Page 35 of If You Could Only Imagine
Either way, when he started calling me Ms. Hart and treating me as I had requested, well that had fucked with my emotions even more. I was so confused, and I let him-willingly, again-make me forget all the reasons we were a bad idea.
And, once again, I was in the women’s restroom hiding like a fool.
In the rom-coms, there was always a restroom attendant who you poured your heart out to, and then, miraculously had all the answers to solve all your problems. Well, we didn’t have a restroom attendant who had all the answer at BI. It was just me, the paper-free hand dryers and tampon dispenser.
The truth of the matter was, my issues weren’t all that complex. I was keeping Aiden at arm’s length because of my perceived notions about people with money, status and the heartbreak I’ve witnessed involving interracial couples.
I was basically blaming him for the world’s problems.
Intellectually, I knew he didn’t have any control over his life growing up. He couldn’t be blamed for being born white. Or rich. Or successful. Or hot. Or sexy. Or hung like a goddamn horse. None of it was his fault, and I was treating him as if it was.
I wasn’t being fair to him and I hated that let it get this far without having the balls to be a grownup and just talk with the man. I was attracted to him and I had turned this entire ordeal into a full-blown circus because I thought he was too good for me in all the ways that counted.
Eyeing the countertop, I wondered how bad it would look if someone caught me banging my head against it. I mean, would it look like I needed to be locked up?
The door to the restroom opened, putting a halt to my insane mental ramblings. I looked up to see the one and only, Shane Buchanan, walking in. I silently wondered how it was that I kept running into her in here when she had her own private office.
And then a thought occurred to me.
I turned towards the smiling beauty and blurted out, “Are you stalking me?”
Shane’s face blanked out, and she just blinked at me twice before her shock subsided. “Uh, not the first time I ran into you here,” she replied.
“But you’re stalking me now?” I asked, standing up and cocking my head at the woman.
She smiled and there was just no accusing this woman of any sinister intent. “Yes,” she declared. “I couldn’t find you in your office and so I decided to try in here.”
Jesus Christ.Didn’t this woman know who she was? She wasShane Fucking Buchanan.She had one of the most powerful men in the country in her pocket and one of the most powerful family names standing behind her, but she felt like she needed to chase me down for a meeting with her? “Shane, why wouldn’t you just schedule a meeting with me, or call me up, and order me to your office?” I asked, completely dumbfounded.
One perfectly arched brow lifted. “I don’t order anyone to do anything, Denise,” she replied, sounding a bit hurt.
I immediately felt like shit.
It wasn’t her fault I was stupid over her brother-in-law and making a mess of my life. I let out a regretful sigh. “I’m sorry, Shane,” I apologized. “I didn’t mean-”
Her face gave way to another beaming smile, and she flapped her hand at me. “Oh, don’t worry about it,” she said, graciously. “I’d be a rambling, babbling mess, too, if I came to work one morning to find out the entire building knew I was sleeping with Aiden, only to have a meeting with HR, and then another one with Mason, then to hear about an actual fistfight with their father, with it all ending in some awesome office sex.” She let out a low whistle. “Girl, I don’t know what your spine is made of, but to still be in this building facing down all these people…well, damn, woman,” she chuckled. “Just damn.”
My eyes widened at what she just said. “Oh, my God!” I squealed. “Everyone knows I had sex with Aiden in his office earlier?”
“Oh, no,” she gasped, reaching out and grabbing my hands in hers. “I’m sorry, Denise. I just threw that in because…well, I know the Buchanan men and when Mason told me you went to meet with Aiden after the fight…well…” She shrugged and left it at that, letting go of my hands.
All the breath left my lungs in complete relief. “Jesus, woman,” I chastised. “You scared the hell out of me.”
She laughed her lyrical butterfly laugh, and it was no wonder Mason Buchanan was an idiot for this wonderful person standing before me. “So, back to why I was stalking you,” she began again. I just nodded for her to continue, because I really had no words. “I made my decision to try to keep The Morgan Corporation a go and I need you on my team.” She winced. “Well, I’dliketo have you on my team,” she amended.
My breath faltered a bit.Holy shit!Shane Buchanan was handing me everything I needed to get my life back on track. I already knew I wanted to work for her when the rumors started, but now, in light of all the drama surrounding me and Aiden, this was literally the answer to a lot of my indecision.
It felt like a life raft after a sinking.
“The entire corporation?” I asked, fully aware of just how huge The Morgan Corporation was.
She shook her head. “No. I don’t have the time, experience, or confidence to tackle something that big,” she clarified. “Mason’s going to separate the corporation’s components and leave me to run its marketing division. But I’ll still need all the things BI has now, as far a finance department, a marketing department, a proposal department and a few employees to actually be successful and a full subsidiary of Buchanan Industries.”
I smiled at her enthusiasm and professionalism. It was no secret that her husband handed her the company, but she seemed determine to make it her own and prove the haters wrong. “I would love to work for you, Shane.”
“Nope,” she said, popping the ‘p’ and shaking her head again. “You will be workingwithme, Denise. As will everyone who comes on board.” Then she gave me a sheepish smile. “My last name might be Buchanan, but I am anything but.”
This woman really didn’t know who she was. “Shane, total honesty here, I think you areTheBuchanan and you just don’t realize it,” I said as if I was revealing this huge secret.
