Chapter Five

Melinda

To say I was nervous standing up in front of all of those very important people would be a serious understatement. Still, I stuck to the speech I had written, kept my shoulders pressed back, my head up, and my voice calm as I finished up and waved thank you. Everyone was on their feet once again and I smiled with red cheeks, never having been the center of attention like that before. I had to admit, I wasn’t really a big fan of it. My goal was success, not power, and yes, there was a huge difference.

I climbed down off the stage, shaking various people’s hands until I finally got to Chastity, who handed me a glass of champagne and watched as I smiled and thanked the people around me for their well wishes. When they finally cleared away, I looked up at her and let out a deep breath. She led me to the side, laughing.

“That was a great speech,” she said.

“I’m just glad it’s over,” I said. “I do not like public speaking on that level. Now I can just enjoy the night and relax.”

“Well, the bar is open, the champagne is flowing, and I have to say, there are a lot of really hot single men here,” she said, watching as one passed us by.

“Yeah, they’re single because they’re married to their jobs like I am,” I laughed. “Good luck with that.”

“Hey, I’m not looking for Mr. Forever,” she said. “Just Mr. Hot Tub in the suite of the hotel.”

“You are too much,” I grinned.

“You should be thinking the same thing,” she said. “Maybe find you a man to continue this celebration long into the morning.”

“Yeah, right,” I scoffed. “I have way too much going on to worry about some guy tonight. I walk into the office tomorrow as the new Junior VP and my training is seriously like no time at all. I have to be on my game tomorrow. Besides, none of these men wanted anything more than to suck up to me and get ahead in their careers. I’m pretty sure I’m not going to find out how good they are by what is in their pants.”

“Yeah, well, you can at least try it out; you never know what you’ll find,” she said, waggling her eyebrows mischievously and looking over the bar. “Well, you may not be looking at them, but there is definitely one staring at you from across the room.” She nodded. “And I have to say, from the look of his very expensive suit and the gold Rolex on his wrist, he is not the kind of man who is going to be worried about getting ahead by sleeping with you. And it doesn’t help that he’s very freaking sexy. I need to get out of accounting, where all the men are balding, and move into marketing. At least my nights would be more fun.”

I shook my head and laughed at her, looking over to the bar where this mystery guy was sitting. Okay, Chastity had a point. The men was sex on very long, lean legs. His eyes met mine and he lifted his drink into the air, watching as I looked at him curiously. I nodded back and turned to Chastity, my cheeks trying desperately not to turn red. I hated that about myself, the inability to control my physical reaction to being embarrassed or taken aback by something. It made me look weak and out of control and I hated that about myself.

After that Anthony came and got me, showing me to my seat with him and the rest of the board so that we could enjoy dinner. I was really glad that I’d brought Chastity, who was used to the executives and did nothing but crack jokes and help me through the awkwardness. They all loved her, and even asked her if she was looking for a job, which, of course, with her six-figure salary, she was not. Still, it was really nice to feel like part of the team, even if Chastity was the one that broke me in.

As I sat there listening to the partners tell stories about the company and Anthony, I periodically found myself glancing over at the guy at the bar. Each time I looked, he was looking back, but instead of feeling uncomfortable, I was definitely curious about who he was. I couldn’t help but notice how handsome he was in his tux, reminding me of James Bond with his charming grin. He was very well put together, with jet black hair slicked back and gorgeous hazel eyes. He moved like he had been in the business for a long time, and he oozed charm.

After dinner there were several speeches about the company and I sat eating my cheesecake, trying to pay attention through the champagne haze I had developed. When the evening was beginning to wear down and I had been able to talk to everyone, thanking them for coming out, I decided that it was time for a real drink. Champagne was great, but I had a feeling it was going to give me a killer headache in the morning. I wandered over to the bar and ordered a whiskey and diet with a lime, then stood staring at the sparkling reflection of the chandelier in the mirror behind the bar.

“You know, that bracelet is almost as sparkling as you are,” a voice said from beside me. “Earlier it blinded me with its reflection, but what really got me was the woman wearing it.”

I looked up at my reflection and turned toward the voice, smiling at the dashing man sitting in front of me. It was the guy from earlier, and he was still glued to the same seat I had seen a hundred times throughout the evening. By that point, in spite of my purported lack of interest in any male attention for the evening, I was worn down enough to hear what he had to say. And I had to admit, he’d made a pretty good start.

“My name is Troy,” he said, reaching his hand out. “Troy Wallace, owner of T&R Marketing, your biggest competitor. I also happen to be a magnet for bracelet reflections, and I look pretty good in a tux, if I do say so myself.”

I smiled and squinted my eyes. He was trying ridiculously hard to impress me. Normally I would find it annoying or embarrassing, but it somehow fit him, and I didn’t mind it in the least. Though, after making headlines that night for being the youngest Junior VP in history, I tried not to be too impressed, I had to admit I was. I kept my cool, though, shaking his hand.

“Well, my bracelet apologizes,” I smirked.

“Would you like to sit down?”

I looked at him for a moment, trying to decide whether it was a smart move or not. He was the competition and it probably was a good idea to get to him, even if it was while he was flirting his ass off at me. I shrugged, figuring, why not, and took a seat at the bar next to him.

“Congratulations,” he said, smiling. “You have definitely landed a killer position working for Anthony, and to be the youngest in the company history, that is amazing. How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Well, normally I would find that rude, but under the circumstances … I’m 29,” I said, taking a sip of my drink.

“Where’d you go to school?”

“I’m a Berkeley graduate,” I replied proudly. “I graduated top of my class and went straight to work for Mr. Cartucci.”

“A Berkeley girl,” he laughed. “I hale from Brown.”

“Ahh,” I replied, snickering playfully since we were apparently rivals in more than one way.

“So, Berkeley girl, how did you manage to land this position?”

“Determination, I guess. Work ethic, goal setting, and keeping my nose to the grind. I’ve worked hard my whole life, and I knew that no one was going to hand me anything, so I worked a little harder than everyone else, I suppose. That, and my killer personality.”

“Well, the first one seems right on the button, but the second … well let’s just say the jury is still out,” he laughed.

“I can see you missed the charm classes at Brown,” I retorted, mildly stung but biting back hard.

“Perhaps I did; I was a bit of a party boy,” he said. “What do you like to do outside of work?”

This was starting to feel like a cross examination. “Outside of work?”

“Yes, you know, that time where you aren’t feverishly determined, showing your stealthy work ethic, setting goals, and keeping your nose to the grind,” he said, smiling. “I mean, unless you’ve resorted to setting up a tent at work and just sleeping there. If so, I have to say you look amazing for a tent sleeper. I slept on my office couch once, and my back hasn’t been the same since.”

“No, no tent, not yet,” I laughed, letting go of my brief annoyance at his earlier comment. “But close to it. That was how I got where I’ve gotten so far.”

“Well, that just sounds … boring,” he commented. “But I get it. When I first started T&R, I pretty much never saw the sunlight. I went to work before it came up and left after it had gone down. When I first started we were in a little building in Brooklyn with no windows.”

We continued to talk and laugh, learning about each other and just comfortably conversing. After about an hour or so I looked around, realizing that everyone was starting to trickle out. I smiled as Chastity walked toward me, dragging ass but laughing and smiling.

“Girl,” she said. “That new intern you have—holy cow, he can dance.”

“Chastity, this is Troy,” I said. “Troy, this is my date, Chastity.”

“Charmed,” she said, shaking his head and turning back to me. “You about ready? I am exhausted.”

“Yep, give me just a minute and I’ll meet you out front,” I said, smiling.

She pointed her finger at me and smiled as she turned and walked out of the building. I stood up and opened my purse, pulling out a fifty and handing it to the bartender as a tip. Troy watched me curiously without saying a word.

“Thank you for the riveting conversation,” I said, smiling and turning away.

For a moment I really thought he was going to keep letting me walk, and though I had no interest in getting involved with the competition, especially one that was definitely a womanizer, it was still a bit disappointing. Finally, though, before I could get too far, I heard him stand up from his chair. He reached out and grabbed my elbow gently, turning me toward him.

“Can I get your information?”

“For what?”

“So I can take you to dinner sometime and continue this conversation,” he said, handing me his card. “It would be a shame to waste such an awesome evening without making plans. That’s my personal card.”

I looked down at the shiny black business card with his information on the front. For a second I considered giving him mine, but then I remembered that now was not the time to start making mistakes. I opened my purse and dropped his card inside, snapping it shut.

“You know,” I said, looking around, “I don’t really think I’m the girl for you.”

“Oh, yeah? Why is that?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because aspirations aren’t boring to me,” I smiled. “You seem to be content at number two, and well, that’s just not good enough for me. I don’t settle until I’m at the top of the ladder. But you have a good day at work tomorrow.”

I laughed and smiled, turning and walking away, leaving him completely speechless. Maybe it was the champagne, maybe it was the promotion, but either way I was feeling good. I was feeling on top of the world.