Winner: The Mathesons Book 4 Read online

  When I considered only Angelo and me in a small conference room with a top-level executive, I could think of about five thousand ways that something could go wrong. Only two or three possible excellent outcomes battled with the negatives for space in my head.

  The conference room was tucked away in the executive suite. It was a rabbit warren of small rooms, floor to ceiling hardwood paneling, and chairs with overstuffed, upholstered seats. The secretary greeted me with a smile. “You must be Jamie Matheson. I’ll show you to the conference. Mr. Blackmoor and Angelo Moretti are already here.”

  I sighed as I followed behind her and looked down at her bright red four-inch heels. I was almost five minutes early, and I still managed to be the last to arrive.

  When the door to the room opened, Blackmoor was busy chatting on his cellphone. He had his chair turned to the side and spoke in a low voice so that I could only understand an occasional word.

  Angelo sat across the desk from Blackmoor and turned to face me as the door opened. As he saw me, he bit his lip, and I thought I detected a slight sense of desperation in his gaze.

  Blackmoor glanced in my direction and held up his right hand, so I didn’t sit immediately. The secretary said, “Have a good meeting, gentlemen,” and closed the door behind me.

  I did my best to sound genuinely cheerful while the palms of my hands broke out in a sweat. To avoid disrupting the phone call, I whispered, “Angelo! Good to see you, buddy.”

  Angelo grinned. There was tension in his face, and I wondered why, but my heart started to melt all over again as I looked at him. I wasn’t sure whether he’d done anything in particular, but he managed to look even more adorable than the last time we’d seen each other. I wanted another kiss, but I knew it would be tremendously inappropriate.

  As Angelo asked, “How are you?” Blackmoor ended his call.

  Charles Blackmoor stood. I saw that he was an imposing man, and he was strikingly handsome, too. I suspected that he was nearing 40 in age, but his face still maintained a youthful glow.

  I focused my gaze on his broad shoulders and muscular build. The veins that popped out on the backs of his hands gave me a tantalizing glimpse of the body hiding beneath his clothes.

  “Gentlemen! I’m pleased to meet both of you.” Blackmoor reached across the desk to shake my hand. His grip was firm but not too harsh. I wondered if he’d practiced it at home to make sure he got it right when he met rival executives.

  After receiving an invitation to sit, I pulled up a chair close to Angelo. I thought I smelled the slight scent of cologne on the air. It was light and a little fruity. A grin spread across my face. The cologne had to be Angelo, and I liked it. A man like Blackmoor would never wear a scent like that.

  Blackmoor asked, “Is there something funny in what I said?”

  Angelo turned to look at me, and my grin faded. I avoided an embarrassing admission by spitting out a short line of bullshit. “No, Sir. I was thinking again about the moment that Mr. Ensign announced that Angelo and I won the competition. It was an incredible sensation, and thinking about it always makes me smile.”

  My answer was good enough. Blackmoor smirked slightly, and then he returned to his monologue. He told us about what would happen next. He was the executive taking us under his wing, and he said that he wanted us to come up with a new campaign idea for another Los Angeles company while negotiations were underway with the makers of Pop Orange.

  I exhaled slowly. We didn’t have long to rest on our laurels. The new project would be a lot of work, and we needed to continue our hitting streak. The pressure was on. Fortunately, I had a great partner. I glanced at Angelo. He looked stiff, and his gaze was intense as he listened to more details.

  Angelo opened his mouth to say something, but before any words came out, Blackmoor’s phone buzzed. He said, “Please, excuse me. I need to take this call.”

  Angelo’s mouth closed, and I watched him grip the arms of his chair tight enough that his knuckles faded to white. He didn’t look at me. He only stared at Blackmoor.

  After he spoke a few sentences into the phone, Blackmoor said, “I need to leave the room for a couple of minutes. We’ve got a tense negotiation happening that I tried to complete before this meeting. Please accept my apologies. Feel free to chat while I’m gone. I’ll return shortly.”

  Both Angelo and I watched as Charles Blackmoor rose again to his full height and left the room.

  As soon as the door closed behind him, I broke the silence. I said, “Wow, he’s sort of imposing. I’d kind of like to see him in the gym. He reminds me a little of my older brother, Tate. I bet there’s a lot of muscle under those expensive clothes. He’s older, but not too old.”

  Angelo was quiet and stared straight ahead. I’m not sure what I expected out of him, but the silence wasn’t it. The lack of sound sent a crisp chill through the room.

  I didn’t know how long Blackmoor would be gone. I thought it could be thirty seconds or half an hour. My best guess was fifteen minutes. That was plenty of time to talk to Angelo about the kiss. I imagined Benji in miniature form sitting on my shoulder, encouraging me to speak up.

  After debating three different ways to kick off the conversation, I said, “You know, you’re an awesome kisser, Angelo. I enjoyed it. Sincerely. The location for it was awkward. That’s for sure, but it doesn’t take away from…”

  Angelo faced me, and I closed my mouth, letting my words drift the rest of the way up toward the ceiling. I hoped they might act like a tiny ray of sunshine thawing the icy atmosphere in the room. Unfortunately, Angelo dashed those hopes.

  “Jamie, it can’t happen again. We have to see each other a lot for the next year, but we can’t do that. Yeah, the kiss was fine, and I was drunk, but no. Sorry. We’ve got to focus on the work. You heard that we’ve got another project. It will probably be one after the other all year long.”

  Ouch. I thought Angelo probably didn’t want another kiss or anything else that would come after that, but the face to face rejection hurt. I watched my ego roll off the edge of Blackmoor’s desk and shatter on the floor.

  Fortunately, before I faced any further humiliation, the door to the office opened, and Blackmoor ended the possibility of more conversation with Angelo. He said, “I’m pleased to announce that the Pop Orange campaign is a go. Our company president, Wesley Worthington, is exceptionally proud of the two of you. You’ll meet him multiple times during the year, and together the three of us will give him even more reasons to celebrate. Are you on board?”

  In unison, Angelo and I said, “On board, Sir.”

  I added, “And when do we start?”

  12

  Angelo

  I didn’t want to jinx anything or overemphasize recent events, but it felt like my life was entering a golden era. I’d worked so hard at Star One to move my career forward. Finally, I was enjoying the rewards of my dedication. In addition to an elevated stature among our peers, Jamie and I earned a sizable salary bonus. I invested my raise in an upgraded wardrobe and professional art supplies.

  As I sat around the dinner table with my family, Ma asked, “What do you all think about the lasagna? I know, so what, it’s only lasagna, but it’s the most popular dish in the restaurant, and I decided to jazz it up a little bit. We have to keep up with the competition.”

  Dad gazed at Ma with the usual stars in his eyes. After so many years, he was still hopelessly in love. The intensity of his desire for her never waned. Dad said, “It’s delicious. The customers will love it, and I do, too.” He reached a hand out in her direction, and she wove their fingers together while dabbing at the corner of her eye with a napkin.

  Tony shook his head. “Oh, come on. Isn’t this why my parents have a bedroom?”

  Reluctantly, they pulled their hands apart and continued with dinner. Dad looked across the table at me and asked, “How is work going for our superstar? Have you won anything else?”

  I put my fork down. “I’m finished with the competitions,
and it looks like my career’s on the fast track. One of my colleagues said another firm in Dallas noticed my work. He said there would soon be a bidding war for my services.”

  Dad gestured in my direction. “Look at this! My son, the advertising genius. I wish my father were still around. He would be so incredibly proud of my Angelo.” Dad looked up at the ceiling. “Pa, we’re branching out. Send us your blessings, and we’ll prove that all of your sacrifices were worth it.”

  “And does this make you happy?” asked Ma as she gazed across the table at me.

  Dad blurted out. “Of course, it makes him happy.”

  Ma waved a finger at Dad. “Shush, you. I want to hear from my angel.”

  After wiping some stray tomato sauce from my lips, I said, “I’m ecstatic about it. I know that you can’t always tell. It’s hard for me sometimes to show how I feel inside. The new work is challenging, but it’s fun, too. I’ve always got Tony as a backup for more photo shoots if I need him. Right, little brother?”

  Tony said, “Well, I always thought I was going to be a rocket scientist, but if they all want to see me in photos, who am I to argue?”

  Dad pointed across the table again. “You’re not going to be an actor. My boys will have legitimate careers. Unless you’re Marlon Brando, you’re not an actor.”

  Tony was quick. He started talking with the cotton balls stuffed in the cheeks voice of Marlon Brando from The Godfather.

  Dad frowned. “I think your mother also made a new dessert. It sounds to me like Tony isn’t interested.”

  Tony shook his head. “Oh, Dad, I’m only having fun.”

  I loved having dinner with my family. In my dreams, I found a partner who loved it as much as I did. It was hard to imagine giving up any of the opportunities to eat with all of them, but perhaps we’d still get to share grand dinners at least once a week even after Tony and I both had partners and new homes.

  Later that evening, after watching a movie with Tony, I retreated to my bedroom. When the thoughts about my career faded from my consciousness, I remembered the kiss with Jamie. I still couldn’t believe I let it happen, and the reality of it hung out there like the elephant in the room every time we saw each other at work. I didn’t admit to Jamie that I enjoyed it, but it ranked as one of the best kisses I’d ever experienced. Every time I relived it in my head, my body shivered.

  After I undressed down to my underwear, I climbed between the sheets and reached out to turn off the bedside lamp. I couldn’t sleep. While staring at the ceiling, my thoughts raced to imagine what might happen over the next several months. After at least twenty minutes passed without even a yawn, I turned the light back on again.

  Leaning out over the edge of my bed, I reached underneath for a sketch pad and a small bag of pencils. I’d kept a pad there since I was in elementary school. Some of my best ideas for drawings came to me when I was falling asleep or when I abruptly woke up in the middle of the night. I wanted a way to capture them as quickly as possible before they faded into thin air.

  The first shapes on a fresh sheet of paper emerged from my fingers, almost like magic. I wasn’t thinking deeply about the subject of my drawing, but when it started to take shape, I wasn’t surprised. Less than fifteen minutes later, the essential elements of Jamie Matheson’s face stared back at me, and he was smiling. I sighed and shook my head. I was enjoying a golden era, but it was quickly getting complicated.

  Two days later, on a Friday, I’d agreed to go to lunch with Pete. He sometimes came up with ridiculous ideas and shared the worst of the office gossip, but deep inside, I knew that Pete had a heart of gold. He was a friend. I knew that he would come to my defense in an instant if anyone tried to cross me.

  We ate at the deli where I had my first meeting with Jamie about the competition project. After we settled in with sandwiches, Pete said, “You’re soaring now, Angelo. Who knows where you’ll eventually land. The world’s your oyster right now. You’d better take advantage of it when and where you can.”

  “I don’t know if it’s quite so incredible as all that, but yeah, things are moving in the right direction. I’m keeping my eyes open for opportunities.”

  “Well, it’s obvious that you’re the brains behind the team. Sooner or later, the bigwigs will figure that out, and it will be another positive mark in your favor. Don’t be so humble about it, buddy.”

  “I’m the brains?” I took a bite out of my sandwich while I listened for Pete’s response.

  “Yeah, of course, you are. Everyone knows that. Jamie Matheson doesn’t have the smarts to find his way out of a paper bag on his own. He’s riding the crest of the wave now, but he’s the surfer on his belly clinging to his board hoping not to go under. You’re the one standing tall towing him along.”

  I frowned and glared across the table. Swallowing hard, I pieced together the words I wanted to say in my head. With a growl in my voice, I asked, “What the hell are you talking about? He did his half of the work, and I did mine. Jamie has talent. He deserved the win as much as I did.”

  Pete heard the flare of anger underlining my words and understood it. He set his sandwich down on his plate and held up both hands. “Hey, whoa, if you don’t like the message, hate that and not the messenger. I’m only repeating what I heard in the office. You’d never lie to me, Angelo. If you say he did the work, he did it, but I have to admit that I’m surprised.”

  “Surprised about what?”

  “You hate Jamie. At least that’s the message I’ve been hearing for over a month now. Why are you suddenly holding up a shield for him?”

  “Because I’ve worked with him. Those stories about his lack of talent are all rumors. I was stupid myself to think they might be true.”

  Pete raised an eyebrow. “What about the tales of how his family got him this job? Are those all false, too?”

  I sighed and picked up my sandwich to take a big bite. I didn’t know anything about the truth of those rumors. They were a primary reason why I ruled Jamie out for anything more than a coworker. I couldn’t see myself attached to someone who would use family connections to climb up the ladder. I had too much of my grandfather’s genetic material inside. He would never have accepted unfair assistance from outside actors.

  As we drew close to Blackmoor’s deadline for our new campaign proposal, Jamie and I found ourselves working late in the office once more. We made a deal that he would prep coffee for both of us, and I cleaned the pots out at the end of the night so they would be ready for the next morning. Jamie’s coffee tasted outstanding. I don’t know what he did that was special, but my efforts resulted in coffee that didn’t taste half as good.

  As I sipped at the bottom of my third cup, I leaned to the right so I could see past Jamie out the floor-to-ceiling windows of our chosen conference room. The rest of the office was quiet except for the low hum of a vacuum cleaner used by a late night cleaning person.

  I said, “I almost like the office better when it’s quiet like this. My brain functions better. The constant stimulation of the daytime isn’t around to clog it all up.”

  Jamie grinned. “I guess you’re not stimulated by me anymore.”

  I opened my mouth to react with a snap comment. Fortunately, I thought twice and closed it again. The last thing we needed when we were so close to completing another outstanding project was a complicated personal relationship. I mumbled something about letting it pass and held up a new photo of Tony.

  We didn’t use him as much for the new project as we did in the Pop Orange proposal, but I thought his presence on the storyboard could work something like a good luck charm. Tony’s grin was a mile wide, and I couldn’t help but experience a lightening of my mood when I stared at his face.

  Jamie nodded. “That’s good. It’s outstanding. You know, I think I’ve got my words all down, and we can present the package to Blackmoor tomorrow if he’s up for it.”

  “That’s a day early.”

  “I know it is, and I think presenting it early
might work in our favor. God knows being late so much never helped me in the past. You’ve encouraged me to turn over a new leaf.”

  Jamie was right about Blackmoor’s response. The boss saved his biggest smile for me. Then he glanced downward. The path of his gaze was obvious enough that I felt slightly uncomfortable. As I turned to gauge Jamie’s response, he wasn’t bothered. He was too busy tapping a toe, waiting for verbal comments from Blackmoor.

  Jamie broke the silence in the room and said, “Angelo here is helping me with better work habits, Sir. He’s a good man.”

  “That’s excellent,” said Blackmoor. “I was hoping this might happen because it helps speed up our timeline.”

  I looked at Jamie. He said, “So do you already know we have a contract on this?”

  “Nothing formal, but they can’t turn this quality of work down. Are the two of you ready for a little trip?”

  I asked, “Trip?”

  “Yes, since we’re a day early finishing the new proposal, I think we’d still have time to set up plans for Friday. If the two of you can fit it into your personal schedules, we can all head out to Los Angeles for the weekend to meet our new client.”

  “Can we be gone from here? I don’t think I have enough vacation time saved up,” said Jamie.

  Blackmoor said, “I’ll pull strings.”

  Something deep inside gave me pause, but I couldn’t avoid getting caught up in Jamie’s enthusiasm for the trip. I’d never been to Los Angeles, and he’d already told me so many things about it and his family in the course of our long nights working.

  I nodded. “I’m in.”

  “Me, too,” said Jamie.

  13

  Jamie

  I had to nudge Angelo to focus his attention during check-in at the hotel desk. He was busy staring at the massive fountain in the middle of the building’s thirty-floor atrium. Blackmoor didn’t spare any cost and reserved rooms for us in one of the most luxurious hotels in downtown Los Angeles.