Moments of Julian (2 page)

Next in line comes me, the only girl;
and then there’s Lake, who joined the Marines the second he
graduated high school. My mother sobbed for two weeks, asking him
why he didn’t just go and try to get himself blown up here at home.
Mom can be dramatic sometimes. And finally there’s Kale, baby of
the family, age nineteen, trying to make his way through Bellevue
College.

We aren’t always nice to each other,
but we’re a family. What more could you expect?

Upstairs, my bedroom has a spectacular
view of Lake Washington. Floor to ceiling windows stretch along the
west-facing wall. On the east wall is my bed which was decked out
by my interior designer best friend, Avia Leroux. Golden satin
bedspread, soft sage green pillows, of course, with golden
stitching. The headboard is made of soft white leather. Standing
seven and a half feet tall, it is dominating. Thick black stitches
make an ornate pattern into the cushioning.

In the middle of the room is a
circular ceiling drop down and at its core, an iron and crystal
chandelier.

I head for the closet and can’t help
smiling in satisfaction.

The space is large and extravagant and
one of the spaces in this house I was most specific about.
Measuring ten by twenty, the entire back wall is a shoe rack. There
are drawers and shelves and hooks and every inch of the space is
meticulously organized by my housekeeper Martha.

And hanging front and center, is the
dress I will rock the Digit world with tonight.

I undress, slip on a pair of skimpy
black panties, forgoing a bra since the dress leaves no room for
one, and pull the dress out of the bag.

Black satin slides down my body and
hugs my legs like a desperate lover. The top has a low-cut neck, my
shoulders exposed. But it is the back that is my favorite and
completely the reason I overlooked the price tag.

The top panel is like an upside down
triangle, made of see-through fabric and edged with thick black
lace. Two more panels wrap around my sides and connect at the
middle, leaving my shoulder blades and lower back exposed. Just
enough to be tempting but not enough to be considered
un-classy.

I had my hair and makeup done during
my lunch break and it still looks perfect. My honey-brown hair is
done up and curly. It’s hard to go wrong with a classic up-do. My
eyes are perfect smoky artistry with a hint of purple in them. And
the aesthetician managed to make my cheekbones look sharp and
fragile.

I don the new pair of black heels and
take an approving glance in my floor length mirror.

It’s time to woo the money out of a
few deep pockets.

“
I will have the paperwork
drawn up on Monday,” I say with a smile. Mrs. Albatros extends a
strong looking hand and I shake it firmly.

Really, the woman is intimidating, but
not in the way of power, not that she’s lacking it.

At sixty-five, she’s in better shape
than I am. Her snow-white hair is up in an elegant twist and her
red sleeveless dress shows off firm, strong arms.

VitaLix owns half the fitness and
health products in the United States, even if those products don’t
bear the name. She’s built an unstoppable empire over the last
twenty-five years.

And I just closed a huge deal with
her.

“
It looks as if they’re
about to serve dinner,” I say when I notice the waiters bringing
out wine glasses. “Shall we find our places?”

Digit Securities lobby is enormous and
it was built with events like these in mind. The ceiling is vaulted
up five stories and the strands of lights that crisscross the space
above our heads gives an elegant glow. There are candles glowing on
all the tables and ornate centerpieces give off the feeling of
being at a royal ball. The gowns and tuxedos don’t hurt either.
Everyone is dressed not to impress, but to dominate and
intimidate.

“
Ladies and gentlemen,
dinner is about to be served so if you will all find a place to
sit, the waiters will be with you shortly.” Mr. Maxwell voice booms
over the hundreds of people in the room.

There are two banquet tables on either
side of the lobby. Just as beautifully decorated and ornate as the
rest of the space.

Seeing that Mrs. Albatros has already
taken a seat next to Henry, our contracts attorney, I decide to
leave them be, and head for the opposite table.

I am one of the first to sit and the
moment my rear end touches the seat, a waiter is offering to pour
me some very expensive wine.

“
No,” I say quickly,
catching him just before he pours it into my glass. “Just water,
please.”

He seems confused at first, but
knowing he will be fired if he upsets anyone here, hides the
expression quickly. He waves at another of the waiters, who comes
over with the water.

“
Seems like a waste, not
to drink expensive wine when it’s free.”

I look up to find the face belonging
to the voice and fix my eyes on a man settling into the seat
directly across from me.

“
I like having a clear
mind when socializing with clients,” I say, the smile on my lips
bordering between flirtatious and annoyed since I don’t yet know
who this man is.

I’d guess he’s a few years older than
me, not quite thirty. His frame is fit and toned but in the thin
way. His suit hugs him nicely. His hair is dark and parted and
slicked back. What looks to be two days’ worth of facial hair
clings to his face, but considering the clean line just under his
jaw, it tells me he keeps it that way on purpose. Dark green eyes
dance as they study me as well.

“
I’m afraid I don’t know
your name,” I say, trying to keep back the approval that is curling
on my lips. “I hope this is not a devastating error in my
memory.”

A smile starts to form on his face as
well and I try to suppress the fire that wants to ignite in my
blood. “Not at all. I can without a doubt say we’ve never
met.”

I raise an eyebrow at him as people
start filling in around us. “So are you a client or an employee I
have yet to come across?”

“
Neither,” he says as he
takes the wine glass the waiter has just filled and presses it
briefly to his lips. “I was a plus one to this shindig, but then my
date got sick. Seemed like a shame to bail out on such a nice party
just because my date could no longer attend.”

“
So you’re crashing the
party?” I ask, giving him a dubious look.

“
Trust me, when I attend a
party, it never crashes.”

He is looking at me from under a
fringe of long, dark eyelashes with a gaze that would melt the
panties off of any woman.

I’d wager he’s never met a woman like
me though.

The tables now fully seated, we are
suddenly swarmed with waiters. Large plates are brought to each of
us, filled with grilled salmon, asparagus, garlic mashed potatoes,
and other foods that I am not even sure what they are. Baskets of
sweet-smelling bread are placed between groups of four, and dishes
with various types of butter accompany them.

It’s a feast that cost this company
over a million dollars to lay.

Everyone to either side of us digs in.
I look back up at the man across from me and find a confident grin
on his face.

Not one to let others know when
they’ve caught my interest, I pick my fork up and start in on a
piece of asparagus.

He takes a few bites and we eat in
silence for a few moments. I don’t look up at him, but I can
clearly feel his eyes on me.

“
So, you never told me
who
you
are,” he
finally says again after swallowing a mouthful of salmon. “I am
assuming you’re an employee. An important one.”

“
What gave me away?” I ask
after a sip of water.

“
You’re cocky.” He wipes
his hands on his napkin, folds his arms on the table, and leans
towards me. The room is loud with the multitudes of conversations
being had.

“
Thank you,” I say, again
raising an eyebrow at him. I’ve never heard a woman called cocky
before, but I find I like it being directed at me.

“
You’re welcome.” Once
again, that killer smile plays on his lips.

“
You’re right,” I say. “I
am an employee, but I don’t think much more explanation is needed
since you’re a party crashing plus one. Unless you’re in the
company or a client, my position won’t hold much meaning for
you.”

“
Fair enough,” he says,
picking up his fork again. “I’ll just consider myself lucky my date
bailed on me and you didn’t find someone worthy of accompanying you
tonight.”

The defensiveness inside of me does
bristle a bit at that one. It is one thing when I joke with Dustin
about this subject, quite another when it is a complete
stranger.

Yet, at the same time, I sense he
didn’t mean it as an insult.

“
Did you try the salmon
yet?” the man next to me asks.

For the first time, I glance at him.
It’s Gareth Vincent, the second client I ever signed, three weeks
into my employment. At the time, it wasn’t a deal worth a huge
amount of money, but his company grew into a billion dollar goliath
that made Digit a lot of money.

“
Mr. Vincent, I am so
sorry, I didn’t even notice you there,” I say, turning the charm up
and switching my teasing smile to blinding mode. “How have you
been?”

One thing I have forgotten about
Gareth is once he starts talking, he doesn’t stop.

But the entire time he blabs at me, I
keep catching the eye of the man across from me. His eyes flicker
to mine, and when I catch him staring he doesn’t look away in
embarrassment. He’s assessing me, and from the smolder in his eyes,
I can tell he likes what he’s seeing.

I finish my dinner despite my watchful
audience, and Mr. Vincent kept eating as he talks and
talks.

“
Well, look at that,” he
says, his eyes lighting up. I turn to see him watching the people
who are dancing in the middle of the lobby. A full on jazz band
plays from the stage that is set up in front of the reception desk.
“Would you honor me with a dance?”

“
I’d be happy to,” I say
through the cringe that wants to form on my face. Mr. Vincent is
nearing sixty, has a purple alcoholic nose, the smelly breath to
match it, and fingers like sausages.

But this is part of why I
am so good at my job. I will do
nearly
anything to make a client
happy.

Being careful to not step on my dress,
I stand. Mr. Vincent holds his hand out and I reluctantly take
it.

I make the mistake of glancing at the
stranger across from me.

His expression is serious for just the
briefest moments, and I swear I see a hint of jealousy in his eyes.
But then he winks at me and that coy smile forms again.

I turn and follow Mr. Vincent onto the
dance floor.

Instantly, I resent my choice of dress
when his swollen hands touch my bare lower back. We bounce in a
small circle to the upbeat live music.

“
I remember when you first
signed our company, you were just a young pup,” Mr. Vincent says, a
smile forming on his lips. “You’d only been at Digit a few months
if I recall, but you were as confident then as you are
today.”

“
It was a grand total of
three weeks, actually,” I say, making sure to keep my voice at
ease, and flashing a winning smile. “But I’ve certainly come a long
way since then.”

“
I heard you are Digits
top sales executive,” he says, giving me an examining stare.
“You’ve risen fast in a big company. You’re an impressive
woman.”

His hand drops just slightly. Not
enough to insist he remove it or to get offended, but enough to
make me internally cringe.

“
Thank you Mr. Vincent,” I
say through slightly clenched teeth. “Digit Securities has been
good to me.”

He gives an affirmative grunt and a
slight nod. “I heard you’ve all got something new coming out.
Something that’s gonna blow the socks off the Blue Wall. Care to
divulge?”

My brow furrows and I stop in my
place.

“
I don’t know what you
could mean, Mr. Vincent. The Blue Wall is still revolutionary.” My
throat feels suddenly tight when Mr. Vincent’s expression
darkens.

“
Yes, but it’s been around
for ten years with little to no changes. Ten years in the
technology world is a lifetime. I heard this new technology could
save companies billions in credit card insurance fees.”

“
I am sure I don’t know
anything about that,” I say, my eyes darkening. Gareth’s expression
has grown serious and chilling. “The Blue Wall is still Digit’s
number one priority and will remain that way as far as I
know.”

“
Excuse me, Mr.
Vincent?”

My head whips around to see the
stranger standing to the side of us. His eyes are stern and
intense, and are locked on Gareth.

“
Please don’t consider me
rude, but you’ve absconded my date and this is our song. May I
steal her back?”