Irresistible You (4 page)

Taylor scowled at her son. She recognized the confident expression on his face. He had assumed that Louise was matchmaking. So far he had done exactly as Louise had anticipated. He was about to come to their rescue.

His smiled broadened. “I presume this whole thing is another one of her matchmaking schemes?”

“Not this again. Matchmaking for whom, her grandsons are both married.”

“If I’d ventured a guess, I’d say she was attempting to play matchmaker for me.”

“Why would she want to match you up with someone?”

“Because that’s what she does. Her hobby has now become her mission in life.”

“Don’t be ridiculous J.T. With her grandsons already happily married and your sister expecting, Louise doesn’t have time to play matchmaker for you or with anyone else. She and I are both on the Arts Council and we both love art and dance. It’s as simple as that. I assure you Louise is not matching you up. This is strictly business.”

“We’ll see.” The skepticism in his voice was obvious.

“Louise, Lena and I are serious about this.”

“That’s another thing, how do you know you can trust this ballerina person? There are scam artist everywhere in every line of business. Huge companies fall prey to them every day. All a con artist needs is opportunity and a willing mark.”

“Okay J.T., you made your point. I’ll tell you what. I’ll make you a deal.”

“What kind of deal?”

“I’d like you to be personally involved with this. I only made a small down payment on the property and we’re in the very beginning stages of financing so I’d like you to meet Lena for yourself. She’s a delightful woman and a true friend. Also I’d like you to attend a dance performance and get a feel for the business. Then, if after a period of time you still feel it wouldn’t be prudent for me to invest, I won’t.”

J.T. considered the proposal for a moment then agreed.

“Deal, but first I’d like a little more information on your ballerina friend. I’ll give her name to Trey and have him look into it first thing in the morning. A thorough background check shouldn’t take more than a few days. He can forward you the report.” J.T. reached across his desk and began making a notation on his calendar.

“No,” Taylor interrupted. “The deal is for you to handle this personally. Trey can handle the final paperwork.”

“Mom, Trey’s company is far more experienced and capable in investigating personnel for acquisitions than E-Corp. We just don’t have the time or the expertise.”

“Find the time, and I’ll trust your expertise.”

“Okay, I’ll put someone from legal and auditing on it first thing.”

“I said personally, J.T. That means you.”

“That’s impossible Mom. I told you before that I don’t have time to babysit a former ballerina.” J.T. shook his head adamantly. “It’s my first few weeks in the office on a permanent basis. We’re right in the middle of a product launch, we’re developing a new encryption system for the voice activated recognition software prototype and we’re in talks to acquire another company’s satellite lease. I need to stay on top of everything.”

He paused and waited for her to shown signs of relenting, but she didn’t. The expression on her face was unmistakable. She wasn’t going to budge on this one.

“I’ll have the company’s best…” he began, then stopped short seeing Taylor’s brow rise as she steeled her gaze on him. “Okay, fine,” he said, throwing his hands up in the air in surrender. “I’ll handle it, personally.”

“Good.” Taylor smiled brightly as she stood. She reached into her purse and pulled out a ticket, a playbill and an invitation. “You can begin this evening, there’s a charity ball and private fundraiser. Juliet Bridges will be performing
Carmen
. That alone is worth the evening. Afterwards, there’ll be a fundraiser in the main hall of the arts center. Lena will more than likely be attending the performance and charity event.” Taylor came around behind his desk and placed the ticket, invitation and performance playbill in front of him. “Lena Palmer, you can meet her at the fundraiser.”

He stood. “What if I already have plans for this evening?”

Taylor turned, smiled and winked. “You’ll work it out.”

“Do I really have to be there?”

“Yes, E-Corp is sponsoring tonight’s performance and fundraiser. A representative from the company must attend and as newly named CEO. That means you.”

“But,” he began as she raised her eyebrows and continued.

“…It’s in your job description, read the fine print. It’s right under six figure salary, company car, stock options and use of the company jet.”

J.T. laughed. “I must have missed that list of perks, I’m sure I would have remembered the jet.”

“I’ll speak to you this evening,” she said.

“By the way, I don’t have a job description.”

“You do now.” She waved as she exited. “Don’t be late.”

J.T. slowly sat back down shaking his head. He looked at the computer screen and for the first time saw nothing he cared to see as the computer’s code of zeros-and-ones seemed to blur in a jumble of confusion. He automatically saved it and logged off. Shaking his head, he stood and went into the bathroom. He turned on the faucet and let cool water run. He grabbed a towel and dampened his face. As he looked up he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror.

He squint his eyes and leveled his chin from side to side then stroked his clean shaven jaw. A shadowed rim drifted just below his eyes. He looked tired. He’d been working too hard again. Apparently twenty-hour workdays had begun to wear on him. But his impatience and stamina had always driven him and usually rewarded him lucratively.

This time his focus had been on a new software system with a build-in firewall and an interior and exterior security system. The idea of a self sufficient, completely secure software was revolutionary. And in another two years he intended to have it on the market under the Evans Corporation name. E-Corp was already a multibillion dollar corporation that had turned research and development ideas into innovative software products that had garnered the company a significant share of the computer industry.

J.T. tossed the damp towel on the sink and walked out. As he stood at his desk he looked down and picked up the ticket his mother had left. “A million dollars,” he said aloud, and shook his head slowly. Something definitely didn’t feel right about his mother’s sudden interest in real estate. J.T. had always relied heavily on his gut instinct and it told him now that there was something else going on.

His mother had always had a passionate interest and been an ardent supporter of the arts, and for her sake he had relented and given generously, but enough was enough. As an accomplished painter, she had exhibited her work in the finest galleries here and abroad.

Her work was still extremely popular. It sold at auction houses and galleries for generous sums. Although she seldom painted now, she was still very involved in the visual and performance arts. But this sudden investment was totally uncharacteristic of her. She’d never been interested in anything like it before, so why now?

As the cultural liaison and representative for Evans Corporation, she was member of several boards. She had been the benefactor of the company’s generosity and community involvement and the E-Corp had a great reputation for charitable work because of her efforts. Without realizing it, she was by far the most successful spokesperson for the company.

Mamma Lou was his mother’s partner in the new acquisition, which gave him pause. If she was involved, he had a feeling that matchmaking was still the primary focus, but to whom? And exactly who was his mother’s other partner, Lena Palmer? Maybe she was the one Mamma Lou wanted to match him up with. “Of course,” he smiled delighted that he’d figured out her plan so quickly.
Gotcha!

He looked down at the ticket and playbill. A stylized graphic of a woman posed seductively instantly got his attention. There was something familiar about the woman’s figure.

The cover read:
Peter Flemings presents Juliet Bridges as Carmen
. Juliet Bridges, he’d remembered that his mother had mentioned the name earlier.

He picked up the playbill and flipped through the pages. Biographies and photographs flew past his fingertips as he fanned the pages to the end. Then he stopped. His heart jumped as he quickly flipped through the pages of the playbill again more slowly this time.
It couldn’t be.

One by one he slowly turned the pages until a picture of the star performer’s smiling face appeared. His heart pounded again, beneath the photo read,
Juliet Bridges, prima ballerina
. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He read the notation again, then quickly read the short biography only half-believing what he’d just read. How was it possible? After all this time she was right here all along.

Her biography was impressive and read like a celebrity profile of a ballet dance, even to his limited knowledge of the dance world. She’d danced with Alvin Alley, Dance Theatre of Harlem, The American Ballet Company, in Moscow, Paris, London, Sydney, all over Europe and Asia, and practically every state in the nation. She’d danced before kings and queens, dignitaries, diplomats and presidents.

The last notation in her bio announced Juliet’s official retirement at the end of the current season and her final stage performance, which had been sold out since its announcement.

J.T. noted the dates listed in the brochure. Ten months ago, when they’d met in New York, she had just returned from a six-month tour and performances in London, Paris and Milan. Apparently she was on her way to D.C. when the blackout occurred.

J.T. shook his head in disbelief. Dozens of trips to New York, seeing dozens of Broadway and off-Broadway performances, searching for the one woman who had captured his heart and here she was right here in his own backyard.

He sat down slowly still not believing his eyes. He reread the biography twice more. The photo was slightly grainy, but he was sure that it was the same Juliet. Never giving up his quest, he had been searching for her for months. He knew that she was out there, that she’d said she was a dancer, but she never mentioned ballet and he never would have guessed.

But he should have seen it—her perfectly posture, her elegant poise, and her graceful movements. It was all there and he missed it. He smiled and nodded as he reached over and pushed the intercom button on his desk. His secretary answered immediately. “Clear my schedule for the rest of the afternoon and evening. I’ll be out of the office until tomorrow.” He waited for her acknowledgement then placed his laptop case on his desk. He paused then pressed the intercom again. “One more thing, get my cousin Trey on the phone for me.”

Chapter Two

“Send him in,” Trey said as he stood and walked over to the door. He’d cleared his last few appointments when his cousin, J.T., asked to see him as soon as possible.

It had been at least seven months since Trey had seen J.T. The executive had been on the road for E-Corp for nearly six years straight. In that time he had generated a sizable reputation as a force to be reckoned with and a master of negotiations. Never living in one place for long, he had called New York City his home up until a month ago when Jace had announced his semi-retirement and persuaded him to return to the D.C. area permanently.

J.T. had decided that it was time to stop living out of a suitcase and settle into the new corporate offices in Northern Virginia. And three weeks ago, he did just that. He leased his apartment in Manhattan and moved into the Ritz Carlton hotel temporarily.

“Come on in, have a seat,” Trey said after he greeted his older cousin and ushered him into his office. As close as brothers, Trey was delighted to hear that J.T. was returning to the area. Everything Trey had learned to make his business a success he learned from his cousin. And everything he had learned about women, he also learned from his cousin.

“Welcome back home finally. It’s been what, like six years since you’ve settled down in one place for more than a few months. That’s a long time to be on the road.” He began handing J.T. his beverage of choice—coffee, black.