“Wait...” she held up a hand to stop the proceedings. “You are American. Your parents are Australian. But your grandparents are Irish?”
“Uh...yeah, so my dad was first generation Australian. His parents were born in Ireland, but met while they were each traveling in Australia, stayed until my dad was 18, then went back to Ireland. My dad stayed and met my mom. She is 100% Australian. My dad got a job offer in the U.S., my mom followed. I came later. We are still close to both sets of grandparents.”
“Ah. Colorful ethnic tree.”
“Anyway, where was I...ah yes, your unfortunate department. If it had been anyone else, I would have treated your presentation like I did all the others--which is to say, keep it flowing and keep the clients interested. They were men, though, and you a young, attractive, well-groomed woman. Interest wasn’t a problem.”
Krista let what he said float over her awareness. It wasn’t why they were here. She was in deep enough; she didn’t need the sweet talking.
She rebutted with, “Okay, why did you play up the sex part? That was a form of sexual harassment as well as disrespectful, discourteous to a fellow associate and completely harmful to my reputation as a statistician. And, in case you were wondering, I don’t need any negative help with my reputation as a statistician.”
Sean had that devilishly handsome grin on his face. “Yes, I realize you don’t need any help with your reputation. Anyone who has worked with your department, or got caught at a Christmas party talking to one of them, knows to steer clear. But, yes, all those things it was, yes. Including a dick move about your reputation. I told you in the beginning, I will use a person for all they’ve got. Those men, save one, weren’t smart enough to follow what you were saying. By being belligerent in our appreciation of your looks, the two idiots could just watch you and feel like one of the boys. That left the smartest of the group to follow along. And he had to sidestep all the land mines you were throwing at him--smiles, sultry voice, feminine movements--to keep focused. ”
Okay, that time it was a little harder to let the appreciative comments float over her head. She went a furious shade of red.
Sean tried to stifle a laugh. “Please believe that if those guys were g*y men or women, I would’ve been giving that presentation right beside you while finding ways to take off my jacket. It isn’t pretty, but neither are sales.”
Her imagination flared at the mention of him taking off his jacket. She groped for the emergency brake as she said, “Fine, but then the smart one showed he could follow along and asked a poignant question.”
Sean’s eyes clouded over as he regarded her, his face losing all trace of humor. “Yes, I didn’t expect that.” She could tell he didn’t like when things happened he wasn’t anticipating. “Your information was solid, your skills as a presenter top notch, and your look distracting--I didn’t think he would pay such close attention. Or at least, I didn’t think he would ask a question until after you’d walked off the platform. Then that question. I’ll be honest, Krista, it blindsided me. It highlighted exactly what I was trying to hide.”
“Then why did you get me to answer it instead of saving the day?”
“Are you questioning my hero antics?” He laughed, humor restored. “I set you up as an independent sector, remember? He asked you. It was a research question. If I jumped in, it would have discredited you. They possibly would’ve looked harder at your material. Maybe punched holes in your presentation. Talk about reputation going down the drain, huh?”
Krista scoffed and he smiled at her, his eyes glittering green.
“But how did you know I wouldn’t ruin everything? I mean, my boss or anyone in my department would’ve agreed with what that guy said, then given a factual rundown on how the information was correct, if not necessarily relevant.”
Sean rolled his eyes, “If you were anyone else in your department, you would not have been left on your own. I already went over that with you. No one outside your department trusts your department--in front of clients, I mean. Information is always solid, of course.”
“You didn’t answer the question.”
He sighed. “Well, I was hoping for the best. I was trying to figure out what to say when you f-ed up--excuse my candor. Luckily for me, you had the presence of mind to lie. Thank you for that, by the way. It’s what solidified you on my team. Otherwise I was going to hire in.”
“What, my ability to lie?”
Sean leaned back and laughed. He half-turned to her and she got the impression he wanted to ruffle her hair like a twelve-year-old boy.
“Your ability to go with the flow,” he explained.
Here she was, dwelling on that dang question all weekend, and now she learned it was potentially the doorway to a better career path. Potentially. The verdict was still out if she could work with Sean.
She went on, pressing the point, wanting to know why he wanted her on his team. Looks, or something else? This was his time to prove it. “Okay, you said if I was anyone but me you would’ve acted differently. How’d you know my work? That was my first real presentation.”
“By your presence of mind in your slides and how you went over it before the meeting. Also from the report of yours I looked at a few months ago when you knocked me over like a linebacker.”
“Okay, I think you’re remembering that incorrectly. You knocked me over, remember? Plus you were the reason for a broken lucky mug. And for a near black eye …”
“I’m not apologizing for that lucky mug—that thing was the pits. Very ugly.”
“What? How dare you insult its memory!”
Sean laughed again, resting his forearms on the bar. “And I already apologized for the near black eye. And you barreled into me. It wasn’t my fault you couldn’t stand on your own two stilettos.”
“Well, fine. History of you ambushing me aside, are you saying you made a split-second judgment right before show time? You think you’re that good a judge of talent?”
“Absolutely.”
“Well then, I feel inclined to tell you, I had help with those slides.”
Sean’s brows furrowed. “I thought you said--”
“I lied.”
“I see. Expert liar.” He didn’t sound impressed.
“Expert flow go’er. My roommate helped me on the color scheme and did a few layout fixes. I needed it to look better, you know, but I’m a novice with art.” Sean still looked miffed. “But, he’s not company related, so it counts as me, right? Not really a lie.”
“What about the actual wording of the presentation? And the material?”
“Oh, all me. My roommate is a genius art guy. Numbers are my territory. I help him balance his checkbook, he helps me with color and placement. Easy for him, easy for me.”
“He’s an expert art guy and you’re an expert math girl?”
Krista shrugged.
“When can I meet your roommate?” Sean could pivot on a dime.
She must have blinked a hundred times in two seconds before she stuttered, “Uh… he has a job.”
“When can I meet your roommate?”
“Let’s put that on the table for further discussion.”
Sean looked at her with that bemused expression again before conceding. “Fair enough. Next grievance.”
“Ushering me out of the room.”
“That wasn’t planned in the beginning. I‘d hoped to keep you close as a top quality distraction throughout. But with that answer ... you showed you were a step above everyone else. Excepting me, of course.”
“Oh, of course,” Krista said sarcastically.
He continued with a smile. “I didn’t want them wondering why someone smart, and probably high-powered despite her age, was hanging around in the back of the room with...the others. After you left I told them you had to get to another meeting and you were on borrowed time. I did make you look good in the end. Give me a little credit at least.”
“Hmmph.”
“Next?”
She’d finished her second Guinness. Based on the fact that the food was still settling but the Guinness was flowing like water, Krista was already starting to feel a little tipsy. If she didn’t slow down so the protein could block alcohol absorption, she would seek out Sean’s bedroom and her pants would fall off of their own free will.
“Um, okay,” she forged on, face red again, “Why didn’t you tell the others my role in Friday’s meeting? I mean, you had Ray give a piss-poor rendition of my information when I was sitting two seats from the guy.”
“Piss-poor?” Sean was looking at her with a smirk.
“Don’t tell him that, but yeah. There were holes everywhere.”
“What, did you memorize it?”
Krista stopped, her glass halfway to her mouth, in order to give Sean a look that said he was smarter than that. When he still seemed dense, she said, “I researched it, wrote it, then formatted it…twice. I know the information in it. Don’t insult me.”
Sean laughed and gave her a pat on the back.
“I just don’t understand why you didn’t tell everyone I was the one who researched the info,” she pushed.
“I did.”
“I only use my hair color when there is an actual advantage to looking stupid. I suggest you revise your answer.”
Sean laughed again, this time putting a large hand on her shoulder as he did so. His hand was warm and comfortable. She suddenly wanted it between her legs.
She sputtered into her glass and put the Guinness down immediately. Things were going A.W.O.L.! She had to calm-the-hell-down! Alcohol was making her decision-making process take a complete back seat to her need to get laid. It. Was. Not. Good!
“I’m still not sure why I did that, to be honest …” Sean paused as he looked at her, his eyes roaming her face. A second later he cleared his throat, shaking his head slightly, before going back to leaning on the bar as he said, “It was a last-minute decision that seemed right. Ray disagreed, but…I think I might leave you as the secret weapon for a while. They all have to work with you, so they’ll figure out you’re likable sooner or later. Until then, hopefully they’ll trip up somewhere and I’ll hear what’s going on behind the scenes.”
“Trip up, how?”
“Cut corners when the boss isn’t looking. Slack off when they think they can get away with it.”
“What makes you think I’d rat on my co-workers?” Because I won’t.
Sean slowly turned to her with his whole body. He leaned in slightly, his smell wrapping around her head dizzyingly, and said, in a soft, intimate voice, “By me taking very good care of you. I know how to inspire loyalty.”
Krista tilted her head at the change. He had always been trying to get in her pants, but she’d never heard him talk this sleazy before. To anybody. It was such a turn-off that she actually thanked him for the answer. It might as well have been cold water he dumped over her head.
“Yeah, okay, look,” she said with renewed confidence. She turned her body straight toward the bar, answering his body language with her own. “Here’s the thing. If you’re going to keep up the sexual innuendos, I don’t think I’ll be able to work with you. I certainly won’t be on your side. I’m hoping working with you is beneficial to me, but if you keep it up I’ll hate it. I would rather take my chances on my own if that’s my only choice.”
Sean’s head snapped up and he met her eyes. There was no boyish humor or sultry heat in his look. Not now. He was reading her; checking to see if she was serious. Amazingly, he seemed to think his sideshow act was irresistible. The ego on the man was astounding! If it could be compared to an iceberg, it would sink the Titanic all over again.
When he met unflinching resolve, his confidence shattered. His eyebrows drooped, like a scared twenty-something playing at being a businessman rather than a powerful player on his way to the top. His shoulders hunched as he turned back to his beer, his humor completely dried up.
It was freaking deserved, but now she felt like a huge bitch! It went against everything she had known about him thus far, but he looked forlorn. Plus, she had to work with the guy—maybe—she didn’t need to create an enemy, especially one as powerful as he was.
“Sean, I--”
“You are going to have to bear with me on that point,” he said, cutting her off as he turned to her. His face was unreadable. “Sometimes it is habit. Most times, I should say. Just as most times it is habit to play the big, egocentric young guy amongst all the top execs. Dress the part, you know? But I’ll work on it. Give me some patience, and I’ll work on it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to use the chastised little boys’ room.”
He gave her an adorable, lopsided but insecure smile before he headed off to the restroom. It was genuine. What he was feeling right then was legit. Her heart squished as it sank into her boots. It wasn’t fair—he did deserve it. But still…meh!
When he came back, he seemed in better spirits. “You know,” he started off, “just because you won’t let me seduce you, doesn’t mean I won’t seduce others in your presence.”
An-nd, he was back.
“I couldn’t give two rats about others,” Krista said with a smile, feeling the guilt slip away. “I’m looking after number one, here. Oh, and should you ever run into my friends, they count, too. We are all cynical bitches, so I doubt you would have any effect, but all the same.”
“Ah, so it’s the cynical bitches that are impervious to my charms?”