by Mia Caldwell
“If you understood the core of what we really do, you might not see it that way.”
“I understand the core of what I want to do, and it isn’t this. So I’m starting my own firm.”
“I see. And you have clients?”
“A few.”
Lissa chuckled. “My guess is that I might recognize a few of their names.”
“Some of your clients might want to go with me if they appreciate what I offer.”
“And they must admire your sense of loyalty too.”
“They can see the conditions; the restrictions I’ve been working under. They are intrigued by how things might be and want to give it a try.”
“Well then, since you have used your time on my payroll to ingratiate yourself to them, I don’t suppose you’ll need my good wishes.”
“Don’t be snarky. There’s no reason we can’t part amicably.”
“There isn’t? You’ve lied to me about how you were looking out for my business. I’ve heard about the rumors you spread in an attempt to ruin my reputation. I assume that was part of the effort to steal my clients to fund your own business. And now you think I should be a good sport?”
“Your reputation? You are a great number cruncher and are known to crusty academics as brilliant. Nothing more.”
“Then why was it necessary to start rumors that I was a drug addict?”
Tina scowled. “I didn’t—”
“Tina, despite your low opinion of me, there are people in the business world that like me—enough to tell me how you ran to them with those lies and insinuations. If you didn’t think they’d be more than happy to repeat the rumors along with the information that it came from you, then you aren’t very clever.”
Tina scowled. “It’s business to run down the competition.”
“It might be your way of doing business, which suggests you leaving to start your own company is a very good idea. I suggest you start now. I had your computer locked and I’ll change all the passwords and key locks. Take whatever is in your desk that’s yours. I have to assume you’ve already stolen anything of value to you before showing your true colors, but even with the horse gone the barn door should probably be locked. I might have another horse one day, after all.”
“What barn?” Tina asked.
“It’s a metaphor. Now get your ass out of my building.”
Tina stood stiffly and walked out of the inner office and straight to the front door. As she’d guessed, Tina had already cleaned out her desk. Telling Lissa had been nothing but a formality and a chance to gloat. Angry with herself for not seeing Tina’s greed sooner, she picked up the phone.
“Hello Abby, it’s Lissa. Yes, I’m back. How would you like to work for me again?”
“I won’t work for Tina.”
“She’s gone. You’d work for me.”
“I don’t know about being a secretary again. It’s a thankless job.”
“No, I’ll need you to hire a secretary. I want to give you Tina’s job. That’s even more thankless, but it pays better.”
She could hear the woman breathing. “I can hire our secretary?”
“Right. When can you start?”
“It’s Friday. I can start Monday.”
Lissa smiled to herself. “Monday would be great. See you at nine.”
When she hung up after talking to Abby, hearing her cheerful voice, she felt that she’d turned a corner, shed some baggage. It was time to hit the street and let the world know she was back and fighting. She looked at her watch. The day was kind of a bust, and she didn’t have much heart for putting on a superhero costume and spending Friday afternoon righting the wrongs of the business world. She picked up the phone again.
“I didn’t expect you to call,” Joan said.
“How is it going?”
“It’s quite a learning experience. For instance, I’ve learned that with three boys, I’m going to need a larger diaper allowance. And I’ve learned that providing the three with proper care requires perpetual motion, but we are all doing fine and I’m getting back in shape.”
“Would it be interfering in your new career path and turf if I wanted to come home and spoil my children for the rest of the day?”
Joan laughed. “Since they don’t have grandparents to do that, someone needs to pick up the slack. If you were to bring lunch from a deli, you could consider me appeased.”
“Now there is something I can do.”
Thinking of the children made her feel deliciously happy, although as always, her happiness was tinged with thoughts of the elusive Julio. What the hell had happened? It still hurt to think of him, and it launched her on an emotional roller coaster that took her brain traveling along an endless loop of angst, disbelief, and self-pity—the last was the most unpleasant of all of those feelings. None of them were profitable. As she always did, she allowed herself a moment of self-indulgence and then shrugged it off. She had the boys and she had Joan. On Monday, Abby would be back and fitting into her new role. In the glow of hindsight, she knew that getting rid of Tina and promoting Abby was a change she should have made long ago. With her in place, she had a team good enough to take on any opposition, and she’d find out more about what Tina had been up to while she was in the hospital.
CHAPTER SIX
Julio wasn’t in the best of moods. He’d been tense and jumpy during the flight and all the way from the airport. Willa let him be grumpy. She sat back in the limo, letting herself feel a little thrill. Getting him here had been a challenge, but important for her plan. Of course, getting Julio to come to New York City had been a matter of making him think it was necessary and he could do some things to help him win the Milan project.
Unfortunately, the reason that Julio was so unsettled was that this was Lissa Edwards’s city, and that meant a danger of them meeting. Out there somewhere in this vast forest of skyscrapers the woman was working, trying to find an angle that would involve her with the Milan project too. Everyone wanted that plum job.
Her presence was a risk she had to take. She couldn’t very well keep him away from her forever. Sooner or later they’d meet, and she just needed to postpone it until she had cemented her position.
Willa knew that being so close to Lissa had put him on edge and kept him there. She was so close, and yet he had no idea how to contact her. Well, Willa didn’t intend to let him dwell on that woman for long. She had some important things to accomplish here. First, however, she needed to remind him of their purpose in New York. If he focused on that, things would be okay.
“I don’t like this city,” he said. She knew that was true. Julio wasn’t a big fan of America, and New York City represented most of what he disliked.
“Since you can’t clone yourself, we needed to prioritize.”
“It’s a hellaciously complex bid as it is, Willa. You’ve seen the documents. I still haven’t resolved some of my misgivings about the plans as they are. And yes, I could use help. I think some of the assumptions the consortium has made need investigating before we get too far in our plans. That means I should be with experts in Milan doing that, not sightseeing in goddamn New York City. What an ugly place it is. How do people do any creative work here?”
Willa held her breath. For the past few days, his uncertainties about the project had been making Julio uneasy. Now he was getting closer to understanding what was wrong—but not quite there. Going back to a consortium and telling them there were problems with their basic idea was risky, but that’s how he operated. She worried that they weren’t looking for feedback, just someone to do what they asked. It took balls to take the gamble of asking them to make fundamental changes in the plan, or telling them they needed to change their thinking, but that was Julio. If they refused, he wouldn’t even bother to submit a proposal. He didn’t want to be part of a project he thought was fundamentally flawed. He only involved himself with projects that he was certain would be successful.
“You need to put together your team for the bid, Ju
lio. You know the top people for some of those things are here. Even if you don’t put them on your team, you can get their input.”
Willa wasn’t sure if that was vanity or an assurance that you seldom encountered, but whatever it was, it was part of Julio’s makeup. It was a strength, but for a clever opponent, an exploitable weakness. She filed that thought for reference. If he did ask them for changes, that could put her plan in jeopardy. Fortunately, she had contingency plans. She would ride Julio’s coattails to the top, but she had no intention of going down with him if he failed.
She smiled. “To do that, you need to talk to the best people.”
“Fine. I just don’t see why we had to come to New York for that.”
“I want you to meet with Tina Peters.”
“Why do I know that name?”
“She worked for Lissa Edwards on a lot of projects. When Ms. Edwards dropped out of sight, Tina ran the business for her, but they had a falling-out. Now she’s gone out on her own. Since you can’t get Ms. Edwards to respond, I thought that getting Ms. Peters on the team might be the next best thing.”
“If she’s interested, she could have come to Barcelona. I don’t care much for New York, and this is using up valuable time.”
Willa touched his arm, calming him. “We’ve used the flight time productively. And she couldn’t come to Europe right now. She is being courted by Tom Acker. He sees her value and has proposed they work together. It would set off alarms if she suddenly flew to Spain to see you. She isn’t willing to throw away an offer from him on the chance you might be interested. Besides, I’ve arranged a number of meetings with American firms who want to talk about roles they might play in the project.”
“And this Peters woman has agreed to meet?”
“The three of us will have dinner together tonight.”
“So I don’t have to face this woman alone?”
She put her hand on his arm. “Julio, I wouldn’t put you in that situation.”
He laughed. “She must be pretty, because I get the feeling you don’t trust me.”
Willa gave him a smile. “I don’t trust women around you.” That was close enough to the truth for her to sound sincere. “So just grit your teeth and tolerate New York for a few days. We have the meetings, you’ll make your decisions, and we’ll fly back to Spain. Simple.”
“Nothing is ever that simple,” he said. “People are far more complicated than I’d like. If they were more like projects, definable, consistent…”
She snuggled up against him, thinking that he was right about people. Tina was a perfect example of how people could complicate things. Initially the woman had been useful; it had been easy to convince her to work for their mutual benefit. But she’d gotten greedy. Rather than get Lissa safely under contract for the Milan project, she’d gone after it herself—and after Tom Acker himself, if the rumors were true. Even with Acker stalling on signing a contract, it had taken some work to get her to consider the option of working with Julio. It was important that Lissa work for Acker—once it was signed, Julio wouldn’t even consider talking to Lissa—it would squash any lingering ideas Julio might have that he could still manage to get in touch with her and convince her to work with him.
Despite the rumors, the news of her having his children without letting him know, despite everything, he still thought she was the best at what she did. Unbelievably, she knew he’d be willing to put all of that aside to have her on his team.
Tina’s leaving, going after Acker’s business for herself. Tina muddied the waters. The only way Willa could see to keep her plan on track now was if she managed to get Julio to hire Tina, even if it weakened his team.
# # #
“I want to be involved in the Milan project,” Tina told Willa. “It’s huge and would give me the chance to show what I can do.”
Without letting Julio know, Willa had arranged for them to meet in the bar of the hotel she and Julio were staying in ahead of the dinner. Willa had only met Tina once before, and that was brief. With there being several ways that the evening could go, she wanted this opportunity to size her up.
“So you’ve gone off on your own. Wouldn’t it have been easier to be involved in the Milan project if you were still working for Lissa Edwards? She’s considered quite an expert.”
She saw that the comment struck a nerve. “That’s part of the problem with staying on. I need to be out from under the shadow of that bitch. In the years I’ve worked for her, no one has seen that I’m the one that makes things happen. I convince clients, do presentations, run the business, and she gets all the credit just because she spouts all that analytical claptrap.”
Willa sighed. It seemed laughable that Tina couldn’t see that the “analytical claptrap” she hated was exactly what people like Julio and Tom Acker were looking for. That was the work that formed the basis for putting together their proposals, not visionary handholding. While the work could be farmed out the way Tina thought, they really wanted someone who understood that stuff intimately and could brainstorm with them. “I think that her analysis is why she gets so much work.”
Tina obviously saw things differently. “You don’t hire a mechanic to design a race car,” she said. “I have vision. I understand the ideas and dreams that clients have, and I know how to hire and deal with the number crunchers. My idea is to make our consultancy more visible, give the work we do a bit of flash.”
“You might keep in mind that even if you’re right, Julio wants to hear insights that come from that kind of analysis. He wants a team that can evaluate all the variables.”
“My people are the best.”
Willa admired her self-confidence, but it seemed to border on arrogance. “What has Tom Acker said about working for him?”
“He hasn’t finished putting his internal project together yet. He is trying to decide whether to set up a separate team or put it under one of his companies. Once he decides that…”
That sounded like bullshit to Willa. A man like Tom Acker didn’t sit around wondering how to structure a team or worry about what division of his company would carry the torch. He was like Julio in that respect. He’d delegate only up to a point, but he would head the team himself and farm out a few specific tasks. The question now was only whether Acker was bullshitting Tina or if she was just trying to sound more plugged into Acker’s decision-making than she actually was.
Tina wasn’t impressing her as the right person to work with Julio. As convenient as the idea had seemed, it was important that Julio have a top team, especially if Acker hired Edwards as she wanted. More than anything, Willa wanted Julio to win the bid, to get the Milan job, and make it spectacular. She’d do whatever it took for that to happen. She’d guide him through putting together his proposal and be at his side every step of the way until it was done.
When the project was done, and a spectacular success, she could ask for almost anything and be fairly sure he’d give it to her. What she would ask for would depend to an extent on how things played out. For now, she like the nature of their sexual relationship. It was casual and she was happy to sleep with him when he wanted. That was better than having to worry about someone undermining her position with pillow talk. Over time that bond would fade, however. Being lovers was a transitory thing. Perhaps she’d get him to put her in charge of one of his companies. That could be good. It would give her a chance to show her stuff, to make her mark.
When the personal relationship faded, she’d be independent and still necessary and important in her own right. Alternatively she might get him to marry her. That was more difficult, but would let her run his universe—she’d control both home and business. Eventually he’d have mistresses for sex, of course. She’d prefer he did.
But first they had to win the bid to build the business center and make it happen.
Tina was still trying to explain her situation. “Anyway, since Acker and I don’t have a contract, I can’t see myself sitting around waiting for him to decide. If
Julio Torres wants to make me an offer, I’m ready to deal.”
“Does Tom Acker know that you’re considering other offers?”
Tina smiled. “I hope not. He has a tendency to get jealous.”
Willa allowed herself a satisfied grin. It was as she’d hoped—Tina was sleeping with Acker, but she’d put her position at risk. She’d be having dinner with Julio, and her vanity kept her from seeing the trap she’d set for herself. She wanted to have dinner in a restaurant where people went to do business and be seen. Being seen with Julio would raise her profile, but it also meant that in a matter of hours the word would get back to Acker. Naturally he’d draw the conclusion that she was lobbying to be on Julio’s team. When he did, it was likely that he might decide she couldn’t be trusted. Even if Julio didn’t like Tina, and now that she’d met her, Willa realized there was no chance in hell he’d hire her, Acker might hire Lissa Edwards after all.
She sipped her wine, pleased with the course of events. There was a lot of uncertainty to deal with, but if the dinner had the proper result, she’d see Edwards under contract to Acker, and Tina out of the running and wondering what had hit her. That suited Willa nicely. If somehow Tina did wind up working with Julio, she’d have to keep her eye on her every second. Tina was older than Willa, but still younger than Julio, and Willa didn’t doubt for a second that she would make a play for him. His money and position were too big a temptation.
Now it didn’t seem likely that Tina would get a chance.
Willa tried not to look too satisfied. She ordered another round of drinks. “Julio will be down shortly, and we can eat then.”
# # #
“What a waste of time that was.” Julio’s dissatisfied look spoke volumes.
“I’m sorry about that. That’s what you always have to watch for when you don’t know a person. I seriously thought that given she had done all that work for Lissa Edwards and was being considered by Acker, she must have something on the ball.”