Chapter Four
Patience stared at the bookshelf in her office and sighed. She wasn’t really seeing it, or anything for that matter, but she couldn’t focus on work. It’d been a month since the last time she sang at Jodi’s club, and a month since she’d had the best sex of her life with a complete stranger. After a whole night of pleasure, she’d left him sleeping and hadn’t seen him since; although, there were a few times when she thought she’d seen him at the Farmer’s Market or mall, but when she looked a little more closely, it hadn’t been him.
Not that she wanted to find him. She didn’t. If she’d had even the barest of inclinations to have him in her life, she would’ve stayed or left her phone number. She’d done neither.
“Excuse me, ma’am.” Bonnie, Patience’s assistant, stuck her head into the office.
Shaking her head slightly, Patience waved her in and turned her chair around so that she faced her desk. It was time for work. The time for thinking about some stranger with dark hair and sinful ebony eyes had passed. She was the Vice President of Sales for the Southwest in her company, and with that position came certain expectations. Here, she had to act like one of the guys. She would not allow people to judge her solely based on her gender. Did that mean she ran a tight ship and earned the reputation of a ball buster? Yes, and she proudly wore that badge. Her team got results and was continually top dog in the company, beating out both the east and west coasts time and time again.
“Ma’am?” Bonnie called out to her.
“Sorry about that. I was just thinking about…our meeting this afternoon,” Patience quickly said, lying through her teeth. The stranger needed to be exorcised from her thoughts.
Bonnie nodded in understanding. “The client has confirmed the meeting time and he will be here at 1:00 P.M. I already have everything copied, the presentation ready, and the folders assembled. Do you need me to do anything else?”
The best thing Patience had ever done for herself was hire Bonnie to be her personal assistant. The woman was prompt, took initiative, and Patience could always count on her. “Refreshments?”
“I’ll be picking up a variety of pastries, sandwiches, and fruit at noon. Drinks will be brought in right before the meeting is scheduled to begin.”
“Excellent.”
“One more thing.”
“Yes?”
“Mr. Knox will not be able to join us due to an unexpected family situation. In his place, his son will attend.”
Furrowing her brow, she asked, “If it’s for family, wouldn’t his son also need to attend?” She’d met with this client a few times before, and his son had never been brought into the mix. Today, they were supposed to finalize the deal. This did not bode well.
“Apparently not. Mr. Knox said his son could handle everything.”
“And his son is? We haven’t met before.”
Bonnie flipped through her notepad and responded, “Soul Knox.”
“Okay then. Just in case, please make sure I have some time tomorrow to call Mr. Knox in case we need to discuss any of the particulars. I’m not a fan of changing players at the end of the ball game.”
“I’ve already rearranged your morning to allow you an hour to call him.”
“Thank you.”
“Is there anything else?”
Patience shook her head. “No, that will be all for now.”
“All right then. I’m going to wrap up a couple of things before I go and get the food.”
“’Kay. Thanks.”
As soon as Bonnie left, Patience turned to her computer and tried to concentrate. She just couldn’t concentrate today. It kind of made sense with Jodi calling her earlier and begging her to come back to the club to sing. Her friend had made the same call at least every other day over the past month. During the first two weeks of calls, she’d even pass on messages from the stranger, but Patience refused to listen. Jodi finally got the hint and stopped trying.
Today, Jodi called and once again begged her to sing. She even went so far as to say that the stranger hadn’t been back for the past week. Patience tried to explain that she was too busy to come in and perform, but her friend refused to accept her poor excuses. They’d known each other too long and Jodi knew her too well, but at the same time, she didn’t press Patience as much as she could have knowing that would be the worst way to get her to open up. The only way Patience finally got Jodi off of the phone was because she promised to come in the following week for one night…of course Jodi seemed to fail to notice that Patience hadn’t given her an exact day.
Forcing thoughts of singing, the club, and everything else out of her mind, she clicked her mouse and opened her email. If she threw herself into work, maybe she could forget a certain someone.
“Ma’am…Patience.”
Patience snapped her head up and glared. No one at work called her Patience except her superiors, and even then most still called her Ms. Thorn.
Bonnie ignored the dirty look. “I’ve been trying to call you. It’s almost time for the meeting. Mr. Soul Knox should be arriving any minute now.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. Time to get ready. The drinks and snacks have already been placed in the room. The folders are on the table and the presentation is set up.”
“The contracts?”
“I have them right here.” Bonnie tapped a folder she held in her arms.
Breathing deeply, Patience nodded and stood up. “Let’s get this over with. Hopefully Soul Knox isn’t a dumbass and we won’t have to start from the beginning with him,” she mumbled in an irritated voice.
“No promises.” Bonnie snickered, understanding her boss’s frustration. “Go ahead and go to the conference room. I’ll bring him back when he gets here.”
“Fine.” Patience stalked off toward the conference room down the hall from her office, trusting her assistant to handle the rest
Patience was supposedly a virtue, and her mother had named her that hoping Patience would be blessed with overabundance of the trait. The intent failed miserably. Impatient described her better, which meant in her family and circle of friends, her name had become somewhat of a joke within her circle of friends and family. Jodi used to laugh that her mother did her an injustice by naming her Patience. Doing so took away any patience she might have possessed.
And then she heard it. That voice. Patience knew that voice. It couldn’t be though. Could it? The stranger from the club, the one she’d left sleeping in the middle of a disheveled bed. Schooling her face, she plastered on her best business smile and spun around just as her customers walked into the meeting room. Sure enough, the very person who led the group of three was none other than her stranger. No. Correction—not hers.
“Ms. Thorn, this is Mr. Soul Knox, and you know Mr. Bane and Ms. Koba,” Bonnie introduced everyone, and she wondered why her boss suddenly seemed stiff and slightly paler than normal. “Ma’am?”
“Hello. I’m Patience Thorn.” She stuck her hand out for everyone to shake like she normally did. Right now, she moved by instinct and habit alone.
The last person Soul expected to see when he walked in for his meeting had been Siren. The morning after their tryst, he’d woken up reaching for her and found nothing except bunched up sheets and blankets. She disappeared, and based on the coldness coming from the empty space on the bed, she’d left long before he opened his eyes. He’d tried to find her, begged the bartender for her real name, and when that hadn’t worked, he pleaded with Jodi to pass on messages that had all been ignored. He’d even gone to Aria night after night hoping Siren would show up to perform, but she’d gone MIA and no one would tell him where to even begin searching for her. Without a name or anything else, he’d had nothing to go on.
“Ms. Thorn. I’m Soul Knox.” He reached for her hand and held it tightly. It was slightly wet, and he knew he’d shocked the hell out of her when he suddenly appeared for their scheduled meeting. She looked different in this environment. Her red mane had been thrown up into a tight bun, her green eyes were hidden behind thick black plastic frames, and her gray business suit looked like almost any other professional suit worn by numerous executives, but it did nothing to hide her curves. Could she be the female version of Clark Kent, but instead of turning into Superman, she turned into the Siren of Texas?
“Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Knox.”
Although his father always tried to drill business etiquette into his head, he still hated to be called “Mr. Knox.” That would forever be his father and grandfather. “Please, call me Soul.”
“Soul.” She inwardly cringed. To her, it made it feel like the line between business and personal started to blur. They didn’t exchange names for a reason. She stayed hidden for a reason. And now somehow the wall she erected had been bulldozed. The universe was having a great laugh at her expense. “If all y’all will take your seats, we can get started.”
After going through the presentation and discussing some of the key points in the contract verbiage, Soul closed the folder in front of him with a smile on his face and pulled the rug out from under her. “There are a few points I’d like to discuss with my father before I sign anything.”
“Everything outlined in that contract has already been discussed between our company and yours.”
“While that may be true, they weren’t discussed with me, and as the person who will eventually take over as the president of our company, I’d like to discuss a few things before we commit.”
Patience forced her lips to lift in a bigger grin and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from lashing out. She counted to ten mentally…and then counted three more times. Only after she believed she could control her temper, did she speak. “I understand your position and your reluctance. Please call me with any questions or concerns you may have, and when you’re ready to sign, please call and schedule a meeting with Bonnie.”
“I’ll be sure to call soon,” Soul told her, but he had no intentions of calling Patience’s secretary. Now that he knew where his siren could be found, he would not lose her again.
Why did it feel like a caress over her skin whenever Soul addressed her? On top of that, she had the sneaking suspicion she’d be talking to him before Bonnie would. The thought both thrilled, scared, and pissed her off. Never before had her personal life crossed over into her professional, and now he requested more time? Asshole. Ingrate.
And that name. Soul. First, who named their kids Soul? Well, his parents did, but that was beside the point. The name sent tingles up and down her body. She still craved him, and though she was loathed to admit it, his name suited him.
“My business card is in the folder you’ve been given and your father also has it. Please call if you need to discuss anything about the contract. I hope all is well with him,” Patience said politely, something she had to force from the very depth of her own soul or else it would come across as rude and bitchy. ‘Why does he look amused?’ she thought to herself.
“He’s fine. It had more to do with my step-mother,” he answered cryptically.
She didn’t really care to know. “Well, I hope all is well with her then. If you will excuse me, Bonnie will see you out.” She had to get away from him, had to find her equilibrium again because seeing him had made her feel like she stood in heels on a rocking boat in the middle of the sea.
Just as she opened her office door, someone called out to her. Soul. She’d bet money he was doing this to torture her. “What can I do for you, Soul?”
He smirked. “Dinner. I mean to discuss a few of the points I had a question about.”
“I don’t think so. I’m sure if you have any questions, your father can answer them.” She couldn’t. If she went out with him, she’d want to skip the meal and go straight to devouring him.
Stepping closer, he spoke low so that no one else could hear him. “Yes, but he isn’t as beautiful as you.”
Out of everything he could have said, he chose the wrong thing to say. Her eyes flashed angrily as she growled, “Beautiful? Is that all I am? Just so you know, I have an MBA and graduated summa cum laude from Harvard. I’ve worked my ass off to get where I am and it hasn’t been easy because this world is still dominated by men. I fought hard, worked long hours, and busted my ass…and I have not done it by allowing anyone to sexually harass me or to sleep my way to the top. Hell, if I’d done that, I might be in a lot higher position than I currently am. Every month I have to meet goals and outperform everyone else, and I do it. So, if you’d like to continue down this very thorny path, go for it, but take note, you may not have any balls left when I’m done with you.” Her eyes darted downward briefly. “And from what I remember, they were a nice set.” She went into her office, slamming the door in his face.
Soul stood there shocked for a few seconds before a smile appeared on his face once again and he strolled toward the elevator. Only that woman could threaten his manhood, defend herself, and look sexy as sin doing it.
He had to have her.
On the other side of the door, Patience couldn’t catch her breath and gulped in air as she sagged against the door. Why did it have to be him? Why had he come of all people? Why did he say that? And why had she wanted to say yes, instead of no regardless of how he asked?
Damn, she still wanted him.