AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Your loss, baby,” he smugly replied.
As soon as the business dinner was finished, Elizabeth hailed a cab and returned to her hotel. It was already 10:00 p.m., and she wanted to call Joe before it got too late. A strange thrill of exhilaration coursed through her body at the mere thought that anyone was waiting for her to call. She reached for her phone, tapped the screen, and his number popped up. Who was she kidding? Not just anyone could cause this kind of excitement to reel through her, only Joe could. She longed to hear his masculine voice, and couldn’t believe how homesick she was for him after only one day.
He answered on the first ring, almost as if he were sitting by the phone waiting for her to call. “Hi, Elizabeth. How was your day?”
“Good, the training sessions were great, and I just got back to the hotel from a business dinner. And you and the kids? Did you have a good night?”
“It was good. All Molly talked about tonight was how much she likes you and how you helped her with her homework. It appears I’ve become chopped liver, and she had to settle for second best tonight,” he said with a chuckle.
“She really likes me?”
“Yes. Why are you so surprised by that?”
“I don’t know. I guess because I haven’t spent much time with children. I’m not sure what to expect.”
He chuckled again.
She liked the sound of his deep laugh.
“Tell me about your dinner meeting.”
“Oh, we talked mainly about the different types of markets we’re engaged in and how we would like to get more involved in the municipal market. I was the only non-senior management staff at the dinner. Included were a couple of the senior managers, Mr. James, the owner, and his creepy nephew, Patrick.”
“What’s with the creepy nephew?” Joe asked, his voice suddenly tense.
She gave him a brief overview of Patrick’s role in the organization, including how he’s the only heir to the throne, how he pushes his weight around with the women who ogle him because of his status, and how he’d been hitting on her and creeping her out ever since she could remember. “He’s just a spoiled little creep, but he’s Mr. James’ nephew, so he gets away with it.”
“Do you need me to hop a plane to New York and give Patrick a little attitude adjustment or lesson on how to treat women?” He asked in a tone that made her wonder if he was joking, or perhaps, serious. She couldn’t tell for sure.
Elizabeth smiled at his apparent protectiveness and jealousy. She liked how it felt to have someone care for her. “Though Patrick could certainly benefit from learning a few good lessons from you on how to treat people, I doubt he would actually change. Besides, for the most part, he’s probably harmless.”
Joe’s silence made her nervous. She thought he would have liked her compliment to him about knowing how to treat people, and was sure he’d respond in some way, but she got silence. What was he thinking? She should have never told him about Patrick.
She needed out of the sudden awkwardness. “Well, I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow, and then we have our Christmas party tomorrow night right here at the Waldorf, so I guess I better go and get some sleep.”
“All right, get your beauty sleep, but give me a call tomorrow night to let me know how your day went,” Joe replied.
“Okay, but the party might get over kind of late.”
“That’s fine. I don’t mind a late call.”
Her heartbeat picked up. He meant it, he really wanted her to call again.
* * * *
Nearly the entire next day, Elizabeth sat in meetings, covering topics regarding customer service and how to gain more market share. At some point, the subject matter changed to specifics concerning the ideal employee attributes that contribute to making successful Palmer James employees. When not thinking about Joe, she paid close attention to every word said. After all, this is what it was all about for her, success with the company.
By 7:00 p.m., she found herself seated in an elegant banquet room at the Waldorf Astoria making the best of the Palmer James Christmas festivities. It wasn’t that Mr. James wasn’t putting on a great party, as usual he spared no expense, steak and lobster were served, and the bar was open. But Elizabeth found herself in a bit of a funk as she watched the others dance and socialize. She missed Joe and wished he was with her.
The waiter came by and offered her a glass of champagne, she declined and stuck with her ginger ale fearing alcohol would impair her judgment. She didn’t want anything to get in the way of making a good impression on Mr. James and the senior management staff.
She was chatting with some of the senior management staff when she caught a glimpse of Patrick sauntering toward her. Ugh, why can’t he just leave me alone?
He stepped up to the table to a spot directly across from her, grasped the back of an empty chair, leaned forward, and fixed his gaze on her. “My uncle would like to see you in his suite. He has some business to discuss.”
“With me?”
“No, with all of you, and a couple other senior management staff I’ve already sent up.”
