The Merger Mogul

by Donna Every

  “I’m sorry you didn’t have a good time,” Daniel said, turning to her. “But thanks for going with me. If it’s any comfort, I didn’t really enjoy it either. I think I’ve changed and I don’t seem to enjoy that kind of thing anymore, but it’s part of doing business and networking.”

  “It wasn’t that bad,” KT assured Daniel. “At least Claire and Cassandra were nice and most of the men were too.”

  “Yes, I noticed. They were practically devouring you with their eyes; single and married!” KT smiled. She hoped that Daniel was a tiny bit jealous, considering the number of women who seemed to know him intimately or would like to. She decided that she would give him the gift after all. He could certainly use it.

  “Could you wait here for just a minute? I have something I’d like you to take on your trip.”

  She ran into the apartment and came back in a couple of minutes with a book in her hand. She slid into the passenger seat again.

  “Another book? Is it as good as Presence?” asked Daniel.

  “It’s better. It’s a Bible.”

  “Oh,” said Daniel a bit skeptically.

  “You don’t have to read the whole thing cover to cover. Start with John.”

  “OK, John it is. If I promise to read it can I get a goodbye kiss?”

  “That’s bribery,” protested KT but she leaned over and kissed Daniel on the lips. He caught her before she could move away and kissed her as if he was storing up the memory for the next two months. They were both breathing heavily when he stopped.

  “I know I promised to be good, but that has to last for two months,” he managed to tease huskily.

  “You were good,” she flirted getting out of the car. “Enjoy Barbados!”

  “How can I when you’re not going to be there?”

  “I’m sure that won’t be any hardship for you Daniel,” she retorted drily. “You’ll probably find lots of women there willing to make your holiday dreams come true.”

  “That’s not going to happen, KT. Now don’t you go meeting any other guys when I’m away,” he joked, although he was quite serious. KT was becoming important to him and he didn’t want anyone else to have her.

  Chapter 21

  Daniel lay on his lounge chair on the beach with a feeling of supreme contentment. The waves were barely making a sound as they lapped against the coral sand. It was one of those truly beautiful days in Barbados with the sun shining brightly, a few white clouds randomly populating the azure sky and enough of a breeze for it not to be too hot. His Jack Welch book was next to the chair but he didn’t really feel like reading at the moment, he was just enjoying the pleasure of doing nothing.

  He’d arrived yesterday afternoon and after he’d been dropped off at his condo by a taxi, he just spent the rest of the day settling in and watching TV, something he’d done a lot more of while he was recuperating. He didn’t even feel inclined to watch the business news as he used to in the past. He didn’t know what was wrong with him but work didn’t seem that important anymore. Maybe that’s why he needed this time to refocus and find some solutions to the problems the business was facing.

  The luxurious condominium was well stocked but he’d gone to his favorite restaurant, The Cliff, for dinner and had not been disappointed. As good as the finest restaurants in New York, it was nestled on a cliff overlooking the sea, hence the name.

  His only real work was to figure out how to spend his days. Maybe he would rent a car and drive around the island or, better yet, hire a taxi to take him around because he really didn’t feel up to negotiating the narrow roads. He’d been over to the east coast of the island just once and found it wild and untamed in contrast to the west coast. It was battered by the Atlantic Ocean and had waves big enough to attract both local and international surfers. He would love to show KT Barbados. It was a tiny island, just 166 square miles but with a rich heritage and had been a British colony up to 1966. He wondered what KT was doing now. Probably urging a patient to do some exercises that they didn’t want to do. He smiled as he remembered telling her that she was related to de Sade, and the first day when she’d told him to keep his offensive comments to himself. He now understood her reaction. That was the lifestyle she had chosen and the values she lived by. It seemed as if it was going to be marriage or nothing with KT. Was he ready for marriage?

  Not being one to remain idle for too long, he was just about to pick up his book when a feminine voice with a very English accent said: “Excuse me, but may I impose on you to put some sunscreen on my back?”

  Daniel looked around and saw a very nubile brunette holding a skimpy bikini top over her generous bosom. It was unhooked at the back. He looked the other way to see if she was speaking to him or someone else, but no-one was close enough to them so he guessed she was talking to him. He groaned silently. This was not what he had in mind when he came out on the beach.

  “No problem,” he said graciously getting up and walking over to her lounge chair.

  “I’m Mandy by the way. I hope this isn’t a bother. I thought you were ignoring me because I called you twice before you answered.”

  “I’m Daniel. I wasn’t ignoring you. I guess I didn’t hear you because I recently lost the hearing in my right ear.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said in sympathy a lot louder. “That must be really hard. I hope I’m not being too much of a bother but I really would like to get an even tan and not be red all over tomorrow.”

  “Thanks and it’s no bother.” ‘Not unless rubbing sunscreen on a scantily clad female body is considered a bother,’ he thought to himself. ‘It’s probably a very innocent request,’ he assured himself as he squeezed cream onto Mandy’s back. She wiggled a bit because of the coolness against her warm skin and practically purred when he rubbed it in.

  “That’s wonderful, Daniel. I’ll have to find some way to repay you for this imposition,” she said suggestively. Cancel the thought about this being innocent.

  “That’s okay,” said Daniel finishing the job quickly. “I think I’ll take a dip now, it’s getting a bit hot out here.” He jogged down to the beach with Mandy’s “Thanks” in his ear and dived into the crystal clear water. Whew, just what he needed to cool him down. He swam out until he couldn’t stand up and floated for a while on his back. The last thing he needed was a Mandy distracting him. He was trying to change his lifestyle and the tempting English tourist was not helping. He hoped he could pack up his stuff and leave the beach without her noticing.

  He swam and floated for about half an hour, long enough for her to fall asleep he hoped, and then made his way to the shore. He smoothed his hair back from his face and walked over to his lounger and dried off a bit with his towel. He packed up his sunglasses, slippers and book and made his way to the garden and up the stairs to his condo. Thank goodness that Mandy seemed to be dead to the world. Maybe he should have cautioned her about taking in too much sun but she was a big girl, he was sure she could look after herself.

  KT wrote up the notes for her last patient and stood up stretching her back. She was tired as she hadn’t slept that well the night before. Daniel was on her mind a lot. She missed him already and he’d only just left. How was she supposed to get through the next two months?

  “You’re looking rather tired,” commented Connie from her desk across the room. “Late night with The Merger Mogul?”

  “No Connie. Besides he’s gone to Barbados for two months.”

  “Barbados? Alone?” KT nodded. “I’m sure he won’t be for long. I really hope you haven’t lost your heart to him KT because there’s probably not a faithful bone in his body.”

  “There’s nothing going on between us,” insisted KT, “so it’s not as if he has to be faithful to me.” Still she really hoped that he wouldn’t go back to his old ways, if he’d ever left them. She knew that being away would make it easy for him and she would never know. Wonderful! Why did she always listen to Connie? She must be a glutton for punishment.

  “See you
tomorrow Connie.”

  “See you KT.”

  She didn’t look forward to going home to her empty apartment and pining for Daniel, so she decided to go shopping instead. A little retail therapy was just what she needed. She’d worry about the credit card bill when it came in. She wondered what Daniel was doing and who he was doing it with.

  

  Daniel was sitting on his ocean front patio drinking in the amazing sunset with a gin and tonic for company. The sky was ablaze with pinks and oranges which were the back drop for the darkening clouds. He could hear the crickets beginning to chirp. It was amazing how after just a few days on the island you didn’t notice them anymore. He’d gotten through quite a bit of his book today after he’d come in from the beach. He’d reached the part where twenty years earlier, Jack Welch was sitting on the beach at Sandy Lane, not too far from where he was now, when the word “boundaryless” popped into his head. The idea obsessed him for the next decade and he did everything he could to make GE boundaryless. Daniel wished that something would pop into his head to help him to solve some of the post-merger issues that his clients faced. Unfortunately the only thing that popped into his head was the fact that he’d like to share this sunset with KT. If she couldn’t be there he could at least e-mail her some photos. That’s when he realized that he didn’t have her e-mail address.

  He picked up his phone and sent her a text: Text me your e-mail address so that I can be in contact and send photos of this amazing island. Maybe you’ll change your mind and come.

  He hit the send button and waited for a few minutes, hoping that KT would respond right away. It would be an hour behind in New York, so about 5.30 p.m. KT would probably just be finishing work. He could always call her… He was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. Who on earth would be calling on him? He reluctantly got up and went to answer it. It was Mandy, wearing a sexy, short sundress.

  “Hi Daniel, I hope you don’t mind me calling on you but I just wanted to invite you to dinner as a “thank you” for doing my back today.”

  How on earth did she know which condo was his, he wondered? Oh yeah, he belatedly remembered the directory in the foyer downstairs.

  “Uh, thank you Mandy but I’ve already made plans to go out for dinner,” he excused.

  “Oh that’s too bad. How about tomorrow night then?”

  Daniel really didn’t want to go but how could he refuse again without seeming impolite? He drew on the health excuse. “I’m not really good company right now Mandy, I’m recuperating from an operation.”

  “But you look perfectly healthy to me.”

  “I’m on the mend but I still need to take things easy.” He hoped she would take the hint.

  “That’s OK. You won’t have to lift a finger to do anything. You just need to show up. I’ll take good care of you.” That’s what I’m afraid of, thought Daniel.

  “OK,” he agreed reluctantly. “What time shall I come?”

  “About seven. That will give me time to prepare everything.”

  “All right, see you tomorrow.” He closed the door and went back to his gin and tonic which he now needed. Maybe Mandy was just being polite and friendly to a fellow tourist. He hoped so. He wondered what her story was and why she was staying alone in a very expensive condo far away from England.

  Mandy made her way back to her condo, or actually her parents’ condo. They were flying in the day after tomorrow after her dad finished tying up some business so she only had tonight and tomorrow before they came and spoiled her fun. Her dad owned several businesses in the UK and her mum was a typical rich businessman’s wife, doing her charity work and appearing at all the social events that they were often invited to. She was tired of the scene and asked to come ahead of them to Barbados. She had finished her degree in English Literature three years ago and she hadn’t quite decided what to do with her life yet. She was thinking of studying to be a chef because she really enjoyed cooking.

  She was looking forward to trying out her culinary (and other) skills on Daniel. She had hoped he would come to dinner tonight but at least he’d agreed to come tomorrow. He seemed a bit reluctant but it couldn’t be because he was married, at least she didn’t see a ring. Perhaps he was getting over a relationship or maybe it was just as he said, that he was recuperating. She wondered what sort of operation he’d had because he seemed quite fit. She smiled in anticipation; she hoped he was fit. She was sure she could get him to thaw out a bit. After all they were on a tropical island and there was something exciting about the anonymity of being far from home where you could be whoever you wanted to be and do whatever you wanted to do. After all that was what life was about, wasn’t it?

  Chapter 22

  Daniel made sure that he spent the whole day away from his condo because he didn’t want to run into Mandy. He’d gone to Bathsheba on the east coast which was totally different from the west coast. The sand was a bit darker and coarser and felt wonderful to walk on. Powerful waves, stirred up by the high winds that were characteristic of that coast, battered the shore. It was truly a surfers’ paradise and there were several of them taking advantage of the waves even on a week day. He spent a while sitting on the beach drinking a Banks beer and watching them dance their boards through the waves.

  He enjoyed a real Barbadian meal at a small bar and restaurant overlooking the beach around two o’clock and then his taxi driver took him to an old restored plantation house which made its own rum in small quantities. He had a few samples of the aged rum both straight and in a couple of rum punches and was glad that he’d hired a taxi to take him around because it was certainly potent. The driver dropped him off at the condo around four thirty and he headed straight for his bed and crashed out. He certainly wasn’t used to drinking that much yet since he’d been on the wagon for the last four months because of all the medication he was taking.

  He woke up a couple of hours later, feeling less dizzy but he knew that the alcohol was still in his system. Maybe he should have a cup of coffee before he went over to Mandy’s place. Lord knew he would need a clear head. He was sorry that he’d agreed to have dinner in her condo. It had “bad idea” written all over it. He headed to the kitchen and set up the coffee maker to brew while he went to shower and get ready for dinner.

  He barely had time to drink a cup of the strong brew before he saw that it was almost seven. He grabbed a bottle of wine from the stocked cooler and headed out the door. Then he stopped, realizing that he didn’t even know which condo Mandy was in or even what her surname was so that he could look it up downstairs. Then he saw her coming down the stairs which led to the penthouse suites.

  “Hi Daniel. I just remembered that you probably didn’t know which condo I was in so I came to get you.”

  “Good timing. I don’t even know your surname so that I could look you up on the directory downstairs.”

  “It’s Stafford. Amanda Stafford.”

  “Daniel Tennant.”

  “Wonderful, now that we’ve got all of that formal stuff out of the way let’s get to dinner. I made a scrumptious meal for you. Did I tell you that I’m planning to go to chef school in September?”

  “No, I can’t say that you mentioned it but now I’m really looking forward to dinner.”

  “Good. I’m looking forward to it as well,” she said. She led the way to one of the penthouse apartments which was lavishly furnished, if a bit English for his taste.

  “So what are you doing in this big apartment all by yourself?” he asked.

  “I’m not going to be alone for much longer. My parents are flying in tomorrow so I have to make the most of the time I have left before they get here.”

  “You make them sound very strict. Are they or are you underage?” he teased. “Just how old are you?”

  “Oh I’m old enough to know better and young enough not to care,” she teased. He wondered how old that was.

  “I’m actually 24,” she admitted. “I spent three years doing a degree in Literat
ure and then I didn’t know what to do with it so I’ve been bumming around for the last few years. But I love to cook so I think I’ll have a try at chef school.”

  “That’s great. I wish you success with that.”

  She led him to the dining room where the table was set with fine china, silver, linens and candles while soft music played in the background. It shouted intimacy and Daniel knew that he should probably leave right away.

  “I’ll bring everything out and perhaps you can open the wine you brought.”

  The last thing Daniel needed was more alcohol in his blood stream but he figured he would drink just one glass of wine with his dinner and then make his excuses as soon as possible and leave.

  The dinner was delicious. Mandy was very creative in her cooking and blended some Barbadian produce with freshly caught Mahi Mahi which she’d grilled. He found himself drinking two glasses of the chilled Chardonnay which was a great accompaniment for the fish.

  “I’ve made a tempting dessert,” said Mandy.

  “I’m afraid I’m too full to hold any dessert,” admitted Daniel. The last thing he needed was anything tempting. “I ate way too much but that was wonderful Mandy. I’m sure you’ll make a great chef.”

  She smiled in pleasure and said: “I’m glad I could repay you for rubbing cream on my back. I didn’t burn a bit thanks to you.”

  “I’m glad I could help,” replied Daniel getting up and checking his watch. “I really should go now but thanks so much for dinner. It was great.”

  “You’re not going already!” whined Mandy. “It’s still very early and I’ll be ever so bored all alone.” She glided over to Daniel and stood very close to him, their bodies just brushing. “Besides this is my last night without my parents and I wanted to have some fun,” she pouted.