Table For Two: Barrington Billionaire's Series: Book Two (3 page)

“Find a replacement for the secretary.”

“Yes. I will take care of it immediately. Anything else?”

He grinned and said, “Have dinner with me tonight.”

So many things ran through her mind, but she bit her tongue, refusing to voice any of them. Instead, she rose from her seat and headed for the door. Over her shoulder she said, “You will have a new secretary in the morning. Please try to keep this one more than a week.”

Tessa strode to the elevator and practically fell into it as the doors opened. She pressed four and relaxed only when she was on her way down. Her fears about being fired for speaking out quickly vanished the moment she ignored his request for a date.

If it had been anyone else, she would have loved the attention. God knows, he was drop-dead gorgeous. His dark eyes, narrow nose, and strong jaw only enhanced his sex appeal. The only flaw he seemed to have was his cocky attitude. How she wished she could have seen the look on his face when she shot him down, but then again, if she had been looking at him, she probably would have said yes.

Playing the “I don’t care” person was mentally exhausting, and she only did it for a few minutes. How was she going to be able to pull this off daily? Tessa might not be all that experienced, but she knew a controlling man of power when she saw one, and everything about him screamed he was not to be messed with. How she had not noticed that when they met in the hallway earlier was beyond her, but she was well aware of it now, and that was all that mattered.

Playing with such a man wasn’t smart, but she wasn’t doing this for herself; she was doing this for her co-workers who needed someone to have their backs. The only problem was who was going to have hers if or when Dean found out what she was doing?
I might need more than a severance packet when he is done with me.

The only way this was going to work was for her to have as little face-to-face contact with Dean as possible. Too much and her lack of experience in the office might be revealed, and everything she was doing would be for nothing. She had loving parents who would let her move back home in the event everything blew up, and Tessa knew it was only a matter of time until that happened. The goal was to do everything she could until that day came. If she was lucky she might be around for a few more months. All she needed to do was convince him she was a rock, and a force to be reckoned with. A soft laugh escaped her lips as she arrived at her office. It was going to take a lot more than a pep talk from herself to start believing that.
This rock practically melted when he asked me to dinner.

Now she had two issues to deal with: his demanding, arrogant ass and her physical attraction to it.
This job just gets better every day. What next?

She sat at her desk and picked up the phone to get Dean a temporary secretary for the next morning. Apparently word on the street spread quickly; finding someone willing to come and deal with him directly was going to cost more than the standard temp rates, and they could not promise a certain length of time. The prior HR manager had left notes and emergency contacts. A name circled in red jumped out to her. Nancy. If her predecessor had reached out to Nancy, then Tessa shouldn’t feel bad doing so. After digging deeper into this Nancy person, she found that she used to be the personal assistant of Dean’s father and had left when there was a falling out between him and his oldest son, Brice, a few years back. She was tempted to call Nancy, who now worked as Brice’s personal assistant at B&H Advanced Engineering and ask for help. But she knew Dean didn’t want anyone to know his business, not even family. So Tessa had no choice but to accept the terms and wage of the temp. As she put the phone back on the receiver, she had only one thought.
Please let this one last more than forty-eight hours. I do have other things to do besides clean up his messes.

“W
here the hell did you get this one?” Dean barked over the phone.

Guess the new secretary isn’t working out.
“Is there a problem with her?” Tessa really didn’t want to know what the issue was. At this point, it didn’t matter. She wouldn’t subject any of the remaining staff to his wrath. That was why she chose to use an outside agency. Apparently that wasn’t going as well as she had hoped.

“Do you need a list, or can you get her out of here before I throw her ass out myself?”

“I’ll be right there.” Tess hung up the phone, pushed back her chair, and reluctantly left the safe confines of her office.

Tessa had hardly slept at all the night before, so she wasn’t at the top of her game. This unexpected twist was not going to help. She was already doing the job of three people, and most of it she was learning as she went. If this pace didn’t stop soon, she wasn’t going to need to worry about getting fired; she was going to burn out long before that.

When she arrived at the secretary’s desk, she found a girl who appeared to be eighteen and right out of school. This young woman looked as sweet and innocent as her name. Brittany-Lynn, looking like she was about to burst into tears, had her coat on and was holding her purse tucked under her arm. Tessa couldn’t blame her. This was one of the last places she wanted to be as well. Right now, though, she was the only person she had to do the job. It might not be possible to fix this, but she needed to try.

“Hi. I’m Tessa. Don’t leave yet. Let me talk to Mr. Henderson and see if we can work this out,” Tessa pleaded.

“He told me to get out and never come back.” Brittany-Lynn’s voice trembled as she spoke.

Really? He couldn’t wait five minutes till I got up here?
Tessa reached out, touched the young woman’s arm, and said softly, “He’s not much of a morning person. Why don’t you go over there and make yourself a cup of coffee? I will go and talk to him.”

She looked at Dean’s office door then at Tessa.

“He really isn’t as bad as he seems. Just a bad first impression, that’s all.” Tessa almost choked as the words flew out of her mouth. From what everyone had said, Dean was probably his father’s equal when it came to demanding things his way. That was a mold that should have been broken.

Brittany-Lynn relaxed a bit before finally nodding in agreement. She put her purse in the desk and headed off to get coffee. Tessa was relieved to have bought herself a few minutes. She needed Brittany-Lynn out of earshot just in case Dean’s rampage was still going on.
At least, if he fires me, I’ll have someone to walk out with.

Tessa closed her eyes and summoned all her strength. How was it that a shy quiet girl like her was even contemplating entering the lion’s den? When she saw Brittany-Lynn, it was like looking at a reflection of herself just a year ago when she first moved to Boston. She might be twenty-six, but she had lived a sheltered life. For the most part that was a good thing, but in times like this she wished her parents hadn’t coddled her quite so much. She had always been the good girl growing up. She couldn’t remember getting punished in school or at home. Now she found herself in unfamiliar territory and needed to be someone she wasn’t.

She knocked on his office door and heard his gruff voice. “What?”

Opening the door, she found Dean sitting behind his desk, dressed very differently than yesterday. He looked all business. No longer in casual attire but in a power suit. It was no wonder why he had Brittany-Lynn practically in tears out there. There was a lot riding on Tessa pulling this off.
Let’s go, girl. You can do this. Just remember what your professor told you when you wanted to give up and drop out of school: “Fake it till you make it.”

Tessa closed the door behind her, walked over to his desk, and, in a tone exuding confidence, asked, “Would you care to explain why your secretary looks like she had just been raked over the coals?”

Dean arched a brow, meeting her square in the eye. “Because she was. Now find me someone who can actually do the job, not someone who probably got dropped off at work by her father.”

She had to admit the girl was young, but that didn’t mean she was incapable. If it wasn’t for someone giving her a break many years ago she probably would never have been offered a position at Poly-Shyn in the first place.
Not sure that is a good thing right now.

“Was there something in particular she did incorrectly?”
Because your list seems endless.

“Do I need to explain myself to you?”

She knew it was not truly a question, but he opened the door, and she was going all in. “It would be nice, so going forward I can provide you with the type of employee who will meet all your needs.”
If such a person even exists.

Dean pointed to the chair opposite from his desk. “Sit.”

Her legs trembled then locked in place, she couldn’t move if she had to, so she stood there and glared at him. But he did not appear offended, he just gave her a cocky grin. He sat and seemed to be studying her face. Was he trying to read her? Call her bluff? Could he tell that she was shaking on the inside so much that she might be physically ill after this encounter if it did not end soon?

When Dean finally broke the silence, it was not anything she wanted to hear. “You do the job.”

Her eyes widened. “Me? You want me to be your secretary?”

He nodded.

Her heartbeat was echoing through her ears. There was no way was she going to work any closer to him than she was. If he thought Brittany-Lynn wasn’t prepared to do the job, then he would find she was even less qualified. She liked being in the background, doing the paperwork. His secretary would be the first line of defense for anyone coming to the office or calling. She might be able to pull the wool over his eyes now, but she wouldn’t last thirty minutes in that role. Declining his request was going to need a bit of finesse.

“I’m glad you believe I could handle such a position. However, you would find my skills are best utilized in HR and not dealing with your clients.”

Dean leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Are you saying no?”

More like hell no.
“You trust me to handle a portion of Poly-Shyn that requires a certain amount of tact. Let’s say that there has been a large turnover of employees lately, and you need me exactly where I am. It wouldn’t be a wise business decision to pull me from my current duties.”

He stared at her before letting out a loud laugh. “I probably have been keeping you busy, Tessa.” Dean sat upright and leaned closer to her. “But I make all the decisions here. You’ll be wherever I say you will be.”

She swallowed hard and held her hands steady at her side. The way his dark eyes looked at her, she wasn’t sure he was still talking about the secretary position. There was no way she was going to do that job. If it meant she quit and went home with her tail between her legs today, then so be it. “May I suggest then that you give Brittany-Lynn a chance to do her job before you make a decision?”

“Who?”

Tessa forced a soft smile. “Brittany-Lynn. The young lady you have scared half to death out there. She may be young, but as you have proven, age doesn’t mean one cannot handle the responsibility.” Had she just resorted to kissing ass?
What have I become?

“One week, Tessa. If she cannot pull her weight and do what I need her to do, then you’re her replacement. Understood?”

She knew she was going to regret this somehow. But at that moment, she needed to go with her gut. Nodding her agreement, she headed for the door. She had no intention of keeping that agreement even if Brittany-Lynn didn’t work out. Now was not the time to bring that up. “You know how to find me if any more issues come up.”

Before she left the office she swore she saw him grin that cocky grin again. “Arrogant ass.” Without knowing it she had played right into his hand, and he held all the cards. She needed to find a way to stay in her office, otherwise this was going to be one long week.
I think unemployment might be the easy way out.

Dean’s initial irritation with the replacement secretary had quickly vanished as Tessa entered the room. There was something about her that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. The deeper he studied her, the more layers he seemed to see. She portrayed herself as a confident woman who was not afraid of anything. Yet when he stared into her eyes, he saw something else. Was she trying to hide something from him?
If you are, I’m going to love finding out what it is.

He had a lifetime of hiding things from others. Sometimes that came with a high price, but the choice was always his and no one else’s. People said secrets had a way of always coming out. Dean had been carrying one for thirteen years, and as far as he was concerned, it was one he would take to his grave. It had cost him the respect of his brothers as they judged him based on what they thought to be facts. A juvenile record could’ve been expunged if he’d spoken up. Instead, his father let him spend twelve months in the juvenile detention center for beating who he thought had been a friend, hospitalizing him for weeks. Even now he had no regret for his actions. He had it coming to him. What he had done required a severe punishment.
And even that was too good for him.

The only one who stood by him was his sister, Zoey. She never stopped seeing what she called the “good” in him. When their father kicked him out and cut him off, she was the one who made sure he was okay. Not that he needed her to; he was a Henderson after all, and one thing they did well was make sure they came out on top no matter what.

He knew his motivation for everything he had done in his past and why he preferred to do things the way he did now. His methods might not appeal to most people, but hell, they were effective, and to him that was all that mattered.

One way he was able to get where he was today was reading the people around him. If you looked at a person long enough, whatever they were hiding would eventually be revealed. It came in extremely handy when negotiations heated up. He was able to use competitors’ weaknesses against them and just sit back and watch them fall. It was a talent he had learned from his father. The difference was no one knew who he was. Being cut off from the Henderson family made it easier for him to blindside his opponents and be long gone before they knew what hit them.

There were several times his risk was almost too great and his identity almost revealed, but the payoff had been worth it. In the end, that was all that truly mattered, and the edge was where he liked to live.

Was that what he’d seen in Tessa’s beautiful green eyes? Was she pretending to be someone she wasn’t? If so why? What was her motivation?

Anger filled him as there was only one logical explanation. She wasn’t there by chance. Whoever it was that thought they could get their hands on Poly-Shyn had stooped to a level he had used in the past and planted an informant. Tessa was far from an HR manager. If they thought he wasn’t going to see through that ploy by using someone who looked sweet and innocent, they were mistaken. It only made him look at her closer.
And damn, I like what I see.

Although she played off that she was in no way interested in him, he could tell by her body language when he had asked her to dinner yesterday she was more than tempted. Her fake lack-of-interest act only served as a challenge, and one that now had become even more enticing with this new knowledge.
I live by the saying, “Keep your enemies close.” But this time, I’m looking forward to it.

If it wasn’t for the fact he had a meeting scheduled with Brice, he would act on that right now. Getting to the bottom of who was trying to steal Poly-Shyn out from under him was only one piece of the puzzle. He had every intention of finding out all he needed to know and dealing with them like he had anyone else who stood between him and what he wanted. But right now he needed to make it clear to his brother that he was serious about taking on this company. One way or another, this was going to be his.
You may have thought you would cut me out, Dad, but in the end, you won’t win. I guarantee it.

Dean briefly spoke to Brittany-Lynn on his way out of the office. He still had no idea how he let Tessa talk him into giving that girl a week. How was she supposed to handle blowing off calls and clients when she looked scared to death of him? He needed someone strong and confident in that chair.
Like Tessa.