Corporate Ties (Silken Ties Book 1) (4 page)

Olivia felt Dana's vice-like grip on her arm and saw the fear in her eyes, Dana was very serious and scared for her. What had she gotten herself into anyway?

"Mikey was here," Linda informed her when she got back. "And there's, like, five messages about the Gala on your desk," she added following Olivia into her office.

She glanced at the dress bag hanging on the back of the door as she plopped down into her chair. Linda was standing in front of her desk, biting her bottom lip.

She started to look through the messages."Okay, go ahead and open it."

Linda clapped and rushed over to the solid, long black bag and unzipped it from the top.

"Oh, Olivia. He said to remind you how much you owe him for this. Look..."

The first one was a fully beaded silver gown, high neck line in the front, but totally backless, with a slight train.

"It's nice."

"Nice? Olivia, really?" She pulled out the next one. A red silk chemise with a sweetheart neckline and low, draping back, with the same slight train. "Oh, with your hair, this would look stunning."

"I suppose."

Linda planted her hands firmly on her hips. "What's wrong with you?"

"I just have so many questions about this Matasuki thing. And at every turn, I'm getting more and more uneasy."

"You can always tell Mr. Grant you don't want to work the file and why."

Olivia stared at her for a moment. "My first deal? No, Linda. It's not that I can't do it. Something’s going on with this company, and it's not good. Dana only confirmed the gut feeling I already had."

Linda sighed, and re-zipped the garment bag. "You have to do what's right for you and for the company, and you'll know what it is when the time comes, Olivia. Trust your gut."

Once alone, Olivia kicked off her heels and made several calls.

Later Linda peeked in the door. "It's five, I'm about to go home. Do you need anything before I do?"

"No. Thanks, Linda. Have a good evening, see you in the morning."

"Okay, don't stay too late."

"I just have a few more folders to look through, and then I'll go home."

She stared at the lone manila folder on her desk and finally picked it up and started to read Matasuki’s history. Isamu took over the business ten years ago from his father, Satu, who retired and passed away a year later. His mother died when he was a teenager. He was married at twenty three, divorced three years later.

"Hmm, I wonder where
she
is?"

Was born... in New York? Moved to Japan with his father after his mother died. Has several degrees: finance, business, corporate law. Never worked anywhere else but his father’s, and now his company.

"How old is this guy, anyway?" She wondered as her eyes continued to scroll down the page. He's forty-six. Almost as young as Tyson. Only Tyson worked his way up, he didn't inherit the corporation.

She jumped when she heard a knock, and the door start to open.

"I saw your light was still on."

"Mr. Grant, uh, yes, I was just going over these Matasuki files."

As the door swung open the garment bag slipped to the floor. Olivia gasped, shot up and over to the door.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine, it's just my gown choices for Saturday's gala. A friend of mine dropped them off."

"I could send a car for you. It would look good to show a united front to Matasuki."

"No. I mean, thank you for the nice gesture, but giving people the idea we're a couple is a terrible idea, sorry."

He smiled as he helped her re-hang the garment bag. Only inches away from each other, neither of them moved, until he started to lean in. Olivia backed away and picked up her briefcase, shoved the file, and her clutch inside.

"I should get home, I..."

"You have a date, I should have known."

"No, I just have a lot to do . . . with the Gala. I'm on the design committee and we're meeting in a little while."

"Oh, I'll walk you out."

Olivia wanted to say no, but she thought she'd said enough already, so she just nodded. She reached for the garment bag. He stood there smiling crookedly with the bag, resting over his arm.

"What are these dresses made of anyway? They must weigh ten pounds."

"One of them is beaded, it's the heavy one."

They stood silently in the elevator until Olivia could no longer stand the growing awkwardness.

"What do you know about Matasuki?"

"The company or the man?"

"Either one, actually." She gave him a side glance. "I've looked through everything we have on both and it's not much. What we have is the kind of thing we'd send out in our own press releases. Surface stuff. There's a lot more going on than meets the eye. I already know that."

The elevator bell dinged and the doors opened. Olivia stepped out and Tyson grabbed her arm.

"What do you mean, Olivia?" he asked as they walked outside.

"I don't know yet, but I'm going to find out. Taxi!" She grabbed the dresses from Tyson and stepped to the curb.

"Olivia."

She didn't look back and disappeared into the cab. Once she’d arranged her garment bag and settled into the seat, she thought about Matasuki’s recent acquisitions.

"I'm not going to let anyone compromise my company or my boss."

After all her meetings and the research she’d done, Olivia needed to unwind. Though sex was always her first choice, exercise was a better one. She changed into yoga shorts and a t-shirt, put a towel and bathing suit in her sports bag and headed to her building’s gym. Like usual, it was empty at this time of night. She warmed up and then with single-mindedness went through each machine.

"That felt really good. Now for the pool and sauna." She changed and took a few laps and then toweling off moved to the sauna and was shocked to find it occupied. A good looking man, with a great body was sitting at the far end, towel draped across his lap.

"Oh...I'm sorry, if you want to be alone..."

He smiled. "No, by all means, join me."

"I don't think I've seen you here before," she said as she spread out her towel.

"I just moved in yesterday actually. I'm Brian."

"Olivia." She lay down, hoping he'd understand she needed to relax. Though, as she closed her eyes, the image of his lean muscular body was still vivid in her mind’s eye. Was this the 'nice guy' Marvin had mentioned? If so, his apartment was on her floor. Bad idea to date him? Probably.

"Great to relax after a long day of work, isn't it?" She heard him say, and smiled. It was a much less intrusive way of finding out if she worked than just asking.

"Yes, it is."

"What is it you do, Olivia?"

"I'm an executive at Dolby Inc. Marketing, advertising, and consulting. How about you?" She sat up and leaned against the teak wall. It was obvious he wasn't going to leave her alone, so she might as well join the conversation. She watched his eyes rove over her. He seemed to be enjoying her body, too. She worked hard at staying in shape, but most men seemed to see her breasts first. He was at least looking at her face now.

"I have my own company. Corporate security, private investigations, that kind of thing."

"Hmm, must be interesting work."

"Sometimes, most of the time though, it's just routine stuff."

"I'm going to take another swim and call it a night. Nice to meet you, Brian. I hope you enjoy your new place."

"Oh, I'm loving it so far. Can we have dinner sometime?"

Didn't I say this would be a bad idea
? "Sure, why not."

"Can I get your number then?"

Olivia laughed. "And what are you going to write it on?"

He shrugged. "I have a really good memory."

"Me too. You're the investigator. I think you can figure out where to find me."

Brian was by the sauna toweling off when she exited the pool. He was really cute. She wrapped a towel around her long hair and another one around her body, slipped on her sandals, grabbed her bag and headed for the elevator.

"You're right, you were easy to find." He grinned and a dimple appeared on his right cheek. That was almost too much, but she managed to just smile back as she walked past.

He watched her walk. "
Damn
," he thought. When the elevator doors closed he took a few steps forward and watched the elevator’s floor indicator until the elevator stopped. "She's on my floor." He grinned again and shook his head. "This is a bad idea, Brian."

Olivia took a shower and then poured herself a glass of red wine. She was hungry too, but too lazy to fix much.

"Peanut butter and jelly goes perfect with red wine doesn't it?" She brought her gourmet meal into the living room and eyed her brief case. That Matasuki file was calling to her. One more bite of her sandwich, a sip of wine and she retrieved it, curling up on the couch.

"Let's see, where was I? Oh yeah, pretty much at the end. Ah...pictures, good."

One picture in particular caught her eye. The one where Isamu was looking straight into the camera lens, anger clearly filling his dark eyes. Eyes that even from a picture bore right into her. Her stomach tightened. He looked the typical part of a wealthy, well dressed, successful, Japanese business man. Paul's voice echoed in her head. "
He's ruthless
." Staring down at the picture of this man, she could see it, feel it, and a chill ran down her back. She squinted, who was the woman in the picture? She shuffled through the rest of them and found she was always in the background, not on his arm, but near. Was she security? His assistant? There was nothing in the file to tell her. She closed the file and tossed it on the couch beside her, running her fingers across her forehead.

"I hope Paul's files give me something more tomorrow."

The next day, she went through the emails Stuart had shared with her, starting from the beginning. They contained the usual banter. 'I can do this for you, so much better than anyone else, that kind of stuff. She was surprised there were no 'ccs' to Jerrod. As group leader, why wouldn't he get copies of everything? The more she thought about it the more it bothered her, so she picked up the phone.

"Stuart, I was just reading these emails. Didn't Jerrod go over any of this with you?"

"Of course he did. He's the one who initiated the talks with Matasuki in the first place, the one who suggested it."

"Really? I didn't see him 'cc’d' once on any of these emails and really, if this is his baby, why did he pass it off to someone else?"

There was a lag and Stuart’s lack of an answer just made her more suspicious.

"I'll find out and get right back to you." Then the line went dead.

Olivia resisted calling him right back, instead, slowly placed the phone back in its cradle. She sank back into her chair, mind racing. She picked up the receiver and then put it down again. Pushing up, she slipped her shoes on, smoothed her skirt down and swept her jacket from the back of her chair, putting it on as she walked out.

"I'm going down to legal."

"You have your phone, right?"

Olivia spun and walked back into her office, plucking her phone from her desk and slipping it into her pocket.

Linda smiled and shook her head as Olivia walked past again. "Kids."

Paul’s secretary glanced up as she approached. "I'm sorry, Olivia, Paul's not in. I'm a little worried, actually. It's not like him to not check in and he's not answering his cell phone either."

"That is strange, Maddy. Call me if you hear from him. Any deliveries today?"

"No, and you’re the second one to ask me that this morning. Jerrod Stone asked the same thing."

Olivia frowned, trying hard to cover how shocked she was. "Jerrod? Did he say what delivery he was talking about?"

She shook her head. "No, but he requested that any delivery for Paul was supposed to be taken right to him."

"Excuse me, but does he have that kind of power around here?"

She shrugged. "I guess, I don't know for sure, but he was so adamant about it, I just agreed. Don’t you think it’s strange?"

"It is. Listen Maddy, I don't want to get Paul in any trouble, so don't mention to anyone about my being here or asking about a package, but please let me know if Jerrod picks anything up."

"Of course. And just between you and me, Jerrod's always given me a weird vibe."

"
That's because he's an arrogant ass
," Olivia thought as she walked back to the elevator. She glanced down at her watch. Twelve-fifteen and Paul wasn't here? The elevator dinged but she'd changed her mind and let it go. She patted her pocket and feeling the small card case containing a few folded bills, a credit card and her I.D. she decided to leave for lunch now instead of returning to her office. Funny, she always had her ‘emergency’ card case, but somehow had to be reminded to take her phone. I guess that’s what Linda, was for, right?

She hailed a cab and once in, scrolled through her phone’s contact list, found one she wanted and pressed call.

"Clay, can you meet me for lunch? No, I don't want to come to the office, that's the whole point of going
out
for lunch. It's important, Clay, I’ll let you choose the place and I’ll pay.” She listened as he gave her the restaurant’s address. “Okay, thanks, see you there. Second Avenue, please," she instructed the cab driver.

Olivia scanned the dark, crowded restaurant. "So, this is where all the lawyers hang out."

Clay looked around as he pulled out a chair for her. "Yes, I guess it is. Now, what's this all about?"

"Have you heard from Paul?"

"No, should I have?"

"I don't know. He didn't show up for work today and he's not answering his phone."

Clay lowered his menu. "Maybe he's sick? Maybe he stayed over at his ex-wife’s?"

"Do me a favor. Call Maureen. I'm really worried. It's not like him and you know it. I asked him to get me some information from his old job. And the next day he doesn't show up for work?"

“I know exactly what you mean. Paul worked for the Fed's for eighteen years investigating white collar crime, corporate corruption, intellectual theft, fraud and other things he couldn't even talk about.” Clay sighed and pulled out his phone.

"Maureen, it's Clay. By any chance is Paul there? When was the last time you talked to him? Okay, well thanks. No, I'm sure he's fine." He stared at Olivia for a moment, while putting his phone back into the inside pocket of his jacket. "Now, before you get carried away, I'm sure there's a simple explanation. What's got you all worked up anyway?"

"Ever heard of the Matasuki Company?"

"Yeah, of course, their huge donations have been all over the news lately. Isn’t your company’s pet project on their list? Even the mayor is treating them like God's gift to New York, What’s your problem with them?"

"I just got their account dumped in my lap. I’ve been going through our files familiarizing myself with their business structure, their leadership and board and have become suspicious about, first, the lack of anything substantive in the public domain and, second, the long list of acquisitions they’ve been sucking up lately. The lack of information was what drove me to Paul. There's something going on inside Matasuki. And all this good will stuff recently in the press is just a cover. Like lip gloss on the devil."

"Wow, that's harsh. You have proof?"

"Of course not. Paul investigated them just before he left the bureau. According to him, the FBI couldn't prove anything either."

"Can we eat now?" Seeing the disapproving look on Olivia's face, he said, “You’re not going to drop this are you? All right, I'll make some calls. After lunch." He looked around the restaurant and smiled, leaning towards her. "Everyone here probably believes we're having an affair."

"And you like it." She drawled, but her smile quickly faded, "Let's order. I need to get back to work.” She looked at Clay over her menu. “But speaking of affairs, maybe it’s time you started dating, again. It's been almost two years, hasn’t it?"

He motioned to the waiter. "It seems like yesterday to me."

She understood. Her parents had been gone years longer than the two since Clay’s wife had died, yet for Olivia the pain of their loss was still like a raw wound.

Clay walked Olivia to a taxi, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Call my cell if you find anything, and be careful,” she cautioned.

"And you, don't let paranoia override your common sense."

"All right, you're right. Thanks for lunch."

Clay shook his head as he walked back toward his building. He certainly felt protective of her after all this time. Olivia was family. He’d not wanted to alarm her, but this thing with Paul was bothering him more than he let on. Paul was all about his work, his routine. He was a detail orientated person. Taking off on a whim, with no contact was something he'd never do. Clay couldn't even recall his taking a sick day in all the years he’d known him.

It was after six when Olivia headed home with no word from Paul and no sign of the files he promised her. The stone of worry she carried in the pit of her stomach was still there, but there was nothing to be done. She'd even called all the hospitals. As she changed into her blue and purple spandex gym shorts and top, she ran a to-do list through her mind.  Making sure she had her apartment key, she set out for the gym. After warm up, she got on the treadmill and from a fast walk, moved up to a jog, and finally to a full run. Exercise always helped clear her mind and it was during hard exercise she had her best ideas. Sweat started to glisten over her skin; she was so into the work, she didn't even hear the door open and shut.

Brian watched her for a moment and then sat down at the first weight machine, fully acknowledging to himself the danger of his rising lust. She really was gorgeous, he decided, yes, in every physical way, but it was more than that. It was the way she carried herself, her confidence. He definitely wanted to know her better.

Olivia slowed to a jog and after a minute, to a walk. It was then she heard metal clanking and glanced over. Brian. Her eyes washed down his body. He was put together
very
nicely. "
Easy, you're not getting involved with him
." She couldn't stop watching the way the sheen of sweat accentuated the muscles of his chest and abs, his powerful thighs and corded calves and tried not to think about the muscle hidden in his gym shorts. She shook her head, dried her brow and gathered up her things. When Brian finished his last rep and relaxed, he looked around and found the gym was empty.

After her shower, Olivia wrapped a thick robe around her body, toweled her hair dry and proceeded to the kitchen where she now stood staring into the refrigerator like a bachelor hoping that since the last time he’d looked, something would have magically appeared. Finally, with her choices between a diet soda, and a bottle of water, she chose the soda, closed the door and moved to the panty in hopes it would offer a better selection. The decision between cheese crackers or soup was interrupted by a knock on the door. Olivia frowned. The doorman hadn't buzzed.

She looked through the peep-hole and the edge of her lip curled up as she unlocked and pulled open the door.

"Brian?" Olivia instinctively put her hand on the robe’s shawl collar.

"I am pretty good at sleuthing. I brought food and wine. I hope you like pasta," he said as he pushed past her. He looked around and headed into Olivia's kitchen. Boldly turning on the oven, he slipped the baking dish inside.

"We have about twenty-five minutes.” He held up the bottle of wine. “Do you have a corkscrew to open this wine? It's a good year for Merlot."

Olivia smiled, nodded her head, reached into a drawer, pulled out a cork screw and handed it to him. Squeezing by him she reached up and retrieved two red wine glasses. Brian took the opportunity to get a good look at her long legs, she was quite a beauty. There had to be an interesting story behind the beauty though, he was just as interested in hearing it.

"Make yourself comfortable. I'll just put some clothes on."

"Don't do that on my account. I think you look just fine."

"I'll just be a minute."

With an investigators eye and the experience of several years under his belt, Brian looked at things differently than most people. Olivia's apartment was beautiful, elegant, neat and tidy and it said a lot about her. Either she liked order, or she didn't spend much time here. She had very good taste.  There was an eclectic collection of interesting art on the walls. The lack of family photos said she either didn't have any, or they weren't close. Hmm, her briefcase was next to the couch, indicating she worked when she was here too.