by Amy Brent
“Thanks Reed, I really needed that.” She slipped back into her clothes and he stood to do the same. She let her gaze linger on him a moment, and he felt her look shift, but only for a second.
“As always, you are welcome. I needed that as much as you did.” He gave her a half smile as he slipped on his jacket.
He made his way to the door, knowing she would tell him to see himself out. He smiled as she yelled from her room.
“I’ll see you at work Monday.”
He made his way out to his car, slipping into the soft leather seat of his car. Lydia was a force to be reckoned with in business, and she also knew her way around the bedroom. Something had been different tonight, the way she had looked at him. He hoped she wasn’t developing any feelings…He frowned at the idea, knowing full well he wasn’t the type to settle down, not even close. He knew coming here would be a mistake, and yet somehow he didn’t care. He was just selfish sometimes, there wasn’t much else that could be said about it.
He made his way home, finally ready for a shower and some time to relax. He felt the crumple of something in his pocket and pulled out a folded card, one from earlier today. He smiled as he folded it back up, slipping it into his pocket. Ah, yes Miss Sinclair. Tomorrow was as good a day as any to start playing the game with her. She would be a fun adventure; he knew it the moment he saw her.
Tempest
There was nothing really that she could do. She looked up at her boss, who was giving her the most obvious of smiles.
“He is a jackass, and you all know it.” She folded her arms across her chest, glaring at him. “Charlie if you knew that, why did you even send me in there to deal with him?”
Charlie glanced at Miranda Blankenship, her boss, and the two shared a knowing glance.
“I know he seems that way Temp, but he is a huge win for us if we can lock him in.”
Tempest shifted in her seat. Of all the people she didn’t want to deal with on a Saturday it was Reed Hoelshing. Somehow, someway he had pulled enough strings to manage to get her to have a meeting with him in his office. She still remembered how he looked at her and made her feel. He was no doubt a bad boy and used to getting his own way. She certainly hated feeding into his ego by meeting him on one of her few days off.
“He is just another potential client; I don’t see how it’s such a big deal?” She frowned.
Charlie took off his glasses and leaned on the table. “Hoelshing is not just some company Temp, he is a massive branch of networking. There is the office here and the one in China he has been building for a while now. We’re talking over 5K employees and potential for twice that. Right off the bat we are making money, and then of course your commission would be, well substantial.”
She chewed on her lower lip, everything he said made sense, there was no doubt in her mind that she needed to make this happen, but at the same time she needed to not be a push over. Her commission would be enough to get her mother in a home that was much nicer than the place she was in now, that was for sure. That alone was enough to make her stand and grab her bag.
“Fine I’ll go, and I’ll even be nice to him.” She rolled her eyes as the glee was obvious on their faces.
She pulled into the lot of Hoelshing and took a deep breath for a moment before going up. This was for her mother, and if she could just focus in that she would be fine. She glanced in the mirror at her reflection, nothing the tiny smattering of freckles on her caramel colored skin. It as something she had inherited from her mother.
It had only been a year now, since things had taken such a turn. Her mother had been full of life and happiness and then one-day dementia had started to corrupt her mind. Now, there was a 50% chance she would know who Tempest was at all. She was an only child, and it was her job to make sure her mother was taken care of. Her father had been gone a long time, leaving the two of them to fend for themselves. Her mother had worked her fingers to the bone to make sure Tempest had everything she needed to get through the hardest years of her life to date. She owed her mother the same thing.
Initially she had taken on her mother’s care on her own, which had been too much. She had done her best to juggle work, school and her mother’s care, but when her mother had left the house one day and Tempest had gone to find her, she had known it was too much for her to do alone anymore.
She found the best place she could afford, although it was over an hour away. It was a quaint little place with only 10 others who resided there, all of which had dementia as well. They were a tight nit group, but they were losing their funding in the next few months, and everyone would have to move. It wasn’t fair, and sadly the only other options were either too run down and unsafe, or were substantially more expensive than this one. She took one last deep breath and stood, grabbing her bag with her to take inside. The building was a massive piece of art, with everything from paintings on one level, to twisted metal art formations in the lobby. It was more to take in than anyone could do at one time, and she wished that she had more time to explore her surroundings.
She made her way over to the desk and the tiny blonde behind it. She was perky and beautiful, which came as no surprise to Tempest, considering the type of man Reed Hoelshing was. Part of her hated to pigeon hole him into the stereotype, but the facts were all there. She had done a little digging and found out more about him than he would probably like to know.
“I am meeting Mr. Hoelshing.”
“Really? On a Saturday? Wow that’s a first.” She gave Tempest an impish grin and buzzed upstairs to let them know. Soon she cradled the phone back down and gave Tempest a warm smile.
“Head up the elevator to the 14th floor, turn right and his suites are there.”
Tempest returned the smile, feeling as though the girl was being genuine in her efforts. The building was relatively empty, no doubt most employees were at home enjoying their weekend. She found her way up the massive glass elevator and soon the doors opened to a large suite. She glanced around, noting that no one was there. Hesitantly she walked out onto the hard floors, her heels clicking with each step until she heard him.
“Ah so they did send you.”
She turned to see him closer than she thought possible. He gleamed down at her with a wicked smile, and she felt the heat rush up into her face once more. There was no doubt she hated herself for even reacting to him at all.
“Yes, it appears they really wanted to please you Mr. Hoelshing.”
He chuckled. “They aren’t the ones to do that Miss Sinclair, and please call me Reed, Mr. Hoelshing makes me feel old, and think of my father none of which I care to feel at the moment.”
He spun on one heel and moved towards his office, and she followed along behind him. It was magnificent how the room seemed to almost spill out into the vast expanse of sky blue. The floors came to an abrupt end at the glass windows that looked out over the city below. She couldn’t help but stare.
“It’s quite breathtaking isn’t it, I love it in here, just looking out. I feel like I can almost fly somehow.” He smiled and she glanced up to catch his eye, noting something sinister there.
“Yes, it’s beautiful that I will say.” He gestured for her to have a seat and she did so, pulling her information out of her bag. “So. Mr. Ho..er..Reed, what made you give us a call?”
I didn’t call an “us” I just called for you. He knew better than to deliver her that bit of information, so he chose a different approach. “I am interested in what you can do for me.”
She felt the air thicken, as if he meant something entirely different than business, but she brushed it off knowing full well she wasn’t his type. “What kind of help do you need exactly?”
He chuckled once more. “Oh my dear don’t even let me get started on answering that question.”
She frowned slightly, unamused by his antics. He was a spoiled brat, and she didn’t want to deal with it any more than she had to. She chose to wait for him to continue, rather than say anything else he could turn i
nto ammunition.
“Well I’ll be honest we have some major issues going on, and I need it dealt with.”
She felt his sincerity and she took the binder he handed to her. She did her best to glance over the information and carefully assess what he needed. There were misprinted labels and poorly organized records for the employees, as well as some things that didn’t seem to make any sense at all.
“I think you will need a lot of my help Reed, this is a mess.”
“I am well aware Miss. Sinclair, that’s why I need you.”
“Tempest, please. Well we are the best team for the job, we have a lot of other big investment clients and I think you will be happy with the numbers we have generated from that partnership. She handed him a folder with the information and she waited, giving him a moment to read it over. It gave her an opportunity to look at him closely once more. He was undeniable handsome, rakish in his own way. He had a way of looking at you that would turn the normal woman to putty in his hands, which he likely used on women often enough. He furrowed his brow slightly as he looked over the documents and arched a brow on page two. He took care of his business and she knew he wanted it to succeed.
He glanced up, catching her eye and she swallowed hard, glancing away but not before she saw him smile.
“Impressive, for such a small company. I know your fairly new but your numbers are promising.”
“Thank you, we work hard.”
“The thing is I want something a little bigger. I want to go back to playing golf professionally. It’s a part of who I am, in my blood so to speak.” He smiled at her, letting his eyes caress her face. “I need a company that will run almost every facet of the business so that I can get back into what I am really good at.”
She frowned. “I am confused, I thought you were interested in HR help and development?”
“Oh I am, but I want you to run the place in my absence. It won’t be all the time, but the majority for sure, especially during the tour. I know it’s not your typical thing to do, but I know the best person to keep an eye on things is the person in charge of the people, that’s why I want you.”
He accentuated the last part of the sentence, his eyes once more looking over her frame quickly, but not before she caught it. She took the envelope her offered her and glanced over the figures inside. The amount of money he was willing to pay was double what they had projected for income off of this one company. She wasn’t sure if this was a good idea of not.
“I know you are over thinking it, just by the look on your face. Trust me, it’s not as bad as you may think. I just need a day to day operations manager. Like I said I will be in and out and its just for a year. After that I’ll come back full time. At the moment I am just feeling the need to get back out to my sport, before I lose myself in a jumble of paperwork.”
She felt his sincerity, and she also knew he was downplaying how much of a responsibility this really was. She slid the paperwork back in the envelope, before she looked up at him.
“I will certainly take this to my team, and see what they think.”
He leaned forward in his chair once more, a smile on his face. “Oh that’s fine, I don’t mind them handling the HR part of this but I want you to be in charge of the whole thing.”
“Me, why me?” She waited.
“Well for starters, you graduated at the top of your class, you have a head for business and you work hard. Plus, I trust you… call it gut intuition.”
She stood then, and waited as he walked towards her. He was taller than she remembered last time she saw him, the clear blue of his eyes had never changed. He handed her a pen. She wasn’t sure what to feel about the whole thing but she didn’t take it.
“Well, you’ve certainly done your research. I’ll need a few days to look over everything, can I do that?” She felt the heat of him as he moved closer to her.
“Sure, can you come back on Monday?”
“Yes, I can.”
“Noon, then lunch for the two of us.”
“You don’t have to...”
He held up a hand to interrupt her. “I choose too.”
She wasn’t sure what to say to him next, he was looking down at her his eyes searching hers.
“Are you married Tempest?” His voice had dropped an octave and she felt the heat of him as he asked her. She glanced up at him, lifting her chin a notch.
“Is this part of the interview still Reed?”
“Yes, and no.” He reached out to pull on a springy curl before letting it go once more. “Yes, because I want to know more about who I am leaving my company to run for me, and how distracted you may be. No, because I simply want to know if your taken or not.”
She swallowed hard. “No, I’m not married.”
He took another step in her direction. “Good.” It was the last thing she heard before his lips found hers in a crushing kiss. She was taken by surprise, his mouth moving and nipping over hers expertly. She inhaled as he broke the kiss but only for a moment, his mouth finding hers once more and this time deeper and more intense.
She kissed him back, despite her efforts to avoid doing just that. He was like a magnet and she was lost in her own defenses. Soon she felt his hand at the small of her back, pulling her close to him and his other hand was in her hair at the nape of her neck, tilting her head back once more as he feasted from her lips. She let herself stay there, enjoying the feel of him when no one had kissed her like this in so long.
When he let her go, she took a step back, shakily. She saw the smug smile on his face, and she instantly hated herself for falling under his charms. She was no better than some school age girl with a crush.
“I should go.” She grabbed up her bag, flinging it on her shoulders as she turned to leave.
“Don’t be mad for liking it Tempest, you know you wanted it so bad.” He chuckled as she walked into the open elevator.
Something about him set her on edge, but whatever it was would have to take a backseat. He had kissed her, and not some brotherly little peck, oh no he had kissed her full on and now she was struggling to figure out how to forget all about it. She settled into her car in a huff and made her way home, all the while playing his words back in her mind.
Reed
He was still smiling as the doors shut to the elevator. He had wanted to kiss her, sure, but it had gotten out of hand even for him. A simple kiss had escalated until he had pulled her close. He wanted more, and he wanted her to know it. Her body had fit against him nicely, the curve of her hips just itching to be touched and held. She was no ordinary woman to be played with and conquered, no she was something altogether different and he loved a good challenge.
He glanced down at the desk, once more thinking over the company. Monday would be here and he would tell her more. She was sharp, and had made great investments in her career, except for the year that she simply vanished. He had done enough digging around in her history, no he would wait on her to share more about herself. Then he would show her the benefits of being in his bed.
Moving down the hall to his car he knew he needed to get out some of his pent up energy. He knew there was no better place to do it than on the course. He made his way to the club, knowing he would see a few friends. As he pulled in he was once more reminded of how much he loved the game. It had nothing to do with speed, or aggression. No, golf was a fine tuned amount of skill and precision. Ever hole he made, filled him with excitement. He wanted to get back in the game and soon.
Feeling better than he had in a long time Reed managed to play a few rounds on Sunday as well, meeting up with some old friends. He let his thoughts drift to tempest, and how she would likely appreciate the planning that went into the game. Or, she would tell him to get to work. Either way he found himself thinking of her a lot. He was more than ready for Monday to arrive.
He wasn’t disappointed on Monday when she came into his offices. He could see her walking down the long hall and he was caught up in how she carried herself once more. S
he was a combination of confident and anxious, and she wasn’t comfortable with either one. He opened the door for her and whisked her inside, breathing in the smell of her perfume. Looking her over he appreciated once more the curve of her body, and the sway of her hips when she walked. He gestured to the chair which she readily nestled into.
“So my dear, have you given it some thought?”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea. I know the offer is sound, and legal. I just don’t trust you Reed. That’s as honest as I can be.” She crossed her arms across her chest and she was adorable.
“You don’t trust me how, exactly?” He leaned back in his chair. He especially loved to watch the myriad of expressions that crossed her face as she thought about an answer.
“I don’t exactly know, to be honest.”
“It’s because I kissed you.”
She squirmed in her chair and he knew he had hit on something.
“I liked kissing you Tempest. As a matter of fact, I want to kiss you right now. That being said I need this company structured to run on its own, and the organization to be at the top if its game. I know you have the skill, and I’d rather not look for another company. However, I don’t want to give up kissing you either. That is unless you didn’t like it?”
She was moving even more now, and he knew he was getting under her skin. Oh she had liked it, far more than she even knew. She looked up at him, lifting her chin a notch.
“I can do the job, no problem. What I can’t do is kiss you anymore, I’m afraid.”
She looked very pleased with herself, having said the words. He knew she meant it, or at least she thought she did. What she hadn’t counted on was him being as direct about it as he was. He waited, enjoying the picture she made, unaware that her fretting over the situation was more of a turn on than anything else. He wanted both… and he would win. It was, after all, part of the game.
“Fine, I won’t kiss you anymore. Now what about the job?” He waited, glancing over the paper on his desk as if it made no difference to him at all.