A Storm Is Coming

by LaShawn Vasser

  Tick-tock tick-tock…her patience had expired and just as Braylee was about to get up and leave, the door to the conference room opened. A very attractive blond woman wearing a smart black skirt and a matching blazer stepped inside.

  The young woman smiled warmly, “Hi, I’m Kathy Stone, Mr. Manchetti’s personal assistant. I came to apologize for him being unavoidably detained. However, he should be here within the next few minutes. In the meantime, can I get you and your guest anything, coffee…water?”

  It figured that his PA would look like she just stepped off of the Parisian runways. Just like his offices were beautiful, so was she. Kathy was tall, model thin, very pretty, with blue eyes, a pert nose, and perfect white teeth.

  Braylee’s observation wasn’t anything personal against the young woman, it just figured. Powerful men always seemed to want to collect pretty things. But, just as Braylee didn’t want people to judge her by her looks, sometimes it took extra care to extend the same courtesy especially when she was in a pissy mood.

  Irritated, Braylee did her best to be polite. Kathy was just the PA so she couldn’t take her frustrations out on her. “Thank you but no. I’m fine. Nate?”

  He took his cues from Braylee, “No. I’m fine as well.”

  Kathy nodded as she left the room and closed the door. Tick-tock tick-tock…the time continued to move glacially.

  Braylee wondered what could possibly be keeping him. Finally, she heard footsteps in front of the door and couldn’t help but hope it was him. Patience was not something she had in ready supply to begin with.

  The door opened a crack, then paused. There was a bit of conversation with whoever opened it and someone else in the hallway. And then, as if in a movie, the door slowly crept open. Finally, the great Alexandro Manchetti walked inside.

  He acknowledged his team, “Gentlemen.” Then, he extended his hand and walked over toward Braylee, “Ms. Hinsdale. Please accept my apologies for being late.”

  Braylee researched him, but the images from her dossier should have been shredded and burned. They were useless other than that dark hair. They didn’t hold a candle to the man standing before her. He was tall. He was very tall with a broad chest and wide shoulders. There was also no mistaking his athletic build even through his Tom Ford suit. That olive skin against that starched white shirt was such a contrast given this time of year. His was a naturally beautiful tan.

  It wasn’t his scruffy little beard, which was a weakness of Braylee’s that drew her attention. It was his eyes. They were dark, intense and piercing. His presence filled the room and made Braylee sit up just a bit straighter.

  She needed all of her training as a lawyer to mask her immediate attraction. However, just as beautiful women probably no longer had any effect on Alexandro, she was determined not to let him have any effect on her either.

  And that was mostly true…until he smiled. His smile almost knocked her off of her feet…almost because she wouldn’t allow it. Men, especially handsome and powerful men were usually jerks and nothing but trouble. She was done wasting her time on them.

  Braylee was never one to be controlled by emotions, and she wouldn’t start now. So, without a hint of warmth to her face, she stood and extended her hand for a handshake. A firm handshake. “Mr. Manchetti.”

  Zing!

  What was that? Was that an electrical current that ran through her arm? No way, it had to be something else; probably a nerve acting up. Anyway, she had to remind herself that this man had kept her waiting for over an hour! Good looks be damned he’d wasted her time.

  Alexandro typically towered over most women with his six-foot four-inch frame, but Braylee managed to reach his shoulders. Granted she was probably wearing four-inch heels but she was still able to make almost eye to eye contact. And, they were a beautiful pair even though he could clearly see irritation and something else in them.

  It didn’t escape his notice that she was all business as he took his seat at the head of the conference table. While Alex couldn’t be certain, it appeared as if she wasn’t just irritated but maybe even pissed.

  Usually, his smile was enough to disarm a pretty woman but this didn’t look like it was going to be one of those times.

  He’d heard about Braylee Hinsdale’s penchant for punctuality and her disdain for those who weren’t. But, he couldn’t avoid it.

  At any rate, Alexandro opened his portfolio just as Kathy returned to pass out a small binder of documents to everyone seated.

  Braylee accepted the slim portfolio and immediately began to scan the information on the pages. It was a gift that she could process complicated information quickly.

  “Ms. Hinsdale, your reputation precedes you.” Even the part of her reputation that noted she was cold and calculating but damn good at her job. “However, Lisa’s strong recommendation is one of the reasons why I’ve asked you to be here today.”

  He studied her as she studied the information. He couldn’t remember anything that might have been said about her appearance. When her name came up it was usually related to a brilliant legal mind. As a matter of fact, he didn’t have very much personal information about her at all. Not that it mattered because his focus was only about what she could do for him in a courtroom…not the bedroom.

  However, professionally he’d also heard that Braylee was always well prepared, had uncanny instincts, and was a bulldog in court. She’d rarely lost a case.

  Alexandro studied Braylee as she continued to scan the documents. When she brushed a wayward curl of hair behind her ear, like a magnet he followed her every movement. It was difficult to keep from staring. He never expected her to be so incredibly beautiful.

  What the hell was wrong with him? Given his current situation, he should be completely focused on his personal and legal troubles. Alexandro cleared his throat, “After you’ve had some time to review my situation, I’m hoping to get your legal opinion of my options.”

  Without acknowledging his comments, she quickly flipped through the pages. When Braylee was in lawyer mode, there were very few things that could break her concentration.

  Alexandro was attracted to this woman. Of course, it was purely physical but still he had to force himself to tear his eyes away from her.

  Needing a little room to get his thoughts together, he briefly turned his attention to the men assembled at the table. But, then soon returned his gaze back to Braylee, “My in-house counsel and my brother Fabi believe that if I take this case to trial it would be unwinnable and could take everything I’ve worked so hard for down.”

  After Braylee finished scanning the documents, she slowly lifted her gaze to his. Their eyes locked. His gaze was too intense. It was as if he could see clear down into her soul. Nobody was allowed there.

  She’d never been thrown off of her game by a man and wouldn’t start now. In a no-nonsense fashion she responded, “On the face of it and without doing my own research, saying this would be a difficult case to win would be an understatement. Especially if half the things mentioned in this report are true.”

  What was that? Was there a flash of something in those eyes other than irritation? It was too brief to know if it had even existed. Maybe Alexandro was imagining it hoping to see something he wanted to see. He quickly reminded himself this was about the lawsuit.

  How the hell was she able to absorb any of that information in the brief amount time they’d been seated? Impossible, but if she had, then he would really be impressed.

  “Are you sure? You haven’t even had a chance to do a thorough review of the report.”

  “I…have a gift of sorts to absorb a lot of information quickly. Along with what I already knew, and what I was able to gather from the report, I know I can say this would be an incredibly difficult case to win.”

  Okay, so he was very impressed. At the same time, he still hoped that she missed something that would give his company a chance.

  Suddenly, the room erupted in chatter.

  “See, Alex. She’s co
nfirmed our thoughts exactly.”

  “It’s unwinnable. Just settle.”

  “The company would suffer greatly if you go ahead with this.”

  You could see the clenching of his jaw as Alexandro raised his hand to silence the chattering men. They stopped speaking in mid-sentence as his unflinching gaze returned to Braylee’s.

  “I was hoping to get your opinion as quickly as possible. I am fully aware of how my team feels.”

  Braylee carefully sat the documents back down on the table as she spoke, “I said difficult, not impossible. Nothing is ever impossible. We have too many guilty people walking around free for that to be true.”

  Eager to hear her thoughts, Alexandro urged her to proceed. “Please, Ms. Hinsdale, go on.”

  “Well, just skimming the surface, I would recommend settling as soon as possible. That’s the easiest route. Otherwise, you could be in for a very long and very expensive fight where your chances of winning at best are probably no better than thirty percent.”

  “Settling would tank our stock and destroy my company anyway. Thirty percent is better than nothing. I’m prepared to pay or do whatever I need to do to fight this even if my chances are no better than one percent.”

  Fabi was seated next to Braylee, and he sputtered as he began to speak in Italian, “Then why ask for advice if you’ve already made up your mind? Alexandro…you cannot do this. With time, our stock prices could rebound. Not only would you be putting the livelihood of the people who are the most important to you at risk, but you would also be risking the health of this company.”

  Giovanni, his General Counsel, also chimed in…in Italian, “Don’t let her pretty face persuade you to do something illogical. Her interests are not the same as ours. Whether you win or lose, she will become a very wealthy woman.”

  With steel in his voice, Alex responded in their native tongue, “Fabi…Giovanni, this decision is not up to you. You do understand, that if we follow your advice of settling, we will make Manchetti Enterprises more vulnerable to a hostile takeover. We could lose this company either way. That is not an option, and I won’t sit around and do nothing.”

  Braylee thought it was rude as hell to speak a different language in front of her. She’d had enough of dealing with these rude men for today and stood to excuse herself. Nate quickly packed up their things and followed suit.

  All eyes turned to Braylee. She looked between the men before her and spoke in fluent Italian, “It is very rude to talk around me. Giovanni, as General Counsel of this company, you should have already known that I am a very wealthy woman…and that I am fluent in Italian as well as several other languages.”

  She smoothly switched back to English, “Good day, Gentleman.” Braylee picked up her Marc Jacobs bag and strode out of the conference room…like a boss.

  Chapter 4

  The next morning, Braylee walked off of the elevators into her office suites, deeply engrossed in reading her e-mails on her smartphone. Immediately, the tickle of her nose and the overwhelming smell of flowers caused her to look up.

  As she strode closer to her office’s glass double doors, she could see that the entire floor was full of them. They were everywhere; on the desks, the tables, the window sills…everywhere. There were so many that there wasn’t even enough space to place them so they’d started piling them up on the floor.

  Slowly, she opened the door, and the frantic faces of her staff froze in place. Her face scrunched up in pure agitation. Where was Nate? Braylee turned around in a circle looking for him since his desk, which sat right outside of hers, was empty.

  Braylee didn’t have time for this nonsense. Just as she was about to yell out to him, he walked up behind her ending a call on his blue tooth.

  Clearly irritated Braylee yelled, “What in the hell? Nate?”

  Just as aggravated Nate started to explain, “They started arriving about an hour ago and they’ve been coming ever since.”

  Rubbing her forehead, Braylee huffed, “Well find out who is sending them and tell them to stop. My day is too full to deal with these kinds of silly distractions.”

  No one else would dare to speak so freely to Braylee but Nate. He’d paid his dues and could get away with saying things that most of the staff, including some of the Partners, couldn’t.

  He slanted his head to the side, snapped his fingers, and sarcastically stated, “Of course why didn’t I think of that?”

  Braylee rolled her eyes.

  Nate continued to explain, "I was just on the phone with our building security regarding them. And, I’ve been making calls since they started arriving. I’ll get them cleared out as soon as I can. Maybe I can donate them to a women’s shelter. Especially, since we all know how you feel about flowers. In the meantime, I’ve made sure your office is flower free. I also put your messages on your desk.”

  Braylee shook her head from side to side as she walked past him, entered her office and slammed the door shut behind her. She wasn’t in the mood…not today. Braylee took a deep breath once inside. Thank god it was clear from the Tropical Rain Forest outside. Otherwise, she might have to kill someone.

  *****

  Five minutes later, Lisa walked off of the elevator into Hinsdale and Associates.

  She attempted to breeze right on past Nate, “Is she in?”

  “Yes, but she’s in a bad mood. Let me tell her you’re here.”

  “No bother. I’ll just…”

  Nate put up his hand, “Oh no. If I let you walk in without informing her again, I’ll be in the unemployment line. That…ain’t happening.”

  Lisa knew there was no way Braylee would ever fire him. But, she might make him feel like quitting if she was in one of her really bad moods. Nobody deserved that. “Fine, I’ll wait.”

  While she waited, Lisa checked out Nate. Just because she was married to a wonderful man didn’t mean she didn’t notice other attractive men. She smiled inwardly, looking never hurt anybody.

  At first, Lisa thought that he and Braylee might be hooking up since they spent so much time together. And, because Braylee hadn’t been on a date in too long to remember. Sometimes, one plus one should equal two. But, not in this case. Braylee quickly shut that down. Too bad because she needed a man bad. Lately, she was always so…irritable.

  After all these years, Lisa came to the conclusion that Nate had to be gay. There was just no other way anyone would put up with Braylee and not be getting any.

  Nate picked up the phone in an attempt to inform Braylee that Lisa was there to see her.

  Absentmindedly Lisa spoke, “Alexandro must be putting on the full court press.”

  Nate was about to dial the phone but immediately put the receiver back into its cradle. “You mean to tell me he’s the reason that it looks like a tropical rain forest in here?”

  Lisa shrugged her shoulders, “I think it looks beautiful and not so cold with all the silver and white furnishings. Color is always good. Anyway, I don’t know who they’re from it just seems like something he might do. Isn’t there a card or something?”

  Nate thought to himself that Lisa would think something like this was beautiful. But, she knew Braylee better than anybody, and she also knew that girl had a complex about flowers. How those polar opposites remained friends was beyond him.

  His response was classic Nate…sarcastic, “Gee…why didn’t I think to check to see if there was a card?” Slightly frustrated he continued, “No there was no card. And, whoever it is has hired every damn florist in the state of Illinois. So, if you think this was your friend please call him up and see. And, if it’s him tell him to stop. You know Braylee is not into this kind of thing anyway.”

  “Yeah well, you don’t tell Alexandro anything. He’s not that kind of guy.”

  As another delivery of flowers arrived, Nate had visions of throwing the delivery man from the roof. Instead, he picked up the phone and informed Braylee that Lisa was there to see her.

  He was greeted with an exaggerated sigh,
“Doesn’t she know I’m really busy today? Damn. My time is tight. Goooooood…send her in.”

  Lisa could hear every word through the phone. She laughed, “Oh…she really is in a mood. We’ve got to get this girl a man and fast.”

  Nate agreed whole heartedly but kept a blank expression on his face.

  Lisa went on inside of Braylee’s office determined to be the ray of sunshine that she needed.

  In a sing-songy voice Lisa spoke, “Good morning.”

  Even that irritated Braylee as she searched for a particular file in her desk drawer, “I guess. I don’t have a lot of time; I’ve got a couple of meetings set up for this morning.”

  “Yes dear, you’ve always got your day packed to the hilt. No surprise there. I was in the area and just thought I’d stop by to see how your meeting with Alexandro went. But, before we get into that, whose sending you all the flowers? I bet it’s him.”

  Braylee didn’t believe for one second that Lisa was just in the area. She was there to convince her to take on the Manchetti case.

  “Who knows? But, apparently, whoever is sending them doesn’t know me very well.” Braylee pulled out several other files but slammed the drawer shut when she didn’t find the specific one she was looking for. “I mean really? How hard is it to spend five minutes on the internet to find out that I don’t like flowers?”

  Braylee pressed the intercom to Nate, “I can’t find the Chester file.”

  He responded, “It’s on my desk.”

  “I’ll grab it on my way out.” Braylee released the button.

  Braylee was trying Lisa’s patience, but she continued to think ray of sunshine ray of sunshine. “What woman doesn’t like to be romanced Braylee? I think it’s sweet. You’re the only woman I know who complains about men trying to get to know you. When was the last time you’ve been out on a date?”

  Braylee rolled her head around, “I barely have time to get my nails and hair done. I’m just too busy for that nonsense.”