Louisa Neil (4 page)

“Crap,” she said again and dropped her head into her hands, rubbing her temples. As she sat there, she had the oddest feeling of being watched. She swung around in her seat, but the room was empty. In that instant, she remembered the nightmare she’d had last night. Remembered the looming, dark man who had frightened her. While Dane was dark, he wasn’t the image she’d dreamed last night. In fact, he was completely different in appearance. If the situation had been different, she might have been attracted to him. But she knew that was the last thing she needed. Becoming romantically involved with her boss was at the top of her list of things not to do. It hadn’t been a problem with Walter because he was older and kind, a mentor figure.

Diana knew if she let him, Dane could be a problem in her future.

A few minutes to three, Diana forced herself to the bathroom and washed her face and hands. She took out the braid she always wore, brushed her hair, and quickly rebraided it. As she was heading upstairs, the door opened and Dane appeared.

“I was afraid you’d gotten caught up with work and forgot.”

“I didn’t forget, although this feels like I’m going to the gallows instead of a party.” She wasn’t ready for his hearty laugh. This one sounded genuine.

“Just smile and nod. Drink the champagne and eat a piece of cake. Then you can come back to the dungeon.”

“Archives,” she corrected.

“Don’t fight me, Diana. The deal is done, so just accept it.” He paused, reminding her, “Blunt when alone, Diana, congenial in public.”

“I don’t seem to have a choice unless I want to be without a job.”

“See, you’ve adapted already. Now plaster a smile on your lips. You might be surprised. You might have a good time.”

“I doubt that,” she said under her breath, not thinking he could hear her.

“Not with that attitude.” Dane moved away from her at the top of the steps, directing the two men carrying supplies to the first desk near the front door. They held their cartons while he cleared the space, much to the surprise and dislike of Charles Benton, the man who’d occupied that desk for twenty-five years. Diana felt instantly sorry for him. He’d been the last convert to use the computer, and she knew he hated it on principle. Now a stranger was moving his files as he sat stunned. By then, the rest of the employees were watching.

“Everyone, can I have your attention please.” Walter came from his office with a smile. Diana would have bet it was plastered on as hers was. She noted the blinds to his office were still drawn. “We have some news. The phones have been set to voice mail, and I’d appreciate you all shutting down your computers and your cell phones.”

There was a hushed mumble throughout the office as everyone did as Walter asked. By then, the strangers had set out bottles of wine with glasses—real glass, Diana noted—and a large cake was centered on Charles’s desk. He had pushed back from the space but still sat in his seat, a look of disbelief on his face. She knew how he felt. The men cleaned up the cartons after putting out a stack of paper plates and plastic forks. A metal knife sat beside the cake that read, “Congratulations on Your Retirement, Walter.” They left as quietly as they had entered.

“Well, now that we’re all here, I’m sure you’re all a bit curious.” Walter hesitated and cleared his throat. “Come and gather around. I have some good news.” Diana shuffled a few steps closer to the group. “Everyone, this is Dane Bowie. He is the proud new owner of our fine publication.” There was a low rumble of voices, but Diana knew they were all in disbelief as she had been—still was. “I’m expecting you all to give him your best work in the coming days.” Diana wondered if that was a sign some of them would be there for a week or a year. She refused to look at Dane, but from under her lashes she noted his wide smile. “I’ll let you all introduce yourselves in a bit. I want you all to know how much I appreciate all the years of fine reporting you’ve given this publication. I hope you’ll all continue to give Dane the same consideration.” Again there was a rumble of voices in disbelief. “As for me, I’m retiring. I’m going to write that novel I always said I would after taking a long cruise around the world.”

Something wasn’t right. While she’d heard Walter tease about writing the great American Novel, she knew he wasn’t a man who wanted to travel. New Orleans was his home, and he rarely left the city limits. Deep inside, she accepted that every person had a right to retire and to change their minds, but she prayed this was his choice, not a forced situation he was attempting to smooth over.

There was a round of applause that Dane started, and the rest of the employees joined. Then he popped the top on a bottle of champagne and sought her out. “Diana, would you come give me a hand?”

Diana hated him at that moment. It was his little way of letting the rest of the crew know she’d met him in advance. She managed to make her way toward him but put the desk between them as she took the bottle he offered and began filling the glasses. Slowly, the rest of the employees gathered around and accepted the glasses he offered.

“A toast to Walter.” Dane held up his glass. “For your years of putting out a daily newspaper of the highest standard.” There was a round of “Hear, hear,” and he continued, “And to your retirement, may you enjoy each day to the fullest.” There was another round of “Hear, hear.” Diana tried not to make eye contact with anyone, and the few people she did look to all looked as shell-shocked as she felt.

“I’d like to propose a toast,” Walter said. “To all my friends. Thank you for your years of hard work and dedication. I know I can count on you to give Dane the same excellence in reporting for years to come.” Again there was a mumbled “Hear, hear.” Diana decided it was with much less enthusiasm.

“Walter, why don’t you make the first cut,” Dane said, offering Walter the knife. She watched him take it and make a cut in the center of the cake. Then Walter turned to her and handed it over. “You’ll do much better with this than I could,” he told her, taking a fresh glass of champagne while he started shaking hands with the other employees.

Diana stood frozen with the knife in her hand. “Margaret, would you please cut the cake? As our food editor, I’m sure you’ll do a much better job than I would. I’ll help with the plates.” Margaret gave her a stiff smile and moved beside her, slicing the cake and putting it on the paper plates while Diana slid a plastic fork on each and started to hand them around. “Tense” was the only word she could think of for this situation. Everyone’s smiles were plastered on, their shock and horror not easily hidden. Diana would have liked to have whispered to Margaret she was as confused as the rest of the employees but didn’t dare. Every time she glanced around, Dane seemed to be watching her. She knew most of them would be wondering if they’d have a job tomorrow or next week. The whole situation seemed to play out in slow motion. She also noted that Dane’s business partner Sloan Shayla hadn’t joined them. She wondered if he was in Walter’s office watching through the blinds. Dane had specifically told her she’d meet Sloan yet he was a no-show.

Diana forced herself to stay with the rest of the group. By three thirty she was able to slip back downstairs to her private space. She refused to start thinking of it as a dungeon or dirty. It was just a bit dusty, as archives were. What she was leaving behind were the faces that might look to her as if she’d had prior knowledge of the sale and hadn’t shared it with them. It didn’t matter. While they were acquaintances, they weren’t friends. Diana was very specific to be on friendly terms with the other employees but not to be friends with them. She was adamant about her work and private life staying separate. What she did in her off time wasn’t anybody’s business, and she certainly didn’t want it spread around the office. In reality, she had nothing to hide. Maybe that was why her privacy was so important. Nobody she worked with should know just how quiet her downtime was.

She had considered Walter her friend, but she understood him not telling her about the deal. She understood, but it still stung a bit to know he hadn’t trusted her with the knowledge.

By five o’clock, she was ready to leave and prayed silently that the rest of the employees were busy or gone for the day. When she’d made it halfway to the front door, she stilled when she heard Dane’s voice call to her.

“Diana, can you give me a minute?”

She turned, feeling nothing but dread and seeing all eyes on her as she took the steps back to what was now his office. She stood in the doorway, refusing to go inside and make it look like they were acquaintances. “Yes, Dane?”

“Thanks for helping out today,” he said. He gave her a slight nod, and she couldn’t hold back her taunt. She refused to look at him as anything more than a new boss, a nuisance she’d now have to deal with on a daily basis. Diana kept her eyes cast downward, not wanting to let him see her appraising him on a sexual level. It ran through her mind that, yes, he was handsome, and there was something about him she was drawn to. But that didn’t mean she had to act on her initial feelings, especially in this tenacious situation. If she wanted an orgasm, she could provide for herself. Frankly, she reminded herself, men were not in her overall game plan right now. When the right man came along, she’d know. For now, she saw Dane as dangerous in several directions. Beyond being her new boss, wondering how he’d be in bed with her wasn’t productive. She straightened and adopted an attitude of indifference.

“And thanks for calling me to help, making everyone think we knew each other and I held out the information on them.”

“But we did know each other. We met earlier in the day.”

“We know that, but they’ll all think I had previous knowledge and held out.” She let her body lean on the doorframe as she stared at him, annoyed he was ignoring the situation he’d put her in.

“Don’t worry about it,” he told her. “Have a good night.”

“I’m dismissed?”

“Unless you have something else to discuss.”

“You said your partner would be here this afternoon. I didn’t notice anybody new.”

“Who said he wasn’t here. Sloan was in the office on the telephone when the festivities started. If you’d stayed a bit longer, you would have met him.”

“I suppose I’ll meet him one day. Is there anything else?”

“No, have a good evening.”

She took a step back into the main area, and in a louder tone, he added, “It was nice to have met you this afternoon.”

She turned on her heel and headed out the door before anyone could stop her. She paused outside the building and tried Walter’s cell phone. The call didn’t go through, the message telling her the number had been disconnected. It was the longest walk home she’d had since working there. Wind and rain weren’t as daunting as this day had been. She just wanted to soak in a hot tub and forget everything that happened. Diana didn’t deal well with change, and today her life had taken a very unexpected turn. Whether it was for the better or not remained to be seen. She had a fleeting notion that she could rent her driveway for some extra cash if she lost her job and needed time to find a new one. She tried Walter’s cell phone one more time and got the same message, that the number had been disconnected. Out of desperation, she tried his home number. All she got was a continuous ringing. His machine or voice mail wasn’t picking up. She supposed he didn’t want to talk to anyone associated with the newspaper right now. Who could blame him? He probably didn’t want to answer the questions he had managed to avoid. Diana decided he just didn’t want to deal with all the employees calling him for more information or to vent their anger about the sale. While she wasn’t angry, she did feel rejected in an odd way. Their friendship had meant something to her, and now she understood his actions were purely for self-preservation. Pulling a deep breath, she decided it was time for her to figure out how to protect her future and where she wanted to go from here jobwise.

* * * *

Sliding into the hot bath water, she hoped the trauma of the day would dissipate. Closing her eyes, she tried to clear her mind. All she could picture was Dane Bowie and his sly smile. Since the champagne and cake ceremony, she hadn’t been able to get his brown eyes out of her mind. Up close, he was handsome, but she noted he needed a shave and had a small scar on his right cheek. Even when he’d dabbed the ink from her face, she hadn’t been able to meet his gaze. Now she couldn’t get his image from her mind.

Diana took the washcloth in hand and let it drop under the water, making small circles against her clit. When that started the heat within her, she spread her legs as wide as the tub would allow and used the cloth harder against her pussy lips. Her orgasm was small, and she was embarrassed at her action. Just the image of this man, her new boss, could make her masturbate in the tub. This was completely out of character for her. While she wasn’t a shy virgin, in the last few years sex hadn’t interested her. Now, on the same day she met him, she was imagining what it would be like to have him touch her, to make love to her. With a sigh, she tossed the cloth to the far end of the tub.

“Damn that man.” Dropping her hand back to her pussy, she rubbed faster and ultimately used three of her own fingers to find her release. “I can’t let that happen in real life,” she told herself as she dried, reinforcing it as she looked in her mirror. “You cannot get involved with your new boss. You don’t even know if he’s single. Let him go,” she said and hoped it would be that simple.

She skipped preparing supper, opting to warm a can of soup and doze on the sofa, the television on for company. Suddenly she was in a dark tunnel, running down long lengths of craggy rock walls. She made turns without knowing where they led. All she wanted to do was get out, yet there was no exit. She was panting, gasping for air and running for her life, but she didn’t know from what. As she got deeper in the tunnels, the light faded, and she felt with her hands along the walls to find her way. Up ahead she saw a light, nothing bright but it was light. She sped up, wanting to reach it. When she did, she came to a skidding halt, stumbling in her haste to stop her forward motion.