In Another Time Read online

  Charlotte laid there not wanting to move as she enjoyed the feel of his body next to hers. “One of these days you are going to have to tell me your name,” she said as she turned to face him when a loud noise

  filled the entire room.

  “Time to get up, baby,” his firm voice echoed as if from a distance as his image faded. Charlotte’s eyes focused on the sound of the blaring noises, as she hit the snooze button on her alarm. Yes, it was that dream of him again. She swung her legs off the bed and planted them firmly on the floor. The wetness between her legs was evidence of another vivid, wet dream. She had another marathon lovemaking session with the man that now haunted her dreams more frequently.

  She didn’t know who the man was, but he was tall with dark hair and totally into her. She could never make out his face, but she knew his features were keen, but he had the body of a God. She wanted to discuss her dreams with Mimi, her grandmother but felt too embarrassed to tell her about the details of them.

  Mimi was great at interpreting dreams, but she would need the entire dream, unedited and she wasn’t ready to go there yet. Charlotte shook her head to clear her mind; today was going to be a long one. The former CEO of her company had screwed up several major deals and the owner was coming in to see if the company was worth saving.

  She needed to be at the top of her game for a presentation they were giving to the board of directors and the owner of the company. He was flying into the country, to oversee the day to day operations for the next few weeks. Everyone was vying for their positions after the shakeup in their company.

  After her workout and shower, Charlotte stood in front of her closet. She needed to pick out the perfect outfit for her presentation. As VP of Marketing, her team decided that she was the best person the sell the idea to the owner of the company. She decided on a charcoal grey suit with a pencil skirt. The suit was formfitting, hugging all her curves in the right places while maintaining that professional look.

  Charlotte quickly ate breakfast; she wanted to get to the office early to review her presentation one more time before her the meeting. As she walked out the door, her phone buzzed. “Hi Mimi, is everything okay? I’m rushing to work. Okay, I’ll be there, I promise…Okay, got to go, love you.” She disconnected the call. She could never refuse a request from her grandmother. Mimi needed help at the restaurant; she was going to have to make it happen because if Mimi called, she really needed the help.

  As they entered the building, James was finding it increasingly hard to focus as he watched the employees shuffle into the building. One employee caught his eye in particular. He watched as her stilettos clicked across the tiled floor while she rushed for the elevator. The suit she wore, hugged all her curves as her long thick black hair swayed with her swift pace.

  James watched carefully as she entered the elevator and turned to face the front—then it struck him, he was looking at the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He walked quickly to catch the elevator and got there just when it began to close.

  She gave him an inquisitive look as the doors shut.

  “Mr. Donovan, Mr. Donovan. Sir, we have a private elevator that is available to you,” a middle-aged man in a well-tailored suit called.

  James continued to stare at the elevator.

  “James, are you okay?” Aedan asked when James didn’t respond to the gentlemen trying to get his attention.

  “I’m fine.” James turned to face the worker.

  The man extended his hand. “My name is Ralph, Sir. I will show you to your office.

  “Who was that woman?” James asked directing the question at Ralph.

  “Which woman sir?” Ralph asked confused.

  “Never mind,” James said irritated as he followed Ralph and Aedan to the private elevator.

  Chapter 6

  Charlotte walked into her office and closed the door. A strange feeling in the pit of her stomach developed as soon as she saw the incredibly handsome man in the lobby. It felt like she knew him but from where? Who was he and why did she feel a connection to him? Had they met before? Charlotte sat in her chair and closed her eyes. “You need to focus,” she whispered to herself.

  She had gotten word that the owner was in the building and that the meeting was going to start promptly at ten o’clock. He was here to listen to her presentation on the viability of their company. Everyone in the company was counting on her to prove to the owner that this company should stay open and with the right management, could make money again.

  Michael and Sarah, members of her team, walked in, “Are you ready?” Michael asked.

  Charlotte looked up from her report at her colleagues. “Ready as I will ever be.” She inhaled deeply.

  “The security of this company and our jobs depend on you nailing this presentation,” Sarah added nervously.

  “I don’t need to be reminded of the seriousness of my presentation,” she said a little irritated as she rolled her eyes. Sarah had always done minimal work, enough to stay under the radar, now she was worried because her job, along with everyone’s job hung in the balance.

  Charlotte already knew she had to convince the owner that this company was viable.

  Charlotte’s assistant, Diane came into her office. “It’s time for your meeting, Ms. Trudeau.”

  Charlotte and her co-workers made sure that everything was in order before the meeting began. She wondered what her boss looked like. They had only ever had contact with the CEO, never the actual owner of the company. She double-checked her presentation before taking a few deep breaths to steady her nerves before the meeting.

  Michael stared at her and could see she was extremely nervous. “You got this Charlotte, don’t worry. If anyone can convince them to keep this company open, it’s you,” he said before patting her on her back and taking his seat.

  Charlotte gave Michael a faint smile and she gathered her notes and waited for the rest of the attendees for the meeting. When the board of directors walked into the conference room, she took another deep breath and tried to relax.

  As everyone began to take their seats, Charlotte leaned towards the PowerPoint to make sure it was on. She turned to face the crowd when she noticed the man who’d been at the elevators. Charlotte stood there, speechless, staring at him for a few seconds before a cough by Michael distracted her. She inhaled sharply and started her presentation.

  Throughout the entire presentation, she could feel his eyes all over her. While it was very distracting, it also felt weirdly comforting, considering she never met the man before in her life.

  “As you can see, if we stay the course and follow the plan that was initially implemented the financial implication could be surmountable,” she said in conclusion. “Are there any questions?” she asked, as she scanned the room, trying to avoid eye contact with the owner of the company.

  “Yes I have a few questions,” a man spoke with a strong Irish accent from the corner of the room.

  Charlotte took a deep breath before turning to face him with a smile. “Yes, Mr. Donovan?” she asked, acknowledging him.

  “How do you plan to maintain the current clients as a result of the bad publicity surrounding the former CEO?”

  She looked directly at him and gave him a faint smile before responding, “I’m glad you asked that question.” She began to outline a detailed plan on how they would maintain current clients as well as developing relationships with new clients.

  The meeting ended and the board of directors, including the owner, walked out without another word.

  Once everyone was out of the conference room, Charlotte let out a huge sigh.

  Michael looked over at her. “You nailed that presentation, and you had the new owner eating out of your hand. I think we’re going to be good,” he said overjoyed.

  “Don’t start celebrating yet, Michael,” Charlotte replied as she began to gather her paperwork. “I don’t know if the owner is really interested in saving this company. He didn’t look too happy when he left
the room,”

  Her assistant, Diane came into the room. “Charlotte, Mr. Donovan would like to see you in his office.”

  Charlotte turned to look at Michael and Sarah and then back at Diane. “I wasn’t aware that he had an official office.”

  “He does, it’s on the Fiftieth floor, and he is requesting to see you immediately,” Diane said as she gathered Charlotte’s paperwork. “I’ll take these and put them on your desk.”

  Charlotte rolled her neck to relieve tension. “Let’s see what the boss wants.” She walked towards the door.

  Diane explained that his office was the corner office next to the old CEO’s office.

  Charlotte nodded in response as she got onto the elevator.

  James stood as he looked out over the city. This office was similar to his back home. They were both on the top floor and yielded a fantastic view of their respective cities. James told Aedan he would meet him for dinner. He needed to be alone. He still could not believe how inattentive he’d been at the meeting.

  For the first time in his adult life, he had allowed himself to be distracted from a major business meeting. He’d been unable to concentrate on the entire presentation. Her presence had him so captivated; she was the only thing he was able to focus on, the way she controlled the room, walking around making everyone feel comfortable as she tried to convince them the company was a money maker.

  He could not get the curve of her hips and those full lips, out of his mind. He wanted to feel them, taste them, devour them. There was something about her that had him totally entranced and he didn’t know why, but he intended to find out.

  His thoughts of her were interrupted by a soft knock at the door.

  “Mr. Donavan, you wanted to see me?” she asked.

  James turned and stared at her for a few seconds before walking over to her. “Please have a seat,” he said as he motioned her to sit in front of his desk. James rounded the desk and sat in his chair; he needed to put some distance between the two of them. He was trying to resist an overwhelming urge to kiss her. “Thank you for coming, I have a few additional questions about your presentation,” he said as he looked down at the documents he’d been given at the meeting.

  From the moment Charlotte walked into the office, she had a hard time concentrating. The smell of his cologne was intoxicating. She could feel the heat in her body build the moment he came close to her. She felt an undeniably strong attraction to him, and she didn’t know why. She immediately became flustered when he began to speak. His Irish accent was strong and sexy as hell. She felt thankful that he’d backed up and sat behind the desk. He asked a few general questions before the questioning turned personal. He wanted to know if she had lived in New Orleans all her life, if she had any siblings and what she did for pleasure.

  His line of questioning was making her uncomfortable.

  Then as if he didn’t want to scare her off, he turned the conversation back to business. He made a few requests for additional information before ending their meeting.

  After an awkward hour of meeting with him, Charlotte stood. “I will get the requested information and projections to you by the end of the day tomorrow. Is there anything else you need?” The look he gave her made her regret asking the last question. Did he think I was offering more than just information on the company? She could see the desire in his eyes. She shook the feeling away; she was sure she misread his look.

  Charlotte turned to leave without getting an answer, bumped into the chair, and spilled all her papers on the floor.

  Mr. Donavan quickly rounded his desk to help her when their hands touched as they reached for the same piece of paper. She quickly retracted her hand. What the hell was that? She gazed into his eyes and knew he had felt it too; a spark of energy going from one hand to the other. They were so close, she could smell the mint on his breath as his breathing became labored. Charlotte stood and took one step back from him. “I, uhh, will make sure you have this information tomorrow,” she said stumbling over her words before she rushed out.

  Charlotte walked in through the back door of her family’s restaurant and took a deep breath. After the day she had, she was not looking forward to putting in a shift this evening, but her grandmother was short-handed.

  She entered the small office they had off to the side of the kitchen. She removed her stilettos and replaced them with walking shoes. She felt too tired to change into more relaxed clothes, she decided to keep on the pencil skirt, sleeveless blouse and tie an apron around her waist. She walked out of the office and instantly saw her grandmother, Delphine Trudeau, the matriarch of the family, who she affectionately called Mimi. When Charlotte saw the huge smile appear on grandmother’s face, she knew she’d made the right decision by coming in this evening to help. “Hey Mimi,” Charlotte said to her grandmother as she smiled. She kissed Mimi on the cheek. “Where do you need me to start?” she asked trying to sound upbeat and not letting her know how tired she really was.

  Mimi smiled as she patted Charlotte softly on the face. “You look so much like Chrissy,” she said tenderly, as she had said hundreds of times before throughout her adult life. “Thank you for coming Charlie. One of the waitresses got sick and had to go home, and you know Beatrice hasn’t come back yet,” Mimi continued, “If you can help cover the tables at stations ten, eleven and twelve, that would be great, all of those stations need their order taken." Mimi said. It didn't matter that Charlotte was a Vice President at her company with over ten staff members under her, if Mimi needed help she was there to get her hands dirty. It's what you did for the family.

  Charlotte gave her a faint smile. “I’m on it.”

  She washed her hands and grabbed the order pad. She walked into the dining area and immediately stopped in her tracks when she saw Daniel Moret sitting at one of her tables with a few other men. What is he doing here? Their gazes locked. She really disliked this man. Daniel was VP in charge of distribution at her company. He was lazy and didn’t have a problem taking credit for another employee’s work. She straightened her back and walked towards their table. “Good evening Mr. Moret, gentlemen, how can I help you this evening?”

  “Charlotte,” he said in a way that made her skin crawl. “We don’t pay you enough that you have to take a second job?” Daniel asked in a smug voice.

  Charlotte turned to look at Daniel and gave him a disingenuous smile. “I would welcome the conversation to renegotiate my salary, but since my salary is higher than yours, I don’t believe you are in a position to have that discussion with me,” she said with a smile as the other men at the table began to laugh. Daniel Moret was a jerk and she’d had enough of his bullshit. He used his status as a vice president to manipulate women at the office to do favors for him and none of them would come forward to complain to HR. She welcomed the opportunity to knock him off his high horse. She continued, “As for me taking a second job, this restaurant is owned by my family and I am helping out this evening. So what can I get for you gentlemen?” she asked genuinely smiling at the other men at the table.

  The other men were polite and friendly as they all gave their food orders.

  Daniel watched with a scowl on his face as Charlotte turned to walk away.

  Once she passed through the swinging doors, she leaned over the counter, not realizing that she was breathing heavy.

  Mimi instantly noticed a change in attitude when she entered the kitchen. “Charlie what’s wrong?” she asked concerned at the way she looked.

  “It’s nothing Mimi,” she said as she gazed around the kitchen, she handed the cook the ticket, and pulled Mimi to the side. “You see the gentlemen sitting at the table over there?” she asked as she pointed through the swinging doors. “The pompous ass in the blue suit is one of the other VPs at my office. He’s a jerk and I just let him get under my skin,” she explained, frustrated with herself.

  Mimi peeked out at the table she pointed to and her eyes narrowed. “Yes, I know his type.” She patted Charlotte on the arm. �
�I am sure you handled it just fine.”

  Charlotte tried to smile and then went to take another order. Lord help her to get through this night.

  Chapter 7

  The next day should have been an easy day at the office. She only needed to gather information for Mr. Donovan, but as soon as she entered, she had to deal with problems that developed on contracts that she thought were finalized. She attended two meetings to resolve those issues and still needed to proofread the report before it was sent to Mr. Donovan.

  The deafening silence in her office drew her eyes to the clock on the wall; it was past six o’clock. “Sheesh,” she mumbled under her breath as she finished the final edits of the report, and then placed her stilettos back on her feet as she headed to Mr. Donavan’s office. Her intentions were to put the documents on his secretary’s desk and head out, she was already running late to meet one of her best friends, Jewels Latour, for drinks. As she approached the secretary’s desk, she could hear his voice on the phone. She quietly placed the report on the desk and began to walk away before his call ended.

  “Good evening Charlotte, I didn’t realize anyone was still here,” he said in that strong accent that made her knees weak. “Why are you still here on a Friday evening?” he asked, light-heartedly.

  “I wanted to make sure you had the final edits for the report before I left for the evening,” she said as she glanced down at the secretary’s desk.

  James immediately picked up the report. “Let’s have a look, shall we,” he said as he walked back into his office prompting her to follow.

  Charlotte took in the beautiful sight of him from behind. He stood well over six feet tall and the tailored shirt he wore fit his body like a glove. This was her first time seeing him without a suit jacket and she got the chance to appreciate his physical attributes. She was so engrossed in her perusal of him, when he turned to speak to her, she was sure he caught her staring at him because he smiled.