All the Right Places (RILEY O'BRIEN & CO #1) (5 page)

Amelia evaluated herself in the full-body mirror in the penthouse’s bathroom. She’d chosen a chocolate-brown shirtdress for her first official day at Riley O’Brien & Co.

It was one of her favorites and never failed to give her a boost of confidence. She definitely needed that boost today.

Smoothing her hands down the front of the dress, she fiddled with the buttons that ran from collar to hem. She couldn’t decide if she was more excited or nervous. Either way, she decided some positive self-talk might be in order.

You can do this. You will do this. You’re going to kick butt and take names, and the whole world will want to buy your designs.

She wanted to show off some of her best pieces while she was here, but doing so would be a challenge since most of them looked best with jeans. She knew she couldn’t walk around in a pair made by the competition without inciting Quinn’s displeasure, but she refused to wear Rileys in public, at least until she’d redesigned them.

As a result, dresses and skirts made up the bulk of the clothes she’d brought to San Francisco. She’d made sure they would look good with her designs, and the shirtdress was the best of the bunch.

Made of crisp yet soft cotton piqué, the dress had a subtle texture and a dressy sheen. It conformed to her petite figure so the skirt wasn’t too full and the bodice wasn’t too tight. As Goldilocks had said in
The Three Bears
, it was just right.

She’d replaced the matching brown belt with one of her own designs. Constructed from caramel-colored leather and accented with dark brown leather stitching, the three-inch-wide belt was held together in the front by a narrower strip of the same leather and a delicate gold buckle.

Turning sideways in the mirror, she debated which shoes to wear. She definitely didn’t want to go overboard and wear boots every day, so she eventually decided on a pair of nude peep-toes.

The light color made her legs look longer, which was important because she was kind of stubby, and the four-inch stacked heel gave her some much-needed height. By the end of the day, her feet would ache, but the pain might be worth the gain, for today at least.

As she dug through her bag of jewelry to find the right necklace and earrings, she went over her agenda for the day. When she had arrived at Riley Plaza late last night, the security guard on duty had given her a thick packet of information that included a map of the headquarters, her schedule for the next several days, the name and location of her assigned work area, and the key code to the penthouse.

This morning she would meet her liaison and receive an orientation of sorts to review the company’s history and corporate structure. After lunch with Teagan, she would be introduced to the CFO and the head of the women’s division.

She finally found the pieces she wanted—a long, chunky gold chain with a big amber pendant and matching drop earrings. She put them on before heading to the kitchen to grab her bag. She didn’t want to be late and make a bad impression.

As she made her way to the elevators to head downstairs, she wondered if Quinn would participate in today’s meetings. Since he had indicated he had little or no interest in this project, she doubted she would see much of him. That suited her just fine. The more time she spent with him, the greater the likelihood she’d end up doing something stupid.

The elevator dinged to let her know she had arrived on
the second floor. Stepping out, she ran headlong into a hard male body, one that stood way too close to the entrance. She scowled, annoyed by rude people who crowded elevators and refused to let other passengers disgorge before they pushed their way in.

She teetered on her heels, and one of them got stuck in the crack between the elevator and the floor. Strong hands grabbed her upper arms to keep her from windmilling backward.

“Whoa, careful.”

The deep voice sounded so much like Quinn’s rich baritone she knew immediately she’d just run into Callum O’Brien. She righted herself, and he dropped his hands and stepped back so she could move away from the elevator.

“You must be Amelia.”

She looked up, way up. She was surprised to see Callum was even taller than Quinn, although not by much. He was also leaner than his older brother, although he was by no means skinny.

“You must be Callum.”

He nodded. “You can call me Cal.”

She noticed he and Quinn looked enough alike it would be obvious to strangers they were brothers. But Cal’s jaw wasn’t quite as defined as Quinn’s, and his lips weren’t nearly as full.

The biggest difference between the two men was their eyes. While Quinn’s eyes were a dark, deep blue, almost navy, Cal’s eyes were light blue, like fresh water under a layer of ice, with a darker ring of blue around the edge of the irises.

The combination of his dark hair and icy blue eyes was arresting, and she caught herself staring. The O’Brien siblings were definitely blessed when it came to looks.

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” they said in union and then laughed awkwardly.

“Let’s try that again,” Cal said, tossing her a smile that would give most women heatstroke. She had the fleeting thought that Quinn’s smile was much more attractive.

“Teagan has raved about you for months now.”

Amelia knew Teagan was a fan of her work because she was vocal with her praise. “She thinks I can shake things up,” she teased since Teagan had advised her that Cal was far
more enthusiastic than Quinn regarding the new line of accessories.

He laughed. “I hope we can handle it,” he said. “Do you need any help with directions? I can walk with you.”

“I’m waiting to meet my liaison,” she replied, and a second later she heard the sound of her name from behind her.

“Amelia Winger. I’ve been waiting ages to meet you.”

She turned to greet the body attached to such a strong drawl and was taken aback to see a black man about her age with a head full of dreadlocks. Based on the accent, which she had identified as Deep South elite, she had expected an older white man.

“Aldridge Davis?”

He held out his hand for a quick handshake. “Yes, ma’am, although everybody calls me Deda,” he said, pronouncing his nickname as “Deed-uh.”

He smiled, the contrast between his smooth, dark skin and white teeth striking. “I’ll be your liaison while you’re here.”

Deda turned to Cal, and they bumped fists like teenage boys. “Yo, Cal, thanks for keeping Miz Winger company while she waited for me.”

Cal smiled. “It was definitely my pleasure.” He pointed toward Deda. “This guy will take good care of you,” he said, winking at her. “I’ll see you later.”

Amelia turned back toward Deda. Someone clearly thought she needed a babysitter, and poor Deda had drawn the short straw.

“I’m sorry I’m taking you away from your daily responsibilities,” she began, but Deda cut her off.

“Honey, I am abso-freakin-lutely delighted to hang with you,” he said, patting her shoulder. “Don’t worry about it.”

Stepping back, he ran his eyes up and down her body, his gaze assessing rather than lecherous. “Oh, I just adore your style. I was so excited when I heard about the new line of accessories. Finally, we’re going to have something new to talk about.”

He pushed back the paisley-patterned cuff of his lavender dress shirt to peer at his watch. “We should probably get started so we can finish in time for lunch with Teagan.” He held
out his arm to her as if they were a bridesmaid and groomsman. “Shall we go?”

As they made the short trip from the reception area to the third-floor collaboration area, she questioned him about what his liaison duties entailed. “Basically, I’m here to make sure you meet everyone you need to know and that you have everything you need including all the background information on the company.”

They reached their destination before she could quiz him about what he did when he wasn’t babysitting her. “Collaboration area,” she realized, was just a fancy phrase for “conference room.”

Regardless of what it was called, it was empty. Deda explained they’d have the room to themselves until this afternoon when the CFO and division vice president joined them.

“Both of them have been with the company for more than twenty years. Between you and me, I think they’re having a hard time adjusting to Quinn being in charge.”

If Deda meant to arouse her curiosity with his statement, he definitely succeeded. But before she delved into the discord that existed between Quinn and two key employees, she was eager to learn more about Deda.

“What do you do when you’re not hanging out with me?”

“I have a very impressive title.” He winked at her. “Executive vice president of business development.”

“That is a very impressive title,” she said gravely, but her smile gave her away. “And what does an executive vice president of business development do?”

He took a few moments to outline his main responsibilities. He and his team were in charge of building new relationships for Riley O’Brien & Co., and those relationships included a wide range of potential business partners, from investors and suppliers to distributors and vendors.

“On a typical day, I talk with new retailers about carrying our products, track down companies that can supply our raw materials like denim and zippers, and vet trucking companies to join our logistics network, among other things.”

The complexity of his job awed her. “Aren’t you a little young to have so much responsibility?”

He stared at her. “Just how old do you think I am?”

“Maybe I’m not a good judge, but I thought you were my age,” she admitted.

He guffawed, slapping his palms on the conference table. “Oh, honey, you just made my day! I can’t wait to tell Harris.”

“Who’s Harris?”

“My partner.”

He looked closely at her as he disclosed this information, as if he weren’t sure how she’d respond to the knowledge of his homosexuality. She knew a lot of people weren’t okay with it, but she didn’t care one way or the other.

“Well, you can tell Harris that I think you look much younger than your . . . You never told me how old you are,” she reminded him.

“Forty-two.”

“Wow. Now I don’t feel like such a loser because I’ve got some time to ascend to your level,” she joked.

Some of her self-doubt and insecurity must have bled through her levity because Deda gave her an appraising glance. Before he could say anything, she posed a question to him.

“How many people do you manage?”

“Right now, we have fifteen people in the biz-dev group. Under normal circumstances, you would have worked with my team to get the ball rolling with Riley O’Brien, but Teagan spied you first.” He smiled broadly. “That girl is something else. She doesn’t let anything stand in the way of what she wants.”

She laughed. “I’m torn between fearing her and admiring her.”

Deda nodded in agreement. “She runs circles around her brothers, that’s a fact. And if she wanted to run this company, she would. But she doesn’t, and neither does Cal.” He paused. “This company is in their blood, and they want to see it thrive, but it’s not in their hearts.”

Amelia was intrigued by his comments. “And what about Quinn?” She longed to gain a deeper understanding of what motivated him, and Deda seemed like a veritable font of information.

He considered her question for a moment. “A lot of people wondered why Quinn was the heir apparent, but I was never one of them,” he said, putting his hand to his chest as if he
were swearing on a Bible. “Quinn’s heart and soul is tangled up in this company so tightly it’s hard to tell where he ends and it begins. I can guarantee that for every decision he makes, and for every move he makes, he’s thought about the impact on this company.”

“So you’ve never seen him put his own desires above the well-being of Riley O’Brien & Co.?”

Deda drummed his fingers against the table. “No,” he said emphatically. “And frankly, I can’t imagine any circumstance where he would.”

After a moment, he stood up and headed toward the audio-visual controls at the front of the room. “If it’s okay with you, I want to show you the presentation my team gives to all potential partners.”

He put the presentation on the projector screen and turned off the light so she could see it better. It started out with the history of Riley O’Brien & Co., and she was familiar with the major milestones.

During the hardscrabble years of settling and building the nation, Americans had worked in Rileys. The men had fought wars in them when they were shipped to Europe and Japan, and the women had worn them to build bombs and airplanes at home.

When the men had come home, they donned Rileys to do yard work, and the women had made them an essential part of their children’s school wardrobe. Eventually, the jeans had become a staple in every closet, appropriate for all occasions, from first dates to job interviews.

The next section provided an overview of the company’s products. She was shocked to find out there were only four styles for men and two for women.

He moved on to more interesting topics including a flowchart that explained Riley O’Brien & Co.’s executive leadership and the company’s organizational structure. She hadn’t been clear on how Quinn and his siblings worked together, and the charts were very enlightening.

This version of the presentation still had James O’Brien listed as the president and CEO. As chief operating officer, Quinn was listed just below his dad, and Teagan and Cal reported to him. She wondered when Quinn would officially
take over his dad’s title since it seemed that he’d already assumed most of his dad’s responsibilities.

She interrupted Deda. “How long has Quinn been leading the company?”

“Since Mr. O’Brien got sick, which was more than three years ago.” She couldn’t see Deda’s face very well in the dark, but he sounded sad.

Teagan had told Amelia that her dad had been very sick, but she hadn’t offered any specifics, and none of the articles Amelia had read as part of her research had alluded to any particular type of illness.

“Has he recovered?”

Deda was silent for a long time. “I don’t really know anything beyond what Quinn has told us at company-wide meetings. At our last meeting in July, he said Mr. O’Brien’s health had improved significantly and the cancer treatment was working. But he didn’t indicate when or if his dad was coming back. That’s made the environment here a little tense because no one likes uncertainty.”