Page 10 of The Prince's Game
I followed him past the reception area’s couches and the double doors of an ornate conference room. The desk he led me to in the walled corner was boring by comparison and void of any decor, but I could see into his office from the chair.
“Here’s a list of what I need done.” Evan waved a hand toward a stack of papers with a note on top. “I’ll be in my office, if you have any questions.”
I picked up the list. He wanted a spreadsheet reformatted and two memos edited, a stack of business cards needed to be added to his electronic contacts, and five meetings needed rescheduling. This was supposed to keep me busy all day?
“Okay.” I sat down and fussed with the chair while he looked on expectantly. “Oh, I don’t have any questions.”
“All right, then. No cameras in my office,” he said to Paul as he disappeared and closed the door.
“Cut.” Paul sauntered over and leaned against the desk. “Nonchalant was not the way I expected you to play it, but I like it. What else are you planning?”
“Right now?” I picked up the stack of crap and dropped it beside the keyboard. “I’m going to get this done.”Have fun filming it.
He frowned. “You’re not going to wander in there and ask questions? You know, as a way to get to know him?”
“I think he made it clear he doesn't want to be bothered at the moment, so I’ll play along for now.” Besides, the computer had internet.Excellent.
5
Mershano Standoff
My tasks were done. I considered informing my “boss,” but he was on a call, so I pulled up my work email. One of my clients sent a proof back with edits. It was a human resources ad for an accounting firm in Chicago. I tinkered with the programs on the computer and found one that worked, and then I pulled up the design and started making the requested adjustments.
“Thought you might want lunch, since someone rudely forgot to offer.” Brenda tossed a sandwich on my desk. The makeup artist flashed me a smile. “I hope you like turkey.”
“Thanks.” It was after twelve. The crew members took a break to eat their lunches, but it was short-lived. They sprung into action as Evan’s parents stepped out of the elevator.
“No filming,” Ellen snapped when the camera turned on. “All crew off the floor.Now.I need a private moment with my son.”
I set my sandwich down and made to leave, but Jonah caught me by the arm. He was as tall as Evan and had to lean down to whisper in my ear. “Can you stay and make sure the cameras don’t come up here while we’re chatting?”
“Uh, yeah, sure.” My hesitation was in part due to his request, but it was more a result of his manhandling. He held me too close for a man who didn’t know my name.
“Thanks, dear.” My skin crawled as he rubbed his palm up and down my arm before returning to his livid wife. She supervised the crew as they packed up their cameras. When the last one left the floor, she marched over to the executive office door and threw it open.
“You are unbelievable, Evan!”
“I’m sorry, Monsieur Delante. I’m going to need to call you back. Oui. Au revoir.” He set down the phone. “Hello, Mother. To what do I owe the pleasure? Father.” The latter was added as an afterthought.
“Son.” His father used the same curt tone.
“Oh, you know exactly why we’re here.” Ellen slammed the door, not that it shielded their voices from the reception area. I tried to finish my sandwich, but it was tasteless. I set it aside as Ellen ripped into her son. “We only agreed to your idea of putting the girls to work because you promised to socialize with them in each area. It’s one o’clock, and you haven’t left your office! You haven’t even socialized with yourassistant.”
“There are cameras everywhere, Mother. I’m watching.”
There weren’t any cameras in the lobby. None that were obvious anyway, but just in case, I engrossed myself in work again as the argument flowed in the background.
“Don’t you lie to me, young man. We both know you’re up here working.”
“Yes, well, multitasking between a frivolous dating show and a multibillion-dollar company is time consuming.” His deep voice was underlined with a patience I admired. This was the man who owned a successful, lucrative company. He would have to be well versed in restraint. “I’ll get to the girls in a bit.”
That didn’t pacify Ellen. “Our deal was very simple, Evan. You either take this seriously or you hand over the reins to Wyatt.”
“Mother, I agreed to be on this ridiculous show. I’ve been nothing but pleasant to the gold diggers taking over my hotel, and I’ve tolerated that ridiculous director stalking around like he owns the place. I’ll propose to one of the debutantes at the end, and if she accepts, she’ll become my wife. All toappeaseyou, Mother. So do not start with the threats again. I know what my inheritance clause states despite it being an archaic stipulation you refuse to grant me leniency on.”
Well,that’sinteresting. I gave up all pretenses of working; the marketing ad paled in comparison to what was going on behind the door.
“Part of our agreement was for you totry. Picking a woman who denies you at the end because you ignored her the entire time goes against our terms.”
