****
I grabbed a soul-warming coffee before heading back into my under-utilizedoffice. The strawberryscent of my shampoo made me sigh contentedly. I had a month’s worth of unfinishedwork and reports to finish from my time out in the field. I turned the corner into my office to find Carter Pierce sitting in the plushvisitor’s chair.
He rose, extending his manicuredhand. “We weren’t formally introduced. I’m Carter Pierce.”
“I know,” I said, ignoring his outstretchedhand and rounding the untidy oversized desk. I shrugged my gym bag off my shoulders and it landed with a thud onto the carpeted floor behind the desk. “Did you need help finding the exit?”
“I sense a bit ofhostility in your voice.”
I grinned as I took my seat. Leaning back in my leather chair, I clasped my hands together. “You’re observant. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”
“May I ask what I did to deserve your hostility?”
“You really want me to tell you?” I asked, leaning forward and holding his baby-blue gaze. He was a fine specimen. Beautiful and sexy by society standards. I didn’t usually go for sandy blonds, but I could see how many women might have fallen under his spell.
“I don’t make a habit of asking questions without wanting to know the truth.”
“When I walked into the conference room, I recognized your face, and it wasn’t from the tabloids. We’ve met.”
“I would have remembered,”he said.
“When I was eighteen, a friend of mine and I applied for a job at your father’s company. We met you in the elevator. You were arrogant.”
“You aren’t the first to say so.”
“Fair enough, but you told my friend and me that women didn’t belong on the production line.”
“I’m sorry if I’ve offended you. I’m not that same punk kid.”
“She was an orphan looking for her first job. She was a young, eager woman, looking for stability in a rotten world. That job could have changed her life. One chance was all she needed, and you killed her spirit. I don’t work for spirit killers.”
“How did I kill her spirit? That wasn’t my father’s opinion or policy.”
“Maybe not, but it was evident that you’d assume the throne one day. You took away the promise of future job security.”
“I’m sorry.”
“So am I.” I really wasn’t, but Ms. Delany would frown on me being less than cordial to a potential client, even if I wasn’t going to take his case. “I couldn’t help if I wanted to. I’ve got a mountainof paperwork to fill out. Ms. Delany hates it when we don’t turn in our reports.”
“What if I pay you a bonus?”
“I don’t want your money, Mr. Pierce.” I rose from my chair, crossed the room, and rested my hand on the doorknob, giving him a not-so-subtle hint that the meeting was over. I’d let the pieces fall where they might.
My cell phone broke the awkward silence. The muffled sound of the assigned ring tone made me pause. “If you’ll excuse me.”
I grabbed the cell as Carter walked out and answered. “Hey, Grams.”
“Oh, Gwennie…the…la…he...took…me.” Her incoherent slurred words and chokedsobswashed dread down my spine.
