by Tamie Dearen
The PowerPoint presentation needed to prove this would also be the most favorable option for the two companies. Otherwise, Gherring Inc. would simply buy out the two companies and merge the acquisitions. It was very complex, but she planned to study until she understood it, backwards and forwards.
And concentrating on this will keep me from thinking about Gherring.
“Does that make sense?” Sam had just given Anne a summary of a concept that had her head spinning.
“I think that helps me understand enough to make sense of this article. “
“I can’t believe you’re doing this all on your own,” said Sam. “Why isn’t Mr. Gherring helping you?”
“He’s really busy working with Jared today. This will be Jared’s first big presentation, and I’m sure he’s nervous. I would be—I hate public speaking.”
“You seem to grasp the basic concepts pretty well. It’s all very complex. I’m sure even Jeff didn’t understand all the international laws that are involved. Mr. Gherring is the only one who really does. I’ve already taught you everything I know. But I’ll pass on your questions to Randy. His specialty is mergers and acquisitions.”
“Thanks. Maybe after I talk to Henri, I’ll run up there and pick his brain.”
“So things are still going strong with Henri?” Sam asked. “I still can’t believe you snagged him. Women around here have been falling all over him for years. You show up, and he’s following you around like a puppy dog. Do you have some secret aphrodisiac?”
“She certainly seems to,” Steven Gherring’s deep voice carried from the doorway of the conference room.
“Hi, Mr. Gherring. I was just leaving.” Sam made a small gesture to Anne indicating she would call her later.
“Are you making progress?” he asked.
“Yes, it’s coming along.”
“Unfortunately, I have to go to a meeting with some investors this afternoon. You know I don’t expect you to do this on your own. I’ll tackle it tomorrow and try to get it into a form you can put in the PowerPoint. Sound okay?”
“I’ll just keep plugging along. Katie’s handling all the day-to-day stuff.”
“Great.” His jaw flexed, causing his dimples to appear beside a grimace. “I think we need to talk… about last night.”
“Mr. Gherring, the last thing I want to do is talk about last night. I’d like to forget about it, and I’d appreciate it if you’d help me do just that. So let’s make an agreement not to talk about anything.”
“We can’t not talk about anything.”
“Of course I don’t mean that. I’m your PA. So, we can talk about work-related subjects.”
“I’m not agreeing to not talk.” Gherring huffed as his hands balled into tight fists. “I won’t press the matter right now, because I’ve got to get to this meeting. But I’ll promise you this much—you will talk with me. Or if you prefer you can sit quietly and pretend to listen. It’s going to happen. Just not today.”
He left the conference room, shutting the door hard enough to emphasize his irritation.
What does he have to be irritated about?
Anne’s hands shook with adrenaline. At least she’d managed to put off the discussion until tomorrow. She felt so humiliated. What she needed was a pep talk, and she knew just where to get it—Henri.
His face appeared on the screen, still sporting his scruffy look. “I am so happy to see you. You look amazing. Those deep brown eyes, they are fathomless.”
“Thanks, Henri. I needed an ego boost. And how do you know a word like ‘fathomless’?”
“I have been reading English poetry. And why do you need an ego boost? Someone as beautiful as you should not need boosting.”
Anne didn’t want to share the real reason for her distress. “Even someone as handsome as you must have doubts every once in a while.”
Henri appeared to think hard. “No. I believe I have always been perfect.” He tried to smile, but his expression was strained. “I hate to bring you down when you need a boost, but…”
“What’s wrong, Henri?”
“It’s my niece, Anna-Laure. She said that her leg was hurting, and we thought it was from riding the pony. But now the doctors are afraid it may be something worse. It might even be cancer.”
“Oh no! Are they doing tests? When will you know?”
“She had some blood tests today, and she will have more tests later in the week.” Henri looked absolutely destitute. “I cannot lose her. And her mom and her brother will be devastated.”
“I’ll pray for her—I promise.”
“I must be strong for my sister, but I feel so alone. I wish you were here. You could hold my hand. You understand now, don’t you? You see why I feel strongly for you? I knew from the beginning you were different from the other women. There are many women who want me, who offer themselves to me. But they are selfish, as I am selfish. But you are not selfish, and you make me want to be like you.”
“I’m not perfect either, Henri. You just don’t know me well enough. If you put me on a pedestal, you’ll be very disappointed when you see the real me.”
“I am not so young that I am naïve, mon ange. I know you are human, not a real angel. You will see when you come to Paris.”
“I wish I could come tonight, Henri. I’d hold your hand and cry with you. I hope by the time I come, you’ll have good news.”
“If you would come tonight, I would buy your ticket. But you will not come, will you?”
“I… my job…”
“Your job.” Henri’s expression was sour. “Gherring does not appreciate you. You are more than a PA. You have a degree in chemistry, so you must be very intelligent. Anyone else would know you could be so much more than a PA.”
Anne took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “A chemistry degree and no job experience except being a part-time travel agent and a mother doesn’t qualify you for many positions. I’m lucky to have this job.”
“Still, Gherring does not know how valuable you are. He uses people. He plays with their lives. That is how he makes his living.”
“Henri, I don’t think he’s as bad as you think he is.”
“Of course, my angel, you will defend him. He does not deserve your loyalty. Let me ask you a question… Has he never done anything to keep you in his control? Has he never made you feel foolish? Has he never made you think he was your friend, and then done something to hurt you?”
She didn’t answer, struggling with memories of the previous night. Henri continued, “But a better question is this… Have I ever done any of those things to you? I pray the answer is no. If I have, I fall on my face and beg you to forgive me.”
“No Henri, you haven’t ever done any of those things.”
“But? There is something you are not saying.”
“But… but you push me, Henri. I don’t like pressure. It makes me nervous.”
“I am sorry.”
“You don’t look like you’re really sorry.”
Henri chuckled. “Life is short, and I have wasted much of it. I do not want to waste another day. So I may try to hurry you along.”
Anne tried to keep a stern countenance, but failed. “Okay, Henri. You’re forgiven.”
His smile was unrepentant.
After meeting with Sam’s friend, Randy, Anne attacked her project with a vengeance. She had slides to show the actual profits from the five prior years. Then she organized the PowerPoint with comparison tables to show the projected profit with the merger and cooperative contract. She had organizational charts and slides with tax consequences.
Occasionally, some of Jeff’s notes would look like a foreign language to her, but so far Randy had been able to clarify the issues. Anne was tired but extremely pleased with her progress. She started reading a particularly tedious stack of notes. The information was random. Some pertaining to the physical plant while others referred to economic trends. She read until her eyes were blurry.
“Anne! What are y
ou still doing here?” Gherring’s voice startled her from her trance.
“I was… I was just working. What time is it?”
“It’s nine thirty! There’s no one here but the night guards. How were you planning to get home?”
“I don’t know. The subway, I guess. I didn’t know it was so late. What are you doing here?”
“I tried to call you, and you didn’t answer your cell.”
“My phone is right here.” She picked it up from the table and stared at the black screen. “Oh. It’s dead.”
“You weren’t at the apartment and Rayna hadn’t seen you come in.” Gherring flailed his arms. “Gram didn’t know where you were. I even called Emily, and she hadn’t heard from you. Everyone was worried.”
“You had Emily’s cell number?”
“That’s not the point. No one knew where you were. You can’t stay here this late by yourself.”
“Okay, I’m sorry. But look what I got done. I’ve almost finished Jeff’s whole PowerPoint.”
“I don’t care about the PowerPoint. I care about—”
“You’d better care about this PowerPoint! I’ve sweated blood over this thing, and you’re going to look at it whether you want to or not!” She glared at him with her arms crossed, until he finally gave in.
“Fine. Let me see what you’ve got.” He leaned over the computer. “You do remember I said I would do this tomorrow?”
“Yes, but that doesn’t give you time to practice the presentation.” Anne brought up the PowerPoint, flashing quickly through the slides and summarizing the information. “Okay, that’s not quite all of it, but most of it. What do you think?” She held her breath.
He was staring at the computer screen, scrolling though the PowerPoint. “How did you do this? How did you put this together using those crappy notes Jeff left? How did you know how to organize this or what this stuff even meant?”
“I just did some research, and I got Randy from the international accounting department to explain the concepts and the laws and such. I mean, some of it still seems like Greek to me, but I’ve got the gist of it.” She paused for a breath, crossing her fingers. “Is it good?”
His eyebrows arched high and he smiled, his dimples announcing his pleasure. “It’s great. Just when I think I’m finally getting to know you, you surprise me again. I mean, every day it’s something new.” He shook his head, and then he forced his face into a stern expression. “But that doesn’t mean you’re out of trouble for scaring me to death. Oh… and you need to call Emily. I’ll call Gram.”
Anne rode home with Gherring in the limousine. She was so tired she didn’t argue with him about her mode of transportation. Relaxing in the back with the vibration of the car, she felt herself nodding off, even though the ride only lasted fifteen minutes. She woke with a jolt when the car stopped and found herself leaning against his shoulder.
“I moved over so you could lean on me. Your head was tilting at an awful angle.”
“Thank you.” She felt awkward and shy at his sweet and gentle manner. He didn’t seem to be teasing her. Maybe he’d learned his lesson.
“It’s the least I could do. After all, I’m the reason you’re so worn out. Let’s get you upstairs.”
Gherring supported her elbow as they walked in, even that small contact sending warmth into her bloodstream. When they walked into the lobby together, Rayna spotted them immediately.
“Thank goodness you found her. Is she okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
But Gherring had stopped cold.
“Steven,” said a soft female voice.
Anne turned to see the owner. She was blonde and beautiful. Anne knew immediately she was wealthy. By now, Anne recognized the look—soft, self-assured, impeccably dressed, sophisticated demeanor, a subtly powerful presence.
“I’ve been waiting for you. I hope you don’t mind.” She strode confidently to Steven and kissed his cheek, before her glance slid questioningly to where Gherring’s hand still supported Anne’s elbow. “Have you rescued some fair maiden?”
Gherring broke from his reverie. “Michelle, this is Anne, my…”
“His secretary. I’m his secretary.” Anne spoke in a flat, emotionless tone. She wrenched her elbow from his grip. “I think I can make it upstairs alone. Thank you, sir… for the ride home.”
Anne started for the elevator. She heard Michelle speaking in a low voice to Gherring. “Can we go up? It would be nice to have some privacy.”
“Do you have a hotel room?” His voice sounded gruff and a bit impatient.
“No, I was hoping…” Her voice trailed off and a sob escaped.
Escaping into the elevator, Anne turned around to face the lobby and let her eyes fall on Gherring. He was standing frozen in place, but Michelle had thrown her arms around him, crying inconsolably. For just a moment, his eyes locked with Anne’s. The doors closed, shutting off her view and vaulting her back to reality.
Fortunately, she was too tired to be disturbed by the appearance of this Michelle woman. Or she should’ve been. Instead, she lay awake until after two a.m., reliving their emotional moment, and slept restlessly, tearing her covers off the bed.
She dragged herself into the office the next morning and headed straight to the conference room, intent on finishing the Switzerland project. She’d been working undisturbed for almost an hour, when Gherring came to the door.
“Good morning, Anne.” His voice was hesitant. He looked like he thought she might start yelling at him. She hadn’t realized he must feel even more awkward than she did. It wasn’t his fault Anne had fretted all night about something that was none of her business.
“Morning.” She kept her tone bright. “I’m getting a lot done.”
He sighed. “I hate to do this to you, but Michelle would like to talk to you.”
“Why?” The word stuck in her throat. She had no desire to talk to his ex, whether or not they had renewed their relationship last night. “Why does she want to talk to me? I’m nobody.”
Gherring frowned. “Don’t say that—”
He stumbled to the side as Michelle pushed her way into the room. “Please! I must talk to you!”
Anne scrutinized Michelle—her quivering lips, her reddened nose, and her still-swollen eyes. Perhaps her night had been as bad as Anne’s. Her heart softened.
“Of course you can talk to me. I just don’t know why you’d want to.”
Michelle nodded at Gherring and he closed the door, leaving the two women alone. “Can I sit down?”
“Sure.”
“I need to ask you about Henri.”
“Henri? Why do you—” Anne’s mouth fell open. “Oh—you’re that Michelle!” Now Anne remembered Katie’s story about the broken engagement between Michelle and Gherring.
“Steven tells me you’re dating Henri.”
“I don’t know if you can call it dating. I went out with him a few times while he was here, and I’ve talked to him on FaceTime. But I’m here, and he’s in Paris. And you’ve probably noticed, I have a job. So I can’t just drop everything and move to Paris.”
“But Henri likes you, doesn’t he? It’s not like him to actually pursue a woman. He must really like you.”
“Look, I don’t know the whole story.” Anne swallowed, choosing her words. “But I understand you used to date Henri, and you also dated Steven. I was also told you turned both of them down. Is that about right?”
“Yes. But I realize I made a mistake.”
“It’s none of my business. I try not to be a judging person, so you don’t need to explain your reasons to me, of all people. And if you and Steven have decided to marry after all, I think that’s good. He needs someone. I hate he’s alone.”
“But that’s not it at all! Just let me explain.” She looked behind her as if to be sure no one else was in the room. “I met Henri, and we were crazy about each other. But I knew he was a real player, so I didn’t really trust him. I broke it off.”
She seemed to grow more upset as she shared her story, swiping at the tears rolling down her face. “But then I realized I still loved Henri. So we made up this story about me wanting children and Steven refusing, just to keep my parents and Gram from hounding us. And we called off the marriage.”
Anne nodded. “I can see you’d have to take desperate measures with Gram. She can be pretty tenacious.”
Michelle stopped to search through her purse for a tissue to wipe her face, collapsing into a chair next to Anne. “Six months later, I decided to go to Paris and give it a try. For a couple of weeks it was perfect. Henri was perfect. And he was rich enough I knew he didn’t love me for my money. I know that sounds snobby or stupid, but that kind of thing happens all the time. I’ve been burned so many times.”
She looked so miserable Anne put her hand on her arm to comfort her. “I’m sure it’s hard. That sounds terrible.”
She blinked away a few tears and continued. “One day I noticed Henri was always gone for an hour at the same time every afternoon. So, I know this sounds awful, but I followed him. And I saw him with two kids, a boy and a girl, and the boy looked just like him. I knew they were his kids, and I was just furious he hadn’t told me. We fought, and I wouldn’t let him explain. So I left. The press assumed I’d caught him in an affair, and so did the rest of the world, including Steven.”
Michelle took a deep quivery breath. “But the thing is, I found out later those weren’t Henri’s kids. Do you know about them?”
“They were his sister’s kids, right?”