Jasper was one of the board’s outside directors, which meant he was also outside of my direct sphere of influence since he was the president of an L.A.-based holding company that didn’t do business with Benton Worldwide. Even more annoying, I suspected the widower had a crush on my grandmother, and he refused to even think about voting her off the board.
I had almost decided to accept that I might have to move forward without Whittaker’s yea, but then I remembered my grandfather’s rules about holdouts.“Holdoutsare easy. All you have to do is find dirt on someone they love.”
In Jasper’s case, it had taken the Los Angeles detective I'd hired weeks to ferret out a piece of information I could use. In this case, a sealed record on his granddaughter for stealing money from Jasper’s company when she’d interned there as a college student—a crime her current company, a prominent Los Angeles brokerage firm, probably didn’t know about.
“Strange decision to go into financial services with her history of embezzling," I'd noted earlier in the meeting. "I know I wouldn’t want anyone with that kind of blemish on her record handling my money.”
“It wasn’t embezzling. She simply had a rebellious streak when she was in college,”Jasper answered, sounding irritated but more so worried.
“One that ended in nearly half a million in losses for your company. Wow, that’s quite a rebellious streak. But hey, I believe you, Jasper. I just hope this doesn’t get out. It could cause all kinds of problems for her.”
In the end, Jasper must have seen the writing on the wall. He took my offer to "help" him bury the information I'd relentlessly rooted out—in exchange for a yea vote at the upcoming meeting.
"You may go now." I dismissed the old man without acknowledging what he'd said about my grandfather. "I look forward to your vote at next Monday's board meeting."
Jasper didn't answer. Just stormed out of the office, his face mottled with red—though he did stop at Agnes's temporary receptionist desk to get his parking validated.
This was Los Angeles, after all.
But as I watched him snatch the ticket Agnes had stamped and finish his angry march to the elevator, my detached mask gave way to a frown.
Jasper Whittaker’s capitulation represented a huge victory. By this time next week, Benton Worldwide would be mine to run as I saw fit after I took my rightful position as chair of the board.
Yet a foreign emotion had nagged at me as the elevator doors closed on the much older businessman. An emotion I recognized as guilt after tangling with it for several weeks. Because of Sunny.
"That was your last meeting, and here's the new contract you asked for, fresh off the printer." Agnes came in through the door Jasper left open to set a simple manila file down on my desk. "Also, Feather from Malibu Haven just called to say everything went to plan."
Yes, everything is falling into place, I reminded myself, shoving the guilt I shouldn't be feeling over Jasper Whittaker down.
I glanced at my watch. 14:57. Three more hours to go until it was officially time for me to end the work week early on Thursday and meet Sunny in Palm Springs for what she'd dubbed a "two-day goodbye" before we headed back to Las Vegas for the engagement party my grandmother insisted on throwing us on Sunday.
I'd only been in L.A. for a couple of days to deal with Jasper Whittaker, host a few strategic planning sessions with the SoCal team, and coordinate the Malibu Haven effort. But Tuesday morning with Sunny looped through my head for what felt like the millionth time.
"Do you have to go?" Sunny grabbed onto me and burrowed her face into my chest when I tried to get out of bed.
"You know I do," I answered, even as I wrapped my arms back around her warm, soft body."The L.A. corporate team is expecting me."
"Hey, maybe I could go with you? I've never been to L.A. While you're at your meetings, I could visit my mom now that she's out of rehab."
Her request had constricted my chest. Sunny never asked me for anything. Still, I had to answer, "I've got a lot to do while I'm there. I can't afford the distraction."
"Oh...okay. Well, I'm going to miss you. That's all."
"Mr. Benton?" Agnes said, interrupting the bittersweet memory replay. "Anything else?"
I cleared my throat and returned to acting like a CEO who could go a few days without his Sunny fix. "Not yet. I need to type up my speech for Monday's board meeting, and I have a few more of the L.A. quarterly reports to review. A couple of our GMs might get a call if I don't like what I see. I'll let you know if I need someone patched through."
Agnes nodded once, like a good corporate soldier, and exited, closing the door behind her.
My personal phone vibrated, and I pulled it out to find a new bubble under the text chain that had begun the day after our big blow-up and make up with...This is The House. You can contact me at this number so there are no more miscommunications.
There had been many texts since then—about everything from dinner plans to the latest episode of that inane but weirdly addictiveRap Stars Wivesreality show she made me watch.
The latest text, though, made me shift in my seat.
What did you say you wanted me to wear underneath my outfit when we talked last night? I can't remember. Panties or no panties?
Squinting, I tapped the call icon below her name.
