”I’ll check.” Maria headed for the door. ”And I’ll let you know about those reports.”

”Thanks.” Dar let out a breath, and went back to her task, concentrating for a minute, then dropping her pen down and leaning back, her expression thoughtful. After a moment, she got up and stretched, dropping her pen on the desk before she turned and strolled to the almost hidden door in the back of her office.

Pushing it open, she entered a long, utilitarian appearing hallway with walls on both sides, broken here and there by an anonymous door.

Whistling softly under her breath, Dar covered the length of it and paused before the door at the other end, then lifted her hand and knocked lightly on it.

The door opened so quickly she almost jumped back as a young woman of middling height and athletic build appeared in front of her.

“Whoa.”

“Hey.” Kerry Stuart entered the hallway, bumping her back a step and closing the door behind her. “I was just coming to look for you.”

She pushed the sleeves on her mint green linen shirt up past her elbows, and looked up at Dar, her pale hair ever so slightly disheveled. “What’s up?”“Word of warning. Maria heard rumors our new friend in Sales is after me,” Dar told her, with a wry expression. “And if she heard it, it must be white boarded over in Sales somewhere.”

Kerry rolled her eyes.

”Sorry.” Dar’s gaze dropped. “I didn’t expect that bit of my past to come back around and kick me in the ass this month.” She leaned against the wall and exhaled. “Like we don’t have enough problems.”

“Don’t worry about it, boss.” Kerry gave her a friendly pat on the side. “Thanks for the warning, but I can handle him,” she said. “I’ll let you know what happens in the meeting, okay?”

“Okay.” Dar stuck her hands in the slit pockets of her skirt. “See you later.” She gave Kerry a smile, then retreated back down the hallway to her own office.

Kerry watched Dar until she disappeared, then she leaned back against the wall, letting her head fall back against the hard surface.

“Well,” she said, after a moment. “No one ever said this job was going Hurricane Watch

5

to be easy now, did they?”

She pushed off the wall and re-entered her office, pausing at her desk long enough to pick up her mug and then heading out the front door into the hallway.

Unlike the back corridor, the walls here were covered in stately and expensive textured weave, and the floor was covered in dark carpet.

Kerry walked a few steps on it before she turned into the break room and proceeded over to the counter at the rear of it.

“Morning, Kerry,” a woman seated at one of the tables greeted her.

“Morning,” Kerry replied cordially. She removed a canister from one of the cupboards and took a tea ball from it, setting it into her cup and running hot water over it. A gentle steam of raspberry and cream emerged.

“How was your weekend?” the woman asked. “Do anything interesting?” She was flipping through a fashion magazine in a bored manner.

“Not really,” Kerry replied. “Just did some stuff around the h...apartment. You know laundry, that sort of stuff.” She half turned.

“What about you, Margie?”

The other woman was looking at her. “Same stuff,” she agreed.

“Thought you were away somewhere. I didn’t see your car in the lot,”

she added. “My boyfriend lives in your complex.”

Kerry picked up her cup and stirred it. “It was in the shop,” she answered, after a brief pause. “But it’s true. I’m not around a lot. This place keeps me pretty busy.” She took a sip of her tea. “How are things over in Marketing?”

Margie closed her magazine. “Same dry stuff, different end market.

You know the drill. Nothing exciting happening around here, I guess.”

She gave Kerry a faint, speculative smile.” Though I hear there might be some action over in Sales coming your way.”

Kerry shrugged. “Show me the money,” she remarked. “Then we can talk. So far all I’ve heard is some pretty unrealistic projections.”

Margie got up and brushed off her silk dress. “Well, that’s not my area,” she said. “See ya.” She detoured around where Kerry was standing. “Nice shirt,” she added. “Doesn’t Dar have one just like it?”

With a grin, she walked out and left Kerry alone in the break room.

“HELLO, STEVEN.” DAR stood quietly behind her desk, her hands resting on the surface, as he entered. “My assistant said you wanted a minute. That’s all I’ve got.”

”Well, well, well, look at what we have here. If it isn’t my old and best buddy, Dar Roberts.” Steven sauntered in, shutting the door behind him as he crossed the room towards her.

He hadn’t changed much, Dar noted. Still tall, with a sleek, runner’s physique, and thick, dark hair. His hazel eyes studied her as he 6

Melissa Good

came forward, and that slick, toothy smile creased his face as he held a hand out. ”Been a while, hasn’t it?”

Not nearly long enough. Dar reluctantly took his grip, and returned the strong handshake with one of her own. ”Certainly has,” she’d replied evenly. “I believe the last time I saw you was right after you were thrown out of school that last semester.”

”Mm...yes, and you enjoyed engineering that, didn’t you?” he chuckled. ”That’s okay, no hard feelings. After all, things turned out all right, didn’t they? Here we both are.” He’d spread his arms out. ”My office isn’t as nice as this one.” Now he turned his eyes on her. ”Maybe that’ll change soon.”

Dar had merely lifted an eyebrow and refused to take the bait.

”Well, best of luck to you,” she’d said, keeping a neutral expression.

A knock came at the inner door. “C’mon in,” Dar called out, half turning her head to watch as Kerry entered.

Kerry had passed through the sunlight pouring in her window, burnishing her pale hair, and highlighting her graceful physique. ”I’ve got those reports,” she said, giving Steven a curious look, then turning her attention to Dar. ”That New York center is going to be almost impossible to complete. Verizon is projecting sixty days to pull the circuits.”

”Not good enough,” Dar had said, tersely. ”I’ll see what I can do.”

She turned to where Steven was watching with interest. ”Kerry, this is Steven Fabricini, José’s new AVP,” she stated. ”This is Kerry Stuart, my right hand, and our Director of Operations.”

Kerry almost, almost smiled at that. Dar could see the crinkling of the skin around her eyes as she extended a courteous hand to Steven.

”Pleased to meet you.”

”Likewise, I’m sure,” he said lazily, giving her a charming smile.

”We’ll be working very closely together, I can see that.”

Kerry merely nodded, then turned and slipped out, leaving them alone again.

”Well, well, Dar, you old whore. Your taste certainly has improved.” Steven laughed. ”That’s a nice piece of ass.”

Dar felt an odd, cold flush come over her, and she realized almost too late he was trying to get under her skin. Her jaw tightened on her first, instinctual reaction and she used leaning against her chair back to give her a moment to revise it before she answered. “Discriminatory comments about employees are against policy, Steven.”

He laughed. “That’s right. Straight arrow stickler for policy, weren’t you? How could I forget?” His expression shifted. “She know you’re gay?”

Dar merely stared back at him. “Your minute’s up.”

”Ah now, Dar.” He stood up, that obnoxious smile sliding onto his face. ”You’ve got everyone here so blinded by that kiss my ass attitude, but I know better.” He pointed a finger at her. ”I know you, and that’s Hurricane Watch

7

how I'm going to beat you.”

Dar looked at him coolly. ”Steven, I’m not the person you knew back then. Be careful you don’t promise things you can’t deliver.”

“Aren’t you?” Fabricini asked. “I guess we’ll find out. I know I’m a lot smarter than I was back then,” he said. “Smart enough to know a status quo that needs rupturing when I see it.” He turned and sauntered out, waggling his fingers at her as he left the office. “Do yourself a favor, and just stay out of my way.”

Dar sighed, and sat down in her chair. “I swear I should go run a taco stand on South Beach.” She propped her head up on her fist.

“Worst thing I’d have to worry about there is drunken rollerbladers.”

Her phone buzzed. “Dar?” Maria’s voice echoed softly. “Are you ready for the conference call?”

“Yeah,” Dar said. “It’ll go through lunch. Mind bringing me back something?” She looked over at the fish, studying their twitching motions. “Too bad they don’t have sushi.”

“Como?”

“Never mind. Put ‘em through.”

THE MEETING ROOM was small, only an oval table, with six chairs around it, and a whiteboard against the beige corded wall covering. Currently four people were seated around the table, three of them staring across the table at the fourth.

”I’m sorry. I’m not sure I understand the question,” Kerry stated, turning her pencil in her hands, and peering patiently across the table. José, Eleanor and Steven rounded out the participants, and Kerry had the very uncomfortable sensation of being a rabbit in a cage with three hungry snakes.

Fortunately, she sighed, rabbits did have claws, and teeth, and could use them when needed. ”What does half a dozen prospective leads that haven’t even gone to bid status have to do with projections from last year?”

Steven Fabricini had been very obviously miffed that Dar had sent her, Kerry realized, but she also understood why her boss had done so.