Seduce Me Forever (Seduce Me #4) (2 page)

I managed to get through the rest of the week by keeping busy with current projects. Thankfully,
Brandon was out of town on business. Knowing that he wasn't around the office made my week easier. I left early on Friday afternoon to leave plenty of time to get to the airport for my flight to Los Angeles.

I made it through security and settled into a seat at the gate.
Adele
had spared no expense for my trip. I had a first class ticket and they booked me a suite at a fancy hotel near their office. I knew for certain that the offer would be serious.

A family piled into the seats near me. I heard them before I saw them. Two parents with three out of control kids. I only hoped that they were sitting at the very back of the plane. I was especially thankful that I would be in first class.

I popped in my ear buds and selected a John Legend album. His soulful and sexy voice carried me away from the hysterical parents trying to gain control of their unruly kids. I was part way through track three when I heard the boarding call for first class passengers. I made my way toward the gate. After boarding, I settled into the plush and spacious seat.

Champagne, cheese, and crackers were served. The family from the waiting area scurried past. I watched as they made their way to the back of the plane and out of hearing range. I smiled and eased back into my seat.

After dinner I drifted off to sleep. I woke just in time to prepare for our landing into LAX. It was almost 8:30 pm LA time.

After we landed I made my way off the plane and to ground transportation.
Adele
had sent a car service to pick me up and bring me to my hotel. The driver was friendly and had a nice southern California tan.

Upon arriving at the hotel, the first thing I noticed in the lobby were all the pictures of famous people who frequented the hotel. Wondering if any of them had ever stayed in my room, I checked in and made my way upstairs to my suite. Very nice furnishings. Plus, I had an amazing view of the Los Angeles skyline.

I showered and put on a pair of comfy pajamas. When I wasn't trying to sex it up, I preferred my pajamas with sheep on them. I padded across the suite and pulled out a package of materials that
Adele
had put together for me.
Adele
was second only to
Jacqueline
in sales and prestige. It was also clear that they intended to be number one before long.

I felt a little funny having this information. I was, after all, an executive at
Jacqueline
.
Adele
was going to play hardball in wooing me to their team. I was flattered, to be sure. But I had mixed emotions about it. Only natural I suppose.

My phone rang. It was Lauren Caldwell.

“Welcome to L.A., Ms. Sullivan. How was your flight?” she asked as I answered the phone.

“It was fine. Thank you,” I replied.

“Wonderful. Have you settled into your hotel yet?”

“Yes. It is absolutely lovely.”

“I'm glad that you like it,” Ms. Caldwell said. “Please enjoy a leisurely breakfast in the morning. I just want to confirm that the car will be at the hotel to pick you up at 11:00 am to bring you to the office.”

“Yes. Thank you. I'm looking forward to our day together tomorrow,” I replied.

“As are we. Sleep well and we will see you tomorrow,” she said.

“Thank you. Goodnight,” I said.

“Goodnight,” said Ms. Caldwell before we ended our call.

I returned to reading the
Adele
materials. When I finished, I decided to watch some of the
Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
. I had always loved Jimmy Fallon and was enjoying him as host of the iconic late night show. A perfect choice, I thought.

After a little television, I read a few chapters in a new romance I had downloaded to my Kindle. It was so good that I had trouble putting it down. The sex scenes reminded me of my nights with Brandon. I wanted to smile and cry at the same time.

I decided on sleep instead. I had a full day ahead of me and I wanted to be well rested. I snuggled under the Egyptian Cotton sheets and drifted off to sleep.

I had a nice breakfast in the hotel restaurant. I thought that I had spotted George Clooney in the restaurant, but I couldn't be sure. As I waited in the lobby for the car service to arrive I was keeping an eye out for celebrities. The car arrived and I left without any more celebrity sitings.

The ride to
Adele
was only about fifteen minutes. I'm not sure that we traveled all that far, but the traffic was heavy for a Saturday morning. The driver told me that a section of the block was shut down for a movie crew. It had everything all tied up.

As we pulled up to
Adele,
I was impressed by the building. It was a modern glass structure that glistened in the California sunshine. A woman was waiting for me as I stepped out of the back of the towne car. I assumed it was Lauren Caldwell.

“Lauren Caldwell,” the woman said as she extended her hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Sullivan.”

She had a broad and warm smile. She was my height and looked to be in her early forties. She was slender and fit. A runner's physique.

“Thank you. It's nice to meet you as well,” I replied as we shook hands.

“Let me escort you upstairs and introduce you to Ronald Vargas. He is our Vice President of Business Development. He will give you a tour of the office and discuss how your proposed position fits into the magazine's strategy.”

The marble lobby was spacious and had a large, modern reception desk. Being a Saturday, the lobby was empty. Lauren Caldwell led me to the elevator and we traveled to the executive floor.

Ronald Vargas greeted us as we exited the elevator.

“Ms. Sullivan. Thank you for agreeing to give up your weekend to meet with us,” he said as we shook hands.

“Thank you for accommodating my schedule,” I replied.

“Well, I'll leave you two for now. I will meet up with you in a few hours,” said Lauren Caldwell as she headed down the hall toward her office.

Ron Vargas was slightly taller than me. He was in his early fifties and carried a few extra pounds. He had a friendly, round face. He reminded me of a cherub.

He moved surprisingly fast. I felt like we were power walking our way through the tour. I didn't sense that he was trying to rush me. I got the impression that this was his normal speed.

The office was nice. Similar to
Jacqueline
's office back in Manhattan. Mr. Vargas pointed out where all the departments were. When we reached his office, we went inside and sat down. He explained what
Adele
hoped to accomplish with their Digital and Social Media department.

They had a department and it was functioning. This was more than existed when I was hired at
Jacqueline
. Mr. Vargas further explained that they were committing significant resources to expand and improve the department. In fact, the Digital publication was getting a complete facelift. What they needed was talent to head the department.

He explained that the former head of the department took a position at a new tech company. It was rather sudden and came at an inopportune time. They had, naturally, been monitoring what we had been doing at
Jacqueline
. They wanted me to come to
Adele
and replicate that success.

We talked at length about the company, the department, and all that my position would entail. They would give me a lot of latitude to restructure the department as I saw fit. They were willing to spend at least 15% more on the department than I currently had in my department's budget at
Jacqueline
.

I was impressed with what I heard. Ronald Vargas was easy to speak with. He insisted that I call him Ron. He told me that all his friends called him Ron and he thought we could be good friends. I took him as completely sincere.

Adele
had a friendly feel to it. And they were hungry. They were hungry to take the top spot in the fashion media world. They were convinced that I would play a pivotal role in getting them there.

After Ron and I finished meeting, he introduced me to the Digital and Social Media staff. They were knowledgeable, driven, and seemed genuinely excited in the prospect that I might head their future efforts. I figured they would kiss up a bit to a potential new boss, but it didn't seem that way to me. I liked the staff and could easily see myself working with them.

When Ron and I finished meeting the staff, he brought me to Lauren Caldwell's office. They had made lunch reservations at
Spago Beverly Hills
. I had several of Wolfgang Puck's cooking products, but I had never eaten at one of his restaurants.

When we arrived at Spago's, we had a booth near the wine wall. I was amazed at all the bottles of wine. The restaurant was modern and elegant. The food and wine were excellent. From what I had experienced so far, I could get use to L.A..

Ron, Lauren Caldwell, and I had pleasant conversation over lunch. When it came time for dessert, they decided it was time to reel me in.

“Ashley, it should come as no surprise how much we want you to be part of the
Adele
family,” said Ron with a warm smile.

“It has been a pleasant day. It does feel like a family,” I said in all honesty.

“We are pleased that you feel that way,” said Lauren. We, too, were now on a fist name basis.

“I know that I mentioned on the phone that we were prepared to beat your current salary and benefits. I think that you will agree we have done that with this offer,” she said as she handed me a folded piece of letterhead.

I opened the piece of paper. My eyes grew as wide as the moon. They offered me 10% more than I was currently making. I already felt like I was making so much money. The offer was unreal.

The benefits were equal to or better than what I currently had. They would pay all my moving costs, including covering the remainder of my lease in Manhattan. I was speechless. Then I was breathless. If I signed a contract within one week I would receive a generous signing bonus equal to two months of the proposed salary.

Ron and Lauren looked expectantly at each other and then back to me. They had done everything they could to impress me. They also knew the offer was superb. The only question was whether or not I wanted to take the job and move to Los Angeles. I took a deep breath and exhaled.

“This is an extraordinary offer. I don't quite know what to say.”

“We hope that you will say 'yes',” said Ron as he smiled at me.

“This has been a lovely day. I am truly impressed with
Adele
and what you want to accomplish. I am beyond flattered in your interest in me. I need a little time to process everything before I make my final decision.”

Ron and Lauren clearly hoped that I would say 'yes' on the spot, but they must have expected I would need some time to make my decision. They were gracious and warm for the remainder of our time together. They asked my plans for the evening and I told them that I would be visiting with a friend who lived in the city.

I agreed to be in touch with them as soon as I made my decision. I indicated that I would get back to them before the end of the following week.

The car service took me from the restaurant to my hotel. I had the rest of the afternoon before Jeremy would pick me up for dinner. I changed into my bathing suit and headed to the pool for a swim. I figured some laps would clear my mind and help me think.

After a nice swim I went back to my hotel room and showered. I put on the soft hotel robe and padded to the comfy chair in the corner of the room. I called my parents to fill them in on the job offer and get their opinion.

They were both over the moon about the job offer. They also liked the idea of the shorter flight between Austin and Los Angeles vs. the longer flight to New York. But they also wanted me to consider where my heart was in all of it. They shared a story with me that they never had before.

When they were dating, my dad had cheated on my mom with an old girlfriend. I was floored. That didn't sound like my dad at all. He loved my mom so unconditionally. He would never do anything to hurt her.

The situation wasn't exactly the same as with Brandon, but they offered it to me for whatever it was worth. My parents had been dating for several months and had a terrible argument. They hadn't broken up over it, but they were both steaming. They didn't speak for a week.

It was during that week that it happened. My dad fell into the arms, and bed, of a former girlfriend that he ran into at a local bar. It was just the one time, but my mom then broke up with my dad when he confessed to the one-night stand.

After a few months, and a lot of tears and talking it out, my parents got back together. The rest, as they say, was history. They built an incredibly strong relationship. They were married two years later. Nine months after that I came along. My sister three years later.

My parents have been happily married for over 22 years. They always seemed the perfect couple. They provided an amazing family life for my sister and me. Their point, which wasn't lost on me, was that they would have missed out on all of it if they hadn't worked through my dad's one very bad decision. It took a lot for my mom to forgive him, but she did.

They weren't condoning what my father, or Brandon, had done. And they weren't saying that everyone could, or even should, get back together. What they wanted me to know was that it worked for them. But they had to make it work. And they both wanted to make it work.

After I got over the initial shock of what they told me, it certainly gave me even more to think about. The difference, I stated, was that my dad was, at his core, a one woman kind of guy. Yes, he made a terrible decision during a time of emotional upheaval in their relationship. It didn't excuse his actions, but it was out of character.

Brandon, on the other hand, had made a practice of being with many women. His was a relapse to what he knew best. It was very much in character for him. Then my mother said something that gave me pause.

“Perhaps, then, he needs more time to learn how to be with one woman. Assuming that he wants to do that. And, that it is with the right woman,” she said.

It gave me pause and pissed me off a little.

“So, are you suggesting that I should let him have a piece of Ass on the side until he gets it all out of his system?” 

“No. What I am saying is that maybe one relapse does not predict a trend. Ashley, dear, you are a smart and together young woman. You need to look at the entire situation. Think with your head and follow your heart,” replied my mom.

“And what do you think of Jeremy Wagner?” I asked my parents.

They both told me how much they liked Jeremy. The Wagners were a wonderful family. They were happy when I dated him in high school. I didn't share that I had sex with Jeremy recently. But I did tell them that I was seeing him, as friends, while I was in L.A.

“Well, my advice remains the same, dear,” said my mom. “Professionally, I don't think you can make a wrong decision. You have a fabulous career already.
Adele
would be more money, but, my goodness, you are already doing so well. I think you need to decide where your heart is. Ultimately, that is where you will find happiness.”

The conversation was much deeper than I had expected, but it helped. My parents gave me a lot to think about. They confirmed that I needed to look at my situation from all angles. Ultimately, however, what did I want for myself?

They ended our phone call with some very good news. My dad would be starting as a Math teacher of record on Monday. That meant he would be earning a salary and benefits while he completed his teacher certification program. After he was laid off he had a hard time finding anyone who would hire a middle manager in his 50s.

He had a degree in Mathematics and there was a shortage of math teachers in Texas. He started a teacher certification program and had been interviewing with local school districts. I was thrilled. 

My dad was great at explaining math. My sister and I never would have made it through our math classes without his help. He'd be a great teacher.

“I won't be making what I did before, but the salary and benefits are certainly enough for us. We are going to be just fine,” said my dad.

Then he choked up as he thanked me for my financial help. They were able to keep the house, their insurance, and send my younger sister off to college.

I told them that I could continue to help, if need be. My parents told me that wouldn't be necessary. I decided that I would send them on a nice vacation. They couldn't turn that down. Not if it was already paid for.

When I got off the phone with my parents I called Chelsea. She was excited to learn about my job offer. Even if it meant that I might move to Los Angeles.

She could see the point my parents were making, but I think that Chelsea liked the idea of my exploring something with Jeremy. But, in the end, she wanted me to be happy. She'd support me no matter what my decision was.

I finished my call with Chelsea and got dressed for dinner with Jeremy. I put on a nice pair of jeans and a casual blouse. We agreed that it would be casual and light. I had been refreshed by my swim. Maybe a fun evening with Jeremy was just what I needed.