And then, the previous night, just when I thought that we were connecting, that he was finally able to see me in my truest form . . . When I had given up all my inhibitions and was actually having fun with him, he had made me feel small. He made me feel dirty and cheap for enjoying the attention that his friends were showering on me. Why had he invited me in the first place? Just so he could insult me afterward?
I stepped out of the elevator on the ground floor. I was supposed to go back to my office, but I decided to go for a walk instead. With files still tucked under my arm, I walked out of the office building and onto the busy streets of Manhattan.
I noticed Jack’s swanky Porsche parked outside the office doors and my heart sank again. It was like every little thing was reminding me of him and how much I wanted him. Did I have feelings for him? I felt sick to my stomach just thinking about that possibility. I walked hurriedly, hoping that it would give me some sort of distraction, but that didn’t help either.
I found my way to a coffee truck and I ordered a tall Americano with an extra shot of espresso. I could still feel the after-effects of a hangover coursing through my body. The alcohol and the fight with Jack were all a contributing factor to how terrible I was feeling.
Would I have to quit my job? What would Father say? I couldn’t imagine continuing to work in this office, seeing Jack every day and working closely with him. I would go crazy. I would never be able to get over him.
The previous night with his friends, before Jack had snapped at me, he had proven that he was more than just a smooth-talking manipulator. He was an intelligent guy with friends who were down-to-earth. His close relationship with those guys had shown a different side to him. It had demonstrated that Jack hadn’t forgotten his roots – that he hadn’t forgotten where he came from and he had no problems owning his own past.
Jack may have made a lot of money and earned a lot of success now, but that didn’t mean he’d forgotten about his friends. Gus was a truck driver, Marty was a door-to-door salesman, and Liam worked as a bartender in Brooklyn. None of them had fancy jobs or drove fancy cars, and none of them belonged to the social circle that Jack roamed in now. However, he wasn’t embarrassed by them. And I, in turn, had learned that people like Gus, Marty, and Liam were not ones that I should shun just because Father did not deem them worthy enough acquaintances. I had fun with them. They were real people who were a lot more fun to be around than most of my stuck-up, class-conscious friends.
I had seen a different side of Jack, one which I liked a lot. But then he had to ruin everything by accusing me of throwing myself at his friends. I still couldn’t shake off the feeling that Jack had changed his mind about me. His reminder that I should bear in mind my position in the office was a rude awakening. He did not think that our relationship could go anywhere, and he reminded me that it should stay strictly professional.
On the other hand, I had also cursed at him. I had behaved in a way that an employee of Prisma should not have behaved with the CEO of the company. That realization made me snap out of my misery in a heartbeat. My old fighting spirit was slowly returning.
If Jack wanted, he could fire me very easily right now. Was that his plan all along? Was all of this just a power struggle? Did he know that if he could pull me close to him, I would eventually slip and do something he could fire me for?
Sipping my scalding coffee, I hurried back towards the office. Whatever happened, no matter how weak in the knees Jack made me feel, I wasn’t going to call it quits so easily. I wasn’t going to give him an opportunity to fire me.
I just had to suck it up and get through this — get through my feelings for him and see him for what he really was. Jack Gowler was nothing more than a shrewd, ambitious man who was using his capacity to charm women off their feet to oust me out of the company.
Well, it wasn’t going to work. I was going to make sure that it was me who Roger Tracker wanted to work with. That way, Jack would never be able to kick me out of the company.
Chapter 18 - Jack
I found Roger Tracker sitting in the big leather chair across from my desk. I stepped into my office, and he turned to greet me with a wide smile.
I wasn’t expecting to see him – he hadn’t made any formal appointment for a meeting. Initially, my thought was that he had come over to personally tell me that he was backing out of the deal, but when I saw the smile he was greeting me with, I could sense that this was not going to go too badly.
I had to force myself to put on a cheery attitude as I took long strides towards him. Work always came first.
“Roger,” I stretched my hand out to him and he shook it firmly.
“Jack! I hope you don’t mind that I occupied your office even before you got here,” Roger laughed as I walked around to my chair and sat down across from him.
“Of course not. You know my doors are always open for you. What can I help you with today?” I asked, presenting my brightest smile to him.
Roger cleared his throat and shifted in his seat, and I got the feeling that he was trying to find the right words to tell me something important. He still had that smile on his face, though, as he looked around my office.
“Nice place you got here, Jack. Once again, congratulations on the promotion! I must tell you that I believe you deserve it,” he began and I smiled and shook my head.
“Thank you, Roger. I hope you’re finding everything is on track. Louise and I have been working hard on presenting the best strategic options for you to consider. We just need a few more days – like we discussed earlier,” I said and he held up his hand to stop me.
“Of course. That’s okay. The deal is not why I’m here . . . Or at least not entirely why I’m here,” he interrupted me.
I crossed my brows at him. I did not know him personally – not before talks of this deal began. I couldn’t think of another good reason why he might be visiting in my office other than to talk business. “I’m all ears,” I told him with a smile.
Roger breathed in deeply and then his voice dropped. “It’s about Louise Downing,” he said, and my smile weakened.
“Louise? What about her?” I asked and he shifted in his seat again.
“Well, the thing is that I wanted to come in here and have a conversation with you. Man to man,” he explained.
I sat back in my chair, my mind whirring with confusion. “You wanted to have a man to man conversation with me about Louise Downing?” I asked, and he smiled brightly at me again.
“I am sure you are not immune to her charms either. You see her every day,” he added with a laugh and I clenched my jaws in fury. So, this was about how he had the hots for Louise! I tried not to jump up from my chair and punch him in the face right then.
“What are you talking about, Roger? You will have to be more specific than that,” I said, trying not to sound too threatening.
“Hmm . . . How shall I put it sensitively for you? Louise is a woman I would very much like to get to know more personally,” he said, that smile spreading more thickly across his face. I clenched my fists under the table while rage pumped in my veins. I couldn’t find my voice to reply to him. “If you know what I mean,” he added and gave me a sly wink before he sat back in his chair again.
I cleared my throat and smoothened my tie. “I think I know what you mean, Roger, but I have to remind you that she is an employee here,” I said.
He nodded his head while he stared at me knowingly. “Which is why I’ve come to you, Jack. You are an intelligent man. I’m sure you’ll be able to work this out yourself. You and your company want a deal with me. You know it could be the biggest deal in the history of Prisma. I, on the other hand, have loads of financial analysts to choose from. However, Louise Downing has caught my eye and I believe she and I could work very well together,” he explained in a low, humming voice.
I could feel myself boiling over with fury. I wanted to pounce on him and grab him by the neck and push his head through the wall. But I couldn’t do any of th
ose things because he was a potential client. I was the CEO of Prisma and I needed the Medusa account. All I could do was just sit there and listen to him talk about Louise, all the while stewing in my own rage.
“That’s all I wanted to say,” he added abruptly and stood up from his chair.
I stood up from mine too. I was in shock – too paralyzed to add anything.
“I don’t mean that you have to be a liaison for me. I don’t expect for you to be her pimp or anything,” he said and burst out laughing at his own ridiculous joke. “But if you could put in a good word for me, that would work out very nicely for both of us,” Roger said, and then held out his hand for me to shake again.
I hadn’t said anything to him yet. I couldn’t find my voice. I knew that if I did, I would spew out vile vicious abuses that would have run him out of the building within seconds. I couldn’t do that – for Prisma’s sake. I was the CEO of the company. I had to act in the best interests of the organization.
I had to force myself to shake hands with him, and then I watched in silence as he turned and walked out of my office.
After he was gone, I ran a hand through my hair repeatedly in frustration. I wanted to growl, to punch the wall – anything to get the frustration out of my system.
I knew I should have said something. I should have made it clear to that bastard that I wasn’t going to let him get anywhere close to Louise.
Chapter 19 - Louise
I was back in my office chair again, drumming my fingers on my desk. I should have been concentrating on the research I was supposed to be doing for the Medusa account, but all I could think about was Jack.
I had too many conflicting emotions running through my mind. On the one hand, I couldn’t stop wanting him, and on the other, I couldn’t get rid of that nagging feeling that Jack was trying to oust me out of the company. If that was his game plan all along, he was winning because I was inches away from feeling the compulsion to quit.
How was I supposed to get any work done when all I could think about was how good Jack felt between my thighs? He was good. He was very good. But I was going to find a way to beat him at his own game.
My cellphone ringing in my purse snapped me out of my thoughts. I saw that it was Father calling and I answered hesitantly.
“Louise, what is the meaning of this?” were his first grumbling words.
“Hello, Father,” I said meekly. I was too miserable to put up a fight at the moment. I was weak, and he pounced on me.
“You left the house before breakfast the other day! We were supposed to sit down and discuss your career. And neither did you call me to apologize!” Father was on a rant and I listened to him quietly as he shouted into the phone.
“Well?” he urged me when I hadn’t replied for a few moments.
“I’m sorry, Father. I had to rush back to the office on some urgent business,” I told him and pressed my eyes closed. I had too many things to deal with, and father’s tone of voice wasn’t helping me.
“What kind of business? Not CEO work, surely, since you didn’t get the position!” he barked.
I stood up from my chair with a jerk. Something had suddenly snapped inside me. “No, Father. I do not have any CEO responsibilities because I am not the CEO of the company. You are right. I did not get the position. Thank you for reminding me of that again, Father!” I hissed into the phone.
My voice had taken him by surprise and I could sense that he felt a little destabilized by my anger.
“I do not need your advice on my career. That is the other thing I wanted to tell you – if you would just listen!” I continued. This time, my father was listening to me in silence. “I am a bloody grown woman! I don’t need your advice, and I don’t need your guidance. I can manage fine on my own, do you hear me?” I screamed. I could feel the back of my neck getting hotter.
“I hear you loud and clear, Louise,” Father mumbled.
“Good! Because I am tired of how you treat me. I am not a child and I don’t need you to spoon-feed me. Maybe I didn’t want to be CEO of Prisma. Have you ever thought of that? Maybe I’m glad that Jack Gowler got the job instead. Do you know how it makes me feel when you treat this like it is the biggest disaster of my life?” I continued.
I was pacing around the room while I held the phone tightly to my ear. Father said nothing. I had never spoken to him this way before, and now that I had started, I couldn’t stop shouting at him.
“Louise . . . ” Father’s voice was quiet and calm, but I wasn’t about to simmer down. I wanted to make sure that he listened to everything that was on my mind.
“And another thing, Father. Money isn’t everything. Growing up in luxury doesn’t set you apart. You can tell a mother that I will never marry a Malcolm or a Hemsworth or any of the other eligible suitors she’s picked out for me. I am not interested in being in a boring, loveless marriage like the one she found herself in!”
I ended the call before father had a chance to say anything. I was breathing hard as I flung the phone to the wall. It cracked and slid down to the carpeted office floor. Suddenly, I felt good. I had all these emotions pent up inside me ever since I could remember . . . Probably since I was a teenager. It felt good to get all of it out. It was now or never. I didn’t care about the consequences anymore. I didn’t care what Father thought of what I’d just blurted out at him.
I felt dizzy from all the shouting, and I walked back to my chair and sat down. Cradling my face with both hands, I tried to even my breathing so that I could start thinking straight again.
I had to start thinking of a plan. Now that I had dealt with Father, I was going to have to deal with Jack. If his plan was to force me out of the company by making me fall for him and then rejecting me, he had another thing coming.
Picking up the telephone on my desk, I called my secretary.
“Connect me to Roger Tracker at the Medusa office,” I told her and sat back in my chair.
Chapter 20 - Jack
I needed to tell Louise. I needed to find a way to show her how I felt before Roger Tracker had the chance to make his move.
I shouldn’t have been this surprised that he had other plans for Louise. That night at the cocktail bar, the two of them had hit it off pretty quickly. They made a natural couple. Similar family backgrounds, similar sophisticated class – and he was easy on the eyes too. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Louise considered him to be an ideal partner. Their lives were headed in the same direction and I had already pushed her away.
I was back in my penthouse because I couldn’t stay in the office a minute longer. I kept replaying every word that Roger Tracker had said to me. The sly smile on his face, the wink he had given me . . . Those images had taken over my brain and I kept imagining him alone with Louise.
Would she push him away? Or would she blush and flirt back the way she had done with Marty and Gus? I wouldn’t blame her if she was flattered by his attention. Roger Tracker was a rich, powerful man and he had chosen Louise.
I had sent my housekeeper out of the penthouse. I wanted to be completely alone while I tried to think about what I could do.
My only option was to show Louise how I felt for her, to make her sit down and hear me out. I couldn’t do that in the office and I didn’t want to do that in a public place like a restaurant or a bar either.
The idea came to me in a flash. I was going to make her dinner.
I ran to the kitchen and looked in the pantry and the fridge for all the ingredients I would need. I knew what I wanted to cook for her — a king prawn linguine in a rich, creamy sauce. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was a recipe that my mom had taught me before I left home. It was our special treat that she used to whip up on birthdays or other special occasions. My brothers and I always looked forward to that meal, and now I wanted to cook it for Louise. I felt like that way, I would be sharing a part of me, an intimate part of me, with her.
I checked the wine cellar for wine. I got all the ingredients out and star
ted prepping for the meal. Once that was done, I changed into casual attire and I was ready to go get her. All I would need to do was get her to my penthouse and then we could talk – have an actual serious conversation about how we felt – while I cooked, and by the time the food was ready . . . My hope was that Louise would have a positive reaction to everything I had told her.
All I needed was one chance to tell her how I felt – that I didn’t mean to push her away. That I was jealous of my friends, just like I was jealous of Roger now. I wanted to move past the hurdles of a professional relationship.
Grabbing my car keys, I rushed out of my home to go back to the office. It was still only six in the evening, which meant that there was still a chance that Louise was still in the office. If she wasn’t there, my plan was to go to her apartment. I was determined to talk to her tonight. I was determined to make her see that I was in it for the long haul.
I arrived at the office building and saw that a lot of the staff had already left. I rushed to the elevator with my heart racing in my chest.
I hadn’t prepared a speech. All I knew was that I wanted to see her and explain that it was all a misunderstanding. I needed to get there before Roger Tracker made his move and before Louise decided that she would rather be with a man who belonged to her class.
I took the elevator up to her office floor and rushed towards her room at the end of the corridor. Most of the staff was gone – so was her secretary – but I could see that the lights in her room were still switched on. She was still at work!
A smile was spreading on my face. I was excited as I walked to her door, but when I got there, I heard the mumble of voices from inside. It surprised me and I stepped back. I wasn’t expecting anyone else to be in there with her.
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