Helen’s face looked like thunder as she glared at Riley while Joanna walked David Lannister out again. “Look, Mr. Lannister, I’m truly sorry for Riley’s…”
David held up his hand. “Joanna, it’s okay, really, that young lady has made my day twice now!’ he said, smiling. “Goodbye, Joanna.”
Closing the door behind her, Joanna came back into the conference room where Helen was starting to give Riley a lecture as she lowered the shades on the glass wall.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Klein, it just slipped out. I don’t know what I was thinking!” Riley pleaded as Helen removed her suit jacket and hung it over the back of one of the conference room chairs.
Joanna stood observing with arms folded, obviously displeased but curious what Helen had in store for Riley.
Helen pulled one of the chairs away from the table and sat down. She motioned for Joanna to sit on the other side of the table and beckoned Riley with a crooked finger.
God, Riley thought, I’m dead. She slowly walked toward Helen, but instead of hauling her across her knee as Riley and Joanna both expected, Helen pulled out a chair and motioned for Riley to sit down, then started to dial a number on the conference phone.
“Hi, Miles, it’s Helen, Joanna, and Riley. They went for it. Bencom wants to move on all of it and they extended the contract out to a year. Riley did a bang-up job!” Helen announced proudly.
“Way to go, ladies! How does it feel, Riley, you just helped land one of the biggest contracts in the company’s history?” Miles said gleefully.
“Uh, thanks, I guess I’m a little relieved,” Riley said with a somewhat confused look on her face as she looked from Helen to Joanna.
“Well, that’s understandable, kiddo, we had a lot riding on this. Great job again and have a wonderful Thanksgiving, ladies!”
“You too, Miles, see you back in LA next week,” Joanna said, grinning and hanging up the conference phone.
Riley saw both Joanna and Helen grinning at her and she let a small lopsided grin of her own appear on her face. Helen stood up. “Okay, Riley, go find Andrea and let’s get things rolling.”
“Yes, Ms. Klein,” Riley said meekly as she got up and turned toward the door.
The next thing Riley felt was a sharp pain as Helen landed a resounding slap to Riley’s behind. Riley looked back, expecting to see some kind of implement that had caused the wicked sting, only to see Helen pulling her hand away.
“Ow!” Riley reacted, putting both her hands behind her instinctively.
“Consider that a warning, miss. You pull anything like that again and you will find yourself over my knee. You understand me?” Helen chastised.
“Yes, I’m sorry, Helen, sorry, Joanna, it won’t happen again,” Riley said as she put some distance from Helen’s swinging arm and left the conference room.
“Oh, the jacket was a nice touch, Helen! You had me convinced for a minute,” Joanna laughed.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about… it’s just warm in here!” Helen feigned innocence. “She does have a wild streak though, doesn’t she?”
“That is precisely what I have been trying to tell you. She’s captivating on the one hand, but then she can be infuriating. She doesn’t mean it, but sometimes she can’t help herself!” Joanna said, throwing her hands in the air. “By the way, dad wants to join us for dinner tonight. Where do you want to go?”
Chapter Nine
Riley knocked on the door of Joanna’s penthouse feeling a little more at ease over the blunder she had made earlier in the day with David Lannister. Helen and Joanna had told her that David was amused over the whole thing.
“Come on in, Riley, this is my dad. Dad, this is Riley Carrington.”
“Very nice to meet you, Dr. Armstrong,” Riley said, extending a hand to Joanna’s father.
“Nice to meet you too, Riley, I’ve heard a lot about you, and please call me Derrick!” he said, smiling, taking Riley’s hand and shaking it warmly.
Derrick Armstrong was a striking man and Riley could immediately see the resemblance to Joanna. Standing at six feet with broad shoulders, the man obviously worked out. He had a full head of salt and pepper hair, green eyes, and a square chiseled chin below his warm smile. Riley thought he was quite possibly the most handsome man she had ever met.
“Hey, Dr. D!” Kate exclaimed, embracing Derrick Armstrong in a warm hug as she and Helen entered the apartment.
“Hello, young lady, how are you? Staying out of trouble, I hope?” Derrick said, smiling.
“Of course!” Kate said, rolling her eyes, greeting Joanna and Riley with a hug. “I heard you all had a successful day!” Kate smiled.
“Oh? Hi, Helen. How are you?” Derrick questioned as he kissed Helen on the cheek.
“We will tell you all about it over dinner, Italian okay with everyone?” Helen replied.
Joanna and Helen told Derrick about the Bencom contract as they drank wine and looked over the square from their window table at the neon sign that had the Armstrong, Klein, Dixon logo emblazoned on it.
“Yes, then you want to tell them what happened after that, Riley?” Helen said with an expectant grin in Riley’s direction.
“Uh, not really,” Riley replied with a blushing grin as Helen started to tell the table about the faux pas she had made earlier.
“And what was it you called him, Riley—a ‘douche,’ wasn’t it?” Helen asked. “Then we hear Lannister’s voice, he was right behind us.”
The whole table laughed as Helen told the story and Kate had a look of disbelief on her face.
“Wait and how is it you’re still sitting down after that?” Kate whispered to Riley as Derrick ordered his food.
Riley grinned, looking over at Helen who had overheard Kate’s question.
“Because, darling, she probably made the company, oh, somewhere around…” Helen said as she scribbled something on a piece of paper and showed it to Kate.
“Holy shit, we need champagne!” Kate announced as she flagged down their server.
“Well, I’m proud of you, ladies, you’ve made your firm into quite an empire, congratulations!” Derrick said proudly, glancing over at the sign in the square and holding up his glass in a toast.
After dinner Derrick Armstrong hailed them a cab. They pulled up outside the apartment building twenty minutes later.
“Thanks for the ride, dad, see you on Thursday around two, okay?” Joanna said as she kissed her father goodbye and the other three women got out of the cab.
“You’re welcome, darling, I’ll bring some wine. Goodnight, ladies!”
* * *
The next day Riley and Andrea brainstormed ideas for the Bencom commercial, resulting in occasional howls of laughter coming from their cubicle as they formulated their ideas.
“What in God’s name are they doing out there?” Joanna asked from Helen’s office as another wave of laughter made its way across the office.
“I don’t know,” Helen said, picking up the phone. “In here now, both of you.”
“Okay, want to tell us what has you two so amused?” Helen asked dryly as Andrea and Riley entered her office.
The two girls were giddy with excitement. “Okay, imagine this!” Andrea said as she started to explain the commercial idea while Riley held up the graphics that went along with it.
“It’s perfect, it’s funny yet poignant, and Lannister will love it!” Helen said. “Okay, I think it’s time we closed this place for the holiday!”
The two girls grinned at each other. It was a little before twelve and Joanna and Helen went around the office wishing everyone a good holiday and letting them go home early.
“I guess it’s a little too early for a Scotch? Anyway, aren’t we challenging the youngsters to tennis this afternoon?” Helen asked as the last of their staff left the building for the holiday.
“Yes, we are, and Riley said she plays a little, so it should be fun,” Joanna replied.
An hour later, Riley had thrown on
her old Ramones t-shirt, a pair of shorts, and tennis shoes. She grabbed her tennis racket and headed up to the penthouses. It was a mild afternoon and the sun was bright in the New York sky.
“Hel, I was wondering if maybe we could go out dancing tonight? Riley would love the Met,” Kate asked as the women made their way to the courts on the fourth floor.
“I don’t know, we have to be up early tomorrow for the parade and it’s always so busy before the holidays,” Helen replied dismissingly.
“What’s the Met?” Riley asked as she slowed down to join Kate, who was now walking in a pouty manner, not having received the answer she wanted from Helen.
“It’s a great club downtown, lots of women, Riley!” Kate said with a smirk.
Helen and Joanna breezed easily through the first set, beating the younger girls six games to three.
“You’re pretty good, Riley!” Helen complimented as the women took a water break.
“You are very good. Joanna said you were all-American?” Riley replied.
“Oh, that was a long time ago, I assure you!” Helen said, smiling.
“Well, how about a friendly wager?” Riley asked innocently as a puzzled look appeared on Kate’s face.
“What did you have in mind, Riley?’ Helen asked, intrigued.
“Well, I was thinking if you two win, then Kate and I would do everything for Thanksgiving dinner, cooking and dishes, and if we win, then maybe we could go out to this Met place tonight. What do you think?” Riley asked.
Joanna looked at Riley then at Helen dubiously.
“Okay, you’re on, Riley, let’s do this!” Helen replied as they made their way back onto the court.
“I hate to state the obvious, Riley, but they’re kicking our butts, why did you bet?” Kate asked, a little perturbed at the thought of having to cook and do dishes.
“No, they’re not; trust me, Kate, I have a lot more game than that set!” Riley said, smiling.
A look of realization appeared on Kate’s face at Riley’s revelation. “Are you kidding me, you’ve been sandbagging? They will kill us if they find out!” Kate said in somewhat of a panic.
“Relax, I got this!” Riley said confidently.
“They are up to something!” Joanna announced to Helen as she saw the two younger girls walk back to their side whispering.
“I’m sure they are just trying to talk strategy since they are getting beaten by a couple of old ladies,” Helen said, smiling.
Joanna wasn’t convinced and as the game-winning tiebreak serve whistled by her, she was beginning to suspect what Riley was up to.
“Whoa, lucky serve!” Riley announced innocently as the two younger girls took the second set.
“They are not buying this, Riley!” Kate said.
“Sure they are; anyway, I’ll tell them it was my idea if they suspect anything,” Riley replied.
Riley was serving to win as the two younger women were up five games to three.
“Now do you see what she’s up to?” Joanna asked.
“Little minx, yes, I do,” Helen replied as Riley easily put the game away.
“Nice game, ladies!” Joanna said wryly as the four women made their way to the side of the court.
Kate shuffled nervously over, unable to make eye contact with Helen or Joanna.
“You seemed to get a lot better toward the end there, Riley,” Helen acknowledged.
“Just warming up, I guess,” Riley said innocently.
“Is that so?” Helen asked, crossing her arms, a more than annoyed look now on her face.
“Ms. Carrington, did you just hustle us?” Helen asked as Kate looked on, horrified.
“Yes, Ms. Klein, I did!” Riley stated boldly.
“And what do you think I should do about that?” Helen asked dryly.
“I think you should suck it up and dig out your dancing shoes, Ms. Klein!”
Kate let out an audible gasp, not believing what Riley had just said. Joanna just smiled, shaking her head.
“Is that so, Ms. Carrington. Well, then let me help you see things from a different perspective!” Helen stated as she put a foot up on the tennis bench and hauled Riley easily over her strong thigh, landing three stinging slaps to her behind.
“Ow, ow, ow, okay, I’m sorry!” Riley pleaded, hoping to avoid any further damage to her backside.
“Well, that’s better, but give me one good reason why I shouldn’t blister your behind, young lady?” Helen asked, leaning down and addressing Riley.
“Because it’s my birthday?” Riley said weakly, looking up at Helen from her jackknifed position over her thigh.
“Riley, it’s really your birthday?” Kate squealed. “Why didn’t you say something?”
Joanna and Helen just looked at each other, shaking their heads and smiling.
“I’ll tell you what, Riley. I’ll spare your backside this time,” Helen said as she righted Riley back to her feet. “But you give me your best game right now and you come to my club on Friday. We will go out tonight since it’s your birthday and we’ll all pitch in for dinner tomorrow. Deal?”
“Deal!” Riley said, smiling. “You can serve!”
Kate and Joanna looked on as Helen and Riley displayed a skilled exchange on the court.
“They’re good, aren’t they? No wonder Helen wants to show her off at the club!” Kate smiled.
* * *
“I still don’t know why we can’t order in from the deli, it will be much easier,” Joanna tried to reason as the four women made their way back to Joanna’s apartment to make a grocery list.
“Because people cook on Thanksgiving! It’s okay, Jo, we’ll keep you out of the kitchen,” Helen laughed, knowing her friend’s lack of culinary skills.
“I can take care of dinner; I like to cook. I don’t get much of a chance to at home and you have a great kitchen!” Riley stated as the women got back to Joanna’s apartment.
“Yeah, and see that shiny stainless thing over there, Jo? It’s called a stove!” Kate taunted to the amusement of Helen and Riley.
“Watch it, miss, I just don’t have time to cook, that’s all!” Joanna replied, raising her eyebrows.
“So any special requests for the menu before we go to the store?” Riley asked.
“Store? This is New York, Riley, we don’t go to the store. We go to Rosa and she gets everything, remember?” Joanna laughed.
“Can we have sweet potatoes?” Kate asked. “They’re my favorite!”
“Sure, I have a great recipe!” Riley replied enthusiastically.
Joanna handed Riley a pen and a piece of paper and she began to write down a grocery list as she formulated a menu in her head.
“Okay, I think I’m done. Anything else that is a must-have for tomorrow? I’ve got the basics,” Riley asked as she took a sip of the wine Joanna handed her.
Joanna started to read the list Riley had put together. “Beets, parsnips, gorgonzola, oranges, apples, walnuts? I wouldn’t know what to do with half this stuff, but I’ll run it down to Rosa!”
“Joanna, do you mind if I check out what you have here?” Riley asked from her seat at the kitchen bar.
“Help yourself, Riley,” Joanna invited as she exited the apartment to take the list down to Rosa.
“Well, for someone who doesn’t cook, Joanna has a wonderfully stocked kitchen. These are probably the best pans on the market and these knives are awesome!” Riley declared as she opened up cabinets and drawers to make sure she had everything she needed.
“We’ll help too, Riley. Although I may tease Jo about her cooking, I’m right there with her, I’m afraid!” Helen admitted. “If it weren’t for Kate, I would probably eat out all the time.”
“She’s not lying there, Riley. So when exactly were you planning on telling us it was your birthday today, hmm?” Kate scolded.
Riley flushed. “I don’t know.” she said, looking down at the floor. “I guess I kinda forgot myself until Rae and Tracy called me first thing this mor
ning.”
“And how old today, Riley?” Helen inquired as Joanna returned and retook her seat at the bar of the large kitchen island.
“Umm, twenty-eight,” Riley replied timidly.
“Well, happy birthday, Riley!” Joanna said warmly as she raised her glass and the women toasted.
Less than an hour later, the doorbell to Joanna’s penthouse rang and a young man in his early twenties came in laden with paper sacks full of Riley’s Thanksgiving ingredients.
“Thank you, Peter, right there on the counter is fine,” Joanna motioned as he alleviated himself of the heavy bags.
“Sure thing, Ms. A. Hey, nice tip, tanks! Youse have a great holiday, huh?” he said in a thick accent.
“Damn, that’s some service!” Riley marveled as she started to unpack the groceries. “And these vegetables are great!”
“Yes, look, hon, those are green beans. I know you don’t recognize them without the can!” Kate teased her girlfriend.
Helen just rolled her eyes as Joanna helped Riley unpack and put the groceries away.
“I still don’t know what you are going to do with half this stuff,” Joanna said, perplexed.
“That’s why I’m cooking and you’re not,” Riley declared. “And since everything is already here, do you mind if I start a few things? That way we can put the turkey in the oven before we go to the parade tomorrow, but I have to make the stuffing.”
“Sure, Riley, what do you need?” Joanna asked.
“You said something about an herb garden, can I take a look?” Riley replied.
“I can show you,” Kate said.
“So guess what?” Kate said smugly, grinning as she showed Riley to the greenhouse.
“What?” Riley returned with her own inquisitive grin.
“Joanna and Cheryl are history, they broke up!” Kate replied.
“Is Joanna okay?” Riley asked with a concerned look.
“Apparently so; Helen said she had been expecting it. Been a little rocky for a while, I guess. So, my friend, Joanna is back on the market. Want to shop?” Kate asked with a big grin.
Reining in Riley Page 10