That had always served to stop him before. Franklin loved the profit and didn’t want to take the hit to them that a new hire’s salary and benefits would entail. Even June helped out with some of the less complicated parts of repairing reputations, as did Yolande, despite the fact that it wasn’t supposed to be a part of their job descriptions.
Yolande had actually been hired when I’d told him it was that or I’d be going directly to my sister over his suggestion we become closer friends. Before that time, the receptionists had all been young, pretty, and left after about three months with a decent severance check. I’d tried to tell Cassie, but she wouldn’t listen and had gotten angry with me formisinterpretingFranklin’sfriendliness.
The fight had turned a bit ugly then. College days and serial boyfriends of mine had been brought up. Neither of us had ever had great taste in men. I was just able to admit it, while she’d married her mistake and refused to give it up.
And then, she’d lost their baby, only a year after they were married. It had nearly broken her. I’d promised I would always be there for her, and I kept my promises. She was stuck with this buttface, and I’d be there for her through it.
Franklin’s smile grew even broader, his pale brown eyes twinkling, projecting an air of amused trustworthiness.
Oh, no. Sorry, fella. Not falling for it. I knew him too well for that.
He sucked in a deep breath and crossed his arms, his expression elevating into smug. Now my suspicions were well and truly up. "Actually, I’m interviewing several people today.” He leaned in almost conspiratorially. “I'd really like for you to concentrate your energies on this account. It's large andverycomplex. The fees will take my company up to the next level."
Hmph.Hiscompany. Despite the fact that I did most of the work.
Again, he leaned forward, eyes intent on my own. Franklin had learned not to touch me to emphasize his words a long time ago, thankfully. Smart man, because if he tried to touch me, I was pretty sure that he wasn’t going to get that appendage back, whatever it happened to be. He was getting a little close for comfort. A bit too much inside my bubble. I didn’t want to have to explain to my sister that I’d maimed her husband because he’d gotten handsy with me. No doubt that would bemisinterpretinghisfriendlinessagain.
The whiff of danger hit my sixth sense. “Really.” I narrowed my eyes at my brother-in-law and pushed my chair back a little, uncomfortable being so close to him. “This isn’t someone involved in illegal activities, right?”
Franklin flushed. I hadn’t let him live down the time that he tried to get me to do PR for a cartel head, mostly lying about who it was. I had my limits, and basic research had easily revealed the client’s identity and what they did for a living. I’d reinforced my hard lines to Franklin in exquisite detail that day. Some might say I’d lost my temper, but since no punching had been involved, I believed it should’ve been classified as an upset. A snit, if you will.
Dropping the fake smile, Franklin glared back at me. Clearly, he’d figured out that I wasnotfeelingthis account, and I certainly didn’t believe that I could trust him. If I couldn’t trust him, then how was I supposed to trust this client who he was tryingsohard to shove down my throat? "Of course not. The clientissecretive, however, and wants to meet with you in person, with no recording devices present. He is willing to allow pen and paper though.Afteryou sign an NDA."
Oh, really? An NDA… My eyebrows shot up. Needing an NDA for an initial meeting was weird, although not the strangest request we’d ever gotten by far. "Not a stylus and a wax tablet?” I pointed at my brother-in-law. “I’m not signing anything I haven’t read."
Franklin shook his head. "It's a multi-million dollar account. I'm telling you. We allneedyou to take it. The NDA is in the email I’ve just sent you, read it all you want to."
I sighed. If it was a multi-million dollar account, I had to at least consider it. "I’m going to do due diligence on the account before I agree."
After the cartel incident, Cassie bawling and pointing out the company would go under if I didn’t stay had been the only thing that had kept me from quitting. I’d insisted on the right to refuse assignments as part of my job description after that. I loved my sister to death, but I refused to be involved with any kind of activities that would make me unable to look in a mirror. The company could suffer before I’d give up my integrity.
"Fine." Franklin heaved himself to his feet, a frown darkening his face. “I want you to decide by midnight tonight. When you make the right decision, wrap up the other accounts so someone else can handle them." He strode out, closing my door with a small slam, as if that show of force would somehow change my mind. Pfft.
Although… The schedule looked like he might actually be interviewing. That was a first. Could this be legit this time? I’d see and get all the information I could before making any sort of decision.
I finished the morning’s work and opened the NDA that, for a wonder, actually was in my email, then decided coffee was in order before reading it. Grabbing my purse, I headed out but then noticed something on the floor. Franklin must’ve dropped an object near the door on his way out. I bent to grab it. Odd. A string of onyx worry beads.
My fingers flinched from the feel of them when I picked the strand up. Sticky and unpleasant—what on earth was on Franklin’s hands? Freaking gross. Pulling a plastic bag from a desk drawer, I dropped them in it and left the bag on my desk to pass to him later.
The others had texted their orders to me, but I paused by June’s desk on the way out. "Do you want anything from the coffee shop downstairs?"
"A chai latte, please." She smiled up at me gratefully. “Thanks.”
Grateful was a bit much. It was my fault we were out, after all.
I barely made it to the elevator before it closed, sliding between the doors like in a comedy movie. The only other occupant, the silver-haired man from earlier, and I did the awkward not-quite-meeting-eyes-or-speaking thing. Hmmm. Who’d he been on that floor to see, the engineering group or the medical billing?
He was quite tall, one of my pet peeves, because he was very attractive, too—why weren’t there more attractiveshortmen in my world? I tended to wear very high heels to combat the height difference, and the fact that subconsciously, my height made people want to take me less seriously.
As the door opened, he caught me sneaking a peek at him and smiled. He had a face-transforming smile, one that took him from attractive to smoking hot. Holy crap. Someone grab a mop, I was going to puddle.
Flustered, I took a hurried step forward and, the story of my life, stumbled as I jerked to a halt, unable to go forward. One of my heels had slid into the gap between the door and the elevator cab. I wobbled, windmilling my arms, but then a firm hand under my elbow kept me from face planting as the heel broke off of my shoe.
Damn it! I stared at the broken shoe in despair. This pair was brand spanking new, the first day I’d worn them, and had cost the world. I wasn’t sure whether to cry or yell, although neither option would help keep my professional image intact or make me look any more graceful to the hot, tall, silver-haired man.
“Thank you,” I mumbled, glaring down at my ruined shoe. To add insult to injury, the elevator door closed, leaving me unable to retrieve the heel. No doubt the broken piece of my shoe had fallen to the abyss underneath the elevator. It wasn’t likely I’d be able to get it repaired, but it would’ve been nice to try. Still, I let it go and turned away. It wasn’t like I could have superglued the heel back on, so I let the elevator have its tax.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” The mystery man’s voice was low and pleasant, with a trace of an accent I couldn’t identify. Very sexy, although I wasn’t exactly in the mood to appreciate it at the moment.
