Rise - Part Two (Rise #2)(23)
He's talking about the hotel that one of his company's subsidiaries owns. It was featured in a gorgeous photography spread in one of the premiere real estate magazines just last month. I know that because I stared at those pictures for hours wishing that my place had the same views of Central Park and the skyline of the city.
"I can stop there," I offer because I know it will make not only his job easier, but mine as well. If I have the jewelry in hand, I can head straight to the Liore boutique to get started on choosing lingerie pieces to highlight at the pop-up event. "I mean I can swing by the hotel if you have someone bring the box down to the lobby from her suite."
He pulls a black key card from the drawer. "I don't want you to go out of your way, Tess. I can send someone over there now."
I nod as his fingers fly over the screen of his smartphone. He talks brusquely to the person who answers the call he just made. His jaw tenses as he's explains that it's an errand that needs to be run within the next thirty minutes. He dismisses the call curtly before he turns back to where I'm standing. "No one is free at the moment. I'll ride with you to the hotel and grab the box for you. I need to be a few blocks from there in an hour for a meeting."
Chapter 22
––––––––
I'd used the time in the car on the ride from the building that houses Gabriel's office to the suite where his mother has been staying to look through the lingerie that is featured on the Liore website. I'd listened half-heartily as he made one call after another all while telling his driver his schedule for the day. It was exhausting just listening to him.
"Tell me what you think of the design of the website, Tess." He tips his chin towards my smartphone. "Be honest."
He's not asking because he's pleased with it. I've worked with him long enough to know that the question is ripe with suggestion. I glance down at my phone one last time before I turn towards him.
"The flow is awkward." I point to the cart feature. "I put a few things in my cart to see how seamless the ordering process is but the software won't allow the option of viewing those items until I'm ready to check-out. It could stand to be improved."
His full lips curve into a sly smile as his dark eyes drop to my phone. "I've had those same thoughts since the design was unveiled. We've made improvements but the designer we have on staff can't grasp exactly what I envision."
"My best friend is a software wizard," I say proudly. "I know she could fix this right up."
"Does she need a job?"
I chuckle softly as I turn to look out the window at the busy mid-morning streets that are beginning to fill up with pedestrians. "She has a job but I can ask her if she knows anyone who can help."
"Give her this." His hand disappears momentarily into the inner pocket of his suit jacket before he pulls out a business card. "Ask her to call me."
I stare down at the raised lettering. "I will, Mr. Foster. I definitely will give this to Lilly."
***
"I have to take this, Tess. It's a call from our distributor overseas. I've been anxious to speak with her regarding our new line."
I look down at his smartphone. He'd answered it quickly when it rang and after speaking fluently in Italian briefly, he'd put the call on hold. We are standing just outside the double doors of his mother's hotel suite in a quiet corridor. The only other person I've noticed is an older woman dressed in a housekeeping uniform. She's busy organizing folded white towels on a metal cleaning cart.
"I can wait for you to finish the call." I point towards the elevator we just rode up in together. "I can go back down to the lobby."
"There's no need for that." His hand falls to the small of my back as he gestures towards a door at the end of the corridor. "That's our corporate suite. You'll find it comfortable."
I wait in silence as he speaks gently to the woman near the cleaning cart. She smiles brightly when he hands her a bill he pulls from his wallet. He nods towards me as she approaches.
"If there's anything you need, Ms. Marlow, please let me know." She opens the heavy wooden door with a swipe of the key card hanging from a chain around her waist. "Just dial '0' on the house phone."
I thank her quietly as I step over the threshold and into a small, beautifully decorated suite. If this is where Gabriel wants me to hang out, I'm not about to complain. I scan the view of the city that greets me as I walk towards the windows. It's breathtaking and as I stand in silence staring at it, I realize that I can hear muted voices. I turn to the left and that's when I notice the doors that lead to the adjoining room are both slightly ajar.
Chapter 23
––––––––
I've never been the type of person to stand close to others just so I can overhear a conversation. My father always told me and my siblings that if a person has something worth saying to you, that they'll say it to your face. I carried those words with me through high school and into my friendships in college as well. It wasn't always easy to turn the other cheek and ignore the whispers of others, especially when I knew the gossip they were spreading was about Ansel and me.