Monday morning Brenda was in her office working, or at least pretending to
work, by seven o’clock. She was having doubts about Jax, about herself, about what
she wanted to do, and she hated herself for it.
Throwing down her pencil, she stared at her desk without seeing anything on it.
Her family had instilled confidence in her. That she had used that confidence to go to
school and was now trying to be part of the family business was not what they had
wanted or expected. Only she couldn’t make them see that, not even her father, who
should understand her need for the challenge of thinking and trying, failing and winning.
She sighed and focused on her desk. The only reason there was anything on it was that
she constantly forced her father to give her something to do.
It hurt that he didn’t trust her. Not that she was particularly close to her father, or
her mother, for that matter. Sent away to the best schools when young, her relationship
with both of them always seemed to be at a distance, thought they loved her in their own
way. A very limited way, and she’d tried to nurture and expand those limits without much
success and without daring to stretch too far the tenuous bonds that bound them
together. She didn’t want to disappoint them, but they were smothering her...
A knock had her spinning on the door and watching as a young woman slipped
inside. For a moment all Brenda could do was stare at her, but after the shock wore off,
she burst out laughing.
“Lilly, you look...different.”
Indeed the Lilly Rivera who had worked for Brenda the week before was gone.
No more sleek secretary in cool, tailored suits and loosened hair. The colorless skirt
and jacket perfectly matched the old-maid image of the bun holding her dark brown hair in place at the base of her neck and the awkward pumps on her feet. Lilly showed the huge glasses she’d purchased to replace the ones she usually wore back up her nose.
“Do I look awful enough?”
Brenda hurried around her desk to confront her secretary. “I don’t think Sonny
will give you a second glance.” Lilly’s eyes fell, and Brenda reached out to take her
hands. “Lilly, I’m so sorry. I wish I’d known earlier. If I hadn’t been so wrapped up in my
own problems...”
Lilly shook her head. “It’s not your fault. I could have said something. Probably
should have, but I just kept hoping he’d give up when I ignored him. And you had
enough to worry about.” Lilly raised her eyes to Brenda’s. “I just appreciate you giving
me another chance. All the money you brought me Saturday to buy all this,” she said,
gesturing to the clothes and shoes. “I’ll try not to let you down.”
Brenda squeezed the fingers in hers. “You’ve never let me down.” But she
grinned as she looked over her secretary again. The disguise was a wild idea. Maybe
one that wouldn’t even work, but no one was going to lose their job because of her. Not
if she could help it. All that aside, Lilly was a good secretary and an excellent mind
reader, a combination necessary to keep an executive on top of things.
Brenda shrugged, “It was time for me to return the favor. You’ve been here with
me more times than I can count burning the midnight oil making reports and adding
figures.”
“That were all ignored until Sonny took it upon himself to represent them as his
own ideas.”
Brenda’s mouth thinned. “You leave Sonny to me. He’s stolen his last proposal.
We’re going to show everyone what he really is, and if he bothers you in any way, you
have my official permission to deck him...or come and get me and I will.” Her smile was
predatory. “Matter of fact, the possibility of knocking him flat on his back is something I
could really learn to look forward to.”
“I get to do it first.”
Brenda nodded. “Agreed, but we may not have to fight alone. I’ve hired an
associate.” She grinned. “It’s about time we filled that empty office next to mine.”
“Does that mean you father, I mean, Mr. Barrett is going to let you...”
“I don’t think he’s going to let me do anything, but I’m going to make him see me,
once and for all, as more than his daughter.” Brenda turned with her toward the door.
“And once we become a power to be reckoned with, you can get back in your own
clothes and we can get on with business.”
“Human Resources...”
“Will think your Lynda Riverton. No one will notice you and Lilly Rivera have the
same social security number.” Brenda opened the door. “I have to call them first thing
about Jax, too,” she told Lilly, and when she opened the door, suddenly, he was
standing in front of her.
Gone was the leather jacket. Gone was the biker in sunglasses and ragged blue
jeans. Instead she was facing a man dressed in a suit and tie...both of which, to her
trained eye, had come from a posh men’s store.
She’d secretly been worried about him, coming to an office where ridicule could
be quick and cruel for someone who didn’t appear to fit in, but the tailored outfit he wore
was perfect. Cut in lines that caressed the width of his shoulders, the light green jacket
he wore set off his eyes in a way that stole her breath...and her tongue.
Yet, he was anything but speechless and not at all shocked by the crisp
business jacket, skirt and blouse that she was wearing. He’d already made up his mind
that no matter what she wore, she looked fantastic, but the idea that he had surprised
her once again gave him a great deal of pleasure. “Ms. Barrett,” he greeted with a polite
nod, and immediately turned toward the woman beside her. “And you are?”
“She is,” Brenda finally managed to speak. “Lilly...Lynda Riverton.”
Jax held out his hand. “Pleased to meet you, Lynda. Jax McCarty. Ms. Barrett’s
new associate. I’m looking forward to working with you.”
“You’re...we’re...” Lilly stammered. “I better get to work. I’ll call personnel...”
“In a moment.” Brenda objected quickly, finding she needed a moment...or
several moments...to recover her composure. At least she hadn’t been the only one
gawking at him. Lilly had been looking, too. “Please won’t you come in, Jax?”
He followed her gesture inside but stopped almost immediately upon entering
her office. It was neat, clean, businesslike. No feminine frills, just light touches. A
single flower in a vase, plants on the windowsill and her perfume in the air. It was
intoxicating in and of itself, but she’d obviously avoided anything that detracted or
detracted in order that she and anyone else who entered the office could concentrate on
the business at hand.
“Nice.”
Aware of her closing the door behind him, he walked to her desk and ten to the
window beyond it.
“Good view, too.”
“You’re right on time,” she observed, finally finding her voice and liking lips that
had suddenly gone dry at the sight of him.
“First day,” he told her, and turned to watch her join him by the panes of glass
overlooking downtown LA The cloak of reserve was back in place with the cool front she
used to keep people in their place. Unfortunately for him, her hands-off attitude served
more as a dare for him to put his hands on. He resisted temptation by lifting his hands to
straighten his already perfectly knotted and centered tie. “I wanted to make a good
impression.”
“You certainly made one on Lilly...Lynda, I mean.”
“You can’t remember the name of your own secretary?”
Brenda’s eyes narrowed on him. “There’s a story there that you don’t want to
know about, remember?”
“I’m intrigued even if she is trying to be a mousy little thing.”
“Oh, no, only trying? You don’t think she’s unattractive?” Brenda questioned in
alarm. “I mean, would she catch your eye if you liked woman?”
Jax smiled. “I do like woman.”
“No, no it’s just...” Brenda sighed. “I’m not making any sense.”
“You don’t want her to be attractive?”
“I don’t want her to be noticed, at least for a while.”
Jax ran a hand through his hair. “I think what you’re trying to ask me is if I’d take
a second look at her?”
“Yes,”
“Then, no. I’d rather look at you.”
Brenda’s office suddenly got smaller, and she took refuge by quickly sitting in
her chair before her knees gave out. Standing close to him wasn’t a very good idea. It
made it hard for her to remember that he was an employee and she his employer. She’d
have to be sure to keep the desk between them. “Speaking of appearances, you
look...nice.”
“The suit?” he asked with a raised brow. “I wasn’t sure it would do, and it did
cost...well the motorcycle...”
She was up and out of her chair in a flash. “You didn’t sell it, did you?”
Jax just merely smiled, satisfied that he’d found who he was looking for. The
warm woman with emotions surging just below the surface, not the cool socialite in
executive clothes. “Not without consulting you first.”
She glanced at his expression and sank back into the chair again. “I’m glad you
came.”
“Still nervous about throwing down the gauntlet?”
“Nervous about failing again.”
“Not the first charge?”
“No, and there are...complications,” she told him with a frown. “Being the
daughter of the man in charge has it advantages and disadvantages. Some people are
willing to let you succeed because of who you are. There are others who are determined
to see you fail for the same reasons.”
Jax nodded with understanding. “You have some competition?”
“Yes,” she agreed slowly. “One who was firmly in place before I came here.”
“It pays to know your enemy.”
“It sometimes pays not to antagonize them, too.”
“Negotiation rather than confrontation?”
“My father respects his opinion.”
Jax grunted.
“And we’re part of the same company, the same team. We should work
together.” Her gaze lifted to meet his. “Besides, men hate aggressive women.”
He grinned. “Oh, I don’t know about that. Aggression has its own place.”
The look he gave her made her glad she was sitting, but he didn’t linger on the
subject. Instead he shrugged and walked away to the other side of the desk.
“Some women act as if they have something to make up for when competing
against men. It can alienate people.” He fingered the flower in the vase sitting by her
calendar. “But business is war, and there’s a difference between being aggressive and
defending an idea you feel is right.”
“Coming from a woman, some think its the same thing.”
“The insecure do.” He watched her frown. “When do I meet this pagan of virtue
who’s afraid of a smart woman?”
She couldn’t help but smile. “Soon enough.” Standing, she led him to a small
conference room table in the corner of the room where papers were neatly stacked.
“You said business is war. Well, we’re heading into battle.”
He watched her pat a pile of folders.
“This is my attack plan. I need you to go over some figures for me and give me
your thoughts.” She picked up the mass of papers and turned to him. “We’re thinking of
acquiring some property in Malibu. There’s a meeting this afternoon to go over any
proposals. I want mine to be the one they chose.”
Jax accepted the load she plopped in his arms with a raised eyebrow. “I thought
hired help was supposed to be broken in easy.”
No one said this job was going to be easy,” Brenda reminded him, and took his
arm to escort him to the door. “Your office is next to mine. Lynda can get you whatever
you need and will take you to Human Resources when they’re ready to process you both
in. The meetings at three o’clock. You have an hour lunch break, and the coffeepot’s
down the hall in the copy room. I’ll see you at two for a complete briefing.”
Left stranded by what was supposed to be his office door, Jax watched her stride
away. He liked the confidence in her step, especially the way it made her hips sway
against the material of her skirt, and he like her faith in him. He wasn’t prepared to let
her down, but if he was going to teach her anything, it was that she could release the
control she kept over herself.
Upbringing, no doubt had a part in teaching her to always appear calm and cool,
to never get visibly rattled or like that commercial said: “Never let them see you sweat.”
It was okay to let go on a regular basis, like during negotiations, during corporate battle,
raising your voice and your temper could serve its purpose. It made an opponent know
you meant what you said. He sighed. Unfortunately, those personal lessons would have
to wait. At least for a little while.
Nodding to Lynda, whose name he already figured was really Lilly, he went
inside the room and took a seat at the desk and began to read. It didn’t take more than a
couple of pages to catch his interest, and an hour later he barely noticed when Lilly put a
cup of coffee next to him. He just kept on reading.
The real estate involved was some of the best in Los Angeles. Development
had endless possibilities, and even in a depressed real estate market could be resold in
pieces or as a whole leaving a nice profit when all was said and done. The
consideration was, once bought, what was the best way to proceed? Break up the whole
into parts, slate it for business or residential use? What would bring the best recovery?
The quickest capital turnaround?
Options popped into his head as he sipped the coffee Lilly had brought him, but
if he thought he was one step ahead of Brenda in his analysis, that was all he was. She
lined up with his opinion every time, drawing clear and concise pictures of ventures and
opportunities. And her figures were good. She knew what she was talking about and
missed only a few drawbacks that was due to inexperience than oversight. His research
had told him that she’d been on the job for less than two years. She had a lot to learn
yet, but she already knew enough to recognize a sweet deal when she saw it.
At lunch time, Jax persuaded a stammering Lilly to go out to a corner deli with
him. He wanted some insight into the operation of the office and its people. If she was
hesitant to give it at first, by the end of the lunch she was opening up like they were old
friends. She told him what he wanted, and needed, to know.
Who she really was and why she was in disguise remained a mystery when they
returned to the office, but it wasn’t one he needed to solve right that minute. He was
willing to wait for answers, and instead of wasting time wondering, he closed out the
possibilities and went back to the report that he’d locked in his new desk and quickly
finished it.
