“Oh,” John said, sounding disappointed. “I guess you did send it.”
“I promised it to you before one o’clock.” Zoe took another bite of her sandwich. Maybe, just maybe, he’d let her eat her lunch in peace.
John stuck the phone back in his pocket. He crossed his arms and watched her with a frown. “What about the training programs that are supposed to start next week?”
“The presentations are ready,” Zoe replied and sipped from the can of sparkling water in front of her.
“Ready? Already? Are you sure?”
She nodded. “Very sure. I used the presentation from the previous year and updated it with all the new information I have.”
John immediately shook his head. “No. That won’t work.”
“Why not?” She bit her tongue instead of saying it had worked for the previous seven years.
“The employees get bored when it’s the same old stuff presented every day. I need a new presentation.”
“The regulations haven’t changed. The focus isn’t the presentation. I’ve worked out an interactive way to reinforce the intent of the regulations.” Something else she’d done for the past few years, which earned her favorable reviews from employees whenever she taught a class.
“Nope. Not going to work. That’s why they chose me in this position. They wanted new ideas. Something fresh. You play things too safe, Zoe. Send me the presentations then come to my office. We’ll go through the slides and see how we can update it with any new information.”
“That’s exactly what I said I would do.”
He waved off her words. “You’ll leave too much old stuff. Come on. Let’s get a start now.”
She pointed to her sandwich. “I’m at lunch.”
He shrugged and looked at her as if she was making a ridiculous point. “So bring it with you. It’ll be a working lunch. You’re an exempt employee anyway. You’re expected to work through lunch.” He turned and went to the door. “Chop chop.” He snapped his fingers with each word.
Zoe flinched and gritted her teeth. She glanced at the other people sitting around the conference room. Saw the looks of solidarity and sympathy. Years of giving one hundred and ten percent only to have to report to John? Was this what the next several years of her life would be like?
Pushing aside the depressing thought, Zoe got up from the table and put her half-eaten sandwich into her lunch bag. No need to bring it with her. Knowing John, he’ll have her constantly working on the presentation and she wouldn’t even get a chance to take a bite. As she went back to her office to send John the perfectly fine presentation, she questioned her life choices.
* * *
ZOE SCOOPED OUT a heaping spoonful of red beans and rice and dumped it onto her plate. She glanced at the mound of rice, then the pot and scooped out another spoonful. Her growling stomach approved.
“Zoe, seriously, leave some rice for the rest of us,” Victoria teased.
Zoe’s cheeks heated. She dropped the second spoonful and moved on to pierce a grilled chicken breast and added it to the mound of rice. “I missed lunch today.”
Victoria frowned. “John again?”
Zoe just sighed and added a roll to her plate. Lilah and Julie had made their plates and were already laughing and whispering over their food in the dining room. Zoe took her plate of food to the kitchen table then went to the fridge.
“You guessed it.” She opened the fridge and pulled out a can of sparkling water.
Victoria flipped her long faux locks over her shoulders. Her dark eyes sparked with a you’re-better-than-me look. “I don’t know how you can stay there after they passed you over.”
“I need the job, the money, the security,” Zoe said. All three things were true, and for the first time in her life she felt pinned in by the responsibilities of adulthood.
Hook up with a guy who will take care of you forever. You may have to put up with some shit, but it’s worth it.
Her mother’s advice rang through her head. She’d started the early years of her life like that. Had let Kendell handle her car payment, buy her books and take her on shopping trips while accepting his jealousy and occasional slaps as the shit she’d have to put up with. Now she was independent. She paid for everything herself. Answered to only herself. While she did not want to go back to a relationship like she had with Kendell, she wished she could snap her fingers and make all the reasons she had to stay at Valtec disappear.
“I’m vested,” Zoe said. The word everyone at Valtec used once they’d been there five years or more. If she stuck it out until retirement, she would get retirement benefits. If she left she’d have to start all over somewhere else.
Victoria came over and sat across from Zoe. “Vested in what? That guy’s bullshit? You deserved that position. Start looking and get the hell out of there.” She took a bite of her rice.
The idea of looking for a new job scared Zoe. What if they didn’t pay her what Valtec paid? What if she went there and worked for someone worse than John? What if she was fired because she was a newer employee and was in worse shape than she was in now?
She shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ve got too much going on right now. I’ll think about it after the weekend.”
“What’s this weekend?”
Zoe shrugged but avoided Victoria’s see-all gaze by cutting her chicken. “Another campaign event.”
“Another one? Zoe, you’ve spent the past two weekends in North Carolina already. I thought after the announcement you’d be done. Do you really have to keep going up there?”
“I don’t, but I like to try and help out.” Even though Byron had approached her about going public she was the one who’d come up with the lie in the first place. If she would have handled her situation herself, he never would be in this position.
“Mmm hmm...” Victoria stabbed at the grilled vegetables on her plate.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Victoria held up a hand. “Nothing. I’m staying out of it. What’s the event this weekend?”
Zoe decided to let that go. “Campaign dinner. They want the entire family there.” Victoria raised a brow and Zoe continued quickly. “I’m not really family, but they want people to see that I’m getting along with Byron and his family. He’s getting some bad press after the reveal.”
Even though she hadn’t revealed the entire truth to Victoria, she had reiterated to her friend that she was not family. She didn’t want to consider herself as family. If she did, then she’d think too much about how it felt when Byron looked into her eyes for too long. How he still made her laugh. The way her body awakened whenever she got a whiff of his cologne. She had to be the outsider before she started having insider thoughts.
“Who wants you to get along with everyone? Byron or the fiancée?”
“The fiancée,” Zoe admitted. “She’s nice enough. She’s been super supportive during this entire thing and she’s great with Lilah.”
Victoria leaned in. “But...”
“But I don’t know. I think it’s weird because it’s a forced friendship. I’m sure I’d like her either way.”
Except Yolanda wasn’t the type of woman Zoe would have pictured Byron with. He dated all types of women when they were in college, so Zoe couldn’t say he had a specific type. But something about Yolanda didn’t seem like she was right with him. She was ambitious, smart and pleasant enough, but one thing was missing. All the women Byron typically went for were crazy about him. Yolanda wasn’t crazy about Byron. Yolanda didn’t look at Byron like she couldn’t wait to be alone with him. Byron didn’t look at Yolanda as if he knew most of her secrets and couldn’t wait to uncover more. They looked like a couple in some 50s sitcom: perfect with no passion.
“Well, go with your gut. Just because she’s nice doesn’t mean you two have to be friends.”
“Oh,
I am well aware of that.” Zoe stabbed a piece of chicken and quickly cut it into smaller pieces.
“And while you’re up there politicking, maybe use your new connections to help you find a way out of Valtec.”
Zoe stopped cutting her chicken. “What do you mean?”
Victoria gave her a don’t-be-dumb look. “You know what I mean. You’ve been helping them. They can help you, too.”
Zoe waved a hand and shook her head. “I can’t ask them for a job.”
His parents had thought she only wanted Byron for his money. She didn’t doubt his dad still believed she was out to play Byron. Asking for more help would only fuel that suspicion.
“I’m not saying ask for a job. Just see if they can put in a good word for you somewhere else. You’re connected to a rich, influential family now. If they can help you get from under John’s obnoxious thumb, then go for it.”
“I don’t want to owe them anything.”
“Would Byron expect anything back if he helped you?”
He wouldn’t. Zoe had thought more than once of his suggestion that she move to Jackson Falls. He said he’d have an update on the emails when she came to town this week. She dreaded the answer. Either someone she knew was behind them and really wanted to make her pay, or she’d been the victim of a prank and had freaked out and scared Byron for nothing. Even if it was the latter, Byron would give her a reference if she looked for another job. He wouldn’t help with the expectation of being owed something.
“He’d be chill about it.”
“Then think it over while you’re there. Valtec told you with their decision exactly where they want you to stay in their company. Use the new changes in your life to level up.”
Zoe took a bite of the savory red beans and rice and nodded. The logic of Victoria’s words sank in. Not wanting to be considered as trying to use Byron wasn’t the same as asking for a reference. She’d try to see what she could find on her own first. It wasn’t as if any potential employer who bothered to look her up wouldn’t see she was connected to the Robidoux family. She just hoped the connection that was supposed to make her life safer didn’t further hinder her future.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
BYRON STOPPED BY the estate on his way home from a campaign appearance in Raleigh to drop off paperwork for his dad. It was after ten and he knew Grant and Patricia were still out at a fund-raiser, which was why he’d chosen to swing through late instead of going straight home even though he was ready to be in his space.
He’d barely spent a night in his own bed since the press conference. Every day was another speech, luncheon, or town hall meeting where he had to combat the rumors that refused to die that he was a playboy millionaire with dozens of secret children out there. After fighting to save his reputation constantly on the road, he was in no mood to come to the family estate—a place that once meant refuge—and argue with his dad.
Grant went along with the decision Byron made to introduce Lilah as his daughter, but the topic was still a sore spot. Like a sprained ankle he didn’t want to put too much weight on, he avoided his dad to avoid the pain. Add on Patricia’s random interest in playing consoling mother toward Byron, the sprain might turn into a fracture he wasn’t sure they’d recover from if he told her to mind her own damn business like he wanted to.
Byron went upstairs to his father’s study. The familiar scent of the signature Robidoux Tobacco cigar hung in the air. That and the scent of the floral perfume Patricia wore. When he worked at Robidoux Tobacco, Byron would lounge on the leather sofa in his dad’s study and update Grant about his day, ask advice, or strategize with him about how they’d negotiate a business deal. He hadn’t done that in a long time. Patricia now caught up with Grant in his study. She’d taken over his lounging spot.
He dropped the paperwork in Grant’s leather executive chair. He’d lost his spot on the couch, and the family had new lawyers who handled things for them after Byron left the company, but every now and then Grant still asked him to look over some items. The idea of refusing never entered his mind. The company was his legacy, too.
He left the study and went downstairs. His stomach rumbled, so he made a beeline for the kitchen. Sandra mentioned there was pie in there when he’d arrived. A slice would hold him over until he made it home and ordered food. Yolanda wasn’t coming over tonight, so he could finally get one night alone to himself.
Voices on the other side of the cracked door of the conference room caught his attention. Byron stopped and frowned. The lights were on. That room was only used when the family had major business to conduct away from the corporate offices. Grant and Patricia were gone. Elaina was off doing something. She slipped off a lot lately without telling the family where she was going. He doubted one of the servants would be using the room, but stranger things had happened.
Byron pushed open the door and his eyes widened with surprise. Zoe sat at the conference table. A laptop in front of her with paperwork spread out around it. She held the phone to her ear and nodded at whatever was being said on the other side.
“John, I’ve got it. The presentation will be ready first thing Monday morning.” She was silent for several beats. Her head fell back, and she raised a fist toward the ceiling. “It’s late and there’s nothing else we can do tonight. Let me make these changes and get the draft back to you.” More silence. Her middle finger popped free of her fist and she pulled the phone away from her ear and flipped off the device.
Byron grinned and leaned against the door. He shouldn’t eavesdrop, but it was his family’s house. Zoe’s thick curls were twisted down against her scalp. The ends of the twists brushed the back of her neck. She wore loose-fitting gray sweatpants with a dark blue tank top that didn’t cover the straps of her black bra. He was instantly taken back to college. Finding Zoe studying late into the night. Procrastinator was the perfect word for her. He’d have to drag her away to take a break after she’d spend several hours binge studying.
She put the phone back to her ear and nodded. “Exactly. I will get the updates to you before noon tomorrow. You know, it wouldn’t hurt for you to take the weekend to, you know, relax.”
Zoe leaned forward and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Yes, John, I do care about the quality of our work. Don’t worry. Tomorrow at noon. Goodbye.”
She tossed the phone on the table with a long groan. Byron knocked on the door. Zoe jumped up and faced him. Her eyes widened and she sat up straighter.
“What are you doing here?”
Byron chuckled and strolled into the room. “I need a reason to be here?”
She smiled but rubbed her eyes. “You don’t live here, so actually the question isn’t out of line.”
He pulled the seat next to her out of the way and leaned against the edge of the table facing her. “According to my dad I’m always welcome.”
“I better inform him to reconsider that before you move back in.”
Her big brown eyes met his as she teased him with a beautiful smile that brought out the dimple in her cheek. His breathing stuttered. Something stirred deep in his midsection. He understood the reaction wasn’t one he should be having, but he could never walk away when she looked at him like that.
“He doesn’t have to worry about me moving back in. I have no plans to move back home.”
Zoe leaned forward, rested her elbow on the table then propped her head in her hand. “Really? No elaborate dreams of living in your dad’s basement and playing video games all night?”
He chuckled and rubbed his beard. “I don’t know. If I lose this race, maybe I’ll consider the basement backup.”
She lightly bumped his thigh with the side of her fist. “You’re going to win.”
He sighed and gripped the side of the table instead of reaching out the way he once would have, wrap his fingers lightly around her wrist, see how long she’d let him hold her. He wasn’t ashamed
to say he’d tried to steal her away from Kendell. And every time Zoe let his fingers caress her skin a second longer than necessary, he’d thought he was getting closer to changing her mind about him.
Except her mind had never changed.
Byron looked away from her soul-stealing gaze and tore his mind from the past. “I’m getting beat up on the campaign trail.”
“But you’re handling it all well,” she said, sounding impressed.
“I’m trying, but it’s not easy.”
“Did you expect it to be easy? I know you always got what you wanted without problems but becoming a United States Senator doesn’t just fall in your lap.” She pointed toward his lap. Her fingernails were painted a light gray color.
A vision of her soft, manicured hands touching his lap invaded his brain. Her hand squeezing his thigh. Easing up to brush against his dick.
Byron shifted and cleared his throat. Campaign. Focus on the campaign. “I know that. I didn’t expect it to be easy. I knew I’d have to fight to win voters’ trust. I even expected to get beaten up.”
“Then what is it?” The teasing left her expression and she watched him with interest. As if she not only wanted to hear what was bothering him but was also ready to help.
He didn’t know if there was anything anyone could do to make the campaign easier. He’d expected a backlash after the announcement. Questions about his credibility and rumors about his dating history. The level of negativity aimed at Zoe was not something he’d been prepared for. Neither had he been prepared for how much every negative comment angered him. The story of her keeping the child a secret was one they’d all agreed on, but he hated hearing voters call her names. He played up the star-crossed, too-young-to-understand lovers angle, and had just today been warned by Roy to cut back on that.
Play up the sympathy vote. Let them hate her a little and love you a lot. It’ll work great.
“It’s all of the time away from home. I’m tired and you know how much I like to get my beauty rest,” he said to Zoe. He wasn’t sure how much she knew about what was being reported about her in the media. He didn’t know how to approach the subject without making her feel uncomfortable. Regardless of what happened on the campaign trail he didn’t regret helping her.
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