The conference room was very spacious. At least 20 people sat in modern styled chairs surrounding a very long conference table in the middle of the room. It was made of thick glass and sleek accents. The lighting wasn’t as bright nor as obnoxious as some offices she had been in. The room was on the 40th floor with windows from floor to ceiling on one side. The view was breathtaking as she took her seat with her colleagues near the head of the table.
She couldn’t even see all of the people as they were spaced far apart along the length of the table. Some were making small talk as the same woman who led them in now poured water into tall glasses in front of them. Each space had a ready-made coaster built into the glass. She had never seen that before. She was grateful for the water and took a small sip to steady her nerves and compose herself.
The materials they had provided were laid out in front of each attendee so she just grabbed a handful of business cards from her attaché and placed them beside the folder. She saw a lot of people were looking over the materials, but not paying much attention to them.
A gentlemen a few seats down from her stood up to introduce himself. He was the Chief Operating Officer and welcomed them on behalf of the company. He gave a synopsis of why they were here and what the company was looking for. Sierra listened intently and was feeling more confident that they were the right match for them. As he took his seat, he motioned for them to begin the presentation.
While her first coworker started his presentation, Sierra knew he got their attention. He was very good as the lead man going over Nations Insurance and the history of the company. Most people had set their folders down and listened while he spoke. He had been with Nations for over 25 years and told them about some of his personal experiences with the company.
She took a moment to glance around the room, but still couldn’t see all of the people. She noticed several women in the room and was glad to see that. It showed that the company was recognizing women as valuable assets in the work place.
The next presenter, who was also her friend, was a middle aged woman named Amy. Amy went over all of the IT development and presented the technical support that would come with the offer. Each one of the presenters was allocated twenty minutes, barring any questions. It was a set time period and they all knew not to go over.
The next male coworker explained the health insurance side of the offer and how it would apply to the employees. He was using a power point presentation, so a large screen dropped down from the ceiling, as he clicked through his slides.
She was up soon. She took another sip of water and a deep breath. When her co-worker finished, the COO stood to introduce her. He had made all of the introductions up to this point, giving a small summary of what each presenter’s role was at Nations. “The next presenter for Nations Insurance is Sierra Morgan. Sierra has been with Nations for six years and will be providing us with information on the Risk Management assessment for all of our holdings.”
He smiled at her as she took her place at the front of the room. She thanked him for the introduction and with her clicker in hand began her presentation. She was confident in the information she was giving and even to her own ears, she felt it was presented well. She tried to make eye contact with many people in the room, while concentrating on the information she was providing them. From where she was standing, she still could not see all the way to the end of the table. She was busy clicking through the slides and focusing on what she was saying to them. She tried not to make too many hand gestures as she spoke and her voice was clear and concise. When she finished her presentation, she asked if there were any questions.
“I have a couple of questions, Miss Morgan.”
Sierra looked towards the back of the long table. She still couldn’t see the man who was speaking, so she walked to the head of the table to look down its length. The man stood and Sierra’s mind went blank. She could feel the blood drain from her face.
“Are you a Buckeye? Do you bleed scarlet and grey?”
The last thing she remembered was mouthing “Surprise,” as she crumpled to the floor.
It was a low blow and Cole knew it. To say he had been stunned was an understatement. He hadn’t paid any attention when they entered the room, as he was flipping through the paperwork in the folder. He was making notes for himself as each person gave their presentation. They were doing well and he was impressed with each person and what they were saying. He had nodded to his COO a couple of times during the pitch to discuss with him later.
He was mid note-taking when he heard her name. His pen stopped and he looked up to see the woman who had often haunted his mind and dreams. It was definitely her. He was immediately drawn to her eyes. They seemed even lighter and brighter. He noticed it was due to her now cropped hair. It was still the deep chestnut he remembered, just shorter and framing her beautiful face. She was taller than he remembered and confident.
She was wearing dark grey, tailored slacks that showed off her long legs. She had on a crisp V-neck, white, collared long-sleeved shirt with a deep V-neck, scarlet pullover sweater vest. She was definitely representing Ohio State.
Her voice was confident, as well as her stance, as she went through her presentation. He was as hypnotized now, as he was when he first met her. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. He didn’t recall anything she was saying, but he was intently watching her every movement and having flashbacks of their night together.
He could tell she hadn’t seen him yet and vaguely wondered if she knew he was the CEO. Two things quickly crossed his mind: Either she did know and she was using it to her advantage by avoiding looking at him or she didn’t know and he wondered how in her research she could miss that important detail. He had tried to will her to look at him and caught her looking half way down the table, but not reaching him.
When she had concluded her presentation, he couldn’t resist finding out if she knew it was him. When he saw her go pale, he immediately had his answer and felt remorse. He saw her slowly crumple to the floor and his chair went flying backwards as he propelled himself out of it and raced to her. Someone started to call 911, but he stopped them. He gently lifted her up and proceeded to his office just feet away. He knew people were following him, but he was focused on her.
“Get me a fresh bottle of water.” He told no one in particular, but knew Denise would hear him and get it. He shoved the door to his office open and placed her tentatively on the large leather couch.
She was starting to come around and he knelt down beside her. He looked up at the audience surrounding them. Her coworkers were concerned, but he assured them that he knew her and had just shocked her. He could see their confusion, but with as much authority as he could muster he asked that they leave the room and give her some air. Denise appeared with the bottle of water and a cool cloth. He heard the door to his office close as she left.
He gently placed the cloth on her forehead and held the bottle to her lips to drink. Her eyes fluttered open and she was staring right into his. They were mere inches apart, but Cole took the water and placed his hand behind her head to encourage her to take a drink. She was still staring into his eyes as she slowly took a drink of the water.
“Surprise,” was all he could think to say. She started to sit up, but Cole stopped her. “Go slow when you sit up.”
He braced his arm around her back and helped her to a sitting position. He was still on his knee beside her, as she placed her head between her own legs and took deep calming breaths.
“Feeling better?” He was still concerned for her. She raised her head to look at him. They were face to face.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I do this all the time. Not.”
“How did you not know this was my company?”
“I didn’t make the connection, okay? I researched the company, but not the man behind it.”
“Seems kind of important now, doesn’t it?” Cole reached up to stroke the back of her head.
“Don’t touch me.” She didn’t say it con
vincingly, but softly. “I wouldn’t have come if I had known.”
“Why the hell not?”
A knock at the door interrupted them, so Cole stood and went over to answer it. Denise was on the other side, concern in her expression. “Everything all right?” Cole saw several people standing around talking.
“She is doing fine now. Just give us a few minutes and we will be out.”
He shut the door and turned to see Sierra now standing behind his desk, looking out the window.
“You were right you know.”
Cole was confused, as he walked to stand beside her. “About what?”
“I should have known you were the CEO. I didn’t do my job diligently enough.”
She was still looking out the window and not at him. “Please don’t let that take away from what Nations has to offer your company. They are good and my rookie mistake shouldn’t ruin this for the others who worked so hard.”
Cole admired her admission and concern for the company. He was considering a reply when she continued. “You were right about New York, too. It’s pretty and exciting.” She had turned to face him. “I’d better get going, I’m sure my colleagues are freaking out.” She gave him a weak smile. “I’m pretty mortified by the way and want to get back to the hotel and get some rest.”
“Can I see you tonight? You kind of owe me one for running out on me.” Cole couldn’t resist the last remark and was surprised with the slight smile on her face.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea, Cole.”
“I didn’t say it was a good idea but I seem to be a glutton for punishment when it comes to you. I’ll pick you up at 7:00 pm and take you out to dinner and a show. Show you what New York has to offer.”
“I don’t know, I had plans with my colleagues.”
“Change them.” He was moving closer.
“Okay.”
Chapter 2
Sierra just needed to compose herself and get some rest. She assured her colleagues on the ride back to the hotel that she was fine and apologized for the “incident.” She tried to blow it off by explaining that she hadn’t eaten breakfast and that she knew Cole from the past. She was thankful that they only seemed concerned with her wellbeing.
Once she was alone in her room, she immediately changed into her favorite comfort clothing, her old faithful, Buffy the Vampire cast T-shirt and her OSU sweatpants. She caught her reflection in the mirror of the restroom and started talking to herself, “What would Buffy do?”
Buffy was her favorite TV show that her Mom watched when she was young and wouldn’t let her watch it, but she found a way to sneak in a few episodes. Once she got older, Netflix was her main source of entertainment, so she and her best friend, Dana had watched the show for hours on end--some weekends having marathons until they had their fill of it. Buffy empowered women of all ages. The episodes were well written and had gained her admiration. It continued to do so today.
She was still talking to herself in the mirror, “So you just agreed to let the man you continue to fantasize about take you out tonight? What do you think will happen?”
She was being dramatic with facial expressions with her hands on the sink while talking to the image looking back at her, “You let him take you out to dinner? You’re hungry, you eat good food and then what? Make small talk about the weather?”
She rolls her eyes at herself in the mirror, “Oh, I know. You tell him that you think about him every single day and that you want to live happily ever after with him. Yeah, that’s perfect. Then, he will profess his love and admiration for you and that he too has been consumed with desire since your one night of passion.”
She threw her head back and laughed out loud at herself, “Let me know how that works out for you.”
She blew herself a kiss and plopped down on the bed. Her feet were still on the floor and she was staring at the ceiling lying on her back. She heard her phone ping and sat up to grab her attaché case lying beside the bed. It was her Mom checking on her and letting her know everything was fine at home. Sierra quickly sent a text back with hearts and kisses.
She had a lot to consider now that she had agreed to see Cole tonight. She had fantasized several scenarios of their next encounter and none of them involved her fainting in his office. Why had she agreed to see him?
She decided she needed a best friend’s perspective to help her see clearly and get advice. Dana answered on the 2nd ring, “Hi-ya, country girl, how do you like the big city? How did your presentation go?”
“You able to talk?” she asked her friend.
“That sounds like the presentation went bad. Yes, I can talk. What happened?” Sierra could hear the concern in her friend’s voice.
“Well, yes and no. Yes, the presentation went well and I felt great until someone asked me a question.”
“I’m intrigued. Continue.”
Sierra sighed into the phone. “That someone was Cole. The Cole, aka, president of the company.”
Silence on the other end.
“Hello? You still there?”
She could picture her friend absorbing the information and resting her free hand on the top of her head--a habit she had when she was thinking. “Uh, yeah, still reeling. What happened? What did he ask?”
“Something about if I bled scarlet and grey and then I fainted.”
“You fainted! Oh my god, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I was just shocked. He carried me into his office and gave me some water. I wasn’t out long, but completely embarrassed.”
“Then what happened?”
“Um, I think I agreed to have dinner with him tonight.”
“You did WHAT?! Are you serious right now! Have you completely lost your mind?” She could hear the worry and anger in Dana’s voice.
“Maybe? I don’t know. That’s why I’m calling you.”
“You can’t go out with him, Sierra.” Her voice was firm.
“I know, but I don’t know how to cancel. He’s picking me up here at seven.”
“You told him where you were staying? Have you gone completely mental on me?”
“I didn’t have to tell him, he already knew.”
“So you should have said ‘no thank you’ and meant it.”
Sierra started to cry, something she rarely did. She knew Dana heard her sniffling and her tone softened, “Sweetie, we have gone over this a hundred times. You have too much at stake and your heart is the main course.”
“I don’t know what to think. Doesn’t it mean something that I ran into him here, now?”
She could hear Dana take in a deep breath on the other end of the phone, “I don’t know what to think either. Don’t cry. We’ll figure it out together. I have to ask…can you handle having dinner with him? You do know what could happen, right?”
Sierra gave a loud sniff. “Yes, I think I do. I think I want it to happen again. Well, almost all of it. Does that make me a terrible person?”
She heard Dana laugh, “Not terrible, just crazy. Promise to be careful.”
“I will.”
“Call me or text me no matter what time and let me know you’re okay. Promise.”
“I promise. I’ll be fine.”
She ended the call and proceeded to lay on the bed and ponder the situation. She pressed a button on her phone and told Siri to wake her in two hours if she happened to fall asleep. She did. She dreamed of blue eyes and jet black hair. She dreamed of lovemaking and fairy tale endings. She dreamed of love being taken away and being all alone. She was crying when her phone woke her up.
She sat up and wiped at her eyes and nose. She would not let that happen. She would have dinner with Cole and make small talk. She would finally close the door that had been left open for two years. With more determination, she texted Amy to let her know she had other plans for the evening.
***
Cole was still in his office. Everyone else had left for the weekend. Most people lived for the weekends, but Cole considered it an
other two days of being alone, working and attending social events that had started to bore him. Seeing Sierra today reminded him of how the simple pleasures seemed to elude him. Living in the city could indeed be making him jaded and cynical. He was standing behind his desk looking down on the city.
“I’m heading home now. Your reservations are confirmed for tonight and the two tickets to see “Wicked.”
“Thank you, Denise. I thought you had left. Have a good weekend.” He hadn’t turned to face her when he replied. He was still staring out the window.
“Cole?” He turned towards her. “I know something happened today that shook you up. I have never seen that look on your face that I saw today when that poor girl fainted. You know her better than you explained to the board. I’d bet money on it and I’m not a gambler. Whatever it is, whatever it was, I hope you find your answers tonight.”
Cole gave her a small smile. “Me too.”
With that he heard her leave and close the door behind her. Cole reflected on the aftermath of Sierra fainting. It wasn’t even noon yet and he had a conference room full of confused board members and staff.
When Sierra left, it took all of his willpower not to take her back to the hotel himself to make sure she was all right. This protective side of him was new and unnerving. He had composed himself and entered the board room where his staff was waiting and conversing over the dramatic turn of events. His COO asked him what everyone was wondering, “What happened in here today, Cole? How do you know her?”
Cole had everyone’s undivided attention, “Today, ladies and gentlemen, I behaved badly. That nice young woman was someone I met two years ago at a friend’s wedding.” That part was true. “Suffice it to say that I had too much to drink, made some very rude comments and offered an indecent proposal to her at the reception. While I’m not proud of my behavior, it happened. The young woman proceeded to give me a good right hook in the jaw.” Cole laughed at his own comment and the rest of his staff joined in. “I apologized immediately, but let’s just say I didn’t make a good impression. I think she was just very startled to see me.”
The Reluctant Cowboy Page 3