Exposed (Tropical Nights) (2 page)

“Maybe just, you know, wear a more tailored top, give your hair a blow-out. Hell, just try putting on a little make-up. You have such gorgeous blue eyes, a little eye shadow and mascara would really make them pop.”
Karen’s tone was like an ever-patient parent giving basic advice to a very young child, and it made Rachel feel small and awkward. Allison nodding along in agreement didn’t help. “Listen, you get this story, it’s the scoop of the year, maybe the decade. It would mean big things for the magazine, and big things for you. A raise, a promotion—maybe both.”

Rachel’s attention was piqued at “raise.”
Karen paid surprisingly well—it was one of the reasons she’d agreed to take a job so far outside her field…well, that and because it was the only job she’d been offered in six months—but money was still tight and she was barely covering her rent. With the extra expenses from her father and brother living with her, she needed every extra dollar she could get. A raise could literally mean the difference between her keeping her apartment and the three of them being homeless.

And you,”
Karen said, turning to Allison. “I need you to work your photographic magic. I need candids, long shots and close-ups, action shots, pensive shots, the works. Once Rachel works her magic on him, she’ll set up some posed photos as well. Think you can do it?”

“Of course,” Allison said lightly. “It’s why you pay me the big bucks to be your photographer.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Karen waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “Rachel, you’re expected at Hanlon Enterprises this afternoon at three for a little ‘get to know you’ session. Read up on Leo and the company and be prepared to dazzle. You’ll start shadowing him tomorrow morning and will be with him for the remainder of the week. Coordinate with Allison on his movements so she can position herself for good photos.” She gave them a shooing gesture and turned her attention to a stack of papers on her desk. Allison and Rachel were clearly dismissed.

Back at her cubicle, Rachel set out to find as much as she could about William August Leonid Hanlon III, Leo for short. It wasn’t much. He’d followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather and gone to Yale for his undergraduate studies, Harvard Business School for his MBA. He worked at the com
pany started by his grandfather and was now its CEO. She found several articles about the death of his parents in a plane crash, and she felt the pang of grief and loss when she read them. She knew what it was to lose a parent. Her own mother had died when Rachel was eighteen, and Rachel missed her every moment of every day since then.

She found Leo Hanlon’s name mentioned in a few business articles and he was named in sev
eral “40 Richest Under 40” lists, but there was little else beyond that. She couldn’t find any scandals or salacious secrets. She couldn’t find any mention of friends or girlfriends, but she knew there had to be many. His type dated models and starlets and young heiresses, all impossibly tall and thin and gorgeous. He must have a posse as well, perhaps frat brothers from college or other trust fund types. New York was crawling with them and they usually moved in packs.

She spent several hours searching the internet and calling sources, but it seemed the few details she had discovered already was all there was.

She studied his photo on the company website. It was one of those stiffly posed affairs, meant to show how doggedly professional and yet affable the face of the company was. Karen was right, the man was handsome, with dark, thick hair and a pleasingly angled face, but Rachel wasn’t impressed.

She would show up tomorrow and do her best to “dazzle” and work her magic, but she knew she wasn’t going to like this assignment. Men like Leo Hanlon were the worst. Rich, privileged, with everything handed to them. They lived in huge houses, drove huge cars, had huge bank accounts, and had the
huge egos to match it all. He may be CEO of the company, but Rachel was certain he did little actual work.

She had nothing
in common with him and wasn’t sure how to get him to open up to her. Rachel was from a small town upstate, she had gone to school on scholarship while working two jobs to help support her father and brother. They had been devastated by the death of her mother and neither man had been able to work steadily since. Rachel did everything she could to help them, and it left little time for the kind of carefree life of leisure Hanlon likely led. The fact that the family home had just been lost to foreclosure and her father and brother had had to move to the city to live with her, the three of them crammed into a tiny Brooklyn apartment, meant she had even less time or patience for nonsense.

So, yes, she would show up to the offices of Hanlon
Enterprises this afternoon, and she would get her story because she excelled at her job, but she wasn’t going to like it. And she couldn’t imagine liking Leo Hanlon, either. Their lives were so completely different they might as well inhabit different planets.

The sooner this was over, she thought, the better.

“I need this deal signed, Harry.” Leo
swiveled his chair toward his wall of windows and looked out over the Manhattan skyline, though he was barely aware of what he was seeing. He was too focused on the conversation with his attorney to really notice the sights and sounds of the city below him. “It needs to be done this week, next week at the latest.”

“I’m aware of our tight deadline,” Harry said on the other end of the phone. “I’ve amended the contract to include the negotiated changes and I’ve sent them to Bondell Aviation’s attorneys. It’s just a waiting game now.”

Leo tucked the phone receiver under his chin and turned back to his desk. He leafed through the contract on his desk. “I see you’ve included a clause saying they must respond within five days. Good.”

“Yes. I’ll keep in contact with Bondell’s legal team during that window to make sure the pressure stays on them.”

“Just make sure you don’t seem too eager. I want to keep the advantage on our side.”

“Of course,” Harry said smoothly.

Leo saw a light flash on his phone indicating his secretary was calling him. “I want daily updates on this.”

“Will do.”

“Talk to you tomorrow, Harry.” Leo disconnected the call with his attorney and switched to the other line. “Grace,” he said.

“There’s a Ms. Rachel Hoffman here to see you,” his secretary said.

“Thank you. Send her in.”

Leo gathered all
the Bondell documents into a folder and put it in his desk drawer. The impending deal was weighing heavily on his mind, but he needed to put it aside and turn his focus to the journalist and her story. He hated doing publicity, but his company needed it right now and he would do whatever was in the company’s best interest.

He looked up when the door to his office opened.

“Right this way,” Grace said as she ushered the journalist in.

Leo nodded his thanks to Grace and stood to greet his guest. “Ms. Hoffman,” he said, extending his hand. She took it firmly in a quick handshake. “
I’m Leo Hanlon. Please, sit.” Leo gestured to the chairs near his desk.

Leo said nothing for a moment as he watched her get comfortable, taking the time to size her up. He was adept at reading people, able to take in even minor details quickly. Rachel Hoffman was slightly taller than the average woman, he would guess about 5’8”. She was slender but not skinny, with a strong yet l
ean build. She moved gracefully and Leo would bet good money she took many years of dance lessons as a child. She had long dark hair that curled messily but not too tightly, and it was pulled back loosely in a way that suggested she didn’t care much for style as long as it was out of her way. Her face was blandly pleasing but not overly remarkable, except for a pair of large, brilliantly blue eyes, which she didn’t try to accentuate with make-up. Her lack of make-up and her outfit of a plain button-up shirt and black pants suggested she wasn’t trying to highlight her assets in any way.

Combining her appearance with what he’d learned of her educational and work background, Leo surmised she was intelligent
—extremely so—but also one of those shy, awkward types. Her hobbies were probably quiet, solitary things like knitting and reading. He couldn’t see her letting loose and having wild fun. She didn’t seem very outgoing or assertive.

All of this was good, he thought. He would be able to easily take charge and control
the story. Not that he ever had problems taking control or dominating any given situation, it was just nice to know that this time it would require little effort on his part. With the state of the company’s reputation and the number of critical yet precarious deals he was currently engaged in, he was glad it was going to be easy to get the feature story done exactly the way he wanted.

“
Thank you for coming in, Ms. Hoffman. I’m looking forward to working with you over the next few days.” It wasn’t true, of course. He didn’t want to do this story, would never have sought it out, but when Ms. Hoffman’s boss called and pitched the idea of an in-depth article on Hanlon Enterprises, he knew it would be a good PR move. The journalist didn’t need to know of his reluctance, though, and one didn’t excel in business the way Leo did without being able to spout complete BS with utter confidence and aplomb. Now that he had committed to the interview, he would embrace it, take charge of it, and make it seem like it was his idea in the first place. It was how he always operated and it made him very, very successful at what he did.

“Thank you for allowing access to you and your company. I know you’re a busy man and I appreciate you making time in your schedule,” Rachel said warmly.

Leo nodded. She was good, he noticed. She spoke confidently but not aggressively, was polite and appreciative without being overly deferential. It had the affect of making him feel at ease with her. Maybe she was savvier than he had first thought.

“And I appreciate the opportunity to more thoroughly introduce my company to the readers of
Economy Today
. Hanlon Enterprises has traditionally operated quietly, away from the public eye, but I realize that’s no longer desirable in today’s climate of social media and increased information flows.”

Ms. Hoffman looked a little startled at his statement, which Leo found odd.
She seemed about to say something, but then his phone rang. “Excuse me a second,” Leo said as he picked up the receiver. He knew it was rude to take a call with her there, but he had too many negotiations balancing on a razor’s edge right now to let his phone go to voice mail. “Leo Hanlon,” he said into the phone. It was Harry, wanting clarification on Leo’s instructions for a patent application he wanted to file. Leo gave him a few quick details before telling the attorney he was in a meeting and would call him back. “Sorry about that,” he said once he had hung up the phone. “As I was saying, I’m glad for this opportunity to introduce my company to the public. I’ve planned for you to spend the next few days with me. I’ll show you around the offices, introduce you to my team, have you sit in on some meetings. We can even take a day later this week to visit the hangar in Jersey where our jets are assembled. I’ll try to accommodate whatever access you need for the story.”

“
That’s perfect,” Ms. Hoffman said. “That should give me all the details I need for the article.”

Leo saw that the journalist still looked a little uncomfortable
. He was about to ask her if there was something else she would require for the article when his phone rang again and he saw he had calls coming in on two lines. He realized he needed to end his meeting with Ms. Hoffman so he could put out whatever fires were burning at the other end of those calls. “It was nice meeting you, Ms. Hoffman,” he said as he stood and extended his hand to her. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning. Grace will show you out.” He spoke politely if a bit abruptly.

Ms. Hoffman shook his hand. “Nice meeting you as well,” she said, and then she left his office. Leo watched her go, wondering what it was going to be like having her around for the next few days. He determined it probably wouldn’t be all that exciting,
which was fine by him. Leo had spent most of his life making sure it was devoid of messy complications and attachments. The last thing he needed was a woman showing up at his office and distracting him. It was good that she wouldn’t cause any waves.

T
hen he put Rachel Hoffman out of his mind as he picked up the phone, ready to get down to business.

“She did
what
?”

Rachel could perfectly picture Allison’s expression of outraged surprise on the other end of the phone. “Karen told Leo Hanlon the story was for
Economy Today
. I’m sorry, she only ‘let him believe’ I still worked for the magazine,” Rachel imitated Karen’s voice as she mimicked her words of explanation.

“And how did that happen, exactly?”

“She told me that when she called him to set up the interview, she explained my background and credentials, including that I worked at
Economy Today
. She says she just didn’t mention that I had been laid off from that magazine and was now working at
New York Exposed
. She insists it’s not really lying. If he assumes the story is for
Economy Today
and not
New York Exposed
, it’s not her fault.”