MORGAN BELIEVED THE building a business resided in said quite a bit about the person in charge of the company. For instance, those who loved grand designs with fancy details and columns throughout, usually had a high opinion of themselves and were very narcissistic. Morgan referred to them as show-offs. On the other hand, those who had plain, stark buildings were either cold or had a low self-esteem, even though they had achieved their status in the business world and were at the top of the corporate food chain. As for The Karston Foundation, it was located in a tall glass building where the occupant could see out, but those below only glimpsed their own reflection. To Morgan that meant Jacqui Karston preferred to know everyone else’s secrets while keeping hers close to the chest. It seemed to fit with what he knew of the woman, so far. There were no decorations on the outside of the building and the few that were on the interior were subdued and rather bland. She didn’t allow for flair or extravagance in her business world. He doubted she did in her personal life either.
The elevator doors whooshed open and Morgan stepped out into the reception area of the world of Jacqui Karston. Some fake banana trees stood in the corners by the elevator doors and a bizarre painting resembling the old-fashioned, wooden children’s blocks used to build a farm in the basic eight colors hung behind the receptionist’s desk. A short blond sat behind the high desk, forcing the people who visited to lean over to see her. Morgan didn’t necessarily mind that as it gave him a great advantage to see her low neckline that had fallen open. She was young, probably mid-twenties, dressed in a business skirt and jacket of dull gray that was in complete contrast to her bubbly smile. He wondered if the outfit was a Jacqui Karston influence. He knew the smile wasn’t.
Morgan leaned over the counter, smiling down upon the young lady. “Morning. Morgan Brewer to see Mrs. Karston, please.”
The woman smiled at him as she told him to wait one moment, picking up her stark black phone and pressing some number he couldn’t see. “Miss Anderson, a Mr. Brewer is here to see Mrs. Karston.” A brief pause as she listened. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll send him back.” As she hung up the phone, her smile still in place, she pointed down the hall. “If you go through there and take the fourth door on the left, Miss Anderson will help you.”
“Thank you,” he said as he tapped the counter a couple of times, stepping off and making his way down the hall. She seemed so formal for someone so young. Everyone went by titles, he noticed. Formal and cold. He was going to hate this project, he just knew it. He was already missing the adventures back home. He wondered if he did fly Faith Greer out, if he’d have a chance to finish what they had started. While he had enjoyed burying his face between her legs, he still wanted a chance to sink his cock into her. Edwin had lost himself between Faith’s thighs and Morgan chomped at the bit to see what the fuss was that had made Edwin such a bubbling idiot. The best part was that it would be on the company dime, once again.
Shaking thoughts of Faith out of his head, he pushed open the fourth door on the left, almost feeling as if he should knock first, even though he was expected, and stepped into another chilly reception area. Miss Anderson was a dark-haired woman, barely at the thirty year mark, probably of average height he would guess, even though she was sitting behind a mahogany desk. She had a firmness to her body that didn’t take away from her femininity. She obviously worked out some. Fake plants stood on both sides of her desk and a philodendron was draped across the top. Pictures of family dotted her desk behind the plant’s giant leaves and a small Betty Boop doll perched beside her computer monitor. At least, she wasn’t as cold as the rest of the place. Morgan took that as a good sign. Jacqui hadn’t ruined everyone, it seemed.
Morgan smiled as he approached the desk, left hand in his front jeans pocket, his right ready to shake her hand—or hug her if she would allow it. “Good morning. I’d like to see Jacqui if she isn’t too busy.”
“Is Mrs. Karston expecting you?” Titles again. Ah well, so much for a little casualness.
“No, but she did call me this weekend with a concern I wanted to discuss with her. Obviously, it was important enough for her to call me—at night—on my weekend off.” He hoped stressing those points would push him through the barrier of Jacqui’s personal assistant. “I’d like to get it settled, so we can move forward.”
The lady nodded once as she picked up her phone. “Mrs. Karston, a Mr. Brewer is here requesting an audience.”
An audience? Morgan’s eyebrows rose. Suddenly, he felt as if he was in a throne room asking to speak to the queen. He chuckled slightly as he shook his head thinking about the self-importance of some people. Fancy words to show power and prestige. In the end, it was all the same thing—a meeting.
He noticed a stack of glossy advertisements on the corner of the young woman’s desk. While he waited, he picked one up, browsing the information. It was for a fundraiser for the Maggie Karston Community Center. His eyebrows lifted in surprise as he wondered where his invitation was. Since he was working on the project, he should have been invited as Neal’s representative. He folded the paper and stuffed it into his pocket. A surprise appearance was in order, he decided.
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll tell him.” She hung up the phone and turned to Morgan, her face a blank mask. “Mrs. Karston is in the middle of something and said that, although you should have called ahead, she will see you when she is through if you would care to wait.”
Morgan fought not to roll his eyes. He knew the game. Make the naughty boy wait to show him his place. God, he hated company politics. “Of course, I’ll wait. As of right now, she is the only project we have going and the longer I’m in here, the less I am out there getting things done. My time is her time.” He smiled, trying to seem harmless when, in fact, he wanted to barge in on Jacqui to show her he could be just as impertinent. However, he knew she would call Neal, just as she called him about Vince. Then Neal would call him, reaming him out for his behavior. He’d avoid that particular call from Neal until it was worth it.
He moved one of the picture frames on her desk and sat down, his left leg dangling over the edge while his right held him up. The small brunette arched an eyebrow at him as she stared. “We do have chairs you can sit in,” she said, gesturing to the burgundy leather chairs lined against a blue wall. “I am sure they would be more comfortable than the corner of my desk.”
He waved her suggestion away. “This is comfortable enough, thanks. I was kind of hoping perhaps you could give me some nice local spots to enjoy. Seems I am going to be around for a while and might as well get into the local scene some. Where do the people go to enjoy themselves? Besides the casinos, that is. Maybe you could even show me around some. You do get to go out and have fun, don’t you? Jacqui doesn’t keep you chained to this desk all the time, right? Or does she?”
Lily intertwined her fingers as she folded her hands in front of her on her desk. “No, I do enjoy fine dining and a dance club now and then, and while I appreciate the offer that I am sure you think is my dream come true, you are just a little too flat-chested for my tastes. I prefer my dates a little bustier.”
Morgan just stared at her a moment and then busted out laughing. “Well played, Miss Anderson.” His head bobbed up and down as he laughed a little harder. “Well played. However, I’d still appreciate a few local spots for us flat-chested types. Since you like bustier dates, I’m sure you would know where I could find some, as well.”
Seeming satisfied with herself, Lily listed off a few night spots for him to check out and he quickly wrote them down. “Thanks,” he said. “And it’s good to know someone in this office has a sense of humor. I hardly see anyone crack a smile.”
Lily glanced at the door behind her, a sad expression on her face. Turning back to Morgan, she shrugged. “She smiles and even laughs at times.”
“I’ll have to take your word for that. She seems a little stiff to me.”
“She’s been through a lot. It’s made her more focused, that’s all.”
He nodded. Focused was good. Obsessed was not, however. Nor was her cold demeanor. “So, who’s in there with her?”
The young woman’s left eyebrow popped up in obvious suspicion. “No one. As I said, she’s in the middle of something. I’m sure it won’t be much longer.”
Ah, well, I couldn’t avoid a scolding from Neal for long anyway. “Nope,” he said as he pushed himself off her desk. “It won’t be much longer at all. Thanks for your help, by the way.” He walked around her desk and barged his way into Jacqui Karston’s isolated sanctuary.
“Wait! You can’t just—”
But he did. He threw the door open and ushered himself into Jacqui’s domain. “Good morning, Jacqui.”
Jacqui had been leaning back in her chair when he shoved her office door open, a file folder in her hand that she was studying while sipping from a stark white coffee mug. As he expected, it was merely a tactic to make him feel inferior. He hated playing politics and refused to go along with it. Jacqui would soon learn that about him.
“I’m pleased to see you’re okay,” Morgan said. “We were getting worried about you since it was taking so long. Since nothing seems amiss, however, I would like to talk to you about your call concerning Vince Andrews Saturday night.”
“Mr. Brewer, you were told I would get to you in a moment.” She slammed the file folder onto her desk, setting her coffee cup beside it, as she shot to her feet, hands on hips. “You do not just barge your way into my office. Miss Anderson, get Neal Rutherford on the line. I knew hiring them was a mistake and I can now rectify that blunder.”
Morgan ignored the woman’s ranting as he made his way over to one of the leather chairs in front of her desk and plopped down, his legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles, his arms crossed over his chest. He just smiled at her as he waited.
She stood, glaring at him a moment longer, before surrendering to the fact that he wasn’t going anywhere and slinking back into her chair, her back lightening rod straight.
“Did you want to wait to talk to Neal or should we go ahead and discuss your intrusive call Saturday night?” He kept the smile on his face as the blush hit her cheeks. His point was made.
While she gathered her composure, he glanced around her office. The carpet was a slate gray, the walls a steel blue with shelves filled with books and stoic looking knickknacks, and pictures, which represented nothing of importance, hung in perfect spacing on the walls. There were no drapes on the windows or doilies on the cabinets or tables. Glancing around, Morgan noticed that, except for a silver picture frame on her desk, of what he couldn’t tell, there were no personal items anywhere. No family pictures, no statues or silly figurines like Miss Anderson’s Betty Boop, nothing. It was completely utilitarian in appearance, as cold as the air that blew from the vents in the ceiling.
“Mr. Brewer,” Jacqui said as she took a deep breath. “You are correct in the fact that I should not have bothered you Saturday night. My apologies. I was overreacting to something of no consequence.” That last part had been hard for her to admit, Morgan could tell.
He shrugged as he shifted in his seat, leaning forward, elbows on his knees with his fingers interlaced. “It didn’t seem of no consequence to you at the time. You called me Saturday night—interrupting me at a very bad time, as a matter of fact—and seemed quite distressed about someone I just hired. Therefore, I thought I would pop by and see what was going on. I asked Vince if he knew what was up and he assures me that he has no idea.” Okay, that was a lie, but why embarrass her any more than was necessary just to make her blush?
Her face paled and he saw her body tense. “You told Mr. Andrews that I called you?”
He nodded. “And that you wanted him fired. Now, may I ask what is going on? I would hate to have a problem on one of my job sites, especially if it’s one I can avoid. Not that I’m going to fire Vince, mind you. Still, I would like to know of any issues among my staff.”
Jacqui shook her head. “As I said, I shouldn’t have called you. I was wrong. If we can forget the whole thing, please. You are free to hire who you wish.”
He narrowed his eyes at her as he cocked his head a little. “That’s a sudden turn of events. Are you sure there isn’t something I should know?”
“I’m quite positive. The simple explanation of the matter is that we were business partners for many years, and I was nervous about having him around again. I overreacted. Again, I am sorry.”
He nodded. “All right. Like I said, I don’t wish to have any problems on my job site, and he will be on the job site. Are you sure you’ll be able to handle seeing him and interacting with him?” Vince had told Morgan that he had crossed a line with Jacqui over a year ago, but neither were confessing how far across that line they had traveled. If anything, Jacqui seemed mortified even talking about it, which led Morgan to deduce the journey ended in the bedroom. He recognized that shade of blush. He thought a moment of how Edwin’s affair with Cherish had ended and the damage it had caused. Why can’t adults just act like adults?
“Really. I appreciate you coming over to reassure me and check on me, but I can promise you that it is quite unnecessary. I am a professional and quite capable of treating Mr. Andrews as he should be treated.”
“Vince.”
“Excuse me?”
“His name is Vince, not Mr. Andrews. We’re not so formal at Rutherford. It’s okay to call me Morgan, as well.”
Her smile was tight and forced. “Thank you, Mr. Brewer, but I know who is who. I prefer to stick to titles. It shows proper respect—even when none is deserved.”
He laughed as he stood to his feet. “And they say you don’t have a sense of humor. Very well, as long as you’re sure there’s nothing that will cause a problem.”
She stayed sitting. “Quite sure.”
He tried not to give her his cocky smile, but he couldn’t help it. She was lying and he knew it. He also knew that he was getting under her skin and both of those facts brought the smile readily to his face. He walked out of her office and tapped Miss Anderson’s desk as he passed it, wishing her a fantastic day. He was already having one.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
She stared at the door Morgan left open as he left her office, the red on her face half blush, half anger. Of all the obnoxious, inconsiderate, arrogant, insubordinate… She stopped her fuming. It was a gutsy move on his part and, if she was honest with herself, it had been well-deserved. She had no right to call him Saturday night. All she did was make herself look like a fool. It’s not how she wanted Neal Rutherford to see her. Vince, obviously, already did.
She closed her eyes, wanting to hide from the scene she just caused.
The intercom beeped. “Mrs. Karston, Mr. Rutherford is on the line.”
Great. What the hell do I tell him now? She took a deep breath and picked up the receiver. “Mr. Rutherford, I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time. I just wanted to tell you how much I was looking forward to working with your company. Things seem to be going quite smoothly, so far.” The lie settled in her stomach like a bad meal, but she highly doubted Morgan Brewer would confess his little stunt to his boss. He seemed to be the reactive type, instead of proactive. At least, she hoped so.