Forbidden Surrender(31)

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Monday morning felt better than it had since as long as I could remember. With everything I did with Vincent over the weekend, it seemed like forever since I got the chance to sleep in. Which is why I took full advantage of the opportunity on Sunday. Except for exchanging a few flirty texts, the day had been uneventful but relaxing. Not that being involved with Vincent Sorenson wasn’t thrilling enough, but the lazy Sunday was just what I needed to re-energize.

I’d told him I needed more time to think about seeing him again but it was more to save face than anything else. If I was honest with myself, the idea of secretly dating a gorgeous client was thrilling, but I’d been careful not to reveal that to Vincent. I also found myself wanting to know more about him. He wasn’t the surfer bum that Richard pegged him for nor was he the cold, calculating businessman typical of individuals his stature. He was something in between. Steadfast in pursuit but adaptable. Charming yet respectful. In other words, complex.

Next weekend seemed interminably far away. What would we do on a second date? Where did we stand? All I knew was I already felt safe with him, which was both comforting and unnerving. I hadn’t felt that way in a long time with anyone; I’d even begun wondering if I could trust a guy again.

I recapped my date to Riley expecting irrational excitement, but her reaction was subdued. She announced she was coming down with a cold, her throat’s scratchiness since coming back from Cape Town an advanced indicator. Before leaving for work, I told her I’d stop by a Duane Reade to pick up orange juice and cough medicine. If she needed anything else like blankets or a humidifier, she could just text me.

I arrived at work a little earlier than usual, eager to start the day. The morning passed in a blur of investment research and excel sheets. It was rare that coworkers didn’t stop by to chat but I supposed it was just one of those busy mornings. I was about to head to lunch when Richard made an unexpected appearance at my cubicle.

“Hard at work, I see.” His voice didn’t contain its usual confidence bordering on smugness.

“Just finished the ROI projection charts for the Sorenson account and about to head to lunch. Need something?”

He sighed heavily and I leaned back in my chair preparing myself for some bad news. There was no way the firm had found out about my trip with Vincent already. “I came to tell you that you’ve been promoted.”

“What?” This was good news. I had been promoted only six months ago, which earned me the privilege of working under Richard in the first place. Now I was promoted again? Richard had been right, landing the Sorenson account did have its perks.

I beamed. “This is great! It’s just like you said. So are you going to buy that new convertible you’ve been talking about?”

“No.” He sighed again, rubbing his temples with his fingers. His jaw was working overtime. “You have been promoted. Not me. I also found out Vincent specifically listed you as his point of contact. Did you know about that?”

I gulped. Richard was upset with me and I had to diffuse the situation. Complete honesty wasn’t the answer. “He mentioned the possibility, saying he was impressed by my work. But I didn’t know he would go that far.”

His eyes narrowed. “What did you tell him and what did he say when he handed you the signed documents?”

“I just went through the standard follow-up pitch and he stopped me before I could finish. He said he liked my work and wanted to sign the papers. I gave them to him and didn’t really look too hard after he signed.”

He opened his mouth to say something but shut it, his mind seemingly deep in thought. He grumbled something under his breath and left before I could question the situation or offer words of consolement.

I tried to put Richard’s frustration into perspective. Despite him being ten years my senior, my promotion brought me to the same level as him. No longer a meager ‘analyst’, I was now a ‘client acquisition manager’ that would be reporting to Richard’s boss, Carl Stansworth, directly. I figured Vincent’s request for me to be his point-of-contact was the reason Carl promoted me, but I wondered why Richard wasn’t promoted. Richard certainly did his fair share of work, which meant either the company wasn’t doing well enough to promote him or Richard wasn’t on Carl’s good side. I figured it was the latter. Whatever the reason, the situation made it look like I stole his client lead. I was concerned about rubbing Richard the wrong way, but there wasn’t much I could do about the circumstances.

I skipped to lunch and returned to my desk with a newfound passion for my job. My fingers a whirlwind at the keyboard, I felt at peak productivity, churning page after page of reports and analyses.