An Executive Decision (24 page)

Ellis bristled and pressed up away from the tree, nearly bashing heads with Harris. ‘You’re not the only one who want what’s best for Dee, Walker.’

‘Of course I’m not. I’m just the only one with a clear head at the moment,’ he said. Silence fell between the two of them, and the night sounds of a strange place flooded around them, feeling close and ominous. At last Harris heaved a sigh. ‘I’m betting if you make it right with Dee, Thorne, the dreams will stop.’ Then he turned and went back into the tent, leaving Ellis alone with his thoughts. 

Chapter Thirty-four

Trouvères had no offices in New York, so the planning for the first of the joint project between Trouvères and Scribal was done at the Scribal building. Marston had been doing his best to arrange a trip to Atlanta before Jason headed back to Paris so he and Dee could see the plant that was to be fitted with Trouvères technology. So far, the trip had been cancelled three times due to interruptions on all fronts, including heavy rains that had caused flooding of the roads into the plant. In the meantime there was plenty to do, and Dee was happy to immerse herself in the work and the scheduling of future projects. She was finally beginning to understand why Beverly had liked Marston. In spite of his cantankerous ways, the man was forward-thinking and enthusiastic about the new technology and about what it would mean for the future of the industry.

There were business dinners almost every night. When there weren’t, Dee had made excuses to avoid Jason’s constant offers of attention. He had offered to take an afternoon off and show her around New York City. He had asked her to join him for dinner. He had offered to see her back to her hotel when one of the dinners with the Scribal contingent had run long. With each new offer, Dee became more convinced Ellis might be right after all.

In all honesty, there had been a few fantasies about Jason when she was headhunting him for Trouvères, but he was married, and he was her client, so they had never been more than that. And now there was little room for thoughts of any man who wasn’t Ellison Thorne. But the week would be over soon, and she’d be back in Portland and so would Ellis. At the moment, when she had time for fantasies, they all pretty much headed in that direction.

Marston had just left for a charity dinner, and Dee was packing up for the evening, hoping to order room service and have a nice long bath before she settled in to write her report on the week’s negotiations. She wished the trip to the paper mill had happened. She really wanted to see for herself what would be taking place, but there was no help for it. The Scribal building was nearly empty; she could hear the cleaners vacuuming a conference room down the hall. Jason knocked on the door of the little office Dee had sequestered. ‘You’re gonna kill me,’ he said, offering a sheepish smile.

‘Why would I do that, Jason?’ she asked, checking her BlackBerry before she shoved it into her bag.

‘Because I left the flash drive with the template for the training manuals on the table in my apartment. I’m sorry, Dee, I took it out of the bag to get to the adapter plug and forgot to put it back.’ Though Trouvères didn’t have an office in New York, Jason maintained a flat there after the move to Paris, since he made frequent trips back.

He looked down at his watch. ‘I know you have an early flight tomorrow. Look, the apartment’s not far from your hotel. Why don’t we share a taxi there? I’ll get you the flash drive, then you can go on. What do you think?’

There wasn’t much choice now, she thought. She packed the last of her belongings and shut the door behind her, falling into step next to him.

‘I finished looking over those projections a few minutes ago,’ he said when they stepped into the elevator. ‘They sound too good to be true.’

‘I know, but actually, they’re rather modest.’ She hefted her bag onto her shoulder. ‘That’s the beauty of this project. It takes all three of our companies to do what none of us could manage on our own. And one of the results will be amazing profits.’

He offered her an amused smile. ‘I see Thorne has instilled in you his philosophy for win-win deals.’

‘That philosophy’s what attracted me to the company in the first place.’

His smile became suggestive. ‘You sure it was the philosophy and not the company’s dashing CEO?’

She bristled slightly at the remark, but Jason didn’t notice. ‘Dashing men are easy to come by,’ she replied. ‘Good philosophies aren’t.’ Her BlackBerry rang into the quiet elevator and they both jumped. ‘It’s Ellis,’ she said. She wished like hell she was alone. She hadn’t heard from him in three days. The butterflies in her stomach felt like a raging stampede.

She moved as far away from Jason as she could get and spoke softly. ‘You all right? How’s it going?’

‘I’m fine Dee. I can’t talk,’ he said. ‘I knew you’d want to know we just closed the deal. Harris got lots of pictures and as soon as I’m at a place where I can, I’ll call and tell you all about it.’ His voice was suddenly soft, warm. ‘You OK?

‘Better now,’ she said, hoping Jason didn’t notice the flush in her cheeks, the acceleration of her pulse.

‘Good. I’m looking forward to our debriefing. I think we’ll have lots to celebrate. See you soon, Dee.’

It took her a second to realise Jason was staring at her. ‘Everything all right?’ he asked.

‘Fine. Yes, fine. Things are coming along in Spain.’ She shoved her BlackBerry back into her bag just as the elevator opened on to the ground floor.

Jason hailed a taxi in front of the building and they settled in for the ride. For a minute they rode in less than comfortable silence, then Dee spoke. ‘Marston thinks the trip to Atlanta may happen after all. If so, I’ll know before my flight leaves in the morning. He’ll have his secretary take care of it. Will you be able to come?’

‘Sadly not this time,’ he said. ‘The timing is bad. But I’ll be back as soon as I can and then I’ll fly straight to Atlanta. Tomorrow, it’s back to Paris for me.’

‘You must be anxious to get home to your family,’ Dee said.

He shifted awkwardly next to her and adjusted his safety belt. ‘I guess you haven’t heard the news.’

‘News?’

‘I’m surprised Yvette didn’t tell you, actually. I figured for sure Thorne would. Dee, I’m separated. The divorce is final in three weeks.’

She caught her breath, feeling more uncomfortable at being alone with him in the taxi. ‘I’m really sorry, Jason. I didn’t know.’

He gave her hand an unsolicited squeeze. ‘Don’t be. I’m not. But I should have let you know the situation first hand.’ He paused, as though he weren’t sure where to begin. ‘Things have been rough between Lydia and me for a long time, and now that the girls will both be in college this fall, it felt like the right time to do something about it. That, and the fact neither Lydia nor the girls wanted to live in France.’ He set his jaw and looked away from her. ‘Though they don’t seem to mind the nice increase in salary working for Trouvères means.’

‘Jason.’ She extricated her hand. ‘You don’t have to tell me any of this.’

‘No, really, it’s all right. Honestly, I want you to know.’ He spoke without looking at her. ‘I was living in a flat in Paris and commuting back to New York. Finally, we both decided it was enough. With me in Paris and Lydia in New York, we were already separated. When we started talking about a divorce, the position at Trouvères was still new and demanded my full attention. I’m only just now beginning to feel like I might actually be in control and have a little time for a personal life.’

Dee felt her insides tense. This was the part she was pretty sure she didn’t want to talk about. Not now, anyway, not after so much had changed.

He looked up at her. ‘Dee, you were always there at the back of my mind, and I always wondered what might have happened if I’d been free.’ He touched her hand tentatively, then drew back, fidgeting with the collar of his shirt. ‘Anyway, when you called me the first time from Pneuma Inc., I felt like someone had turned the lights back on.’ He heaved a sigh, and stroked her fingers cautiously. ‘Now that the divorce is almost final, now that we see a fair amount of each other anyway – well, I’m hopeful.’

She pulled her hand away, feeling a wave of panic rising in the pit of her stomach. Ellis’s warnings flashed in her mind, the ones she’d always brushed aside. ‘That was almost two years ago, Jason, and life’s gone on since then. There’s so little spare time for me right now that I can’t really imagine having time for –’

Before she could say anything else, he leaned across the seat and kissed her, one hand at the nape of her neck, the other snaking in at the middle of her back. It wasn’t a lingering kiss, but there was no doubt as to its intent. When he pulled away, he held her in a tight gaze, his warm breath brushing her ear. ‘Now that we’re free to pursue it, Dee, don’t you want to find out?’ The man’s charm would have won her over in a heartbeat if Ellis hadn’t already stormed the castle and taken over every bit of space within.

Before she had time to do more than catch her breath, the taxi arrived at his flat. They took the lift in silence to the sixth floor, and when he unlocked the door and ushered her inside, he turned to face her. ‘Stay for a drink, Dee.’ He held her gaze. ‘Just one, and we can talk.’ He ran a hand through his dark hair, and offered her a flustered smile. ‘Best we talk, don’t you think? We both make our living negotiating good deals, and I … Well, I consider you a friend as well as a colleague. Dee, just let me say what I need to say.’ His smile became boyish and charming. ‘Just one drink, then you can go back to your hotel.’

When she nodded her consent, he opened a bottle of wine and went in search of glasses. While she waited, she looked out the window onto the city below, feeling strangely like a teenager breaking curfew. Since Ellis had come into the picture, she had forgotten all about her passing attraction to Jason. Ellis wasn’t really in the picture, she reminded herself again. Sex was only a part of her job. But it didn’t feel that way. At least, not for her it didn’t. She didn’t know what he felt, and what did feelings have to do with it anyway? It was the Executive Sex Clause. It was their secret weapon. Had he ever given her any indication it was more than that? Hadn’t he said right up front they were free to see other people?

Maybe they should see other people. Maybe it would be better to mix things up a bit, to back off a bit so every little thing that happened didn’t make her feel like a giddy teenager stuck somewhere between ecstasy and despair. Christ, it had already been such a rollercoaster ride. And maybe what Jason was actually doing was offering her a way to pull back just a little bit, just enough for her own self-preservation.

And Jason was a good man, an interesting man, a man any woman would be happy to be with. It wasn’t like she was spoiled for choice, she reminded herself. A man who was a workaholic was a catch, a good provider. A woman who was a workaholic, on the other hand, was someone to be avoided at all cost. No time to cook, no time to clean, no time to pop out the babies and sit in front of the television and unwind in the evenings. The thought made her feel a little queasy.

‘Dee, you are amazing.’

She turned to find Jason looking at her from the kitchen doorway. ‘I just want to stand here and take you in. You have no idea how long I’ve dreamed about having you with me.’

He sat the glasses on the table and came to her side, slipping his arms around her. Then he stepped back and ran his fingers down the lapel of her jacket. ‘Let’s lose this. No need to look so business-like. You’re not on Pneuma Inc. time now.’

He helped her out of her jacket, taking time for his eyes to admire the woman beneath, and she reminded herself that he was right. She wasn’t on Pneuma Inc. time. Being here with him was OK. Maybe she should make an effort to be a little more like Kendra. Maybe this was the way to remind herself that sex with Ellis, no matter how amazing, was just a part of her job. In spite of her efforts to convince herself, she would have bolted if Jason hadn’t engaged her mouth again. This time the kiss was neither quick nor ambiguous, with the insinuating dart and press of his tongue.

She felt the rush of his breath as he pulled her closer, felt the press of his groin as he shifted against her. The shape of him beneath the trousers became more evident with each shifting of his body. His touch felt awkward compared to Ellis’s, and somehow his mouth didn’t fit hers quite as well. Mentally she reprimanded herself for making comparisons, trying to relax into the kiss. Jason’s scent was different, uncomfortable at the back of her throat, like being in someone’s house without permission.

He tightened his embrace and his mouth became more insistent, making it hard for her to breathe. The smell, the feel, the taste; nothing was right about them together, and the room seemed to be getting tighter around her by the second.

Fighting panic, she pushed him away, opening a space between them, amazed and slightly frightened by how strong he was. He released her and stepped back, panting. ‘What is it, Dee? What’s wrong?’

‘This is just too fast, Jason, I can’t –’

The phone rang. He let it ring and spoke over it. ‘I’m sorry, Dee.’ He caught his breath. ‘I know I said we’d just talk. I’m sorry I got carried away and –’

The answering machine interrupted and, in the trained reflex to technology, they both paused to listen.

‘Jason, are you there? Pick up … It’s Lydia …’

He cursed softly and tugged at his tie.

The message continued. ‘Annette’s down at the police station. We need to go get her. She and some of her friends have been drinking and … Damn it, Jason, you’re never here when we need you –’

His face reddened, and he jerked the receiver from its cradle, trying to breathe normally. ‘I’m here, Lydia. What happened?’

Dee took advantage of the time to slip back into her jacket and gather her things. When she finished, he had hung up the phone. ‘I’m sorry, Dee, it’s my youngest. I don’t think it’s anything serious, just being 18, but Lydia doesn’t deal with this sort of thing very well, and I need to go. I’ll drop by your hotel room when I’m finished.’ He tried to kiss her, but she pulled away.

‘No, Jason, don’t.’

‘Dee?’

‘You asked me if I wanted to find out if there could be something between us and, well, I just found out.’

‘Dee, these things happen. It’s just a part of being a parent. Don’t worry about it. We can get through it.’ He reached for her again, but she stepped back.

‘I don’t want to get through it, Jason. I have enough baggage of my own. I don’t need what you bring along from a broken marriage and two kids. I’m sorry. It’s not something I can deal with at the moment. And anyway, it’s not just that. It’s everything. Pneuma Inc. makes huge demands on my time right now, and I’m happy to give it, but that doesn’t leave me much to spare. I like you, Jason, I respect you, but I don’t want to run the risk of more.’