Kiss Me Twice

“I can assess how effective your procedures are when I see you on Thursday.”

“You’re not going to take our company secrets and sell them to your other clients, are you?”

“I’ll sign whatever nondisclosure agreements or confidentiality contracts you have.”

“Don’t you worry your head about signing NDAs,” he said smoothly. “We may be a Southern, family-run business. But some of the old ways still work for us, Ms. Burke-Carter. Like that quaint, turn of the century practice of sealing a business deal on the trust of a handshake. Keep your NDA. I’ve learned from personal experience that they’re not worth the paper they’re printed on.”

“You don’t trust consultants, do you?” It wasn’t really a question. Phaedra was only letting him know that she recognized his hostility but was still willing to deal with him.

“And it only took you fifteen minutes to figure that out. I’m already impressed with your expertise,” he retorted, then hung up on Phaedra before she could beat him to it.

“You should be,” Phaedra muttered to the dead phone line hum that echoed in her ear.

Chapter 4

B astien hung up the phone with mixed feelings. He couldn’t count the number of times he’d reached for the phone, started to call Phaedra Burke-Carter and then hung up again before it could ring. It was worse than being in grade school, trying to make that first phone call to his first preteen crush.

It wasn’t that he doubted Phaedra’s abilities. Solly had recommended her, and Solly wouldn’t do it unless he thought she could help. When he’d left the bowling alley Monday night, he’d stayed up until four o’clock in the morning researching her. By the time he made himself call her, he was already fighting a stress headache. Knowing that he had a full day at work before him didn’t put him in the best of moods, and he knew that bad attitude came across on the phone. Bastien had contacted her impressive list of clients. They gave her excellent references. Enough to convince him to go ahead and call her.

What Bastien doubted was his ability to convince Remy that the company needed to spend the money to bring her on board. In Remy’s eyes, bringing on an outside consultant meant that somebody inside of CT Inspectorate wasn’t doing their job. And that somebody had better get their act together quickly, or that somebody would soon be out of a job. Bastien didn’t have to read between the lines. Remy made it clear. Bastien was the one who was at risk.

Holding Phaedra’s card between his fingertips, Bastien gently, distractedly tapped the card against the page in the yearbook that held her picture. She’d been a junior then. According to Solly, she’d attended the same parties that he went to. Still, he didn’t remember her, and it frustrated him that he couldn’t. Solly teased him and told him that was one of the effects of getting old, and for his birthday he would buy him a case of ginkgo biloba to help with his memory. In response to Solly’s “getting old” cracks, Bastien made Solly’s son cover his ears while he told his friend what he could do with that case of herbs.

Bastien compared Phaedra’s school photograph with the one posted on the Web site for her consultancy firm. The years had certainly been kind to her. More than kind. Generous. The girl in the college annual was just that, a girl. A girl trying to look more mature than her nineteen years. Her thick, dark, curly hair was teased for volume and ballooned around her head. Large dark eyes were hidden behind wide-rimmed glasses. The blouse she wore was bright pink with an obnoxiously frilly bow that fell in ribbons down the front with bright pink lipstick to match and large plastic hoop earrings.

The woman on the Web site was considerably more polished. Sophisticated. She wore her hair sleeker now. A long bang swept across her forehead from left to right and the rest was smoothed into a french roll. She still wore glasses, but they were modern and accented her eyes, rather than dwarfing them. Her dark eyes stared out cool and assured, giving the impression of confidence and competence.

“Is it safe to come in now?”

Bastien’s cousin Chas swung the door open and stepped through before Bastien gave him permission. Chas didn’t really need permission. As the company’s chief finance officer, he could come and go as he pleased. But Chas didn’t operate that way. Not like Remy, Bastien thought sourly, who used every opportunity to remind everyone of his position. He wore his title like some kind of cape, smothering the employees with it when he thought they weren’t giving him the proper respect.

As Chas came in, Bastien quickly closed the college annual and slid it into a desk drawer. If Chas noticed his hastiness, he didn’t say anything about it. Instead, he flopped into the chair facing him.

“Alonzo tells me that you’ve been holed up in your office all morning.”

“Alonzo needs to stop worrying about where I’ve been and worry about his own business,” Bastien said testily.

“Everything all right?” Chas asked. Bastien was edgy and not doing a very good job of covering it.

“Sure…everything’s fine.”

“Uh-huh.” Chas wasn’t convinced.

“I’m just under a little pressure right now, Chas.”

“When are we not under pressure in this place?” Chas commiserated. “But you can’t let it get to you, Bastien. You can’t let it mess with your health. It’s just a job.”

“How can you say that, Chas?” Bastien asked, leaning back in his chair and staring up at the ceiling. It occurred to him last night while he was working on the work rotation schedule for Remy that, even though they were a couple employees short, he was still getting pressure to reduce costs. The most expedient way, according to Remy’s plan, was to let someone go. That someone might be him. Bastien couldn’t afford to let anyone think that he didn’t value working here. He was on a mission to carve out a piece of ownership of this company for himself, just like Chas. Just like Remy.

“Because it’s true,” Chas said. He planted his palms down on Bastien’s desk, leaned forward and said, “The minute G-Paw and Remy make you start thinking that there’s nothing else outside of this company, that you’ve got no life outside the one they make for you, then they’ve got you, Bastien. You hear what I’m telling you? You have to protect your health. Physical. Mental. Emotional.” He ticked off on three fingers as he spoke. “This place can suck the life right out of you if you’re not careful.”

“Is that why you took a sabbatical and let Remy take over this company?”

Chas was in his early forties, premature gray sprinkled through his dark hair.

As much as Bastien admired Chas, he didn’t completely get him. “You had this company, Chas. You had it in the palm of your hand. But now Remy’s in line to run it. “

Chas shrugged his shoulders, like it was no big deal to him.

“Remy working your last nerve?” He laughed softly when Bastien muttered an unkind assessment of his cousin’s abilities.

“I can’t believe you let go of something you’ve worked over half of your adult years to get. I know you busted your ass to get where you are, Chas. You had to put up with a lot of crap from G-Paw and Remy to do it. And now you’re just hanging back and letting Remy take it all?”

“I let go to get something I wanted more,” Chas admitted. He opened one fist, imitating releasing the company and closed the other fist, pressing it to his chest over his heart.

“Jacie,” Bastien said, knowing exactly what he meant by that pantomime. Jacie was Chas’s wife. But that simple word didn’t come close to describing all that she was to him. Chas never actually used the words soul mate, but he didn’t have to. Anyone who ever saw them together could easily recognize the depth of feeling he had for her.

“When I met her, everything changed, including my priorities. I met her, hired her then married her. A year later, we started having kids. Next thing I knew, being up here twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week wasn’t all that important to me anymore.”

Bastien was almost envious of the spring in Chas’s step as he and Jacie, the office manager, walked out hand in hand at the end of each day. Like two teenagers who couldn’t get enough of each other, they left the cares of CT Inspectorate behind them while Bastien remained behind to be the good company man that Chas used to be.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Chas tried to clear up a wrong impression. “I love the work. I can even tolerate making money.”

“Tolerate? Who are you trying to fool? The Thibeadaux family wouldn’t know what to do with ourselves if we couldn’t make money.”

“Now you’re sounding like G-Paw,” Chas accused him.

“He raised you. He must have beaten that into your thick skull, too.”

“I’m not saying that he didn’t. Just don’t lose perspective. Don’t let the job make you miserable. When it gets to be like that, it’s not a job anymore. It’s a prison.”

“Yeah? Well, thanks for the advice, cousain. ”

“I know what you’re thinking. Only worth two cents. I’m willing to back up my words with action. If you need anything from me, anything at all to make sure you get what you need, you know Jacie and me have got your back.”

“I appreciate the offer. But you’ve got enough on your plate. Let me handle my business. You don’t need to babysit me.”

Chas got up to pour himself a cup of coffee from the six-cup brewer that Bastien kept in his office.

“Texas. Louisiana. Oklahoma. Those are your territories, Bastien. You run it the way you want and don’t take no lip from that old man or from Remy. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how he’s been ridin’ you, too.”

“It’s no secret that my division has had some screwups up in here lately. Everybody thinks that I’m not cutting it.”

“Don’t get down on yourself, Bastien. Nobody who knows you thinks that. Those accidents weren’t your fault.”

“Maybe not my fault but my responsibility. Four accidents in four months. Come on now, Chas. How can I justify that? I’m not liking those numbers and neither is G-Paw.”

“So what are you going to do about it?” Chas issued a challenge.

“I’m thinking about bringing in a consultant.”

Chas made a face at Bastien’s response, then tried to play it off as if he were dissatisfied with the coffee. “What kind of consultant?”

“Health, safety and environmental. Solly Greenwood recommended her.”

“Her?” There was genuine intrigue in Chas’s question.

“Yeah, her,” Bastien said, emphasizing her gender. “Her name’s Phaedra Burke-Carter.”

“Of the Houston Burke-Carters?”

“You know them?”

“I know them. They’re a very powerful family.”

“Worth the money?” That’s what it all boiled down to for Bastien.

“Depends on who you ask. One thing I can say for certain, if you’re dealing with a Burke-Carter, you’d better bring your A game. When it comes to making their money, just like G-Paw, those people don’t play. They’re dead serious about making sure that their name stays spotless. If you’re going to work with her, be up front about what you expect and get everything in writing. That’ll protect you both.”

“I already told her that she didn’t have to sign a nondisclosure agreement,” Bastien confessed.

“Oooh, rookie mistake.” Chas laughed at him. He didn’t seem too concerned that Bastien had already disregarded his first bit of advice. “There’s still time to correct that. When’s your first meeting with her?”

“I set up a consult for this Thursday.”

“That soon? You don’t waste time.”

“I don’t have time to sit around and wait for Remy to fire me because I can’t get the work done.”

“Nobody’s going to fire you, Bastien,” Chas assured him.

“Okay, then. Replace me. Or demote me. I’m not gonna let that happen, either.”

“What makes you think she can help you?”

“She’s got credentials coming out of her ears. Her client list reads like a roll call for the Fortune 500.”

“She sounds expensive. You’ve got the budget to bring in outside expertise?”

“You mean after Remy blew it on detailing the van? Nope. So, I had to get creative. The first consult is free.”

“How’d you manage that? You ain’t that smooth of a talker. How did you manage to get on her schedule?”

“Turns out we went to school together. Here, take a look.”

Bastien pulled the college annual from the drawer and flipped to the page that he’d marked with Phaedra’s business card.

“Hmm…interesting,” Chas said, barely managing to keep his expression neutral.

“That’s not the way she looks today,” Bastien said. He swung the computer monitor around and pulled up her Web site.

This time, Chas gave a low whistle of admiration under his breath.

“Hey, cut that out! You’re a married man!”

“Blissfully married,” Chas affirmed. “But I ain’t blind! And I know you aren’t either. Don’t let that business suit fool you, Bastien,” he said, tapping the monitor. “That woman’s got it going on. I’ll bet she knows it, too, and can use it to her advantage. Don’t let her distract you from taking care of your business, Bastien. A woman like that can twist a man’s head clean around.”

“Do I look like I have time for that, Chas?” Bastien made a sweeping gesture, pointing to the stacks of paperwork on this desk.

Again, Chas laughed at him, pricking Bastien’s pride.

“I don’t see what’s so damn funny.”

Chas then rubbed his hands over his eyes and his mouth, pretending to wipe the grin away.

“Let me ask you something, Bastien. And don’t get offended. I’m not trying to get in your business.”

“What is it? What do you want to know?”

“When’s the last time you went out?”

“What do you mean out? You mean like on a date? With a woman?”

“No, with a wombat. Of course I mean with a woman. And I don’t mean hanging out at Fast Lanz bowling alley with Solly and your crew. I mean when’s the last time you got all cleaned up, dressed to impress and took a woman out to a romantic movie? A late night dinner? A concert?”

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Just humor me, Bastien. You’ve been puttin’ in a lot of hours up here. When’s the last time you got yourself a little, you know, sumthin’-sumthin’.”

“Is there a point to this conversation?”

“The point is that I’ve been in your shoes. One hundred percent company man, through and through. Any spare moment not spent up here at the company was spent thinking about the company. Before I met Jacie, that is. Let me tell you. I didn’t realize just how alone I was until that woman came crashing into my life.”

“And did you get a little sumthin’-sumthin’ from her, too?” Bastien asked snidely.

“I had to,” Chas said, his expression somber. “G-Paw practically threw me on top of her. Said I needed to handle my business. Made me figure out which one I wanted more, her or the company, so I could get my head back in the game.”

“That’s not what I’m looking for from Phaedra Burke-Carter, Chas. This is business, pure and simple. I’m fighting for my right to run this company, right along with you and Remy.”

“I wasn’t looking either. You can’t ignore that basic instinct. More than instinct, it’s that inescapable sense that nothing’s gonna be right until you and she get together. When it hits you, it’s gonna hit you hard. I’m here to tell you. I did everything I could to keep from wanting Jacie. Tried to keep it all professional. Even convinced myself for a time that I was doing the honorable thing. Call it what you want—fate, destiny, a taste of good old-fashioned lust. The point is, she showed up in my life when I was at my weakest. One thing led to another…and well, you know the rest. I’m only telling you this because I want you to be ready. Face it, Bastien. You’ve been off your game for a while.”

“So, what do you expect me to do, Chas? Go and grab the first female I see and have a quickie behind the building before meeting with her?”

“Behind the building. In the backseat of that crazy van…yeah, I know about that.”

Bastien groaned.

“You do whatever you have to do to keep your head on straight while you’re meeting with that woman. I’m looking at that photo of this Burke-Carter woman and I’m telling you, she’s got it. If she’s anything like the way she looks, you don’t stand a chance.”

“Well, I didn’t ask her to come out here for her looks,” Bastien grumbled, swiveling the monitor back around. “I need her for her brains.”

“Why not get yours? You’d better believe that Remy’s gettin’ his,” Chas confided. “Nobody needs to spend that much time in Beaumont. I think that man’s got women waiting for him across three states.”

“I’m not like Remy, Chas,” Bastien said seriously. “I can’t do those hit-and-runs. The next time I fall for a woman, it’s going to be for keeps. I’m almost thirty-five years old. I don’t have time to play house.”

“That’s why I respect you, Bastien. That’s why I put you here, in this office. I know you’ll always do the right thing for this company and the right thing for yourself.”

Bastien didn’t voice his doubt, but Chas read it in his body language.

“Look, Bastien, I wouldn’t have approved you and your employee transfers if I didn’t think you all were up to the job.”

“I’m going to fix this,” Bastien promised. “I won’t let you down.”

“To hell with me,” Chas said, rising from the chair and starting for the door. “You won’t let yourself down. Speaking of letting down, you know Jacie’s got a surprise birthday party planned for you, don’t you? For Sunday afternoon right after church. Make sure you’re sufficiently surprised when she springs it on you.”

“Don’t worry about that, Chas. Solly’s planning to ambush me, too. I’ll have plenty of time to practice my surprised face.” Bastien raised his hands to either side of his face, raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth to imitate the look he planned to give.

“Hmm,” Chas grunted. “Needs more work.”

“Not the first time I’ll hear that today,” Bastien retorted, lowering his head back to his reports.

Chapter 5

T he railroad crossing arm lowered and warning lights flashed as the cargo train rumbled on, seemingly without end. Phaedra wasn’t going anywhere any time soon, so she sat in her SUV, fingertips drumming impatiently against the steering wheel. Several eighteen-wheelers were in front of her. Another half dozen idled behind her. The blackish-gray smoke from their chrome exhaust pipes created clouds of noxious fumes that drifted into the air and seemed to melt into the storm clouds forming on the horizon. Two days ago, when she’d agreed to meet with Bastien, the weather promised to be clear. How quickly things changed.

“Not a good day to be claustrophobic.”

She didn’t believe in signs and omens. Yet, it couldn’t be a coincidence that the mood of the man she was going to meet was as thick and oppressive as the clouds threatening to pour down rain.

Phaedra was sandwiched in between the trucks, not able to inch forward or scoot back. She wasn’t late for the meeting with Bastien Thibeadaux. Not yet. But that didn’t stop the anxious knot in her stomach from churning. Premeeting jitters. She hated being late. In her opinion, it was the ultimate in rudeness. It was certainly no way to impress a new client, especially one as cranky and impatient as Bastien was. She couldn’t miss the meeting after all of the research she’d done. Though she’d promised him that the first consult was free, she’d already put enough time into the meeting to pay for a week of her office leasing fees. She’d better come out of this meeting with a signed contract—or at least the promise of one.

As Phaedra waited for the train to pass, she used the time to flip through her notes, committing to memory more details about the company. She didn’t want to fumble through papers during the meeting. Nothing turned away potential clients faster than a consultant who didn’t perform the most basic research.

Fifteen minutes before she was scheduled to arrive and she was stuck behind the train. This was cutting it too close. She wouldn’t have time to collect herself or even stop by the bathroom. She flipped down the visor and checked her appearance in the mirror. Not a hair out of place. Face perfectly made up. Phaedra wasn’t conceited, but she knew that she was the model of professionalism and competence. It was an image that she worked hard to cultivate, especially for today. She didn’t want to look anything like the girl of her junior year in college. That wild child with the teased hair and the skintight catsuit was a distant memory.

Thirteen minutes until her appointment and the train was still taking its time. Twelve minutes. Eleven.

Phaedra reached over and picked up the cell phone from the passenger seat. I’m just going to have to call him and apologize for being late. As she placed the Bluetooth in her ear and scrolled through the contact list, the phone started to ring. It was Bastien.

“Phaedra Burke-Carter speaking.”

“Ms. Burke-Carter. It’s Bastien Thibeadaux.”

“Mr. Thibeadaux! I was just about to call you.”

“Really? Let me guess. You’re stuck at the entrance?” He didn’t sound irritated like he had when he’d ended their conversation on Tuesday. Phaedra found herself thinking how much she liked the sound of his voice when he wasn’t snarling at her.

“Yes, I am. There’s a train crossing and it seems to be taking forever. Is there another entrance to the facility?”

“Yes, ma’am. About a half mile up the road, off to your right.”

She rolled down the window and stuck her head out to see. “I guess it doesn’t make a difference. I’m sandwiched between several large trucks.”

“Then you’d better sit tight,” he advised. “Some of those crazy rig jockeys have been known to whip out into traffic when you least expect it. When the gate lifts, pull forward to the guard station, give them my name and then take the left fork toward the main building. It’s a red brick building.”

“Got it. Left fork. Red brick building,” She repeated. “See you in a minute. Oh, and Mr. Thibeadaux…”

“Yeah?”

“How did you know I was stuck at the train crossing? I could have been just running late.”

This time, he did laugh. A deepthroated chuckle that rumbled in her ear and sent an unexpected shiver down her spine. “Ms. Burke-Carter, people like you don’t run late.”

“People like me?” she said, inviting him to explain.

“Type A personalities,” he went on. Phaedra translated control freak in her head.

“Besides, I can see you from the security monitors up here. I’ve been watching you for the past ten minutes. You are driving the charcoal-gray SUV, right?”

“That’s me,” she confirmed.

“Nice ride,” he remarked. He seemed more relaxed than when he had first spoken with her.

“Thank you,” Phaedra responded automatically to the compliment. She also sent her thanks to the heavens for small favors. Just because she was prepared for his hostility and resentment didn’t mean she wanted to deal with it now. Now, she wasn’t sure what to expect from him.

When the last railcar rumbled by, the railroad crossing arm lifted, she waited her turn as the trucks ahead pulled up to the guard station. By the time it was Phaedra’s turn, she already had her driver’s license out, presenting it before the security guard requested it.

“I’m here to see Bastien Thibeadaux at CT Inspectorate.” The guard recorded her license number on a clipboard and walked around the SUV to list the make and model.

“Have a nice day.” He waved her on. She veered left, toward the signs indicating visitor parking. Parking spots were reserved for the CFO and COO. A third sign was planted in front of a parking space that was twice as large as the other two spaces combined. The sign was white, trimmed in red and black with the letters G-PAW.

G-paw? What kind of a company position is that? There were a few other parking signs, a couple of marked spots for disabled employees or visitors. There were also some signs designated for short-term parking—only thirty minutes. The others seemed to be free and open to anyone. Phaedra pulled past the spot she wanted and then shifted the car into reverse to back into the spot.