This Tangled Thing Called Love: A Contemporary Romance Novel (38 page)

“You like?” Lisa winked.

Ja
net snapped out of her reverie. B
eing caught daydreaming was not a good way to start her first day.

“I love it, Lisa. Thank you.”

“I bet it beats that DA du
mp you’ve been slaving away at.
I still can’t understand what possessed you to go there. You were always such an idealist.”

Lisa did have
a point
there:
Jane
t was an idealist. Correction,
Janet had been an idealist. For four years
,
she had toiled away as Assistant District Attorney at the New York Office for a minimum salary, but as ridiculous as it sounded, money was not the reason why she
had
pursued a career in law. She had wanted to help the wron
ged and go after the bad guys,
like the guys who had stri
pped her retired grandfather of
every penny he had ever earned, sending him into fatal cardiac arrest. But when the results of your investigation are handed over to your boss to take credit for
,
and you’re sent
packing, it becomes hard to remain
an idealist
;
and so far, employment at Bostoff Securities was proving to be a very comfortable reality.

“So, you’re ready for lunch?” Lisa winked. “I must say you’re looking very dapper in this suit of yours.”

“Thanks.” Janet blushed
,
aware that her
boxy
brown suit was nowhere
near as elegant as Lisa’s. But,
on a positive note, with her salary b
ump at Bostoff Securities, she
would finally be able to move past the one hundred dollar suit racks she’d made a habit of frequenting at J
.
C
.
Penney.

“You might want to let your hair down, though.”

“What’s wrong with my hair?” Janet clasped her French twist protectively
. S
he had spent nearly forty mi
nutes this morning putting up her hair
.

“Oh, it’s perfectly fine if you’re going for that tough prosecutor look, but if you’re looking t
o get a guy interested…” Her
hand
reached for Janet’s hair. Lisa’s
four-inch heels made them almost equal in height.

“I wasn’t aware I was being set up on a date.” Janet
lips knitted
into a prim line – a
lifelong
involuntary reaction to irritation. Sure, Lisa was the boss, but that did not give her the right to control her employees’ looks and personal lives.

“Oh, come off it.” With a swoop of her hand
,
Lisa plucked a handful of pins
from Janet’s hair, undoing
her tightly knotted French twist. “There.” Lisa stood back and eyed Janet appraisingly.
“Much better.”

Janet ran her hand over her hair. It was full of kinky waves from being wound up in a twist.

“Do you mind telling me what’s going on?” Janet struggled to keep her voice level for the sake of job security.

“I got you a date, you silly! Well, it’s not exactly a date…” Lisa retracted
.

Janet made a mental effort to shut her mouth, as
her jaw
was having a
hard time taking this much obnoxiousness with
out
dropping.

“Calm down, will
ya
?
” Lisa continued. “It’s a business lunch: we’re meeting Tom Wyman at Aquavit.
Tom is
a
really nice guy
,
and he’s not too shabby in the bringing home the bacon depart
ment either,
if you know what I mean
. He’s a partner at Ridley Simpson
.”
Lisa winked.

“Look, Lisa, I really appreciate your thinking of me, but I’m not looking to date anyone at the moment. I just got out of a relationship
,
and I want to take it easy for a whi
l
e…”

“Please. I
t’s me you’re talking to – your best friend since forever.
”

And
now my boss
.
Janet
forced
a smile.

“
The last thing you want after,”
Lisa paused, making a quotation sign with her fingers,
“‘
getting out of a relationship
’
is to take it easy.
Just because you’re working
for me does not mean that things have to
change
; I
always got you dates in high school, didn’t I?”

Yes, you did
, Janet thought,
even
when
I didn’t ask you to.

Lisa glanced at her watch. “We’d better get a move on. A man like Tom Wyman should not be kept waiting. Put some makeup on, and let’s go.”

Janet raked through her handbag for her makeup case. She obediently ran a powder puff over her face and applied a quick coat of lipstick to her lips. Then she ran her comb through her hair in an attempt to tame it – a futile effort, since she still looked like she had just ridden a motorcycle without a helmet. Oh, well. At least her wild hair would compensate for her overly conservative outfit.

Bostoff Securities was located on
Park Avenue and Fifty Third Street
, and Aquavit, the restaurant for the rendezvous with Tom Wyman, was on
Fifty Fifth Street
, between Madison and Park. Despite her monstrous heels, Lisa nimbly maneuvered her way down the street, while Janet struggled to keep up in her kitten pumps. After four years of working downtown, midtown felt like a foreign country: she’d forgotten how
disorientingly
touristy and crowded the streets there could get.

“Ah, here we are.” Lisa motioned at the screened restaurant entrance.

Just as they were about to go inside, a man smoking nearby hurried to open the door for Lisa – a concrete demonstration of the power Lisa had been wielding over men ever since she had entered her teens.

Inside, the décor was Nordic minimalism, with wooden paneling accompanied by slender white fixtures hanging low from the ceiling. It was Monday afternoon, and the atmosphere was all business: financial and advertising types sporting expensive suits loitered by the bar, waiting for their clients.

“There is a reservation for three under Tom Wyman,” Lisa addressed the hostess.

“Oh, yes.” A rail-thin blonde smiled at them. “Mr. Wyman is already here.”

“Lisa!” A velvety baritone called from across the room. A man rose from his seat by the bar and walked toward them.

“Tom, so wonderful to see you!”
Lisa leaned in for an air kiss exchange. “So sorry we are late.”

“Nonsense, good company is worth waiting for.” Tom grinned.

“You’re such a charmer.” Lisa batted her eyelashes.

She’s flirting with
him
,
Janet felt a sting of irritation. She was not even interested in this Tom Wyman character, but, in spite of herself, she was hot with resentment. Lisa’s behavior was reminiscent of all those teenage double dates Janet had endured, with Lisa flirting away with the very guys Lisa had supposedly invited as Janet’s dates. Sure, Janet was much older now, but when it came to her friendship with Lisa, other than the number of candles on her last birthday cake, not much had changed.

“Tom, Tom Wyman.” Tom’s eyes locked in on Janet’s as he extended his hand.
Coiffed
was the word to describe him. Everything about this man was polished: his manner of speech, his silky dark eyes, his curly black hair, which was carefully slicked back, and his tailored outfit of Brooks
Brothers
suit and pink shirt with onyx cufflinks.

“Janet Maple.” Janet blinked, sensing Tom’s smooth, manicured fingers wrap around her hand.

“Janie just started working for me today,” Lisa cut in.

Janet nodded good-naturedly. She hated it when Lisa called her
Janie
– the diminutive was reserved for family only, but somehow, years ago, when Lisa had overheard Janet’s mother call her Janie, she had picked it right up and Janet never had the heart to tell her to stop.

“Some would say never hire your best friend, but I’m of a different opinion. Janie and I are the best of friends, and I know that we’ll get along splendidly at the office.”

Tom let go of Janet’s hand and looked at Lisa, bemused. “Well, Lisa, from what you’ve told me about Janet, she is going to be a great asset to the firm.”

Janet beamed him a smile. She did not know much about this Tom Wyman character, but she could have kissed him on the spot for putting Lisa back in her place.

As if reading Janet’s mind, or more likely her facial expression, Tom winked. “
Columbia
Law
School
graduates rarely come clamoring for employment, especially those who
graduated
magna
cum laude
.”

“I see that Lisa has been talking about me.” Janet returned Tom’s wink with a smile. She might not like the idea of Lisa meddling in her personal life, but that did not mean that she would let Lisa steal the limelight from her date – not anymore.

“Yes, she has.” Every word uttered in Tom’s silky voice sounded like a caress. “And I for one am glad to know that I’ll be working with an alumna.”

“You went to
Columbia
also?”

“I did: class of two thousand.”

He is seven years older than
me
,
Janet’s mind did an involuntary calculation. “It’s always a pleasure to meet fellow
Columbia
alum.”

“Indeed. And I hope that we’ll be seeing quite a bit of each other.” Tom’s eyes lingered on Janet a second too long for a casual glance, and she was not quite sure how to respond.

“Well, should we get seated?” Lisa tapped her foot. “I’m starving.”

“Forgive
me,
I seem to be forgetting myself.” Tom nodded at the restaurant hostess who had been lurking in the background, careful not to interrupt their conversation.

“Please follow me.” With gazelle-like grace, the hostess glided across the floor.

Her head cocked, Lisa sashayed after the hostess. Tom stepped aside, letting Janet go in front of him, and she could not help a warm, giddy feeling spreading in her chest. She certainly did not intend to get involved with Tom Wyman, but it sure felt nice to be the center of his attention.

“So, Janet, tell me more about
yourself
,” said Tom after they had ordered lunch.

“I’m not sure where to begin. I’m afraid I’m not that interesting.” Janet lowered her eyes, breaking away from Tom’s gaze. His eyes were like two black olives: dark, glistening, and unsettlingly sharp.

“Why, Janie, as usual, your modesty is getting the best of you!” Lisa pursed her lips. “Tom, do you know that Janie has spent the last four years at the DA’s office?”

“Oh?” Tom’s eyebrows shot up high. “What an interesting career choice. And may I ask what division you were in?”

“I was in the
Investigation Division
.”
When Janet spoke of her former occupation as Assistant District Attorney, most people were either impressed or terrified – the latter were usually employed in the financial industry. There was one memorable occasion when Janet had mentioned her employment while being flirted with by a handsome financial type during happy hour, which resulted in the guy’s in question falling off his bar stool and promptly vacating the bar premises. But then there were plenty of occasions when her choice of occupation elicited accolades and admiration – alas, those were mostly from members of senior citizen communities who were frequent victims of financial rogues whom Janet so diligently tried to catch. In either case, most people never went as far as inquiring about the specifics of her job, which made Tom’s pointed question surprising.

“Very impressive.
I hear it requires a special transfer to get into Investigation, correct?”

“Yes.” Janet nodded. “I started with the DA right after law school. My first assignment was with the
Trial Division
,
but I asked to be moved into Investigations, and my supervisor agreed to recommend me.”

“No doubt for exceptional performance.”

Janet blushed, unaccustomed to such keen interest in her work. “Well, I did contribute to several important cases.”

Tom’s pointed gaze travelled from Janet to Lisa. “Well, Lisa, it sounds like you hired a first-rate sleuth: a qualification that is bound to be an asset for employment with Bostoff Securities.”

Just as Tom finished his convoluted compliment, a waiter approached the table, carrying a bottle of wine.