The Executive's Decision ~The Sweetened Version~ (The Keller Family Series)

by Marie, Bernadette

  “I agree.” A year ago, Zach was working eighty-hour weeks and sleeping in the office most nights to prove to himself that he could handle the company after his father left.

  After he met Regan, business had become secondary. All he thought of was her. And right now, all he thought of was how much he missed her.

  They quietly finished their drinks then walked back to the lobby. When the investor’s wife spotted him, she rose and hurried to his side.

  “We will see you in August, then.” He held his hand out to Zach.

  “Again, congratulations on your anniversary.” Zach shook his hand and then his wife’s delicate one.

  He looked down at his watch. It was eleven in Nashville. Regan would be sleeping. He would go back to his room, pack, and call to make arrangements. Perhaps he could fly out earlier and surprise her. Perhaps, he’d even pass his parents in the airport on their way to New York before retrieving his love and hurrying her off to their estate and making love to her all weekend long.

  On the flight Zach’s mind wandered back to his investor and to the deprecatory way he spoke of the woman who had been his assistant. He’d mentioned that he’d married well. Zach didn’t envy the man’s former assistant or his wife.

  He settled in his seat. Marrying well, isn’t that what his father had done when he’d married his mother? Or his grandfather and grandmother? Not as in wealth, but as in compassion and love.

  Zach pressed his head into the seat back and closed his eyes. Marrying well. It’s what he’d be doing if—when—Regan agreed to marry him.

  He smiled as the plane flew him closer to Nashville and Regan.

  Chapter Ten

  T

  he drive to Memphis in traffic had spoiled Regan’s mood. Her stomach had been in knots all night at thoughts about the meeting with Roger Byers. When she pulled into the lot and saw John standing beside his car waiting for her, her nerves settled. On the drive she’d nearly forgotten she wouldn’t be alone. John would be there and everything would be fine.

  “You made it.” He handed her a cup of coffee and smiled.

  “I did, and thank you.” She sipped from the cup. The coffee was bitter and cold. “You’ve been waiting a long time.”

  “I got here an hour ago.” He rolled his shoulders.“I didn’t sleep very well. This stuff always makes me nervous.”

  “I didn’t sleep well either. This doesn’t look to be a wonderful day, does it?”

  “That’ll depend on how you look at it. When it’s all over, I’m going back to a nice hotel, using their gym and pool, and having dinner brought to my room.” He winked. “All charged to Zach.”

  Regan laughed. “That does sound good.”

  John put his arm around her shoulders as they walked toward the office. She was comforted by his touch, and that was a welcome feeling. A man’s arm around her would usually have her flinching, but she liked John. The woman who would turn his head would be a very lucky one indeed.

  “And what are your plans for the weekend?” he asked and her cheeks filled with color. “Oh, Zach is coming home tonight. You have plans.”

  She laughed and nipped him on the cheek with a kiss. “You are bad, John Forrester.” She enjoyed his friendship immensely. He was good to have around for everyone.

  Roger Byers stood at his office window and peered through the blinds. Look at that, she was cozy with the foreman too. Whore. What a cushy job she must have while he was in a hot trailer working his butt off.

  He shook it off. He knew this was his last day on the job. Those workers he had were doing a poor job, and he was going to pay for it. Who needed Zach Benson and all his money anyway? And what did that man do in a day? He messed around with his assistant then sent her and his henchman to fire him? They’d all pay for that.

  He watched as they started up the steps. He could almost smell her before he could see her. That floral scent she wore had stuck in his head the first time she crossed her legs in front of him and took notes from her boss.

  When John opened the door, Roger wanted to punch his fist right into his face. He knew who John Forrester was. The entire organization knew who the brown-noser was. And when he showed up on your site, your job was over—and he’d get the glory for finishing up.

  Roger’s blood boiled when they stepped into the trailer, but he smiled and welcomed them back.

  He coolly eyed Regan in her professional attire. She was pretty. Not as pretty as he’d seen them, but she was okay. What she saw in the rich boss and the old man foreman was beyond him.

  “Have a seat. I don’t have any fresh coffee, but we have some tea.” He hardly recognized his own voice trying to sound so nice to the jerk and the slut.

  “Let’s just get down to business,” John said directly as he set his files on the desk and then sat in the chair.

  Regan sat next to John as he pulled out the reports. The muscles in her neck had instantly tensed the moment she’d seen Roger Byers standing in the doorway. The very sight of him made her sick to her stomach.

  Watching him smugly sit behind his desk while John showed him every report and every violation that had been red flagged on the job made her even angrier. Regan kept notes on the meeting. Every question Roger Byers had and every answer John gave him were documented in her notes to share with Zach when he returned.

  The few times she’d caught Roger’s eye, he was staring at her. The uneasy feeling washed over her, and she wondered what had possessed Zach to hire a man like him. There was a prickle of fear that sank into her gut each time he spoke to her.

  “Now, let’s head up and take a visual.” John gathered his hardhat and notebook. “Regan, you stay here and organize the reports. We’ll be right back down.”

  After one last searing glance from Roger Byers, the men left the trailer.

  Regan let out a breath and sank into the chair. The man made her skin crawl and her stomach churn. And the anger in his eyes when he’d looked at her—that was a sight in a man she’d hoped never to see again. She was pleased that John didn’t want her with them up on the top floor of the building, but she wasn’t too happy to know he was up there with the man either.

  John and Roger were out of the trailer only thirty minutes, but when they came back and John slammed through the door, she knew there were more problems with the site than he’d thought.

  “Regan, can I speak to you outside?” John held open the door for her, and she gathered her bag and followed him.

  He paced for a moment, and when they both looked back at the trailer, the blinds dropped. He’d been watching them.

  John took off his hardhat and wiped his brow with the back of his hand. “I’m going to let him go, and I don’t want you here for it. Get back to Nashville and to the office. This place is filled with violations. Some of them weren’t listed on the inspection sheet, and that bothers me. Let Zach know what’s going on and that I’m on the job. I’ll brief him when he gets back.”

  “I’m sorry this has to happen like this,” she said, touching his arm.

  “Oh, I’ve been doing this for thirty years. The first guy Zach’s grandfather had me fire tried to push me off the side of a building. I fire people from the ground now.” He smiled, but it didn’t hide his nervousness. “I’ll see you Monday.”

  John waited until Regan had driven away before going back into the musty, hot office trailer, wary that Roger Byers might be waiting for him with a heavy, blunt object in his hand. When he walked back through the door, Byers was gone. But he knew the man had made his peace. Plans and drawings were shredded and scattered among the remnants of the desk drawers. The coffeepot had been smashed against the wall, and he’d even taken the time to scrawl I quit! Bastard! Slut! on the wall in red marker.

  He’d made quick work of it. John took his digital camera from his pocket and documented the mess and the wall. As far as he was concerned, Roger Byers had quit and left his letter of resignation on the wall. That was cheaper for Benson, Benson, and Hart. You didn’t
have to pay out as much when the man walked off the job. Especially if he said he quit, in writing no less. He knew Zach’s grandfather would have been laughing too.

  Regan returned to the office in the early afternoon. It had taken the better part of the drive back to Nashville to calm her nerves. Certainly, she was uncomfortable with John still being on the site. He had, however, called and told her that Roger Byers had quit and that, she decided, was why her nerves had recovered.

  She thought she’d finish the items on her list and then head back to the house early to pack for the weekend Zach had conned her into. She couldn’t help but smile when she thought of the boulder in the creek. Perhaps they could make use of it after all, and Audrey couldn’t say a word.

  Regan gathered items she needed to lay on Zach’s desk and walked into his office. The fragrance hit her before the awareness that here were a dozen white roses in a vase in the middle of his desk. Panic struck and hit her in the gut. Who was sending him roses?

  Well, really, why should she care? She hadn’t promised him the world or even said she loved him. Perhaps it was for the best, but she was going to look at the card of course.

  Guilt plagued her when she noticed the envelope read Regan. She shook her head and bit her lip as she pulled the card from the envelope.

  Detention! You must stay at work until six o’clock! Do not leave the building! Do not try to escape! Do not go home and pack! I’ll be back early. Our weekend is here.

  I love you, Zach.

  Regan shook her head and breathed in the fragrance of the roses.

  She looked at her watch. It was four thirty. That was just enough time to get the rest of her copies made and filed. Compose the e-mails she had to finish and freshen up. She’d be ready for him all right. If he was starting their weekend with flowers, she sure was going to make him glad he did.

  When Regan turned off her computer, the office was completely empty. She looked out into the hallway—not a soul. She shut the door to her office and walked into Zach’s.

  When she walked through the door to his office, it shut behind her.

  She heard someone breathing.

  She spun and saw Roger Byers locking the door. Her heart slammed in her chest.

  “What are you doing here?” Her voice quivered as she backed toward Zach’s desk, fumbling to refasten her blouse with one hand because she was still holding the papers.

  “What am I doing here? I’ve come to get even.” He eyed her and spat on the carpet.

  “I…I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her breath hitched as she tossed the papers onto the desk. He walked closer to her, and her hip bumped the desk. “You really need to go. Zach—Mr. Benson will be back any moment.”

  An evil smile settled his lips as he stepped even closer. “That’s what you think.”

  “He told me he’d be here.” Regan scanned the room for a sign that Zach had been there. The card wasn’t in his handwriting. Were they from him? Was it a setup? Her heart rate accelerated.

  Roger nodded his head as he took one more step toward her and leered down her body. “You’re not the only one gonna pay for this.”

  “Pay?” He stood so close to her she could smell onions and hard alcohol on his breath.

  “You think you can have the boss and the foreman, and I don’t get my share?” He snaked his arm behind her head and pulled her hair, yanking her head back.

  She wanted to lift her head, keep her eyes on him, but he held her so tightly she could only see the ceiling. He scraped his nail down her throat, sending pain through her. “I’m getting my share. It’s just not fair that they all get a share of you and I don’t. You just look at me with those glossy, hateful eyes like you’re so much better than me. Well, sister, now you’re mine.” He crushed his mouth onto hers. His teeth scraped against her lip and his fingers continued to pull at her hair. She tried to turn her head, but he kept hold of her hair, tugging sharply as he pressed his unshaven cheek to hers.

  He pulled her hair again, forcing her to bend backward over Zach’s desk as he released her mouth from his. His other hand grabbed at her flesh. When she whimpered, he tore open her shirt.

  “Stop! Stop!” she begged as he pushed his body up against hers. She tried to use her hands to force him away, struck at him with her fists, but he was like a bulldozer, ramming at her, yanking her by her hair until she couldn’t defend herself.

  “Slut!” She tried to push him away again, but he hit the side of her head. Her ear rang with the force of the blow, and then he hit her once more before he pinned her legs with his own. “This will only hurt a lot.” He licked her cheek and then bit her lip.

  Regan’s lip stung and she tasted blood in her mouth. Her eyes throbbed from the blows he’d landed, and her head swam in confusion and pain. She knew she could survive the attack he was planning. She could block it from her mind as she’d blocked so many other things, she thought as she felt her consciousness slipping. But did the man really plan to walk away from her afterward? No, that wasn’t usually the case. Fear cramped her stomach. She turned her head away.

  Roger gripped her chin tightly, forcing her to look at him. “Don’t tell me you’re thinking of him while you’re with me.” He slammed the back of his hand across her cheek. She staggered as he unbuttoned his pants.

  Her vision had gone cloudy, and the vile metal taste of blood filled her mouth. The room around her spun, and she was going down. She felt it. She’d been in this position before. She’d lost consciousness at the hands of a man who’d meant to kill her. She wasn’t going down this time, not without a fight. As he pushed against her, she felt her way over Zach’s desk with her hand. There had to be a weapon.

  When her hand came across the letter opener, she knew she had one. Right next to it was the key to the elevator she’d refused to take, which would be her escape if she could make it that far. She didn’t pick them up yet. When she did, she would need to take him by surprise.

  When he pushed her back onto the desk, Regan casually slid the letter opener behind her back and closed her fingers around the handle.

  He stepped toward her. Leered, breathing in her face. Shoved her skirt aside and braced one arm on the desk.

  When he was only a moment from taking what he’d come for, she mustered all her energy and plunged the opener into his shoulder.

  Roger pushed back with a scream. A red stain spread around the wound. “You stabbed me!”

  She took the vase of flowers from the desk and hurled them at his head. They hit him in the side and crashed to the floor. Glass shards shot out over them both.

  Regan grabbed the key, ran for the elevator, and pushed the button, watching over her shoulder as Roger staggered to his feet. As he found balance on his knees, the door opened. Regan fell inside, pushed buttons, and turned the key trying to get the doors to close quickly. He was on his feet, the letter opener still lodged in his shoulder. He moved toward her as she pushed buttons and more buttons. Their eyes met as the door began to move.

  An unexpected strength welled up inside her. She had won, and now his gaze was fearful and angry.

  The door closed, and the elevator began to descend.

  Tears burned her eyes immediately. Her breath was escaping her. She looked at her arms. They were bloody from the glass that had flown from the broken vase. Her head throbbed, her mouth bled, and her vision was growing dark.

  She slid down the wall of the elevator. Her mind focused enough to know she had to crawl from the elevator. She couldn’t lose consciousness. It would only be a matter of him hitting a button to have the elevator head back his way.

  As the door opened, she worried that she would pass out before she could exit, so she hit the alarm to stop it from closing and carrying her back up to the office.

  She saw a man’s shoes, and she crawled backward. Her vision fogged again. She had been so close to getting away. Footsteps pursued her into the elevator.

  “Regan.” But it was Zach’s voice, not Roger
’s. He dropped everything in his arms and rushed to her.

  “Roger… Byers. Up in your office.” It was all she could say. The world slipped into darkness.

  Zach gathered Regan into his arms, carried her to the car, and called security. Even before they left the parking garage, he could hear sirens from the building and from approaching police cars. The authorities would deal with Roger Byers. He'd see to that. He'd press charges, and he'd see that she pressed her own as well. No one would ever hurt her again.

  How could he have let this happen to her, he wondered as he put her in the car. He’d carelessly sent her into danger. She’d never forgive him. He’d never forgive himself.

  The emergency room was abuzz with chaos from an ambulance that arrived. Regan was groggy, in and out of consciousness as Zach carried her through the doors. Her eyes were swollen, her clothes a mess, and her lips were covered in dried blood. Certainly they wouldn’t make her wait to see a doctor.

  When Curtis walked around the corner and saw him there with his sister draped over his arms, Zach’s heart leapt into his throat.

  “Oh, God!” Curtis rushed to them. He called for nurses and was already pulling Zach through the secured doors toward a bed, where he laid her down. “What happened?”

  All Zach could do was watch as Curtis looked her over and nurses rushed to her. “I don’t know. I found her in the elevator like this. I was just on my way to pick her up.” He dragged his trembling hands through his hair as Curtis flashed a light into her eyes and she winced.

  “Sweetheart, come back to me.” He delicately touched her face.

  As Regan stirred on the bed, Zach noticed all the buttons on her blouse were torn off. He felt violently ill, and his knees went weak. God, she’d been raped.

  He tried to be calm, tried to be strong for her, but the sounds of the ER retreated and he couldn’t see. Curtis eased him to the floor and made him put his head between his knees.