In the Blind Page 4

  “Something I hope to rectify regardless if you find me a new job. There’s something about you. It pulls at me. I want to be near you. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve replayed our conversation in my head.”

  “I could have talked to you all afternoon, and you’re the only one I remember from that day. I kept searching for job opportunities for you, and nothing came up.” She chewed on her lower lip for a moment before continuing. “It was killing me not to have an excuse to call you. But since you were still wearing your ring, I figured I needed to let you go.”

  “I’m sorry for delaying us.” He wanted to tie her to him before he told her anything more about Gina. Maybe it was selfish, but he needed to make sure she knew his intentions. He needed control over their next move together. “Let me take you to dinner. Tell me I’ll see you again.”

  “Sure, you can take me out to dinner.”

  “Great. There’s one more thing. Gina works for Keller.”

  “That’s not funny.” She took a step away from him.

  “It’s not a joke, but I honestly don’t think it will be a problem. The whole thing might actually be cathartic.” He didn’t remove the space between then. He wanted her to have what she needed to work through what he was telling her, but his heart beat erratically as he sensed her pulling further away.

  “I can understand the two of you getting along now, but working with her?” She broke eye contact and heaved a heavy sigh.

  “My best friend works there, and, believe me, if he can make it work then so can I.”

  “Why is that?”

  “She’s always gotten under his skin. I think he has more of a problem with the breakup than either of us did.”

  “He’s probably a great friend.” She took a step towards him.

  “You have no idea. He’s the best. I’m looking forward to introducing you two.” Everything was falling into place. “So, you’re okay with this?”

  “It’s a lot to take in, but I know a few things about moving on and I’m proud of you for finding your own way.” She looked him over. “I still think you’re the best candidate for Keller. If you’re sure, then I am, too.”

  “All right, it’s settled. Let’s go charm Keller, and then I’ll take you out to dinner.” He took hold of her hands. “Unless you have a surprise for me?”

  “Maybe after dinner.” She giggled.

  “Kitschy, Jane.” When her blush deepened, he added, “I like it.”

  Chapter Four

  Almost twenty minutes later Rob got out of the cab with Jane in front of Keller’s office building in northwest Chicago. They’d made small talk through most of the ride, and he enjoyed watching her as she watched the world through the window. The shine of her rich, brown hair captured his attention. If he dug his fingers through the strands would it feel like silk?

  The three-story building was set on the edge of a lush park. Just when you thought you’d seen everything in Chicago, you came across a plot of land like this. He’d heard about it from Marcus, but he’d never been out here. Deer were frequently spotted roaming their backyard.

  They walked in the front door, and he followed her to the elevator in the lobby. Alone in the elevator, he had a sudden desire for the lights to go out. Darkness had a way of breaking inhibitions, and he’d give anything to share a dark encounter with Jane.

  “Let’s go.”

  “What?” He looked down at Jane and tried to figure out if he’d spoken out loud.

  “We should probably step off the elevator now.”

  He looked up and saw the door was indeed open. “Yes, right, after you.”

  Once out of the elevator, they entered a lobby rich in mahogany. A blonde sat at the desk, her gaze fixed on the computer screen.

  “Hello, welcome to Voyage Industries. How can I assist you?” she said without moving her focus from her computer screen.

  “Hi, Anne.”

  She looked up, and her face brightened into a comfortable smile. “Hi!” She stood and shook Jane’s hand.

  “Rob and I are here to meet with Keller. Is he available?”

  “It’s good to see you again, Rob.”

  “Thanks.” He shook her hand. “I forgot you worked here.” He’d met Anne a couple times at munches he’d attended.

  “What have you been up to?”

  “I’ve been doing the consulting thing for a while now, since my last company was bought out, and I’m ready to settle into a team.”

  “Keller is pleased you found someone so quickly.”

  He looked at Jane, reached out and took hold of her hand. Her fingers wrapped around his, and his chest tightened. Telling her about Gina before they arrived had been the right thing to do. Their gazes met, a smile warmed his face, and he gave her hand a squeeze.

  The door opened behind them, and Keller came out with a couple of people.

  “Hello,” said Keller. “I was hoping to see you today.”

  “Hi, Mr. Keller, it’s good to see you again.” Jane shook his hand. “This is Rob Meyer.”

  “Rob, your reputation precedes you.” He turned to the couple at his side. “Jake Reed is one of our Directors here. He’d help you get the resources you need, which would include Lydia Taylor. She’s one of the best technical writers around. Her attention to detail is impressive.”

  “It’s nice to meet you both.” He shook hands with them as did Jane. He admired Jane’s professionalism. He was lucky to have her on his side.

  Keller motioned to the man behind them. “And this is Marcus Martone, our newest addition. He’s one of our server engineers.”

  “I was hoping to see you while we were here.” Rob turned to Jane. “This is my friend I was telling you about.”

  When Jane made no motion to shake hands, Marcus stepped forward. “Hello, it’s good to meet you.”

  “You, too.” She nodded her head and turned to Keller.

  “Anne was able to keep this time open as promised. Let’s go into my office.” He stepped aside. “Anne, hold all my calls.”

  ****

  Her heart pounded in her chest. She recognized Marcus the moment she saw him, her escort with the night vision goggles from the club. She knew several members of Club Voyage worked here. She could only hope the confidentiality policies were as strongly enforced as Anne thought they were. She sat gently in one of Keller’s guest chairs. Panic raced through her blood. Did Anne know Marcus worked at Club Blind? What would Rob think if he found out?

  She had to stop questioning and start concentrating. There was a deal to be made. She pushed back her worries and reviewed her spiel. A tumble of thoughts left her frozen. She hoped neither would notice.

  Keller turned his focus to Rob. “I’m pleased to see you here today. I thought you weren’t considering a change.”

  “Thanks, Mr. Keller. All the credit is Jane’s. She convinced me to take a closer look.”

  “Please, call me Keller.” He turned to her. “I think I’ve been underestimating your talents. I’m going to have to call you more often.”

  All the praise swept right past her. She wanted to wrap up this meeting and bend Anne’s ear. Her career might be on the edge of flight, but she was teetering too close to unbelievable personal embarrassment to enjoy any of it. She took a deep breath. Work first, play later, she reminded herself. It was time to get the boys talking so she could think.

  “Please tell Rob a little more detail about the open position.”

  As Keller prattled on, she reviewed her situation. Just because Marcus worked at Club Blind didn’t mean Rob knew she’d been there. Wait. She wasn’t ashamed of her decision, quite the opposite. She took a slow breath and released her overreaction, but on the inhale, she flooded her system with nervous energy.

  “That’s the job in a nutshell. Normally, I’d take some time to grill candidates Jane brings me.”

  She remembered the first candidate she’d brought in. Keller had the woman running away in tears.

  “Are you still
interested?” Keller asked.

  “I am,” Rob admitted.

  “Could you start immediately?”

  She took a loud breath. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. You still need to make the change worth his while.”

  “That’s right.” Rob gave her the “I’m glad you’re on my team” smile. “I am pretty comfortable working as a contractor. I work when I want and take vacation whenever I choose.”

  “All right, I think I can take that into consideration.” Keller waited a beat, probably drawing out their anticipation. “I’ll write a proposal and send it to Jane this afternoon.”

  “Remember how determined you are to add Rob to your team and I’m sure we’ll be able to come to an agreement.” Her smile cracked through her anxiety.

  “I guarantee I’ll bring my best offer.” Keller reached out his hand.

  “Thank you.” She’d make sure Keller delivered on that promise.

  After giving his hand a firm shake, she turned to exit the office and practically ran to Anne, leaving Rob and Keller alone for a second. She immediately chastised herself. A candidate should never be left alone with a client. It was a rookie mistake, one she’d made only once years ago. Later she learned the candidate had made the deal behind Jane’s back. Now, her personal life felt like it had a deal going on behind her back.

  “Anne,” she whispered and tugged on her arm. When Anne looked up from her computer screen, she added, “Did you know Marcus worked at Club Blind?”

  “Sure, he’s escorted me in a time or two.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Tell you what?” Rob said from behind her.

  “Oh.” She took her time straightening her back and turned to face him. “She’s already seen the new romantic comedy that came out last weekend.”

  “I haven’t seen it. Do you want to go?”

  “Sure,” she said without thinking.

  Keller cleared his throat from behind them.

  “Thank you, Keller, for meeting with us today.” She was thankful for the change of subject, but she hadn’t gotten enough answers, just more questions that needed asking. “Be sure to send your proposal this afternoon.”

  “My pleasure and I’ll do just that.” He reached out to Rob, and they shook hands. “I have a car waiting downstairs that I'm not going to need. Do either of you need a lift? He's going downtown anyway.”

  “Thanks, Keller, we would.”

  A quiet ride into the heart of the city sounded nice. She let go of her anxiety and let herself enjoy the moment she’d been waiting for. Her personal life might be teetering on the edge of a cliff, but she was only hours away from a deal that could catapult her career.

  Jane and Rob were quiet on their short elevator ride. One step out the front door and Jane’s phone rang. She recognized the number, the landlord for her office.

  “Shit.”

  “What?”

  “Oh nothing, sorry, just something I need to remember to take care of later.” She silenced her phone and gave her office address to the chauffer.

  They climbed into the waiting car. Her heart pounded. Why was her landlord calling? He already granted her a one month pass, and next month’s rent wasn’t due for another two weeks. Everything would be fine. She chanced a look in Rob’s direction. Her heart skipped a beat. He was staring at her.

  “Thanks for bringing me here today.”

  “You’re welcome. Thanks for giving it a chance.” She tugged at her blouse. “I’m pretty sure he’ll send an attractive offer. There will probably be only one thing in it we can change, but I’ll find it.”

  “You’re a shark.”

  “Hardly.”

  “I admire that about you. You go after what you want, don’t you?”

  “In my professional life, yes, I like to believe that’s true.” She’d taken lots of chances throughout her career. In business, she wasn’t afraid to take risks. She crossed her legs and angled herself towards him.

  He shifted in his seat to face her directly. “What aren’t you going after in your personal life?”

  “Pretty much everything.”

  “What do you want?”

  She turned to look out the window. He’d laid out the question she hadn’t pushed herself to answer. Her thoughts kept drifting to Saturday night and her mystery man. He’d made her fantasies come to life, but it was this man sitting next to her, the one who might not be totally ready, who made her heart flutter uncontrollably. The two together would be explosive. Which did she want? Which could she have?

  “I want trust and friendship.”

  “Is that all? I can give you that.”

  She shifted in the seat and looked him right in the eye. “No, that’s not all.”

  “Don’t play with me.”

  “I’m not—”

  He shifted towards her. His body got a few inches from her, and she pushed against his chest, her eyes clamped shut. Convincing herself he was still hung up on his ex made the possibility of getting hurt highly unlikely because, before he could hurt her, he would drift out of her life. But for now he was here, close, and pushing against her hand. She let her elbow bend, and he came closer. The rich manly scent of him drove her needs higher.

  She wanted him with an urgency that caused her fingers to dig around the fabric of his shirt. Desire and nerves fought for her attention. Pushing him away would be safe. She had no desire for safety.

  He tilted his head slightly, and she let him come a bit closer. His cheek brushed along hers. Questions swirled around in her mind, making her dizzy. She’d started falling for this man while they talked about changes in the job market and their favorite apps. Now, all she had to do was relax her arm a bit and he’d kiss her. She licked her lips and imagined his body pressed against hers.

  She pulled him closer and removed the distance. His lips sealed over hers, and she was lost. This was what she craved, this surrender of need. When he pulled away, she opened her mouth and he took his claim.

  Their tongues tangled back and forth. She breathed in his deep intoxicating scent. She needed him between her thighs. That sharp burst of need took over her common sense. What was she doing? She couldn’t understand this loss of control.

  She didn’t even understand him. He’d taken off the ring, but he was going after a job that would put him in daily contact with his ex. Was Jane merely the warm-up to getting back what he’d lost?

  She needed to protect herself. She couldn’t miss something simple and walk right back to heartbreak. She wanted, needed to be his first choice. Her fingers dug further into his shirt and squeezed. The folds of the material pushed against her hand, and she tunneled her fingers along the fabric. She didn’t want to let go, but she had to. She didn’t know what instinct to trust.

  She peeked at him and wanted to believe his desire was true. His eyes smoldered with restrained heat. No man could look at her like that and only want a job or a one night stand, but she couldn’t risk her heart before she knew the truth. With a shove she watched the heat in his eyes fade.

  “I’m sorry. I’m a little shaken up over everything. I wasn’t expecting to put you in a position to spend time with your ex-wife.” She let go of his shirt and slowly brought her cramped hand back to her lap. She also wasn’t prepared to find out it was his best friend that had escorted her into a sex club. “Let’s close this deal, get you started, and then we’ll see. Okay?”

  “If that’s what you want.” He slowly moved back to his side of the car.

  “It is.” But it wasn’t. She wanted to kiss him again and her need for him kept growing. She brushed the wrinkles from her skirt. She’d told him no and he’d listened. It was a good thing, but a sad ache, like she’d been denied entry to her favorite show, tore at her resolve.

  Her grandpa taught her to take risks and she’d practiced the skill regularly with her business, but she no longer had a desire to risk her heart. Normally, she’d try for at least the middle road, but she didn’t know what else
to do at the moment.

  She needed a real chance with Rob. She wanted to earn a chance with Keller’s connections. Pushing through this deal and letting the chips fall might be her only chance at both. How else would she ever really know if Rob was over his ex? She tugged at her blouse. The damn thing clung to her, and she needing more room to breathe.

  Finally the car pulled to the curb in front of her office building.

  “I’ll contact you as soon as I hear from Keller’s office.” She stole one last look at Rob.

  “I’ll be waiting.” He didn’t move an inch.

  She imagined he was holding himself back, like a caged beast. Her pulse jumped. Instead of giving in, she scooted out of the car, closed the door, and watched the car disappear.

  Chapter Five

  She had no idea if she’d done the right thing. She kicked a rock across the sidewalk and wandered to her office building to talk with her landlord, another thing she didn’t want to do.

  Hours later, after renegotiating her rent, she walked into her apartment. There was a bowl of chocolate ice cream calling her name.

  Instead of a bowl, she ate from the carton. Once she pushed the empty box into the trash, she wished she had another to open. Rob’s contract would land in her inbox any minute, and instead of checking her email, she neatened her apartment, did a load of laundry, and washed the kitchen floor.

  Maybe she should give Rob a chance. Testing a man was no place to start a relationship. He took a chance and told her the truth. Maybe she should take a chance on him as well? It was only fair.

  She’d found her middle ground. Excitement filled her and lightened her soul.

  She ran over to her laptop. They could celebrate the contract tonight over dinner. Sure enough, Keller wasted no time getting her the contract. It was waiting for her in her inbox. She settled into her chair, feeling right about her change of heart. Pushing Rob away had felt all wrong.

  She picked up a tube of her favorite lotion and squeezed a dab onto her hand. Sweet vanilla filled her senses. Rubbing her hands back and forth, she enjoyed the silky touch of her nourished skin, and she imagined slipping her hands around Rob’s neck to hold him close.