Hidden Agenda
By Laurie Larsen
Grant Fontaine is the widowed president of his father-in-law’s electronics company. Since the tragic death of his pregnant wife a decade ago, he’s become a high achieving businessman, but a social hermit. Several years ago, his lonely life took on new meaning when he discovered that the donation he’d made to a reproductive clinic long ago had sired a child. Through the services of a discreet private eye unafraid to push legal limits, he identifies his “daughter,” Caroline, and her mother, Alyssa Stark.
He satisfies himself with maintaining a watchful eye from a distance, keeping his identity secret until Caroline reaches adulthood. That is, until Alyssa’s career path transports her into his professional realm. Now, his careful plans are thrown out the window. His dream of being a part of Caroline’s childhood is so close … the last thing he counts on is falling in love with the girl’s gorgeous mother.
Copyright
Hidden Agenda
COPYRIGHT 2013 by Laurie Larsen
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever with written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This book is also available in print at most on-line retailers
Written by Laurie Larsen
Cover art by Kimberlee Mendoza
Published in the United States of America
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, please go to an online e-book retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Table of Contents
Reviews
Other Books by Laurie
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
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A Word about the author
Excerpt from Roadtrip to Redemption
What reviewers are saying about Laurie Larsen’s Keeper by Surprise:
“This is both a heart - rending and heart- warming story. Ms. Larsen did an excellent job of showing the realities (the good and the bad) that would arise in such circumstances and demonstrated the possibilities when maturity and responsibility are accepted and handled correctly. This is a story that is about love of many different kinds - romantic love, family love, self-love and more. I'd recommend this to readers of Contemporary fiction and romance without reservation.”
-- SnifferWalk Books
“For a story that begins as a nice, little college romance, it sure covers a vast amount of serious topics. Laurie Larsen is an excellent author who has developed some very believable characters who go through some harsh circumstances. They grow and learn as a result, and they all end up growing in ways they never dreamed possible.”
-- My Devotional Thoughts
“Keeper by Surprise is a poignant story of one young man's challenge to become a parent to his three younger siblings after a tragic car accident takes the lives of his parents. Written in the third person narrative, author Laurie Larsen weaves a poignant tale of heartbreak, reality, growth, responsibility and resilience that will simply pull at your heart strings.”
-- Jersey Girl Book Reviews
Other books by Award Winning author Laurie Larsen:
Keeper by Surprise (Contemporary romance)
Inner Diva (Contemporary romance)
The Chronicles of Casey V, Or Mental Ramblings of the Most Awesome Summer of My Life (Young Adult romance)
Preacher Man (EPIC award-winner, Best Inspirational Romance of 2010)
Legacy of Lies (Women’s fiction)
Momentary Lapse (Women’s fiction)
Whispers of the Heart (Contemporary romance)
Dedication:
Dedicated to my friend Tina, without whom this whole story would not have been born. Remember walking through Chicago together that day and your new cell phone rang? And after listening for a while you said, “I’m not who you think I am.”
My imagination started churning … and this story is the result.
Chapter One
Subway doors whooshed open, an underground dragon expelling a roar and a blast of smoke. Pointedly ignoring the smell and the surging crowd of strangers, Alyssa Stark climbed the cement stairs onto the street. She claimed a tiny square of pavement to pause a moment, her breath catching in her throat as frenzied pedestrians swarmed around her.
Her first day in New York City. All her hard work and sacrifices had paid off. She had arrived.
Alyssa braced herself against the horde of busy people, determined to blend in. Nonchalant, going about their business without a thought. On the other hand, how many of her fellow New Yorkers had such exhilaration racing through their veins? She held back a grin.
A warm breeze blew her hair as she made her way to the corner and waited for the light to change. She studied the office building across the street where she would make her mark – where she’d prove to everyone just what she was capable of. A modern steel-and-glass masterpiece, McDunn and Early’s impressive midtown Manhattan offices rose far above its neighboring Madison Avenue high-rises. How many junior advertising execs plotted their rise up the ladder of hard work and accomplishment while gazing down at this very street corner?
The light turned green and Alyssa stepped off the curb, swept along with the crowd of walkers, while vehicles around them honked and inched threateningly forward. Reaching the opposite sidewalk, she broke free and strode to the front door.
“May I help you?” A stern-faced security guard in a blue uniform stood behind a counter to her right.
“Yes, please. I’m Alyssa Stark. It’s my first day of work at McDunn and Early.”
The guard peered at her over bifocal glasses perched at the end of his nose. The gruff look morphed into a smile. “Congratulations, young lady.” He nodded approvingly before lifting the phone to summon an escort for her.
A few minutes later, a man in a fitted suit emerged from the elevator and walked toward her, a tentative smile toying at his lips. His haircut was precision itself, and the darkness in his salt and pepper hair still won the battle of dominance. “Alyssa Stark?”
Alyssa stepped forward and took his outstretched hand. “Yes.”
“I’m Tony White. I’m an Account Executive like you. I’ve been assigned to be your mentor. You know, introduce you around, show you the ropes, shield you from imminent disaster.”
Alyssa grinned. She liked him right away. “Imminent disaster like what?”
“Too numerous to mention. But I’ll venture a few: my first order of business is to protect you from old Ambrose Early. He’s two generations removed from the contemporary Earlys, but he insists on an office, an expense account and a client or two.”
“How old is he?”
“Eighty five, but he doesn’t look a day under a hundred. In his heyday he lived hard – drinking, smoking, girls at his beck and call. He’s on a million medications and occasionally an oxygen tank, but he still thinks he’s a catch worthy of the most beautiful young women.”
“Hmmm.”
“Just a wa
rning. Old Ambrose will hit on you. Brace yourself and think of a firm, but gracious way to turn him down.” Tony eyed her sideways. “Unless you’re into octogenarians with shortened lifespans.”
“Depends on how cute he is.”
Tony raised his eyebrows at her.
“Kidding! Just kidding.” She laughed and peered around the modern lobby, her excitement difficult to contain. “Well, I’m happy to be here.”
Tony chuckled with a shake of his head. “I’ll check with you at the end of the day and see if you want to come back tomorrow.”
They entered the elevator and Tony pushed 27. The highest floor she’d ever worked on was 14. That was in Chicago, her last job. She was working her way to the top, literally.
“So, did you move here alone?” Tony asked as they settled in for the ascent.
“No. I have a daughter, Caroline. She’s eight. We’ve gotten pretty good at re-locating. We’ve done it several times now.”
“Divorced, I assume? Me, too. One son in college, a daughter in her last year of high school. They mainly live with their mother in Connecticut, and I see them on holidays and a month in the summer.”
It seemed a lot of details to share with a stranger, but Alyssa knew that the best of professional mentorships began with getting to know each other on a personal level. In college, she’d often found men easier to form friendships with than women, as long as she set the right boundaries up front. In fact, her new mentor reminded her of several of her university buddies. She would rely on Tony to help her maneuver through the challenges at McDunn and Early, but if she was lucky, he could also be her first friend in New York.
Despite his open sharing of his own life, Alyssa would have to get to know and trust him more before she opened up about her past. Her driven childhood, the abysmal mistake she made in college that led to a mismatched marriage, her divorce and her determined drive to make up for lost time in her career. And Caroline. Just like everything else in her life, if she wanted something, she’d achieve it with hard work, determination and single-minded devotion to the cause. Caroline was her daughter, no one else’s. And she was doing a good job raising her, too. Caroline was intelligent, loving, caring and friendly. The two of them were a team.
“Here we are.” They stepped off the elevator. A large aluminum sign hung behind a receptionist’s desk, declaring the name of her new employer in black metallic letters. Tony waved at a pretty young woman talking on the phone behind the desk and used his badge to key through a door to the right.
They began down a long hallway. Each tiny office had a glass wall facing the interior walkway. As they walked, they had a full view of whatever was going on inside. Each room uniformly held a desk, chair, bookcase and an expansive window overlooking Madison Avenue. The spectacular view was by far the centerpiece of an otherwise tight, cramped office space.
Two or three offices before the end of the floor, Tony steered her into her own. She stepped in and drew a deep breath. She turned around slowly, absorbing its ambience. She would make magic happen here. She would become one of the most successful Account Executives in McDunn and Early advertising history.
“Dorothy, you’re not in Kansas anymore.” Tony watched her with a smirk.
“Illinois, hot shot. Chicago is a long way from Kansas.”
“Yeah, well, you’ve hit the big time now.”
“I know.” She stepped behind her desk and lowered herself into her chair. She spun around to look behind her at the magnificent view. Across the street on the twenty seventh floor, another youngish woman executive in a high rise office building went about her day. Alyssa breathed deep and sighed. “I love it here, Tony.”
He laughed. “That’s only because you haven’t started yet.”
She frowned. “You know, that’s the second time you’ve intimated that I wasn’t going to like working here. Is there something you should be telling me, oh wise mentor?”
He shook his head. “You’re not a rookie. You know how it is in this industry. Advertising is a hectic, competitive, complicated business. And you and I are on the front line. It’s demanding and it sucks the life out of you. But we’re the gluttons who keep coming back for more.”
“I know it’s demanding. I know it’s hectic. But it’s what I thrive on. I love talking to a client and finding out what they need and why, and how my services can help their business. I mull it all over and I think about it over coffee, during my rides to work and in the shower. Then, voila! It comes to me. I create an advertising campaign that practically knocks the client over.” She sighed with satisfaction. “There’s nothing better, Tony.”
She broke out of her reverie and glanced at her mentor. He stared at her, the wise cracker now pensive. “What?”
“You’re exactly what I need, Alyssa. I used to have that passion. I’ve lost it.”
Alyssa beamed at him. “You lost it! How could you? You work for the best ad agency in the country, in the best city in the world. Of course we’re passionate about it. You and me, Tony. We’re going to set this company on its ear. Partners?” She held her hand out to him.
“You and me, Dorothy.”
They shook and Tony got down to the business of acclimating Alyssa to her new co-workers, equipment and supplies.
“And the keys to the kingdom—here you go.” Tony handed her a large envelope. Alyssa took it and peered inside. She pulled out a stack of papers.
“Your preliminary client list. These are inactives. Either they used us once and never came back, or they had a more ongoing relationship with us and ended it in the last few years. I suggest you get started making contacts. You know, doing what you do best.”
Alyssa smiled. “Gotcha.” She riffled through the papers. “About fifty or so. How many appointments do you think I can make this week?”
“Ten?”
“And I say ‘p-shaw’ to you with your ten.”
“P-shaw?”
“I say I get 50% wanting to meet with me.”
“Impossible. These folks have been inactive for a while, Alyssa. It might take some convincing to get them to come back. No way you’ll get half of them to agree to a meeting.”
Alyssa nodded, studying the list. “Giving me the crap stuff, huh? That’s fine. I can pay my dues, just like everyone else. But what if I do get half?”
Tony snickered. “I’ll buy you a welcome lunch at the best steakhouse in town.”
Alyssa brandished the list above her head. “You’ve got a deal. And may I say that free steak is going to taste awfully good.”
* * * *
The red light on Grant Fontaine’s phone was tripping over itself, blinking. One subtle blink for each message waiting. He nodded thoughtfully to the man in his guest chair, hoping he appeared to be listening, while he counted the blinks: one, two, three, four, five, six.
Shit. He had six messages come in for him while this dick-wad droned on and on. What a waste of time.
“We’d give Calibrite Electronics products top billing and the best placement in all our stores nationwide, Mr. Fontaine. Gadgetmart is devoted to a strong partnership with you, and that’s why we’re willing to move our other brand names to a less prominent placement.”
Grant let his gaze drift from the drone, his slicked-back hair and cheesy mustache more than he could take at the moment. He glanced back at the phone. Wait. One, two, three, four, five, six, SEVEN. Another message had registered while this Gadgetmart rep sat there blowing smoke. Grant didn’t want a strong alliance with Gadgetmart, anyway. He’d always felt Calibrite products deserved a classier reputation than sitting on the shelves of a warehouse-type store with tile floors, randomly ringing a siren and a yellow flashing light when a certain item was marked 25% off: “For the next eleven minutes, if you place the Calibrite web cam into your cart and run, not walk, but run to one of our checkout lanes, you will receive an additional 25% off! But only if you complete your purchase before the eleven minutes is up. Starting … now!”
Ligh
ts flashing, sirens blaring … is that the image he wanted customers associating with Calibrite Electronics? Absolutely not, and what’s more, Calibrite’s originator hadn’t wanted it either. His father-in-law had made it very clear that he didn’t want his company to deteriorate under Grant’s oversight. He may be retired, but he still kept a distant but clear-sighted eye on developments. Grant knew he’d be getting a call from the old man if he signed a distributorship deal with Gadgetmart.
“Mr. … uh,” Grant leaned forward to glance at the business card on his desk, “…Martin. I appreciate you coming in but I don’t think we’ll do business right now. I’ll keep your card on file and if we decide to change our distribution direction in the future, I’ll give you a call.” Grant stood and hoped that was the end of that.
Mr. Martin sputtered a little, dug into his briefcase and started reciting figures: how many stores, how many customers, how much in annual sales.
Grant strode to the door of his office and opened it. “Thank you for your time.” Outside, Miranda, his secretary, looked up. He gave her a nod and she immediately rose and walked toward him, several folders and individual slips of paper in her hands.
“Mr. Fontaine, your next appointment is here. Here’s the background information and the proposal they submitted last week.” She bustled around the office, the height of efficiency. She headed toward the chair where the Gadgetmart rep was still sitting. “Mr. Martin, I’d be happy to escort you out. Mr. Fontaine needs just a moment to prepare for his next meeting.”
She held her hand out, and poor Martin had no choice but to rise and succumb to her instructions. He attempted a hasty handshake with Grant and a frantic, “Call me if you reconsider!” before Miranda hustled him out the door.
Grant collapsed into his chair and sighed. He really needed to give that woman a raise. There was no one better at their job than her. He shuffled through the ruse of folders she’d brought in. He knew Gadgetmart had been his last appointment of the day; the folders contained only blank sheets of paper. He smiled.
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