Wanted: Girl I Once Met

by Sonja Gunter

  “Well, I’d have to agree one hundred percent with your ex-husband. How long were you married?”

  “Eleven years. We were high school sweet—”

  “Sorry,” he said, interrupting her, “we need to walk straight ahead about two blocks. High school sweethearts? How special. Please continue.”

  More personal questions?

  Val would say that was a good sign. Rane let her level of confidence climb a step finding Mark easy to talk to. But the conversation was put on hold as they maneuvered in and out of people.

  As they did, Rane noticed most of the women would take a second look at Mark or try to gain his attention. He, on the other hand, simply ignored them by keeping his eyes focused straight ahead.

  When the crowd thinned, she continued. “I was a cheerleader and he was the captain of the football team. Everyone expected us to get married, so we did. What about you, Mr. Christmenn? I know you’re not married.” Seeing his eyebrows raise slightly, she explained. “It states it in the company’s annual report. But why?”

  She held her breath, hoping she hadn’t overstepped the line and wondered if he would keep going or pull back.

  “Rane, please call me Mark. I’ve never found the right woman.” He paused, beamed at her, and added, “Yet.”

  The unspoken implication sent waves of excitement through her. Had he just made a pass at her? Or had he only made an overall statement? Not chancing eye contact with him, she stayed attentive to the crowd of people in front of her.

  “It can’t be that hard to find a woman.”

  She’d said the first thing that had come to mind and then realized how it might have sounded and added, “I’m sorry. That was very impolite of me.”

  “It’s okay,” he said with a little snicker. “No harm done. Now more about you. Eleven years. That was a long time to be married. If you don’t mind me asking, what happened?”

  A red streetlight halted their progress for a moment. When it turned green, Mark placed his hand on her elbow and guided her down over the curb. She cleared her throat as his hand left her elbow and she pretended not to be affected by his electrifying touch. Her skin tingled and she felt a tide of sexual excitement course through her.

  “Mark, I don’t mind if you don’t mind my asking questions in return,” she said in a voice that sounded shallow to her own ears.

  She saw him smile in affirmation.

  “He, my ex, came home from accepting his first appointment at a clinic in California, and said he wanted a divorce. He’d found someone else. Nine months later I was single again.”

  In unison, they sidestepped a man talking on a cell phone.

  “That was harsh.”

  “Ya, but I’m over it.” She paused and drew a deep breath. She could do this. “All right, now it’s my turn. I Googled you and found your name linked to several high profile women. How come none of them ever became Mrs. Christmenn?”

  “You Googled me?”

  “Yes, I wanted to find out all I could about your company. I like to be prepared,” she said but didn’t tell him the real reason, which had been to find out if he was currently seeing anyone.

  “I guess I should Google myself. Did you find anything interesting?” Mark asked, appearing openly amused.

  “Well, your company is sound. It’s highly rated, and investors are itching for you to go public.”

  “Wow! Modern technology. I’ve had talks with the board about going public but it was behind closed doors. Anything else?”

  “I did find a blog that mentioned you, and let’s say it was very interesting,” Rane said with a smile.

  “A blog?”

  “Yes, a blog. Do you mean you didn’t know?” She watched him shake his head. “Well apparently, some of your past, ah, let’s say dates, have started a website to ease their pain. They say you only go out with a woman three times and then you send them packing. Is that true?”

  His rich baritone laughter caused several heads to turn.

  “Here I’ve been trying not to have my name linked to any one woman and they think I’m being insensitive. Very interesting.”

  “I don’t think they found it funny,” she stated. “Why only three dates?”

  “Well, I thought I was being kind. I never wanted to leave the impression I was seriously looking or interested.”

  “Oh, I see,” she said, but not really understanding his male logic. If a man of Mark’s influence were to ask her out three times, she, too, would think they might have a chance of some sort of long-term relationship.

  “The restaurant is ahead to the left. Do you think I was unfair to the women?”

  “If you told the women upfront your intentions, then no. What exactly are you looking for in a woman?” she asked, hoping to gain some insight into what he wanted to see if she’d fit the bill.

  “What am I looking for in a woman?” he repeated. “That’s a really good question. I’ve dated many women. Each had different things to offer but none have met my expectations. Why, are you going to try to be a matchmaker?”

  “I could be. We could add it to my job description. My friend, Val, you met her the other night, she knows a lot of single women.”

  Laughing, they entered the restaurant. The hostess greeted them and led them to a table.

  Calmly placing her napkin on her lap to hide her shaking hands, Rane told herself it was now or never. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find you attractive, Mark. I’ve never had a relationship with my boss or the president of the company where I’ve worked, so this would be a first. Is this a business lunch, or are we on a lunch date?” Rane asked in a low voice.

  She waited, elated by her new objectives and boldness. The expression on his face was priceless.

  “Rane, I’m wounded.” He placed his right hand over his heart. “I’m not a playboy. Those women gave you the wrong impression. I like to keep my business separate from my private life. But things can change. Would you be offended if I told you I wanted to get to know you better?”

  “I can see you don’t like to play cat and mouse games. You won this round, Mark,” Rane cautiously answered.

  From that point, their lunch took on a different tone. They each now knew where the other stood. They laughed more and talked about things two people wouldn’t normally disclose about each other. She wasn’t the employee and he wasn’t the owner.

  Mark found the conversation flowed easily and he was enjoying himself more than he had in years. On paper, she’d been perfect, and in person, she was an angel.

  “Would you care to have lunch with me again, tomorrow?”

  “Of course, I’d enjoy having lunch with you. Will we be discussing business or our personal lives again?” Rane asked flirtatiously.

  He knew he shouldn’t have asked, but her answer had been a good sign. Could she be reading his mind? She’d beaten him to the punch. Not answering her question, he dug deeper into her life.

  They took their time walking down Nicolette Mall as the lunch hustle and bustle thinned. Karen greeted them in her same cheerful voice as they entered the lobby. Together, they waited for the elevators along with some other employees, neither of them saying a word. Once they exited the elevator, he finally gave her his response.

  “Just be prepared for both, Ms. Schoen. I’ll have Mrs. Weber send you an e-mail with the time.”

  Rane followed his lead. “Thank you, Mr. Christmenn. I’ll be waiting.”

  Mark stayed rooted in place and watched as Rane went to her office, admiring the sway of her hips. The ding of the elevator made him realize that he was still standing in the middle of the hallway and hadn’t moved. He quickly turned and moved over to Linda to pick up any messages.

  He caught Mrs. Weber out of the corner of his eye and noticed the huge smile on
her face.

  “Mind your own business. You’re not my mother,” he said with more sarcasm then he had wanted, then strode past her and into his office. He didn’t want to answer any of her questions yet, but he knew he’d have to soon.

  About an hour later, he was ready to give her a chance for questions and called her into his office. She arrived as usual with a pen and paper in hand.

  “Mrs. Weber, please call in a lunch reservation for tomorrow for two. Send Ms. Schoen an e-mail to confirm the time. Come to think of it, arrange lunch reservations for every day this week for two. But don’t send out e-mails to her for those. Send only an e-mail for tomorrow’s lunch.” He paused for a moment and asked in a relaxed tone, “Do you have any questions?”

  “Mr. Christmenn, are you sure you know what you’re doing? Getting involved with an employee is not a very good idea.” Her gaze met his. “You should know better. Now, don’t try to tell me its business. I know better! Do you want me to return your new coffeemaker?”

  “I hear the concern in your voice but I’m a big boy now. She fascinates me. I can’t pinpoint what it is yet but I’m going to find out soon. Keep me informed if the employees start to talk. I don’t want it to affect what Ms. Schoen needs to do as part of her job.”

  Mark didn’t need or want the gossip to start. He wanted to shield their relationship.

  Relationship? Did they have one?

  Chapter 18

  Rane sat down at her desk and was greeted with four voicemail messages. The first one was from Val.

  “Girlfriend, call me to tell me what happened on your lunch date.”

  The second, third, and fourth turned out to also be from Val. Each one had basically been the same and each had made her smile, knowing she had another lunch date with Mark.

  Checking the time, Rane saw that Val was going to have to wait. Her last message had indicated that she was going into court and didn’t know when she’d be done.

  Rane was kinda glad Val wasn’t available. It gave her more time to go over what had happened. She was unclear how to describe it to Val.

  It sounded more confusing now than when it had transpired. Val was going to kill her. She’d flirted, which Val wasn’t going to believe, and then Mark had asked some personal questions.

  No, it had been very personal questions. And she’d simply answered then without hesitation. She’d followed Mark’s lead and had asked him some personal questions. No, she’d asked stupid questions. Which, she realized now, he’d never given her any straight answers to.

  Rane covered her face with her hands at what she’d done next. She’d told him she was attracted to him. It had slipped out. He’d been so easy to talk too and she’d gotten lost in the moment. Next, she agreed to go to lunch with him again.

  Stupid!

  Talk about putting yourself out in left field and she’d done it with no one’s help. Except, he hadn’t ignored her either. He’d actually kind of flirted back. What had he said about her? That she was straightforward with her opinions, and he liked that in a person.

  If she was going to get a date out of all this, she needed a new plan of attack for tomorrow’s lunch. This opened a completely new assortment of problems she hadn’t foreseen.

  Where did one take a man who’s probably eaten at all the five star restaurants in town or seen and done everything?

  A movie? No, that was too lame.

  To a bar? No, too much competition.

  To dinner? No, stupid.

  Frustrated, she found she couldn’t come up with anything special. What was she going to do?

  The next morning, Mark once again stood at Mrs. Weber’s desk.

  “Mr. Christmenn, would you like me to call you when she leaves her office? At this rate you’ll have the employees talking sooner than you want.” Mrs. Weber raised a slender brow.

  “You’re right! I’ll head to the breakroom now. Tomorrow you can call me.”

  Mark left her desk and proceeded to the breakroom. He’d begun to reach for his coffee selection when she entered the room. He didn’t need to turn around to verify his thought. Surprisingly the anticipation to see her had him excited. He turned slowly, drawn to her like the most coveted high-grown coffee bean.

  She was dressed in navy blue slacks, a white blouse, and again a belt emphasizing her narrow waist. He watched as she pushed her hair behind one ear and met her appraising glance.

  “Good morning, Ms. Schoen.”

  “Good morning, Mr. Christmenn.”

  “I Goggled myself last night. I found it very interesting but I hadn’t been able to find the site you had told me about.”

  “It’s easy to find. I could show you if you want me to. Maybe before lunch you could—”

  Rane stopped as several other employees came into the breakroom, the moment lost to say what she’d wanted to ask. The employees’ shocked reactions became apparent. Some tried to ignore Mark, while others greeted him, and some simply left without getting anything. To ease the climbing tension, Rane picked up her cup of hot chocolate and headed toward the door. Mark was there, waiting, holding it open for her.

  “Do all the employees act like that when they see you?” she asked, smiling. “Am I the only one who isn’t afraid to talk to you?”

  Rane had tried not to laugh at his dumbfounded expression. Mark was just a man who happened to be the president and owner of the company. His lack of interaction with his employees was obvious. They seemed to treat him like some sort of god, even though he could pass for one.

  Maybe even one of the Greek Gods, Zeus, or Apollo. She couldn’t remember her Ancient Greek history. But, oh ya, he could have been a model for one of the statues she’d seen in Greece when she and Val had gone to recuperate from their divorces. Those statues had been all naked and buff. She wasn’t sure who the God of manly sexuality was but whoever it was, Mark would put him to shame.

  Wow, did she have it bad.

  “Are you insinuating that I’m some fire-breathing dragon?” Mark watched as Rane shrugged her shoulders.

  “If the shoe fits. Or should I say, if the scales fit?”

  He chuckled at her dry humor and stated, “You’re right, that’s one of the reasons you were hired. I need to have my employees be able to talk to me without being frightened. I am not formidable. It’s how they picture me.”

  “Well, let’s see, the women find you too attractive to talk to. The men are simply too nervous to approach you. Ya, I can see why they do,” she stated dramatically.

  As they neared the lobby, Mark couldn’t hold his tongue any longer, tantalized by her teasing and asked, “Why aren’t you afraid of me?”

  “Mr. Christmenn, tell me why would I be afraid of you? You’re just a man who happens to own this company,” Rane said, then asked, “Should I be afraid of you?”

  She was tempted to add, Just because I find you very sexy and your cologne makes me want to do things I shouldn’t doesn’t mean I can’t keep up an intelligent conversation with you.

  Mark watched her as she spoke. He thought he’d seen her eyes change colors from blue to green. He blinked quickly.

  “No, you shouldn’t be,” he replied. “You’ve made your point. I’ve never viewed it that way. To me, employees are people. I’ll have to think about what you’ve said. I’ll see you later for lunch. Mrs. Weber should’ve sent you an e-mail with the time.”

  He didn’t mean to end the conversation so short but he needed to break away from her. She was too intoxicating. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to run his hands through her hair.

  “Thank you, I’ll be ready when you arrive,” she said to his retreating back, a little surprised at this abruptness.

  Later, at the appointed time, she was standing and waiting for him when he arrived. She’d asked Linda earlier to ring her
when he was on his way to her office.

  “Would you like to walk again, or should I have Philip meet us downstairs with the limo?” Mark inquired as they waited for their ride down to the main lobby.

  “Walking is fine. Thanks for asking.”

  The elevator was full as they entered, and once again Mark’s presence caused all conversation to stop. She gave him a look that prompted him to say something.

  He shook his head and she saw his mouth thin in displeasure. She bit her lip to stifle her grin. It wasn’t until they stepped out into the fresh air that Mark broke the silence.

  “Rane.”

  “Mark.”

  They both said each other’s names at the same time.

  “Rane, I would like to go to lunch with you for the rest of this week and . . .” He paused, then quickly added, “and I don’t want to discuss business. I want only to get to know you better. And you’d-you’d said you found me attractive.”

  She saw Mark’s face go blank, almost as if he was holding his breath.

  “I don’t know what to say. I was out of place to say that to you. I’d be apprehensive about dating or seeing someone that works with me. It goes against my work ethics,” Rane responded in an even tone voice with her knees ready to give out on her and her heart racing. She managed to add, “There’s always a first for everything. I’d like that very much. That is, going to lunch. I mean having lunch and getting to know you better.”

  “Great. Now that you’ve agreed, who is Thor? Should I be worried about him?”

  Rane laughed so hard tears came to her eyes. “He is my cat.”

  “Your cat? You mean to tell me I’ve lost sleep over a cat?” Mark laughed.

  When they arrived at their destination, the same restaurant from the day before, they found the waiting area crowded. Mark caught the hostess’ attention and was about to move forward when she called out to greet them.