Gone - Part One (4 page)

"I talked to my father last night about the company that he used to work for," Roni says from the doorway of my bedroom. "It's not exactly what you're looking for, but he thinks he can get you in there doing some coding."

It's a sweet gesture coming from her. Roni hasn't been that supportive of my choice in a career path mainly because she's never understood the appeal of it. She's studying to be a lawyer, a criminal defense attorney, to be exact. "Thanks for asking him about that," I offer even though the idea of moving my life to Alabama to work in a cubicle doing mindless coding forever is even less appealing than working at Star Bistro.

"I'm sorry about what happened in New York, Lilly." She shuffles back and forth on her heels. "You can't blame him for throwing you out of his office after you dissed his work."

Confiding in Roni had been an absolute must after I had taken the train back to Boston yesterday afternoon. When I'd shared my opinion on Corteck's dating app, Clive hadn't reacted in any readable way. He stared at me for what felt like ten minutes before he leaned down to retrieve my purse. As soon as I took it from his grasp he asked me to leave. I had because by that point I knew that it was over. Any hope I had of working alongside him and his team was crushed when I took that Polaroid picture and sent it to his brother. I don't know why I thought he'd ever take me seriously.

"Are you working today?"

I scrub my hand over my forehead before I answer. "I'm doing the late shift. I need to be there by two."

"Do you want to go somewhere for lunch?" Her eyes don't meet mine. "It's my treat."

This compassionate, caring side of my roommate is foreign to me. I already know that I'm not going to be able to handle it in large doses. I need to ease into the idea that she cares about me. "Maybe we can do it another day?" I ask with a small smile. "I'm going to organize some files on my computer."

"Sure thing." I can hear the relief in her voice. Obviously this newfound concern of hers is taking its toll on her as well. "I'm going to run down to the market to get some fruit."

I flip open the cover of my laptop and dive into the task of clearing away all the random projects I've started and never finished the past few months. If I'm not going to get my dream job, I'm going to focus more on developing my own apps. Right now, the ones I do have available are bringing in a few hundred extra dollars each month. I need to increase that tenfold if I want to give up my job at the café.

I spend the next hour organizing my files, saving the important ones on flash drives and tidying up my room. In less than an hour I need to be at work which means now is my chance to have something substantial to eat. I try to avoid the sugary pastries that are brought in for the display case each day. It's a temptation that is often too hard to resist but I'm working on rediscovering the willpower I seem to have misplaced when I started college. I decide on a turkey sandwich on rye and a glass of juice.

Just as I'm settling next to the kitchen table to enjoy my modest feast I hear movement outside the apartment door. For someone studying for a career in law, Roni isn't the most organized person I know. She's dragged me out of class more than a handful of times over the last two years because she forgot her keys in the apartment. I race to the door to let her in, knowing that she likely bought way more groceries than either of us will be able to consume in a month's time.

"You can thank me later for rescuing you," I say with a smile as I swing open the door.

"I'll thank you now." His mouth curves into a grin as his eyes skim over the red boy shorts and tank top I'm wearing.

"Mr. Parker?"

"Lilly Randall." His voice is deep and seductive. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"I wasn't expecting you," I mutter as I walk back into the main room after excusing myself to get dressed. I pulled on a pair of jeans and a back sleeveless turtleneck sweater before freeing my long red hair from the ponytail it's been in all morning. "I don't normally answer the door like that."

"I should have called first." He turns from the bookcase he's been standing in front of for the past few minutes. "I was at MIT and decided to take a chance that you'd be home."

"You were at MIT?" I don't even try to veil the surprise in the words. I'm still reeling from the shock of seeing him standing in my doorway. Add to that the sheer horror of again revealing my underwear choice to him, and it's a wonder I didn't climb onto the fire escape outside my bedroom window. I don't want to jump to the conclusion that he was at my alma mater to confirm I graduated from the computer science program with honors.  I'm hopeful that was part of his visit though.

"I had business in Boston today," he stops before he corrects himself. "Personal business and I thought I'd stop in there and catch up with an old friend."

The fact that he's talking to me at all isn't lost on me. "Why are you here?"

"I spoke to Rowan after you left yesterday." He pulls on the fabric of the pants covering his thighs before he lowers his tall frame into a beige rocking chair. "She showed me some of the emails you'd sent to us over the years."

I had hoped for a very brief moment in time on the train ride back to Boston that he'd discuss me with her. The optimistic part of me wanted to believe that she'd convince him that my technical ability trumped everything else. The more realistic part of me knew that she'd likely tell him that I used my brief encounters with Parker to get my foot in the door.

By the time I finally got off the train after the three and half hour ride, I felt despondent. I'm not a foolish person. The knowledge that I may have lost the promise of a fulfilling career because of a mistake I made online is devastating.

"Have you spoken to Parker at all since you saw him at the bistro?" he asks softly.

I shake my head faintly. "No. I don’t have his number and I haven't emailed him. I regret what happened with Parker."

"How did you initially connect with him?"

I swallow hard. It's not a question that has a simple answer and it's going to bring back to the surface a topic I'd rather keep buried. I can't avoid it though. If he hasn't already asked Parker about it, he will. I need to bite the bullet and spit out the truth. "I was testing out your new dating app when Parker contacted me on it."

"The mobile app? The one you think has flaws?" His tone is hard to decipher. I can't tell if he's still offended by what I said in his office yesterday morning. He's had more than twenty-four hours to absorb my brutally honest critique of one of the biggest launches in his company's history.

"Yes," I offer back in a hushed tone. "I thought that if I used the product, I'd be able to offer some viable suggestions in terms of improvement. I was hoping that would get me a meeting with you."

He traces his index finger over his bristled jaw. "I asked Parker to use the app. I've been trying to get him involved with the company."

I nod even though this is the first I've heard of it. I assumed that Parker was just a guy on the prowl. "We decided to switch over to email because it was easier for him."
              A faint smile runs over his full lips. "Parker told me that he had trouble with the app."
              I feel a sense of validation at the words. It's not likely that his brother's opinion will help to substantiate my brutal view of the app, but it certainly can't hurt. "I didn't know who Parker was at that time. He seemed fun and nice."

For the first time since he walked into the bistro last week, I sense understanding in Clive's eyes. "Parker's life is a mess. His history with women is complicated. I'm glad you didn’t get too invested in him."

It's the words that you'd expect from a close friend who has your back. "I got caught up in the things we talked about. I don't think I'll hear from Parker again."

"You're right about that." Grinning, he taps the arm of the chair with the palm of his hand. "I put Parker on a plane to Dubai this morning. He'll be working at our division there for at least the next two years."

Note to self: don't piss off Clive Parker or your ass will be shipped off to a remote location for the foreseeable future.

"Rowan said that you'd be available to start working for us next week." His eyes don't leave the screen of his smartphone. "Does that still work for you?"

"You want me to work for you?" I ask because I need to fully grasp what he's saying. In a span of a little more than twenty-four hours I've gone from burying any hope I might have had of working for his company to hearing him asking me if I'm ready, willing and able to take on the task.

"You've already signed all the necessary paperwork." His eyes flit over my face at a rapid pace. I can tell that he's not eager to dredge up what happened in his office yesterday.

"I just assumed after our discussion yesterday that it wasn't going to happen." 

He rests his phone on his thigh, his eyes jutting up to meet mine. "I want to apologize for what happened in my office. I work in a cutthroat industry, Lilly. We've had several issues in the past of employees sharing sensitive information with our competition."

I know it happens. It only makes sense given the drive to always have the upper hand in the field of technology and gadgets. There had been several stories on the news about lawsuits leveled against employees of Corteck. I assumed that's why I had to sign a non-disclosure agreement in Rowan's office yesterday. I had done so without question. "I understand, Mr. Parker."
              He leans forward, pulling his phone into his palm. "Do you have a place to live in New York?"

I don't. My intention was to hit the ground running on that today. I was going to look into an extended stay hotel until I could find a more permanent solution. "Not yet. I can start figuring that out today."

"A friend of mine is looking for a roommate." He stares directly at me, his blue eyes looking even more vibrant in the natural sunlight that is streaming in through the window on the wall directly behind me. "You'll be able to easily afford it on your salary and it's only a short subway ride from there to the office."

"That sounds great," I offer back trying not to sound as utterly shocked as I feel. "That would help me out a lot."
              "I'll have her contact you." The edges of his mouth soften.

"Thank you." I smooth my hands over the legs of my jeans. "I'm excited to start working for you."

"I want to clarify something, Lilly." He scrubs his hand over his forehead. "This is uncomfortable, but necessary."

I flinch not only from the words, but also from the expression on his face. "What is it?"

"You're a very attractive young woman." He tilts his chin upward so his eyes catch mine. "You're obviously very comfortable with who you are."

I swallow hard. I can't tell if he's waiting for me to confirm that or not. "Yes," I say quietly because I can't think of anything else to fill in the silence that is now enveloping the room.

He blows a puff of air out between his lips. "I need you to understand that I prefer if my employees keep their personal lives out of the office."

I feel my shoulders heave forward involuntarily. Why wasn't I expecting this lecture? The man sees me as a nothing but a horny, half-naked fool. I cast my eyes down. It's a label I'm never going to be able to drop. He'll always view me as the redhead who showed her tits off to his brother. "I think I understand."

"You're going to be working in a division that is primarily men." He taps his finger on the arm of the chair. "You’re going to be propositioned a lot."
              I raise a brow. "I can handle myself."
              He counters with a cock of his own brow. "I have no idea that you can handle a lot, Lilly."
              "I'll keep things professional, Mr. Parker." I dart my tongue over my bottom lip.

His eyes lock on my mouth before his own tongue traces a slow path over his top lip. "Keep it professional in the office. What you do after five o'clock is up to you."

***

"It's almost five o'clock. You need to live a little." He's trying to coax me to give in.

"A cocktail party in the office?" I turn my head to look at Dan, one of the men I met four days ago when I started working at Corteck. "Does that happen a lot?"

"A few times a year." He crosses his arms over his chest. "It's a mixer so new employees can meet us lifers."

I laugh at the inference that Dan is a lifer. He's the one person I've spent the most time with since I walked through the door of the building earlier this week. He's helped me set up my computer, he's shown me around the offices and I've heard countless stories about how blessed he is to have the most amazing wife, children and grandchildren in the world. In a very short period of time, he's become someone I can count on to help guide me through the maze of my new job.

"You're going to be there, right?" He taps the face of his watch. "It starts in a few minutes in the conference room on the twenty-eighth floor."

I want to ask if Clive will be there. I haven't spoken to him since he walked out of my apartment last week after telling me I had free rein to fuck whoever I wanted after work each night. He might not have used those exact words, but there was no mistaking his body language. I saw the same glint of desire in his eye when he first walked into the bistro. The problem is that he's my boss now, and judging by the murmurs that I've heard floating through the air at the coffee station and in the lunch room, the man has a type and that's anything that struts down a runaway and is near six feet tall. I'm ten inches too short and I program computers all day. I'm beginning to think that what I saw in his eyes was nothing more than amusement.

"Do you think I have to go?" I tap a few keys on my keyboard. "I'd rather stay here and work."

"Working late isn't going to get you anywhere, Lil." Dan walks over to my desk. "You need to mingle. Most of the division managers are going to be there. "

I suppose that should mean something to me. "I don't see how that matters. I'm here for three months."

He pushes on the corner of a piece of paper on my desk. "Division managers can make whatever changes they want. If you hit it off with one, you might get something long term."

I scratch my ear. "I hadn't thought of that."

"You need to start seeing the big picture." He holds out his hand. "We'll go together for an hour tops and then we can both take off."

I study his palm. "Just an hour?"

"I'm taking my wife out for dinner." He fumbles with the one button on his dress shirt that always pops open over his stomach. "I can't disappoint that woman so I have to leave in an hour."

"I can do an hour." I push my hands against my desk and pull myself up. "I'm ready if you are."