“Let me be the judge of that,” I requested.
She groaned and exhaled as Ignacio placed a china bowl in front of her and then me.
“Fine,” she relented. “You were right. I wasn’t one hundred per cent honest. I had a meeting with Michael about my PDP.”
My body tightened, but I forced myself to relax and prayed Laila hadn’t noticed.
“And what was his assessment?”
“He’s amazed,” she said. Her eyes lit up. “He said the things I’ve accomplished in such a short time are unbelievable.”
“Of course he was amazed,” I bit out. “You’re fabulous. He’s late to the party, as always.” I couldn’t help but add the last part.
Laila blushed, and I kissed her mouth tenderly, cupping her face as she leaned in to me.
“So what was the part that bothered you?”
She exhaled. “Dylan, there’s nothing for you to be worried about.”
“I’m not worried, I simply want to know what it was,” I pressed her.
Laila regarded me cautiously before releasing a sigh of defeat. She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “He was asking questions about my internship and our relationship.”
My brow furrowed. “He knows about us?”
“I have a feeling that he does,” she said.
“How? We’re not public knowledge... per your request of course...”
“I’m not sure how he knows,” she responded, an irritated eyebrow raised, “and the whole keep-it-on-the-low thing was to benefit you as much as it was to benefit me,” she insisted. “We were trying to prevent people from thinking you’d been improper with an intern.”
“I was very improper with an intern,” I reminded her, full of pride, “and if I could do it all over again, I would. But that’s a different discussion for another day.”
I rested my spoon down as Ignacio came and cleared my bowl away. “So what did he want to know?”
Laila exhaled. “He wanted to know how closely we worked together and how much I trusted you.”
I wiped my mouth with the linen napkin draped across my lap. My jaw clenched as I rested my elbows on the table, clasping my hands in front of my face.
Her eyebrows drew in and her eyes crinkled in the corners. “Calm down, baby.”
“I’m calm,” I said. “I don’t seem rattled, do I?”
“No, but – ”
“I just want to make sure I understand what you’re saying.” A forced a smile onto my face, but it felt tight and I wasn’t sure how natural it looked.
“Okay,” she said with a shivering smile. “Because there was more. He started to insinuate that I might have been sleeping with you while I was working for you.” Laila’s eyes brimmed with disdain, but the only thing I could do was suppress a grin as steamy reminiscences of the times we’d had sex in my office and on business trips flooded me. My manhood stiffened in automatic response, and I was glad she couldn’t see it. Still, the erotic thoughts I was having about my soon-to-be wife couldn’t quell the blaze generating in the pit of my stomach.
“And on top of that,” she continued, “he started suggesting that he’d be able to do a lot more for me than you ever could.” She grunted and raked her hands through her hair.
“He said that?” My voice and eyes were low.
“Yeah. The entire thing was discomfiting, at best. But I took it in stride. I’m a big girl and I’ve navigated all kinds of situations before. This is nothing I can’t manage, but it’s a little uncomfortable to have it come from my boss, you know?”
I bit back an automatic response. The last thing I wanted was for Laila to think I was being overprotective. It would get her back up and she’d shut down.
She continued. “I guess I just wonder what it could be,” she said. “I know the two of you went to university together and he pretty much admitted that the two of you don’t get along.”
“Not getting along is minimizing it,” I stated. “He couldn’t stand me, and I reciprocated the sentiment.”
“Did something happen between the two of you?”
“He was jealous of me,” I replied, “plain and simple. There’s no other explanation for it. Everything I did, he wanted to do better.” I raked my fingers through my pompadour, unable to slow my escalating thoughts. “Lai, I’m glad you told me, and I know you don’t want me to get upset, but honestly, I’m not sure how I feel about the way he’s grilling you and prying into your personal business. Talking about your PDP is one thing. I get that, but to be asking questions about your personal life...” I grunted. “I’m not down with that. And I sure as hell don’t appreciate his insinuation that he can do more for you than I can.” I had tried, but couldn’t hold my comment in.
Laila’s expression turned worried. “I’m sure he didn’t mean it sexually, Dylan.”
I was sure he did.
“It doesn’t matter how he meant it,” I replied. “His remark was disrespectful and that’s one thing I don’t tolerate. You know that much about me.” I paused. “I know corporate America, baby, but more importantly, I know Michael Sawyer. I don’t trust him.”
“Of course you don’t,” she responded. “He’s the competition. He’s your competition.”
“I don’t mean like that,” I clarified, trying not to become annoyed with the way she was reducing the situation.
“Then what are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about his personality, his character. He wants what I have, and he has a habit of doing whatever he can to steal it away from me.”
Laila’s eyes fluttered as she stared at me. She moistened her lips. “That’s a little presumptuous, baby. Be serious.”
My neck jerked forward. “Be serious? Laila, I wish I was exaggerating the issue, but unfortunately, I’m not. Michael Sawyer is arrogant and conniving. I don’t trust him further than I can throw him.”
Laila inhaled. “Maybe you’re right,” she agreed, but I could tell it was halfhearted. “I mean, you’ve known him since grad school and I’ve only been working with him for a few weeks, but it can’t be that bad, Dyl. You guys were kids at the university. He’s sure to have matured by now.”
“I highly doubt it, Lai,” I scoffed.
“Oh my god, Dylan – ”
“All I’m saying is to be mindful,” I interrupted her sarcasm. “Do you want me to deal with it?”
Laila rolled her eyes. “You dealing with it is actually the last thing I want,” she warned me.
“You’re fresh out of the starting block, Lai, and the last thing you or I need is burnout.”
“I can handle it, baby,” she assured me. Her tone was as flat as the tabletop.
“I’m not suggesting that you can’t, but – ”
She leaned closer. “Then if you know I can handle it, give me a chance to do that,” she pleaded. “Let me navigate the situation and see what solutions I can come up with. I’ve been there for four weeks and I’m working on establishing myself. I don’t need my man storming up in the building wielding his power, carving out paths for me. I can do it on my own.”
My mouth pinched. “I don’t trust him, Lai.”
“But do you trust me?”
“Of course I do,” I responded quickly, and then I sighed. I nodded in cautious agreement. “Okay,” I relented. “But you know if you need me...”
“I know, baby.” She smiled, and I gazed at her face. Her eyes flickered with determination and my heart swelled with pride and something else...
“What about you?” she asked leaning closer. “I had a long day, but I’ll bet yours was much longer: running that mega-firm, managing all of those clients and staff...”
“A typical day,” I said, but my mind turned to Max and the conversation he’d raised about the Board of Directors. The corners of my mouth dipped. “Max is on about something, but I’ll find out the details when I get in the office tomorrow morning.”
She frowned. “Do you wanna’ talk about it?”
I shook my head. “Actually, I don’t want to talk about anything.”
She smiled.
I threw my linen napkin on the table and reached across to take her hands into mine, running my fingertips across the surface of her supple skin. My eyes grew heavy and the intense yearning I’d had for her since we parted ways early that morning became unbearable. I gazed at her mouth, and pulled her out of her seat, leading her towards the master bedroom.
She knew what time it was...
After an intense round of love-making, we laid silently together in our custom-bed, steadying our breathing, before she began to giggle.
“What are you laughing at?” I asked stretching my neck back to peer at her face.
“All that adrenaline you accumulate at the office makes you so rough,” she said with a grin. She meddled her fingers through the day-old stubble on my chin.
“You like it rough,” I reminded her.
“I can’t lie and say that I don’t.” She collected my mouth in a kiss, which forced me to wonder how soon it would be before round two started.
My shoulders relaxed, and I smiled, rolling onto the mattress and pulling her into a loving embrace. We stared at each other in the sultry dimness of the bedroom. Thin, white curtains billowed against the open window, at the Swarovski chandelier twinkled above our heads.
I grazed my knuckles against her jaw. “Sweetheart, I apologize,” I whispered shifting my eyes away from hers.
“For what?”
I inhaled. “For not trusting you to handle your affairs at the office. With Sawyer,” I added. My mouth pinched. “For trying to control you.” I sighed. “I know you can do it on your own. You can do anything. I have believed in you from before you started that internship at Hamilton Associates. I just get a little overprotective. I remember what happened to you while you were working for me and I never want you to experience anything like that again.”
Laila’s eyes glistened, and she lifted her hand to my cheek. “Baby, there’s no need to be sorry,” she whispered. “You’re an alpha male.” She smiled, shaking her head. “You’re my alpha male. You’re only doing what comes natural to you, which is to protect and take care of the things that are important to you.”
“And you are very important to me,” I confirmed. I gazed into her face and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “I promise to not interfere,” I said. “I promise not to meddle and to let you handle your affairs on your own.”
Emotion and longing flashed in her eyes before she tipped her chin up and kissed my mouth.
“Let’s go get that bath I promised you,” I suggested pulling her out of the bed.
“Right, I forgot about that.”
“We could probably make a sculpture with the wax from the candles by now,” I considered, and we shared a laugh. “Dip yourself into those bubbles while I run downstairs and get our dessert.”
Her face beamed, and she pecked my lips before bouncing into the en-suite bathroom.
“Can you bring my briefcase up? I need to go over some things before we turn in,” she called out just before I disappeared from the room.
“I’m still hungry,” I informed her. “You may not have the energy to go over anything by the time I’m done with you.”
“You’re not hungry, you’re greedy,” she said with a giggle, and I trotted down the steps and into the kitchen. I scanned the area until my eyes rested on the two plates Ignacio had prepared. The creamy New York style cheesecake with strawberry puree drizzled over the top would taste even better when I ate if off Laila’s perky breasts, I thought.
My body responded, and I looked down at my nakedness, amazed that this woman had the ability to fire me up with a mere thought.
I grabbed the platter with the cheesecake from the counter and searched around for her briefcase, but her buzzing phone on the counter caught my attention.
I paused and glanced at my watch. The phone’s face illuminated again, and it vibrated on the marble. I picked up Laila’s briefcase and took the phone into my hands, peering at the screen.
Michael Sawyer had sent her a text message.
Sawyer: Meet me in my office after work tomorrow.
Seven
Dylan
‘Center Stage’
I’d barely taken a seat before Max was pushing through my office door. I’d told him to meet me in the office this morning, but now, there were other things on my mind, including, but not limited to, why Michael Sawyer would be messaging my woman at 11 o’clock at night. I was trying to manage my thoughts, but the nagging feeling wouldn’t go away.
I had tried to warn Laila about Michael’s personality, but she hadn’t received my message well.
And I hadn’t been surprised.
The moment I noticed the shift in the atmosphere, I’d backtracked. I knew Laila. If she suspected that I was trying to influence her professional progress, her defenses would go up and it would be hell for me to try and lower them.
I had learned that a long time ago.
The fact that she worked for Michael Sawyer bothered me beyond measure, but it had been another case of me allowing her to forge her own path. I wasn’t opposed to that; but the history I had with that jerk made me especially leery; yet there was little I could do but sit back and watch from the periphery.
I had no doubt that Laila could handle herself at Sawyer, Inc. She was a strong woman and she was full of integrity. It was one of the many things that had drawn me to her. Laila didn’t concern me, but Michael Sawyer did.
My jaw clenched.
Max plopped down in the armchair in front of my mahogany desk. “Where did we leave off last night?” he asked taking a sip from the crystal tumbler he’d prepared.
I swiped my hand across my brow, trying to wipe away the impending rage. “Something about the Board of Directors,” I reminded him.
“Right.” He leaned forward, and his brow creased. “Listen, Dylan, people are concerned.”
“People?”
“The Board,” Max clarified, and he sighed. “They’re wondering if you’re up for the task of running this firm. Certain members...”
“Let’s be explicit,” I advised. “I prefer to deal with the details.”
Max rubbed his brow. “Joseph Brenneman...” He let the name waft in the atmosphere. “Joe seems to believe you’ve been distracted lately, and it’s clouding your judgment.”
My eyes narrowed.
There were nine men on my Board of Directors, Max made the tenth, and Joseph Brenneman was the man who owned the most shares in the company, aside from me.
Max continued. “The members have asked me to come and talk to you, perhaps suggest a sabbatical.”
I leaned back in my executive chair and threw my Oxfords on top of the desk. “A sabbatical?” I chuckled and steepled my hands in front of my face to hide my grimace.
“Just a little time off, Dylan. The wedding is coming up. You could take it as an opportunity to plan, reflect...”
My eyes narrowed. “I built this company,” I reminded him through clenched teeth. “Almost by myself. Do I need to remind you, Max? I took everything I had and invested in my venture, when no one else believed in me.” I paused. “And the Board has the audacity to suggest that my business acumen is compromised? By what?”
Max scratched his bearded cheek and his eyes fell to the floor. “You’re a great businessman, Dylan. I’m not entirely sure what the Board is on about myself.”
He was lying.
He raised his gaze to meet my unwavering glower.
“Brenneman keeps talking about the last two deals you denied. He doesn’t understand your logic.”
I grunted and leaned forward. “Is that all the Board is concerned about?”
Max’s eyes quivered. “No,” he admitted. He jumped out of the seat and walked over to the bar to prepare himself a drink. “I’m going to be honest with you, Dylan.”
“I expect nothing less,” I reminded him.
“Despite our e
fforts, the fact that you’re marrying your intern has caught wind.”
“She’s not my intern...”
“She was when you started screwing her though,” he jabbed.
I pulled my legs off the desk and stood, walking to the expansive window in my office. I glared at the glorious skyline. I wasn’t a fan of Max’s tone or his choice of vocabulary in relation to my fiancée, but I would let it slide for now. We’d already had a few run-ins related to my decision to be with Laila. Max was my business advisor, not my life coach. He needed to remember that.
I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth, squinting into the distance. “I’m still trying to understand the correlation between my personal life and my leadership skills,” I muttered. “We’ve had this conversation before, Max. You knew how I felt about Laila while she was working for me. She’s a grown woman, and I did nothing wrong when I engaged her in a romantic relationship. She was never the recipient of handouts or leg-ups because of what we were doing. Laila Renaud is successful because she worked her ass off and deserves to be where she is.” I paused. “Besides, I’m a man. She’s intelligent, she’s driven, and she’s honestly the most beautiful woman in the world to me. If I could do it over again, I would, and I wouldn’t change a damn thing.”
“You’re right,” Max agreed, swishing alcohol around in his glass. “Laila is phenomenal. I’m the one who told you to bring her on as an intern.”
I rolled my eyes and looked out the window again.
“And I was aware of what was going on, but the Board wasn’t, Dylan. And then when they found out, some of the men shook their heads in disapproval and frowned upon it. And then you started turning deals away; deals the Board felt were lucrative.”
“So they think my head is in the clouds?”
“Or buried in Laila Renaud’s – ”
I glared at him.
He cleared his throat.
My eyes narrowed. “Max, how many of those men – yourself included have never slept with someone who worked for them?”
Max’s jaw flexed. “Does that really matter?”
Coup: A BWWM Romance (The French Connection Book 2) Page 4