Free Business and Pleasure by Jinni James

the middle of something.
    Alex, I am surrounded by some of the most
beautiful flowers I have ever seen. Thank you.
    He responds immediately.
    You are most welcome. Have a wonderful day.
I will be in touch soon. ;-)
    As much as I don’t want to end the
conversation with him, I know I have to get some work done. I set
my phone aside, settle into my chair, and open my email. Not
surprisingly, there are at least twenty messages sitting here
waiting on my attention. Seems as if everyone spent their weekend
sending emails. Everyone but me, that is , I think with a
smile.
    I’ve made my way through three manuscripts
when my phone alerts me to an incoming text. A quick glance tells
me it’s from Alex.
    Elizabeth, I think something is going on
with Christina and your CFO. C’s been very testy today. I don’t
know what’s going on, but they’re on the phone together
now .
    What could Christina and Bob possibly have
to discuss? Alex already told her he’s no longer interested in my
company, so why would she still be talking to Bob? Had they
developed an interest in one another? I snort at the thought.
Highly unlikely. Bob is hardly Christina’s type. Maybe they’re
conspiring together. I know Bob was upset with me for not selling,
but I would never imagine he’d go behind my back in an attempt to
undermine me. Not only that, but what can he possibly do? Deciding
I need to get to the bottom of this immediately, I leave my office
and head for Bob’s. If they’re still on the phone together, I can
confront him, and he’ll be forced to tell me what’s going on.
    As I pass my reception area, Natalie glances
up and gives me a curious look.
    “Hold all my calls,” I tell her as I walk
pass. “I’ll be right back.”
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    As I near Bob’s office, I can hear him
talking. Good. He’s still on the phone, and for some reason, he
left his door open. How odd. But his lapse in etiquette works to my
advantage right now. As I get closer, I can hear some of the
conversation.
    “I don’t know, Christina. I tried to talk
her into it. Yes, I think she and Alexander are seeing each other.
Yes, I agree with you.”
    That’s all the information I need. I walk
into his office without knocking or otherwise announcing my
presence. The look on Bob’s face is the classic I got caught
with my hand in the cookie jar expression. Talk about
priceless.
    “I’ll call you back,” he says, and quickly
disconnects the call.
    “You didn’t even give Christina a chance to
say good-bye, Bob. Don’t you think that was rather rude?”
    He makes an obvious attempt to compose
himself, but I can tell by the look on his face that he’s trying to
hide something.
    “Christina who?”
    I walk farther inside the office and come to
a stop right in front of his desk.
    “Do not attempt to play me, Bob.” I look him
straight in the eye. “I know you were just talking to Christina
Miller from Preston Enterprises.”
    Bob leaps to his feet. I’m guessing he
doesn’t like me towering over him while we’re having a
confrontational conversation.
    “That was not Christina Miller.”
    I cross my arms and tilt my head, amused and
yet also annoyed he’d try to lie after I caught him red-handed.
“I’m warning you now; do not lie to me .”
    “Elizabeth, I—”
    His intercom buzzes, and then his
assistant’s voice comes over the speaker. “Mr. Barnes, there is a
Christina Miller on line one for you.”
    Bob fixes his gaze on his desk, as if it’s
suddenly the most interesting piece of furniture he’s ever seen. He
clears his throat, and then says, “Thank you, Jane.”
    I shake my head. What a piece of work he is.
“So, you weren’t talking to Christina Miller, huh? Then why, may I
ask, is she calling you now?”
    He says nothing, so I prod him a little
more. “Well? Go ahead, Bob. Answer the phone.”
    He’s sweating bullets, and shaking like it’s
ten below zero in here.
    “No, wait. You know what? I think I’ll take
this call