed to notice my tears as I walked down the street, utterly defeated.
Chapter Six
Dragging the pillow over my face, I ignored the knocking on my bedroom door. My shade and curtains blocked the rays of the afternoon sun. I didn’t go back to the office and face Colette. I ended up at my apartment, nauseous from a wicked migraine. It had been years since I had one of those. I swallowed down some pain meds
, thanks to Jayden, who always had some around, and then I fell into a deep sleep.
The loud knocking continued. “Go away!” I groaned in my pillow.
“I’m coming in,” Jayden announced and opened the door.
I waved him away when he jostled the bed to lie down.
“Happy twenty-fifth,” he said.
“This is the worst birthday ever,” I blinked away a series of flashbacks of Victoria in her office, as if it would erase everything that had happened earlier in the day. I wished the entire day had never existed.
“Are you in a crappy mood because you’re a quarter century old or do you have your period? Want me to rub away your cramps?” He lowered his hand to my stomach.
I shifted on my side, facing him. Even though there was a teasing lilt to his voice, concern wavered in his tender expression.
“You know how I had to leave before you this morning because I had to work on an assignment Colette gave me?”
“Yeah. Before I left the office for the day, she stopped in my department and asked to see me. I was surprised she knew we were roomies,” he said, causing a ripple of discomfort in my belly. “She asked if I had seen you. When I said no, she got upset and said you never saw her after your assignment like she wanted. Then she stomped out. It was very weird.”
“I didn’t go back to the office. I came home and went to bed.” I rested my cheek on the middle of his chest. “It’s stupid on my part but I’ve been ignoring her calls all day. I-I.…” My breath lodged in my throat as I held back tears. “Had an important interview to prove myself and I failed miserably.”