Hot Summer Fling

by Parker, Ali

  In the meantime, I’d reconsidered my stance on asking for his advice. It could help me without meaning that I hadn’t done it myself. He was a successful businessman with a history in the industry I was trying to break into.

  If I really thought about it, it seemed stupid and naive not to ask for his advice. “Hey, Fulton. What do you think I should do?”

  His eyes snapped open, disbelief closely followed by pleasure flashing in his bright blues. “You’re really asking me?”

  “I am.” I smiled up at him, surprised by how genuinely happy he seemed about this development. “If you would give me your advice, I’d really appreciate it.”

  “Okay.” He lifted my hand to press a kiss to my fingers. “I think you need to apply somewhere that experience isn’t the be-all and end-all. There’s a place right here in Tampa that takes on low-experience people. If you’ll let me, I’ll give you their name and address.”

  I chewed my lip, but eventually, I nodded. “That’s not exactly the kind of advice I was talking about, but I’ll look into it. It’s a better lead than I’ve managed to get on my own, so thank you for that too.”

  We lay there in silence for a while after that, both lost in our own thoughts. For my part, I was wondering whether taking a lead I had gotten from him counted as accepting help in finding a way into the industry.

  The closer I got to sleep, the more I was realizing it didn’t matter as much as I once thought it did. Fulton had given me this lead freely and because he wanted to, but only after I’d asked. He hadn’t forced it down my throat or made me feel like he was throwing me scraps like some kind of charity case.

  It felt like he had respected me enough to hold back until I asked, and I appreciated that. Our relationship had changed a lot since the first time I’d accused him of seeing me as some kind of charity case. Somehow, hearing his suggestions and considering accepting his advice felt different now.

  It felt more like listening and really hearing the opinion of someone I trusted and valued, like Olive almost. With the obvious exception that I wasn’t attracted to Olive, and I definitely hadn’t been dreaming about falling asleep in her arms one more time before I’d never see her again.

  “I’ll look into it tomorrow,” I murmured sleepily against his skin. “Right now, I just want to fall asleep with you. Is it okay if I stay?”

  “Wouldn’t that be breaking your rule?” There was a note of amusement in his voice, but mostly he sounded as lazy and sleepy as I did.

  He tightened his grip on me and hauled me closer to him, essentially giving me his answer even as I reached up to put my finger on his lips. I didn’t need to hear about my rule tonight. I knew I was about to break it again, and the knowledge had never made me happier.

  Chapter 31

  Fulton

  “Adam. It’s good to see you, my man. How are you?” I shook hands with my friend, grinning as I glanced around the lobby of the museum he owned. “This place is looking great.”

  “Thanks in a large part to you.” Adam gripped my hand and tugged me closer for a hug and a thump on the back. “It’s good to see you too. I didn’t know you were in town.”

  “I didn’t know you were either. I thought you were still on the trail of those artifacts from Egypt. When I called your offices this morning, I wasn’t expecting to hear you were here and available.”

  He put his arms out to his sides like only a true showman could and waggled his brows. “Well, here I am. Egypt didn’t pan out. Fucking government stepped in and it just wasn’t worth the fight.”

  “How dare they protect their own historical pieces from private American corporations, am I right?” I laughed, shaking my head at my boisterous former classmate.

  He shrugged, green eyes shining with barely suppressed laughter. “Hey, I had to try, right? Nothing ventured, nothing gained. You know how it goes.”

  “That I do.”

  Adam swept a hand out toward the back of the cavernous warehouse he had renovated to open the city’s most confusing museum. It was called the Museum of Arts and Culture and displayed pieces as varied as the name suggested.

  No one could figure out what the focus of the museum was, which was exactly what Adam had wanted when he opened it. We studied together at college, and the guy had always been a bit of an enigma.

  He was a brilliant businessman, though, and the fact that no one ever knew what exhibits would be coming next kept him in the spotlight. He was talked about, gossiped about, and speculated about—just like he had known he would be.

  The museum had only opened about a year ago and as far as the local art scene went, was gaining notoriety but was still much more obscure than the older, more established museums. Adam was known to be a bit of a loose cannon, and I was hoping to appeal to that part of him today.

  “It’s always good to see the man who made all this possible, but I’m assuming this isn’t a social call.” Adam led me into a spacious office in the back corner, all four of his walls made entirely of glass so he had an unimpeded view of the museum at all times. “Have a seat.”

  The office was tastefully decorated, but I recognized the sofa he gestured to as the same one that used to be in his dorm room. “I didn’t make any of this possible, it was all you.”

  I strode over to the sofa and took a seat, the lumpy cushion welcoming me home like an old friend as I sank into it. I ran my hand along the threadbare upholstery. “I’m surprised to see you still have this old thing.”

  Adam flashed me his pearly white teeth. “I like to be reminded of where I came from. If you hadn’t given me that loan, none of this would be here. I appreciate that.”

  “You repaid every penny, man. Don’t mention it. You seem to be doing really well.”

  “I am.” He leaned back in his chair, kicking his sandaled feet up on his desk. “It’s a hell of rush running this place, I’ll tell you that much.”

  “It must be.” I crossed my ankle over my knee and got comfortable, preparing to launch into the reason for my visit. “I came to talk to you about a friend of mine, Valerie Hayes.”

  Adam frowned, and I could practically see him running through his mental Rolodex. “The name doesn’t ring a bell. Is she an artist?”

  “No. She’s looking for a job in the industry and I was hoping you could help her out.”

  “What kind of job?” He cocked his head, steepling his fingers after placing his elbows on his desk.

  “Whatever you’ve got available.” I wasn’t going to tell him how to run his business or presume to know where he might need Valerie most. “She’s going to apply for a job here, and I’d really appreciate it if you would give her a shot. You won’t be sorry. She’s a fucking dynamo, she just doesn’t have any experience yet.”

  “You know I would do anything for you, so sure. Consider it done. Valerie Hayes, huh? I’ll keep a look out for her application.”

  “Thanks, Adam.” I stood up and crossed the floor to him. “I’ve got to go, but I owe you one.”

  He rose, shook my hand, and apologized for not walking me out. “No worries, man. Want me to let you know how it goes?”

  “No, that’s fine. I just wanted to make sure you’d give her a shot if she applies.” Adam and I exchanged goodbyes, promising to catch up properly soon.

  Leaving the museum, I felt good. Despite Valerie’s insistence that she didn’t need my help, it had broken me to see her so upset and to know I could help but feeling like my hands were tied. I didn’t do well with feeling helpless.

  Besides, I’d only mentioned her name to a friend and asked him to give her a shot. It would be up to her whether that shot worked out or not. It wasn’t like I’d forced him to hire her or anything.

  Theoretically, I knew I had gone against her wishes. I just couldn’t bear seeing her so down. I’d had to do something. Adam’s museum was the perfect fit for her too. He was the kind of guy who really didn’t care about qualifications or experience if the person did their job well.

 
Valerie would do her job well. I was sure of it. The two of them were going to get along like a house on fire, and it wouldn’t matter that I’d dropped her name to him. It was nothing more than a foot in the door that I’d given her, one she’d really needed.

  Elliot looked up when I walked into his office, smiling as he inclined his head toward the coffee machine. “Help yourself. You know how it works.”

  “Thanks.” I shut his office door behind me and headed for the cabinet holding his mugs. The only clean one available was bright pink with glitter and a unicorn on it. I lifted it, looking at Elliot over my shoulder. “Didn’t take you for a unicorn man.”

  He laughed, shrugging his shoulders. “What can I say? You caught me.”

  “If it can hold coffee, I’m happy.” I placed the mug in the cradle and loaded in the pod, choosing a vanilla roast today. “Anything new to report here?”

  Elliot shuffled through some paperwork on his desk, sliding a small pile across his desk. “Update on the new security system came through. The implementation is going well.”

  “Excellent.” As soon as it was in, we would be able to put those doubts and shit after the robbery behind us once and for all. “How did your staff meeting go this morning?”

  “Everyone has gone back to normal. There’s no more internal blowback, so I don’t think we’ll be losing anyone over this.”

  I nodded, relieved that things were running smoothly. “The customers?”

  “No more people screaming and demanding their money from us, so all is good on that front as well.” Elliot reached for a glass of water on his desk, taking a sip. “All things considered, everything is looking good. As we expected, the storm has blown over and the media has moved on. We didn’t really lose any more customers than we do in a regular month and we actually onboarded more than we usually do.”

  My chest rose and fell on a quiet sigh of relief. “No harm, no foul?”

  He raised his hand and tipped it from side to side. “Our reputation is intact and operations are continuing as they did prior to the robbery. Obviously there was harm, but it’s not irreparable. I would even argue that it’s already been repaired.”

  “That’s good to know.” Reports coming in from the other branches and institutions under the Yates Finance umbrella were saying the same thing. If anything, the entire situation had resulted in nothing more than us deciding it was time to overhaul our security system, which had been due for an upgrade in any event. “You think it’s really over?”

  He nodded curtly. “I do. We took a hit, but we’re still standing, and I don’t think there’s another one coming.”

  “Thank God.” The coffee machine whirred and filled my cup. When the last drop had fallen, I picked it up and took a seat across from Elliot’s desk. “Did you mention our talk about headquarters to your wife?”

  “Not yet.” Elliot pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing his eyes. “I don’t want to say anything until we know for sure that there’s a move on the books.”

  “Makes sense.” Steam rose from the surface of my mug, smelling sweet and perfect. “I’ve been looking into it like I promised. I don’t have any news yet, but when I do, you’ll be the first to know.”

  “Thanks.” He sipped his water while I waited for my coffee to cool enough that I wouldn’t burn my tongue on the first sip. “How about you? Did you talk to Valerie?”

  “No, not in the way you’re asking about.” It had been right there on the tip of my tongue when I’d fallen asleep with her in my arms, but she was so worried about the job situation that I hadn’t wanted to add something else that might weigh on her mind.

  There was plenty of time for us to talk about my going back to Boston and what that might mean for the two of us. “I did speak to her about her job hunt, though.”

  “Oh yeah?” Elliot met my eyes. “How’s that going?”

  “It wasn’t going so well,” I admitted. “No one was willing to give her a chance, so I went to talk to a friend of mine. He’s agreed to give her a shot, so hopefully her job hunt will be over real soon and she can stop worrying about it.”

  He lifted a brow, setting down his water glass in a move that seemed too slow—measured—for some reason. “Please tell me she knows you’ve spoken to this friend and that she asked you to do it.”

  “Not really.”

  He made an exasperated sound and cursed under his breath. “What do you mean by that? She didn’t ask you, but she knows you did it?”

  “She doesn’t know.” I could see from his expression that he definitely did not approve. Shrugging, I held up a hand. “Just wait before you say anything, okay? Valerie needed this. She was going to give up, Elliot. I saw it in her eyes when she came over to my house the other day. She was fighting against it tooth and nail, but she was at the end of her rope. I couldn’t just sit by and watch these new dreams of hers that I helped her form fall apart, not when all it would take to get her in was one fucking conversation.”

  He sighed heavily, but some of the fight left his posture. “This could be a problem, Fulton. I don’t know this woman, but I can promise you that when she finds out what you did, you’d better have a very well thought out, genuine apology ready or you’re going to lose her.”

  “She never has to find out,” I said quietly after sucking in a pained breath at the thought of losing her. “Valerie will never know I went to speak to Adam. Everything will be fine.”

  Lifting his brows, he pressed his lips into a thin line. “Just because you don’t want her to find out doesn’t mean she’s not going to. These things have a way of coming out, no matter how badly we don’t want them to.”

  My replying argument was cut off by the sound of my phone ringing. I shifted in my chair to wedge my hand into my pocket and pulled it out, turning the screen toward Elliot. “It’s her. I have to take this.”

  He nodded and I slid my thumb across the green bar to answer her call. “Hey, you. What’s up?”

  “Fulton, I have to talk to you. As soon as you can. Can we meet?” She was slightly out of breath, and her words were staggered like she was jumping or running or something while she spoke.

  “Sure.” I sent up a silent plea that she sounded excited and not pissed off. “Where do you want me to meet you?”

  She rattled off the name and address of a restaurant situated on the roof of one of the buildings downtown. “I’ll see you there in two hours. We can have dinner.”

  “I’ll see you then.” I caught Elliot’s eyes as I ended the call with Valerie. There was worry in his gaze, but he didn’t bring it up when I said goodbye.

  I appreciated his concern, but I was ninety percent sure it wasn’t necessary. This wasn’t going to blow up in my face or cost me my relationship with Valerie. Everything was going to be fine. I was on top of it. Nothing to worry about. Yeah right.

  Chapter 32

  Valerie

  I whistled under my breath, taking in the two-hundred-and-seventy-degree view of the city from the Sky Deck. My palms were on the railing, my legs pressed against the protective glass barrier beneath it. If there was any way I could’ve gotten closer to the magnificence that was this view, I’d have done it.

  Then again, just about everything had a sparkly, beautiful quality about it today. The view would’ve been a winner any day, but today it was so stunning that it took my breath away.

  It didn’t hurt that the most gorgeous, caring man I knew was standing beside me. Fulton’s palm was resting heavily at the small of my back, his warmth seeping into me through the thin material of my patterned maxi dress.

  “Why have I never been up here before?” I wasn’t sure if my question was directed at him or at myself, but Fulton was the one who answered it.

  “It’s seems like a special occasion kind of place, so maybe there just hasn’t been an occasion that has warranted it.” There was a reverence in his tone that I totally understood. Seeing the city from this point of view was humbling, reminding us what small cogs we r
eally were in a machine powered by the millions of others we shared this city with.

  It was humbling, but it also commanded a deep respect for the concrete jungle that coexisted so beautifully with the sparkling blue water and powdery beaches. Tall trees were the only barrier between that which had been made by man and what we’d had to work with.

  For the first time, I realized what people meant when they talked about nature being the perfect canvas. What I was looking out at now seemed like the most intricate artwork, the sun dipping low and casting the world in an orange glow and the city lights coming on in little sparks of light that popped like stars against the soft light.

  “Every day should be an occasion that warrants this.” My voice was barely above a whisper, but I knew Fulton heard me because I saw him nodding his agreement from the corner of my eye. “How did you know we were here to celebrate a special occasion?”

  I felt him tense, but the moment was over so fast that I couldn’t be sure. “Call it a hunch. You sounded really energetic when you called earlier, and you have excitement coming off you in waves now. So do want to share with the class? What’s the occasion?”

  “Let’s find a table first.” I turned to face him, smiling as I reached for the hand that had been on my back. Fulton’s blue eyes were warm on mine, crinkled slightly at the corners in a way that made it look like his very soul was smiling.

  As though the hostess had been waiting for us to finish enjoying the view before interrupting us, she appeared behind Fulton’s back. “It’s quite something, isn’t it? Table for two when you’re ready?”

  “We’re ready.” We turned to face her together, but my mind’s eye was still marveling at the view. Fulton grasped my hand tighter, bringing me out of my reverie, and gave the waitress a polite smile. “Lead the way.”