Unbound: The Pentagon Group, Book 2 (30 page)

They both looked up. Carolyn smiled at me, and I gave her a smile in response. “I should’ve known Dr. Keene would be here, Carolyn. We’re going to take off for lunch. I expect to be here no later than 1:30 because I have my afternoon meeting with the execs.” Carolyn nodded.

“It’s nice seeing you again, Carrie.”

“You too, Matt. I hope to see you more often. Don’t be a stranger.” She offered. He smiled his brilliant smile which he didn’t share with Andrea when he was here last. I wasn’t jealous of Carolyn because she was older, married and had three teenaged children.

I stopped over at Gill’s desk. He was due to leave early to set up for my housewarming party. “I’ll leave early to help you, so I’ll see you later.” I gave a curt smile.

“You will.” Gill split his gaze between the both of us. “Have a great day, Dr. Keene.”

“You too. Thank you.”

I walked away toward the elevator, Matt walking close behind with his command over my body by placing his hand at my lower back. I took a deep breath to suppress the tingly feeling which coursed warmly throughout my body. We followed everyone else into the elevator, going to the lobby. As we were departing, Josh the guard bid us a good afternoon. I caught Matt nod at Josh and turn his vision toward the front doors. When we exited the building, the bright light blinded me temporarily. I stopped to retrieve my sunglasses. Matt pulled his from his breast pocket. When I was done putting on my shades, he reached for my hand to walk us toward the bistro. I tried unsuccessfully to pull my hand away.

“Matt, let’s not start off with this.” I lifted my arm to emphasize what I was talking about.

“Perla, I’m just being a gentleman.” Standing to my right, on the active side of the sidewalk, Matt pulled my arm into the crook of his arm. He prevented me from pulling away. I controlled the urge to tug out of his grip, wanting to put distance between us.

Matt broke the quiet. “How’s it going?” He asked. Refusing to look at him, I peeked into the store front window at displays or people in conversation within a café.

“I’m good, working hard to catch up.” I swallowed the knot in my throat. “And you? How’ve you been?” I asked gently, pouring more meaning into the question.

“Busy. I’m trying to catch up with work too. My partners asked me to step up my work.” Matt paused. “Is this it?” He asked. I looked up and over, and nodded. Gill made reservations beforehand, and we were seated quickly.

I’d already decided to order the duck salad. “Have you been here before?” He asked. I nodded while taking a sip of water. Matt looked at me as I sucked water through a straw. His stare lingered at my mouth. I put the glass back down and continued. “Gill and I have been here a few times. I only get one thing, the duck salad, so I can’t offer any recommendations.”

“Tell me about Gill. How’s he working out?” I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of how wonderfully Gill was working out.

“Gill is fantastic. He’s always three steps ahead of me. I could’ve used him years ago. We’ve become good friends too.” I responded. Matt listened intently.

“I see you got a new assistant.”

“Yes, Carolyn is great. She knows the system, and I appreciate her work. How do you know her?” I asked tentatively.

“Carolyn was one of the first administrative assistants when we started the big office. She has worked with each board member except for me. She had to take some time off when one of her sons was diagnosed with autism. She’s been back off and on since then. She’s a great person . . . mother . . . worker. Carolyn will always have a place at Pentagon, should she want it.” I admired his unwavering support for an employee.

The waiter interrupted and asked us if we were ready to order. After taking our entire order, he left to retrieve our requests. I saw Matt shake his head and grimace.

“What?” I asked perplexed by his gestures.

“Nothing.” He said unconvincingly. I sipped more water.

“Okay. How should we proceed with this meeting? What do you need to know? I could provide you a report of what I’ve been doing . . . voting . . . planning?” I asked, nerves coursing through my body.

“Well, I know what you’ve been doing. I just want to know how it’s working out for you.” He asked.

I assumed he was concerned about whether I was being supported by his friends, fearing I would distribute the video and the article I used to threaten them all.

“Everyone I’ve come in contact with have been great.” I pulled my hair over my shoulder. Matt leaned back and watched me as I nervously fluffed my hair. I looked around the restaurant, observing the diners. “I’ve been too busy to worry about anything else.”

“Are you still living in Charlestown?” Matt asked.

I took a moment to respond. “No. I’m living not far from here, actually. I wanted to be close to work, and I found a nice, safe building to live in within walking distance to Pentagon.” Matt watched me as I answered. He nodded.

Our drinks arrived, and the waiter set them down before us. The waiter informed that our food would be out soon. He asked us if we needed anything in the meantime, but he kept his gaze on me. I smiled and said, ‘no.’ He smiled back and retreated slowly.

“I see you’re never lacking from male attention.” His abrupt statement caught me off guard.”

“What do you mean?”

“The waiter. He hasn’t been able to keep his eyes off you.” He informed. I shook my head.

“Not this again, Matt.” I huffed. “When will this not be an issue?”

“When you marry me?” My heart stopped.

“We’re not getting married. We’re colleagues. This here is not a date. This is a business meeting.” I affirmed.

“You won’t marry me today, but soon you will. I guarantee it.” The waiter came at the precise moment I was ready to spout off at him, laying our plates in front of us. I held onto the waiter’s forearm to stop him.

“Can you tell me where the restroom is?” I asked coquettishly. He appeared flummoxed.

“Yes. It’s in the back.” He said with a quivering voice. I smiled at him, letting go. When I stood, he pulled at my chair, and Matt stood from his seat. He didn’t look amused as I pressed against the waiter to move out of my seat. I took my purse and walked to the restroom. I took my time in the bathroom: checking email, writing texts, and writing notes on my favorite application. Making him wait and annoying him was the main objective. I returned to my seat, and Matt stood up slightly from his chair when I returned.

“Everything okay?” He asked.

“Yep. Great.”

“Are you sure?” He asked. I nodded and smiled.

I started eating, and watched as he took a bite of his now ‘cold’, hot-pressed sandwich with French fries. “Are we going to play games every time we get together? This from the woman who said she didn’t like games.” He inquired.

“I don’t like games between two people who intend to have a dating relationship. I have no intention of having a dating relationship with you which is why I will do anything to spend as little time with you as I can. Now, when you wrote the clause on the legal documents about meeting weekly with you was it to try in vain to get me into a dating relationship with you?” I asked, leaning forward

“Obviously. No matter what you think or no matter what you say, we’ll always be connected. You wanted to work at my company, you’ll have to see me.”

“How do you expect to move on and find someone more suited for you if you continue to try to date me?” I asked. The waiter returned to ask us how we were doing. I smiled and he kept his attention on me.

“Can I get a soy latte please?” I asked sweetly.

“Anything.” He responded.

“I’d like for you to bring her latte and send a waitress to finish tending to us.” Matt pulled out his wallet and gave him a one hundred dollar tip. The waiter seemed stunned. “That’s for you, for your troubles. Thank you for your service.”

“Yes, sir.” The waiter said flustered, walking off.

“That was rude, Matt.” I said.

“He was tending to you and didn’t seem to care about me. Unfortunately for me I don’t look so good in a dress which shows that much cleavage.” He pointed at my dress. If he was trying to make me angry, then he succeeded.

“I can’t help having great tits.” I said sarcastically. Matt choked on some of his iced tea. I added a point to my score. I continued eating my salad. Even cold, it was delicious.

The waitress who took over served me my latte. She asked Matt if he needed anything, and Matt turned up the charm. He proceeded to smile his megawatt smile, dimples looking more concave, and voice deepened when he asked her for a cappuccino. The waitress was instantly smitten as she returned the smile and lingered a second too long. I flapped the sugar packets in my finger and tore to put the sweet sprinkles in my drink. I ignored his attempts to make me jealous. I was going to be the better person.

Matt and I were close to finishing our meals when the waitress brought his cappuccino. He gave her ‘the face’; the face which looks like he was ready to fuck her. I’d seen the face so many times I’d committed it to memory. His eyes would get dark and look deep set, clenching of the jaw made him look sexier. His lips would slightly pucker, opening up his mouth slightly to reveal a sliver of tongue which licked his soft, full lips. He reclined in his chair, looking relaxed and ready. He asked her for her name. She replied ‘Elene’, which was clearly marked on her name tag. He proceeded to tell her that her name was beautiful, and asked if it was French. She replied it was a family name, and she was French. While speaking to Elene in the language, I understood when he asked her if she spoke French, and she replied ‘yes’ in French which prompted them to banter in the language for a few minutes. I couldn’t understand anything. I wasn’t hurt by his flirting with the waitress. I was pained by the fact that I didn’t know he spoke French, which meant I didn’t know him. For him to push us to be in a marital relationship when I didn’t even know he spoke a third language was ridiculous.

The waitress excused herself, Matt turned to his cappuccino, taking a sip. “Are we just going to do this every time we’re together?”

“What?” He asked.

“Flirting with wait staff? Ignore the real reason we’re supposed to be here with. I’m here to tell you about Pentagon. I suspect you already know how I’m doing in my role, and how your shares are perfectly intact and performing well. I don’t have time to keep playing these games. I’m a busy woman these days. I’m trying to ensure your shares are reaping the benefits of this project. So, if we’re done eating and drinking, I want to get back to the office to finish my week.” I said.

“We’re scheduled to meet at least once a week and I designated ninety minutes, and it’s how long we’ll meet. No more, no less. So sit back and enjoy your latte, looking as beautiful as you do, even when you’re seething with anger.” He said, looking relaxed with his cup in hand. We gazed at each other for a long while. Our battle of wills broken by the waitress who brought us our check, leaving it on the table as she bid ‘adieu’ to the charming Matt Keene.

My phone chimed, alerting me to an impending conference call with the California architects. I had fifteen minutes until I needed to sit behind my large desk in my large office chair, feeling lonelier than I had before meeting Matt.

“Don’t worry. I’ll get you back to the office in time for your next meeting.”

“Back to the question I tried to pose earlier. What happens if I fall in love with someone else? Will you leave me alone then?”

“That’s not possible.”

“Why? Do you think I’m not worthy of another man’s love?” I asked, remembering the times Ben told me I would never find another man who would love me as much as he did because I was a used up woman.

“No. Because I don’t intend for anyone to get close enough for you to fall in love with. You won’t ever forget me long enough to consider another man. As a matter of fact, it’s a matter of time before you have your legs wrapped around my waist, coming in my arms.” He informed, placing money in the bill folio. I gasped. The waitress arrived to pick up the folio and Matt told her it was all set. She started walking off when she returned to his side.

“Sir, you gave me a one hundred dollar tip, for under fifty dollar check, are you sure it’s all set.” Matt smiled his mega-watt smile. My nose flared with the strong exhalation.

“Don’t worry, honey. He’s sure you’re all set. He’s not only hot, but he’s a billionaire. He can afford to throw around his money to get what he wants. Thank you.” I said with a fake smile and stood up. I collected my purse from the arm of the chair. Matt rose and bid his goodbye to the waitress and walked after me.

Matt grabbed my arm. “Can you wait up?” He said. As he pulled me back, I lost my balance because of my heels. Matt held me close to his body, allowing me time to regain my balance. I pulled away as soon as I felt his hold gently release me. He took my arm and placed it within the crook of his and he walked me back to work. We didn’t speak on the return trip to the office. No words needed to be said, we were at an impasse. I wasn’t going to give in and he wasn’t going to give up. When we arrived at the building, he escorted me inside. The guard greeted us upon arrival. I refused his offer to escort me upstairs. I said my goodbyes to him, and I calmly walked to the elevator, pressing the button to go to my office and finish the day before my party. An overwhelming feeling of sadness washed over me and I wondered how I would ever survive my weekly meetings with Dr. Mathias Keene.