“It’s just the family from what I know,” he stated.
“Exactly,” she replied softly. “There are a lot of you guys and I’ve only met Rosslyn and Charles.”
“And me,” he corrected.
“How could I forget?” she teased. “I don’t normally mix business with pleasure, and you obviously are aware that I supply some staffing for Grayson Corp.”
“Yes I do. And I heard that Rosslyn is pleased with your employees. It’s something I wanted to discuss with my brothers as well.”
“And that is the problem. I never…”
“Associate with potential clients. If you’d rather, I can tell my brothers not to consider Today & Tomorrow and we can look elsewhere,” he offered.
“No! I…I’d like the opportunity to show you what I can do,” Gianna stated.
I’d like that. Unfortunately you’re only talking about work.
“Then why don’t we order dessert while you plan your pitch,” Jordan said.
Gianna snickered and replied, “How about we eat dessert and you can call my office and make an appointment for next week.”
“Agreed.” He picked up the menu and scanned the dessert section. “What’s your feelings on a chocolate lava cake? Feel like splitting one?”
“No way. I mean I love them, but since I haven’t eaten, I’m not sharing one bite,” she grinned.
“You’re right,” he said.
“About the cake?” she asked.
He shook his head. “You’re no pushover Gianna Ionnetty.”
Gianna glared at him. “Please don’t base my business skills around my love of chocolate. I’m not sure which surpasses the other.”
“I’ll let you know next week,” he teased. “Now let’s order and this time, eat it.”
“Sounds good, as long as you understand I wasn’t joking. I’m not sharing,” she smiled.
He was glad she seemed to have relaxed, but even though she wasn’t concerned about Marvin, Jordan was. The only thing Marvin had done over all these years was up his game. Gianna wasn’t ready for it. Jordan was going to need to make sure he was close by to play interference. That meant there was no way was he waiting until Saturday before he saw her again.
“I’ll agree to those terms only if you’ll have dinner with me again tomorrow night.”
“Jordan, I don’t want to spend every night talking about Marvin,” she stated.
“I don’t believe I mentioned his name. What do you say? Want to try actually eating a meal with me?”
Gianna sighed. “And if I say no, does that mean I can cross Lawson Steel off as a potential client?”
He had to give her credit. She was blunt. “Like yourself, I take my business very seriously. If you gain a contract with Lawson Steel, it’ll be strictly based on you being able to meet the company’s needs.” And not mine.
She looked at him as though she wasn’t sure what to say. Eventually she nodded. “Okay. But this time we can be clear as to where we are meeting.”
“Better yet, I’ll pick you up. How about seven?” he suggested.
“Seven it is. Now if we don’t order dessert now, you won’t have to worry about tomorrow. Because I’ll faint from hunger,” she said jokingly.
Jordan waved the waitress back over and placed their order, two chocolate molten lava cakes. He wasn’t sure what her plans were after this, but his was to hit the gym. Hopefully it’d burn not just the calories off, but also clear his head as to why he was doing all this. She wasn’t nineteen any longer. She didn’t need his protection. But you’re going to get it anyway.
Gianna paced the floor. There was so much she could be doing right now, sleep was on the top of the list, but instead she was replaying the entire conversation from earlier. She had wanted to ask what Marvin had said to Jordan. It didn’t appear that Marvin ever told Jordan that it all had been a sham. That left her in a very awkward place. Should she tell Jordan now? Does it even matter all these years later?
There was one problem with all of this. Jordan very well could be just as big of a player as Marvin was. The only difference was she knew what game Marvin was playing and why. Jordan, well he was a lot harder to figure out. Like why ask me to dinner again? It was this kind of stuff that was keeping her up right now.
But it was more than Jordan asking her out that bothered her. Why did she agree? This morning she’d wanted to avoid him, and had every intention of canceling their plans. Each time was stressful. She needed to think before speaking all the time. It was a good practice anyway, but this was for an entirely different reason. And although she shouldn’t, she felt guilty about how she answered his questions. Words formed in a way that never really answered his question.
God. I’m getting as bad as Marvin.
This was the problem of lies. The longer they went on, the more difficult it was to keep them. She knew exactly what she needed to do. Tomorrow night she would tell Jordan the truth, or at least a part of it. There were things that didn’t need to be said. But it was time to come clean about never being in love with Marvin.
Gianna snickered. Maybe I’ll wait until after we eat.
Looking at the clock, it was almost midnight. Even if she went and laid down now, all she’d do would be toss and turn. So she picked up her laptop and headed for the couch instead. There was one thing that couldn’t wait. Today & Tomorrow needed to really find some outstanding candidates if she had any hope of snagging Lawson Steel. Jordan never hinted as to what type of assistance they might need. She could use the same model as Grayson Corp, since they were in the same line of work. Yet that was assuming Jordan planned on utilizing them in the same way. No. She needed to cast a wider net and have skilled employees in a variety of fields. It was something she’d been planning on doing. Now she wished she had already started the process. Gianna felt like she was behind the eight-ball and her business was riding on this.
Gianna had no idea when she had fallen asleep, but the sound of knocking on her door startled her, and the laptop slipped, and she caught it just before it crashed onto the floor.
It was morning, because she could see the sun was out. Gianna knew exactly who it was. Dolores had been begging her to go out for an early morning run before work. This was the day she was supposed to start that torturous routine. She put her computer on the couch and went to open the door. Peeking through the peephole, she confirmed her visitor first.
“Hello Dolores. Guess you can tell I’m not ready,” Gianna said when she opened the door.
Dolores laughed. “Do you think for a minute I believed you would be? Don’t worry, I can wait.”
Gianna said, “I think you’ll need to wait until tomorrow. I’ve been up all night, well most of the night, working.”
She shook her head. “This is why you’re supposed to start running. Doing something for you to keep healthy. You can’t keep up this pace. You’re…”
“Please don’t say young. It drives me crazy every time my mother says it.” There was a difference. Her mother used it when she pressured Gianna about getting married and having children. Thankfully Dolores shared the status of happily single, just like her.
“Since I’m three months older than you, I’d never say that. But if you’re not careful, you’re going to break.” Dolores looked at her and said, “You need to shower and change for work anyway, so why not do it after a run? I promise, we’ll make it a short one.”
“And what do you consider short?” she asked. Dolores was the fitness queen in the building.
“Five miles,” she replied.
Gianna sighed, “Make it three and you’re on.”
Dolores smiled. “I was willing to settle for two, but you have a deal. Now get going. Time’s wasting.”
Gianna rushed into her bedroom and quickly changed into her work out clothes. She did a bit of stretching and then headed out to Dolores. “Was that fast enough for you?”
“Today, yes. But tomorrow, no excuses. Now let’s get going and you can tell
me why you couldn’t sleep.”
“I told you already. Work,” she said as she grabbed her keys and they headed out.
Dolores huffed. “One of these days you’re going to have something more exciting to talk about. You really need to get a life.”
“I have one. I run my own business,” Gianna stated.
“Oh Dolores, you need this run more than you know,” Dolores said.
“Trust me, right now all I need is sleep.”
“When I’m done with you, sleeping won’t be a problem. Now pick up the pace, you’re lagging behind,” Dolores said.
Gianna began jogging faster, but Dolores had an advantage. Dolores had five inches on her. “I think I need a shorter running partner,” she joked.
“Nope, just more practice. Tomorrow we can do four miles.”
She wanted to back out, but Dolores was right about one thing, she needed to do something. At least running took her mind off both Marvin and Jordan. At least for the moment.
When they got back to the apartment building she said, “Thanks Dolores, that was good. And I have just enough time to shower and get to work.”
“I thought you made your own hours,” Dolores said.
“Yes I do. That means going in early and leaving late,” Gianna explained. Yesterday afternoon didn’t count. And she made it up by working most of the night, not that she needed to explain it to anyone.
“Try to get home earlier tonight, because I’ll be by tomorrow at the same time and I expect to see you dressed and ready,” Dolores said as she left Gianna standing in front of the building.
Oh joy. Can’t wait. It’s just what I need. Something else on my schedule when there already aren’t enough hours in the day.
With everything she’d done last night, she really expected for her phone to start blowing up with calls from potential employees. Gianna highly doubted Jordan would talk about what Lawson Steel needed over dinner tonight, but if he did ask any questions, she wanted to be ready. If she had her choice, she’d rather talk about Marvin again. At least she knew where she stood on that.
It didn’t take her long to get ready and head into the office. Even before her feet hit the payment, the calls starting coming in.
Yes. This is going to be a good day.
5
“How can one woman be so damn hard to find?” Marvin grumbled.
Jordan couldn’t believe this is what he was dealing with right now. There was only so much he could blow Marvin off before Marvin began to question why. “Why is it so important for you to find Gianna? Has Rhonda finally given up on your ass?”
Marvin laughed. “Never. I could pick up the phone and she’d see me. Might take a little bit of convincing, maybe a trip to Paris, but she’d take me back. But it is getting old. I want something different.”
“That doesn’t answer why it has to be Gianna,” Jordan said.
“You mean besides the fact that she can kiss, like the kind a man dreams about? Damn it Jordan, I still can’t believe you didn’t go for it when I left.”
He didn’t want to hear about their sex life. No amount of alcohol would make that bearable. Jordan also wasn’t going to go back down that path. He knew Marvin wanted him to admit to something that didn’t happen. “You know what I’m talking about Marvin,” he growled.
Marvin nodded. “Gianna was special. I didn’t appreciate her like I should’ve back then.”
Like that would be any different now? I doubt it. “I’m not going to argue with you on that. But my feelings haven’t changed. You are not the right guy for her.”
“I know that. Hell, I’m not the right guy for anyone. That doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the chase,” Marvin grinned. “Nothing better than when someone who swore they’d never date you ends up marrying you.”
“And realizing what a terrible mistake they made and then divorces your ass,” Jordan stated, sickened by his friend.
“You see it all wrong Jordan. Think of this like a business.”
“What?” He might not be married or even thinking about it, but he knew it wasn’t like any contract they had.
“Just hear me out. If there is a customer who says no, do you walk away and take that as the final answer?” Marvin asked.
Jordan shook his head. “That is totally different.”
“No it’s not. You work harder, show them why they need you and how you’re the best. You don’t quit until you seal the deal.”
He leaned back and took another gulp of the much-needed beer. If this lunch went on any longer, he might need a keg to get through it. But unlike Marvin, Jordan was going back to work after this. Marvin, well he was going to do whatever Marvin did to fill his time. “And this is how you view women? As a business deal?”
“Don’t knock it until you try it.”
“No way am I trying that shit. I can’t even believe you do,” Jordan’s tone held the disgust he felt.
“I tell you, it works. I’ll bet you five-hundred dollars that I can even get it to work on Gianna,” Marvin smiled.
Jordan wanted to knock him on his ass, and would’ve if they weren’t in a bar. The last thing he needed was the media catching wind that he was in a barroom brawl. “You’ve been there once, no need to go back and do it again.”
“Are you kidding me? Gianna is like the biggest challenge. I haven’t even spoken to her since I didn’t show up for our wedding. Can you picture how sweet it would be if I was able to get her to do it all over again?”
“You sound like a fucking asshole. Is this really what you do with your life? You search out women and make their lives miserable?” He knew Marvin’s track record was bad, but this was beyond anything he thought Marvin was capable of.
“At least I’m not spending both day and night at a desk instead of being out there living,” Marvin said, then downed the last of his beer. He called the bartender over and said, “Another round.”
“Not for me. I’ve got to get back to that ‘desk’.” He got up and tossed a twenty on the bar, then said, “Marvin, leave her alone.”
Marvin turned and looked at Jordan. “What is it to you? You didn’t even like her.”
“This isn’t about me. I think she’s been through enough with your ass already. Move on,” he said.
“I will. Who knows, maybe I won’t even want her once I find her.”
No. You’ll want her even more, because she’s more than you ever dreamed she’d be.
“I can’t believe we were actually best friends once. What the hell happened to you Marvin? When did you become so…”
“Happy? Because that’s exactly what I am. I’m living the life that you don’t have the balls to. Maybe someday you’ll grow some and tell your family to fuck off and you can finally get a life. Until then, you just enjoy being under their thumb. I’m never going to be anyone’s bitch. But then again, I’m not you,” he said as he picked up another beer.
It was evident that Marvin was on his way to getting drunk again today. Sadly it was only one o’clock. But that meant Marvin probably wasn’t going to do any more serious searching for Gianna today. That was going to bide Jordan a little time. He still needed to come up with some plan to get Marvin to back the fuck off. He hated the fact this was how he treated women, but Jordan couldn’t protect them all from getting their hearts broken. Hopefully he could at least protect one.
One time around with Marvin is enough. She doesn’t need a round two.
Right now, he needed someone to keep an eye on Marvin for him, while he worked on gaining Gianna’s trust. She might have agreed to dinner, but they were not even close to being at the point he could tell her all about Marvin. That was going to take time.
He pulled out his cell and called Salvatore Marciano.
“Hello Jordan. What can I do for you?” Sal asked.
“I have a situation that I need your help with,” Jordan said. “One that doesn’t directly involve Lawson Steel, but it could if it got out of hand.”
“In what w
ay?” Sal asked.
“That I might be arrested for kicking his fucking ass if I can’t stop him,” he admitted. Sal was head of security, but before that, he’d been a cop. Jordan knew Sal understood that everyone had a breaking point. If Marvin hurt Gianna, that most likely would be his.
Sal said, “I suggest we meet, and not at the office. Feel like a walk in Central Park?”
Not really. “You tell me where and when.”
“Thirty minutes, by the fountain.”
Jordan knew exactly which one he meant. It wasn’t the first time they had met there. Usually it was for a run. This time of day, it wouldn’t be too crowded, but he sure didn’t want to be overheard.
“I’ll be there.” Jordan ended the call, and then dialed his brother Seth.
“You on your way?” Seth asked.
“Actually, I need to reschedule. Let’s make it tomorrow, the same time,” Jordan suggested.
“You’re the one who wanted this meeting. What changed?” he asked.
He wasn’t about to get into it, but he needed to tell him something. “Still working on my plan and need to do some more research before passing it by you.”
“I thought you were passing it by me before bringing it to the others,” he said.
“I am. But I need as much information as I can first. I know how you are Seth. You’re going to want me to have answers for all your questions.”
Seth laughed. “That’s why you asked me. At least I ask the questions instead of just shooting down ideas.”
That’s exactly why he chose Seth. But also Seth was the quieter of the brothers. Usually if he told him something, it stayed between them. Not that Jordan’s business plan was top secret, but he wanted Gianna to have a chance before being told no. He also didn’t want it getting out before the party on Saturday. If it did, it’d be more like an interview than a gathering of family and friends.
One friend I know won’t be invited is Marvin.
“I can’t do tomorrow. Let’s make it Friday. Unless this is urgent?” Seth asked.
“Friday works. Oh, I might not make it back in the office today. I’ve got some things I need to take care of.”
The Billionaire's Revenge (The Blank Check Series Book 6) Page 6