Just as I was about to roll my eyes at her, I heard what sounded like shouting coming from inside. When I opened the door, I realized I’d arrived back just in time to break up an encounter that looked like it was about to come to blows.
“I’ve heard all about the way you treated Tori,” Eliot snapped at Ben, his cheeks bright red and his finger pointed at the billionaire’s chest. His hand was trembling with the same rage he was practically vibrating from. “She doesn’t deserve to be treated like trash.”
“You have no idea what she deserves,” Ben retorted, seated but with his arms crossed tight over his chest and his body so taut it was like he was spring-loaded to jump out of the chair.
Even I could tell he was holding himself back, though I didn’t quite know why he would. Maybe he didn’t think it would look good to make a scene in a restaurant.
Eh. He’s probably right.
A cruel smirk tugged at his lips, his eyes back to being as cold as ice as they focused on Eliot. It was then that I realized Benjamin had never needed his fists to strike a blow. That was why he was still seated.
“I’ll tell you one thing, though. She definitely deserves more than some hopped-up old waiter. What exactly can you offer, man?” He cocked his head and waved his hand up and down. “A boyfriend who wears a dirty uniform and makes minimum wage?”
“I’m a manager, asshole.” Eliot’s whole face had turned red by now.
Ben simply scoffed. “Oh, right. Well, then that’s just so much better.”
My friend looked like he was about to burst into tears and was super pissed off about it. If I didn’t intervene soon, this wouldn’t end well. Plus, he’d only been trying to protect me. Misguided as it was, I couldn’t allow Ben to rip his character to shreds for no good reason.
“Leave, Eliot. I’ll catch up with you later,” I said as I marched back into the room, my head held high and my voice surprisingly steady. He tried to argue, but I held up my hand. “Just leave this to me, please?”
Grumbling and not happy about leaving, he did as I asked and firmly closed the door behind him this time. I turned to Ben, who looked annoyed but largely unruffled. Then again, had I really been expecting any different kind of reaction?
“Eliot doesn’t deserve that kind of treatment,” I said, folding my arms as I stared him down.
That got his attention. His brows shot up and that same guarded, fighting expression I’d gotten used to seeing from him replaced the openness he’d been looking at me with all night. “What is he to you, Tori? A boyfriend? A lover? You told me you weren’t seeing anyone, or was that just another lie?”
“He’s my sister’s boss and my friend.” I didn’t owe him an explanation, but he needed to know how ridiculous he was being.
Having him leave here thinking he was right about the conclusions he’d drawn would only make him feel like he’d won. I’d already established neither of us would ever be winners in this game we had going on.
“Bullshit. I know what a guy looks like when he’s into a girl, Tori. That guy doesn’t look at you like he’s just your sister’s boss and your friend. I mean, fuck, I’m pretty sure he came in his pants when you moaned after tasting your appetizer.”
The only thing I could do was laugh at that. “You really are insane. Does he like me? Yes. He has feelings for me, but I don’t reciprocate them, and he knows that.”
Stepping back when he tried to reach for me, I held up my hands to show him I was done. “You have to stop acting like a spoiled child, Ben. I’m not some toy you can play with whenever you’re bored. I’m a real person. Just like Eliot is, and now that I mention it, just like all the people you fired.”
“I know people are real, Victoria.” He dropped his head back for a moment, his chest rising as he took in a deep breath that he didn’t release immediately.
“If you know that, then you’ve really got to stop treating people like they’re pieces you can move around on your game board to suit yourself.” I gave him one last look, wishing for the hundredth time that he wasn’t so darn handsome to look at.
More than that, I wished I hadn’t known there was so much more to him than a pretty freaking face. “If that was your idea of an apology, you definitely didn’t mean a word you said.”
Turning on my heels, I stormed out and didn’t slam the door behind me, which was about as adult as I could convince myself to be. I was furious with myself for having had hope, for even giving him a chance to explain.
I didn’t know what the point of this evening had been, but it all just felt like a massive waste of time to me. Although what had I really expected?
That Ben had fallen head over heels in love with me like what happened in Kari’s books? Even if he had, I certainly wasn’t in love with him. The very idea that I could be made me laugh out loud while I waited for a cab.
No. Ben and I? There wouldn’t be a happily ever after for us. The best we could do was to stay far away from each other. A happily never after, if you will.
If only the thought of that sounded nearly as appealing as it should’ve, everything would’ve been great. The problem was that it didn’t sound appealing to never see him again.
Not even a little bit.
Not at all.
Chapter 28
BEN
Grand apologetic gestures weren’t meant to fail. In everything I’d seen in movies, read about in books, or heard about from friends who had fucked up, the grand gesture always worked. Mine, however, had failed.
Spec-fucking-tacularly.
I didn’t know how I kept managing to screw things up with Tori, but it was becoming clear to me that I had some issues I needed to work on. Jealousy, distrust, and high-handedness being the ones that immediately came to mind, and the ones that had been consistently responsible for things always going wrong.
Sitting at my desk with my hands together and my steepled fingers tapping against my lips, I couldn’t stop trying to pinpoint where in the night things had gone south. In a moment of realization, it hit me that they hadn’t really gone south. They’d always been there.
From the minute she’d walked into that room ready to do an apology dance and had seen me sitting at the table, it had been a complete shit-show. Booking her for a job had seemed like a good idea at the time. It was a surefire way to make sure she showed up, and I hadn’t known how else to get her there.
Gee. Maybe I should’ve phoned her instead of her boss. I rolled my eyes at myself, letting out a heavy sigh when I realized the snarky voice in my head was right. Picking up the phone and giving her a choice about whether she wanted to accept my invitation might’ve gotten us off to a slightly better start.
During my divorce, I’d been so focused on how horrible Nic was that I hadn’t even stopped to contemplate that I might’ve contributed to the flaws in our relationship as well. Now my obvious shortcomings and flaws in the romance department were writ large, and I felt like the villain.
What a way to start the day.
My head snapped up when I heard the door opening, and I narrowed my eyes at the intruder until I saw who it was. Carl held his hands up in surrender, a lopsided smile on his face when he noticed my expression before I smoothed it.
“Someone sure seems to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed,” he commented, dropping his hands and walking to the chair opposite mine. “What’s up with you this morning?”
“Oh, nothing. Just epiphany after epiphany about how and why I’m going to die alone.”
He frowned, one eyebrow arching as high as he could get it as he tucked his chin in. “Right. Just some light early morning self-condemnation then. Sounds like one hell of a way to kickstart a business day. What brought on these sudden, cheerful epiphanies?”
“What do you think? Victoria Mitchell and I went another round last night, and it didn’t go very well.” I quickly outlined the events of the evening, finishing with a shake of my head. “Maybe she’s right and I should just leave her alone.”
“Haven’t you tried that already?” he asked, undoing the buttons on his jacket as he settled into the chair like he thought he might be here a while.
I shrugged. “I could’ve tried harder. I thought I’d given it a real shot, but I’m not so sure that’s true anymore. I never really wanted to leave her alone. It always felt like there was unfinished business between us.”
“And now?” He looked at me like he already knew the answer to his question, but I knew he still wanted me to say it.
“It still doesn’t feel like it’s all done,” I admitted. “I don’t know why, since there isn’t even really anything other than animosity between us, but something just doesn’t feel right.”
“She’s really gotten to you, hasn’t she?” There was no judgment in his tone, but he didn’t sound thrilled about it either.
I dipped my chin in acknowledgment. There was no point in trying to deny it. Carl and I were having an honest conversation because I really didn’t know what to do.
If I had any hope of salvaging the situation, I needed to talk this through with the person who’d been my professional sounding board for years. It helped that said sounding board also knew all about my personal life better than anyone and was the only person I ever talked to about it.
“She really has. Don’t ask me why, but there’s something about her.” I dragged in a deep breath to prepare for confessing the final realization I’d come to this morning. It wasn’t something I thought I’d ever even think, much less say out loud. “The fact of the matter is that even though we hardly ever do anything other than fight, I’d rather fight with her for the rest of my life than spend one night not arguing with somebody else.”
Carl’s jaw slackened and his eyes became as round and big as saucers. “You’re that serious about her?”
“I think so,” I said slowly, turning the statement over in my head again before confirming it. “I don’t think so. I know so. Right now, that’s how I feel.”
He paused for a long moment before propping his elbows on his knees and leaning his weight on them. “Do you remember her ridiculous suggestion about keeping the staff on? I’m just using it as one example but she’s not some infallible pillar of virtue, Ben.”
“I know.” I puffed my cheeks up with air before blowing out slowly. “It’s not that. It’s just…” I trailed off because I still didn’t even really know what it was about her that had captivated me from the very first moment. “She stands up for herself and what she believes in, and she doesn’t give a shit if she’s standing alone. That’s a rare quality these days.”
“Sure, but what she believes in is the total devastation of this company. We had to cut those staff members to keep things lean and to maximize our profits. I didn’t like it any more than she did, but those are the facts.”
“I hear you, but how many people have we let go over the years? And how many of them had the balls to say a single word about it? She’s different, man.”
“Yeah, she’s so different that she made a video that tanked our share prices and that we still can’t shake the consequences of.” His tone was even and measured. I knew what he was doing, and I appreciated it.
I nodded. Again, there was no point in trying to deny his assertions. “Thanks for playing devil’s advocate, but those are all minor issues compared to how massively I’ve continued to fuck up where Tori is concerned.”
“All I’m saying is that she might be right about some things, but she’s not right about everything. Just because you can’t seem to get ahead with her doesn’t mean you’re going to die miserable and alone.”
A vague thought started forming in the back of my mind, and I squinted my eyes and rubbed my jaw while waiting for it to take shape. “You have a point there. She is right about some things.”
Carl groaned. “There’s that expression of wonder on your face that tells me you’re about to suggest something crazy. Whenever I see that look, I know we’re in for a wild ride.”
“You’re a genius.” I grinned as the errant thought morphed into a plan that might just have been the best one I’d ever had.
“See? Crazy,” he reiterated.
Laughing as I got up, I clapped him on the back when I passed him on the way to the mini-fridge in the corner. I grabbed two bottles of water out of it, handed one over to him, and took my seat again as the pieces of the plan clicked into place.
“All right. You might as well tell me what’s going on in that head of yours.” He sighed and picked up the tablet he never left his office without, flicking the cover open and powering it on. “What are we doing?”
I cracked my knuckles before sitting back, grinning like the crazy person he apparently thought I was. “I might’ve figured out how to solve all our problems in one fell swoop.”
“I’m all ears. As long as the crashing stock price is one of those problems we’ll be solving. We’re not anyone’s favorite conglomerate at the moment.”
“No one has a favorite conglomerate, but yes. My plan might just get us back on the press’s good side as well as getting me in Tori’s good graces. We have a lot of work to do, though. It won’t be easy.”
“We’ve never been afraid of getting in the trenches or getting our hands dirty in them. Tell me what you need, and I’ll see what I can do to make it happen.”
Spinning my chair around so I was facing the city I used to feel like I was on top of, I scrubbed my hands over my cheeks while briefly considering my plan. If it worked, it could be exactly what we needed, but if it didn’t, it could make us look desperate.
If we looked desperate, our share prices would take another hit and we could walk out in an even worse position. On the other hand, I’d never been afraid of risk.
In the greater scheme of things, this wasn’t even one of the riskier plans I’d come up with. It would take some begging, some groveling, and some restructuring, but we could make it work.
“I have some phone calls to make, and I need you to set up a meeting for me with HR. All hands on deck,” I started without turning back to face him just yet.
I watched rain lashing at my windows, hoping that my plan would have the same effect it was. That it would clean the dust and dirt off my company name as surely as the rain was doing to the building. Showing Tori that I meant business and didn’t have any ulterior motives would just be an added bonus.
Moreover, I hoped she would see that I took her seriously and that I wasn’t, in fact, out to ruin her life. Or anyone else’s lives, for that matter.
Carl made a note of my instructions, waiting for me to continue with his stylus paused above his screen. “I’m assuming you want this meeting with HR to happen as soon as possible?”
I nodded. “Today would be best. Have them clear out their late afternoon schedules if they have to.”
“Consider it done,” he said, though I knew it wouldn’t be that easy to facilitate. “What’s next?”
“A press conference and a candy dancer appointment. I’m not sure which will be harder, given the timing. Tori’s bound to be suspicious of any job that even looks like it might’ve come from me, and the press don’t love us at the moment either.”
“We still have some friends at the media houses I can reach out to,” he said. “They haven’t been able to do much for us, but they’re sure to come if they’re invited to a conference.”
“All we can do is try,” I said. “If you have to, promise them interview slots after. I’m willing to sit down with a few of them, no holds barred.”
“No holds barred?” He shook his head at me but jotted it down anyway. “Once more into the breach then, I suppose. I hope you know what you’re doing, my friend.”
“Once more into the breach,” I agreed, not adding that I didn’t really know what I was doing. All I knew was that it was time for drastic measures.
Chapter 29
TORI
Valentine’s Day was only a couple of days away now, and I’d been working nonstop. There were way to
o many people who’d moved away from buying flowers and chocolate and who bought dances instead.
I was on my way to another job, sitting in the back of a cab as it crept through the traffic downtown. The job was in one of the biggest skyscrapers around, and I’d always been curious about what it looked like inside, but I couldn’t muster up the energy to be excited about it right now.
The morning had started out okay, but it had gotten significantly worse from there. I’d been sent to deliver a message to a man who turned out to be cheating on his girlfriend, and she’d confronted me during the dance. Talk about awkward.
Dressed in a fifties retro-style black dress with little red hearts on it now, I looked like a pin-up girl from a calendar. I didn’t know what I was walking into, but that was often the case with my job. Lord knows I wouldn’t have taken that last one if I’d known I was about to be faced with the wrath of a woman scorned.
It had only been one of the less fun encounters I’d had recently. Maybe it was the novelty wearing off, but I’d already decided to stop dancing after Valentine’s Day. I was no longer enjoying the job so much, the cash tips were becoming smaller, and it felt like it was time to get back to doing what I wanted to make a career out of.
There was a very real possibility that if I stayed out of my field for too long, people would start wondering why when I eventually applied for positions again. It would look like I wasn’t serious about it if I took too long of a break, and I didn’t want my skills or certifications to become dated.
In the past week, I’d received a number of alerts for available positions. So far, I just hadn’t had time to sift through them and start applying. I’d vowed that I’d do it as soon as Valentine’s Day was over, though.
The cab pulled up outside the building, interrupting my musings when the driver told me what I owed him. I paid, fluffed the big wavy curls in my hair, and climbed out onto the sidewalk. An elevator carried me to the fourth floor where I’d been instructed to get off, and a staff member was waiting there for me when the doors opened.
Love Your Moves: A Billionaire Valentine's Romantic Comedy Page 17