Power Play: A Black & White Collection Story

by Mari Carr

  She’d just given into his fantasy, had sex in front of another person and loved it. Not because it was her fantasy, but because it was Reed’s and there was nothing she wouldn’t do to please him. He looked at her now with total adoration and she knew—knew to her core—that there was nothing she wouldn’t do for him. The power of that realization pummeled her with the force of a hurricane, destroying her. She had turned into exactly what she’d always abhorred. She was her mother—weak-willed, spineless. “I have to leave.”

  He shook his head, rising slowly. “No, you don’t.”

  “Please, Reed. Let’s just call this fantasy a done deal and move on.” She tried not to wince at the distinct tinge of fear in her voice. He was too observant, too in tune with her. She took a deep breath, trying to still her panic.

  She allowed him to take her hand and pull her to a seated position. She was touched when he grabbed the quilt and pulled it over her shoulders. “Why did you ask for a threesome if you didn’t want it?”

  She shrugged. How could she explain without giving herself away? She’d asked for the ménage to make him believe she was only interested in the sex. To prove some ridiculous point that they’d never be anything more than colleagues and part-time lovers. “I thought I did want it. I think this is one instance where the fantasy really is better than the reality.” The lie fell smoothly from her lips and she prayed it was enough to convince him.

  He sighed. “I should have asked you again before I brought you here. I should have made sure. I’m sorry.”

  He looked as lost as she felt and she struggled to explain, wished there was some way she could make him understand. “Tonight was sexy, Reed. Just as hot as the other fantasies. Really.” It was the truth. Unfortunately, the truth came with a price. A price that was far too high to pay.

  His look proved he didn’t believe her. “Go out to dinner with me tomorrow night.”

  “No.” She replied quickly. Time to rip off the bandage. Time to make the break. Walking out the door of this bar tonight was going to be hard enough.

  “Why not?”

  She laughed at his persistence, though her heart was aching. He wasn’t going to make this easy. She dug deep, fought to pull out the Frankie she could control, the one who didn’t take no for an answer. She stepped back into the familiar skin, ignoring how it chafed. “Because I’m finished with this. The game’s over. I’m moving on, hotshot.”

  He nodded slowly, narrowed his eyes at her cocky tone. “Moving on?”

  “I’ve never lied about what I wanted from you, Reed.”

  “You’re right. You haven’t.”

  She stood up and started dressing. He didn’t stop her, simply watched with his arms crossed over his chest.

  “Never pegged you for a coward.”

  She stopped buttoning her blouse to give him a dirty look. “I’m not a coward.”

  “You’re running as fast as one.”

  She shrugged. “Everyone’s entitled to their opinions. Even if they are damn wrong.” She slipped on her shoes and cursed her shaking hands. She needed to get out fast. She reached for her purse, and then looked at him one last time. “I’m leaving.”

  He bent his head to one side, studied her face for several long, painful moments. “Fine.”

  She turned toward the door, trying to hide the relief on her face. She’d just reached for the knob when his voice cut through the silence.

  “Just remember, Frankie. You can run, but you can’t hide. Not from me.”

  Chapter Nine

  Frankie and Reed sat in front of Brian’s desk bright and early on Monday morning. One look at his uncle’s face proved he was beyond pissed. Reed had never seen the man lose his temper, never seen him unable to rein in his anger, but this morning was proving to be the exception.

  He knew his uncle would be upset by his resignation, but he didn’t anticipate the outright fury written in the older man’s eyes. He wasn’t sure why Brian was so mad. He’d still have Frankie. God knew she was a more than competent replacement. She’d already proven herself and her worth to The Donovan Group.

  Brian slammed his fist on the top of his desk and bent forward. “I have a letter of resignation here. Who wants to explain it to me?”

  Reed fought against the instinct to look at Frankie’s face as his uncle blurted out the news. He’d intended to pull her into his office first thing this morning. Explain to her why he was leaving. She’d worked too hard to achieve this position in her career. She deserved the chance to enjoy it.

  Besides, he’d known for some time his days were numbered at The Donovan Group. Something had broken in him when his uncle sent him to London. His confidence in his abilities was on shaky ground. Perhaps a new job would help him regain it…and Frankie.

  “I’m afraid things just didn’t work out.”

  Frankie’s voice penetrated his thoughts and he turned to look at her. She knew? She knew he’d resigned and that was her only response?

  “Didn’t work out,” Brian repeated. “We just landed three huge deals. The Donovan Group has set itself up for the best quarter it’s ever seen and you think things didn’t work out? You want to tell me exactly what didn’t work?”

  Reed took up the battle. “Brian, you can’t think this hasn’t been coming. I mean, you knew I was unhappy about the trip to London. If you’d just explained why you felt it was necessary to send—”

  Brian exploded, interrupting him. “I don’t have to explain a fucking thing to you. Dammit, Reed, you should know by now I have my reasons.”

  “I understand that, but,” Reed shrugged and paused, realizing anything else he said would prove to his uncle how badly he’d been hurt. He wasn’t comfortable revealing any weakness. He glanced over at Frankie, finally seeing the confusion he’d expected when Brian told her he was resigning. Then he realized if he’d learned anything in the last month in her presence, it was that sometimes taking a leap was worth it. He still had a long way to go to win her heart, but he was more determined now than ever.

  He looked at his uncle again. “I thought you believed in me.”

  His answer took the wind out of Brian’s sails and he watched his uncle slowly drop into his desk chair. “Of course I believe in you, Reed. What would ever make you think I didn’t?”

  Reed shrugged. “You sent me to London to play office manager. When I came back, you’d set Frankie up as a partner. If you’d felt I was losing my touch, I wish you’d—”

  “Losing your touch?” Brian leaned forward. “Is that how you’ve interpreted all of this?”

  Reed felt his anger spark at his uncle’s slightly condescending tone. “How else was I supposed to take it?”

  “I don’t understand what any of this has to do with me resigning from the company,” Frankie said.

  Reed turned to her. “You’re resigning?”

  “Of course. Isn’t that why we’re sitting here?”

  She turned to face Brian at the same time Reed did and they both watched his uncle open the file folder on top of his desk. He withdrew two pieces of paper, handing each of them one. Reed reared back when he saw Frankie’s signature at the bottom of the resignation letter.

  “You resigned?” Frankie whispered, looking up after reading the letter of resignation he’d faxed to his uncle this morning. “Why would you do that?”

  “You deserve to be here. You’ve worked hard for this job and I know you’ll continue to succeed. I’ve watched you in action, Frankie. You’re brilliant.”

  “But…” Frankie blinked rapidly and for a second, he thought he saw the slight trace of tears in her eyes. “I don’t understand.”

  “I was worried you’d leave the firm as long as I was still here. I thought if I gave you some space, some time, we could work through—” he paused and looked at Brian, then he forged on, “—our other issues without the added pressure of the job.”

  She frowned. “You’re resigning so that I’ll stay, so that I’ll continue to work here?”
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  Reed turned in his chair. He wanted her to see, to read the sincerity in his face. “You’re good at what you do. Damn good. The Donovan Group was lucky to land you and I sincerely hope, for my uncle’s sake, you never leave. You’re an asset and I think lately I’ve become a liability. So I’m removing myself from the equation.”

  “I’m an asset. You don’t want me to ever leave?” She whispered the words so low, Reed wasn’t sure he’d heard them correctly. He couldn’t understand why his actions seemed to shock her so.

  “Why were you resigning, Frankie?” Reed asked.

  She looked at him, and then did a quick sideways glance at Brian. He knew she didn’t want to discuss their private lives in front of his uncle, but he also knew the old man was canny enough to read the writing on this wall. She shrugged and answered. “I was afraid.”

  Of all the answers she could have given him, none would have surprised him more than that. He snorted. “I thought you weren’t afraid of anything.”

  She grinned at his compliment briefly, the smile fading to one of sadness. “I’m afraid of quite a lot. A committed relationship seems to be at the top of that list though.”

  “So I’ve noticed. Why?”

  She swallowed and he could see she was uneasy with the conversation. “I think my family sort of screwed me up a bit. I’m the only child of the world’s last caveman.”

  She tried to lighten her comment with a laugh, but he could see she was using it as a defense mechanism. Tight lines surrounded her eyes and mouth and he knew she was struggling to tell him some hard truths about herself, about her upbringing.

  “I got that impression when we met him at the restaurant the other week. He’s not fond of your career?”

  She snorted. “That’s putting it lightly. Women aren’t supposed to hold positions of real power in the workforce.”

  Brian leaned forward and Reed was sorry he’d initiated this conversation here. At least, he was until his uncle’s words. “What a load of bullshit. I didn’t know men like that still existed in the world.”

  This time, Frankie’s chuckle was sincere. “Hate to break it to you, Brian, but for all intents and purposes, this is still very much a male-dominated society. Lucky for me, I learned a long time ago how to crash a stag party.”

  Reed frowned. “I’m sorry about that it’s a man’s world crack after the Golf Connection bid. I shouldn’t have said that. You’re a natural in this field and you have every right to be here.”

  She smiled. “Thank you. But my father’s really only a part of my hang-up. My mother sort of perpetuated the rest of my issues.”

  Reed rested his elbows on his knees and watched her face carefully. Though she was uncomfortable sharing her personal feelings, he knew now that she’d started, she wouldn’t stop until it had all been said. “Your mother?”

  “I watched her lose her entire sense of identity during her marriage. She’s lived her whole life for my dad—giving up her dreams of being a nurse, letting her friends slip away, changing her fashion style. You name it, she gave it up. She’s remade herself into my father’s image of what she should be. She’s a shell of her former self and she did it all in the name of love.”

  “How do you know she wasn’t always this person?”

  “I met one of my mother’s best friends from college once. We had dinner together and she told me a million stories about my mother, about all the fun she used to have, how vivacious and lively she was. She even had pictures. Then she mentioned my father, talked about how much it bothered her to see my mother accede to his control. Mom dropped out of college during her last semester. Her last freaking semester.”

  He leaned forward, grasping her hands. “There are a lot of people in the world who fall in love and remain true to themselves, Frankie. Hell, I’d bet there are more who do than don’t.”

  “I know that, but you know that old saying, the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree? I’ve always worried. What if I’m like her? Reed, there’ve been times when we’ve—” she paused, looked at his uncle again, then she forged on, “—there’ve been times when we’ve been together and I’ve sort of lost sight of myself. Times when there really wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you.”

  He knew it wouldn’t ease her mind, but to hear her feelings ran so deep lifted the two-ton weight on his heart. Then another thought permeated and he frowned. “I don’t want to change you, Frankie, and I would never make you do anything you weren’t comfortable with. Friday night—”

  She shook her head quickly. “Friday night was perfect. At first, I thought…” She paused, struggling to find her words. “It scared me, but I’ve had all weekend to relive it and I wanted it. You didn’t force me to do anything I didn’t want to do. I was a willing participant. Hell, I’d do it again tonight.”

  His eyes narrowed slightly, studying her face, looking for any trace of deception, but finding none.

  He accepted her words and gave a deep sigh of relief. “I love you just the way you are, Frankie. I hope you know that.”

  Her eyes widened. “You love me?”

  He laughed, lifted her knuckles to his lips for a kiss. “Of course I do, you crazy woman. I’ve been walking around here feeling like the world’s biggest fool wearing his heart on his sleeve. You had to know I wanted a relationship with you.”

  She licked her lips, biting the lower one briefly. “I was so busy trying to sort out my feelings and misreading your intentions, I don’t think I ever stopped to consider how you felt.”

  “Well, now you know. I adore you, Francesca Carlyle. And I’d like a lifetime or so to prove exactly how much.”

  She blinked back tears, but before she could respond, Brian stood up.

  “Give me those resignation letters.”

  Reed wanted to blast his uncle for his untimely interruption, but Brian remained undaunted. Holding out his hand, even snapping his fingers. They handed the papers over.

  “Brian,” Reed started, but his uncle’s actions stopped any further comment he could make.

  Brian tore up both resignations. “I don’t accept either of these.”

  Reed scowled. He’d grappled all weekend with his decision to leave The Donovan Group. Walking away from the company felt like the equivalent of tearing off a limb, but he was through bowing to his uncle’s demands.

  “You don’t have a choice.”

  Brian looked at him. “I’m retiring.”

  “What?” he and Frankie said in unison.

  “I’m not getting any younger. I’ve spent my life making a ton of money. I want to go out now and spend a bit of it. Oh hell, I want to spend a lot of it. I’m gonna travel, find myself a girlfriend, have lots of sex.”

  Frankie laughed. “Sounds like a well-laid plan.”

  Reed couldn’t find the humor. Brian was retiring. Leaving the company.

  “I don’t understand,” Reed said slowly, finding it difficult to form the words. He’d never imagined his uncle leaving The Donovan Group. The man used to joke around that he’d run the company until he had one foot in the grave.

  “Apparently there are a lot of things you don’t understand, Reed. And I’m afraid that’s my fault. I’ve never been a patient man and explaining myself sort of falls under that umbrella. I should have warned you, told you this was coming. Maybe then you wouldn’t have felt like I was anything other than completely proud of you.”

  “Told you so,” Frankie whispered. Her smug smile started to jar him from his shocked state.

  “Nobody likes a know-it-all,” Reed said.

  Brian grinned at their exchange. “I sent you to London to give you a sense of what it would mean to be in charge of this company. What it would be like to run it totally on your own. You assumed the reins over there and did a great job.”

  “In charge?”

  Brian nodded. “I wanted you to understand all the aspects of this company. Obviously there’s more than just the marketing end. You need to know how to manage the employees,
deal with any problems that may arise, handle the financial end. You did all of that and more at the London office. I’m leaving The Donovan Group in your very capable hands.”

  “Me?”

  “You’re my new CEO and when I die, the company is yours.”

  “CEO?”

  Frankie looked at Brian. “Congratulations, Brian. You’ve left Reed speechless. Quite a feat.”

  His uncle and Frankie laughed at his stunned state, but Reed didn’t care. He was still trying to put all the misconceptions of the last few months in proper perspective now that he knew the rest of the story. He was going to run The Donovan Group. Once again, his uncle had looked into his heart and read the desires Reed didn’t even know were lurking there. He’d never imagined the company without his uncle. Never considered a future where he would actually run it. Now he knew there was nothing he wanted more.

  “You’ll be a wonderful CEO, Reed.”

  He looked at Frankie and realized he was wrong. There was something he wanted more.

  “You can’t leave.”

  Frankie looked like she might argue, but Brian stopped her.

  “He’s right, Frankie. With Reed running the company, he’s going to need a strong marketing partner to handle that part of the business. I hired you hoping you would prove yourself capable of filling that role. You have.”

  Suddenly, everything became clear. Brian hadn’t hired Frankie because he thought Reed was losing his touch. He hired her to take his place after his promotion. He laughed at his sheer stupidity. “I think I owe you an apology, Brian.”

  “No,” his uncle said. “You really don’t, Reed. So what do you say, Frankie?”

  Reed looked at her, saw her struggling to make a decision. “Stay, Frankie. Please. I can’t run this company without you. I’ll beg if you want me to.”

  She laughed. “I don’t want you to beg.”

  “So you’ll stay. Give this partnership a try?”

  She nodded slowly, reaching over to take his hand. “I can’t guarantee you an easy time. I’m pretty headstrong and opinionated. I won’t be a yes-man.”