“That will happen someday. For now, I need to prove to you I’m trustworthy. Just don’t forget to put this as a win in my good Daddy column,” he whispered to her.
Belinda nodded. He was always so nice when she automatically expected the worst from him. She needed to stop that. “Sorry.”
“We’ll talk about the men you’ve dated sometime. Remember, I’m different. Now, go do what the chief of technology does, and I’ll go through all my email. I’ll meet you at the elevator for our first meeting in forty-five minutes.” With a wave, he wandered down the hallway toward his office.
It wasn’t until she saw him take a drink from her coffee mug that she realized he'd never given it back. She looked down at the half-finished smoothie and lifted it to her lips. Drawing on the straw, she enjoyed the concoction and the view of his perfectly toned ass walking down the hall. Mmm!
* * *
“Okay,only one more day of meetings and you’ll have met the leaders of the largest departments here on this Edgewater campus. There are others internationally, of course. My plan was to meet with them virtually next week,” Belinda shared.
“Has your admin already booked those?” Pedro asked, glancing at her as they strolled back to Tower B at the end of the day.
“She has. Would you like to be included? Fair warning—she set some up in the middle of the night.”
“Thank you for the invitation. I would like to join you. This is going well, I think. I’ve learned a lot that I think I wouldn’t have immediately on my own. Everyone trusts and respects you. You’ve obviously built a reputation for being approachable and willing to help. I can tell why Easton chose you for your job.”
“Thanks.” She stared at him silently for a few seconds before admitting, “I really wanted to hate you even though I knew you were exactly what Edgewater Industries needed.”
“I know,” he said quietly. “In the world of consulting, you work with people for a short period. My job has been to jump in and make sweeping changes for a corporation. That always affects people’s jobs. I stand behind everything I implement. Those were the necessary decisions, but I’m glad to be here for the long-term to alter the most important needs immediately and the lesser ones over time.”
“Easton takes care of his people. He would have never hired a hatchet man,” Belinda told him.
After nodding his agreement, Pedro asked, “Do you have time for dinner tonight?”
“Aren’t you getting tired of me? We’ve spent a lot of time together.”
“Never. I’d like to go for a run when I get home to unwind, then I’ll come get you for dinner if you don’t mind waiting.”
“I don’t mind.” Belinda paused for a minute. “Could I run with you for a while? I’m not very athletic, but I’ve been sitting forever. I’d like to move a bit, too.”
“I’d love it. It’s a date.”
She opened her mouth to comment on his choice of that word, but muffled sobs caught her attention. Searching for the source of the anguish, Belinda spotted Cynthia sitting on a bench. Her body language screamed that something was wrong.
“I have to go talk to her. Give me thirty minutes to see if I can help and change clothes?” Belinda asked Pedro.
“Of course. I don’t want to leave you, but I don’t know…” Pedro paused as he searched for her name.
“Cynthia. It’s probably something work or man related. I’ll pull in someone to help if I can’t,” Belinda promised with a small wave.
Heading for the culinary wizard in the Edgewater complex’s cafeteria, Belinda wondered what could be happening. It looked like Cynthia’s world had just exploded.
“Cynthia?” Belinda asked, sitting on the bench next to her. “Is everything okay?”
“No. It very definitely isn’t okay,” Cynthia almost laughed as she spit out that last word.
“What can I do?” Belinda asked.
“I don’t think there’s anything anyone can do.” Cynthia looked at Belinda with wild eyes. “No one will believe me.”
“I’ll believe you, Cynthia,” Belinda said firmly. She didn’t know what was going on but was confident that the hardworking woman wasn’t capable of anything serious.
“What’s going on?” Belinda probed.
“He did it. He maneuvered and lied until everything was wrapped up in a neat packet. Please. I have to figure a way out of this. If something happens, would you talk to Mr. Edgewater and tell him I didn’t do it vindictively? I wouldn’t ever do this on my own,” Cynthia pleaded.
“You’re scaring me, Cynthia. Let’s go talk to Easton together. He’ll listen to whatever you need to tell him and… he’ll help,” Belinda urged. She stood and held out a hand to Cynthia. Easton would find time in his schedule if she escorted the woman to his office—even without her there, he’d talk to the visibly upset woman they all loved.