“That’s not true. I’m trying to help save your company. If Lake finds out you’re behind it, he’ll destroy you.”
He waved off her words. “He’ll never find out. I have people in place who will throw a few bricks without anyone knowing where they came from. Lake Masters will never know my part in this, or yours. That means your job will be safe. Just look the other way and pretend you don’t know anything when the shit hits the fan.”
And then, to add insult to injury, he added, “By the way… I don’t love you. I never loved you, and I certainly had no plans to ever marry you.” Ignoring the shock of pain in her features, he continued, “I only became involved with you because I needed your connections to Masters Unlimited. But you failed. So get out of my office and never come back.”
CHAPTER 17
“Yes, Monica, Colton and I are a couple now,” Kelly said, gathering the last of her belongings to place in her briefcase. She glanced around the office. It was hard to believe it was Thursday already and she would be going home tomorrow. She had enjoyed Boston, and had definitely enjoyed New York and LA, but it was time to leave.
“See, you got all in a tizzy about working closely with Colton for nothing. In the end things worked out fantastically. I’m so happy for you,” Monica said.
“Thanks. I’m kind of happy for myself. We had a great time, and with his help, I’ve learned to leave some room for downtime in my life.” She glanced at her watch. “I have another hour to close out some files and then I’m out of here.”
“When will you return to Atlanta?” Monica asked.
“Tomorrow morning. Colton flies in from Orlando tonight, so I’ll get to spend time with him before I leave. He’s invited me to Savannah, and I rearranged my schedule to be there a week,” Kelly said.
“I think that’s wonderful. You’ll get to see the home he’s been renovating for the past two years. I’ve heard it’s a beauty. Any word on whether Lake will move forward with your recommendations?”
“I had a conference call with Colton and Lake earlier. Lake was thrilled with what we came up with,” she said in an excited voice. “The next Masters Unlimited office will be in New York.”
“Congratulations! That’s wonderful. I’m sure you and Colton are going to celebrate--nudge, nudge, wink, wink.”
Kelly laughed. “Well, as a matter of fact…
“How about coming over to dinner on Sunday. Landon had to return to LA and won’t be back until Tuesday. I invited Pratt, too. That will give us a chance to talk about what we’ll need to do to claim our land before Mr. Perkins pulls some stunt to try and stop us,” Monica said.
“What about Hansen?” Kelly asked.
“I talked to him earlier. He’s in Seattle working, but said he would join us by Zoom.”
“That’s great. And I agree with you. We need to move on this before Mr. Perkins tries something underhanded.”
An hour later, after closing out the last of the files on her computer, Kelly left her office to grab a candy bar from the vending machine before heading to the hotel. She had turned the corner leading to the breakroom when she heard her name. Stopping, she peeked around the corner and saw two women--Diane Beckett and Ingrid Powers--whispering, but not doing a great job at it. But why would they be discussing her? Kelly decided to listen to what they were saying.
“Seriously, Ingrid? Are you saying that Lake Masters had chosen another consulting agency for that big contract, but Colton Masters talked him into hiring Kelly Perkins’ agency instead?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“Why would he do that?” Diane asked.
“It seems Kelly Perkins and Colton Masters were former lovers. Awarding her that contract meant they could travel together, and he could use that time to woo her back into his bed. And it worked,” Ingrid informed her.
“What makes you think that?” Diane asked.
“Sallye in accounting was vacationing in New York and saw them together at Coney Island. She said they were walking around, holding hands. Gullible woman. She actually thought her agency was that good. Of course, Colton Masters had ulterior motives for selecting her. Some women are just plain fools when it comes to men.”
Kelly closed her eyes, remembering a time she’d overheard a similar conversation many years ago. Reopening her eyes, she slowly backed away from the breakroom and went back to her office, closed the door, and leaned against it.
Where had those women gotten such information? Granted, she and Coltonhadbeen holding hands at Coney Island, but it had been their day off. They could do as they pleased. But what about the other allegations? That Colton had made sure her agency got that contract over some other agency. One that had been Lake Masters’ first choice? Could that be true? She didn’t want to believe that of him, but if he had, their forced proximity while traveling together had certainly served his purposes.
The main reason she and Colton had not gotten together two years ago was because he had wanted a long-term relationship, and because of her work schedule she hadn’t allowed time for one. What if he’d purposely manipulated things to make sure he was in the position to get the kind of relationship he’d wanted with her all along? Even at the cost of her company’s reputation.
She began pacing and the more she paced, the angrier she got. Finally, she went to sit behind her desk and placed her trembling hands in front of her. The thought that Colton had orchestrated her being awarded the contract, just so he’d have the chance to have her in his bed, broke her heart. Fighting back tears, she closed her eyes and remembered how things had been in New York and LA. They had slept together almost every night. Had that been his plan?
She thought back to the day after they’d made love that first time. During breakfast, Colton had mentioned something about a plan, asecretplan, one he couldn’t share with her yet, but would, when the time was right. Had this all been a set-up?
Granted, she had appreciated him showing her how to have more of a work-life balance, but what had he gained. And what had she lost?
