Chapter Sixteen
Caitlyn had spent the last hour of her busy day staring at one thing.
A key lay on the dark wood of her office desk.
Such an innocuous object to cause such stress.
This morning Damien had tossed it to her over coffee. When she’d stared at him in mute shock, he’d shrugged and told her given how many nights she was over there these days, there was no need to make her wait in the hall.
She had to admit he had a point. They rarely spent a night apart anymore, opting to crash at one of their homes depending on who had the earlier morning. A second toothbrush now resided in her bathroom, and she’d strategically hidden a hair straightener at his. They’d agreed to keep their respective studies locked and off-limits to protect their companies’ well-being, and since that promise, she’d no longer thought twice about having her lover in her home.
A key isn’t casual. A key means this relationship is a hell of a lot more than temporary.
Didn’t it?
She picked up the key, turning it over in her hands.
It should bother her, having someone in her space so often. She’d never considered giving any of her other flames a key to her home. Usually she preferred to keep some distance between her and her partners.
But no part of her wanted to hold Damien at arm’s length.
Is the feeling mutual?
She had the sensation that something was clicking into place, rather than the usual suffocation she associated with relationships.
He doesn’t tell you to work less. He enjoys that you can be ruthless. Everything you like about yourself he likes, too, because we’re far too similar for our own good.
She hadn’t thought she needed that sort of connection, but Damien was proving her wrong.
I should stop at a locksmith on the way home.
If they were keying each other, then she would return the favor. There was no stopping the butterflies that erupted in her stomach at the thought.
Luckily, her cell rang, interrupting her musings.
Checking the caller ID, she answered. “Hi, Mom.”
“Your dad and I are coming over for dinner.”
She smiled. And people wondered where she got her forthrightness from.
“Okay. Any particular reason?”
“You have a nicer garden than we do, and I want to BBQ.”
“Fair enough. I can stop at the store on my way home and get some burgers.”
“Already handled. We’ll be cooking when you get home.”
“You know, emergency keys are for, well, emergencies.”
“I desperately need a properly grilled burger?”
“Nice try, Mom.”
She sighed. “I just thought with the weather being nice we should take advantage of it.”
Of the nice days we have left.
She swallowed before nodding. “You know you’re always welcome. Make use of my kitchen and grill however you want.”
“I knew I raised you right.”
“It’s rather self-serving for me to agree.”
“We’ll see you when you’re home, honey. Don’t rush. I know where everything is.”
She pulled up her calendar as her mother spoke, checking her afternoon appointments. “I can be home by seven,” she said. “Make mine a cheeseburger.”
Her mother laughed. “Anyone who knows you knows you’re a cheese addict.”
A knock sounded on her door.
“Mom, I need to run,” she said as her VP stepped into her office.
“I have heard that sentence many a time. Go do what you need to. Food will be waiting when you come home.”
“Love you. See you later.” As she disconnected, she thought of her partner.
I should text Damien a warning.
He’d want to avoid her place tonight.
But the thought was fleeting at the dire expression on her VP’s face.
“What’s going on?”
Jeremy shook his head. “I’m not sure. But I want your authorization to look into the new Q11 drug.”
“The one R&D pushed the release timelines on?” she asked. “Why? What’s happened?”
“I don’t know yet. There may be issues with the third-party lab we used to outsource the test trials.”
“Dammit,” she said, rising to her feet. “I told you we needed to keep testing in-house.”
“We can’t afford to,” he replied. “And there’s nothing to worry about yet. I just want to dig a little deeper before we release the drug.”
She shot him a glare. “If you have any qualms whatsoever, shut the release down. The last thing we need is untested drugs hitting the market because we skipped a step. That’s a malpractice lawsuit waiting to happen.”
“I will. Promise. Give me two weeks to investigate.”
“You’ve got one, and I want a summary report in my hands before I leave tonight. Get me answers. Now.”
He inclined his head and backed out of the room without an argument.
A sure sign something is wrong.
She pinched the bridge of her nose.
I’m doing a good job running the company. I am.
Illicit enemy affair aside.
Just take it a day at a time.
And hope her decisions didn’t have long-term consequences.
…
Damien ran his hands through his hair, reminding himself murder was illegal.
“But your mother has advised us that—” his head of R&D stuttered.
“My mother has no power over this company,” he replied, his voice cool.
His research head swallowed. “She told me we needed to cut costs in production and increase our drug prices.”
She’s going to steer us over a cliff.
“Ignore her. Do not use lower-quality materials and don’t worry about our pricing structure. I’ll handle it. Just focus on making our drugs the best and safest choice on the market. That is your only goal.”
“But—”
“There are no buts here. Ignore everything my mother told you and do not bring it up again.”
The man actually bowed in his haste to leave.
What have you gotten me into this time, Mother?
He’d bet his salary it was nothing good.
She might have been the right woman for Father after all.
He leaned back in his chair, staring at his closed door.
His father had been ruthless, and he’d picked a mate with morals that matched his own.
Caitlyn would never put profit over people’s health.
No, it hadn’t taken long to see she approached their industry with a different mind-set entirely. She was in this for the science, not the money.
Because she’s searching for a cure that doesn’t exist.
And her father’s illness was fueling an R&D quest he’d never imagined.
He ran a finger along his lips. Socially, he’d applaud the millions she was funneling into cancer research. But privately, it stepped on a lot of his toes.
Only one company can sell a cure.
Reid Enterprises needed to be that entity.
His sigh was long and drawn out. Needing to hear a friendly voice, he grabbed his cell and called up a number.
“Is this a wedding invite or do you need to drink?” Spencer asked when he picked up.
“Hello to you, too,” he said drily.
“Question still stands.”
“What if I was calling to catch up with you?”
“You call when you need something. So do I. It’s our thing. That’s why I call so often.”
“I’m not getting married.”
“Aw, Red losing her touch?”
“She’s…” He stopped himself. “This isn’t why I called.”
“Don’t care. For the first time in our adult lives, I can tease you about a girl. No way I’m letting that pass. I’ll see a planetary alignment before I see this again.”
“Flattering. I definitely shouldn’t have told you I slept with her at the conference.”
“Ten bucks says you’re still doing it.”
“Spence—”
“I’m right, aren’t I?”
He sighed.
“Pay up. Okay, how have you screwed this up already?”
“What makes you think I did? I was calling to pick your brain on a production problem.”
“Uh-huh.”
Damien shook his head. “Nothing is wrong. That’s the problem.”
“Not following.”
“We spend almost every night together. She’s starting to leave things at my place. Usually when that happens I feel…”
“Panicked. Suffocated. Bored.”
“All of the above.”
He could almost hear Spencer smile. “But not with her, I take it.”
“I can’t date my rival.”
“Why not?”
“Be serious.”
“I am. Think about it. How many players are there in the pharmaceutical world? Dozens at a bare minimum. In the grand scheme of things, your two companies don’t matter all that much.”
“That’s uncharacteristically optimistic of you. Suffer any head trauma recently?”
Spencer snorted. “Mia rubbed off in ways I didn’t expect,” he replied. “Look, companies merge or buy out each other all the time. What if neither of your organizations exists in ten years?”
What would I do if the companies were no longer an issue?
A hunger woke within him that he barely knew how to tame.
“We’re not going down,” he said.
“Not the point and you know it.”
He sighed. “This will get complicated.”
“As if it’s not already.”
“I don’t do serious.”
“News flash. You started at serious. I met Caitlyn. That’s not a girl who falls into bed with anyone who asks.”
No, she’s not.
But where did that leave him? Was Caitlyn temporary? Or had he fallen into a serious relationship without realizing it?
It’s not as terrifying an idea as I thought it would be.
He’d spent a lifetime loathing the idea of commitment, but with the right person, a decent person, maybe it wasn’t the trap he’d always suspected.
“I need to go.”
“Uh-huh. Say hi to Caitlyn for me.”
The call disconnected, and he stood. There was one person he wanted to see.
Because it’s time to stop thinking of Caitlyn as temporary.
What a sacrilegious thought for a member of the Reid family.