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Brendan
If they ever updated pictures attached to definitions in the dictionary, my portrait would be right beside ‘fool’. I hid like a teenager in the bathroom for far longer than was necessary, splashing cold water on my face and berating myself for my complete lack of control, something that had never been a problem for me before, but Leah—along with every warning sign telling me that pursuing a relationship with her was a colossal mistake—managed to challenge my self-restraint and discipline.
I briefly wondered how suspicious it would be to shoot off a casual email to the HR department to clarify interoffice relationships—and what would happen if fraternization somehow occurred…
I snorted. As if that wouldn’t immediately land in front of my father somehow. Better to talk directly to the man if I wanted to pursue anythingbeforeI actually took Leah to my bed.
Patting my face dry with the abrasive paper towel, I glared at my reflection. Was every part of my inexplicable and overwhelming attraction to Leah foolish? Inconvenient? Irresponsible? Yes, yes andhell yes.
I closed my eyes and released my breath on a slow exhale. But, damn, seeing the happy flush of her cheeks and smile on her face was worth every risk I was taking. I pulled my phone from my pocket, checked on the surprise I’d planned for her today and gave a satisfied nod to my device. It was scheduled to arrive on her doorstep exactly at four-forty-five p.m. Perfect timing to be waiting for her to arrive home.
Unlike the teas gifted with every intention of making her feel special, thought of and to take away any reason she may have created to avoid relaxing, this present was funny, sarcastic and completely Leah. I folded one arm in front of me and propped the elbow of the other one on the back of my head, tapping the corner of my phone to my chin. Exactly how long was I planning for this to go on? A few days? A week?
The music that was piped into the bathroom ended, and the DJ of the radio station came booming through the speakers. “If you haven’t started your shopping yet, Santa just informed me that there are only twelve days left until Christmas, so you’d better get on the ball. Don’t leave all the work to the jolly red guy up north!”
He then played the song to accompany the count and the light switch over my head flicked on.Twelve days. I smiled at the empty space around me. Twelve gifts from a stranger to make Leah just a little happier, to maybe make her like the holidays just a little more.
A sharp knock at the door yanked me out of my sea of thoughts and made me jump slightly. I’d nearly forgotten where I was. “Uh, just a minute,” I called out to the person on the other side, most likely anxiously awaiting entrance. I washed my hands quickly, even though I hadn’t actually used the facilities then exited the lavatory. I had a lot of planning to do if I was going to come up with ten more presents and somehow still actually help Leah with salvaging the New Year’s Eve special in the process.
* * * *
I blinked slowly at my father as he sat across the table from me in the upscale steakhouse where we’d met for dinner. “You’re not mad?”
He let out a huffing chuckle and cut into the Wagyu steak that probably cost as much as most people’s car payment. “I was livid when I read the headline.” He closed his eyes as he absorbed the full flavor of the expensive beef. “But then I poured a healthy dose of whiskey and went on to the next issue.” He motioned toward me with his fork. “I knew Leah would handle it.”
I thoughtfully chewed both my sea bass and his words. My father had made no secret of the fact that he admired and trusted Leah when I’d first begun in her department, but seeing Emilio Lanza so effortlessly unconcerned when even small situations at home had the habit of igniting his Latin temper, especially when his true firstborn child—Lanza Broadcasting—was involved was surprising.
“You’re pretty confident in her ability.” It was decidedly more statement than question and I’d barely finished saying it before my father nodded in agreement.
He took a long drink from his iced water then speared the last square of meat. “In the grand scheme of things, Lanza Broadcasting is an infant. The most respected networks have been around longer than you’ve been alive.” He pushed his plate away from him as he savored the final bite. “In the seven years since Leah signed on, she has played a big role in making our company one that is seen as very nearly equal to the giants that have been around since the dawn of television. She’s marketed us as a fresh face, with a trusted reputation, building on your grandfather’s newspaper. Leah has incredible instincts and a nearly magical insight. You’ll learn a lot while you’re with her.”
Yeah, like the way she smells of bergamot and roses, but in a way that is light and clean—my mind helpfully filled in blanks my father hadn’t actually created. “I already have,” I answered honestly, ignoring the chants of my body detailing all the things I still wanted to know. “I actually wouldn’t mind working with her longer than six months.”
Motioning for the check from the passing waiter, my father arched a thick brow. “This is a first. Normally you’re telling me that you’ve already gotten everything you need and are ready to move on, andI’mthe one telling you that you still have so much more wisdom to gain.”
I laid my cloth napkin on the table beside my dish and considered my words before speaking. No reason to get the old man suspicious. “We are going to lose time managing the fallout created by Bryce Ramone. Projects that should be our priority have shifted to the backseat while we fix the shit storm that man created for us.” I leaned forward slightly in my seat, more honest passion than I would have expected from myself pouring out of me. “I actually really enjoy working on the marketing and promotions more than I thought I would, and I want to do everything I can to get things under control for Leah and the entire team.” I added the last bit hastily to try to curb any suspicion I might create. My father may be well into his sixties, but he was just as sharp and cunning as ever and certainly would pick up on my unspoken desires.
He inclined his head ever so slightly and a simultaneously smug and proud smile I’d never seen from the man before spread across his face as the waiter returned with the check and my father slid his credit card in the book. “And it only took two years.”
“Huh?” I frowned at him, confused at the turn the conversation had taken.
My father scribbled his name across the receipt as soon as the server reappeared then he replaced his credit card in his wallet. “I wasn’t being dishonest when I said that I wanted you to learn the company inside and out from the ground up, even the mail room.” He shot me a shit-eating grin as we both remembered the battle of wills that had ensued when he’d informed me that was where I was beginning after my graduation with a double master’s degree. “But I also hoped the more time you spent actually seeing how every cog and wheel worked together, you’d love Lanza Broadcasting as much as I do.”
Equal parts guilt and pride swelled within me at his statement.Well, shit. “I do.” I uttered the two words with a level of sincerity that surprised even me. It was true. I’d always enjoyed the summers I’d work with my father during my undergrad and graduate years, but having it as my life for two years had instilled a deep allegiance to the company as a whole. “I didn’t expect it, but I truly do love it, though there is something else. How would you feel about me dating Leah?”
At thirty years old, I certainly never thought I would be asking my father for permission to date, but perhaps it was my growing devotion to Lanza Broadcasting and a strong desire to avoid any hint of impropriety or blemish on the company name or the fact that not seeing Leah every day when I moved departments made my stomach churn and made me want to do whatever I could to keep that from happening, preferably with her in my bed, her thick brown hair spread over my pillowcase and—
“It isn’t technically against the rules.” His eyes, which were an exact match to the ones that greeted me in the mirror each morning, held both warmth and a measure of hesitancy. “But you need to be very careful.”
Weight that I hadn’t realized had been bearing down on my shoulders lifted at his semi-blessing. “Pop, she isn’t just clever and competent, she is pretty damn amazing. I’ve been watching her work across from me every day for months, and somehow she manages to make every issue, even something like this Bryce Ramone shit, into a way for Lanza Broadcasting to shine.” A smile I couldn’t even begin to control pulled my mouth wide. “And she has an amazing, sarcastic sense of humor and apparently hates Christmas—and somehow even that is charming.”
I left out the fact that her ass taunted me every time she walked away with a slight sway to her hips that I imagined she added just for my benefit. I definitely didn’t tell my father and my boss that I had more than one fantasy about locking the door to the office we shared and hiking up one of those pencil skirts she favored and—
“You care for her.” For the second time in the span of two minutes, my father’s voice cut through the dirty Leah-centered fantasy brewing in my brain. I needed to get myself under control before I made an utter fool of myself.
I blinked as his words seeped into my consciousness, slowly returning to reality from the sensual playground where it had been residing. “I think I may be starting to.”
With a deep chuckle, he stood and stretched slightly. “That sounds like a very safe response, but I’m not buying it.” Pain etched itself in the creases around his mouth. “You sound far too much like I did when I first met your mother.”
