Making Time

by C. J. Harte

  She picked up her glass and poured a shot of Chivas neat and then sipped it. She liked the warm, full-bodied feeling as it slid down her throat. The same kind of feeling Mia was causing. Teri put the glass down.

  She had always liked Mia. Mia was bright with a sharp sense of humor. She excelled at whatever she did. Teri saw her younger self in Mia and admired her determination.

  If only she hadn’t been hanging around so much with her little brother. Teri slapped her hand against the wall. No, why hadn’t she stood up to her parents? Teri had a choice, but she did what was expected. What was convenient. She had chosen the path regardless of the consequences to others. Or to me. Damn! Teri’s thoughts flew back in time. It was her twenty-second birthday.

  *

  “Damn it, Theresa. Jeremy is over there with that girl again.” Teri’s father was angry.

  “They’re friends, Father.” Teri grabbed a bottle of chilled champagne. She had a beautiful woman waiting for her on the yacht. She didn’t have time to worry about Mia talking to her brother.

  “I don’t want him mixing with the staff,” her mother said.

  Teri couldn’t believe what she was hearing, even from her mother. This was the twenty-first century, and her mother was lost in the nineteenth. “Her father is the chief financial officer for our business. We were the ones who insisted he move his family closer. Besides, Mia is one of the best students at Echolls Academy.”

  “Who’s Mia?”

  Teri was clenching her jaw so tight it was beginning to hurt. After the last conversation she had with her date, Teri acknowledged other parts of her body were beginning to hurt. She desperately needed to fuck her brains out tonight, and this conversation was not helping her get there. The image of a certain redhead lying naked waiting for her flashed in front of her. Why the hell am I having this inane conversation with my parents? “Mia is the girl with Jeremy, Mother.” All Teri wanted was to get out of this room and have a little fun.

  Teri looked out at the mix of Stanton Enterprises employees, their families, and guests. Jeremy was holding Mia’s hand and walking out to the dock. Teri’s younger sister, Bren, was sitting out there with a couple of other teenagers. Why am I stuck with this job? She turned and looked at her parents. “Mia’s father is a high-ranking member of our company.” I’ve got a hot woman waiting for me and I’m playing nursemaid.

  “Her father is nobody. Her mother is nobody. They are both from someplace in Indiana. Or someplace like that.”

  “They’re from Minnesota.”

  “No respectable family comes from Minnesota.” Her mother was on a roll. “They’re not from the first families. My great-great-great-grandfather was one of the first families of Boston. I don’t want Jeremy or Brenna hanging around with the wrong kind of people.”

  What are the right kinds of people? Teri was getting angrier and angrier. Not at her parents. Not at her date. At Mia Daniels. “Mother, we’re planning on her father moving to vice president of operations in our western area. The family will be gone soon.”

  “I don’t care who or what he is or how smart she is. She isn’t from one of the proper families. She’s not suitable for Jeremy to be seen with.” Her mother’s voice was clear and determined.

  “What the hell is a proper family, Mother? Mia is Jeremy’s friend. We’re not talking about marriage.” Teri shook her head. How was she going to one day run the company with one foot in an earlier century? Her interest in sex was beginning to wane. She put the bottle back down in the ice.

  “Theresa, you were brought up to know the difference. You went to all the right schools, met all the right people. If we don’t carefully choose Jeremy’s friends, who knows what kind of decisions he will make. You obviously have no plans to provide grandchildren with the Stanton name. Jeremy, then, must be pushed in the right direction.” Her mother’s voice was calm and cold. Almost as if she were assessing the daily menu.

  Teri was angry now. Her parents accepted her sexual orientation but only because she had dated acceptable females. Daughters of proper families. Still, they were disappointed that she had no plans to marry and produce offspring.

  “What do you expect me to do?” Teri sighed. She knew what was coming. No matter how much she might disagree, she knew she would do what was asked. Why did I waste my time on my education?

  “Take care of it,” her father answered. “If you’re going to lead this company one day, you need to learn how to do that.”

  Since joining the family business a year ago, Teri had heard that phrase too many times. She poured a quick shot of Scotch and downed it. She would do whatever was asked. Each time she did, she lost a little of her soul. Was this the way her life was going to be? She downed another shot of Scotch. Might as well get it over. She would need the sex afterward. It was the only way to release the tension and frustration. First, she needed to get rid of Mia Daniels, permanently and quickly.

  She called the vice president of Human Resources. Then she went to make sure Brenna and Jeremy would be left alone by that damn Daniels kid.

  *

  Teri looked at her watch then wondered why that particular memory reared its ugly head. It happened fifteen years ago. Mia was just fifteen. It wasn’t that important. Just the first of many “take care of its” since joining the family business.

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was lying to herself. That incident did matter. She got Tom Daniels and his family transferred to Europe and had lost the one person in the company who had been a caring mentor. The relationship with her brother and sister began to change. And Teri felt like a shit. She took her anger out on a damn, unsuspecting fifteen-year-old. She had lost a big chunk of her soul that night. Today, she wondered if there was any left.

  This emotional aberration was pointless. All that mattered was how she behaved from this point on. That she had control over. The past didn’t matter. It was easier to do business. She exited the library reaffirming the importance of the merger.

  “I’ve been looking for you.” Teri’s mother grabbed her as soon as she walked into the large dining room. “Who is this person with Jeremy? What is she doing here? Who is her family? We don’t know anything about her.”

  “Mother, Mia is an old friend of Jeremy’s. They had plans for the weekend and we interrupted them. It was only polite that we invite her to dinner.”

  “There’s nothing going on between them, I hope. We don’t know her family.”

  “We do, Mother. Her father is Thomas Daniels. He used to work for us.”

  “Hired help!” Her mother’s voice seemed to increase an octave.

  “Mother, please try to remain calm. Mia’s father was once one of our chief executives. There are no royalty or serfs in the U.S. Now, let me go talk with the Miltons before they think we’re being rude.” Her mother’s comments were only echoes of her own thoughts, yet hearing them out loud made her uncomfortable.

  “Ah, Theresa,” her father said, “Milton’s son has just arrived and will also join us tonight. Can you please make sure another place is set at the table on the other side of you? I want to keep control of the conversation. I’m not sure why the son is here, but something may be up. The daughter is in charge of marketing, but they’ve never said anything about the son. You need to find out what’s going on. Tell the staff to put him on your right and Milton between us.”

  “Not a problem.” Teri readily agreed. She couldn’t remember the last time she hadn’t. She looked around the room. No Mia. For that matter, no Jeremy. Where the hell are they now? She was angry with Jeremy. He knows he’s expected to be here when the guests arrive.

  She walked into the kitchen and arranged for an extra plate then checked on the food. Her cell phone rang and interrupted her inspection. She recognized the number and quickly answered. “Did you find out anything?” She didn’t listen for the complete answer. “I don’t care how difficult it is, get the damn information.” She shut the phone off. Tomorrow, she would fire him. Informat
ion Technology people were plentiful.

  Teri walked into the dining room and stopped. Mia was standing on the far side of the room. Her blond hair was a mass of curls framing an elegant face and neck. She was wearing a simple navy blue suit. There was an unassuming elegance about her, even in the unadorned outfit.

  Why didn’t she wear the blue gown? Teri’s anger shifted. Is she intentionally defying me?

  Mia smiled. Teri forgot everything but Mia. The suit appeared to be tailored for Mia’s soft, well-developed curves. The only jewelry was the watch and the gold necklace Teri had seen earlier. She was breathtaking. Nothing anorexic about Mia. Even in that goddamned suit.

  Her laughter, faint from across the room, sent a delightful chill through Teri’s body. She rubbed her arms to reduce the tingling. It didn’t work. Mia glowed. Teri wanted to bask in that light, that laughter. She wondered who had Mia’s rapt attention. Milton’s daughter, Pamela! They were laughing and whispering like old friends. Teri couldn’t help herself. She walked over. As she approached, she realized they were speaking in French.

  “Pamela, I see you’ve met our guest.”

  Silence. The laughter and conversation stopped immediately.

  “Did I interrupt anything?”

  “No,” Mia said. “Pam discovered I spoke French and asked if we could converse in it so that she could practice.”

  Pam? How the hell did she get so friendly? I’ve only heard her addressed as Pamela. She turned toward Pamela Milton. “I hope you’re enjoying your French lesson.”

  “Absolutment.” Pamela winked at Mia. “It’s amazing how much comes back when talking to someone who speaks it so well.” She raised her glass of champagne. “To a good teacher.”

  There was something sexual and predatory in the way Pamela spoke and looked at Mia. Teri had picked up or flirted with enough women to recognize it. In this situation, it irritated the hell out of her. What the hell was going on?

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Mia hid her grin behind a sip of champagne. Teri’s grim expression and Pam’s double entendres were certainly making dinner interesting. If she had been less tired, she would have looked forward to the rest of the evening. This was definitely not starting out as a typical event at the Stantons. Of that she was sure.

  Mia noticed Teri’s clothing for the evening: tailored black silk trousers with a subtle satin stripe down the side of each leg and white silk shirt with very thin, barely noticeable blue pinstripes and French cuffs. Her earrings were diamond and sapphires that shimmered in the light and offered great contrast to her dark hair. Although Teri was nearly six feet tall, she still had on heels that add another two to three inches. Towering was the word that came to mind. Impressive was another. In black and white, she was sophisticated and imposing. Mia could fall in love with her again. She stopped that line of thought. She had more important concerns in her life right now.

  “Why do you get to wear the pants and I have to get dressed?” She lifted one eyebrow and gave Teri the same kind of appraising look she had been given earlier.

  “I’m the boss. No one cares what I wear.”

  “You’re wrong. They would definitely care if you didn’t wear anything.” Mia turned and walked over to Jeremy who led her to her seat.

  “Interesting woman.” Pamela Milton’s words had definite sexual overtones.

  Mia grinned. Definitely not a typical Stanton evening. She was less pleased when she discovered that Pam had followed her over to the table and sat beside her.

  Mia was determined, however, to maintain her composure in spite of Pamela Milton. Pam tried to dominate conversation, even casually draping her arm around the back of Mia’s chair. Mia turned in her chair, leaning away from Pam and toward Jeremy. She quickly engaged in conversation with Pam’s brother and other dinner guests.

  This evening won’t be over soon enough.

  *

  As soon as dinner was finished and the group adjourned to the parlor, Mia excused herself. She could barely keep her eyes open, much less maintain any semblance of conversation.

  “I’ll escort you,” Jeremy offered.

  “You are such a gentleman,” Mia whispered as he wrapped his coat around her.

  “The evening air can be chilly, and I doubt if that suit, although it looks lovely on you, will keep you very warm.”

  “Want to come in for a few minutes?” Mia asked.

  “Just a short time. Thank you for keeping Pamela Milton busy. I’m not sure I would know how to handle her.”

  Mia laughed. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about with her.”

  “Is she engaged?”

  Mia laughed. “Oh, she’s engaged, but not the kind of engaged you mean.”

  “Okay, you’ve got my attention.” He sat next to Mia.

  “Pam Milton’s more interested in engaging a female. Ten seconds after I met her she asked me how long I was staying and if I wanted to have dinner with her.”

  Jeremy’s eyes grew wide. “She’s a lesbian?”

  “Well, let’s say she has a definite interest in females. She asked me if I wanted to take a walk in the garden.”

  “No.” Jeremy struggled with holding his laughter. “Do her parents know?”

  “No. That was why she wanted to walk in the garden. She assured me she was very discrete. I think she said she needed to protect the family name. How gallant! She did assure me, however, that it would be well worth my time. And that she was quite—I think the word she used—versatile.” Mia was now laughing and struggling to speak. “Of course, she said it didn’t matter if I was involved with you or your sister. She just wanted me with no strings attached.”

  “She propositioned you right there in front of her parents and my parents? That’s too much. What did you say?”

  “I politely thanked her for her offer and reassured her that I would need to take a rain check. I had been traveling nearly twenty-four hours and was quite tired. She then tried to convince me that she could help me relax and not even mess a hair on my head.”

  Jeremy was convulsing with laughter. “This is too much. My mother with her uptight friends and attitude is encouraging me to be nice to Pamela while she is playing footsie with you.”

  Mia wiped the tears from her eyes. “The real kicker was that she was actually playing footsie with me during dinner. When it started, I nearly spit my water across the table at her brother. I’m too embarrassed to even mention what she was whispering to me in French.”

  “Stop!” Jeremy was laughing so hard he was having trouble talking.

  “I think I showed amazing restraint. I will admit the entertainment enabled me to stay awake during dinner.” Mia took a couple of deep breaths. Her sides hurt from too much laughter. “I politely told her we had made plans and that I would only be in the U.S. for the weekend. A white lie, but it was effective. However, that was when she started pushing for the walk in the garden. Walking was not what she had in mind. I, for one, was not about to ruin this suit. I have my priorities.”

  “Stop. You don’t give a rat’s ass about clothes.”

  “True.” Mia sighed and leaned back on her hands. “Good thing I wasn’t wearing the dress you sister bought for me. Pam may have been more insistent and the dress would have been ruined. I want to return it to Teri in good condition.”

  “My sister paid for a dress for you? Well, that’s news!”

  “Jeremy, why are you looking at me like that?”

  “I don’t know of any woman my sister has bought clothes for. You must be special.”

  “Get outta here. I’m sure Teri wanted to make sure I wouldn’t embarrass anyone. I felt the dress was much too expensive for me to wear one time and possibly ruin. And there is no way I would accept anything that expensive, or personal, from her. Speaking of Teri, you better get back before you’re missed. Your sister is probably sending out a SWAT team. I’m going to shower and get some sleep.” She kissed him on the cheek.

  “In the morning, we’ll pla
n our escape. I found out from Teri that the Miltons only called yesterday morning and informed her that they will be in town for the next couple of days. So let’s slink away before more of these activities are foisted upon us.”

  “Yes, sir, Captain, sir.” She offered a sharp salute and took a deep breath. “Let’s talk about it in the morning I’ve already had too much excitement for one day. I’m usually up early.” He nodded and left.

  Once she was alone, she continued to chuckle about the events of the evening. If only Teri and her mother knew. Mia loved the absurdity. Theater of the absurd. Oh, God, I need to get some sleep. I’m getting punchy.

  As she got ready for bed, she remembered the last time she had been to a party at the Stantons. The events of the evening were permanently etched in her long-term memory. A scar on her heart.

  *

  Mia was grateful Jeremy had found her. She took his hand and they began to walk toward the dock and Bren.

  “Mia, I’m so sorry I didn’t see you sooner. Those guys are just a bunch of bullies. I want to kick them all into Long Island Sound.”

  She wiped a tear away. “Jer, it’s not your fault. I should’ve known I couldn’t trust Priscilla. As soon as she saw Teri’s name on my notebook, she told me she was going to tell everybody unless I did whatever she told me. I refused, and you know what a gossip she is.”

  Mia had barely reached the dock and Bren, when she heard a familiar voice call her by name. She knows my name! Mia felt her heart racing.

  “Mia, I need to talk to you. Brenna, Jeremy, you need to go back to the house.”

  “I’m staying with Mia,” Brenna said as she stood close to Mia.

  “You are going. Now. Mia, you come with me.”

  Mia nodded at her friends and then followed behind Teri. Her heart was pounding. She wondered if Teri would kiss her. She hoped so. Although she wasn’t sure what she was expected to do. Jeremy had once kissed her, but they both decided it was like kissing a sibling.

  She was so lost in thought she ran into Teri’s back when Teri stopped abruptly. “Sorry.” She shoved her hands in her pockets and then quickly pulled them out. Her mother kept reminding her to stand up straight, stop wiggling her hands, and walk, not run. Once again, she had acted like an idiot. Teri could never like someone who was such a klutz.