Love, Inc Read online

  Thrown off her tracks for a moment, Lexi walked back to the center of the room, standing directly in Susannah’s line of vision.

  “Over a month. I’m sorry, I don’t see how that is relevant?” said Lexi nonchalantly, her sultry brown eyes resting on Susannah evenly.

  “A month?” Susannah’s eyes widened in genuine surprise. Wayne was quick on his feet, walking up next to Lexi. “She’s a contractor,” he said, turning to Lexi with a proud smile on his face. Then he faced the three investors, “Lexi is known for her business skills and I managed to poach her, I needed a fresh pair of eyes to make sure that WB Enterprises stays ahead of our market, going forward. She brings a fresh outlook and new blood to the business.” They stood side by side, facing the three investors, with their backs to Greta.

  Susannah looked perplexed. She wasn’t sure exactly why she had asked that question. She had been meaning to shed Lexi in some type of bad light, to trip her up even. The girl was too damn smart, too damn beautiful and much too intelligent for her own good.

  She had been that girl once and she could see that newer, younger blood was coming in. It made her feel jaded, not that she had any reason to feel that way for Susannah Henderson had accomplished much in her life. But getting older was harder to deal with, especially when youth and beauty were thrown in her face as flagrantly as it had been today.

  Trying to regain her composure, she smiled sweetly and said, “You seem to have so much knowledge. I was simply being curious.” She shrugged off the thought that there was anything else to it.

  Sensing her withdrawal, Wayne looked around carefully at the three people before him and said, “I’m always open to new business ideas and whenever I see or hear of someone who has great potential, well I make it my business to interest them in my business. Lexi has been a phenomenal addition to our company.” He gave Susannah a forced smile before taking his place next to Greta again.

  “As I was saying,” began Lexi, she had been thrown off by Wayne’s remarks.

  What had she been saying? She glanced at Susannah who gave her a bittersweet smile, almost willing her to stumble. She glanced at Jim who gave her an encouraging look, “You were talking about the projected performance figures for the coming year,” he said graciously. Lexi breathed out slowly, recomposed herself and said, “Thank you Jim, so I was.” And she carried on with the remainder of her presentation. Her Powerpoint slides looked professional and clear. Not too much text nor too many complicated graphs either. They highlighted the main positive points of doing business with Wayne Blunt Enterprises and she emphasized their previous orders and the glowing testimonials they had from existing companies. She was on a roll as she paced around, flawlessly and confidently spewing out numbers, facts and figures.

  At the end she paused in front of Susannah and asked, “Does anyone have any questions?” She looked directly at Susannah, who shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Nobody had any questions and so Wayne got up to make his closing speech. There was a round of questions after that which Wayne addressed.

  The meeting continued for another half hour or so during which time Greta was mainly called on to help answer. Around lunch time they broke up and the presentation was over.

  Lexi and Greta went back to their office whilst Wayne took the three executives into his office to go over some last minute details.

  “I think that went very well,” said Greta, sitting down with a huge sigh of relief. “I feel drained,” she said wearily, loosening the top button of her Nehru necked jacket.

  Lexi took off her high heels and fell into her chair. The full on levels of continued concentration and anxiety which these top level meetings bought on, buoyed up her adrenalin levels and then, once everything was done and dusted, her energy levels would sink to a low and she would be exhausted. Exhausted but exhilarated.

  “That….was…..enjoyable,” she said, her full lips breaking out into a tired but wide smile. She let out her French pleat and her glossy, brown hair tumbled down over her shoulders.

  “You were amazing Lexi. I’m so proud of you.” Greta beamed at her young apprentice, for that was how she thought of her.

  She was no longer merely a temporary worker who was carrying out maternity cover. She had gone over and beyond that job description.

  “And you were pretty amazing yourself,” replied Lexi rubbing the soles of her feet gently underneath the table.

  Chapter Thirteen

  It was approaching almost one o’clock by the time Greta and Lexi had caught up with their emails from earlier on. They hadn’t yet had their lunch.

  Lexi looked over to Wayne’s office and saw Susannah, Edward and Jim all huddled around Wayne’s desk. They had been in there for almost an hour and she wondered what more information they could possibly want from him. Just as she and Greta got up to leave for lunch, they saw everyone in Wayne’s office standing up ready to leave. “And not a moment too soon,” remarked Greta quietly. She could see from Wayne’s expression that he was completely worn out.

  “Let’s see if Wayne wants to join us too,” she suggested amiably. “He looks as though he could do with something to eat.” Lexi’s heart fluttered. She would like that too. She got that funny, floaty feeling that usually overcame her whenever Wayne was around. They paused just outside the door and waited in the hallway. Wayne was seeing his visitors out. Edward and Jim were the first ones to leave. They looked very satisfied and happy. “Lovely meeting you ladies, we’ll be in touch,” they said to Greta and Lexi, shaking hands with them warmly as they walked past them.

  As Lexi turned around she saw Susannah lagging slowly behind. She shook Wayne’s hand firmly and slipped him her business card, something that the other two hadn’t done. Lexi watched as Wayne took it and smiled back at her. She noticed him turning it over and caught sight of a scribble of writing on the back. It must only have been the briefest of seconds but Lexi saw that his face lit up as Susannah tapped him on the face.

  “That’s a little bit too much isn’t it?” snapped Greta under her breath, pinching her lips together into a tight smile as Susannah slithered past them. Lexi felt a sharp stabbing pain jolt through her chest. It was only as he walked out and saw Lexi’s downcast face that Wayne realised she might have seen this little exchange. His face crumbled.

  Forcing herself to smile, Lexi exaggerated her warmth when shaking hands with Susannah, “So lovely to meet you Susannah,” and she stared the other woman directly in the eye. Susannah, knowing that Wayne now had her business card on the back of which she had scribbled her personal number, had a rather sickly smile on her face as she walked out of the door.

  With a beaming smile, Wayne approached them just as Lexi said, “I’m not so hungry Greta.” She daren’t look at Wayne even though she knew he was standing next to her. Greta had an inkling as to what had suddenly dampened Lexi’s appetite and insisted. “Let’s all go for a bite to eat, we’ve earned it,” then glancing at Wayne with a furious look which caught him off guard she added, “even you.”

  There was silence and an awkward pause which he tried to fix by saying, “You ladies were magnificent.” But he could now see that Lexi was clearly bothered. He needed to speak to her, alone. He needed to clear the air. There was too much confusion. Too many things had happened and conspired to come together causing many misunderstandings all around.

  Seeing that Lexi didn’t respond, he looked at Greta in confusion, not knowing what he had done. He could see that Greta was not happy with him either as she shook her head at him, suggesting it was better to remain quiet.

  “I thought we might all go for lunch together,” she said quietly.

  “That’s a great idea, I’ll get my jacket.” The thought of having lunch with Lexi, even with Greta there too, was most appealing to him. Knowing they would not let her get out of it, Lexi looked up at them both and said, “I’m sorry, I’ve got some really urgent errands to run at the post office. I’m sorry, I can’t.”

  She turned around, hopi
ng she wouldn’t burst into a fit of tears before either of them tried to get her to change her mind. She flung the doors open and rushed out. Wayne looked at Greta as if to say “What’s wrong now?”

  “Sometimes Wayne, you are your own worst enemy.” Greta patted him on the arm and popped out to get her usual sandwich from Harry’s Deli, leaving Wayne standing alone in the empty hallway wondering what had gone wrong.

  Chapter Fourteen

  For the rest of that week, Lexi avoided Wayne. She knew he wanted to talk to her. He kept coming into the office and thanking her and Greta for the presentation.

  Wayne felt the presentation had been brilliant. He was excited about the prospects for his company going forward. But he wasn’t going to pin his hopes and bet everything on McKenzie and Co. awarding him the tender. He knew from past experience to do one thing well and then to move on to the next thing. If they wanted him, they would let him know. He was more concerned about Lexi. He wanted to offer her a permanent position in his company and at as high a level as Greta. But he wanted more. He wanted to be with her. And because he wasn’t sure how she would react to either of these propositions, he dared not even think about the implications of working alongside someone you were in a relationship with. He hadn’t thought that far ahead.

  Wayne was looking for a way of thanking his staff for their contribution on the day of the presentation. Even George had gone the extra mile when showing Susannah, Jim and Edward around the warehouse floor. He wanted to reward his employees and to let them know he valued what they did. For the Friday evening, he had booked out the entire side of Alberto’s Italian restaurant from six o’clock onwards for WB Enterprises.

  There would be an open bar and plenty of food. It didn’t matter whether his company was awarded the contract or not. If they did, he would give them all a pay rise. This was his way of saying thank you for the hard work that they had all. He was especially indebted to Greta and Lexi for their hard work. He knew the presentation would not have gone half as well had it not been for them.

  Greta approved of the idea, “That’s excellent Wayne! I think we could all do with a good night out.” For one thing it would be a good way of getting the team spirit going. It might even be a good way of getting Lexi in a better mood. She could see that the girl was tired and exhausted even when she came into work in the mornings and she had no idea why. The presentation prep had finished. And when Lexi didn’t volunteer any more information herself, Greta didn’t press.

  The idea of a Friday night out was exactly what Lexi needed. Her orders had gone through the roof this week. She was now getting around forty to fifty orders of lingerie every single day. It took her around four hours each evening to package up and arrange for the delivery of these items. She managed to drop them off at the post office in the mornings before coming in to work.

  But if this carried on much longer, she wasn’t sure she would be able to carry on with her day job any more.

  On Friday after work, the staff of WB Enterprises set off for Alberto’s. It was a top quality Italian restaurant, with a nice ambience, terrific food and fantastic service. It was also one of Wayne’s favorite places to eat in.

  Lexi, who had calmed down about Susannah and her business card, decided that this would be the evening when she would cut him some slack. She looked forward to the evening with more than a tinge of excitement.

  Wayne decided that tonight, he would get close enough to Lexi to at least have a bit of a conversation, one not wholly centered around work. Tonight, he would tell her of his feelings. He was looking forward to it very much.

  Lexi decided not to dress up too much. No skirt or dress with high heels today. She wore her best fitting jeans, with a beautifully cut deep orange sleeveless silk blouse. It was a casual look with a touch of glamour thrown in.

  Greta could see that Lexi was in good spirits. She wondered if this would work out better than she could hope for. Lexi felt more than a little nervous as she applied a touch of mascara to her eyelashes. She didn’t need any foundation or lipstick. Just a little eye makeup to accentuate her eyes was enough. She never wanted to look overdone or too made up. And she didn’t like the feel of foundation on her skin either. Luckily she was in the few percent of women who could get away without wearing any.

  Terri had come to rely on Lexi for dressing up tips and general all round advice about clothes and fashion. They never discussed Wayne but Lexi felt more at ease with her nowadays. As the three of them strode into Alberto’s Lexi’s heart raced with the anticipation of seeing Wayne. Tonight she would try to sound him out, to gauge whether he had any feelings for her. Tonight she hoped to be able to tell whether this was just a one sided imaginary attraction in her mind.

  The buzz of excitement was obvious when everyone met at six o’clock. The area that Wayne had arranged for them was on ground level, in the far corner of the large room, separated out by doors that were pushed open so that the diners could still see out onto the main dining floor.

  With dark wood paneling, brightly colored hanging lamps and dimmed wall lights, the ambiance at Alberto’s was cozy but vibrant, relaxed yet bursting with energy.

  The strong, smell of roasted garlic, exotic herbs and rich tomato sauce simmered in the air as Lexi cautiously followed Greta and Terri inside. She marveled at how cozy Alberto’s was inside. Although she had never eaten here, she had heard plenty of good things about it, mainly from Terri, who often used to come with Wayne. Although this had stopped suddenly a few weeks ago, Lexi noted. Over in the corner opposite to them, and slightly sectioned off from the main restaurant, was a bar area.

  Greta led the way to the other end where, in their slightly cordoned off area, there were two large tables seating all of Wayne’s staff. On one table sat most of the warehouse people. And on the second table were George and a couple of others. Greta walked over briskly and sat down whilst Lexi followed.

  Terri had gone over to sit by George although she seemed to make a bee line for the guy next to him called Hank. Lexi looked around expectantly for Wayne but he wasn’t here. Disappointed, she sat down, unbuttoning her jacket and slinging it over the back of her chair. She scanned the tables again and as she placed her bag under her chair, she caught sight of Wayne at the bar. He had his back to her but she saw that he had Susannah with him. Lexi’s heart sank. She felt a shudder go through her body. She could clearly see the side of Susannah’s face as she stood, half turned towards Wayne. Susannah had her arm around his neck.

  A few stools away she noticed Jim and Edward. “I didn’t realize they were going to be here too?” she turned to Greta, wanting some answers.

  “I think Wayne has some news he wants to share with us all,” Greta replied slowly, sucking on an olive. She had been in deep conversation with George. Terri was busy flirting with Hank. At once irritable and annoyed, this suddenly felt like the last place Lexi wanted to be. All her plans and intentions for Wayne went flying out of the window. She was just a stupid fool. This love business was fickle. She was fed up with it. She didn’t understand the rules of the game, nor did she have the disposition to put up with it.

  Although Greta didn’t say anything, she had a good idea why Lexi was upset. She sighed to herself. Why did that man never learn? But she knew Wayne didn’t consider himself to be a ladies man and consequently never paid much attention to the many women who often threw themselves at him.

  Unfortunately, his inability to see this was losing him precious points with the one woman that he had taken a special interest in. Greta had seen Wayne turning around from time. She knew he was on the lookout for Lexi. Though Lexi had her back turned to the bar, Greta had a clear view of him. She saw that Wayne had gone off to speak to someone and by the time he came back, Lexi was already sitting at the table. She saw the way his face eased up once Lexi had arrived.

  He had planned this evening celebration partly as an excuse to get to see her outside of work. But at the last moment, McKenzie and Co had p
honed him and Jim had announced that they had been so impressed with the presentation at WB Enterprises earlier in the week that they had come to their decision quickly. They had decided to award the contract to WB Enterprises. It had been the best news for Wayne and it had happened quicker than he had anticipated. He had agreed to sign the contract on the coming Monday morning. But Susannah had called him ten minutes later, asking to come over to get the contracts signed there and then. When he told her he was taking his company out for a celebratory meal, she had invited herself along. This had completely taken him by surprise and he wasn’t able to shake her off. Though as soon as he put the phone down, he immediately regretted his decision to let them meet him at the restaurant.

  He agreed for them to sign the papers and then they would leave. But Jim and Edward showed no signs of leaving the bar just yet and Susannah had shown no signs of leaving his side.

  Now, as he turned around for the umpteenth time, he saw Lexi had arrived and was sitting with Greta. She looked so gorgeous, in her silky, sleeveless blouse and straight leg jeans. She seemed so tall and slim and so sexy. He could feel his heartbeat quickening and all the tension in his shoulders slipping away. Susannah was asking him something, tugging on his sleeve in that annoying way. What was it with these women? Always touching him and prodding him?

  He kept his eyes on Lexi, unable to taken them off her. Tonight, he would make it a point to get her to himself alone. He would set the record straight. After all, that was one of the other reasons he had decided to have this celebratory meal tonight, contract or no contract.

  Unable to stand back any longer, Wayne excused himself from Susannah. He saw the petulant look on her face and didn’t really care much for it.