Playing with Power - Book 3: New Adult Office Romance (2 page)

The loft space Landon had procured for MyBFC was incredible and she tried to not think about how much it cost per month. The loft encompassed the entire floor of the building including a large kitchen, four bedrooms, and two full bathrooms. The soaring ceilings held the trendy ductwork and track lighting one would expect in a refurbished loft. It’d been completely furnished by the time the courier delivered the keys to Lauren. With an exposed brick wall, industrial windows, and top-of-the-line computers, MyBFC’s office was already more impressive than StyleSpur. That didn’t help the smugness she was developing over Parker.

Lauren tossed her bag down in her chair and went to heat her dinner. Dennis was in the kitchen stir frying chicken and veggies. She popped her burrito in the microwave, opened her energy drink and shimmied up on the counter.

“Catch me up.”

“You know, the kitchen is kept fully stocked,” he said keeping his back to her. “I’ve made more than enough for two people here.”

“My body now runs on junk food and caffeine, like a well-oiled machine. Lev said Brian just ran off again.”

“Did he? That’s probably a good thing. I don’t think he’s been outside in nearly a week. He’ll be back. You know how he gets.”

“Yeah, I’m starting to learn.”

The microwave dinged. Dennis grabbed a plate and handed her the burrito with a disdainful look. She thanked him and he returned to the stove to plate up his own dinner. Dennis was only a few inches taller than Lauren and probably weighed close to the same. He was extremely athletic and was apparently always in the middle of training for a triathlon or some insane mud run. His desire for efficiency stretched to his personal grooming, taking a pair of clippers to his closely cropped beard and hair every couple days.

“So anyway, you know that glitching problem we’ve been having with the cameras?”

“Right, yeah, the weird blocking thing,” Lauren said around a bite of burrito.

“I think we might’ve come up with a solution. So, we can get the user to set the cameras up a certain distance apart, right? We can get them to adjust the lighting to account for shadows but we’re always going to have a problem if we can’t calibrate the cameras to begin with.”

“We can’t get the user to calibrate them?”

“No. People never stand completely still and they tend to sway side to side as they turn. You’ve always gotta be thinking about how the user can screw things up so you can anticipate it, right? So last night Lev and I were screwing around with the cameras and had an idea. We took a broomstick and stuck it in the middle of the cameras between a few books and the image came back perfect.”

“Well that’s great if all our users are the size of broomsticks...”

Dennis rolled his eyes as he shoved a piece of broccoli in his mouth. “After the edges of the broomstick came back clean, Lev did a series of eight compass shots front and back. Because the stick remained static and he had a point of reference to move around, it worked well. Really well.”

“Ahhh, I get it, yeah! That makes sense. Shit, I can’t believe I didn’t think of that,” she said rubbing her eyes.

“Eh, it’s what we’re here for. We would’ve gotten in eventually but Jameson has a way of bring out my creative side.”

“You and Lev? Drinking?” she said in mock incredulity.

He shrugged. “So I have one vice. It balances out. I’m not sure what I’d have to do to balance out all that,” he said nodding to the last third of now-cold burrito.

“This isn’t a vice! This is delicious. I think I might go back down and get one of those Hostess apple pies for dessert.” She chuckled at the face he pulled, somewhere between a grimace and plain revulsion. “You know, now that I’m thinking about it, what’d be better is if we had a four-sided pole with different colors. That way we could orient the colors to specific cameras and know exactly which side is which. We’d have to get someone to design it and price out how expensive it’d be to make. Ha! Maybe pieces of it could snap out and double as a coat hanger!”

“There ya go! It’s amazing, really. You can just call up these factories in China, show them what you want, and they just start making it. I’ll talk to Landon about it. I know he’s got contacts in manufacturing. ”

Lauren finished the rest of her dinner. She tried to ignore the gut reaction she had when hearing Landon’s name. They hadn’t see each other since saying goodbye on the side of the road in California. After she’d accepted the business deal, knowing what it meant to their future, he’d become all business in any of their communications. It was still shocking how quickly his tone had changed. She couldn’t detect an ounce of familiarity or feeling when they spoke. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder what it was going to be like when they met again.

“Alright, I’m gonna get to it. Enjoy your dinner,” she said jumping from the counter. Lauren yawned loudly as she sat at her desk and checked her phone.

Good day, you? Miss your face.

With a soft smile she glanced at the time. 7:58 p.m. Her eyes darted to a blue sticky note hanging from the lamp base, her fingers naturally gravitating to touch it.

don’t blow this opportunity

Taking a gulp of her energy drink, the cold liquid sliding down her throat, Lauren got to work.

2.

“I feel like Carrie Bradshaw,” Ali said, adjusting the brim of her broad sun hat. “This is how I imagined New York would be before I moved here. Cocktails, lunching, amazing views.”

“Really? I just imagined I’d be homeless within a month,” Lauren laughed.

The two best friends sat under the shade of a huge umbrella in a swanky rooftop bar enjoying lunch. The views of the city around them were incredible and the drink prices matched the soaring buildings. It was the first time they’d been together alone since their trip to California over a month before and Lauren was thankful for the girl time. Ali always helped her decompress and recharge. They’d hung out at the Pony a few times but with Nick around, they hadn’t gotten a chance to really talk. With as much as she had on her plate, Lauren knew she had to treasure down time whenever it came.

“So how’s work?” Ali asked.

“No! That’s the absolute last thing I want to talk about. I want to hear about you. What have you been up to you busy little actress?”

“Well, I can’t lie. I
am
pretty awesome now. So, I have to get up at the ass crack of dawn to get to the set every day and then sit in makeup for an hour. This heat has been an absolute killer. It’s a period piece so every person, like every extra, horse, cat, you name it, is all decked out in these crazy costumes. Some poor girl fainted from the heat the other day.”

“Was it you?”

Ali’s eyebrow arched. “I’m made of tougher stuff than that, my dear. Luckily, because I’m playing a whore, my costume shows a lot more skin than the others. Basically, from here up I’m completely naked.” She said pointing to the top of her cleavage. “Other than that, it’s a lot of standing around.”

“You poor thing! I bet sometimes the caterer forgets the caviar too, huh?” Lauren smirked.

“First-world problems, I know. It just feels great to actually be progressing, you know? I know I’m not a lead or anything but I have lines, actual freaking lines that are important to the plot. Now I just have to hope I don’t get cut during editing.”

“Holy hell, woman. You finally land a paying gig,
with lines,
and you still find something negative to focus on. I’m impressed.”

“I can’t help that I’m a naturally negative person! If you must know, I’m thinking about joining an actor’s union. How adult is that? If I’m feeling super responsible, I might even go to the dentist. Dane says it’ll never happen, but I’ll prove him wrong. I’ll prove you all wrong!”

“You spoke to Dane? Wait, aren’t you still seeing Pete?” Lauren could feel the lump already rising in her throat. She resisted the urge to ask if he’d said anything about Landon.

“Yes and yes,” she replied with a smug smile.

“Well then, hush my mouth. Good for you.”

“What about you?” Ali asked hesitantly, her eyes on the table. “Have you talked to Landon?”

This was the moment she’d been dreading and she’d managed to bring it upon herself by asking about Dane. She hadn’t told anyone, not even Nick, about My Best Friend’s Closet. Taking a slow sip of the pink cocktail, she shook her head.

“Nope, nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“No, why?”

Ali squinted at her as if trying to weasel out the truth in her expression. “You’re telling me after that weekend neither you or he have shared even a single text message? Why do I find that hard to believe?”

“No! I told you, Nick was waiting for me when I got back from the airport. I’m over it,” Lauren laughed nervously.

“And you and Nick, you’re all gravy now?” Lauren loved and hated the way Ali could see right through her. She absolutely hated keeping anything from her but it was still too risky.

“I suppose. I mean, we’re still living apart but we see each other all the time. I think he wants things to go right back to normal and to his credit, he’s trying really hard. I’m still having a hard time trusting him though, you know?”

“Totally understandable. Did you, you know—tell him about what happened?”

“In California? God, no. I couldn’t do that to him. What would it change, anyway?” Even the thought made her nauseous.

Ali sighed and leaned back in her chair. “I think that’s a good idea. It’s not like it was technically cheating or anything.”

“Jesus Ali!”

“I said you
didn’t
cheat. I figured he dumped you, too. What else were you supposed to think after he left you like that? Stop making that face! I’m just trying to make you feel better!”

“I know you are but I still don’t want to hear that word! I feel terrible about it.” Lauren frowned. With all the recent ups and downs with Nick, she didn’t want to think about what it would do to their future if he found out. She just wanted to let the relationship run its course.

“I probably shouldn’t be saying this,” Ali started, her eyes gazing across the rooftop to the far distance. “I think you and Landon could’ve been really good together. I’m not just saying that cause he’s rich or something shallow like that. You two have a definite connection. That’s rare.”

“But that’s just it. There are billions of people in the world so there’s conceivably thousands we could connect with.”

“Fair enough, but not every one of those people has eyes that could melt steel and an ass like that. And statistically, most of them aren’t even going to speak English. Ain’t nobody got time for that.”

Lauren couldn’t help but laugh. “Well for right now, I’m choosing to stay with Nick.”

Ali quickly changed the subject and soon the girls were making plans for a trip at the end of summer when production was done. In the back of her mind, Lauren hoped what she’d said about Landon was enough to satisfy Ali’s curiosity. She had the bad habit of bringing things up at the precise worst moment and Lauren was worried what she might let it slip while Nick was around. If she could see how little Lauren cared about what happened and how focused she was on Nick, maybe it’d deter her.

After lunch, they hugged goodbye in the street and went their separate ways. Lauren had to walk in the opposite direction for a block before doubling back and heading down the same station as Ali. Feeling like some cut-rate spy, she crept onto the platform, simultaneously looking for and trying to avoid her friend. With a pit in her stomach, she headed to the MyBFC offices hating that she had to lie her face off to someone she loved.

Landon, this better be worth it. This better all
be worth it.

There was a padded yellow envelope waiting for her on her desk. Sitting, she turned on her computer and took a pair of scissors to the envelope. Her email notification popped up and her eyes immediately locked on the sender’s name. Landon DeWitt. Setting the package aside she clicked on the email.

Subject: New Protocol

From: LDeWitt

To: LKemp

Lauren, I’ve sent you a new cell phone. Use this for MyBFC work only. Any communication with the office or myself should be done through this number. Never check it unless you’re alone. Find some way to hide it but still be able to carry it with you.

-L

PS - I chose black ... I seem to remember your phone was white

She smiled at the last line despite herself as she tore open the package, uncovering a carefully wrapped black iPhone. It was fully charged, preloaded with contacts, and he’d even connected her email account. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized he’d held this phone.
Could he have left me something hidden on it?
She frantically hunted through the notes, reminders, anyplace where Landon may have left her a secret note but found nothing. Setting the phone on the desk, she stared at it while mentally chastising herself.
You’re acting like a 10-year-old with a crush. This isn’t elementary school. If a man like Landon has something to say to you, he’ll just come right out and say it.
She pushed the tense excitement away and tried to remind herself to act like an adult.

A few hours later, she picked through a local convenience store, hunting for the perfect item in which she could conceal her new phone. The task was a lot more difficult than she originally expected. It had to be small enough she could carry it around all the time but inconspicuous, something that was completely normal to have in her purse but not make anyone go near it. She studied a metal tin of mints but quickly imagined a scenario where someone would see it and ask for one. Ornate cigarette holders were too thin and besides, she didn’t smoke. She even had the idea of hiding it in a small box of tampons before dismissing it.