Authors: Karolyn Cairns
Ian frowned at that. “Did she? That wasn’t nice of her.”
“She isn’t known for being nice. Everyone knows what that is. You should know!” Emily wanted to bite off her tongue at Ian’s sudden angry look. “I’m sorry…I had no right to say that. What you do is your business.”
“I never
had sex with her,” Ian said calmly, despite the cool look that entered his eyes. “You can believe it or not, but not all men are weak in that way, Emily. I don’t randomly screw women just to screw them.”
“I’m sorry. You’re right. Forget I said anything.”
“No, you brought it up,” Ian nearly growled and tossed down his cloth napkin. “Ask me what you want to know. Don’t just assume the worst about me.”
“Everybody says you did the nasty
with her in the copy room,” Emily remarked, avoiding his angry glare. “You were seen.”
“I was seen fucking her in the copy room
? Or people like you just jump to that conclusion and run with it?” Ian looked furious at her words. “I can assure you that you’re wrong, but what’s the point? Somebody who cares so much about what other people think would think the worst of others.”
“Hey! That’s not fair!” Emily set down her fork, leveling him with a wounded look. “What you do is your business. She’s beautiful. It’s not like you have to explain
yourself to anyone, least of all me.”
“Nothing happened between us! She made a pass at me! I refused! Why is that so hard for you to believe, Emily?”
“My experience with men probably,” Emily allowed ruefully and rolled her eyes. “Not many guys I knew would ever turn it down.”
“I’m not
like many guys, Emily.” Ian glared at her. “And I’m not shallow enough to not see her as she really is, contrary to what you think you know about me! Underneath all that make-up, she’s as ugly as sin! Why is it so hard for you to see all men aren’t impressed by that shit? Give me a break! I might be an asshole, but I’m not a stupid asshole! I wouldn’t go there and jeopardize my job or my friendship with Evan over a piece of ass!”
“I had no right to say anything,” Emily mumbled, disconcerted by his anger. “Please forget I said
it.”
“No! You want to know who I’m sleeping with; I’ll tell you! I haven’t been with a woman since I came here
. Are you satisfied?” Ian looked disgusted as he played with his food, his eyes turbulent with his anger. “I wouldn’t have thought you to be so judgmental, Emily.”
Emily was miserable the mood took such a downward plunge. She regretted saying anything now
, spurred on by her anxiety and too much wine. She rushed to reassure him. “Please don’t be mad! It’s just idle office gossip! Don’t let it ruin the evening. I shouldn’t have said anything. Forget I did. I had no right.”
“You believed it? Son-of-a-bitch! Do you know what that could do to me if Mitchell and Vince catch wind of it?”
“Nobody would ever say anything! It’s just gossip!”
Ian’s eyes turned to frosty chips. “That’s all it takes, Emily. My bosses don’t need any verification
that I’ve been a good boy. Why do you think I have a fraternization clause in my contract? So I don’t screw up and get personal with the clients. It’s there to keep me honest. I’m not stupid enough to throw it away on a woman. This isn’t good for me at all. Couldn’t come at a better time.”
“Maybe they won’t hear about it?”
“Or maybe that’s the reason they’re coming,” Ian disagreed and looked sad for a moment, and then the look was gone.
“I’m sorry I said anything. Maybe they just want to know the campaign is going well?”
“Emily, I make over a quarter of a million dollars a year to give them the results they want. Do you really believe that naïve bullshit?”
Emily was miserable to know Ian was correct in his assumption
. The sudden visit from Ambidor’s two highest ranking executives was suspect. She was sympathetic to what it meant for him. They didn’t want to pay his outlandish salary anymore and he knew it. Using the fraternization clause in his contract would be the easiest way to get rid of him. This wasn’t good for him at all. One loose comment next week and he was done. They both fell silent digesting the ramifications.
“
Maybe that’s the reason they’re coming? One never knows with Mitch and Vince.”
“I’m sorry, Ian. I shouldn’t have said anything.” Emily met his gaze across the candle-lit table, regr
et in her artfully made-up blue-grey eyes. “I didn’t want to upset you.”
“You just tipped their hand. I did wonder what this visit meant. They refrain from using the corporate jet these days.”
“Maybe it isn’t as bad as you think?”
“Or maybe it’s worse
? Ah well, I’ve made a fortune in the last ten years. I could quit working and be ok. This definitely isn’t the worst news. Maybe I’ll even get a dog and take up a hobby?”
“Doing what? Photography?” Emily
joked with him then. She was miserable; guilty to have ruined the lighthearted mood between them. “What kind of dog?”
“A lab
. I always wanted one since I was a kid. My mom wouldn’t let us have pets.”
Emily heard the wistful note in his voice just then and looked up.
“You accused me of jumping to conclusions and now you’re doing it. Don’t run out and get a dog just yet. Wait and see what they want.”
“Emily, I’ve been extremely fortunate to have the position I have,” Ian remarked and nibbled at his food. “I always had it in the back of my head it would end one day without warning. This isn’t a bad thing.”
“Maybe you look for things to end; not begin? That seems to be your thing.”
Ian said nothing, eating quietly. They shared a companionable silence that put her at ease until she was full. The swordfish was delicious. It definitely made the list of her favorite things. She set down her napkin and regarded him with a thoughtful look. “You’re
really worried about this, aren’t you?”
“
Yeah, I’m pretty sure this visit is far more than it appears. They’re coming together this time. That’s always a deal breaker. I knew that wasn’t a good thing for me. My severance package is really pretty generous. Not too shabby at all.”
“Please stop
thinking the worst! You don’t know what this even means,” Emily said encouragingly. “Maybe they just want to make sure everything is going well, like we were led to believe?”
“Emily, you have to be the most naïve person I’ve ever met
in my life,” Ian said with a fond smile. “Don’t ever lose that quality. It’s one of your best.”
“I’ve never met someone as pessimistic as you, Ian! You can’t know what them coming to Sacramento means, yet you believe the worst
? For once, can’t you just have faith?”
“Emily, they cut off my expense account a week ago,” Ian informed her with a sad smile. “This
over-the-top dinner is on me; hope you liked it. No, it is what it is. I can truthfully say I’d rather be fired over a rumor than the truth.”
Emily didn’t know what to say. The fact Ambidor cut off his company credit card was something that seemed sinister to her. She felt for Ian, knowing how much he loved his job. The fact he was being terminated over something he hadn’t even done made her furious, knowing Tabitha must have informed on him. Yes, she was at the bottom of this. The treacherous brunette must have sent
word to Ian’s superiors after she failed to get him to comply in the copy room. Emily was infuriated, knowing there was nothing she could do for him.
“I’m sorry, Ian. I don’t know what to say.” Emily fought the urge to cry, knowing she would never see him again after his work here was done.
Ian grinned despite the sadness she saw lurking in his blue eyes. “Let’s just get you ready for that meeting. I’d love to see the looks on their faces when you dazzle them.”
“Why do you have such faith in me?” Emily looked perplexed. “I’m likely to fall on my face!”
“You’re good at your job, Emily. You’re a straight shooter. You were the best choice for this campaign. I told Evan that before you came back to work, even before I met you.”
Emily looked stunned. Ian hand-picked her to head up the campaign before he even met her. She could only stare at him, speechless.
“You forget I met the others first,” Ian allowed with a smug smile. “I listened to enough about you around the office to know that you were exactly what we needed. I insisted Evan make you in charge. That’s why he called you back to work, and for no other reason.”
“I don’t know what to say.” She fought the urge to cry, knowing it was silly. Still, the fact he wanted her to run the campaign before they even met made her feel incredibly good about herself. She had Ian to thank for reeling her back to work, and not Evan. Somehow, she appreciated it more, feeling as though some connection existed between them even then, despite the absurdity of it.
“They think they’ll walk all over you next week. Prove them wrong. Also, you land this account; Evan talks about you being made a full partner, another recommendation from me.”
Emily was shocked. Ian had that kind of clout? Evan would consider giving her a partnership? She could hardly believe this was happening.
Jessica
Watterman-Stone, Evan’s current wife, and only child of its founder, brought a whopping two-thirds of the company’s shares with her to her marriage. Her father passed his remaining shares on to his son-in-law when he died. Evan had two daughters who were born socialites. Neither desired to work or enter the family ad business. With his heart condition, Evan had to consider the future of the agency. It made sense, but the fact she was considered as his predecessor one day unnerved her to the extreme.
“I’ll do my best,”
Emily said and meant it. “This is all very overwhelming. I never imagined Evan would even promote me, much less to a full partner.”
“It wasn’t without some manipulation on my part. Let’s face it. Nobody else there has your integrity, Emily. Evan knows that. He has no choice in it
as I can see. If he wants to retire he has to hand over the keys to the kingdom to someone. Why not you?”
“There’s always Stu.”
“He’d run the company into the ground within five years and Evan knows it. Tabitha doesn’t know shit about the business. The others are all pure ego. They lack the performance record you have. The agency is yours, Emily. All you have to do is get this campaign off the ground. Tell me you have something in your back pocket?”
“I have it nailed,” Emily reported and frowned. “Unfortunately, I haven’t found the people in the pictures.”
Ian didn’t appear worried. “You have time. Don’t sweat it.”
“Easy for you to say! You aren’t the one who has to face Evan if I fail.”
“You won’t fail,” Ian told her and smiled. “I knew you could do this, Emily.”
Emily sat back in her chair and stared at Ian, unable to find the words to comment on all he’d disclosed. She knew he told her the truth. Ian would never lie to her, even to achieve the best result
s. Excitement filled her to know she would run Stone and Watterman one day, correction, Stone, Watterman and Walker. She was beside herself with all she’d recently learned. Suddenly the need to confide in someone was paramount.
“I hope Evan lives to make such a decision
.” Emily explained everything she uncovered to Ian while he sat back, looking disgusted by all she overheard between Stu and Tabitha.
“You have to tell him what’s going on, Emily. He has to know what’s at risk.”
“He knows! He’d rather get laid than listen to his doctors right now! What can I do?”
“Let me think on it for awhile,” Ian told her and smiled grimly. “This sort of shit is what I usually specialize in. I’ll find a way to deal with Tabitha and Stu. You just get to work on nailing down this meeting. I know every question they’ll ask
you, and what you need to say, and how you need to say it.”
For
the next hour they went over every possible question the VIP’s would ask her, what she needed to say to alleviate their concerns, and every possible left field question they might throw in to unseat her during the conference. She trusted Ian, her eyes glowing as they met his over the gutted candles on the table. The wine was gone. She felt more than a little tipsy. He was quiet, his eyes meeting hers across the table, darker blue than ever before.
“It’s almost ten,”
Ian remarked casually, his eyes never leaving her face. “Your girlfriend might be worried about you. Don’t you need to get going?”
Emily cursed the lie she told him now, wishing she could stay here with him. She glanced at her watch and knew to do so would only encourage him to believe she was
indeed a pathological liar. Yes, she had to go. To stay would be to push things further than he wanted to. He was possibly losing his job over a rumor he was involved with a female executive at Stone and Watterman. To make it true, only with a different woman, wouldn’t be Ian’s style.
“Is it that late? Yeah, I told her to meet me at ten-thirty. I
gotta go.”
Ian looked slightly disappointed
. He got up and pulled out her chair for her, smiling faintly. “Go easy on the cocktails, Emily. You promise to call me if you can’t drive? I don’t mind running you home.”