Annalise stepped out of the elevator and was met with a cheerful hello from Tara, the agency’s receptionist and Annalise’s closest friend at the agency. Tara was the best woman for this job that Annalise had ever seen. She was quite the organizer and had a memory like a steel trap.
But more importantly, Tara knew everything about everyone at "S&W Advertising". There wasn’t a piece of juicy gossip floating around that Tara didn’t know about, and she didn’t mind sharing it over a cup of coffee or a piece of brownie.
For Annalise who was the new kid in town, Tara was the best ally possible inside the agency. Never again would she be caught off guard like she had been in her last job in San Francisco.
“Good morning, Tara,” Annalise returned as she stopped in front of Tara’s desk. “Are there messages for me?”
“Not a single one, at least for now,” she replied to Annalise in a neutral tone.
Tara’s eyes were twinkling, and that got Annalise curious. Tara leaned forward.
“But I have the latest rumors about Elaine and David…” she whispered conspiratorially.
“Our bosses?” Annalise asked frowning.
Elaine’s marriage was over and the whole agency knew about it by now. But even so, her boss wasn’t the type to indulge in a torrid office affair. Not this quick after calling the quits with her ex-husband and definitely, not with her newest business partner, the agency’s CFO.
Annalise felt compelled to warn Elaine about the unpleasant consequences that such a rumor might have for the future of the agency, especially now when she was trying to bring Hamilton’s company in. But in the end, it was just… a rumor. Besides, Elaine might not appreciate Annalise opening this subject.
“Nah, I think you’re wrong about it,” Annalise said.
“He spends a lot of time in Elaine’s office… Way too much, if you ask me. And the door is always closed…” Tara added. “The other day, I entered Elaine’s office to give her a file she’d asked for, and… the way David was looking at her and the sexual tension I felt… Girl… It was so obvious they were having a different kind of meeting than the one you and I think…”
“Tara, you are impossible! Besides the sexual tension, which I’m absolutely sure is just a figment of your imagination, everything you just described is quite normal. They are our bosses… They are running things around here, so they need to meet often,” Annalise pointed out.
“Anna, I’m not imagining. Other people noticed it too. Since Elaine divorced her husband and started working alongside David, he is much more present in her office or around her. Okay, Elaine is not twenty anymore, but hell, she’s still a catch and I think the divorce gave David the green light to pursue her. I’m pretty sure he’d always had a thing for Elaine.”
Annalise gripped her briefcase a little tighter. Hearing Tara’s words, she understood that it wouldn’t do her any good to get involved in this private matter. Elaine and David were both consenting adults and whatever was happening between them was their affair only. She just hoped Elaine wouldn’t get hurt by the idle gossip.
“Listen, Tara,” Annalise began as she remembered why she had stopped, to begin with, “I’m expecting two important phone calls: one from Lance Hamilton’s office and one from John Beckett. It doesn’t matter what I’m doing or who I’m with… You make sure I get these calls.”
“Okay, sweetie, don’t worry!” Tara reassured Annalise.
But, as Annalise walked away, Tara’s eyes widened.
“Wait! What?! As in John Beckett, the sexiest soccer player in the entire Universe? That John Beckett? Is he going to be our newest client? If so, how come you know him?”
In response to Tara’s countless questions, Annalise smiled and kept walking toward her little office. Normally, she would stop in the coffee room for some small talk with her colleagues, or just to say ‘hi’ and get a feel for what the day’s events were, but this morning she was already running late, thanks to a breakfast meeting going well into the brunch hour.
She needed to play catch-up on phone messages and e-mails before a full afternoon of client calls and a staff meeting to close out the day. After a few hours into her workday, her interoffice intercom buzzed and she heard Tara’s voice.
“'Anna, Mr. Hamilton is on line two.'”
“Mr. Hamilton himself or his private assistant?” Annalise asked quite perplexed.
“'Mr. Lance Hamilton.'”
“Alright… Put him through, please. Thank you, Tara,” she said crisply.
Hearing his name, Annalise felt her entire body trembling. She shook her head. What did she have to be nervous about? As soon as the phone rang, Annalise picked it up.
“Annalise Walsh.”
“'Hello, Annalise! How are you?'”
Lance’s voice sent a bolt of awareness through her body. Would she ever stop acting like a teenager on hormones every time he would say her name? It was ridiculous. It was totally unprofessional.
“I’m good, Lance. And you?”
“'I’m pretty swamped. The day is quite hectic, but I have some free time and I would like for you to meet me for lunch today. That is if you don’t have something else already planned…'”
There was a note of confidence in Lance’s voice. Oh, that man… He was as shrewd as a fox… Lance knew damn well she wouldn’t say no to him. Hastily, Annalise checked her wristwatch.
“Sure… What time?”
“'Now.'”
The answer felt like a fist in her gut. Was it Friday already and she felt to notice? Annalise shook her head laughing internally while sheer panic got a hold on her. Now? She wasn’t prepared for a ‘now’ encounter. Surely, Lance didn’t want to reschedule their informal pitch session from Friday to now…
“I thought we had a business meeting on Friday?” she added trying to stall as her brain scrambled to catch up.
“'I would like to discuss Friday today since there has been a change of plans.'”
Her heart sank. There was no way she could have her act together right now. There was too much information she still had to collect in order to have the perfect material for her winning pitch.
“Listen, at this point, I only have one hour at my disposal,” he continued. “Your office is near mine. Shall we meet in a restaurant nearby? Our choices are Italian, Japanese, or Thai.”
“I’m up for anything,” Annalise said faintly.
She propped the phone between her shoulder and her ear and began frantically digging for her notes on his account. She stuffed everything into a folder and reached for her work bag.
“'Great! I say let’s have some Italian food… I’ll meet you in the plaza in… Hmm… Ten minutes? I’m already out of my office. I presume that you know how to get to the bistro…'”
“Sure, I will be there in ten minutes…”
Lance hung up and for a moment, Annalise stood there like an idiot with the phone still stuck to her ear. Then she slammed it down and took in a deep breath.
“Okay, Anna… You got this, girl! You could do this in your sleep! Go there and hit him hard!” she encouraged herself.
Slinging the bag over her shoulder, Annalise jogged out of her office and down the hallway. She passed David White who held up a finger and opened his mouth to say something to her.
“Please, David, not now! Whatever it is, I’m sure it could wait! I promise I’ll talk to you later!” Annalise called as she hustled by. “I’m extremely late for a very important lunch meeting.”
She didn’t even look to see his reaction. She ran past Tara and yelled as she punched the button for the elevator.
“If Elaine asks about me, please tell her that I’m having lunch with Mr. Lance Hamilton. Just tell her that Friday is now and that I’ll be back this afternoon. Wish me luck!”
The elevator opened and Annalise entered quickly. As she turned around, she saw Tara’s look of puzzlement just as the doors slid shut again. When she reached the lobby, Annalise stopped in the bathroom long enough to check her appearance.
“I’m okay…” she whispered.
Yes, she was okay… for a work lunch. She wouldn’t stop traffic for sure, but at least, she didn’t look as drained as she felt. The heels she had chosen to complete her outfit were fabulous, but they were hurting like hell. Her tennis shoes would’ve been perfect right now, but they would’ve been too flashy for her work suit. Even if Lance would’ve appreciated them since it was his brand she was liking lately.
“Stop being such a woos!” she scolded herself. “You have to walk for five minutes… Just five minutes! So, stop whining and act like these heels were made especially for you!” Annalise added and exited the bathroom and the building.
When she crossed the street to the next block, she realized she never had gotten where they were supposed to meet. Italian, Lance said, but... what Italian? There were three Italian restaurants, one Japanese, one Thai, one Mexican, and a lot of Americans…
“Well done, Anna! You could’ve asked the name… but no! Well, good luck finding it in time! You’ll get to this lunch late and you know Lance hates people being late,” she said looking around with a preoccupied expression.
Her gaze scanned the umbrellas scattered along some cafes on the plaza. She couldn’t see him anywhere. Her heart almost stopped beating when she heard Lance’s voice calling her name. It was the second time in almost ten minutes that this was happening.
Annalise saw him in the middle of the plaza. The moment their eyes locked, the air got sucked right out of her lungs. Lance stood in the sunlight, one hand shoved into the pocket of his trousers, the other holding his cell phone.
There was a single thought that came to her mind when Annalise saw him there…
‘Take me, Lance! Take me right here… right now… I'm yours!’
His entire magnificent being was exuding power, sex appeal, and greatness. There was this aura of… dominance that was drawing her like a magnet towards Lance every time they met. Annalise stood there, watching him in absolute girly delight. Every part of him was pure perfection and she was such in awe. Lance waved his hand at her, inviting her to join him, even if he was still on the phone. She woke up from her daydreaming and started walking towards him, a bit embarrassed to have been caught staring. Annalise crossed the street, hugging her work bag between her arm and her side. Lance ended the phone call and watched her approach, checking her out from head to toe with an odd gleaming in his eyes that Annalise had never seen before. His features relaxed into a smile as she drew abreast of him.“Right on time… I like this very much, especially in a woman.” Annalise nodded, not wanting to betray how out of breath she was from running towards their
Annalise stepped off the elevator and walked by Tara, who held her hand up to get Annalise’s attention.“Not now, Tara,” she said as she headed for Elaine’s office. When she got to the door, Annalise was nearly run over as David came out. He sidestepped her and kept on walking, his forehead wrinkled as if he were lost in thought. She wasn’t even sure he’d seen her. She stuck her head in Elaine’s door and breathed a sigh of relief when she found her alone. Her boss glanced up and motioned her in.“What’s with him?” she asked, jerking her head over her shoulder in David’s direction. “He’s been weird lately.” Elaine gave her a puzzled look like she didn’t have a clue what she was talking about. Annalise rolled her eyes. David had been walking around in a fog, which wasn’t typical. He was usually on top of everything and everyone.“Have a seat, kiddo,” Elaine said. But Annalise shook her head.“No, Elaine, I’m okay,” she replied and took a few steps
She should have sat across the aisle from him, but that would be rude since he’d chosen to sit next to her. His nearness was slowly but surely killing her, though. His scent was driving her insane, and she could feel his heat. She took another sip from her glass. When Lance moved, his arm brushed against hers. ‘Damn it!’ she thought, ‘I can’t move... He would find out what I’m thinking… What his presence is doing to me… There’s no way to escape him’. But Annalise already knew deep inside that she didn’t really want to escape him. Just to defuse the tension building up inside her, Annalise thought to suggest they use the time on the flight to go over her ideas, but she couldn’t bring herself to have business intrude. Besides, Lance was looking so relaxed… Maybe they should talk about something else not work-related, or maybe… ‘Or maybe what, Annalise Walsh?’ she mentally shook herself. ‘Are you insane or what? This isn’t a romant
‘My fiancée…’ Annalise froze. Her heart stopped beating for a few seconds and she felt cold shivers going up and down her spine. There was a horrible buzz in her ears, and she stared in horror at Lance. No, there must be a mistake… she hadn’t heard him right. What the hell did he just do? She wasn’t sure who was more stunned by this news. Her or his entire family. Guinevere was looking at her from head to toe with a gaze filled with loath, disgust, and anger. Arthur, Lance’s brother looked somewhat annoyed and slightly amused, while Lance’s father, was just frowning. His mom was the only one who actually seemed happy about the… ‘big’ news dropped on everybody like a bomb. “Oh, sweetie, that is absolutely amazing!” she said and Annalise found herself in her arms being hugged so tight that she was in danger of fainting from lack of air. “I’m ecstatic to meet you, my dear.” She held Annalise out at arm’s length and smiled at her. Then she proceeded to k
Her jaw practically dropped. Oh, but of course! Not only did Lance trick her big time, but he was also expecting her to continue this charade in his bed. Well, it will be a cold day in hell when she’ll let him touch her. She was here for one reason only: to convince Lance to sign with her agency. Rolling in the hay with him was never part of the deal. Annalise reached forward and snatched the key card from his grasp. Then, she spun on her heel and she almost ran down the hall. Staying in the same room together?! Sharing the same bed? Yeah, sure! Dream on, Lance, dream on! For what she cared, he could go and look for other accommodations or he could bunk with his brother. This way they will probably have a lot of time to talk about personal issues. Maybe they could compare notes on Guinevere. She jammed the card into the lock, listened for the snick, and then shoved it open. Annalise stepped inside and slammed the door in
“Why are you laughing? What is so damn funny?” he demanded totally perplexed. “Basically, Guinevere accused you of doing exactly what you are doing! ‘The nerve on her…’ You crack me up, Lance! You should be doing stand-up comedy as a hobby,” Annalise replied and kept laughing. “Stop it now, please,” Lance said, blinking a bit annoyed by her reaction. “Okay, I get it. I’m an immature, egotistical man. The male ego is obviously a fragile creature. I think we can agree on that. Yes, it occurred to me to get on her nerves just a little by showing up with a stunning woman by my side. Sue me for it! I even hatched the whole engagement scheme complete with the ring because I figured it was the best way to finally get them all off my back.” Her shoulders shook and Annalise closed her eyes. The man was nothing if not honest. She had to give him credit for it. “Anna, look at me, please.” His pleading tone had her turning once more to stare into those intense eyes. Lance
Totally mesmerized, Lance kept watching the beautiful woman sitting sideways on the couch, her back against the arm and her knees doubled in front of her. Annalise looked comfortable and completely relaxed, which was more than he could have hoped for given how stupidly he had sprung the whole fake engagement thing on her. After her initial fury, though, she had calmed down and had taken it quite well. Annalise was extremely intelligent and funny, a few other qualities Lance liked in a woman, especially the woman he was interested in. Accepting to play this game at his side, agreeing to play the part of his fiancée, was no little thing for Annalise, but she understood his necessity and said yes. Lance was definitely attracted to Annalise sexually, but beyond that, he genuinely liked spending time with her. This was another reason why he pleaded with her to help him. ‘Just stay put, and let her be, man!’ Lance said to himself while admiring her. ‘Stay awa
“Well, this is me, sometimes I dream impossible things… And it was a good dream for the extremely short time it lasted,” Lance grumbled. “I was too focused on my work, on achieving the success I was pursuing. So, I didn’t have the time to figure out what my ideal woman was. All I knew was that I needed a perfect private life, without problems at home… So, I looked around and there was Guinevere and I didn’t feel like waiting anymore. I asked her to marry me, and she said yes. So, I gave her the ring and that was that.” “Oh… And that went so well… Mr. Hamilton, allow me to introduce myself: I’m Annalise, your fake fiancée.” Lance scowled ferociously at Annalise only for her to start laughing again, this time even harder. “Stop making that face, Lance! Even you have to admit this is so damn funny.” He smiled. “Okay, so what happened next? Other than Arthur stepping in and being a total jackass.” Lance smiled again. He really liked this woman. Annalise
A couple of days later, John was signing the contract with “HL Sportswear”. Once he finished, he put down the pen and gave Lance a very serious look. The last time they saw each other, John was calling him a dumbass for letting Annalise go and threatening not to sign the contract if he would not find Annalise and get her back. And now, the three of them, together with the lawyers, were making their agreement official. With Annalise’s help, with John okay, Lance was preparing to make history. “Welcome to ‘HL Sportswear’, John!” Lance exclaimed shaking his hand. “Thank you for doing this.” The young jock looked first at Annalise, and then at Lance. “I did it mostly for Anna. She was your winning card. So, cherish her, Hamilton. Treat her like the fierce, powerful, hard-working queen she is. This woman went through hell to arrive here,” John told him, then smiled at Annalise. “I’m extremely proud of you, baby girl. I really am.” Annalise got close to Joh
She made a derisive sound deep in her throat. The memory strangled her. Annalise hated that helpless feeling. “One evening, I was working late and he dropped in to see how I was doing. He came onto me hard and didn’t intend to take no for an answer. I fought against him, I even slapped him hard a couple of times. I tried to push him away from me, but he was so much stronger… He probably would’ve raped me if his wife hadn’t burst in.” Annalise was trembling, but she knew she had to go on. “I think she knew what was going on… I thought she would help me. But… I was dead wrong. She couldn’t care less. She called me a whore, even if that wasn’t true. She was also his partner, so she used me to make him pay for everything he had ever done wrong to her. And she also had her way out of the marriage.” “What happened after?” Lance asked. “Well, these days you have experienced it first-hand. Because of that woman and her disgusting husband, I was named a homewrecker, an arrogant
Annalise pressed her lips together. “He told me not to bother looking for him, even if I changed my mind. Well, too bad. I made a mistake… Happens, we all make them. It’s not the end of the world. I’m sure he has made his share. He was angry and I’m sure he didn’t mean half of the things he said. So, since I know now what I want, I’m going to make him listen to me. Then I’m going to take the leap of faith Dad mentioned in the video and tell the man of my life that I love him. I hope that I’m not too late and that he will listen.” Jeremy touched her cheek in a tender gesture. “If he doesn’t, he’s a fool who doesn’t deserve my brave, beautiful baby sister. Whatever happens, I will be right here, remember that! You are not alone.” Annalise glanced down at her rumpled appearance. She shuddered to think what her hair looked like. She spent the last three days going around the house like the ghost of the Christmas past. “I need to go jump in the shower and t
That day, the silence inside the house was soul-crashing. Lost in her thoughts, Annalise didn’t even realize that her coffee cup was empty. She put it in the kitchen sink and decided to go on the back porch and get some fresh air. Her father bought the house right after the wedding and renovated it all by himself. It was perched near a cliff, though it was situated a good distance from the drop-off. As a child, after reading about mudslides, she’d been convinced that they’d fall into the ocean. Her brothers had told her it was far more likely they’d fall off in an earthquake. Annalise shook her head at the memory of how they liked to torment her. It was peaceful here, and not for the first time during the last few days, she wondered why she’d been so anxious to move away. “Sometimes, a nice, calm, honest talk is the key to solving so many misunderstandings…” Annalise said, sitting on the rocking chair. “Look at Mom and me… We are finally starting to create
John looked at Lance and instead of shaking his hand, he crossed his arms on his chest and let his lawyer do the talking. “Mr. Hamilton, my client instructed me to speak on his behalf during this meeting. Since this is going to be a very brief encounter between the two of you, Mr. Beckett asked me to inform you that he… changed his mind about signing the contract with ‘HL Sportswear’. This decision was taken after very careful consideration. Mr. Beckett wants you to know that…” The lawyer stopped and looked at John who, with a brief movement of his head, urged him to say the exact words. The man coughed just to clear his throat and continued. “Mr. Hamilton, these are not my words, so, please, excuse my language… My client wants you to know he will never sign with a… dickhead such as yourself, a dumbass who doesn’t see a good thing when it crosses his path. You should not have let Annalise Walsh out of your sight, even if she asked you to. Annalise was the real deal and you
After a while, they started talking like they never did before. Martha pampered her endlessly, preparing her favorite food: French fries and chocolate ice cream. Her mother’s expression showed complete disapproval, but Annalise told her it was her comfort food. By the time evening rolled around, her brothers arrived and made it a point to shower her with lots of hugs and endless cuddling, as her father recommended. Martha retired to her room, leaving her children sitting on the couch together, watching ‘Roman Holiday’ and eating popcorn. Everything was so wonderful… For the first time, since the disaster that had hit her, Annalise was feeling a little bit better… and a little bit optimistic. Once the movie ended, Annalise wiped her eyes and tried to stop the sniffling. She knew her brothers hated it when she cried. Jeremy especially. He kept Annalise’s head on his shoulder. “Anna, if you feel like talking, we’re here for you. But if not, w
Unwilling to face the judgment of the entire “S&W Advertising” squad after the security leak and tired of crying all night long, Tuesday morning, Annalise decided to call and inform her boss that she was going to take the rest of the week off. Hearing how horrible she sounded, Elaine allowed her to take this vacation, reaffirming the fact that the agency was standing behind her one hundred percent. Still, she emphasized once more, if a reminder was needed, that hiding would not solve her problems. That taking the coward’s way out was not the right way to address her issue. “‘I agree you should rest and think,’” Elaine had told her on the phone. “‘So, take a day, a week, a month… Take all the time you need, kiddo. But don’t do it because you need to hide from the world. Come out and face the music. I believe in you and I know for a fact you are much stronger than you think. I wish I could be half the woman you are.’” Those touching words and Elaine’s trust moved
Annalise laid her head on her desk and tried to ignore the painful ache that had developed around her temples. Elaine told her to go home, but she couldn’t… not yet… She knew what she had to do, and it will hurt far more than those damn pictures. Still, she hadn’t worked this hard to rebuild her reputation and her career to have it go down the drain over her affair with Lance. Yes, she was in love with him, that was so very clear in her head, but he wasn’t responding the same way. For him, what was going on between them was just enjoyable sex and nothing more. They were great between the sheets, but out of his hotel bed, in front of the cruel reality, their relationship was doomed. Annalise sighed and covered her face with her hands. “You can’t escape your past, Anna,” she whispered. “It will hunt you forever.” She turned off her cell phone and spent the rest of the day locked in her office. She only spoke to Tara to tell her she was not acc
David and Elaine stood there, in silence, waiting for Annalise to gather herself together again. She took a deep breath and then looked up. “I promise you both that it’s not how it looks,” Annalise said as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I swear to you I never used cheap tricks to get my hands on this account. I’ve worked relentlessly to bring this here. Everything I did was done by the book.” Elaine said nothing. David glanced at the magazine on her desk. “Well, Anna, in this photo, it looks like you were wearing his ring, but I don’t see one on your finger right now…” David continued handing her a paper tissue. “And I remember that you had lunch with him some time ago… It was the day I’ve wanted to talk to you about this account.” After she cleared her throat, Elaine intervened. “David, I know Anna. I’ve watched her for the last few months, working harder than anyone else around here, giving her best to save this agency. She spent so many sleepless nigh