by K. F. Breene
Krista grinned. “Hate to say it, Sean, but I’m always right.”
His anger flashed, but he looked away. She’d hoped he would have calmed down with a jest, but his pride was hurt. Or something else was going on that he wasn’t about to spill in front of the crew.
“Well, so we won overall?” Krista asked.
Everyone nodded, their smiles big.
“Thanks to your trash talking!” Dean said.
At that, Sean turned around suddenly, eyes wide. It was the first time Dean talked to Krista in any other way but a sneer. Thankfully, Sean was at the back of their cluster or he would have ruined it. Krista was starting to win him over. The day’s humiliation was almost worth it.
Almost, but not quite.
Krista saw New York’s VP heading her way with purpose. The man was in his early sixties or late fifties, and was a big cat. He probably smoked cigars, had a box at Yankee stadium, and a weird looking wife with big hair and fake nails. Sean turned to greet him, but got a nod instead.
“Krista. We haven’t been formally introduced. I am Ron Powers. I am the Senior VP over there at the New York region. I’ve been with this company a long time. I just wanted to give you a formal apology for what was said to you by one of my men. It was over the line. Thank you for handling it so gracefully.”
Krista shrugged, making light of it to save face. “No problem. I’ve heard worse.”
“Not at work you haven’t, I hope.” Ron gave Sean a hard look.
“Thanks for the apology, Ron. It means a lot,” Krista said, trying to get this scene over with before Sean said something stupid or she broke down crying.
Ron turned back to her and shook her hand. “You’re a fire starter. Maybe it’s about time we got a female perspective.”
Krista didn’t miss the hedge but continued on anyway. “Tory’s always had that. Her name is Emily. She’s the silent partner.”
Ron gave a loud, booming laugh. It was like thunder clouds rolling through. “Observant. And correct.” He shook her hand again and headed away.
With that, everyone stared at her, waiting for her reaction. She gave it by turning and headed back to her room. As expected, Sean fell in beside her like he was her personal bodyguard. It wasn’t until they were separated from the rest of the groups, including their own, that he asked quietly, “Are you okay?”
“Are you okay, Sean?” she deflected.
“Krista, you can hide a great many things from a great many people, but you can’t hide all that much from me.”
They were walking through the lobby. Krista was silent as she approached the elevator. Some Utah people were already waiting. The moustache man turned to her, stalling the conversation between Krista and Sean.
“Krista, is it?”
She nodded and he continued with, “I’m Perry. You did a great job up there. I’ve been to these things before, but the dunk tank part has never been so fun. Welcome aboard.”
“Thanks, Perry. If I was a better shot, I wouldn’t have been up there in the first place. But you saw the balloon toss. I’m not much of a thrower. More a soccer player. Talking trash was the least I could do, right?”
“I guess,” he said as the elevator opened.
They all filed in, no one talking much in the tight space. She and Sean got out on their floor.
“Well, see ya,” Krista said to Perry.
“In about an hour.”
As soon as the doors closed, the silence once again permeated. She knew Sean wanted to talk about it, but he held himself in check.
When Krista got to her room, escorted by the body guard, she felt his presence stop with her. Thinking he wanted to talk to Janice, she walked into the quiet space and held the door so he could follow behind.
Except, Janice wasn’t in there. She and Marcus must’ve still been at their competitions.
Trying to remain unperturbed, but not thinking of much else besides Blake’s humiliation, she stripped off her wet shirt and threw it in the bathroom. She wanted to be left alone. She wanted to sort it out in her head. Most importantly, she wanted to cry to relieve a little stress. She didn’t know how to get Sean to go, though. She was fragile, he was right, but she didn’t want to break down in front of him. They didn’t have that kind of relationship anymore.
In just her bra, Krista rooted around in the closet for the dress she would wear later. In a soft voice, she heard, “Krissy, please.”
She stopped in the middle of her search, bowed her head, and let the tears come. Sean was there immediately, arms wrapped around her, crushing her to his stone body.
He lowered his mouth until it brushed lightly against her ear. “I didn’t want that for you, Pet. That’s what I was trying to prevent.”
“And in doing so, you would have made it obvious to everyone that you were protecting me. They already think I am sleeping with you to get promotions.”
“I know. And you handled it well. Even Blake’s comment.”
She could hear the steel in his voice. She didn’t think he had heard the comment directly, but it wouldn’t have taken long for it to spread. Krista folded up into his arms and let him rock her slowly. She inhaled his unique scent and thought of the sun warming the sands as the ocean mist flowed over her. Home.
She put her head back a little. Sean’s cheek lightly glanced against hers as his mouth came closer. She lifted her head slightly, her lips mere inches from his. She expected him to bend a fraction and meet her. When he didn’t she said in a breathy whisper, “Do you want to make love to me, Sean?”
Chapter Sixteen
“So bad it hurts, Krista,” Sean’s voice was husky and labored.
His breath dusted her face. His sensuous lips barely touched the corner of hers for a split second. She could feel his erection against her hip. His arms constricted, but then they loosened again.
“But I won’t. You are emotional right now. That would just make you more confused. It would further complicate things. I don’t want the chasm between us any larger. I can barely get around it as it is.”
Krista didn’t like that answer. It was probably true, sure, but she wanted him. She wanted to feel like she was home again. Like she was safe, and loved, and protected from the harsh winds of the world she found herself in. Him in her body had always made sense. He had always made her feel wanted, beautiful. She didn’t think about how he pushed her away, or his fear. Instead, she slowly felt up the inside of his shirt, tracing each abdominal muscle. She could hear his breath coming faster. She nuzzled into his neck and kissed him slowly and softly, then nipped him.
“Oh, Krista.” He moaned as his hands slid down her back slowly, finding their way to her butt. His arms constricted again, smashing their groins together, his hard bulge pressing deliciously.
She cupped the back of his head and brought his lips closer to hers. She hadn’t opened her eyes, and didn’t bother now. She trailed kisses across his cheek and found his mouth. Wasting no time, she opened those lush lips with hers and slid in her tongue with needy thrusts. He tasted of spearmint and coffee and Sean. She flicked and played her tongue off his as he ground her groin into him, gyrating slowly.
She was in ecstasy. She’d forgotten how good he felt. Better than anybody she’d ever been with. Just a small kiss had her heart hammering. He let her lead, breathing heavily as she kissed and stroked, leading him to the bed. He went like a trusting lamb, unable to say no, unable to stay strong.
That was when they heard a key in the lock. Dawning was slow for both, but finally they came to their senses, Sean first. He grabbed Krista’s arms and pushed her away regretfully. The effect was like dousing Krista in cold water. She blinked and looked around confusedly before finally grasping the severity of the situation—Janice was just about to walk in with god-knew who and she was grabbing Sean in all the delicious, but wrong, places. She was doing exactly what the whole company thought she did to get to where she was.
She looked at Sean. His eyes were filled with lust an
d regret, but he stepped away marginally, giving them more room. He took a big breath as Janice walked in, who stopped abruptly.
“I’m sorry,” Janice said, surveying the scene and looking flustered. “Sean, you shouldn’t be in here.”
“I know,” he replied, still looking deeply into Krista’s eyes. He was trying to will her to understand something. She figured it was lack of control. “Krista was chosen to be dunked and had a hard time of it.”
“Oh, I was afraid of that!” Janice said, bustling over. She found a towel, tore Krista further away from Sean, and wrapped her up in a motherly sort of way.
But Krista didn’t need her mom right now, she needed Sean. If not Sean, then alone time to sort out her feelings.
She struggled out of Janice’s pitying grasp. “I’m good you guys. Really. I have to get changed. Sean, where should I meet you?”
Sean’s eyes were sea green infernos. She had seen that look many, many times. It was taking everything he had not to take two quick steps and carry her away. Krista broke out in a sweat, mostly because she wanted to let him. “Sean!”
He blinked twice, saw Janice and her looking at him expectantly, and flushed a bright red. “Geegee, we’re paintballing after lunch. You might wear your yoga pants. Or running pants. Or whatever you’ve got.”
~*~*~*~
Krista turned and headed to the bathroom. Sean walked stiffly away—he had to go find Tory. And get some space. He’d almost given in and it would have been the second biggest mistake he’d made with her. He would have given in, and she would have gone running. You couldn’t push Krista when she wasn’t ready. She just froze up. You had to coax her out, and if you did, the rewards were plentiful.
Sean made his way upstairs to the suites where Tory had his room and make-shift office. All the VPs could have had suites as well, but Sean wanted to stay near Marcus and Krista. He wanted to be one of the team until everyone was gelling smoothly. All the other VPs thought he was stupid for it.
The door to Tory’s room was opened by Ron.
“Hi, Sean. Come in. I was just finishing up.”
The room was large and luxurious. The outer room looked like a living room. There was an entertainment system, couches, and a recliner, with a bar area off to the right. Further in was an area for a mini-office with a desk and chairs, and visitor chairs. Tory was sitting there, his laptop opened in front of him.
At the back of the suite was a large arched doorway that showed an enormous king size bed with four-posters and a million perfectly set pillows. There was probably a gigantic bathroom in there somewhere as well as a walk-in closet.
The allure was space. That’s all it was, more space than the room he currently had and hardly used. Sean had a house for that. It wasn’t worth missing Marcus’s random tid-bits about what people had said to him in passing. Information was worth more than a big bathroom any day.
“Sean, come in,” Tory said as he looked out over his laptop. “I was just talking to Ron about the gravity of Blake’s comment. It was one of five comments Krista could easily sue us for.”
“I believe my team is responsible for the other four,” Sean stated matter-of-factly as he walked in and took a seat in one of the chairs against the wall near Tory’s desk.
“Three of them, yes. I expect you have talked to your team?” Tory asked severely.
“I’ve talked with each of them more than once since Krista has started. I have written two of them up. Two more infractions for each and it will be a fire-able offense.”
“And they haven’t curbed the comments?” Ron asked incredulously.
Sean met Ron’s disapproving stare. “I don’t think you realize how personal these guys take it that a woman got promoted. She is the first, and as such, she doesn’t belong. She is also attractive, so foul play is immediately suspected. They don’t make comments in my hearing. They think they’re being sneaky. The fact that it gets back to me anyway and I write them up creates more animosity. They think Krista is the one telling me, when in fact it is other women overhearing and they are just as insulted.
“Sixty-five percent of my Region’s work force is female. 65%! Only one woman is in upper management, and two are at supervisor level—Krista promoted a woman to fill her place. There is only one other, and she is a lesbian—you can imagine the comments she gets from her male peers. We hire women, but we only promote men.”
Sean sat, his body open to encompass the two other men, before he went on. “Now look at the clients you work with. How many women are presenting to you on a continual basis? How many women do you talk to regularly regarding normal business operations outside of our company? And how many women are you missing in your sales? If you think like a man, you will not entrap a woman. Women can bedazzle men—they’ve been doing it for centuries—but most men can’t seem to figure women out enough to sell to them. The exception is a gay man, but I bet you don’t have many gay men in your upper tiers, either, based on the comments I have heard regarding Marcus’s sexual orientation, which are also suit worthy.
“The fact is, you all chastise me for promoting a female, but are missing the worth of doing so. In this day and age, we are way behind; our company is outside the norm. We are passing up a lot of qualified applicants by discrediting them because of their sex or sexual orientation. It is as unacceptable as it is costly.”
Ron looked at Sean in contemplation. Ron wasn’t a stupid man by any stretch. And while he was slightly entrenched, when he saw opportunity, he moved quickly. He could put aside his prejudices if it meant a larger bottom line. He was a businessman, plain and simple.
“Passionate speech, Sean,” Tory said with his hands resting on the desk. He was staring at Ron, recognizing the same thing Sean did. “I will add that Krista, in particular, is an exceptional businesswoman. She has the same title as Blake, who is another young manager. However, Krista has 30% more responsibility under Sean’s jurisdiction—more than any other manager in the company. She has a quarter of the number of people reporting to her as Blake, and two less compared to James in Texas, who is also doing an outstanding job, but who is currently trying to hire one more to take up the slack. Krista is not trying to hire. With her own insight, and Sean’s fine-tuning, they have redesigned how departments report to her, and she to Sean, minimizing redundancy and stream-lining 75% of their processes. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what that does to my bottom line…”
Ron said nothing, but the wheels behind his eyes were turning.
“The reason I bring this up,” Tory said, leaning back, “Is because it has come to my attention, belatedly,” Tory turned his piercing gaze to Sean, “that Krista is entertaining the notion of leaving our company. Did you know about this, Sean?”
Sean nodded slowly. “I found out yesterday from Marcus. I talked to one of her friends who…doesn’t like me all that much for personal reasons. This friend doesn’t pull many punches.
“Krista isn’t actively looking, but from what I understand, she doesn’t like the environment of upper management and has been approached with nearly the same position offering more money. She wasn’t seriously considering it until she came to this conference.”
“Were you planning to bring this to me?” Tory asked in clipped tones. That was an indication that Tory was irate.
“I didn’t realize she was at a boiling point. I don’t have the rapport with her I once did.”
Tory sighed and leaned further into his chair. “I found out yesterday as well—from a competitor…”
“A competitor?” Sean asked. “From what I’ve heard, two clients have approached her.”
Ron sat down in the recliner, slightly removed from the conversation, but going nowhere. He liked to be abreast of all the going’s-on in the company, and now he had an interest in the young woman they were talking about. If she was looking to leave, he would try to figure out a way to capitalize on a transfer.
“Yes,” Tory went on, looking at his email. “A competitor. She is w
ell-liked within our company, and it is widely known she is grossly mistreated. The word is out that she is willing to leave. If Krista so chose, it would result in a bidding war. I know of two companies that are creating a position for her.
“I was going to suggest she move to New York, being that she is not reconciling with Sean as he had hoped,” Tory looked at a calculating Ron. “But that was before I saw her interaction within the conference. It was also before I witnessed Blake’s maltreatment.”
“I’ve discussed that with Mr. Jorski. He will be written up for it when we get back to the office.”
“Not enough,” Tory said sternly. “I’m not sure you realize how much that comment could cost this company. Not to mention an extremely valuable employee.” Ron leaned back heavily. Tory speared Sean with his gaze next. “I had no idea the mistreatment that went on within our company walls of the opposite sex or those with a different sexual orientation. I also have to realize that most of upper management is Caucasian and there might be race issues at work. I should have known this—that is my fault—but it is unacceptable and an extreme liability. Not promoting is one thing, but…”
Tory stood up slowly and walked to the window. “I apologize, but this has come as a rather rude shock. A shock that I will be rectifying. Starting with Blake. He is on probation, starting immediately. One more offense and he will be terminated.” Ron’s eyes widened.
Tory turned to Sean. “It goes for your team as well. It must stop, and I am prepared to start firing people until it does. I will also be contacting Human Resources to schedule sexual harassment training and sensitivity training. The outlook of this company must be turned around.”
Neither man spoke. It wasn’t often Tory got so worked up. He very rarely got miffed, let alone cross. His black mood was not something either of them wanted to be on the other side of.