Ivy studied herself in the mirror as she smoothed her skirt. She winced when she thought of her credit card debt just to buy two suits. Tate probably wore a different pair of shoes every day, but Ivy only had one pair. She looked down at her black leather pumps. At least, they were comfortable.
She resisted taking Tate's offer for as long as possible, but her resume would always be overlooked. Taking six years to get through law school raised red flags. She never dreamed she would get a plum assignment leading to the ideal job and become a judge someday. She had imagined herself arguing in a courtroom, but perhaps a boardroom was good enough. Her goal was to graduate and make enough money to pay for her new wardrobe. The internship could achieve both goals.
The one thing she didn't want to think about was working in the same building as Baxter. She hadn't seen him since the night at the bar, except for his photograph. He and Tate had attended some functions together. Since social media was still enthralled with the jilted bride, their faces were everywhere. Some ridiculed her because she was with her brother. Others were too busy commenting on how hot her brother was. She read a post comparing him and his younger brother. She had only met Kasper once and wasn't privy to his personal details. If the younger brother exceeded the older, he would walk with a limp. Even as the inferior brother, Baxter was trending, and he had to hate it. He never received social media attention before, but his friend Jimmy was a different story.
Tate hated the attention. When she wasn't wearing a gown which cost more than Ivy's car, she stayed in. Ivy was happy to join her for takeout and a movie. While eating steamed dumplings, Ivy pretended she knew nothing about trending social media. Meanwhile, Duncan was busy making a splash with his engagement to his former Great Race partner, the one he slept with the night before he was supposed to marry Tate.
With sweaty palms, Ivy pulled into the Kane building underground parking garage. She expected the security guard to send her and her clunker away. Tate had pulled strings to offer her a sweet deal complete with a parking pass. Otherwise she would have had to walk from the subway station after almost an hour on the train.
Every time her name got her past a security checkpoint, she breathed a little easier. As she walked across the lobby, she didn't dare look around. If she saw Baxter, it would be in the lobby or worse the elevator.
Once she stepped on the elevator with strangers, she breathed again. When the doors on the fourteenth floor opened, Tate was waiting for her with a big smile.
"Welcome to Kane Properties. This is Eleanor. She keeps us in line. This is our new intern Ivy Krasinski."
"Welcome Ms. Krasinski."
With a dry mouth, she managed a thank you to the tall, older woman. Tate led her to a small office just bigger than a supply closet. "Sorry, I can't give you a better office. They gave me this one as an intern too. I think it was my father's idea."
Ivy had never met the family patriarch. By reputation, he was a shrewd entrepreneur. Baxter's was the same, but Ivy knew the truth. Would she ever stop thinking of him?
After a busy morning of filling out forms in Human Resources and watching required videos, she returned to the legal department. Once again, she hoped he was tucked up in his office working. In a video, she learned they prohibited relationships between employees and their superior. Baxter was the entire companies' superior, so as she signed her name agreeing to the policy, she extinguished the last bit of false hope.
Tate appeared. "Time for lunch. There's a restaurant around the corner."
Ivy looked at her toes. Her gut had told her not to take the job, but she ignored it. "I brought lunch from home. I can't go out like you do."
"Oh. Okay. I can order lunch. You can join me."
"Did you hire me for a friend or because I'm needed?"
"Both. No one wants to get close to the boss's daughter. Plus, this department is one demographic: white, middle-age males."
Eleanor cleared her throat. "What about me?"
Tate smiled. "You're not a man."
The secretary chuckled and answered the ringing phone, still smiling. "Ms. Kane, Mr. Kane is on the line for you."
"Thanks Eleanor, which one?"
Eleanor smiled. "Father." Ivy breathed a little easier.
"Give me a few minutes. I'll order takeout. Here read this."
She handed her a contract. As Ivy started reading, memories floated around her - snow outside the window, the demanding voice in the kitchen, his smile at her work, his lips, his swollen cock. She squirmed in her seat and forced herself to focus on the words.
Tate popped her head in. "Come to my office."
She picked up her bag. Tate had a gorgeous salad on her desk. Ivy reluctantly pulled out a ham sandwich. She also had a banana. Not a very glamorous lunch. Maybe she should pack a fresh salad instead. It would require a trip to the grocery store and spending money she didn't have.
As she stabbed lettuce with her fork, Tate said, "I have a phone call this afternoon, I'd like you to sit in on."
"I'm supposed to get my computer this afternoon. She also watched a video on the appropriate use of the company devices.
"How was your morning?"
She shook her finger. "No porn at lunch."
Tate looked amused. "Excuse me."
"That's what I learned. No porn at lunch and no sleeping with a boss."
"I'm your boss and I don't want to sleep with you. My boss may want to, but he's at least fifty-five. If anyone watches porn at lunch, it's him. Stay clear of him."
As they ate, each was deep in their own thoughts. Tate had her phone out. Ivy pointed to it. "Don't look at that garbage. It's all lies."
Tate looked up. "I don't know if I should hate her or feel sorry for her."
"I don't think you should waste your time and energy on either emotion."
"I know you're right. Baxter keeps saying the same thing. You two are similar. You think alike. No wonder why I like you. Oh, the call is in five minutes. I have to get ready." She closed her half eaten salad and threw it away.
The waste was overpowered by Tate's lack of appetite. Just as Ivy bit into her banana a familiar voice caused her to jump. "Are you ready?"
"I've got this. Ivy will observe."
His hazel eyes looked greener against his navy suit. "That's a big banana, Ms. Krasinski."
"I've had bigger."
Baxter coughed. "We can take the call from here. It shows a united front."
So much for not seeing Baxter. They would fire her for breaking the code of conduct on her first day. For two hours, she listened as Tate argued over details in a contract. Every once in a while Baxter would say things like maybe this isn't in our best interest.
Ivy sat in a corner, while brother and sister sat in front of a screen for the conference call. The more she tried not to look at him, the harder it was to look away. Goosebumps danced across her skin. Maybe it was the excitement of the deal worth millions of dollars or Baxter's presence which filled the room. Even his masculine scent took over Tate's feminine one. How could those idiots compare him with Kasper when he controlled the room?
The door opened and Dani slipped in. She turned to Ivy and smiled. Ivy returned her smile, but instantly frowned as the new arrival captured Baxter's attention. As they silently communicated, a sourness spread from her heart. It was a feeling she had no right to have. Baxter would never break the code of conduct, would he? Dani was a direct report.
Baxter cleared his throat. "As much as I wanted to finalize this today, I have another commitment. Finance was ready to wire the funds, but we have yet to reconcile our differences."
A voice on the speaker said, "I'm sure we can come to an agreement."
"I have exactly five minutes, now how about..."
Suddenly, the others offered concessions. Dani looked uninterested as she typed on her phone, but Ivy felt exhilarated. Dani tapped her foot.
Baxter nodded. "I think Tate can wrap up the details. It was a pleasure."
Baxter walked to the door without looking at her. Dani whispered, "You're late."
He sighed. "I'm always late."
An emptiness filled her, she hadn't known he ran late. Maybe she didn't know him at all.
By the end of the day, her exhilaration turned to exhaustion. The emotional roller coaster had taken a toll. She shut her eyes and imagined her own apartment, not all white, but peaceful. Maybe Kane Properties was the way she could get what she wanted. Corporate law was a fine profession. With Kane on her resume, she could land her own job. She didn't need to be rich or powerful. Ivy wanted a place of her own to figure out how to live without the man who haunted her dreams.
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