Made for Me (Danielle Grant Book 1)

by Sarah Gerdes

  Danielle grabbed her purse and had already passed the receptionist desk when she saw Lars come through the front doors. His white, open-collared shirt against a topaz blue tie popped against his charcoal-black suit.

  “A little early for you to leave, isn’t it?” he asked.

  “I’m celebrating with myself,” she said evenly, thanking him as he held the door open.

  “That’s an oxymoron, you know.”

  Danielle’s insecurity reared its uncomfortable head. “Yep. I’ll be back in thirty.” Lars raised his eyebrows, as if questioning her. “Lars, I’m only going to get ice cream, not a drink.”

  Once she had the ice cream in hand, she lingered on the corner, relishing the warmth of the afternoon sun. It was now early June, the days warm enough to wear shorts and t-shirts and only a light jacket at night.

  This evening, Danielle knew the entire time on the boat she’d be thinking of Andre, somewhere out on the water. He had to know she was going to do the right, ethical thing. He had to. And as Lani said, if he didn’t want to stick it out, no hard feelings. They’d spent a great three months together and her life would go back to the way it had been prior to meeting Andre. Work, research, sailboarding and sleep, the only variation a new restaurant where she could spend her free time helping out.

  Stars & Stripes was still in her thoughts as she approached the large yacht. Lars stood on the ramp, greeting the arrivals. A soft wind came across the water, carrying with it the scent of Tuscany. Her nose twitched. It was spicy and bright; a total contrast to the smoother scents he wore at the office.

  “Georgy and his wife are already on board,” he informed her, indicating that drinks were being served as well. Danielle thanked him, seeing Georgy with an elegantly dressed woman in an off-white linen on the far side of the ship. She waited for the right opportunity to approach them, but was prevented by a steady stream of traders and other guests who greeted the couple. She eventually made her way to the captain’s deck where she was far happier learning about the engine and talking about the wind conditions and other water-related subjects than business. The captain, a man in his early sixties, seemed flattered at her interest and indulged her curiosity. She stayed with him until the boat left the dock, finally making her way back downstairs.

  “Georgy, so nice to see you.” Danielle extended her hand but he ignored it, holding her arms as he kissed both cheeks.

  “I’d like to introduce you to my wife, Layda.” The woman was approximately her height, wearing an off-white linen pantsuit and a silk Burberry scarf draped across one shoulder, held to her breast by a modestly sized, jewel encrusted brooch. It was cold and hard, matching the woman’s countenance.

  Detached, Danielle corrected herself.

  “Thank you for improving our positions,” Layda said politely.

  “You’re welcome.”

  “I see Jans and his wife,” Georgy remarked, touching his wife’s arm. Danielle excused herself, grateful Georgy kept the introductions short. Less time to potentially discuss Andre. She wandered over to the bar, ordering a cranberry and soda.

  “From the looks of it, you might need something stronger than that.” Lars had come from the other side without her noticing. He spoke quietly but she laughed in response. If he only knew.

  “You hired me for my trading skills, not my social ones.” She caught the Tuscany scent again and turned from him slightly, just enough so the smell wafted away from her.

  “That’s what these occasion are for. Personal and professional development.”

  Lars excused himself, making his way to the front of the room. He gave a brief speech of thanks to the clients and congratulations to the traders for outstanding returns. She was free to take in his tan, linen pants and his short-sleeve peridot-green top. It revealed lean but well-muscled shoulders and arms, enhancing his skin tone and playing off the color of his eyes. When he finished, Glenda introduced Danielle to her husband, a man shorter than she was by a few inches, balding but refined, in a regal type of way.

  Drink in hand, Danielle casually made her way to the wrap-around deck, greeting co-workers and meeting significant others as she went along. At one point, she was by herself, leaning against the railing, enjoying the ability to take in the view of the homes around the lake from a dry, stable position as opposed to whisking by on a sailboard.

  “So, other than not having anyone to speak with and drinking soda and juice, are you enjoying yourself?”

  Danielle glanced at Lars, a fake smile on her face. “Sure.”

  Lars gave her a look that needed no interpretation. She hadn’t even really tried to pass off her lie as anything other than it was. “I was serious before,” he said. “A drink may liven you up a bit.”

  “No. I’d prefer to be boring. Did you bring a date today who I should meet?” she asked him. “I don’t want to be completely obvious in my lack of social skills.”

  He laughed. “I couldn’t get a date. Nobody available, actually.”

  She took a sip of her drink as she looked out across the water. “Well, it can’t because you don’t smell good.”

  “Excuse me?” he asked, as though he hadn’t heard her correctly.

  She glanced at him. “Well you are definitely mixing it up because you went with Tuscany today, which is far less formal and more summer-like than the Ungaro and Dunhill you typically wear in the office.” She spoke as if this type of conversation were as normal as reviewing a spreadsheet. She took gratification in his response as she believed few people—and fewer women—talked to him as an equal. Regardless of money and title, he still had to get up, brush his teeth and go to work every day. “Of course, you could always have gone with Paco Rabonne Pour Homme, which is another good one for the water—very airy. It would play well at the mountain retreat. Sort of woodsy but not overly so.”

  Lars’ pleasure manifested itself with a smile. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he told her. She shrugged her shoulders. They were having an inconsequential conversation about cologne.

  Lars returned back inside and she soon left the deck, meandering about the room, chatting with Glenda and her husband and several traders she’d gotten to know at the office. As other boats passed by, she casually took in the style and color, wondering if any of them were part of Andre’s fleet.

  Danielle quietly observed her managing director move about the boat exchanging pleasantries, impressed at how he could balance deference to the client without submerging his own ego and status. Danielle’s admiration grew as she watched Lars work Layda in such a way that the woman wouldn’t notice, asking questions tailored to a response that he’d probably already anticipated.

  “I’m glad the transition with Andre on the account has worked out well,” Lars was saying.

  “Better than well,” Layda replied in the socially-aware way a woman uses to imply layers of meaning without using the words. Danielle didn’t dare look at the woman to see if her eyes were boring into Lars’ or if she raised an eyebrow to hint at a deeper relationship than one of trader and client. Her intonation had said it all.

  Danielle felt Lars turn to her, but she affected ignorance, continuing to look out over the water. When she felt Lars had turned his attention elsewhere, she joined Glenda and her husband, talking pleasantries about Portland and the west coast. Not much later, she noticed Lars engaged in a conversation with Ulrich. Danielle took another drink. It’s nothing, she told herself. A simple comment that would have seemed completely benign if not for her guilt complex.

  Ulrich left Lars, rejoining two women who looked nearly identical save for an age gap of twenty years. The three were soon walking towards her.

  “Danielle, may I introduce you to…” Ulrich began. Soon she was smiling and shaking hands with his wife and daughter who was tall like her father, with the light coloring of her mother, poised and gracious. Yet another blond beauty entering adulthood here in the land of the gorgeous.

  “Layda,” Ulrich called as Georgy and his wife walked u
p behind Danielle. “I want to introduce you and Georgy to my daughter Elena. You know my wife Leeza. Elena is interested in learning how to boat, and I was wondering if Andre or one of your staff members might be available to give instruction.”

  Danielle’s knot of paranoia doubled in size.

  “Of course,” Georgy replied.

  “Andre is a very patient instructor,” Layda offered politely, smiling at the young woman. Danielle noticed that Lars was by the window, his head bent, checking his phone.

  “How is his schedule?” Ulrich asked. “Busy?” His tone was too smooth. Ulrich barely had the patience to sit in a meeting where a man was pumping thirty million francs into MRD. He wouldn’t waste his time asking about Andre to be pleasant.

  “We have been booked solid,” Georgy replied.

  “Really, the best person to ask is Danielle,” Layda offered. Ulrich turned to her, his eyebrows raised.

  “She’s taking her role as a trader seriously then?”

  Layda nodded. “Between the restaurant, the account and general activities, they are quite busy.”

  At that moment, several things happened. In her peripheral vision, she saw Lars’ head turn to her, his fingers motionless, Georgy’s mouth pressed together, ever so slightly, and Ulrich nodded his head.

  “Is that so?” Ulrich asked Danielle. Danielle smiled knowing there was nothing else she could say.

  Danielle felt her inner light dimming as Layda proceeded to hammer every single nail of her career coffin with compliments about Danielle and her working with Andre. At some point in the future, Danielle might remember to take her words as nothing other than complimentary. But right now, Danielle was on the verge of being sick. Her purposeful delay in not ending it Andre, but sleeping with him last weekend, then continuing the conversations this week…days of opportunity she had to prevent this moment in time. Even Lani had tried to warn her, but no. She didn’t have the strength to have a positive, constructive conversation, and now she’d have a very different kind of discussion. One that might include her being out of a job.

  “Well,” Ulrich continued briskly, “I’m so pleased you and Georgy decided to join us for the afternoon. Danielle, we’ll catch up on Monday.”

  Danielle was momentarily left alone as Ulrich turned away with his wife and daughter and Georgy led Layda to the far side of the boat. That left her in a straight line of sight with Lars who glared at her, his hands still on his phone, his face a mask of fury. He and Ulrich had set her up, and he’d overheard the entire exchange. He knew the consequences that would follow, the same as she did.

  .

  CHAPTER 23

  Andre arrived at her flat just before after midnight. Despite how the revelation occurred, he was convinced Lars and Ulrich would recognize her contributions to the firm and make an exception.

  “It’s the only reasonable outcome,” he insisted. Danielle couldn’t agree, and Andre made love to her with the intent of driving away any fear she harbored about the end of their relationship.

  What did it matter now? She thought to herself as she showered. Being with Andre for the next sixteen hours wasn’t going to make a difference in her employment status.

  The following morning, Andre spoke with his father who asked them both to come to his house. Behind the closed door of his wood-paneled study, Georgy confided that he’d not told his wife because he didn’t think she would keep the information confidential anyway.

  “She is looking forward to a wedding and grandchildren,” Georgy said with a heavy sigh. Andre gripped Danielle’s hand. She felt flattered at what his words implied but she couldn’t experience the happiness that should accompany the revelation that her boyfriend’s mother approved of her.

  “Don’t resign the account or quit,” Georgy told Danielle. “I’ll call Lars myself and tell him under no circumstances will we allow any other trader to manage the funds presently with you. As Andre said, he’ll have to make an exception.”

  “And if he doesn’t?” Danielle asked.

  Georgy gave her a hard look. “Then you will either leave the firm and be liable for millions of dollars, or you and Andre won’t see each other until your contract expires.”

  Before they left, Georgy held out his arms and gave her a full bear hug. She felt his admiration. She also felt his warmth and caring. “You’ll make the wise decision,” he murmured in her ear, so low that Andre couldn’t hear.

  His words were still in her mind when Andre asked her what she wanted to do for the day. “I want to go for a ride,” she said. She felt the need to get out of town, away from the intrusive, prying eyes that she now felt were everywhere when in reality, they were probably nowhere. Andre willingly agreed.

  He swerved in and out of traffic, passing on curves and giving her the thrill they both enjoyed and needed. Each mile marker was a release of one more tentacle that attached her to MRD. She clung to Andre’s waist, feeling an uprising of sadness mixed with a longing to have him hold her, to hear him say it was going to be fine and that if she had to make a choice that he would wait for her, even if it was for the remainder of her tenure.

  “Andre, pull over when you find a good spot,” she said.

  He found a small grove away from the main road. The large, soft-furred cows with their oversized bells were lounging in a grassy section cordoned off by a wooden fence, a simple but appropriate reminder that ensured no one thought of stealing the beautiful beasts. They displayed contentment and safety as they watched her dismount, neither emotion she shared.

  Andre removed his helmet, placing it on the handlebars, and then taking hers as she handed it to him.

  “Danielle…” he murmured, the desire in his voice unmistakable. He haphazardly unzipped her jacket, eagerly biting her skin as he unzipped the sides of his pants, then hers, the protective garments falling to the ground. Warm winds moved through the aspen trees, the sounds like chimes, a celebration, she thought, of their physical and emotional connection. His arms were around her back, holding her protectively as he gripped her harder, lifting her legs up and around him. With each movement inside her, he told her he loved her, showing her time and again as his body shuddered.

  On the drive back, Andre was reflective. “Regardless of what Lars says, I don’t see a time when we won’t be together.”

  Danielle didn’t share his confidence. After Andre had gone, she called her father.

  “Stop dithering,” he responded. “If you weren’t completely committed to this man, you would have already dumped him cold like you did the others when they became more than a passing fancy.”

  “Oh please, dad,” Danielle practically groaned. “I am not that cold hearted.”

  “No, you have been no-hearted. Zero emotion. I’m not saying that’s entirely bad, it’s where you were in life. But frankly I’m glad to see you haven’t lost the ability to fall in love.”

  Danielle pursed her eyes together. “I’m not really enjoying this conversation.”

  “Then let me change tactics. Your enthusiasm for anything—and I’m talking about things in your life—hasn’t been at this level since before your mother passed. Your percentages have never been higher and we both know it. The photos you sent me—the ones Andre took during your ride to the castle—well, you have never been more beautiful.”

  “That’s a lot of ‘nevers,’” Danielle remarked.

  “And to that I’ll add one more. Never waste an opportunity because another might not be presented again.”

  “You’re kidding me right? You, the person who told me to take this job because of the professional opportunities it presented, have now switched, and you are telling me to quit to be with Andre?” He was out of his mind. “This has been a fun, romantic fling,” she said firmly.

  Her father grunted. “Are you saying that to convince me or you?” Danielle said nothing. “Danielle, I can tell you’re in love. Real love Danielle. It might have started as a fling and lots of sex, but you are actually friends now, and friends f
all in love. Let it be. Let yourself be. Don’t hold back with this man. Enjoy the moment…” he broke off mid-sentence. Danielle realized that her father was choking up. “Because when that moment ends, and the person you love is gone, depriving you of creating more memories, you’re going to wish you had taken the time to create a thousand more just like it.”

  Danielle felt his words in her throat as it tightened. Before she went to bed, she texted Andre.

  Missing you. Adoring you, she typed.

  Seconds later, a message popped up. Loving you.

  CHAPTER 24

  Danielle entered the office Monday morning on an empty stomach. She couldn’t eat. All she could think about was meeting with Lars.

  The first note in her email was a calendar invitation for Ulrich at 11:30, followed by Lars at noon. Ugh. She would have liked to get this over with as soon as possible. She kept her head down trading, not looking up for any reason, other than to say thank you to Glenda for bringing her a cup of tea.

  “Good luck today,” Glenda said under her breath.

  Danielle wanted to die of embarrassment. “You heard?”

  Glenda nodded her head sympathetically. “There were a series of meetings this morning and your name was overheard, along with Andre’s.”

  Danielle put her hand to her head. While her fingers were cold from nerves, her face was flush at the realization that everyone knew her to be in such flagrant violation of a firm rule. “Well, you might as well start packing my things now.”

  Glenda raised both her eyebrows. “Are you kidding me?” she whispered, glancing over her shoulder. “This has happened with men before, and they always stay.” She paused then, looking at Danielle meaningfully. “May I give you some unsolicited advice?” Danielle looked at the other woman intently, wondering what in the world she was going to tell her.

  “Of course.”