Departing the limo, Mr. Fresby told the crew that they were expected in the hotel’s complimentary conference room within an hour. The board would be arriving here soon. He left us then, with one last appraisal of me, going inside the hotel’s large opened doors. Miranda pulled Cole aside and they spoke quietly, intimately, standing close while the chauffer unloaded our suitcases.
Brent snagged my arm as we walked inside the doors. The hotel was airy, open, and lavishly decorated with tiled floors in the open atrium, couches in peaches and light greens, small palm trees and exotic floral arrangements were placed strategically, giving the impression that you were outside in the tropics. The large, front windows allowed natural light to dance over all. There was a second floor ringing the atrium, open to view the lower level. I could see a restaurant with tables seated next to the glass railing and the conference room where the glass reached the ceiling, taking the place of a wall with blinds that could be closed for privacy. It was warm and comforting, but I felt nothing of it. I needed to speak with Mr. Fresby. I had a bad feeling about what he had been silently planning in the limo.
I spied him sitting toward the back of the spacious entry, sitting on a couch already punching into his blackberry. Zane, Stash, and Ally had gone to check us in and Cole was still outside with Miranda. I’m not sure if I was feeling jealous about their up close and personal chat, but I was decidedly not comfortable with it. Not that I had the right to be, though, so I kept my need to go and break it apart wrapped up tight inside.
“I need to speak with Mr. Fresby,” I told Brent quietly, breaking our half hour silence.
“Oh, hell no, darlin’,” Brent muttered harshly, tugging me away. “We’re going to discuss whatever the hell just happened, upstairs, before you can do any more damage.”
“Brent, stop!” I yanked my arm away from him. “You have no idea what he could do. I need to speak with him. Now.”
Brent stilled, slowly eyeing me. “Are you going to tell me what he could do that has you so riled up?”
I nodded. “Upstairs. But first, I need to speak with him. I promise not to make any more trouble for your company. This isn’t about that.”
Unbreakably hard, his eyes focused on mine. Green on Blue. “Fine, we need to make it quick, though. And I swear Ember, if we lose this account because you march over there and start rattling on like you did in the limo I’m going to bend you over my knee when we get upstairs.”
I winked at him, trying for joviality. “Promises, promises.”
He grunted before leading the way to Mr. Fresby. Cole and Miranda entered then, Miranda strutting to the front desk to speak with the rest of the group while Cole eyes scanned the area. They settled on us and followed our paths destination. His eyes grew wide momentarily before his long strides ate up the distance between us, his gate automatically altering to ours when he reached us. They were, again, standing on either side of me.
“What the hell are you doing?” Cole whispered to Brent.
“I’m not a hundred percent sure yet,” Brent mumbled. “But Ember needs this, so we’re about to find out.”
My heart warmed at his words. He trusted me not to ruin this job with Sensations, all because whatever I needed to say was that important to me. After what I had done in the limo, that was a lot of trust. But, he was doing so because I needed it.
Mr. Fresby’s eyes lifted from his blackberry at that moment as we maneuvered through the couches and tables. Grey eyes held mine before glancing at Brent and Cole. He didn’t appear surprised to have me cornering him, but then again, he wasn’t showing much else either. I really hoped he would do as I was about to request.
“Sir, can I have a moment of your time?” I asked politely, standing directly in front of him.
He turned his blackberry off and gradually slipped it inside his suit jacket, contemplating whether he wanted to spare anymore of his precious time on me. I got it. I didn’t like it, but I understood. I waited patiently until he, finally, nodded.
“Thank you, sir. What I first want to say is that Lion Security had no indication of your and Daddy’s past dealings. I’ve only worked for them a short amount of time and frankly, if they had known, I’m sure they would have left me back in New York. Heck, I would have stayed in New York if I’d known the specifics of who we were going to be meetin’. Please don’t look unkindly on their company because of what occurred between you and Daddy. I can leave now, if that’s what it takes for you to feel more comfortable continuing your business with them,” I spoke softly and sincerely. I didn’t want to make any trouble for Lion Security.
He stayed silent for so long that I started fidgeting and wanted to start babbling, but bit my tongue so hard it bled. I wasn’t going to make a fool out of them. Again.
When he spoke, it was clear and businesslike, but I could see that I had sparked his interest. “You know, my contacts told me your father had a prodigy he was grooming to take over at some point. Although, they were never able to ascertain who this certain individual was. I never would have thought it to be his daughter. You’re not exactly what I would have expected.” He waited for that to sink in, his eyes steady on mine, his meaning clear. I was never what anyone expected, so I brushed off the snub.
He cleared his throat before continuing. “I don’t think the situation warrants you flying back to New York. I’m not saying I trust you, but I do trust the men standing beside you. They’re good people and I wouldn’t judge them by one bad apple within their company, just as I hope they don’t judge me too badly if they find a form of corruption inside my company that warrants elimination. After all, that’s one of the reasons I’ve hired them.”
I flinched. That one hurt, but after what my daddy did to him, I couldn’t even fight back. He had every right to be angry. He had been given a very bad turn not too long ago.
But, Brent and Cole had turned frigid at his words. I guess they didn’t really like him calling me a “bad apple” or “corrupted”, either. Both opened their mouths.Uh-oh.
Hands shooting out, I gripped one of each of their forearms in a death grip, hoping they wouldn’t spout anything off in my defense. Mr. Fresby’s eyes actually cracked and I saw calculation and amusement rolling through them. It occurred to me that he might have said that to see their reactions. Evidently, Cole and Brent didn’t miss it, either. The muscles under my fingers relaxed, but they sure as heck didn’t look pleased at being manipulated before cool, businesslike masks glided over their faces, modifying them instantly.
Mr. Fresby was watching them diligently and I could have sworn I saw something like approval flash through his eyes this time. I went on, hoping now he would listen to more than what I was actually saying, “Lion Security’s appreciates that, sir. I’m sure they would never censor you in that way, either. And you’re absolutely spot on. They’re good men, with even better heads on their shoulders. They can see the bigger picture.” I hesitated. “I do have one personal favor to ask of you, though. It has absolutely nothing to do with Lion Security.”
Muscles flexed under my hands.
His tapped his chin with a finger, resting his elbow on the couch’s arm. “I can’t wait to hear what a Lerrus would ask of me.” His grin was a little frightening, even if his eyes were steady.
Speaking even quieter, I began, “Daddy doesn’t know who I work for. I would like to keep it that way. In fact, I would prefer that he not know…exactly where I am. If you’re going to start diggin’ on me,” I nodded to where his blackberry was hidden in his pocket, “I would ask that you do it through different channels that what you normally do.”
Silence.
The muscles under my hands tightened so brutally that I thought they might snap. I released them, my eyes never wavering from the wise, grey ones bearing into mine.
