Chapter 8
Distractions
“Personally, I find their demands somewhat unreasonable, considering ours is supposed to be a partnership,” said the brunette to her audience in the conference room. The dim room was lit up on her side by the screen behind her. “Negotiations are taking too long,” she added.
It took a few seconds for Sebastian to realize Callie Holmes’s last comment was directed at him. “Any suggestions?” he asked smoothly, realizing he’d been distracted.
“I say we quit pussyfooting around,” she said, crossing her arms. “I understand you wanted us to take cultural considerations in this, but I believe our friends in China can appreciate straightforwardness.”
“You do.”
She cocked her head. “I’ll be happy to take the lead in this, if only they’d take me as seriously as they do you.”
“Because you’re not a man?” Elton Lowry said, grinning.
“Because I’m not the CEO,” she said.
“Do it then,” Sebastian said. He stood up. “I’ll be there for tomorrow’s conference call, but you can do the talking. Next week, you and I are flying to Beijing.”
“Would they not wonder why the EVP for corporate and not the EVP for world services is negotiating for Mattheson?” Elton said, cocking an eyebrow.
“We’ll see, won’t we? Come along too, Elton. And make sure to pay attention to Callie in action,” Sebastian said. He nodded to everyone, and they all stood up. The meeting was over.
“I’ll pack a red suit,” Callie said, grinning.
Quit pussyfooting around. It was as if Callie had read his mind. Images of Victoria smiling beside him as they drove through the streets of L.A. last night kept him preoccupied through his Executive Vice President’s report. How she looked lying on his couch, her hair spread out like spilled wine around her face as she slept. Sebastian wondered if anyone had noticed.
Then he remembered the look Callie gave him when he looked up from his reverie.
“Something wrong?” his assistant, Frank Mallory, asked as Sebastian got to his office. “Sorry, I thought your meeting would be longer,” he explained, when his boss looked at him quizzically.
“Everything was fine, Frank.” He sat down at his desk. Three new documents had been laid on it since he had left for the meeting an hour ago. He barely looked at them as he scribbled his signature on each of them.
Her laugh was like the rich tones of a church bell. Deep, and a little husky.
He wondered how she would sound as he made love to her. The things he would do to her to make her moan. He imagined her voice as she cried out his name.
“I’m going out in five minutes,” he said, signing the last contract. His voice sounded ragged to him, and he cleared his throat. “I’ll be back at six.”
***
One more day, Victoria thought.
She’d only been half an hour into her shift when she accidentally bumped into Rach who was carrying a tray of burgers and shakes. Thankfully, the younger girl had astounding balance, and the damage was limited to a little splash of chocolate milk on the tray. However, Victoria winced when she recalled the dirty look Rach gave her as she walked away.
Then there was the two instances when she poured too much coffee into a customer’s cup, letting the hot liquid spill onto the table.
“What’s the matter with you today, Vic?” whispered Mabel, after seeing Victoria berated by her customer, an irate woman with a toddler and an infant in tow.
“Just a little distracted, I’m sorry,” Victoria said.
“Boy problems, huh?” The older woman winked.
“Not really,” she lied. Victoria had been zoning out all day. But she didn’t really want to talk about it, even to Mabel. “Problems at my other job,” she said.
Technically, that was true.
She had kept going back to the dream she had Tuesday night. Sebastian waking her up with a kiss. Sebastian’s hands all over her body as his mouth ravaged hers. Sebastian’s body pressed against hers.
Victoria shivered at the memory.
Not even a memory, she corrected herself. The memory of a dream.
As she cleaned up the broken pieces of the cup that had slipped off a tray she’d been carrying, she told herself this would be the last of it.
No more thoughts about her unattainable boss. No more distractions.
If she didn’t get a hold of herself, she’d lose this job. She might even lose the other job too. God only knew what kind of trouble she’d get herself into if she didn’t stop panting after her boss.
One more day, she thought. Tomorrow, she’ll be over it. She’ll come to work and be a professional, and no one gets fired.
She tossed the broken shards of china into the trash bin behind the counter.
“Hey, Slade,” Rach called out to her. “That guy who didn’t know you is asking for you.”
Victoria turned around, broom in hand. She blinked twice to make sure she hadn’t conjured something out of her own daydream.
Sebastian stood in front of her. Dressed in a dark blue suit, he was standing so close she could smell his cologne. “Busy?” he asked.
She looked down at the broom she was holding. “You could say that,” she said.
“You and I have somewhere to go.”
My hair is a mess, was the first thought that came to her head. But instead she asked, “I’m sorry?”
“We have unfinished business, Ms. Slade. Remember last night?”
“You mean...” She felt her knees go weak with fear.
“Yes,” Sebastian said. “You can put this off as much as you want, but I am a man who would much rather deal with work...issues as soon as possible.”
“Please, Mr. Chase.” Victoria kept her voice as low as possible. She didn’t want Mabel or anyone else at the coffee shop to hear. “Not now.”
“You’re coming with me. Now. You could walk out to my car on your own or I carry you over my shoulder. Your choice.”
She swallowed. “I’ll walk,” she said.
Victoria realized she should have known her boss wouldn’t just let this go. And now he was going to do something she never dreamed he would. Something she dreaded. Something she was definitely not prepared for.
***
“Ms. Slade, one would think you were about to get a root canal,” said Sebastian, noticing Victoria wiping her palms on the side of her faded jeans.
He tried not to notice the way her back curved down to her finely shaped backside. Or how her jeans hugged her curves the way well-worn clothes seemed to fit the woman who owned them. Like the shirt she wore yesterday, her blouse was a size too small, and her breasts strained against the soft material whenever she breathed.
He needed to get her something to wear that was less ... tight. Soon. Maybe then he’d be able to keep his fantasies about what she looked like underneath her clothes at bay.
Maybe a sweater. A really loose one. Or those man-sized shirts.
“Is it that obvious?” Victoria said. She smiled weakly.
They were ushered by a smiling sales woman into a plush room that looked like a cross between an office and a really large dressing room. “Ms. Williams will be with you shortly,” she said, then left.
“I don’t understand,” he said. “Most people would be happy they were getting new clothes. I did say I’ll be taking care of the bill.”
“It’s not that...” She seemed unsure of how to explain. “I always feel like I’m making the wrong choices when picking clothes.” She laughed, embarrassed. “I’d go home and put them on, and then realize I made a mistake and the money I spent was wasted.”
“It’s my money to waste. And anyway,” he added. “If you don’t want to make the choices yourself, we’ll have Deborah make them for you.”