Wilson's Hard Lesson (54 page)

“Rest assured,” Scott spoke, raising a hand. “We will be
able to retain as many of you as there are currently working. Of course, it is
ultimately up to you whether you make the move with us. In addition, any of you
who do not meet the standard of discipline and work that we require will be let
go.”

Lindsay bristled a little bit at his tone. She was grateful,
though, that at the very least they were all being given an opportunity to show
their worth at the new place. She knew very well that in some acquisitions, the
former staff was entirely replaced by the team of the larger company.

“Our goal is to have all of you, or at least those of you
who wish to join us, relocated within the week,” Scott announced. “We will have
a team of movers come in and collect all of your files and anything of value,
and then transport it to the new office. Other than your own personal things,
you will not be required to do anything for this process.”

Lindsay was pleasantly surprised by that news at the very
least. She imagined that if they had tried to move without a major acquisition,
the whole affair would prove to be very stressful and laborious. At least this
way, there was a team of professionals handling it for them.

“I will explain a lot more when we get you all settled down
in the downtown office,” Scott said. “I am excited to begin working with all of
you, and I hope you are all ready to take the success of this company to even
greater heights. Thank you all for your time.”

With that, Scott left the office. For a moment, there was
complete silence. Then, it seemed that everyone suddenly had something to say.
Emotions were running very high, and it took the Mills quite some time to get
everyone to settle down and be calm.

“I know this is likely upsetting news for some of you,” Mrs.
Mills said. “But ultimately, we both feel like we did what was right for the
company.”

Lindsay felt a tickle at her eyes. She knew that this
decision must not have been easy for them, but it was not easy for anyone. The
whole mood of the office was one of distraught surprise.

“Now,” Mr. Mills said loud enough for everyone to hear. “The
decision is final, and we thank you all for helping us to make the company what
it is today. We really couldn’t have done it without each and every one of
you.”

Lindsay felt herself beginning to get emotional, and she
clenched her jaw tightly to try and maintain her composure.

“I’m sure we’ll still see you all around town as we continue
with our lives,” Mrs. Mills said. “But we wanted to host a gathering to say
goodbye to our small little company, and hello to the new company. We’ve invited
over the team from Ryan and Davis, as well as one of the owners of the company,
Erik Davis.”

That news definitely set the office in an entirely different
mood. The Mills’ were notorious for their gatherings. They owned an expansive
ranch house just outside of the city, and they always served excellent food and
drinks. Lindsay had to admit that this would definitely be a great way to start
off right with the move to the new company, and also bid a fond farewell to the
old.

“This will be on Friday night, starting at seven,” Mr. Mills
announced. “Until then, we’ll all carry on as normal for the most part, and be
flexible when it comes to the relocation of all our files and documentations.
Thank you all for this portion of your time, and we’ll be available for any
questions at all whenever any of you have a free moment.”

The Mills’ then moved away from the main room of the office
and into their respective offices. Everyone was quiet as they attempted to
process what was going on. Lindsay could feel the fear and anxiety in the room,
and she certainly understood why everyone was feeling that way.

As the day passed, several of Lindsay’s coworkers filtered
in and out of the Mills’ offices, presumably to talk about their feelings about
the move. It was just the beginning of a very long and more than a little
strange week for Lindsay and her coworkers.

As the week drew on, movers began to appear and start to
transport files from their small building to the downtown office. The men were
very nice, but Lindsay got a sinking feeling each time she saw one of them. The
time finally came fore Lindsay to gather up her own possessions and prepare for
her own personal move. On Thursday afternoon, they were all notified that
Friday would be their final day in their familiar office.

Friday morning, there was an unmistakable air of sadness in
the office. Everyone was very quiet. The day came and went faster than usual.
People gathered up their things off their desks at the end of the day, and then
went to their separate homes.

Lindsay couldn’t help but feel anxious, and she suspected
that everyone else was feeling the same level of apprehension about the future.
When she got home, she set her box of desk items on her kitchen table and
simply stood there looking at them for a while. She knew her life was going to
change very dramatically very soon.

For now, though, she had a party to prepare for.

So, Lindsay began the process of bathing herself and
dressing in a nice, black dress for the evening event. In spite of the
situation, she was excited for the party. She loved her coworkers, and she
liked the idea of meeting the new team in a fun, private setting before they
all had to work together. Lindsay applied a light layer of makeup, gathered up
a small clutch purse and left her home.

She had been to the Mills’ home several times, for parties
and also for more personal occasions. When she was younger, she had gone there
for her friend’s birthday celebrations and all manner of sleepovers. It felt
sort of surreal to still maintain contact with them as an adult. Again, she
felt a pang of sadness that on Monday, she would no longer be their employee.

Lindsay pushed her sadness away as she pulled up to their
home. She gathered up her small clutch and got out of her car. Several other
people had already arrived, some familiar and others not. Lindsay spotted the
Mills’, in conversation with and unfamiliar young woman who looked to be about
Lindsay’s age, and she walked over to them.

“Hi,” Lindsay smiled in greeting, hugging each of the Mills.

“We’re glad you made it,” Mrs. Mills said to her. “We were
just meeting this lovely young lady, Cassie.”

Lindsay turned to greet the other woman and took in her
appearance. The young woman was beautiful, with wavy blonde hair and a bright
smile. She was a little taller than Lindsay, and she carried herself very
confidently.

“Hi, I’m Lindsay,” Lindsay smiled at her. “I guess you’re
from the downtown team.”

“Yes,” Cassie nodded pleasantly. “They asked for volunteers
to work in the new department, and I decided hey, why not? I like meeting new
people and branching out a little.”

“I can’t say I’ve done much of that in my life,” Lindsay
laughed, picking up a drink off of the table beside them. “I have to say I’m
pretty nervous about this whole thing.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much,” Cassie shrugged. “I’m sure it
won’t be so different from what you already do.”

“I hope so,” Lindsay said, taking a sip of her drink.

As the party drew on, Lindsay and Cassie stuck together.
Lindsay found that she was growing to like the other woman quite a lot. They
had a similar sense of humor and they conversed very easily with one another.
Cassie was introducing her to one of their new coworkers when suddenly she
looked up and across the room.

“Wow,” Cassie said, blinking in more than a little surprise.
“He actually came.”

“Who?” Lindsay asked, turning to look around the room.

“Erik Davis,” Cassie answered. “He’s right over there by the
door.”

Lindsay turned to look, curious as to what the new owner of
the company looked like. No sooner did she see him than her jaw dropped. She
did not know what she had expected, but it was certainly not that.

Just inside the door stood a man that looked to be no older
than forty. His hair was a dark, reddish brown with subtle tinges of gray at
the edges. His eyes were a sharp, clear blue, and his frame was broad and
commanding. It was obvious he took good care of himself, and it was made even
more noticeable by his tailored suit. Lindsay knew that it was likely
inappropriate, but she couldn’t help but feel extremely and instantly attracted
to him. She took another sip of her drink in an attempt to cool off.

“I’ve never actually seen him in person before,” Cassie said
to her in a low voice. “But we’ve all heard the rumors that he’s a big
playboy.”

“Oh,” Lindsay said. At a loss for any other words. A part of
her was appalled by the knowledge that he participated in that kind of
behavior. Another part of her, though, vaguely thought that if he showed even a
modicum of interest in her, she would not hesitate to take the opportunity.  

Lindsay watched as he moved across the room toward the
Mills, and shook their hands.

“He was the one who contacted your bosses and made this deal
happen,” Cassie explained. “He saw a lot of promise in the company. And when
you have money like he does, I guess you sort of have a way of getting what you
want.”

Lindsay made a vague noise of agreement, though she was
having a hard time listening to Cassie when her eyes were locked on her new
boss. She watched as his eyes began to pan around the room, and she blushed
furiously when his eyes finally landed on her. He obviously saw her reaction,
and she saw a smile spread across his face that struck her as distinctly
predatory.

“Is he looking at you?” Cassie asked her insistently as
Davis began to slowly move across the room toward them. “Is he coming over
here?”

The two didn’t have to wait long for their question to be
answered. With cool confidence, the man approached them. Neither of the women
knew what to say, and they merely stood there looking up at him for what seemed
like a small eternity.

“Good evening ladies,” he greeted them, his voice a smooth
drawl. “My name is Erik Davis. I’m the new owner of this agency.”

“A pleasure to meet you,” Lindsay managed to speak up and
offer her hand to shake. HE took it, and she was slightly unnerved by the
strength in his grip. “My name is Lindsay Baker.”

“And I’m Cassie Talbot,” Lindsay’s new friends said from
beside her.

“Nice to meet you,” he said kindly, his eyes lingering on
Lindsay. She felt herself blush as his eyes traveled over her body. “Are you
both from Whisper Realty?”

“No,” Cassie shook her head, beginning to relax more into
the situation. “I’m from Ryan and Davis.”

“And you?” he raised a brow at Lindsay.

“I’m from Whisper Oaks,” Lindsay nodded, offering a small
smile.

“I heard it was surprising news for all of you to hear about
the acquisition,” he said fluidly, moving to lean against the drink table.

“Well, it was a little unexpected,” Lindsay offered with a
shrug. “But I guess they’re right. The company was growing, and they didn’t
feel like they were going to be able to keep up with it at the rate they were
going. So I guess they had to make a decision one way or the next and that was
it.”

“That’s just business for you,” Davis said, giving her a
wink. “And I think the money definitely helped them to finalize their
decision.”

“I’m sure it did,” Lindsay chuckled.

“Are you ready to take your career to the next level?” Davis
asked. Lindsay thought she could see the hint of a challenge dancing in his
eyes.

“I suppose I’ll find out on Monday,” Lindsay laughed lightly,
and he gave her a smile, displaying a set of pearly white teeth.

“I suppose we will,” he said, his eyes traveling once more
up and down her body. Lindsay felt her stomach clench and her body shiver
slightly at the look in his eye.

“You two have a wonderful evening,” he said to them, raising
his glass and taking a drink. “I’m sure I’ll see you both again before the
night is out.”

Davis stood up and turned to go. Both Lindsay and Cassie’s
eyes were locked on him as he easily walked through the crowd to go speak to
another few people. Lindsay’s heart raced in her chest and she was surprised at
the way her body had reacted to her interaction with him. There was something
about him that was just overtly sexual and alluring.

“Well, if he talked to the Mills’ like he was just talking
to us,” Cassie said, her tone more than a little breathless. “I can bet it
wasn’t all that hard to convince them to sell.”

Lindsay could only nod in agreement. Throughout the night,
she watched Davis interact with people. Every time he spoke, he seemed to weave
a spell and draw people in to him as if by some hypnotic force. Especially the
women. Though Lindsay tied to mingle with all sorts of different people at the
party, she found that her eyes were constantly drawn back to Erik Davis.

Every now and again, their eyes would lock, and he would
shoot her a smile. Each time, his eyes would dance with some intent that
Lindsay could not identify, and she would look away, blushing.

At last, the party drew to a close. Lindsay bid a goodnight
to the Mills’ and it was with great relief that Lindsay departed. As she drove
home, and even as she arrived at her apartment, she could not ride herself of
the image of Erik Davis, and she could not get rid of the memory of the feeling
of his blue eyes traveling over her body.

That night, Lindsay barely slept, feeling extremely
restless. When she did sleep, her dreams were filled with images of him. She
mentally berated herself for her instant infatuation with him. They had not
spoken more than once, and he had likely forgotten all about her as soon as he
walked away. Even so, she could not school her thoughts away from him, and she
found that her next two nights of sleep were no better.

By Monday morning, Lindsay was feeling frazzled and grumpy
from a lack of quality sleep. She made herself a large mug of coffee. She
glared at the box of her belonging on the kitchen table, and she was
irrationally irritated about having to carry it to her new office. Eventually,
though, she sighed and picked it up, moving out toward her car.

Once she was settled in the driver’s seat, Lindsay took out
her phone and typed the address of the downtown office into her navigation
system. She listened to the directions as she drove, and in about ten minute’s
time she had arrived at the parking garage. She found a parking spot, and with
a sigh she gathered up the box of her belongings and tried to mentally prepare
herself for whatever would lie ahead of her.

Unfortunately, all of the deep breathing in the world
couldn’t have prepared her for what she walked into.

In contrast to the calm, relaxed atmosphere of the familiar,
old office, this office seemed to be teeming with energy and activity. Lindsay
was immediately overwhelmed by the people bustling about doing various tasks.
She vaguely felt her stomach clench as her heart pounded in her chest. She had
certainly not expected this.

As she looked around, she recognized a few people from the
gathering on Friday night. They noticed her, too, and some gave a polite smile
before going back to whatever task they had been working on. She also
recognized Scott Reynolds, and held still as he began to move toward her.

“Good morning Miss Baker,” he said, his tone pleasant but
quick. “Welcome to the new office. Let me show you to your desk.”

Lindsay didn’t have a chance to respond, as Scott
immediately began walking, and she had little choice but to follow him as he
led her to a cubicle. Once there, Lindsay was pleasantly surprised to see that
the cubicles each contained two desks. One of them, her own she presumed, was
empty. The other, though, was occupied by none other than Cassie.

“Hey!” the woman greeted her pleasantly, standing as she saw
her.

“Miss Talbot informed me of her wish to be paired with you,”
Scott said plainly. “Is this agreeable?”

“Of course,” Lindsay nodded, giving Cassie a smile.

“Excellent,” Scott smiled. “I’ll give a few minutes to get
settled into your desk, and after that you can come into my office and I’ll get
you all your old files and some new ones we’ve found for you.”

Again, Scott didn’t wait for her to respond before he was
off again. Lindsay found it completely dizzying.

She put her box down on her desk and began arranging her
things on her desk. Even from within her cubicle she saw people bustling around
busily, and she couldn’t help but feel tense.

“Is it always like this?” Lindsay asked, her voice somewhat
tight.

“Well, it’s a little slow because all of you guys are just
now getting here and moving in,” Cassie said as she sat back down at her desk.

Lindsay felt her mind spin. If this was a slow day, she
didn’t know how on earth she was going to handle a regular day, much less a
fast one. She knew that she would have to do some serious work to keep up.

She hastily arranged her desk and then shoved the empty box
under it. She moved past the other cubicles and knocked on the frame of Scott’s
office, though the door was open.

“Come on in,” Scott waved her over. He already had files in
his hands.

“Here are all your old projects and files,” he said, handing
her half of the stack. “And here are some new ones.”

Lindsay took them, and was surprised at how heavy they were.

“I know this is a lot different than what you were used to
before,” Scott said, his tone quick, but still understanding. “You’ll have to
work fast, and I understand that there will be an adjustment period, but I am
not going to lower my expectations. I think you have what it takes to make it
here, and Mr. Davis agrees with me.”

Lindsay’s ears perked up at the words.

“Mr. Davis?” she tilted her head, somewhat confused.