Hers

CHAPTER 4

Sunday, I spent the day sulking around the penthouse. I pulled my laptop out and cleared every last fucking email I had. All six hundred and seventy-three. One-by-one, I read, deleted, or acknowledged every last electronic letter. Then I took a bath, a really long bath, full of bubbles, and some strange homeopathic herb shit my parents got me, insisting I needed it to relax more. I gorged on unhealthy street-cart food from the Halal cart at the corner, and crashed, but not before downing a bottle of white wine, alone. That makes me an alcoholic, huh?

My car pulls up to the curb, outside the Alexander Mobile building, and I let out a sigh before exiting the safety of my uncomplicated car and heading back into the best and worst fucking business deal I’ve ever made. This morning, Olivia will be joining me, finally.

I brush down my black pencil skirt, while I make sure the aqua blouse is still neatly tucked in. My black Manolo heels echo through the prodigious lobby as I wave to the security guys, and catch the available elevator before the doors close.

Over the weekend, Olivia had my interior designer in to overhaul the outdated office. Mr. Stern was officially gone, so they politely packed up all he’d left behind, which will be removed before the close of the day. The elevator doors open to my floor, and I make a beeline for my office. I have half an hour to catch up, and to ensure Olivia is comfortable, before I have to deal with my Monday morning board meeting.

As I round the corner, I spot Olivia sitting at her desk, flanked by a balding asshole, flirting with her. None other than Daniel Alexander, of course. Just goes to show the kind of creep he apparently still is.

“Good morning, Olivia.” I whisk past, completely ignoring Daniel, and slam my office door closed.

My anger can’t hold long, because the office is everything I always wanted. Mikal completely knocked this impromptu project out of the park. The slim white desk sits center on the far glass wall, looking out over the city. The colors mesh perfectly. Feminine without looking like Victoria’s Secret vomited all over the modest space. The carpet is black, the accent chairs are a classy, vintage shade of turquoise, and by God, the couch looks comfortable enough to sleep on. Which I will probably be doing often enough.

A note sits on the desk, with a single pink daisy.

“Damn, if that man wasn’t gay, I would marry him,” I mumble under my breath.

My intercom buzzes and Olivia giggles on the other end, not realizing the intercom has connected yet. “Miss James?” she asks hesitantly through the line, clearly sensing I was pissed off when I bound into the office a few moments ago.

“Yes, Livie?”

“You have an urgent message. Can I bring it in?” Urgent? Great. All I need!

“Yes, Livie,” I say and kill the intercom. I set up my laptop while I wait for her to make her way in. The door opens, and she stands on the threshold. “Come in; who is the message from?”

She starts to read the notice, making her way across the room to hand it to me. “It is a message from the London manufacturing office. There is a problem with Alexander Mobile production.” The last fucking words I want to hear. Ever. She hands the note over with the full details of the problem. I eye it, while she fidgets with her chin length blonde hair, brushing it down with her hands, before doing the same to her cream-colored business suit.

“Okay, I need travel set up. Book accommodations for two. I’ll get back to you in an hour as to what board member is coming with me. I want the Empire Suite at the Cafe Royal hotel in London. If it is unavailable, I’ll settle for the Club Suite.”

I pick up the phone, dialing the president of operations in London as Livie exits quickly to prepare my arrangements. Damn it all to Hell. I don’t want to go anywhere, especially with any of the fucking board members.

“I can’t travel, doctor’s orders,” one of the older gentlemen says, excusing himself from the travel obligations.

“I have a three day vacation booked,” Daniel jumps in thankfully, because the idea of traveling anywhere with him, especially overseas, has my blood absolutely boiling. What a fucking sleaze-ball. Drooling all over poor Livie, and she’s eating it up. Note to self - have a talk with her about Daniel, or fire her. Either way, both may be a little fun.

“I’ll do it.”

The voice sends a shock through my system, and I look up to meet Levi’s gaze. His hair is styled perfectly, a grey custom suit adheres to all the right places on his body, and I can’t help but ogle him across the table. Without showing my nerves, I try to speak above the side conversations around the table.

“No one else?” I scan everyone’s faces; they all look like they just dodged a bullet.

“If that is settled, I have someplace to be.” Daniel stands to walk from the table. I still have a laundry list of shit I need the board to discuss, but no one seems interested at all.

“Ah, he who cares so little about the company that bears his name.”

The conference room falls silent; all the men stare at me with shock. Clearly, Daniel walks around here like he is untouchable, but that will come to an end, now.

“What did you say?” He turns around mere inches from my face, questioning me like I have to answer to him. Wrong.

“I said, Mr. Alexander, for someone who actually bears the name of this company, you surely show little interest in its well-being and business. But I don’t believe I stuttered.”

Still silent, the men watch as I enter into a pissing match; I am sure to win.

“I have an appointment.” He is short, to the point, but I can see he’s pissed. His face clearly shows frown lines as his mouth sets into a straight line, his brows furrow, and as he turns to leave he lets out a fucking huff. Did he just fucking huff at me?

He turns to walk from the room, but I have the last word. “Hey Daniel, next time you miss a board meeting for an ‘appointment,’ you can pack up your office, and get the fuck out.”

A couple men smile, Levi included. Others are sizing me up. I’m pissed. Like most men in the corporate world, they think they can walk all over me, and that just won’t be happening.

“Let me get one thing straight before we continue with the mountain of business before us. I will not be disrespected, talked down to, or trampled in my boardroom.” My voice elevates as I continue my tirade. “I am not your wife, or your side piece of ass. I am your boss. If you do not like what I have to say, or the way I do business, please, get up and get the fuck out now. It will save me the trouble of firing your ass down the line.” I slam my fist on the table, “If you haven’t heard about the way I do business yet, I suggest you all start asking around.”

No one says a word. They stare. Levi sits in his chair with a smug grin on his face, soaking it all in.

“Now, shall we continue?”

Behind the safe walls of my office, I curse this entire trip to London. Of fucking course Levi would have so eagerly volunteered himself for the trip. Of. Fucking. Course.

My phone vibrates across my desk as I continue running over files I just received from London. I can’t believe what a mess their branch of the company has become. Had I known this before the buyout, I would have never fucking bought this headache. Revenge or not, it’s not fucking worth it.

Looking down at the display on my phone, I see an unfamiliar number, so I ignore it.

“Olivia,” I buzz through the intercom. Her reply is quick.

“I need lunch, now. Um, get me chicken tacos from Chipotle. Sour Cream, cheese… the usual. With a Dr. Pepper.” I cut the line before she has an opportunity to reply. I know I shouldn’t take my frustrations out on her, but after watching her all gooey in Daniel’s radar this morning, something bitter has snapped in me. Shit, that was even before the nightmare business trip I am being forced into.

A soft rap on the door pulls me from my thoughts. I invite in whomever is on the other side, since Olivia is off getting my lunch. The heavy door slowly creeps open and there stands Levi. He closes the door, then makes himself at home in the chair on the other side of my desk. He looks at me with regret and apology in his eyes. I still feel bad about the way I treated him the other night. It has eaten at me for days.

“Listen, Seven. I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t be the one going on this trip, but before you came to Alexander Mobile, I was the one doing all the traveling.” He watches my reaction, as he runs his fingers through his messy hair. Something I’ve noticed he does when he’s nervous. “All the other board members have wives, and families. Then there’s me. I don’t have anything or anybody. By default, the trips always fall into my lap.” He doesn’t have anything or anybody? Sadness creeps through me, and I take pity on him. I take pity on no one, and yet here I am, slowly opening for a man I want to do nothing but run from.

“It’s okay, Levi. It is just a business trip. I expect we’ll be about a week. Give or take, depending on how quickly this can get straightened out. I have already started working on what I can from here. Olivia, my assistant, will get you all the travel details. It will give us an opportunity to see how well we work together, since it appears we are going to be spending a lot of time together.” I smile at him. A genuine smile, something I rarely give colleagues, or men. A warm sensation burns through my chest and stomach as I continue to work on the file I have open on my laptop.

“Seven, I just… I didn’t want you to think I set this up somehow.” He’s worried, understandably so.

“Levi, I don’t think that at all. You clearly didn’t sabotage the supply in London. We work together; this is going to happen. We can’t let what happened make things weird.” I shake my head. I just don’t even know where to go in this situation anymore. This is the first time in my life that I have truly been at a total loss. I look up to catch his eyes grazing over my body. He is hungry, and it isn’t for lunch.

“Levi?” I ask him, looking up with heavily lidded eyes, trying to put out the fire rushing through my body, fueled by only him. I know if he doesn’t leave soon, I am not going to be able to resist him. I will beg him to take me, right here on my desk.

“Yes?” He smiles at me, a beautiful toothy grin, and I can feel my panties becoming damp.

“I think you should go. I have a business call here at a quarter to seven, if you are going to still be in the office.”

I can see the disappointment in his gaze, but all I’m trying to do is save us both a lot of fucking trouble. We just can’t keep going on this way, because we’ll only end up hurt. I can already tell he is in over his head, and despite my cool facade, he’s wearing me down. Little-by-little, my walls that I have worked so hard building over the past five years are crumbling for Levi.

He leaves, and I pick up my cell phone, finally remembering the waiting text. The number is still unfamiliar to me, but I can tell it is a local New York City cell number.

I can’t help but chuckle as my body responds to the words, clearly from Levi, who just left. It is probably a good thing I didn’t read that before he waltzed into my office, all sex on a stick and shit. Should I reply? Should I play into this little game we have going on here? A very fucking dangerous game for both of us.

I just can’t help it, because whether or not I want to admit it, I think I just met my fucking match.

By the time everyone leaves the office for the day, I have interviews lined up to replace the president of operations in London. This kind of gross incompetence won’t be tolerated, period. He’ll get his walking papers as soon as I set foot on English soil.

I have fifteen minutes before my conference call, and still no sign of Levi, which is probably better off anyway.

I shot Star a text, letting her know about the plans for the next couple days, and giving her free reign of my penthouse.

Ideally, I like to check in with her before I leave, and in the wake of the Evan breakup, it’s even more important for me to make sure she’s handling it. In a lot of ways, Star is just like me. We both hide our emotions extremely well. As shattered as I was when Daniel left me, I never let anyone see. Not even Star, even though she could see right through the tough as nails persona I put on.

On cue, my phone comes to life with the conference call I’d patiently been waiting for. Still no sign of Levi; I’m sure he will steer clear of me as much as he can, at least until we hop on a plane to London and are forced to work one-on-one for days. Something I am both dreading, and looking forward to, because you know, I am mentally fucked up.

The Tokyo conference call drags on, and on, and on some fucking more. I continue looking at the clock, watching the minutes tick on by, completely bored out of my mind. My participation is limited, and my need to play Candy Crush on my cell phone grows. Somewhere around level one hundred and twenty three, my office door cracks open, and Levi saunters in. His appearance is tired, his jawline covered in a blanket of stubble, his tie pulled free, and the three top buttons of his expensive dress shirt left open. If I wasn’t shocked by him actually joining me, I may have found myself drooling all over my desk.

I quickly mute my end of the line.

“I didn’t think you were going to join me,” I state, flatly.

He runs his fingers through his dark hair, never making eye contact. “I got stuck on a call. I should have been here an hour and a half ago. Damn lawyers.” Something is clearly bothering him, but I am not about to start playing Dr. Phil; I am already in too deep as it is.

My heart races as he sits down across from me, and props his black dress shoes up on my brand new desk. I should want to kill him for putting his dirty feet on my desk, but he looks too damn sexy for me to be mad.

My blood would boil if anyone else did this. I would hit the ceiling. And here he is, like he owns the place, and I am completely unfazed by it. Yup, I have lost my mind.

“Nothing from our legal department, right? I didn’t get any memos.” The business side of me kicks in, and I start prying, while trying to listen in on my call.

He shakes his head, pressing his full lips together in a line. “My ex-wife is trying to get more money out of me. Nothing new. Just fucking annoying.” He’s uncomfortable and I can see why. Who would want to talk about his ex-wife with a woman he’s been hooking up with? Wait, are we hooking up? No. It was a one-time thing. Wait. Two times. That is it!

“That sucks. I’m glad I don’t have any messy exes like that.” I shrug it off, because any kind of conversation that may emotionally connect us is out of the picture. I don’t need any more of a connection than what we have already established. Even that is way too much for me. The line I have always drawn in the sand has been crossed. Crushed. Erased. Pulverized. FUCK!

His curiosity is peaked. Damn it. I wish I could just keep my mouth shut sometimes. Thinking before I speak can sometimes be a weakness of mine. Clearly.

“No exes? No messy break ups? No relationships?” His warm eyes connect with mine, and I feel insanely uncomfortable all of a sudden. I don’t want to lie, but the truth is more than I can bear to deliver.

“I had one, a long time ago.” I shrug, and my attention is back to the conference call. I answer a couple questions before the line is disconnected and I am finally free to go home. Or am I?

I think the conversation has been dropped.

“Is it true?” Levi asks me, standing from the desk, like he is going to head for the door.

The vagueness confuses me. “Is what true?” I walk around the desk, picking up my laptop bag, and starting to get ready to leave the office after one of the longest days, ever.

“Daniel, You and Alexander? You dated in college?” His words slice through me; I whip my head up and shoot daggers from my eyes. I can feel my face turning red, something I didn’t do as often as I probably should, but I can’t help it, as anger takes over my entire being.

“Who told you that?” I yell at him across my office, and he knows a line has been crossed.

He thinks, very carefully before he speaks. A moment passes and he reaches for the door.

“Daniel told the board. He bragged that he left you for his wife. I’m sorry, Seven. I just thought you should know.”

He doesn’t move. He’s waiting for my reaction. His gaze never leaves mine, and I am sure he can read the grim expression on my face. Something about Levi just breaks me; I can’t hide the slightest thing from him. He is my kryptonite, and it sucks balls.

“It was a long time ago. I was over it the minute he walked out of my apartment. He was a shitty lay anyway.” I shrug it off, but I am sure Levi can tell I’m somewhat hurt. “But his actions are insubordinate, and will be immediately addressed tomorrow.”

Levi smiles, a genuine, panty dropping, heartwarming smile. Is he happy I am going to take on Daniel?

“Good, I hope he gets exactly what he deserves. And by the way, he was a fool to walk away from you.”

And like that, his back is to me, and he is walking out of my door. Ninja-mind-fucking me again, something he is becoming particularly good at.

I pick up my phone and dial Daniel’s number. It rings a handful of times before he answers.

“Daniel Alexander.”

“Daniel, Seven. I need to see you in my office at nine tomorrow morning, and not a minute after.” I stab the end button with my finger before tossing the phone into my laptop bag. Hanging up on him didn’t make me feel any better; I doubt anything would at this point. Well, maybe a fucking lobotomy? I relax slightly, thinking about the fact that I am on the verge of ruining his career, and I can feel my blood pressure starting to return to an acceptable level.

All in good time, grasshopper.