Can't Help Falling in Love (6 page)

    
Jeff glanced surreptitiously at the woman, and then said, “That’s Sharon Eaton.
She’s a media buyer. We worked with her once recently. She’s one tough cookie.
I’ll say that much.”

    
Marshall
asked, “Why the sudden interest?”

    
“She’s been staring at me.”

    
“I think I know why.”

    
“Why?”

    
“She’s studying you. I heard before the meeting that she’s expanding her agency—in
direct competition with yours. I wouldn’t be surprised if she doesn’t already
know your entire client list and she’s plotting how to entice some of them over
to her camp.”

    
“How could she possibly know—
”

    
Jeff interrupted quietly. “Word gets around. You know how that is. Everyone
knows you’ve got some A-list local clients.”

    
Allison was stunned to the quick. She could not eat another bite, gulped hard,
and tried to disguise her rising anger by averting her eyes and playing with
her napkin on her lap. An apple chunk had lodged in her throat, so she took a
sip of water and shot another fleeting look at
Sharon
, but immediately averted her eyes again
because the aggressive upstart was still gawking at her with a penetrating
gaze.

    
Finally, Allison managed to clear her throat and softly ask, “How could that
woman—and you, for that matter—possibly know details about my business? Is my
office bugged?”

    
Jeff laughed.
“Nothing as paranoid as that.
Just industry gossip.
Rumors in this town spread faster than
fire. Be careful of her, Allison. You don’t want to get involved with her. I’d
keep my distance if I were you. She’s surely heard that you’ve got a new
client—what is his name? Elliot?
Elden
?
Elwood?
You know who I mean—the
band singer you’re trying to promote. I’m sure that
Sharon
knows all about him and she wants a
piece of the pie!”

   
The keynote speaker began her introductory comments, but Allison scarcely heard
a word the woman said. The shock of the news that Sharon Eaton—a hostile minion
in the local advertising world, or a snake in the grass, as Allison was quick
to peg her—was eyeing her client list to see whom she could steal left her
feeling dizzy. Allison hid her emotions by feigning interest in the keynote
speaker. She appeared to be looking attentively at the woman behind the
lectern, but even though her voice was adequately amplified on the
loudspeakers, Allison could not concentrate on her speech. Her mind simply
reeled over that woman who was sitting at the next table.

    
At one point when the speaker cracked a joke and the entire audience laughed as
one, Allison threw back her head with laughter in such a way that she was able
to turn and look again in Sharon’s direction. Sharon accidentally happened at
that moment—or was she deliberately still eyeing Allison’s every move?—to meet
her glance with a smile.
Is she laughing at the speaker, or
was she purposely smiling at me?
Allison quickly tried to gauge her gawking. The isolated moment was fleeting,
because Allison did not let her smile linger. She looked back at the speaker as
if she had not noticed Sharon at all.

    
When the luncheon was over, everyone split up into little cliques, but Jeff and
Marshall could see by Allison’s demeanor that she was visibly shaken. She was
not her usual self, asking probing questions about their industry, working the
room, and collecting business cards. Suddenly, she felt like a wolf had invaded
her sheep fold. She stood shock still, appearing to be in the thick of things,
but she kept a watchful eye on Sharon. At one point, Jeff asked her a question
and Allison did not even answer, so wrapped up was she in monitoring Sharon’s
every move.

    
“Did you even hear me? Jeff asked.

    
Allison snapped back to attention. “I’m sorry—what did you say?”

    
“I asked if you like the agenda for next month’s meeting. Allison, you seem
upset. Are you stewing about Sharon?”

    
“Yes. I mean, no. Yes, I like the proposed agenda, but no, I’m not stewing
about that woman. Don’t worry about me. You should know by now that I can take
care of myself.”

    
“If it’s an introduction you want . . . .” Jeff looked from her to Marshall, “.
. . it’s an introduction you’ll get! I already know that she wants to meet you,
but you need to remind yourself that if Sharon Eaton’s interested in you, she’s
got a reason. And when Sharon has a reason, you’re best off keeping her at arms
length.”

    
“What is she, a leprous ogre?”

    
Before Jeff could reply, several people came up to Allison to comment how
interesting the speaker had been. She acted like she had been absorbed in the
entire speech and savored every moment, but in fact, she merely wanted to get
away from the place, and she did not want to meet Sharon . . . not yet. She
said a quick goodbye to Marshall and Jeff, and left with a book tucked under
her arm that had been given out to the first hundred attendees. Her mind was on
other matters.
Why did this Sharon Eaton want to
meet me? Why were Jeff and Marshall so brutal when they talked about
Sharon
?
How will my meeting this afternoon turn out? There’s so much to tell Karen
later. Where will I start?

    
She was halfway across the lobby and almost to the coat rack when she heard
Marshall calling out, “Allison! Wait!”

    
She turned to look back and was astonished to see Marshall with Sharon in
tow—or was Sharon taking the lead and practically dragging Marshall to initiate
an introduction to her? She appeared to want to meet Allison, but she seemed
more like a blood-sucking octopus in a newfound garden of fresh tropical fish,
and she was wasting no time in heading toward her.

    
Allison watched as they made a beeline across the lobby toward her, and then
Jeff suddenly burst through a side door from the meeting room and practically
ran to catch up with the three of them.

    
“Jeffrey!” Sharon greeted him warmly and extended her arm so they could shake
hands.
“How good to see you!
It’s been too long since
our paths crossed!”

    
Allison noted the strained expression that passed across her friend’s face. She
knew that Jeff did not like to be called by his formal name, but somehow, when
Sharon said the name, the sound was so natural, so intimate.
Had
Jeff had some sort of liaison with this woman which embittered him so? Jeff and
Marshall had said she would go to any lengths to get what she wanted. What had
she done to entrap them?

    
Jeff kissed
Sharon
on the cheek, a kiss that was similarly
returned in kind.  He casually slipped his arm around her. 
How
hypocritical we all are at times,
Allison mused.
I
wonder, does she think as highly of him as he does of her? Or is it simply this
advertising business that makes us
behave
in a
two-faced way at times? They’ll be over here in another moment. Why not
stay put and force
Sharon
to paddle across the entire length of the lobby to meet me?
At
least I can meet her from a position of strength!

    
Allison planted herself firmly, like a Grecian statue connected to the core of
the earth, and radiated an expression of gentile curiosity that neatly covered
up her outright disbelief at the woman and her unmitigated gall. The two men
were smiling at the impending introduction as if the moment was a Prelude to
War. Allison stood firm, but she held out one hand as if to invite them nearer,
even though Sharon was heading in her direction like a torpedo launched from a
submarine.

    
They were still six feet apart when Marshall practically shouted, “Allison, I
want you to meet a friend, Sharon Eaton.  She’s as capable a media person
as you’re likely to meet in this town. Sharon, this is Allison Webster. She’s
in the creative end of things. I thought you two might want to meet.”

    
Allison studied the woman who stood in front of her, taking a quick mental
picture of her that burned into the retina of her mind.
While
she might very well be capable in her work, the adjective
Marshall
selected to describe her would have been the last one I would have used in an
introduction.

    
Before her stood a beautiful woman.
She was not more
than five-foot four and weighed, perhaps, ninety-five pounds. Sharon had fine
facial features that were framed by her feathered, dark wavy hair. The suit she
wore drew attention to her tiny waist and accented the curves of her body.
Surely
any man in the room would be delighted with the opportunity to spend time in
this woman’s company,
Allison assumed with a
slight twinge of jealousy.

    
Sharon smiled widely. Allison noted the deep colored lipstick she had expertly
applied in a way to accent her large white amazingly straight teeth.
Caps!
Allison was quick to conclude.
Her
eyes sparkle with self-assuredness, and she’s wearing a lot of expertly applied
makeup. I can smell her delicious perfume. She knows just how to use

    
Sharon
spoke with exuberance. “So you’re
Allison Webster. I’ve heard so much about you and your work. What a pleasure to
finally meet!”

    
Allison wondered,
What—
if
anything—have you heard about me . . . and from whom have you heard it?

    
As if to answer her unspoken questions,
Sharon
continued her praise. “Marshall and Jeff
recommend your services all the time. You certainly have admirers in these two.
Funny that we’ve never met up until now!”
Sharon
smiled again as if to give Allison her cue to speak.

    
What’s
funny about that?
Allison asked herself.
You’ve dropped into my world with
the suddenness of a cruise missile!
But she responded out loud, “Yes, isn’t it? I guess we’ve clearly been working
with different clients.”

    
“We
have
been.”

    
“Perhaps that will change,” Allison suggested in a voice that smacked of a
heroine in a Harlequin romance. “Who knows what the future may hold?”

    
“Don’t you?” Sharon’s expression had turned hard. She smiled now, but the smile
had no warmth. “I’m glad we had the chance to meet here. I’d love to stay and
talk, but I have an appointment with Phil Samuels that was scheduled weeks ago.
No point in being late!”

    
Do
you think I don’t have a busy schedule, too? It was you who waylaid me while I was
on my way out!
“It was
nice to meet you. Hope to see you again soon.”

    
“Oh, you will!” Sharon said, as she shook Allison’s hand. 

    
“Have a good day.”

    
Sharon
scampered off like the White Rabbit in
Alice
in Wonderland
.

    
“What a strange introduction!” Allison commented. “It certainly didn’t last
very long.”

    
“Long enough to establish a relationship,” Jeff replied. 

    
“A relationship?
I felt like Melanie Wilkes meeting
Mata
Hari
!”

    
Jeff chortled and shook his head. “They’re from different eras.”

    
“You know what I mean!”

    
“I told you Sharon was up to something.”

    
Marshall joined in. “She’s so pretty. You’ve got to admit that. Sharon has
those perfect china doll sort of looks.”

    
“And a china doll sort of stiffness, too,” Jeff remarked.

    
“Don’t let her looks fool you,” Marshall warned.  It’s only skin deep.
She’s lethal. The lady has no conscience.”

    
Allison pulled her coat from the rack. “How old do you think she is, Jeff?”

    
Jeff helped Allison with her coat. “About thirty-two, thirty-three, I’d guess.”

    
“She’s never been married,” Marshall commented.

    
“Well, I’m not married either,” Allison said. “That doesn’t mean anything.
Anyone as attractive as she could get any man she wanted. She’s obviously a
career woman with strong ambitions. She said she had an appointment with
Phillip Samuels.  Who is he?”

    
“He’s the owner of Star Records,” Marshall said.

    
“Oh?”

    
“I’d guess that she’s muscling in on your efforts,” Marshall put in. “She must
want your account bad. Why else would she be running to see him?”