NON-NEGOTIABLE

by RENATA BARBER

  Clutching the ring in her hand, Elizabeth slowly turned and lowered her arm at her side, conscious of the awkwardness of the movement. She'd rather be anywhere in this world than standing there in Jared Bentley's closet, her heart racing under his gaze of heavy scrutiny.

  As Jared studied her, his eyes raked over her timid stance, transcribing her most intimate thoughts until her fantasies were no longer private or hers, alone. Something strange was happening between them, raw energy so potent drawing them closer like a magnetic force field sizzling with heat and desire.

  Elizabeth tried to turn away but found she could not easily go against her will, not this time.

  "I think I'm perfectly entitled to ask what exactly you're doing in here. But, you probably won't tell me, will you?” Jared said, enjoying the way Elizabeth's eyes gave her away.

  "I've nothing to hide"

  Jared took a step and Elizabeth began to really squirm.

  "Really? Then what's that in your hand?"

  Elizabeth quickly glanced down at her palm. “Well if you must know, I left something in your jacket, the one you lent me earlier this evening."

  "And it couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

  "No, it couldn't,” Elizabeth countered, salvaging what was left of her pride. She proceeded to make her way out of the closet, past him but she her hip accidentally brushed up against his arm; it was the shock that ignited the flame.

  Driven by a pulsating sensation, he followed.

  If she was hoping the subject matter would disappear, she was seriously mistaken. Her reply only served to deepen his curiosity and Jared wasn't about to let it go. Before she knew it he'd gotten hold of her wrist pulling her closer to him. Struggling to break free against the strength of his forearms, Elizabeth's head was almost resting against the wide berth of his chest. She could feel his heart beating in time with hers.

  "Let go of me."

  "Not until I see what it is that you've taken, or stolen for that matter."

  "Fine!"

  Elizabeth was still panting when Jared finally released her. She glared at him.

  "You have no right. It's mine."

  "I do have the right if I find you in my home looking through my personal belongings without my permission."

  He had a valid point and. Elizabeth sighed as she caved. One by one she peeled back her fingers of her clenched fist. The amber ring was resting safely in her palm, the hues of amber and orange tones more subdued in their pigmentation.

  As he gazed down at the ring, his expression hooded by long lashes, Jared showed no signs of what he was thinking. When he finally lifted his head, those bottomless hypnotic pools were leading her far beyond the depths of what was comfortable for her.

  "Over this, again? This ring has put you and your job in jeopardy,” he said.

  "What do you mean? If you're going to fire me over this, then you really are an animal,” she challenged. She wasn't about to back down. Jared Bentley needed to know the rules; her rules, and she was ready to set them.

  "That doesn't mean we can't come to some kind of agreement or arrangement,” Jared said, hinting at something more seductive and forbidden.

  "Perhaps we should end it, here, right now. Then you can find someone else."

  "I created this position for you."

  "Well, it would be a shame. Especially, since I'll have to miss the meeting I've just set up with the Brauwers for next week. They'd mentioned to me something about inviting you to participate in some of their charity events. I figured it was a window of opportunity for you to start mingling with their crowd. Pity, I was really looking forward to showing you what I'm capable of."

  He felt like a real jerk, now. Blackmailing her into his bed had somehow backfired; it could cost him those markets he'd hoped to tap into. He'd be standing in his own way by preventing her from doing her job! Damn it, somehow she'd managed to turn the tables on him and put him on the defensive. Jared's eyes zeroed in on her silky smile, and then to the precious ring she couldn't live without. Once, again she'd managed to make him feel foolish.

  He started towards her once more: each step an insinuation, an affirmation of the power he still held over her.

  With nowhere to hide, Elizabeth was just about to say something, anything to divert his attention when his lips unexpectedly met hers, heightening the sensuality of their kiss to a feverish pitch that was heavenly, irresistible and felt so right it was scary.

  Jared had no intention of letting go this time as he slowly explored her mouth and the tantalizing range of sensations it created.

  Truthfully, Elizabeth didn't want him to stop either as they swayed back and forth in each others arms, wrestling with a growing need, a hunger that swept them along passion's tide until the crest was excruciatingly near. Jared's large hands slid lower down her back and Elizabeth felt his large palms splayed around her hips and then cupping her rear. At the same time, niggling questions were also competing for her attention. More than likely, Jared Bentley had been offered a smorgasbord of sensual delights from several concubines earlier that evening. She was learning that he had voracious sexual appetite even at an age when most men began to worry about such matters; apparently Jared did not. It stood firmly erect between them, now. She felt that powerful surge pressing on the inside of her thigh, tempting her to spread her legs.

  Still, what did that make her, a late night dessert?

  Elizabeth tore herself away from him and asked the question that plagued her.

  "So where were you earlier?"

  The question startled him at first. He'd been hoping to avoid that matter altogether. Now that seemed impossible. At last, the time had come to enlighten Ms. Elizabeth Lowell on a few particulars, and he wasn't looking forward to explaining himself or his pain-in-the-ass dilemma. How she'd take the news was a wild card. Nonetheless, it was important she be made aware of what he'd been dealing with for the past five years; what had become a regular obstacle not to be trifled with.

  "I was unexpectedly occupied, as you might imagine"

  "No doubt."

  Her cynical tone angered him. It bothered him that she would assume the worst before hearing all of the facts.

  "It's not what you think,” he snapped

  "What do you mean?” Elizabeth asked, with her poise very much intact.

  Surely, she'd caught every nuance and gesture; the memory of those flirtatious concubines groping at him, clinging to his body was still too fresh in her mind. And, yet, she was strangely intrigued by the rationality of all of this: hearing his perspective.

  Jared directed her towards two elegantly upholstered chairs situated on the other side of the master suite where they both quietly took a seat. As Jared began his tale he slowly crossed one leg up and propped it on top of the other, getting more comfortable in his seat, but signaling it was going to be a long explanation.

  "Five years ago I was married to an heiress, Nina Vanderhoff, of Vanderhoff Equities and Estates. For a while it seemed like I'd made the right choice marrying her. To the outside world we seemed to be the perfect match. But in truth, well, things weren't going very smoothly between us. So, eventually, we decided it would be in our best interest to divorce. Our assets, especially pertaining to Bentley Industries, were supposed to be divided fairly. But that's not the way things worked out.

  "Does she still own stock?"

  "She's the majority stockholder of Bentley Industries. No business sense whatsoever and doesn't really take an interest in the future of this company I built from scratch. This was all done for spite."

  "Why?"

  "When we were married she accused me of being unfaithful to her, when in fact it was just the opposite. Unfortunately, by the time I found this out she'd already smeared my reputation in the media.

  "But, who were those women?"

  "They're the wives, daughters and companions of people Bentley Industries does business with regularly. I'm obligated to entertain them when they're in town.

  "Says who?
"

  "Guess. I'd like to hang on to my little shares of Bentley Industries."

  "Somehow, I find that hard to believe. Some of those women were absolutely gorgeous and hard to resist I imagine, even for a man like yourself."

  Okay. So, maybe he was stretching the truth a tad. But how else could he gain her sympathy and cooperation without losing her respect, or fully explain the awkward position he'd been forced to recognize and deal with since his divorce: as the founder and CEO of Bentley Industries, the beast on Wall Street who had the least amount of stock in his own company. It was embarrassing, but necessary to hang on to his company gain Nina's full cooperation.

  "Resisting them is hardly the issue here. I'm far more interested in regaining my standing as the major stockholder. And, that's where you come into the picture.

  "I understand and I've already started the ball rolling for investing in other companies. But what I don't understand is what is there to prevent you from doing this anyway without my help?

  "We have a meeting at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. Trust me, when you meet her, you'll understand."

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Chapter Ten

  In the early 1930's, Alexi Vanderhoff bravely packed up his things and landed smack dab in the middle of the United States, by mistake, not by design, at a sprawling place called Nebraska. Bypassing western European countries, originally, he had intended to make his way to the west coast, San Francisco to be exact. Rumors of untold riches and fortunes to be made had reached his homeland of Gottenburg, Sweden and he was eager to stake out his claim and make a better life for himself and his teenage bride. But, on his long journey to the Golden State of California he fell victim to a couple of hecklers, porters uneasy with the idea of a foreigner on the way to where everyone wanted to go; to stake out their opportunity for wealth in the Bay Area. They had purposely ill advised him to purchase a connection ticket for the wrong train.

  The tale behind Vanderhoff Equities, the largest land and real estate developer west of the Mississippi was re-told often as an example of the American dream; the story of a man who turned adversity to his advantage and built an empire, instead. Alexi and his wife had insisted all their children were well-educated: three girls were sent to Ivy League institutions, more for the husbands they might eventually ensnare than for anything else. Ana, the youngest daughter, had married well, bolstering the family's place elite society. Like her father, she too had sent her not-very-scholastically-minded daughter, Nina, to Sarah Lawrence with the idea of catching a husband, not a degree.

  And it worked. The fish Nina caught during her freshman year was indeed a big one. Jared Bentley had just been hailed by Financial Times as Wall Street's man of the hour. For the Vanderhoffs: the catch of a lifetime.

  From the very beginning their courtship, engagement and subsequent marriage had been strategically managed to the finest detail, the participants each playing a role with certain expectations in mind. Relations on both sides were thrilled with the match. Two prominent families joined forces to become an industrial conglomerate to be reckoned with, hopefully for generations to come.

  Once they were married, Nina showed no apparent interest in Bentley Industries, content, instead, with domestic life. Most of her days were spent sampling new treatments at the spa or exercising with her college buddies, most of them society women like herself. Their main job was to look good while they stood behind their husbands. In the third year of Jared and Nina's marriage, Bentley Industries had begun a massive global expansion, especially into Third World countries where business was courted with attractive incentives, but nonetheless considered very risky. At the time, Bentley Industries was new to the region, still learning the ways and customs of various countries.

  Positioned at the forefront, Jared made sure Sterling was present at every crucial meeting. The demands of a growing, market forced him to travel a lot, sometimes for extended stays. This forced Jared to spend many away from his home, away from Nina. For a while she would travel to these exotic locations and join Jared, but, when his schedule became too chaotic or some of her ‘must haves’ weren't found accessible, she ceased, claiming all the traveling made her violently ill.

  Soon, their long separations became a major bone of contention between them: Jared's business trips versus her subsequent illnesses. The Vanderfhoffs were worried about the stability of the marriage. Nina made sure they were kept abreast of her all her concerns and suspicions; yet let her roving eye lead her in questionable directions.

  But, Jared wouldn't bow down to pressure. He wasn't a man to be easily manipulated and he resisted Nina's many attempts to make him feel guilty.

  "It's not always going to be like this, Nina. But, right now, it's important for Bentley Industries to act as a pioneer, to forge these alliances, which will then help bridge, the future for these poor countries and expand our operation. The future of this new technology is the only way they'll be able to survive and compete with the rest of the world."

  "Forgive me, if I'm not worried about their survival. Our relationship should take priority, not company business."

  "It does, Nina. But, this is what I do. You and your family knew that beforehand.” Jared kept on traveling and doing what he did best. Until one day, while on his way back to the states from Cairo, as he stood outside a JFK airport terminal and he hailed a taxi, the driver got out of the vehicle to routinely tend to his luggage, but instead presented him with divorce papers.

  Jared was in complete shock. By the time he reached their upper west side townhouse, he saw the seriousness of the situation. Nina had already moved out of their home: no discussion, no explanation.

  From then on, all contact between Nina and Jared was conducted in the presence of her attorney and one of her relatives. Jared was never again left alone with her.

  Since the Vanderhoffs had been so encouraging of his aspirations for Bentley Industries in the beginning of their marriage, Jared made a real effort to be generous with the assets they'd originally supported. He felt partly responsible for their failed marriage and wanted to compensate in some way,; to show he was at least responsible when it came to her material comfort. Problem was, the information he desperately needed that would alter this perspective didn't arrive until three months later, after the divorce papers had been finalized. But by then, it was too late.

  Reliving the memory was pointless, counterproductive. Fast-forward to the present—Jared struggled to steer his mind to the days ahead, the clarity of his objective coming sharply into focus. His thoughts suddenly turned to Elizabeth. She seemed to grasp the urgency, the importance of connecting with those conservative companies with stock in Bentley Industries, and then purchasing their shares. Yes, Elizabeth was savvy enough to understand the ultimate objective without him having to highlight his weak position. She was an intelligent and astute woman, Elizabeth Lowell. So unlike Nina.

  As the black limousine dipped into morning traffic, Jared read the business section of the paper as they inched through the traffic. Jared knew it would be at least another forty-five minutes before he reached Bentley Industries. But there was no need to worry. Since Nina had recently gained more stock, not a single mandatory corporate meeting had started on time. In truth, she seemed to prefer that way—while she primped. Why should this time be unlike the others?

  But Jared knew this meeting would be unlike previous meetings. His plan had already been set in motion when he hired Elizabeth Lowell. The anticipation of the news of his newest hire and coming events made it even sweeter.

  Once he'd arrived at the meeting, Jared felt a distinct shift in the atmosphere in the crowed conference room. He spotted Elizabeth seated on the other side of the room; prompt and efficient as usual, waiting for him and looking anxious, too. As he stepped through the threshold, Jared was aware of another pair of eyes watching him closely, observing his every move. From the look Nina shot at him, there was something brewing beneath her forced smile and perfectly made-up f
eatures. She was struggling now to get to grips with it. The news of Jared's new hire had finally reached her and Nina broke her habit. She showed up early for the meeting. Jared couldn't be more delighted. Two years of her boasting the status quo as the majority stockholder of Bentley Industries had finally given way to some form of retribution. Jared cautiously strode pass her, deliberately avoiding eye contact while he made his way over to his seat where Elizabeth was seated. She seemed nervous.

  "I hope I haven't forgotten something before the meeting."

  Jared stared at her incredulously. “Oh, no, not you,” he said, slipping into the seat beside her.

  Elizabeth knew he was jesting with her. Still, she couldn't determine any particular reason for his lighthearted mood. Instinct told her he had something up her sleeve.

  "So have you met, Nina, yet?” Jared said as he bent down and slid his briefcase alongside his chair. Righting himself he pivoted slightly to face her, still grinning, waiting for her reaction.

  Obviously, he was determined to keep the punch line all to himself, leaving her feeling a slightly self-conscious, wondering if perhaps he was making fun of her.

  "Actually, I haven't had the chance. I just..."

  In that instant Jared felt another presence nearby, a voice so clear and unmistakable, it sliced through his conversation with Elizabeth with carefree precision.

  "No. We were waiting for you to do the honors, Jared."

  Jared peered up at the woman who had a fetish for ‘knowing’ everything about everyone and a controlling nature that fit her like the snug outfits she loved to wear. Nina was the personification of excess: an extra layer of over-the-top and an overdose of superficiality on steroids. Her outfit didn't just make a statement, it blared out to the world she'd arrived on the scene, and if you knew what was good for you, you'd best stop whatever you were doing and pay homage.

  The red siren jacquard and matching skirt were only outdone by the bright color of her lips. Severely streaked strands were pulled back, twisted and held in place by an elaborate hair clip. Her eyes leveled Elizabeth's for a few seconds. Then, she glared at Jared, demanding an answer.