Then it hit me. Tasha had always greeted everyone; it was the part of her that didn't fit the Ice Queen reputation she'd been given. The difference was now everyone was noticing her. The acknowledgment, as small as a nod from a senior executive, was lighting Tasha up like a Roman candle.
And now they were in awe.
Everyone except the large security guard who ruled the front desk. He saw her but took his time finishing his crossword puzzle before he set it down to greet her. "Must be nice to get new work clothes," he said.
Tasha stopped and leaned on his desk, causing a few co-workers to bump into each other behind her. "Otto, I keep telling you all you have to do is ask for a new uniform," she said.
Otto watched the gawkers with a stern stare. "The last thing I need is for my team to think they're flashy. It'd go straight to their heads, and they'd never get any work done."
Tasha laughed. "Someone should have told our CFO that fact."
"Yeah, I've been noticing an upswing in new suits and back-slapping. The valets keep calling Jim over here and raving about new sports cars." Otto shook his head, checked a monitor, and then whacked Jim on the shoulder. "Swing by the coffee bar. We never have that many customers at this time of day."
I stopped my slow shuffle around the security desk to let Jim pass. Tasha was lingering longer than I thought she would; she actually knew the head of security by name, and they talked like old friends. I had to take out my phone and pretend to check emails just to have a reason to slow down.
"Speaking of coffee, I just happened to go by your favorite place, and mocha was on special." Tasha pushed the cup she had been holding towards Otto.
"Now you?" Otto asked. He took the cup, sipped it, and shook his head. "Throwing your money around like it's confetti, eh, Ms. Nichols?"
"Don't worry, I won't lose my head," Tasha said.
"Pity. If anyone deserves to let loose, it's you," Otto said. "What's your sister say about all this?"
Tasha laughed, a lovely relaxed lilt that I had never heard before. "Is she checking up on me?"
"The orange trees." Otto nodded over to the large planters and lush indoor trees. "She spent one afternoon here, and they've never looked better in their lives."
"Barbie's not impressed. You know her." Tasha caught sight of me and stood up.
Otto shifted too, turning his bull-like frame. He glanced from me back to Tasha, and one eyebrow quirked up. "Well, you listen to your sister. Never met a more level-headed lady. She's going to make a wonderful mama."
My phone burst out with the urgent staccato rhythm Topher had programmed as his ring. I almost dropped the damn thing and fumbled to hit ignore. Once the call was sent to voice mail, I raised it to my ear and pretended to listen. I had learned more about Tasha in two minutes of eavesdropping than I had in a year and I wasn't ready to be interrupted.
Otto raised his other dark eyebrow at me. "Come on, Ms. Nichols; let's get you to the elevator."
"What's with the special treatment?" Tasha asked.
Otto lumbered out from behind the security desk and hooked one hand into his belt next to his gun. The other arm raised up to direct and shield Tasha. "I got my orders, and you've got a lot of extra attention this morning."
I trailed after them to the elevator bank, sure the security guard was clocking my every step even though his back was to me. Otto towered above the crowd of suits at the elevator bank, and they all shifted aside as he moved Tasha through to the front. Jim gave a grim nod from the now-crowded coffee bar, but Otto did not leave Tasha's side until the elevator doors opened.
"Morning, Mr. Maxwell," Otto said as I slipped around him and into the elevator next to Tasha.
He'd never spoken to me before, and the greeting was an intimidating mix of warning and something else. His stony stare charged me with keeping our girl safe. I nodded to him and fought the urge to tug at my tight collar. The head of security's sharp perceptions were unnerving.
The elevator doors slid closed, and James Berger let out a whistle. "Ms. Nichols, you are looking sharp today."
Tasha gave him an arched look and said, "Thank you."
I bristled as James' eyes roamed over her. I shifted in the crowded elevator so that my back blocked James. Tasha glanced up at me with a frown. The move was too proprietary, and James was already giving his cronies speculative looks.
"New clothes?" I asked Tasha. "Let me guess: that's as wild as you got with your windfall. I bet the rest is waiting for your new financial advisor to ferret it all away."
"What's wrong with that?" Tasha asked.
I shrugged as James and his cronies chuckled. "Nothing. Just kind of boring, don't you think? Now, if you want to really know how to act like a billionaire, I'm willing to give lessons."
"Well, I'm not willing to lower my standards," Tasha said. The elevator doors opened as if on cue, and she swept out and down the office hallway.