I looked up at Allyson. She was collecting her keys and purse from the island in the kitchen.
“Let me know what day works for you,” she said as she headed for the door.
“Um…actually, I’m not sure what my schedule is going to look like this week. Apparently, I’m going to be starting a new job,” I stated dryly.
“Oh, that’s good news! Your interview must have gone well. I didn’t realize that LD Marketing made you an offer.”
“They did, but that’s not where I’m going to be working.”
She paused at the door and a knowing look slowly spread over her features.
“Really?” she said, almost too innocently. “So where will you be working?”
“Turning Stone,” I mumbled.
She flashed me a beaming smile and flipped her blond hair over her shoulder.
“Why, Krystina Cole, I think things are going to turn out better than you think.”
CHAPTER 12
I walked into my office at Stone Enterprise with a satisfied smile on the face. Having just come from the floor that held the Turning Stone offices, I was remarkably pleased with the result. Kimberly and Josh did a fantastic job with the design and construction. I was looking forward to seeing Krystina’s reaction come Monday morning.
I glanced at the wall clock.
She should have received the files by now.
I sat down behind my desk and pulled my phone from my pocket to send her a text message.
11:42 AM, Me: I trust that Hale dropped you off safe and sound.
Her response came almost immediately.
11:44 AM, Krystina: Yes.
I frowned, having expected her to say something about the files. Evidently, she wasn’t going to make this easy for me. However, there was always the possibility that she hadn’t received the delivery as of yet. I would have to feel her out just in case.
11:46 AM, Me: What are your plans for later this afternoon?
11:49AM, Krystina: Apparently, I’ll be busy going through client files for Turning Stone.
I smiled at the angry faced emoticon that she added after her text.
There’s my girl.
11:53 AM, Me: Apparently?
11:54 AM, Krystina: Sending this to me was very assuming. You know that, right?
11:57 AM, Me: You were never going to turn me down. YOU know THAT, right?
I could almost see the smoke billowing from her ears after reading the way I had used her own words on her.
12:01 PM, Krystina: I’m not going to answer that.
12:03 PM, Me: Dinner at my place later?
12:04 PM, Krystina: We’ll see.
We’ll see indeed, Miss Cole.
If she was that angry, she would have flat out refused. Satisfied that she wasn’t too upset with me, I placed the cell on the desk and chuckled to myself as I powered on my computer.
I read through various emails and responded to those that needed quick follow ups. I came across the email that had the video feed attachment from Club O. I forwarded it on to Hale and requested that he gather all the information that he could find on Trevor Hamilton. I wanted a full-blown background check, along with any skeletons that he may be hiding in his closet.
Know your enemy.
I planned to make sure that the asshole never bothered Krystina again.
Once that was done, I moved on to the emails that required more attention. I had several deals in the works, two of which were near the final stages. My inbox was flooded with floor plan schematics and property contracts from my lawyer. They needed to be reviewed and signed in order to close on Tuesday. I looked at the date and time stamps on the emails. Stephen sent most of them after I left on Friday afternoon.
I pressed my lips together in a tight line, annoyed at how little time he left me to review everything. Going through all the fine print would take most of today, as well as tomorrow. I needed to get ahold of Laura. We had a lot of work to do before Tuesday.
I picked up the phone to punch in her extension, but paused when I remembered that it was Saturday.
She’s not in the office.
As I began to dial her cell phone, the recollection of Krystina’s words stopped me from completing the call.
“Just because you can summon people to do your bidding whenever you damn well please doesn’t mean that you should.”
Laura was a salaried employee. So were Stephen and Bryan for that matter. There had been plenty of times when we worked through the weekend in order to meet deadlines. However, Krystina now had me second-guessing those decisions, and I began to reevaluate the amount of time that I took away from my employee’s personal time off.
I slammed the phone down.
Damn her!
Annoyed over the predicament that I was now in, I turned back to the computer. I clicked on one of Stephen’s emails and opened the attachment.
One hundred and seven pages.
Resigned to pulling an all-nighter, I hit the print icon on the computer screen. While it was printing, I typed an email to Krystina.
TO: Krystina Cole
FROM: Alexander Stone
SUBJECT: Change of plan
My Dearest Angel,
I find myself in a quandary. I had planned to dine with you this evening, and then perhaps follow up with a continuation of this morning’s exploration of your limits. However, I am going to have to postpone my plan for the evening until tomorrow night.
Work has unexpectedly taken precedence in a way that it never has before. You see, I would have simply called in reinforcements to help me with the long and dreadful tasks ahead of me, but you’ve taught me that I should not disturb employees on their day off.
You played your hand well, angel. Lesson learned.
I expect that I’ll regret my decision by tomorrow night, so be sure to get plenty of sleep tonight. There may be a punishment for this coming your way.
Yours truly,
Alexander
I hit the send button and got up to go over to the printer. The first contract was still printing. I rubbed my temples. It was going to be a long night.
I need an energy drink.
I walked over to the mini bar in my office and opened the small refrigerator. I frowned when I saw that there was only flavored and regular bottled water to be found, but then recalled that Laura only kept it stocked for guests that visited my office. I would have to remember to tell her to add 5-Hour Energy to the supply.
When the contract finished printing, I collected the pile of papers from the tray and returned to my desk. There was an email notification in my inbox from Krystina. Pleased that she responded so quickly, I opened it and began to read.
TO: Alexander Stone
FROM: Krystina Cole
SUBJECT: Glad you’re not Vader
Alexander,
I’m happy to know that you’ve crossed over from the dark side. All things considered, any punishment that you decide to dole out will be worth it if it means that you will be nicer to your padawan’s going forward.
That being said, I feel that it is best for both of us to concentrate on our work. You obviously have much to do, and I have barely gotten started (no thanks to your welcome aboard package). I will plan to see you bright and early Monday morning.
Your Newest Padawan,
Krystina
I may have been annoyed over the fact that she was putting me off, but her terminology made me laugh. I glanced at the one hundred plus pages in front of me. Realistically, Monday was a better plan, even if I didn’t want to wait that long to see her.
TO: Krystina Cole
FROM: Alexander Stone
SUBJECT: Padawan?
To my Hollywood fiend,
I must apologize, but I am not familiar with this term. Since you referenced Vader in your last email, is it safe to assume that padawan is Star Wars terminology?
Sincerely,
Your Paramour that needs to watch more movies
P.S. Hale will pick
you up at 8 a.m. on Monday.
I was laughing out loud when I hit send. I should have gotten to work on the pending contract, but I couldn’t concentrate as I waited for her response. Finally, my inbox pinged.
TO: Alexander Stone
FROM: Krystina Cole
SUBJECT: Next Date
Alexander,
This email should have been titled Jabba, as your knowledge of movies is representative to that of an oversized slug. However, I forgot that I was writing an email to a man that has never seen Star Trek. I should not have assumed so much as to think that you would be familiar with Star Wars.
Scratch the hanky-panky. Our next date needs to be a sci-fi movie marathon.
Your Princess from Alderaan,
Krystina
P.S. You must really have a lot of work to do. You never let me off this easy.
I sat back in my chair, having no idea what Alderaan was, and smiled to myself.
She really is something else.
I contemplated a date with Krystina, where we did nothing but watch movies. It was an odd concept, but one that I wasn’t opposed to. In fact, I actually looked forward to the cliché idea of popcorn and a movie. I was amazed at my willingness to do normal couple things with her.
Love is turning you to mush, Stone.
Perhaps it was, but the fact of the matter was that I wanted to be normal with her in every sense of the word. Nevertheless, normal never worked out well for me. Even if she was changing me, it wasn’t safe for me to let down my guard enough to be normal. After the way I lost my temper with her on the boat, it was simply a risk that I couldn’t afford to take.
CHAPTER 13
Just as Alexander promised, Hale was waiting for me at eight sharp on Monday morning. I thought about how quickly the weekend flew by as I climbed through the rear passenger door that Hale held open for me.
“Thanks, Hale.”
“Yes, Miss,” he replied in his ever so sullen way. He closed the door behind me and walked around to the driver’s side of the black Porsche SUV.
As we pulled into traffic, I ran through all the information that I read in the client files for Turning Stone. There were opportunities to say the least, and Alexander was right to say that the employees at Turning Stone were mediocre at best.
Or perhaps they just need a bit more direction.
The task that awaited me was a daunting one, but I was looking forward to the challenge. When I thought about the long workdays ahead of me, I reconsidered my start time. An eight o’clock start may not suffice if I had any hopes of having free time in the evenings. I looked to Hale, wondering if he would be my ride to work each day.
Surely, I can’t expect him to chauffeur me daily.
“Has Alex instructed you to pick me up every morning?” I asked him.
“No, Miss,” was all he said. I pursed my lips and frowned at his reply.
Yes, Miss. No, Miss. Aren’t you a regular ole chatterbox.
I should not have been surprised by his short responses, as they were in typical Hale fashion. I just wanted someone to talk to, in a shoot-the-shit kind of way. I was full of restless energy, excited for my first day at Turning Stone. I thought that I might be apprehensive about working for Alexander, but after spending all day Saturday and Sunday going through the client files, I couldn’t stop the enthusiasm from bubbling over. This opportunity was what I had been waiting so long for.
However, excited or not, I knew how challenging Alexander could be on a personal level. I wondered how difficult he would be to work for.
“Is it hard to work for Alex?” I mused the question aloud to Hale. He just smiled at me through the review mirror. “Come on, Hale. You packed my underwear into a duffle bag just a few days ago. I think we can drop a few of the formalities.”
He snorted at my statement, his face showing more emotion than I had ever seen before. When he spoke, there was a hint of humor in his voice.
“No, Miss. Mr. Stone is not hard to work for.”
“That’s all you can say? You can’t give me just the teeniest bit of insight?” I teased.
To my disappointment, he remained silent as we continued the short drive.
I should be happy that he said that much.
I stared out the window at the passing streets, contemplating how my first day might go. When we eventually pulled up to Cornerstone Tower, my excitement had turned into a ball of nerves.
Hale got out of the SUV first and came around to open the door for me. When I stepped out onto the pavement, he took hold of my elbow.
“Miss Cole,” he said, startling me. I couldn’t believe that he was actually speaking to me without being asked.
“Yes, Hale,” I replied, waiting patiently for whatever it was he was about to say.
“Mr. Stone instructed me to tell you that he will meet you in the lobby. Reception will call up to tell him that you have arrived.”
“Oh, um…. Thank you.”
I thought that would be it, but he didn’t release his hold on my arm.
“One more thing. I can see that you’re nervous,” he said and looked pointedly to my hands that I hadn’t realized were fidgeting. “Don’t worry. Mr. Stone may come across as hard, but he’s not as bad as you might think he is. He has a good soul.”
And with that, he turned and climbed back into the vehicle. I stood on the curb, stunned speechless, watching as he pulled away.
Well…okay, then.
I looked up at the looming building before me, an impressive structure topped with a sleek ornamental spire. A feeling of déjà vu settled over me. The nerves that rattled me were very similar to the ones that I had when I came here for the first time.
The interview.
I smiled to myself when I thought about that day.
If I only knew how drastically my life would change…
The thought put me strangely at ease. Feeling more confident, I pushed through the turnstile doors. I was ready to start a new day. And a new life.
****
I stepped out of the elevator and made my way through the lobby to where Krystina was waiting for me. My eyes traveled up the length of her. She looked polished in her mint green suit jacket and skirt, yet still sexy as hell. The color complimented her creamy skin and chestnut curls. I had forgotten how good she looked in shades of green. Even so, I still wanted to rip the clothes from her body.
She’s damn hot. It’s going to be hard keeping things strictly to business during the day.
“Miss Cole,” I said when I approached her.
“Good morning, sir.”
Sir.
My cock gave a slight twinge at that one little word, having rarely heard it come from her lips.
Hard is an understatement. It’s going to be near impossible to keep my hands off of her if she continues to address me like that.
“Let’s keep it to Mr. Stone when we’re at work,” I told her. Then I winked and whispered, “You can call me ‘sir’ later.”
Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed a delectable pink.
“Alex, not here,” she hissed. “We have to try to keep it professional.”
I flashed her a cocky grin and took hold of her elbow.
“No promises, angel.” Leading her to the bank of elevators, I punched the button that would take us up to Turning Stone Advertising. “Your offices are located on the thirty-seventh floor. I recently had the floor completely remodeled. I trust that you’ll find it to your liking.”
“I’m sure it will be fine,” she said as the elevator started to ascend. I glanced at her and saw that she was twisting her hands. I turned and boxed her in against the wall between my arms.
“Why are you nervous?”
“Starting a new job is always a bit nerve wracking, Alex.”
I leaned in, wanting to take a bite out of her, but the elevator pinged to signal that we had stopped. A computerized voice announced that we were at the nineteenth floor.
Not our floor.
I quickly stepped away, just in time for the doors to open. A man joined us in the five by five space. Dark hair. Early twenties if I had to guess.
Patrick something or another. Mailroom employee.
I tensed when I saw the way he looked at Krystina.
Keep your eyes to yourself, buddy.
He glanced up and saw that I was watching him. He quickly averted his attention to a random spot in the corner of the elevator.
That’s right. She’s mine.
The doors opened again and the employee got out.
“Jealousy is not very becoming on you, Alex,” Krystina remarked after the doors closed once more.
“What?”
“I saw the way you stared down that poor boy. I’m sure it was innocent on his part. Seriously, I’m the new girl. People are going to stare for a minute. It’s normal until they figure out who I am.”
I stared at her, completely awed by how oblivious she was to her beauty.
The elevator chimed again, this time announcing that we had reached the thirty-seventh floor. The doors slid open to reveal a long corridor of offices. The smell of new carpet and fresh paint assaulted us. I pinched up my nose and wondered how long the smells would linger for.
Stepping Stone Page 11