Overcoming Fear (Growing Pains #2)(106)

Sean stopped in their walk and stared. “How could you possibly know that?”

Tory just smiled, continuing to walk. “Apparently the CFO is g*y. Marcus and him are…good friends. I hear.”

“So Marcus is definitely switching from us to you, then,” Sean said levelly.

“He has given a verbal agreement.”

“He has no one to decipher his ideas.”

“I am sure I can find someone to work with him if Krista won’t. Or Ben.”

Sean stopped up short, “You’re approaching Ben?”

A shrewd look passed over Tory’s features. “Have approached. I haven’t received an answer yet. It seems Krista’s loyalty is to you, and Ben’s loyalty is to Krista. Which means you and I have business. More business, I should say.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say, Tory. They are valuable assets. I will try to keep both of them if I can.”

“I realize that, Sean. But if I am not mistaken, you have feelings for Krista, and Ben is a friend. Surely you must have their best interest at heart? Krista thinks you do…”

Sean stayed silent. She did. She trusted him. If he said stay, she would. She would stay in her dead-end job until she couldn’t stand it. He still didn’t think he deserved her trust, but since she bestowed it, he would protect it. “I’ll think about it.”

“Do. Think about it. Talk to her. I’ll try to win her either way, but hopefully you’ll realize that what’s best for her is with me, and you’ll help her.”

After a while in silence, Tory said, “Emily hopes you have reconciled. I agree. You are a good team.”

~*~*~*~

Later that day Krista found her way back in a fog. Surprise her, they did. The spa was filled with masters! From the second she stepped through their doors and gave them her name she was pampered and fawned over. She had a facial, a mud bath and a massage. By the time they were done she had to be poured out.

Once in the room she noticed Sean wasn’t there, also noticed she had a missed call from him, and laid down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. She should call him back. But she didn’t want to move. Ever again.

Laziness won out.

Sometime later, how much time was impossible to say, there was a knock at the door. It didn’t sound like room service, but it was past time for her to have left. She hefted herself to the door, saw it was Sean, smiled, and headed back to lay down.

“You okay?” he asked in concern.

“Very okay. They were fabulous. I am exhausted from being pampered. How did it go with Tory?”

“It went…okay.”

There was something odd in Sean’s voice. Something on edge. Something very much didn’t go okay.

“Is the account okay?” she asked, turning to him, trying to read his face. He did look concerned, also sunkissed and glorious. She tried to push his godliness out of her mind, but it was damn hard to be serious when a person was so relaxed. No wonder Marcus was never concerned. She had to ask him his secret.

Sean studied her for a minute, but she couldn’t tell what the problem was. She got a stab of fear that it was her. Maybe she didn’t do as well as she thought.

Before she could ask, he said, “The account is great. He is, um, aware of the size of staff we have working on it.”

Sigh, not her, then. “Is that bad? I mean, we are giving him everything we were asked for. Sometimes more. And fast, too, right? Didn’t John say we are doing everything well and at light speed?”

“I know. That’s the point. We have a few people churning out large quantities of excellent work. Our company isn’t known to handle large clients all that well, let alone a gigantic client. With a small staff. It has impressed Tory, which is hard to do.”

Krista nearly went searching in her bag for her dunce cap. She flat out couldn’t see the problem. “But...isn’t that a good thing? I mean...we are doing good work. Isn’t he pleased of what we can accomplish?”

“Very, yes.”

“Right. Okay, I am not understanding what the problem is...”

Sean sat down in the chair in the corner of the room. He leaned back and crossed his long legs. “Tory took his business and made it into the giant it is. Many conglomerates change CEO’s like they are going out of style. Any hiccup, any negative change with stockholdings, and they change leadership. It’s a hard position. Tory has been in that position for over fifteen years, and increased their value every year. Even in a bad economic climate. Many call him a genius at business. It’s hard to impress a man like him. He has seen it all and usually sees through all facades. But we impressed him.” Sean finished and stared out the window in consternation.

So…that sounded great. Krista would be smiling instead of moping. Her dunce cap felt a little tight. “And why aren’t we supposed to feel good about that?”

He turned his currently sun infused eyes on her. His blond hair made his tanned skin seem exotic, as if they were in the Bahamas. His arms showed his muscle definition even when he was relaxed. Krista forgot the point and got a pang of longing. If she wasn’t so relaxed she’d try to get some sex orchestrated.

“To impress Tory is great news, yes.”

Krista tried really hard to focus. She couldn’t stop looking at his bulge, though.