“Yeah. He saw you were upset that day you were here and he asked about it. I told him how you got laid off and he said maybe he could help.”
“Wow. Thank you, Fiona. I love you so much.”
“I love you too and you’re welcome. I know everything’s going to work out.”
“I hope so. I’ll let you get back to work. I have to go find something cute to wear.” She laughed.
“Have a good lunch and let me know how it went.”
“I will.”
After ending the call, two men walked into my office and grabbed the couch that was sitting in the corner.
“Excuse me.” I got up from my chair. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Moving this out of here. We have a desk that needs to be brought in.”
Ugh. Nathan.
“You knew I was moving a desk in here,” Nathan spoke as he walked in.
“I didn’t think it would be today or this week, or even this month.” I smirked.
“The sooner the better.” He smiled. “How are you today, Miss Winslow?”
“So are we moving this out or what?” the big burly man with the stained t-shirt asked.
“Yes. Move it out of here,” Nathan spoke.
Taking a seat behind my desk, I spoke, “I’m fine, Mr. Carter, and you?”
“I’m great.”
The two men moved out the couch and brought in a glass-topped desk to put in its place.
“Move it out more,” Nathan spoke. “The chair will be going against the wall.”
“Your chair can go on the other side,” I spoke.
“It could, but the view is much better with the chair against the wall.” He smirked.
Damn him! I tightened my legs.
As soon as the men moved the desk forward and brought in a high back, dark brown leather executive chair, Nathan took a seat and smiled as he looked at me.
“Yes, the view is much better.”
“Don’t you have work to do?” I asked.
“Yes, but I wanted to make sure my desk was put in place first.” He got up from his chair. “Anyway, I have to go out of town for a few days on business.”
“Where are you going?”
“Does it matter? It doesn’t have anything to do with Winslow Wines.”
“No. It doesn’t matter.”
“Good. I have to go. My plane will be leaving soon. Try to stay out of trouble while I’m gone.” He winked.
“I will, and I suggest you do the same.”
“I can’t make any promises.” He smirked as he walked out of the office.
I clenched my fists, and after letting out the deep breath I took in, I grabbed my phone.
“Fiona, darling. It’s been forever,” Carlos answered.
“Hello, Carlos. I need a huge favor. Like huge.”
“Anything for you, darling.”
“How soon can you come to my office at Winslow Wines?”
“I can be there in a flash. What do you need?”
“We’ll discuss it when you get here.” I smiled.
“I’ll see you soon.”
****
I had just returned from the bathroom when I saw Carlos standing inside my office.
“Good to see you again, Carlos.” I hugged him.
“Good to see you, Fiona. Now what’s going on?”
“Look around. What do you see?” I waved my hand.
“Drab. Boring. Uninviting. But I do see potential.”
“Excellent.” I smiled. “I need to be inspired to do my best every time I sit behind my desk. I want people to feel welcomed, relaxed, and at home when they enter my office. I want it to scream California style.”
“We can draw inspiration from the ocean.” He held his hands out to his sides. “I see velvety saturated colored walls in dark teal, a wavy print floor-to-ceiling drapery on each of the windows, area rugs to match under each of the desks. Oh!” he exclaimed. “And cascading crystal strands hanging on the wall. Perhaps a couple of crystal lamps to match and teal-colored wingback chairs for your visitors.”
“Perfect.” I smiled. “I need it done and completely finished within a few days. I’m on a strict time schedule.”
“Hmm.” He looked down. “This carpeting needs to go. I’m thinking teal and white tiles in a checkerboard pattern.”
“Sounds nice. Can you get it done within a few days?”
“Yes. Not a problem. We aren’t starting a new job until the beginning of next week. I’ll call my team now and have them come paint tonight. I hate to say this, Fiona, but you need a new desk. This one won’t match the décor.”
“Do what you have to do, Carlos. Out with the old and in with the new.”
“I’ll be in touch, darling.” He kissed my cheek.
I went down to the storage area and collected some boxes so I could empty out the contents from my father’s desk.
“Are you moving out?” Josh asked as I walked past his desk.
“I’m revamping my office.”
“Nice. Is that what that guy was doing here?”
“Yes. My office will be under construction for the next few days, so I’m going to be using the desk next to yours. We can be desk buddies.” I smirked.
“Lovely.” Josh rolled his eyes.
“I need you to call the movers and have them move all the furniture out of the office within the next couple of hours. Have them put everything in storage.”
“Does Nathan know about this little revamp of your shared office?”
“No. He’ll be so surprised when he gets back from his business trip. I can’t wait to see the expression on his face.”
Josh narrowed his eyes at me. “What are you up to, Fiona?”
Chapter 32
Fiona
After a long day of phone conferences with vendors, trying to coax them back to Winslow Wines, I went home and climbed into a hot, relaxing bubble-filled tub. It bothered me that Nathan wouldn’t tell me where he was going. There was no reason for him not to tell me, unless he was hiding something. We would just see where Mr. Carter was at. I smiled as I took my phone and opened the tracking app. He was in New York, currently at the Plaza Hotel. I wondered if he was with someone or if he was alone.
****
Nathan
It was eleven o’clock here in New York and I should have been out at the strip clubs with some friends of mine, but I didn’t feel like it, which was highly unusual for me. I had no interest in watching naked girls dance on the poles and give me cock-raising lap dances. What the fuck was wrong with me? I could tell you what was wrong. Fiona Winslow. She was the only woman whom I wanted to see naked and giving me a lap dance. I kept thinking about how jealous she was when she saw me at the restaurant with Kylie. The only reason women got jealous like that was when they were attracted to someone. I knew damn well if I saw her with another guy out somewhere, fists would be flying before I even knew who the person was. The thought of her with another man made my blood boil. It made me angry to even think about it. But I couldn’t commit to her. It was just something I couldn’t do. Committing to one woman was never in my life plan. I was happy with the way I lived my life. No one to answer to, no one to explain things to, no one nagging me about where I’d been or what I was doing. No one expecting things from me. Things I could never give. I liked being in control and controlling the women whom I took out and fucked. But Fiona Winslow was slowly taking all that away from me. She was uncontrollable. These few days away from her was what I needed.
****
Fiona
The last few days were hard without hearing from Nathan. Stepping inside my office, I gasped at the beautiful job Carlos did.
“Oh my God, Carlos, it’s beautiful.”
“Thank you, darling. I knew you’d love it.”
“WOW!” Josh exclaimed as he walked in. “Fiona, it’s amazing. Nathan is going to be so pissed.” He laughed.
“He’ll only be here sometimes, so he shouldn’t have a
problem with it.”
I already knew that Nathan wasn’t going to be happy. It was what he deserved since he moved a desk into my office just to taunt me.
“When’s he coming back?” Josh asked.
“Let me check.” I pulled out my phone. “He’s already on his way back.” I smiled as I held my phone up to him.
He shook his head and sighed. “Does he know you’re tracking him?”
“Do you think he knows?” I raised my brow.
“Well, I’m going to get my phone ready for when he comes in here. I want to capture the reaction on his face when he sees what you’ve done.”
I thanked Carlos and kissed him goodbye. Taking a seat behind my new rectangular glass-topped desk, I smiled. It was perfect and it made me happy. Okay, was I happy about the office or the fact that Nathan was going to be so pissed off? I had to admit it was a combination of both. He thought he was in control, but he was wrong. Dead wrong.
“Oh, Fiona.” Carlos walked back in. “I almost forgot to give you this.” He handed me a key. “The guys who ripped up the carpet found it taped down to the floor in the corner by the window.”
“That’s weird.” I stared at it.
A few hours had passed and I was on my computer sending out some emails when I heard Nathan’s voice.
“WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?!”
Looking up at him, I smiled. “Welcome back.”
“What the hell did you do, Fiona?” He stepped inside and Josh followed him, holding up his phone. “JOSH, OUT!” He shut the door and stood there glaring at me with a scowl on his face.
“What? I redecorated the office. Don’t you like it? It needed a makeover. I wanted people to feel welcomed when they stepped inside. Don’t you feel welcomed, Nathan?” I cocked my head.
He shook his finger at me. “Redecorating is one thing. Beige walls, blinds, carpet. Not this blue color.”
“It’s teal.”
“I don’t care what it is! And what’s this?” He pointed to the crystal beads that hung from the wall. “Jesus, Fiona. I can’t believe you did this. You did it on purpose.” He continued to point his finger at me. “This is payback for me moving a desk in here.”
“Don’t be silly.” I laughed. “It needed a makeover. It represents a new beginning here at Winslow Wines. Out with the old and in with the new. Plus, I agreed to you having a desk in here, remember?”
“You reluctantly agreed.”
“You need to stop getting your panties in a bunch over this, Mr. Carter.”
“Excuse me? Did I just hear you correctly?”
I threw my hands up in the air. “I don’t know why you’re so upset. This is MY office. Have you forgotten that?”
“An office in which I’ll be spending some time. An office in which I have to sit in surrounded by blue everywhere I look.”
“Teal.”
He pursed his lips together and inhaled deeply through his nose.
“At least you still have a nice view from your desk, right?” I smirked.
In a calm tone, he spoke, “I’m leaving now.” He walked to the door.
“Aren’t you going to tell me how your trip was?” I asked.
“No.” He scowled as he left.
Chapter 33
Nathan
I walked out of her office shaking my head but with a smile on my face. She wanted that kind of reaction out of me, so I gave her what she wanted. If she wasn’t expecting it, she would have mentioned that she wanted to redo the office, but instead, she had it done, rather quickly, may I add, while I was away. I’d let her bask in her glory of thinking she royally pissed me off for a couple of days.
When I returned to the office, Will followed me in and took a seat across from my desk.
“I think I have a problem,” he spoke.
“What’s wrong?” I sat down.
“You know Fiona’s friend, Lydia, the pregnant one?”
“Yeah.” I arched my brow.
“I think I really like her.”
“Like her how?” I narrowed my eye.
“I like spending time with her. We met for lunch the other day so I could look over her portfolio and get her some freelance work with a few companies and we ended up spending the rest of the day and most of the evening together, just talking. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her since. She’s so easy to talk to and I feel like I’ve known her my entire life.”
“She’s pregnant, Will.”
“I know.” He sighed. “But I want to take her out. Like on a date. I called her last night about some bullshit excuse just to talk to her.”
“She’s pregnant, Will,” I spoke again as I stared him in the eyes.
“Will you stop saying that? I know she’s pregnant. I can’t help that and I can’t help that I want to see her again. Just like you with Fiona.”
“Fiona’s not pregnant, and if she was, I wouldn’t be seeing her, and most importantly, I wouldn’t be fucking her.”
He got up from his chair. “Well, I can’t think about her being pregnant right now. I want to get to know her better and I want to spend some more time with her. Maybe it’s time we grew up, Nathan. We’re thirty years old. You told me that you told Fiona about your mother and you have never spoke of that to anyone but me. What does that tell you?”
I sighed as I leaned back in my chair.
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to call Lydia and ask her if she has plans for tonight. Maybe you and Fiona would like to join us.”
“Fiona thinks I’m pissed at her.”
“Why?” He frowned.
“She redecorated the office while I was gone. All girly-like with the color teal, crystal beads hanging from the walls, and fancy curtains on the windows.”
He let out a roaring laugh. “Sounds like she did it on purpose to teach you a lesson about moving a desk for yourself in there.”
“Yep. So I played it off as I was pissed and walked out.”
“The two of you are quite entertaining.” He shook his head as he left my office.
****
Just as Jason pulled in, I saw Fiona sitting in her car in my driveway.
“Hello.” I walked over to her window as she rolled it down.
“Hi. I need to talk to you. That is, if your panties aren’t still in a bunch over the redecorating of the office.”
I opened the door for her. “Stop saying that. Regardless of how mad I am, you need to talk to me, and being your business partner, I have to listen.”
As soon as she climbed out, I shut the car door, walked to the house, and stepped inside.
“What’s going on? Is this personal or business?” I arched my brow.
“Business.”
“Wine? Or am I going to need something stronger?” I smirked.
“Wine is fine.” She followed me into the kitchen and took a seat at the island.
“So what’s going on?” I grabbed two wine glasses and a bottle from the wine cellar off the kitchen.
“When the guys were ripping up the carpet in the office, they found this taped to the floor in the corner.” She held up a key.
“What’s it to?”
“I have no idea.”
Taking it from her hand, I examined it.
“This is a safety deposit box key.”
“I know, and I went to the bank where we do all of our banking and it’s not one of theirs.”
“Then where is it to?” I asked as I pushed her glass towards her.
“I don’t know. That’s what I need to find out. There are hundreds of banks in Los Angeles. What I don’t understand is why he felt the need to hide it under the carpet.”
“Obviously there’s something in that box he was keeping a secret and wanted to make sure nobody found that key. I’ll tell you what, since tomorrow is Friday, I’ll meet you at the office first thing in the morning and we’ll start bank hunting.”
“Thanks, Nathan. I appreciate it.” She gave me a small smile. “I better get going.??
?
I wanted nothing more than to hold her and kiss those beautiful lips of hers.
“I haven’t eaten dinner yet. Have you?” I asked with the hope that she’d stay a while longer. I didn’t want her to leave.
****
Fiona
I hadn’t eaten dinner, but I couldn’t tell him that. If I did, he’d want me to stay, and if I stayed, we’d have sex. My lower half was burning with desire for him. An ache so bad that it was unbearable. But I had to stay strong because we needed to maintain a professional business relationship. Eventually, sometime in the future, I wanted a relationship, marriage, and possibly a family. Nathan didn’t want that, and as much as I had already fallen for his corporate ass, I needed to set myself straight because he wasn’t a man that could love one woman. I wasn’t even sure if he could love anyone enough at all.
“I did. I grabbed a bite to eat before I came over.”
“Oh. Okay. I just thought I’d ask since you were here.”
“I should get going.” I pointed to the door in the awkwardness of the moment.
“Yeah. Probably a good idea.” He placed his hands in his pockets.
“I’ll see you tomorrow at the office.”
“Yep. See you tomorrow, Fiona.” He walked me to the door. “Oh, by the way, have you talked to Lydia?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Did she mention anything to you about Will?”
“Why?” I narrowed my eye at him.
“Just curious. He really seems to like her. I was just wondering if she said anything about him.”
“Just between me and you, she likes him as well. But I’m worried.”
“Why?” he asked.
“Because I don’t want her to get hurt. She’s been through the ringer with guys and now she has a baby she needs to focus on.”
“I’m not sure you have to worry about Will. He seemed pretty adamant about getting to know her better. As for getting hurt, that’s something no man can promise.”
I felt a stab in my heart when he said that. The look of seriousness in his eyes when he spoke those words confirmed for me that I was right about him all along. Being hurt by him was inevitable and it was something I was going to avoid at all costs.