Lies for Lunch
She parked her car and trudged through the slush left by the previous evening's snowstorm. She entered the mall on its upper level near a door close to the office complex and took the stairs up one flight. She walked down the hall and into a small office with the sign "HP Imports, Inc" at the side of the door. She sat down at the lone desk sitting in the office and started up the computer sitting on it.
She played her answering machine messages most of which were wrong numbers or prank calls, while she signed herself on to her email server. One of her phone messages was a request to meet for lunch with a "service rep" from Holiday Toys. Helen smiled at the way the request was worded, "...a chance to discuss future business. Perhaps, a more lucrative liaison between our two corporate interests..." In other words, her boss wanted to meet with her for lunch and a "nooner", and Helen was definitely in the mood after the way Ryan had yanked her chain this morning.
Josh Radford was not averse to sending Jason Williams out of town on business when it meant keeping Helen to himself. But today he was hoping to play it out differently. He knew that Ryan Dalton was no fool and would probably be checking her out. He hoped that Helen's distress at his "untoward moves" would force Ryan to become her knight-in-shining-armor and move things along between them. His company was in dire need of Dalton's designs if they were going to survive into the next century.
Helen arrived at the dimly lit Bistro that Joshua had mentioned in his phone message and allowed the waiter to show her to the table. Josh was waiting for her with a publicity kit from Holiday Toys and a small post-it note that said, "Slap me and then leave." Helen stared at the note for a moment and then did exactly what it said.
Josh watched as Ryan took the bait and followed Helen back to her office. He knew that Helen was more than capable of handling things from that point on. Ryan caught up with her just outside her office door, and offered her a tissue. "Here. Dry your eyes, you wouldn't want your boss to know that you have been crying."
Helen took the tissue and said, "My boss already knows. I work for myself; I just didn't know how I felt when we first met. I have such lousy luck with men..."
"No need to apologize or explain," Ryan interrupted, as he opened the door to her office.
Before Helen could sit down at her desk, Ryan reached for her answering machine and hit the "Play" button. The message from Joshua poured forth from the speaker. Ryan shook his head as he listened to the "invitation" to meet with his business rival. "Desperate men..." he said as he deleted that message. "I'm sorry," he said.
"For what?" she asked. "It's not your fault that he made a pass at me. The guy is just a creep, that's all."
"I guess that I should thank you, then," he smiled at Helen as he spoke.
"For what?" she asked curtly.
"For not slapping my face this morning," he said resting his hands on her desk as he bent over it.
Helen leaned forward in her chair. "I like your face," she said smiling at him and leaning closer.
Ryan reached forward, grabbed her head and kissed her hard on the lips. "I like your face too," he answered softly before letting go. "How about some lunch?"
Helen stared blankly at him; "Some what?" she answered absently, her mind still on his kiss.
"Lunch. You know, food, eats, stomach filling..."
"Anywhere, but the Bistro."
"I know the perfect place," he said as he pulled her to her feet. "The chef is a friend of mine. You'll love it, I promise!" Ryan dragged her out the door, barely giving her time to grab her keys and no time to grab her coat.
