SHE WORE RED
"Manuel," Juliet smiled flirtatiously at her hair stylist in the salon's mirror. "When are you going to let me fuck you?"
Manuel was a beautiful man. Flawless, caramel-colored skin and perfect, soft, dark hair, and a ripped body to die for. His style was nearly as impeccable as Juliet's and his pedicure just as immaculate in the sandals he wore in the salon that day. As he blow-dried her style in place, he raised a curious and hopeful eyebrow at her in the mirror. "Did you suddenly grow a dick overnight?"
Juliet let out a defeated sigh and pouted at him in the mirror. "No. But come on, you gotta at least be a little curious."
"Sweetheart, you're stunning," he assured her in his thick Puerto Rican accent. "You're insanely hot, ridiculously sexy, and if I was straight I'd be on you like a cheap suit on a car salesman. But I have absolutely no...attraction to that situation you have going on under your belt, there."
"So...what about the rest of me?"
"Honey, I only want to touch you to get an idea of what I'd want my own implants to feel like."
Juliet curled her nose up, dejected. "That's a shame. Because I'd fuck you. I'd do it right here. You're hot."
"Well, thank you, you're making me blush. Introduce me to a hot man and I might let you watch."
"It's not the same," she pouted.
They were quiet for a moment as he worked on her hair. She'd only gone in for a trim, but she always stayed so that he could style it for his own benefit. They went through this exact same exchange every time she came to the salon. The truth was, Manuel was safe. He was the only man she truly cared about and she knew it was only because he was homosexual and there was no chance in hell that anything would ever happen between them. Anytime she needed a platonic, male companion, Manuel was always there for her. Sometimes he was a better girlfriend than Beth was.
"I wish you'd stop trimming your hair," he lamented as he turned off the blow dryer.
"I'm letting it grow," she argued.
"I know. But the constant trimming isn't necessary."
"You know I only do it to come see you."
"Jules," he said, his voice softening. He turned her around in her chair so that he could look into her eyes. "Why don't you let me set you up on a date? A real date."
She scowled at him, knowing exactly what he was referring to. "I go on plenty of dates, I can find my own."
"You know what I mean."
"Because I'm perfectly happy the way things are now."
"The only reason you come and see me as often as you do is so you can talk to a man. You need male companionship."
"What? So you don't want to be my friend anymore? I can't come visit my friends?"
"That's not what I'm saying. You know what I'm saying."
"I'm happy," she spat at him, knowing that her face contradicted her words.
"You're thirty-three years old and you've never been out with a man more than once. Not a single one. There's something wrong with that."
"Manuel, I came here to have my hair done, not come to a therapy session. Who licensed you, anyway?"
"The state of New York, as a matter of fact."
Juliet glared up at his deep, brown eyes. It was true. Manuel was a licensed therapist who much preferred life in the salon. This was another frequent conversation that Juliet hated having. Just because he was licensed to tell her what to do with her life, didn't mean that he should.
"You know, between you and Beth, I don't even know who's on my side anymore."
"We are both on your side. You know that. We always have been."
"So why are you so interested in my...in my sex life? If I didn't want things exactly like they are, they wouldn't be that way. I could have a relationship if I wanted it."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Fine." He said in defeat, straightening his body up and turning around to his counter to retrieve a brush. "When you're ready to stop being lonely, come see me. I know plenty of men. Good men. Straight ones."
"I never said I was lonely," she muttered to herself. She watched Manuel as he finished her hair in the mirror. Who did he think he was? What did he know? She wasn't lonely.
Was she?
____________________________________________________
Eric stared up at the indoor rock wall as he stepped into the gym. He loved climbing. He loved relieving the tension, he loved to feel the burn in his muscles, he loved the adrenaline rush when he reached a new height. He loved the challenges of tackling different walls and he loved the way his brain was constantly working right along with his feet. Climbing was probably the most rewarding, most well-rounded workout a person could get.
Besides all that, it was just fun.
Sauntering over to a small desk by the office, Eric leaned against it and waited for his trainer, Ted, to come out and meet him. Eric didn't actually need a trainer--Ted was the only belayer he trusted not to let him fall.
As he waited, Eric glanced at his reflection in the glass door and ran his hand through his short, blonde hair. He always kept his hair cropped close to his head, unlike his brother, and it was so short that it stayed in a perpetual spike every time he did it. He'd considered wearing it spiky on several occasions, but he wasn't comfortable with the way it looked, so he hurriedly smoothed it back down again with his palm.
During his vain exchange between himself and his hair, something caught the corner of his eye on the desk. He wasn't sure what compelled him to do it, but he found himself glancing over at Ted's appointment sheet that lay in the open on the wooden surface. Even more out of his norm, he pulled a corner of it closer to him and his eyes widened as they fell on Juliet Carson's name the moment Ted walked out the office door.
It was too late to save face now, Eric was too intrigued. He knew Ted had caught him snooping and he didn't care. He felt too much like he'd won the lottery. "Eric," he smiled knowingly. "You're early."
"Actually, you're late," Eric corrected him.
"Well. Excuse me. See anything that interested you?"
"I did," Eric admitted. "Do you train Juliet Carson?"
Ted eyed him suspiciously. "I'm not really supposed to say, but since you've made it your business, what if I did? What's it to you?"
"Um," Eric replied, realizing what he must have looked and sounded like in that moment based on how he felt. "I mean, I just find the fact that she climbs a little hard to believe."
"Why?" Ted smirked. "She's not allowed to climb?"
Eric swallowed hard. "Well, I mean...that's not what I mean, I just--"
"I'm not sleeping with her," Ted blurted. "If that's what you're thinking. I don't sleep with my clients. I'm not one of...them."
"One of who?"
"Come on," Ted taunted. "I'm not...you know, like a notch on her bedpost. It's not like that. She comes in, she climbs, she leaves. And she climbs better than you do, might I add."
"Yeah?" Eric challenged him.
"Yeah. That's right."
"Put me on her course, then."
Ted laughed out loud. Obnoxiously. Doubled over. It was almost humiliating. When he'd calmed himself seconds later, he looked Eric square in the eye. "You wouldn't survive it."
"That's bullshit," Eric argued. "She's a woman. You can't tell me she climbs a course that I couldn't climb through twice before she was finished with it."
Ted's eyes widened and then he nodded. "Okay. Okay, fine. Sure. I'll put you on her course. As a matter of fact, I'll put you on the one she completed in record time this morning. Piece of cake, right?"
"Yeah. Piece of cake. I might even humiliate myself for climbing something so easy."
Ted snorted. "You got part of that right."
An hour and an abundance of uproarious laugher later, Eric was spent. He had only made it halfway up the wall.
"This is bullshit!" He hollered breathlessly down to the floor, his voice carrying all over the public gym. He didn't care. "You tricked me! You set me up!"
"You coming down?"
"Fuck," Eric hissed as he rested in his position for a moment. He knew what his problem was. He knew it. He'd spent the entire time thinking about Juliet on this wall and he let his mind wander and he let his body get too eager as a result of his thinking. He didn't pace himself, he barely paid attention, and now the burning in his extremities wasn't the good kind of burning he normally felt. He gazed up at the wall above him and had no choice but to admit defeat. There was no possible way he could continue. Not today.
"Let me down," he hollered louder. Shaking his head he began to rappel down the wall with Ted's help, his thighs quivering from the strain he'd just put himself through. When he finally hit the ground, and Ted helped him out of his equipment with a smug smile, Eric glared at him. "I'm pretty sure you're supposed to be much more encouraging than you're being."
"I'm sorry," Ted said, snickering. "I really am. But I tried to warn you--"
"You didn't do shit but bullshit me, that's what you did."
"Hey. All I did was accommodate you. It's not my fault you couldn't hang. I didn't trick you, she did complete that course this morning. However, she also trained on it for several weeks beforehand. But you didn't let me get to that part."
Eric studied Ted's green eyes enough to realize he was telling the truth. He'd never been more humiliated in his life. "Don't you dare tell a soul about this. I'll be back, though. I'll complete that course, and in record time."
Ted scoffed in disbelief. "Oh, so you want to stay on that course?"
"Yeah. I started it, didn't I? Can't quit now."
Ted nodded, his face turning more serious and encouraging, the way it should have looked to begin with. "Okay. Fine. No problem."
Half an hour later, on his way out of the gym, Eric's cell phone rang. He answered it, his uncle, Walter Reynolds, on the other end. "Eric. You busy tonight?"
"I, uh...no," he said, hating to admit that, as a twenty-seven year old man, he had no plans for a Saturday night.
"You own a tux?"
"No..." he answered suspiciously.
"I suggest you get one. There's a benefit for the Humane Society tonight and Juliet Carson is the guest of honor. I managed to score you a ticket. You want that contract, this is probably the best chance you're gonna get."
Eric's jaw dropped in shock as he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. It was already getting late in the afternoon. There was no way he could possibly pull this off...
"I know what you're thinking," his uncle continued. "You know what, I bet your brother's got one. You're about the same size, aren't you?"
"Uh, yeah...maybe..." Eric sputtered.
"Get with your brother, get yourself in a tux, and then meet me in front of the library around seven and I'll get you in."
"Yeah. Yeah, okay..."
"Eric. I told your father about this. Don't screw this up."
Eric cleared his throat and blinked his eyes in a desperate attempt to keep his focus. "Yeah. Yeah, no. Piece of cake. I got this."
Shoving his phone back in his pocket, he looked around at the city in front of him. No. No, he didn't have it. He didn't even have a clue.
________________________________________________
"You just saw Manuel today," Beth said. "You should have asked him to be your date."
"And walk in with a man on my arm who looks better than me? Forget it. Besides, I don't need a date. Tonight isn't about having a date. It's about the cause. You know how I feel about this."
Beth Knight sighed in exasperation as she sat on the edge of Juliet's bed and popped grapes into her mouth. Beth was dressed and ready. She'd been dressed and ready ages ago in a simple, black Gucci mini dress and matching pumps. Now she watched her best friend tuck her hair up into a loose updo as her crimson, lace-trimmed dress fell down to the floor. The elbow-length sleeves made her look elegant, but she was disappointed that her fabulous designer shoes couldn't be seen underneath it.
"I could have hooked you up with Chris's friend, Richard. He's single and very nice-looking."
Juliet took her hands from her hair and turned around, raising a mischievous eyebrow at her. "So you want to set me up with Dick?"
Beth glared at her friend for a second. "Don't turn this around like that."
"Speaking of Chris, why isn't he going tonight?"
Beth sighed, suddenly through with the grapes, and looked at the plate on the bed. "He had to go out of town."
"Again?"
"Can't schedule a disease."
"But you can schedule the specialist..."
"Not when you're the closest one in the area."
"Is there some kind of epidemic we need to know about or something? He seems to be gone a lot."
Beth didn't want to tell Juliet how she really felt about her boyfriend's constant traveling. About how she wasn't convinced that all the traveling he did was always for work. Or about how his phone rang at all hours of the night and he would get out of bed and leave the room just to answer it. If she told Juliet that she knew her boyfriend was messing around on her but was choosing believe it was all in her head, she would never hear the end of it. In fact, she would probably charge right out and tear poor Chris's balls off with her bare hands. Beth didn't even want to think about what happened with the last one.
Two hours later, outside the New York Public Library, the subject long since dropped, the two women stepped out of the backseat of the black Lincoln Town Car that Juliet owned but never drove. The rain that drizzled from the sky caused the city lights to reflect off of the wet concrete as they stepped onto it, the umbrellas that were provided to them the only shields between them and the black, showering skies behind them. As Beth helped Juliet keep her dress from touching the ground, she looked over her shoulder at the feeling that nagged her, only to come eye-to-eye with a seemingly familiar blonde man who watched them as he stepped out of an over-sized silver pickup truck. She watched him glance their way as he handed his keys to the valet and adjust the white scarf around his neck as he took the umbrella from the hand that offered it to him. He was dashing in his tuxedo and his purposeful stare made Beth feel like she should have been uneasy, except for the fact that she didn't feel like she was the object of his desire.
Is that what was in his eyes? Desire?
Either way. She looked back at her best friend, who was smiling in appreciation at the valets who were helping her across the concrete and, suddenly, Beth had it figured out. The man wasn't checking Beth out--he was checking out Juliet!
In an excitement she wasn't sure she should be feeling, Beth looked back over her shoulder for confirmation of her theory, only to find the man had disappeared. Looking around their surroundings, he was nowhere in sight. That was impossible. He was just there!
With no time to worry about it any longer, Beth was escorted up the steps of the library alongside her best friend and business partner. One last glance over her shoulder at the top of the steps provided no other traces of the mystery admirer and, reluctantly, Beth was forced to abandon the mystery and concentrate on the party they were about to walk into. After all, helping animals was one of Juliet's passions and when Juliet was passionate about something, she had a one-track mind. Beth chose not to bring up the mystery man and let her friend have her night.
But...maybe tomorrow...
_________________________________________________
She wore red. For reasons, unbeknownst to him, Eric wasn't surprised. But she looked incredible. Classy, elegant, like every bit of the woman he believed her to be.
Himself, on the other hand--not so much the man he wanted to be. He'd managed to score the tuxedo from his brother, a tuxedo that barely fit, a tuxedo that was pinned and tucked in places he swore things shouldn't be tucked and pinned in. His brother, Travis, was his twin. They were identical twins, Travis only two minutes older than Eric, with a body built slightly bigger than Eric's to boot. However, their hair color and their genetics were where the similarities between the two of them came to a halt. While Eric had chosen to carry on the family business after their older brother had chosen to make a career out of the military, Travis had chosen to go to college on the West Coast and ended up taking up a bit of professional surfing--and adopted the style to go with it. While Travis kept his body built, his skin tan, and his blonde hair long and wavy, Eric kept his hair short and his style business casual. It was bad enough hardly anybody recognized them as brothers. Learning that they were twins blew people's minds.
That was fun sometimes.
But not tonight. After tonight, Eric vowed that he would invest in his own tuxedo. One that fit and was perfectly tailored to him. One that wasn't humiliatingly pinned and tucked and adjusted. He knew the makeshift alterations weren't visible to the naked eye, but he knew they were there and merely upon sight of Juliet Carson, he immediately felt inferior to her. How was he ever going to pull this night off?
As promised, his Uncle Walt met him there and handed him his ticket. Eric looked at it and back up at his uncle, frustrated. "This says Walter Reynolds."
"Hope your middle initial's on your ID," he replied. "Moments like this, it's a good thing your old man named you after his favorite brother, huh?"
Eric smirked, unamused. He loved his uncle. He truly did. He was a good man. But there were times when he could be pushy and overbearing and those were the times that Eric tried to keep him at arm's length. That had been happening more and more frequently lately. "You know, for someone who claims that he can score this account, you're not doing a very good job at keeping up your homework on your target," Walt said. "Otherwise this ticket would have your name on it and not mine."
Eric nearly snorted a laugh. "If you only knew," he muttered. Except that Walt was right. Eric should have been keeping up better. He should have known about this party, he should have gotten a ticket a long time ago--for his own benefit, before he knew his uncle was pursuing a meeting.
Taking the umbrella from his uncle's hand, he glanced up and caught the eye of the pretty woman in the short dress that walked alongside Juliet. The woman had seen him. He wasn't sure what that meant, if that meant anything at all, but it sure didn't make Juliet look his way. He straightened his spine to keep his knees from weakening and his heart from sinking and he started across the street, the two women already halfway up the staircase to the library.
Once inside the party, the ticket exchange as smooth and easy as it could be, Eric surveyed the sea of guests. Finding her would be impossible. Not wanting to approach her immediately, however, he chose to find himself a drink and a place to be out of the way, somewhere he could survey the room and figure out his plan of action.
Resting his elbows on the balcony railing, a glass of wine in his hand, he looked around the scene below him. There was nothing spectacular about this benefit. White tablecloths, candle-lit centerpieces, a small stage set up with a set of speakers and a large projector screen hanging from the backdrop. The multi-colored party lights shined among the dim house lights and upbeat, instrumental jazz music played from surround sound speakers placed strategically around the room. He saw more beads, sequins, and glittering jewelry than he'd ever seen in one place in his life. Eric was uncomfortable. Benefits and fancy parties were not his scene. They never had been.
And then he spotted her, his heart beginning to pound upon sight of her. God, she was beautiful. He watched her laugh as she stood from a table that sat close to the stage. Her smile was infectious and he felt the corners of his mouth discreetly turn up for no other reason than the sight of her happiness. He stood there and he daydreamed about being down there, standing beside her, being the reason behind her stunning smile. The more involved his daydream became, the more he lost himself in it, and the more startled he was when the female's voice shook him violently out of his trance, causing him to nearly drop his wine glass straight off the balcony. "So, what's your deal?" She asked.
Bewildered, he looked to his right and came face-to-face with the woman who arrived with Juliet at the party. This was practically the same as speaking to Juliet in his book and, momentarily, he forgot his own name. "Uh...my deal?"
"Yeah," the brunette beauty urged. "I saw you outside. Dateless. Why would a gorgeous man like you show up to one of these things without a date?"
Eric felt himself blush at the compliment and he smiled. "Are you, uh, are you coming on to me?"
Her face screwed up in disgust and she jerked her head backward. "No. I'm not even single. I just asked you a simple question."
"Well, um...how do you know I'm not meeting someone here?"
"I don't. But if you haven't found your date by now, I find it highly unlikely that you have one."
Eric shook his head and turned up his wine glass. "You're right. No date. Is that a crime?"
"No. Not a crime."
"What's your deal?"
The woman raised an eyebrow and smirked at him, now settling herself against the railing beside him. "Are you coming on to me?"
"Not hardly," he smirked back. "Not that you aren't beautiful. But my eyes are elsewhere tonight."
Her smirk warmed into a full grin. "Someone else, huh? Like...Juliet Carson?"
Eric felt the blood rise to his cheeks. Was this it? Was this the moment he was finally busted? He cut his glance at her before he went back to surveying the floor. "I think everybody has their eyes on Juliet Carson tonight. You'll have to do better than that."
"Hm," she huffed. "I'm not an idiot, you know."
"That makes two of us."
The woman extended her hand to him. "Beth Knight, lead architect for Carson Innovations."
Eric's stomach did a flip flop. Carson Innovations? This was it. This was his opportunity. It was now or never.
And then Juliet caught his eye again. She was looking over some pictures a person had given her, appearing to wipe a tear from her eye. He'd studied her enough to know--enough to know that this benefit was neither the time or the place to do what he'd come there to do. He couldn't do that to her. This was a passion of hers that she dedicated her personal time to. She wasn't there for work. She wasn't there as Juliet Carson of Carson Innovations, she wasn't using her company's name to make the donations she made. Tonight she was only Juliet.
"And your name?" Beth pressed.
Tonight he would only be Eric.
"Eric," he said to her, accepting her handshake.
"Eric...?"
"Just Eric," he stated, turning his drink up again.
"Hm," Beth smirked, seeming to see right through him. "Well, 'Just Eric.' Juliet is hosting a party--well, actually, I'm hosting the party at Juliet's condo--next weekend. If you're not busy, you should drop by. It's just casual, nothing fancy. Nothing like this. What do you say?"
Eric's heart pounded again. It took every fiber of his being not to jump up and down like a giddy little boy, because that was certainly what was going on inside his body at the moment. He was proud of himself, though, for keeping it together. "Yeah. I might be able to swing that. We'll see."
"Wonderful," she replied, her eyes sparkling all of a sudden. She opened her purse and pulled out a small square of colored paper. "Don't judge my little flyer, but there's her address and the party information. I really hope you can make it."
As she turned to walk away, something nagged at Eric all of a sudden and he stopped her. "Hey. Why, uh, why did I get this invite?"
Beth shrugged her shoulder with a smile. "Call it intuition."
Before he had a chance to question her, she had disappeared down the staircase and he watched her walk purposefully across the floor to rejoin Juliet at their table. Upon her arrival, Juliet shoved the pictures at her and Beth's hand flew up to her mouth upon sight of the horrors that had just been bestowed upon Juliet. Before any more conversation could continue, Juliet was approached and then whisked away toward the stage and Beth handed the pictures back to their owner.
At this point, Eric decided he wanted a better view, so he left the balcony and helped himself to the main floor where the head of the local Human Society took the stage to discuss the organization and say some words about their guest of honor. When Juliet was helped onto the stage, her dress sashaying at her feet, Eric was frozen. Amidst the crowd of party guests, he found himself midway to the stage, his hands shoved in his pockets, his eyes intently focused on the crimson beauty behind the podium.
Her makeup was flawless, not a hair out of place, and her body language was full of poise and grace. He listened to her speak, hanging on to her every word, feeling her passion, and admiring what an inspiration she was.
How he was able to tear his eyes away, he didn't know, but he just had to take a look around just to see if everyone around him was as captivated by her as he was. He was put off to glance behind him to witness a couple of women rolling their eyes at each other, and a small group of men talking quietly and laughing together. How could people be so rude? How could they be so two-faced and negative? How could they stand there and not see how incredible this woman was? How did they not feel it like he did? He couldn't wrap his head around it.
Her speech was over much too soon and he realized that this would likely be his last opportunity of the night to make himself known to her. Taking a deep breath and clearing his throat, trying to ignore the sudden sweat he had broken, Eric made his way to the table she had returned to. Mere steps away, his heart was nearly beating out of his chest when his stride was intercepted by Beth Knight. "Eric!" She said excitedly. "We meet again. Did you want me to introduce you to Juliet?"
Before he could answer, he glanced past Beth, his eyes meeting Juliet's, and in that moment, he felt the impact like multiple punches to the chest. His mouth hung open to answer Beth, but no words came out. He meant to say them. He wanted to accept the offer, but he physically couldn't form the words. Juliet's eyes were brown, but they were the most beautiful, chocolate brown shade he had ever seen. They were also the most fearful, terrified eyes he had ever seen.
Oblivious to the exchange, Beth grabbed Eric by the hand with a smile and called Juliet's name over her shoulder. "Jules, I have someone I want you to meet!"
But, like deja vu, Juliet Carson was having none of it. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open and then she turned around. He heard her murmur something as she turned her back and nearly speed walked in the opposite direction. Eric's heart fell right out of his chest.
Beth stopped in her tracks and let go of Eric's hand, looking after Juliet in confusion. Then she turned to Eric, regret all over her face, before the blood suddenly drained from it and her eyes widened in realization. "Oh my god, I just figured out where I know you from!" However, before she could elaborate, someone approached her and whispered in her ear. "I'm sorry, I have to go see about Juliet, she isn't feeling well. Don't forget about the party!"
With that, Beth was off and running in the direction Juliet had escaped in and Eric stood there, alone and empty-handed.
He didn't know how to justify just what in the hell had happened here. Twice. Twice in the same year, Juliet Carson fell all over herself just to get away from him. He should have taken the hint the first time. Was that what had happened? Had she recognized him from the night in the restaurant? Had he disgusted her that much the first time?
Disheartened, discouraged, dejected, and humiliated, Eric ran his hand over the back of his neck and saw himself out of the party. At the door, he collected his coat and his scarf and he dialed his uncle as he waited for the valet to bring his truck around. "A phone call this early in the night has to be good news," his uncle said excitedly. "I knew you could do it, son. I always had faith in you."
"Well, get ready to lose your religion," Eric muttered into the phone. "Because nothing happened."
"What the hell do you mean, nothing happened?"
"I couldn't even get in arm's length of her, Walt. I got in there, mingled around a little bit, got my eyes on her a couple of times and I realized that I'm not that much of an asshole."
"Asshole? What does that even mean?"
"It means that only an asshole would use a person's spare time like that for their own personal gain. It's despicable and I don't do business that way."
"Are you calling me an asshole? Might I remind you, you're the one who got dressed and even went to that party."
"Yeah, well, chalk it up to a learning experience. Tonight wasn't about Carson Innovations. Tonight was about Juliet Carson as a person. I couldn't walk up to her and start talking business, I just couldn't--"
"Come on, Eric! That woman is as cold-blooded a businesswoman as any asshole on Wall Street. That woman would probably talk business in her fucking sleep. Maybe you should have gone that route."
"Absolutely not. I'm not one of them. I'm not going to invade her space and I'm not going to sleep with her--"
"God damn it, boy, I spoon-fed this woman to you tonight! Don't you get that? I handed that meeting to you on a godforsaken silver platter and you couldn't even pull that off! I think your daddy's right, I think you are too soft-hearted to run this company--"
"Yeah? Soft-hearted? Am I so soft-hearted that I have Juliet Carson's address in my pocket as we speak? Huh?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" His uncle spat.
"I may not have gotten a word in with Juliet Carson, but I did meet the lead architect for her company. And I scored an invite to a party at Juliet's personal residence next weekend. You wanna talk about who's got what on a silver platter?"
As Eric watched his car come around, he listened to his uncle's stunned silence on the other end. Finally he said in awe, "Well, I'll be god damned..."
"That's right," Eric replied, the anger running through his veins. "You be god damned. And don't you ever accuse me of being too soft-hearted to run this company. I've had this lead for less than a week and I'm already running circles around you. Why don't you take that back to my dad?" With that, Eric ended the call and collected his keys from the valet.
Eric was furious. How in the hell could someone encourage him to do something and then have so little faith in him? He understood that this company was his father's baby, but his father was about to retire and he was about to sign it over to Eric. His older brother, Andy, sure didn't want it. And Travis certainly had no interest in running it, either. But Eric could do it. He knew he could. Who the hell else did his father have left, anyway? Walter?
Eric shook his head as he put the key into the ignition. There was no fucking way he was letting that idiot run his father's company into the ground. No way in hell.
"Manuel," Juliet smiled flirtatiously at her hair stylist in the salon's mirror. "When are you going to let me fuck you?"
Manuel was a beautiful man. Flawless, caramel-colored skin and perfect, soft, dark hair, and a ripped body to die for. His style was nearly as impeccable as Juliet's and his pedicure just as immaculate in the sandals he wore in the salon that day. As he blow-dried her style in place, he raised a curious and hopeful eyebrow at her in the mirror. "Did you suddenly grow a dick overnight?"
Juliet let out a defeated sigh and pouted at him in the mirror. "No. But come on, you gotta at least be a little curious."
"Sweetheart, you're stunning," he assured her in his thick Puerto Rican accent. "You're insanely hot, ridiculously sexy, and if I was straight I'd be on you like a cheap suit on a car salesman. But I have absolutely no...attraction to that situation you have going on under your belt, there."
"So...what about the rest of me?"
"Honey, I only want to touch you to get an idea of what I'd want my own implants to feel like."
Juliet curled her nose up, dejected. "That's a shame. Because I'd fuck you. I'd do it right here. You're hot."
"Well, thank you, you're making me blush. Introduce me to a hot man and I might let you watch."
"It's not the same," she pouted.
They were quiet for a moment as he worked on her hair. She'd only gone in for a trim, but she always stayed so that he could style it for his own benefit. They went through this exact same exchange every time she came to the salon. The truth was, Manuel was safe. He was the only man she truly cared about and she knew it was only because he was homosexual and there was no chance in hell that anything would ever happen between them. Anytime she needed a platonic, male companion, Manuel was always there for her. Sometimes he was a better girlfriend than Beth was.
"I wish you'd stop trimming your hair," he lamented as he turned off the blow dryer.
"I'm letting it grow," she argued.
"I know. But the constant trimming isn't necessary."
"You know I only do it to come see you."
"Jules," he said, his voice softening. He turned her around in her chair so that he could look into her eyes. "Why don't you let me set you up on a date? A real date."
She scowled at him, knowing exactly what he was referring to. "I go on plenty of dates, I can find my own."
"You know what I mean."
"Because I'm perfectly happy the way things are now."
"The only reason you come and see me as often as you do is so you can talk to a man. You need male companionship."
"What? So you don't want to be my friend anymore? I can't come visit my friends?"
"That's not what I'm saying. You know what I'm saying."
"I'm happy," she spat at him, knowing that her face contradicted her words.
"You're thirty-three years old and you've never been out with a man more than once. Not a single one. There's something wrong with that."
"Manuel, I came here to have my hair done, not come to a therapy session. Who licensed you, anyway?"
"The state of New York, as a matter of fact."
Juliet glared up at his deep, brown eyes. It was true. Manuel was a licensed therapist who much preferred life in the salon. This was another frequent conversation that Juliet hated having. Just because he was licensed to tell her what to do with her life, didn't mean that he should.
"You know, between you and Beth, I don't even know who's on my side anymore."
"We are both on your side. You know that. We always have been."
"So why are you so interested in my...in my sex life? If I didn't want things exactly like they are, they wouldn't be that way. I could have a relationship if I wanted it."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Fine." He said in defeat, straightening his body up and turning around to his counter to retrieve a brush. "When you're ready to stop being lonely, come see me. I know plenty of men. Good men. Straight ones."
"I never said I was lonely," she muttered to herself. She watched Manuel as he finished her hair in the mirror. Who did he think he was? What did he know? She wasn't lonely.
Was she?
____________________________________________________
Eric stared up at the indoor rock wall as he stepped into the gym. He loved climbing. He loved relieving the tension, he loved to feel the burn in his muscles, he loved the adrenaline rush when he reached a new height. He loved the challenges of tackling different walls and he loved the way his brain was constantly working right along with his feet. Climbing was probably the most rewarding, most well-rounded workout a person could get.
Besides all that, it was just fun.
Sauntering over to a small desk by the office, Eric leaned against it and waited for his trainer, Ted, to come out and meet him. Eric didn't actually need a trainer--Ted was the only belayer he trusted not to let him fall.
As he waited, Eric glanced at his reflection in the glass door and ran his hand through his short, blonde hair. He always kept his hair cropped close to his head, unlike his brother, and it was so short that it stayed in a perpetual spike every time he did it. He'd considered wearing it spiky on several occasions, but he wasn't comfortable with the way it looked, so he hurriedly smoothed it back down again with his palm.
During his vain exchange between himself and his hair, something caught the corner of his eye on the desk. He wasn't sure what compelled him to do it, but he found himself glancing over at Ted's appointment sheet that lay in the open on the wooden surface. Even more out of his norm, he pulled a corner of it closer to him and his eyes widened as they fell on Juliet Carson's name the moment Ted walked out the office door.
It was too late to save face now, Eric was too intrigued. He knew Ted had caught him snooping and he didn't care. He felt too much like he'd won the lottery. "Eric," he smiled knowingly. "You're early."
"Actually, you're late," Eric corrected him.
"Well. Excuse me. See anything that interested you?"
"I did," Eric admitted. "Do you train Juliet Carson?"
Ted eyed him suspiciously. "I'm not really supposed to say, but since you've made it your business, what if I did? What's it to you?"
"Um," Eric replied, realizing what he must have looked and sounded like in that moment based on how he felt. "I mean, I just find the fact that she climbs a little hard to believe."
"Why?" Ted smirked. "She's not allowed to climb?"
Eric swallowed hard. "Well, I mean...that's not what I mean, I just--"
"I'm not sleeping with her," Ted blurted. "If that's what you're thinking. I don't sleep with my clients. I'm not one of...them."
"One of who?"
"Come on," Ted taunted. "I'm not...you know, like a notch on her bedpost. It's not like that. She comes in, she climbs, she leaves. And she climbs better than you do, might I add."
"Yeah?" Eric challenged him.
"Yeah. That's right."
"Put me on her course, then."
Ted laughed out loud. Obnoxiously. Doubled over. It was almost humiliating. When he'd calmed himself seconds later, he looked Eric square in the eye. "You wouldn't survive it."
"That's bullshit," Eric argued. "She's a woman. You can't tell me she climbs a course that I couldn't climb through twice before she was finished with it."
Ted's eyes widened and then he nodded. "Okay. Okay, fine. Sure. I'll put you on her course. As a matter of fact, I'll put you on the one she completed in record time this morning. Piece of cake, right?"
"Yeah. Piece of cake. I might even humiliate myself for climbing something so easy."
Ted snorted. "You got part of that right."
An hour and an abundance of uproarious laugher later, Eric was spent. He had only made it halfway up the wall.
"This is bullshit!" He hollered breathlessly down to the floor, his voice carrying all over the public gym. He didn't care. "You tricked me! You set me up!"
"You coming down?"
"Fuck," Eric hissed as he rested in his position for a moment. He knew what his problem was. He knew it. He'd spent the entire time thinking about Juliet on this wall and he let his mind wander and he let his body get too eager as a result of his thinking. He didn't pace himself, he barely paid attention, and now the burning in his extremities wasn't the good kind of burning he normally felt. He gazed up at the wall above him and had no choice but to admit defeat. There was no possible way he could continue. Not today.
"Let me down," he hollered louder. Shaking his head he began to rappel down the wall with Ted's help, his thighs quivering from the strain he'd just put himself through. When he finally hit the ground, and Ted helped him out of his equipment with a smug smile, Eric glared at him. "I'm pretty sure you're supposed to be much more encouraging than you're being."
"I'm sorry," Ted said, snickering. "I really am. But I tried to warn you--"
"You didn't do shit but bullshit me, that's what you did."
"Hey. All I did was accommodate you. It's not my fault you couldn't hang. I didn't trick you, she did complete that course this morning. However, she also trained on it for several weeks beforehand. But you didn't let me get to that part."
Eric studied Ted's green eyes enough to realize he was telling the truth. He'd never been more humiliated in his life. "Don't you dare tell a soul about this. I'll be back, though. I'll complete that course, and in record time."
Ted scoffed in disbelief. "Oh, so you want to stay on that course?"
"Yeah. I started it, didn't I? Can't quit now."
Ted nodded, his face turning more serious and encouraging, the way it should have looked to begin with. "Okay. Fine. No problem."
Half an hour later, on his way out of the gym, Eric's cell phone rang. He answered it, his uncle, Walter Reynolds, on the other end. "Eric. You busy tonight?"
"I, uh...no," he said, hating to admit that, as a twenty-seven year old man, he had no plans for a Saturday night.
"You own a tux?"
"No..." he answered suspiciously.
"I suggest you get one. There's a benefit for the Humane Society tonight and Juliet Carson is the guest of honor. I managed to score you a ticket. You want that contract, this is probably the best chance you're gonna get."
Eric's jaw dropped in shock as he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. It was already getting late in the afternoon. There was no way he could possibly pull this off...
"I know what you're thinking," his uncle continued. "You know what, I bet your brother's got one. You're about the same size, aren't you?"
"Uh, yeah...maybe..." Eric sputtered.
"Get with your brother, get yourself in a tux, and then meet me in front of the library around seven and I'll get you in."
"Yeah. Yeah, okay..."
"Eric. I told your father about this. Don't screw this up."
Eric cleared his throat and blinked his eyes in a desperate attempt to keep his focus. "Yeah. Yeah, no. Piece of cake. I got this."
Shoving his phone back in his pocket, he looked around at the city in front of him. No. No, he didn't have it. He didn't even have a clue.
________________________________________________
"You just saw Manuel today," Beth said. "You should have asked him to be your date."
"And walk in with a man on my arm who looks better than me? Forget it. Besides, I don't need a date. Tonight isn't about having a date. It's about the cause. You know how I feel about this."
Beth Knight sighed in exasperation as she sat on the edge of Juliet's bed and popped grapes into her mouth. Beth was dressed and ready. She'd been dressed and ready ages ago in a simple, black Gucci mini dress and matching pumps. Now she watched her best friend tuck her hair up into a loose updo as her crimson, lace-trimmed dress fell down to the floor. The elbow-length sleeves made her look elegant, but she was disappointed that her fabulous designer shoes couldn't be seen underneath it.
"I could have hooked you up with Chris's friend, Richard. He's single and very nice-looking."
Juliet took her hands from her hair and turned around, raising a mischievous eyebrow at her. "So you want to set me up with Dick?"
Beth glared at her friend for a second. "Don't turn this around like that."
"Speaking of Chris, why isn't he going tonight?"
Beth sighed, suddenly through with the grapes, and looked at the plate on the bed. "He had to go out of town."
"Again?"
"Can't schedule a disease."
"But you can schedule the specialist..."
"Not when you're the closest one in the area."
"Is there some kind of epidemic we need to know about or something? He seems to be gone a lot."
Beth didn't want to tell Juliet how she really felt about her boyfriend's constant traveling. About how she wasn't convinced that all the traveling he did was always for work. Or about how his phone rang at all hours of the night and he would get out of bed and leave the room just to answer it. If she told Juliet that she knew her boyfriend was messing around on her but was choosing believe it was all in her head, she would never hear the end of it. In fact, she would probably charge right out and tear poor Chris's balls off with her bare hands. Beth didn't even want to think about what happened with the last one.
Two hours later, outside the New York Public Library, the subject long since dropped, the two women stepped out of the backseat of the black Lincoln Town Car that Juliet owned but never drove. The rain that drizzled from the sky caused the city lights to reflect off of the wet concrete as they stepped onto it, the umbrellas that were provided to them the only shields between them and the black, showering skies behind them. As Beth helped Juliet keep her dress from touching the ground, she looked over her shoulder at the feeling that nagged her, only to come eye-to-eye with a seemingly familiar blonde man who watched them as he stepped out of an over-sized silver pickup truck. She watched him glance their way as he handed his keys to the valet and adjust the white scarf around his neck as he took the umbrella from the hand that offered it to him. He was dashing in his tuxedo and his purposeful stare made Beth feel like she should have been uneasy, except for the fact that she didn't feel like she was the object of his desire.
Is that what was in his eyes? Desire?
Either way. She looked back at her best friend, who was smiling in appreciation at the valets who were helping her across the concrete and, suddenly, Beth had it figured out. The man wasn't checking Beth out--he was checking out Juliet!
In an excitement she wasn't sure she should be feeling, Beth looked back over her shoulder for confirmation of her theory, only to find the man had disappeared. Looking around their surroundings, he was nowhere in sight. That was impossible. He was just there!
With no time to worry about it any longer, Beth was escorted up the steps of the library alongside her best friend and business partner. One last glance over her shoulder at the top of the steps provided no other traces of the mystery admirer and, reluctantly, Beth was forced to abandon the mystery and concentrate on the party they were about to walk into. After all, helping animals was one of Juliet's passions and when Juliet was passionate about something, she had a one-track mind. Beth chose not to bring up the mystery man and let her friend have her night.
But...maybe tomorrow...
_________________________________________________
She wore red. For reasons, unbeknownst to him, Eric wasn't surprised. But she looked incredible. Classy, elegant, like every bit of the woman he believed her to be.
Himself, on the other hand--not so much the man he wanted to be. He'd managed to score the tuxedo from his brother, a tuxedo that barely fit, a tuxedo that was pinned and tucked in places he swore things shouldn't be tucked and pinned in. His brother, Travis, was his twin. They were identical twins, Travis only two minutes older than Eric, with a body built slightly bigger than Eric's to boot. However, their hair color and their genetics were where the similarities between the two of them came to a halt. While Eric had chosen to carry on the family business after their older brother had chosen to make a career out of the military, Travis had chosen to go to college on the West Coast and ended up taking up a bit of professional surfing--and adopted the style to go with it. While Travis kept his body built, his skin tan, and his blonde hair long and wavy, Eric kept his hair short and his style business casual. It was bad enough hardly anybody recognized them as brothers. Learning that they were twins blew people's minds.
That was fun sometimes.
But not tonight. After tonight, Eric vowed that he would invest in his own tuxedo. One that fit and was perfectly tailored to him. One that wasn't humiliatingly pinned and tucked and adjusted. He knew the makeshift alterations weren't visible to the naked eye, but he knew they were there and merely upon sight of Juliet Carson, he immediately felt inferior to her. How was he ever going to pull this night off?
As promised, his Uncle Walt met him there and handed him his ticket. Eric looked at it and back up at his uncle, frustrated. "This says Walter Reynolds."
"Hope your middle initial's on your ID," he replied. "Moments like this, it's a good thing your old man named you after his favorite brother, huh?"
Eric smirked, unamused. He loved his uncle. He truly did. He was a good man. But there were times when he could be pushy and overbearing and those were the times that Eric tried to keep him at arm's length. That had been happening more and more frequently lately. "You know, for someone who claims that he can score this account, you're not doing a very good job at keeping up your homework on your target," Walt said. "Otherwise this ticket would have your name on it and not mine."
Eric nearly snorted a laugh. "If you only knew," he muttered. Except that Walt was right. Eric should have been keeping up better. He should have known about this party, he should have gotten a ticket a long time ago--for his own benefit, before he knew his uncle was pursuing a meeting.
Taking the umbrella from his uncle's hand, he glanced up and caught the eye of the pretty woman in the short dress that walked alongside Juliet. The woman had seen him. He wasn't sure what that meant, if that meant anything at all, but it sure didn't make Juliet look his way. He straightened his spine to keep his knees from weakening and his heart from sinking and he started across the street, the two women already halfway up the staircase to the library.
Once inside the party, the ticket exchange as smooth and easy as it could be, Eric surveyed the sea of guests. Finding her would be impossible. Not wanting to approach her immediately, however, he chose to find himself a drink and a place to be out of the way, somewhere he could survey the room and figure out his plan of action.
Resting his elbows on the balcony railing, a glass of wine in his hand, he looked around the scene below him. There was nothing spectacular about this benefit. White tablecloths, candle-lit centerpieces, a small stage set up with a set of speakers and a large projector screen hanging from the backdrop. The multi-colored party lights shined among the dim house lights and upbeat, instrumental jazz music played from surround sound speakers placed strategically around the room. He saw more beads, sequins, and glittering jewelry than he'd ever seen in one place in his life. Eric was uncomfortable. Benefits and fancy parties were not his scene. They never had been.
And then he spotted her, his heart beginning to pound upon sight of her. God, she was beautiful. He watched her laugh as she stood from a table that sat close to the stage. Her smile was infectious and he felt the corners of his mouth discreetly turn up for no other reason than the sight of her happiness. He stood there and he daydreamed about being down there, standing beside her, being the reason behind her stunning smile. The more involved his daydream became, the more he lost himself in it, and the more startled he was when the female's voice shook him violently out of his trance, causing him to nearly drop his wine glass straight off the balcony. "So, what's your deal?" She asked.
Bewildered, he looked to his right and came face-to-face with the woman who arrived with Juliet at the party. This was practically the same as speaking to Juliet in his book and, momentarily, he forgot his own name. "Uh...my deal?"
"Yeah," the brunette beauty urged. "I saw you outside. Dateless. Why would a gorgeous man like you show up to one of these things without a date?"
Eric felt himself blush at the compliment and he smiled. "Are you, uh, are you coming on to me?"
Her face screwed up in disgust and she jerked her head backward. "No. I'm not even single. I just asked you a simple question."
"Well, um...how do you know I'm not meeting someone here?"
"I don't. But if you haven't found your date by now, I find it highly unlikely that you have one."
Eric shook his head and turned up his wine glass. "You're right. No date. Is that a crime?"
"No. Not a crime."
"What's your deal?"
The woman raised an eyebrow and smirked at him, now settling herself against the railing beside him. "Are you coming on to me?"
"Not hardly," he smirked back. "Not that you aren't beautiful. But my eyes are elsewhere tonight."
Her smirk warmed into a full grin. "Someone else, huh? Like...Juliet Carson?"
Eric felt the blood rise to his cheeks. Was this it? Was this the moment he was finally busted? He cut his glance at her before he went back to surveying the floor. "I think everybody has their eyes on Juliet Carson tonight. You'll have to do better than that."
"Hm," she huffed. "I'm not an idiot, you know."
"That makes two of us."
The woman extended her hand to him. "Beth Knight, lead architect for Carson Innovations."
Eric's stomach did a flip flop. Carson Innovations? This was it. This was his opportunity. It was now or never.
And then Juliet caught his eye again. She was looking over some pictures a person had given her, appearing to wipe a tear from her eye. He'd studied her enough to know--enough to know that this benefit was neither the time or the place to do what he'd come there to do. He couldn't do that to her. This was a passion of hers that she dedicated her personal time to. She wasn't there for work. She wasn't there as Juliet Carson of Carson Innovations, she wasn't using her company's name to make the donations she made. Tonight she was only Juliet.
"And your name?" Beth pressed.
Tonight he would only be Eric.
"Eric," he said to her, accepting her handshake.
"Eric...?"
"Just Eric," he stated, turning his drink up again.
"Hm," Beth smirked, seeming to see right through him. "Well, 'Just Eric.' Juliet is hosting a party--well, actually, I'm hosting the party at Juliet's condo--next weekend. If you're not busy, you should drop by. It's just casual, nothing fancy. Nothing like this. What do you say?"
Eric's heart pounded again. It took every fiber of his being not to jump up and down like a giddy little boy, because that was certainly what was going on inside his body at the moment. He was proud of himself, though, for keeping it together. "Yeah. I might be able to swing that. We'll see."
"Wonderful," she replied, her eyes sparkling all of a sudden. She opened her purse and pulled out a small square of colored paper. "Don't judge my little flyer, but there's her address and the party information. I really hope you can make it."
As she turned to walk away, something nagged at Eric all of a sudden and he stopped her. "Hey. Why, uh, why did I get this invite?"
Beth shrugged her shoulder with a smile. "Call it intuition."
Before he had a chance to question her, she had disappeared down the staircase and he watched her walk purposefully across the floor to rejoin Juliet at their table. Upon her arrival, Juliet shoved the pictures at her and Beth's hand flew up to her mouth upon sight of the horrors that had just been bestowed upon Juliet. Before any more conversation could continue, Juliet was approached and then whisked away toward the stage and Beth handed the pictures back to their owner.
At this point, Eric decided he wanted a better view, so he left the balcony and helped himself to the main floor where the head of the local Human Society took the stage to discuss the organization and say some words about their guest of honor. When Juliet was helped onto the stage, her dress sashaying at her feet, Eric was frozen. Amidst the crowd of party guests, he found himself midway to the stage, his hands shoved in his pockets, his eyes intently focused on the crimson beauty behind the podium.
Her makeup was flawless, not a hair out of place, and her body language was full of poise and grace. He listened to her speak, hanging on to her every word, feeling her passion, and admiring what an inspiration she was.
How he was able to tear his eyes away, he didn't know, but he just had to take a look around just to see if everyone around him was as captivated by her as he was. He was put off to glance behind him to witness a couple of women rolling their eyes at each other, and a small group of men talking quietly and laughing together. How could people be so rude? How could they be so two-faced and negative? How could they stand there and not see how incredible this woman was? How did they not feel it like he did? He couldn't wrap his head around it.
Her speech was over much too soon and he realized that this would likely be his last opportunity of the night to make himself known to her. Taking a deep breath and clearing his throat, trying to ignore the sudden sweat he had broken, Eric made his way to the table she had returned to. Mere steps away, his heart was nearly beating out of his chest when his stride was intercepted by Beth Knight. "Eric!" She said excitedly. "We meet again. Did you want me to introduce you to Juliet?"
Before he could answer, he glanced past Beth, his eyes meeting Juliet's, and in that moment, he felt the impact like multiple punches to the chest. His mouth hung open to answer Beth, but no words came out. He meant to say them. He wanted to accept the offer, but he physically couldn't form the words. Juliet's eyes were brown, but they were the most beautiful, chocolate brown shade he had ever seen. They were also the most fearful, terrified eyes he had ever seen.
Oblivious to the exchange, Beth grabbed Eric by the hand with a smile and called Juliet's name over her shoulder. "Jules, I have someone I want you to meet!"
But, like deja vu, Juliet Carson was having none of it. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open and then she turned around. He heard her murmur something as she turned her back and nearly speed walked in the opposite direction. Eric's heart fell right out of his chest.
Beth stopped in her tracks and let go of Eric's hand, looking after Juliet in confusion. Then she turned to Eric, regret all over her face, before the blood suddenly drained from it and her eyes widened in realization. "Oh my god, I just figured out where I know you from!" However, before she could elaborate, someone approached her and whispered in her ear. "I'm sorry, I have to go see about Juliet, she isn't feeling well. Don't forget about the party!"
With that, Beth was off and running in the direction Juliet had escaped in and Eric stood there, alone and empty-handed.
He didn't know how to justify just what in the hell had happened here. Twice. Twice in the same year, Juliet Carson fell all over herself just to get away from him. He should have taken the hint the first time. Was that what had happened? Had she recognized him from the night in the restaurant? Had he disgusted her that much the first time?
Disheartened, discouraged, dejected, and humiliated, Eric ran his hand over the back of his neck and saw himself out of the party. At the door, he collected his coat and his scarf and he dialed his uncle as he waited for the valet to bring his truck around. "A phone call this early in the night has to be good news," his uncle said excitedly. "I knew you could do it, son. I always had faith in you."
"Well, get ready to lose your religion," Eric muttered into the phone. "Because nothing happened."
"What the hell do you mean, nothing happened?"
"I couldn't even get in arm's length of her, Walt. I got in there, mingled around a little bit, got my eyes on her a couple of times and I realized that I'm not that much of an asshole."
"Asshole? What does that even mean?"
"It means that only an asshole would use a person's spare time like that for their own personal gain. It's despicable and I don't do business that way."
"Are you calling me an asshole? Might I remind you, you're the one who got dressed and even went to that party."
"Yeah, well, chalk it up to a learning experience. Tonight wasn't about Carson Innovations. Tonight was about Juliet Carson as a person. I couldn't walk up to her and start talking business, I just couldn't--"
"Come on, Eric! That woman is as cold-blooded a businesswoman as any asshole on Wall Street. That woman would probably talk business in her fucking sleep. Maybe you should have gone that route."
"Absolutely not. I'm not one of them. I'm not going to invade her space and I'm not going to sleep with her--"
"God damn it, boy, I spoon-fed this woman to you tonight! Don't you get that? I handed that meeting to you on a godforsaken silver platter and you couldn't even pull that off! I think your daddy's right, I think you are too soft-hearted to run this company--"
"Yeah? Soft-hearted? Am I so soft-hearted that I have Juliet Carson's address in my pocket as we speak? Huh?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" His uncle spat.
"I may not have gotten a word in with Juliet Carson, but I did meet the lead architect for her company. And I scored an invite to a party at Juliet's personal residence next weekend. You wanna talk about who's got what on a silver platter?"
As Eric watched his car come around, he listened to his uncle's stunned silence on the other end. Finally he said in awe, "Well, I'll be god damned..."
"That's right," Eric replied, the anger running through his veins. "You be god damned. And don't you ever accuse me of being too soft-hearted to run this company. I've had this lead for less than a week and I'm already running circles around you. Why don't you take that back to my dad?" With that, Eric ended the call and collected his keys from the valet.
Eric was furious. How in the hell could someone encourage him to do something and then have so little faith in him? He understood that this company was his father's baby, but his father was about to retire and he was about to sign it over to Eric. His older brother, Andy, sure didn't want it. And Travis certainly had no interest in running it, either. But Eric could do it. He knew he could. Who the hell else did his father have left, anyway? Walter?
Eric shook his head as he put the key into the ignition. There was no fucking way he was letting that idiot run his father's company into the ground. No way in hell.