A private meeting, my ass!
Why I agreed, I didn’t know. It was a horrible, awful, ridiculous idea. Self-sabotage at its finest. An affair with my boss was strictly against company guidelines. I could lose my job, my dignity, and my reputation. I doubted the Onyx in Chicago would take me back if I got canned in Vegas.
Today was Tuesday, plenty of time to renege on our deal. I’d simply tell Trent I changed my mind. That it wasn’t worth the risk.
Telling him no was the right thing to do.
Then why did my stomach sink at the thought of it?
Deep down, I was more attracted to Trent than I wanted to admit. It was his charm and charisma that got me into trouble in the first place. And let’s not forget his sexy little smirk and the memory of his five-o’clock shadow rubbing against the insides of my thighs.
I sighed, thinking about the things I was giving up.
That’s why it’s called a one-night stand, Gia.
One and done.
Rearview mirror.
Put it in the past.
Woman up and do what needs to be done.
But all I could think about was the sexual tension between us last night. I looked down at my feet and the shoes that brought him to my room. I should have never left them behind. Then Trent wouldn’t have shown up at my door.
“Mr. Dorsey would like to see you in his office.”
I was lost in my own thoughts. “Excuse me?”
Tom pushed his glasses up his nose. “Mr. Dorsey said you didn’t finish your meeting last night and I was to come and fetch you.”
Fetch me? He seriously couldn’t have used those words. I wasn’t a dog. “I see.” I gathered my laptop and notes only to find Tom still there. “Is there a reason you’re standing in my doorway?”
“Mr. Dorsey said I was to escort you to his office. I’m just following orders, ma’am.”
Tom’s manners were impeccable, but it seemed I wasn’t the only one being treated like a dog. The kid needed to grow a set of balls. “Fine.” I followed him down the hall, my heels clicking on the marble. “Tom, would you be a dear and fetch me a cup of coffee? Two sugars, one cream.”
He held Trent’s office door open for me like a gentleman. “Sure thing, Ms. Romano. Mr. Dorsey, would you like coffee as well?”
I glared at the man behind the desk. “Yes, Trent, would you like Tom to fetch you some coffee?”
“That would be great,” he said without looking up from his computer and totally oblivious to my irritation.
My toe tapped impatiently as Tom scurried away like a trained puppy. This all seemed like a game to my boss. The man was used to getting what he wanted and what he wanted right now was me. The fact that I was forbidden only made the challenge more appealing.
Well, I had news for him… he wasn’t going to get what he wanted this time. I set my papers and laptop on the table, taking up as much room as possible. A clear barrier between the two of us. I checked my email while I waited for Trent, as he seemed too busy to even notice I existed when last night he was all up in my personal space. I didn’t have the time or patience for his games.
Tom returned with our coffee and disappeared quickly. I was half-finished with mine before Trent gave me the time of day. “Are you ready to get started?”
I gave him a steely stare. “I’ve been ready for the last fifteen minutes. I have other things I could be doing. My time is as valuable as yours.” I pointed to my wrist. “Ticktock, mister.”
He pulled his chair next to mine, pushing my papers to the side. “And what is it that needs your attention so badly besides being here with me?”
I saw what he was doing. Trying to get me flustered with his subtle innuendo. “I’m writing a request for items for our silent auction. I’ll be sending it out to major players in Nevada and the surrounding states. There’s a lot of money along the coast. We just need to capture some of it.”
“I agree. Can I see what you’ve written?”
I didn’t appreciate being micromanaged, but he was my boss, so I swiveled my laptop in his direction. “It’s a rough draft,” I said, afraid it would get marked up like my proposal.
“I know.” It seemed to take him forever, as he leaned closer, to read the three short paragraphs. A quirk of his lip, a twitch of his nose, and two hmms later he said, “It’s good. A minor tweak and it’ll be perfect.”
It was high praise from a man who was hard to please. “What kind of tweak?” I wasn’t so egotistical to think I didn’t have room for improvement. Vegas was a whole different ballgame than I was used to.
His hands hovered over the keyboard. “May I?”
“Of course.” I watched as he deleted and inserted new text into the signature of the document, shaking my head at what he typed. “That’s not correct.”
“It was selling you short. It’s better now.” He gave me a wolfish smile.
I swiveled the computer back and started to erase what he’d written. “It’s not true and I won’t be accused of false representation.”
Trent gently grabbed my hands. Tingles crept up my arms and my heart pattered faster. It was dangerous being this close to him. “Leave it. Let me worry about the details.”
Worrying was what I did best. “I’ll throw you under the bus in a heartbeat. I won’t take the fall for this.”
“I’m sure you will, but I’m the COO and it’s my call.” He chuckled as he picked up the paperwork from yesterday. “Let’s finish going over your proposal. I have more ideas to add.”
“Director of events and entertainment?” Penny let out a low whistle. “Somebody’s moving up in the world.”
I swiped the document from her hand. “It’s a matter of semantics. Same position, same pay.”
“With a much classier title. If I didn’t know better, I’d say Trent has a little crush on you.” She tapped a finger on her chin. “It totally makes sense now, the way he gave you such a hard time last week. It’s no different than a boy pulling a girl’s pigtails on the playground. Men never really grow up.”
This train of thought needed to be caboshed before it ran off the tracks. “Don’t be ridiculous. The new title looks better for the company, plain and simple. It makes the request seem more official than event coordinator.” I grabbed my purse from the desk drawer. “Are you ready for lunch?”
Penny shuffled nervously. “I actually have a lunch date.”
I dropped my purse and sat on the edge of my desk. “I didn’t know you were seeing someone. Have you been holding out on me?”
She waved her hand at me. “It’s nothing serious. As a matter of fact, I’m probably making more out of it than it really is.” She tugged on the bottom of her blouse, smoothing out the wrinkles. “Do I look all right?”
“Penny, you’re cute as a button. Any man would be lucky to spend time with you.”
She slumped. “Ugh! I don’t want to be cute. I want to be sexy and sophisticated like you.”
“You’re perfect the way you are. Don’t think you have to change for a man.”
Penny sighed. “It’s not just any man. It’s Brett. We’re meeting so we can go over the big players for the guest list. Am I crazy to hope he could see me as something more?”
That was surprising news. I never pictured Penny with Brett, but it was totally possible. Penny was smart, sweet, pretty, and driven. She simply lacked confidence. There wasn’t a single reason he shouldn’t like her, but men like him were accustomed to something more refined. “You’re not crazy. May I?” I motioned to her outfit.
“Please. Whatever you think will help.”
“To be clear, you don’t need any improvements, but I think you can capitalize more on your assets.” I took her glasses off the top of her head and fluffed up her dark curls. “Take your jacket off and have a seat.”
Penny quickly pulled it off and sat pristinely in the padded chair.
I opened my purse and pulled out my touch-up kit. “You have beautiful eyes. I want to make them pop.” I lined her eyes in dark strokes, defining them and making the green stand out. Adding a couple coats of mascara, her naturally long lashes framed her eyes in sensuous fans. A touch of blush and a pale-pink lip gloss completed the look. I stood back and admired my work. Something was still missing. “Stand up for me.”
Penny stood and did a dainty twirl.
I undid the top two buttons on her blouse, revealing the teensiest bit of cleavage. “What size shoes do you wear?”
She crinkled her nose. “An eight.”
“Perfect.” I slipped the heels off my feet and nudged them in front of her with my toe. “Try these on.”
The shoes made her three inches taller. “I don’t wear heels.” Penny tested them out by taking a few laps around the room. “They’re kinda comfortable.”
I opened the door to the coat closet and motioned for Penny to take a look in the mirror attached to the inside. “What do you think?”
“I look stylish and chic,” she said, smiling. “Thank you. I hope Brett likes it.”
“What Brett thinks isn’t important. He doesn’t get to decide if you feel good about yourself or not. Confidence comes from in here.” I tapped on her chest. “You’re beautiful. Own it.”
“Have I told you what a great boss you are?”
I gave her a hug. “I hope I’m more than your boss. I’d like to think we’re friends.”
“Definitely friends.”
As we stood embracing, all I could think was, she can never know I slept with Brett.
