Two for the Shrew (As We Like It Anthology) Read online

  Two for the Shrew

  An As We Like It Story

  By Bronwyn Green

  Resplendence Publishing, LLC

  http://www.resplendencepublishing.com

  Resplendence Publishing, LLC

  N Atlantic Avenue, #

  Daytona Beach, FL

  Two for the Shrew

  Copyright © Bronwyn Green

  Edited by Michele Paulin and Chuck Hickerty

  Cover art by Les Byerley, www.lesphoto.com

  Electronic format ISBN: –-

  Warning: All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to years in federal prison and a fine of $,.

  Electronic Release: November

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.

  To the As We Like It Crew -

  Brynn, Abigail, Mia, Dakota and Simone – you guys rock!

  And to Kris and Jess – so do you!

  Chapter One

  “Care to explain what happened to our agreement?” Trying to control her rage, Catherine Minola pressed her hands flat to the sleek, wooden surface of her desk and leaned toward her father.

  “This new line is very important to the company,” he said.

  “I’m aware.” Barely-leashed fury dripped from every syllable. She paused and stared at him. “I developed it.”

  “Now, Kitten—”

  “Don’t you dare “Kitten” me. We agreed that this would be my project from beginning to end. From each, individual ingredient to every detail of the marketing campaign.”

  The line of women’s-only vitamins and supplements for Minola Essentials had been painstakingly researched and developed. While she wasn’t a scientist, she’d carefully studied the material that had come from their labs and worked closely with the developers.

  Charles Minola sighed. “I know, but when I met those two young men, they impressed me so much, I just had to offer them the job.”

  Blood pounded through her veins and a headache began to throb in her left temple. Lifting a hand to her head, she massaged the ever-increasing ache. “Without even bothering to consult me first?”

  “The party was just getting started, and—”

  “The party?” she demanded¸ her tone bordering on shrill. “Where did you meet them?”

  Her father seemed completely oblivious to her growing ire. “At the bachelor party for Bianca’s young man.”

  Catherine sank into her chair, her legs suddenly too weak to hold her up. She racked her brain trying to remember when the party had taken place. “Let me get this straight. You met them less than a week ago and offered a multimillion dollar deal to a couple of yahoos you don’t know from Adam at the bachelor party for your son-in-law-to-be?”

  “Cameron vouched for them, of course.”

  “Of course, he did.”

  “They own the firm he works for,” Charles volunteered.

  “Of course they do.” Catherine yanked open her desk drawer and pulled out a bottle of ibuprofen, opened the container and shook two of the little brown tablets into the palm of her hand. Grabbing a bottle from her desk, she tossed back the pills and washed them down with a couple of swallows of water.

  Hoping the meds would take effect quickly, she set down the bottle and looked at her father again. “So you just decided to deep-six everything I’ve been working on for the past eight months in a fit of misguided nepotism?”

  “That’s enough! It’s not as bad as all that.”

  “Actually, it is.” She pushed to her feet.

  “You run the company. Isn’t that nepotism?”

  “We both know I worked my way up from the bottom.” She sighed with frustration. “You’re willing to let me run it,” she spat, making air quotes around the word run. “But when it comes right down to it, you don’t trust me to do what needs to be done.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Really? Because it certainly looks that way from here. And it’ll look that way to the rest of the employees, too. Not to mention the competition. Undermining me isn’t going to help the bottom line.”

  He stood and dropped a kiss on her cheek. “Well, that settles it, then. I won’t tell anyone, and I know you won’t mention it, so problem solved.” He turned and walked to the door, twisting the handle before looking back at her. “I’m going to head back and see if Bianca needs any help before guests start arriving. In the meanwhile, I’ll send in Daphne with some fresh coffee for you. You look like you could use a cup before you talk to the ad agency. I told them to go ahead and set up in the conference room so they could show you what they’ve put together.”

  Catherine stared at her father in open-mouthed amazement. She had no idea what had happened to the astute, capable businessman she’d always known. It was as if he’d vanished and an easily distracted toddler had taken over.

  “You don’t even want to stay and see their presentation?” she finally choked out.

  “You can handle it.” He left her office then stuck his head back in through the doorway. “Don’t forget, you need to be at the compound by two-thirty sharp. Bianca’s going to need your help.”

  Without waiting for her answer, he pulled shut the door and left her alone in her office.

  She didn’t know what to tackle first. The ad team that was apparently waiting for her in the conference room, Princess Perfect’s wedding or her own deep and abiding need for a latte. Despite taking the painkillers, the headache had grown exponentially.

  For a brief moment, she fantasized about driving to the airport and getting on a plane. Perhaps, Yemin was nice this time of year. Or maybe the Ukraine. Anything seemed better than having to clean up other people’s messes. First, it would be her father’s advertising fiasco then whatever drama her sister had manufactured. With Bianca, it was always something.

  Catherine looked up as the door to her office swung open. Her assistant, Daphne entered carrying two steaming cups of coffee, her tablet computer tucked under her arm.

  “Are those both for me?”

  “Not this time, babe.” Daphne grinned and passed Catherine a large mug then sank into the chair in front of the desk. “So, I assume you’ve heard about the two drop-dead gorgeous ad execs waiting for you in the conference room?”

  Catherine groaned. “Unfortunately. Well, I heard that they’re here,” she amended. “Not that they’re hot. Honestly, I just want them to be competent. That’s not asking too much, right?”

  Daphne waggled her eyebrows. “Depends on what you want them to be competent at.”

  Catherine laughed for what felt like the first time in weeks. “I suppose we should get this over with.” She glanced at her watch. “I’ve got to be out at Dad’s in three hours, and I haven’t even started packing yet.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to let the PR department handle this?” Daphne asked.

  Catherine shot a glance at her friend. “Do you not remember what happened with the children’s vitamin fiasco? That train wreck was supposed to be PR’s crowning achievement.”

  Daphne frowned. “I remember. I was just thinking that with everything you have to do to get ready for this weekend, this is a lot of drama to cram into one very short workday.”

  “Ugh. Drama—it’s what I do. Did I tell you she chose pink for the bridesmaids’ dresses?”

  The other woman looked down at the blouse she wore�
�the pink blouse she wore—then back up at Catherine, raising her eyebrows.

  Catherine shook her head, pretending not to be nearly as flustered as she was. “That’s different. You look good in pink. I look like I’ve got some kind of immune deficiency problem when I try to wear it.”

  She sighed. This weekend would be endless. Three long days with the Prince and Princess of Perfection was enough to make anyone insane. But all she really wanted to do was get it over with.

  Perhaps, no one would notice if the maid of honor anesthetized herself with vodka as soon as she got there. Her family’s home was huge. It had to be to support a weekend’s worth of wedding guests. Maybe, she could just find somewhere quiet to hide until the festivities were over. Maybe, she could just get hit over the head and be rendered unconscious until Monday morning. Or maybe, she could just put on her big girl panties and deal.

  Catherine straightened in her chair. She needed to focus on one thing at a time. And right now, the one thing she needed to do was meet the advertising execs her father had hired and hear their marketing strategy. She just hoped it didn’t suck. The last guy who’d pitched to her had insisted that the best angle to sell the product line was to dress up models in superhero costumes and photograph them doing everyday tasks—all with the assistance of Minola Essentials new line of vitamins and supplements for women. Yeah. That wasn’t going to fly with her customer base.

  She looked at Daphne. “Okay, let’s get this over with.”

  Standing, the other woman picked up her coffee cup, lifting it toward Catherine in a mock toast. “That’s the entrepreneurial spirit.”

  “Whatever.”

  “I’m sure the guys from P & V Solutions will be overwhelmed by your enthusiasm,” Daphne deadpanned.

  Catherine followed her assistant to the conference room, stopping suddenly as the occupants of the fishbowl style room came into view. Daphne hadn’t been exaggerating. They really were gorgeous. Both of them. Tall and dark, they looked as though they could be brothers. She studied them a moment longer. They also seemed familiar, but she couldn’t place them. She was sure she’d remember if they’d pitched to the company before. Who were they?

  Though it was difficult to tell while they were wearing suits, they both appeared to be well built. They definitely had broad shoulders. She continued scanning their bodies as they moved about the room setting up their presentation. She mentally shook her head at herself. Lusting over them was the last thing she needed to do. She might be considered the bitch of the western world, but she was a professional bitch, damn it. Drooling over two guys, no matter how absolutely gorgeous they were, was the polar opposite of professional.

  Daphne followed Catherine’s line of vision. “Told you they were absolutely delish. I’d do them,” she murmured quietly.

  Catherine blinked at her friend. “Um…I thought you played for the home team.”

  “Totally do,” the other woman said. “But that doesn’t mean that I can’t admire the art. Seriously, those two are worthy of a little fence jumping.”

  Catherine stared at Daphne, her mouth dropping open.

  She returned the stare. “What? I’m gay. Not dead. Besides, I totally think you should hit that.”

  “Daphne!” Catherine glanced around the room, hoping no one else had heard, but the waiting room was empty and the receptionist was deep in conversation on the phone. A third guy was entering the room, but he didn’t give any sign of overhearing her friend’s ill-advised comment.

  “Take one of them to your sister’s wedding,” Daphne urged, continuing her line of thought. “Hell, take them both.”

  For a moment, Catherine let herself imagine stripping them down and—

  “No.” She rubbed her eyes beneath her glasses and tried to banish thoughts of her favorite fantasy. “Just…no.”

  Chapter Two

  John Petruchio glanced at the two women conversing outside the conference room as he, his business partner, Simon, and their assistant, Tyler, set up the presentation.

  “You know you’ve got no chance in hell of landing her,” Tyler said.

  John stared through the huge glass window into the reception area, his interest captured by the redhead.

  He turned to Tyler. “We’ve already got the account. Or were you referring to Catherine Minola?” he asked, returning his attention to the delectable CEO of Minola Essentials.

  He wondered if she’d remember him, or Simon, for that matter. They’d both been in the same fraternity, and they’d shared plenty of business classes with Catherine or Cat, as he’d always thought of her. He and Simon had even drunkenly hit on her at the one frat party he remembered her attending. It was a hazy, booze-soaked memory, and while he couldn’t recall quite everything that had happened that night, he knew she’d stopped talking to both of them after that. Understandable, after the photos of her that appeared the morning after on the frat’s website.

  He studied her through the window. Her appearance hadn’t changed much over the past few years. She still wore her red hair smoothed off her face and twisted into some kind of up-do. Dark librarian-style glasses sat perched on her nose, almost hiding the soft golden-brown of her eyes. She still stuck to dark, muted colors, but she’d traded her jeans and sweaters for fitted jackets and skirts and damn, if the change didn’t suit her. Her pale skin practically glowed, making her look years younger than he knew her to be. Not that thirty-two was old, but he and Simon had college interns at the office who didn’t look as good as Catherine did.

  While her outward appearance hadn’t changed beyond her work attire, Catherine seemed much more at home in her own skin. She radiated a sense of power and calm he’d bet would more than intimidate most people. Good thing he and Simon weren’t most people.

  Tyler snorted with laughter. “You might have been awarded this contract, but you’ve got to be nuts if you think you’ve got any kind of chance with that ball-buster.”

  Tyler was a bit of an asshole, but he was good at his job, which was why he and Simon kept him around. That and he was Simon’s cousin. They’d been strong-armed into hiring the little weasel.

  “And you do?” Simon asked.

  “No way. Nor do I want one. I prefer my women not to be stone-cold bitches, but dude, I’d love to see you try to win over the Shrew of Supplements. Not that I think it’ll happen, but I like a good show.”

  John bristled at the other man’s tone. “We’re here for the campaign.”

  Their tech assistant practically leered. “You might have the account, but you’ll never get her.”

  John readjusted his view of Tyler. He was a giant asshole. Whose job teetered on the brink.

  Simon crossed his arms over his chest. “Who says we want her?”

  “Don’t be an idiot. It’s obvious with the way you’ve been staring at her.” He looked pointedly between the other two men. “Trust me. It’s apparent you’re both interested.”

  “So what?” John countered with a shrug. She’s an attractive woman.”

  Laughing, the other man stepped closer to John and Simon. “She’d eat you alive. I’d lay money on it.”

  “Drop it,” John snapped. He and Simon would have to have a talk about Tyler’s continued employment.

  “Eaten alive,” Tyler muttered under his breath as he set up the PowerPoint presentation.

  Of course, John wouldn’t mind being eaten alive by her. He’d wanted her since college—back when she’d been a driven undergrad, before she’d worked her way up the ranks of her father’s vitamin and supplement empire. When the old man had retired a few years ago, she’d taken the reins and revitalized the company by expanding their product line—which was why he and Simon were there today. Minola Essentials was launching a line of women’s only vitamins and supplements, and they wanted a big ad campaign that covered all forms of media. A chance meeting with Charles Minola at a bachelor party had opened the door for them. Thankfully, they hadn’t had Tyler with them.

  “How about you j
ust keep your mouth shut the entire time she’s in here?” Simon snapped at Tyler.

  “Great idea,” John added.

  Tyler scowled but remained silent as the two women entered.

  John crossed the room to intercept her and held out his hand. “Hi, I’m John Petruchio of P & V Solutions.”

  “Catherine Minola.” She met his gaze, and her eyes narrowed slightly as if she were trying to place him. On the one hand, knowing Catherine from college might help them. On the other hand, if she remembered their drunken come-ons, not to mention the whole photograph scandal, it could stab them in the chest before they’d even shown her the campaign specifics they’d created.

  Reluctantly releasing her hand, he gestured toward the other men in the room. “This is Simon Verona, my business partner and part of the creative team at P & V, and this is Tyler, our tech guru.”

  Catherine shook hands with both men and introduced her own assistant. They all took seats at the huge wooden table while Daphne busied herself making notes on her tablet computer.

  Simon turned to Catherine. “First off, we’d like to thank you for your interest in our company.”

  Catherine’s smile was tight. “To be honest, I feel I should tell you that it’s actually my father’s interest in your company rather than my own. I wasn’t involved in the hiring process.”

  “Ouch,” Tyler muttered from the corner.

  John couldn’t say he disagreed with that assessment, but he kept his smile firmly in place.

  “But,” she continued. “I’m very interested in seeing what you’ve come up with. I’d like to get this project off the ground as soon as we can.”

  “Understood,” Simon said.

  For the next hour, he and Simon outlined the four quadrants of their marketing campaign—print, radio, television and internet. Catherine asked questions and made suggestions. She wasn’t rude, really—just abrupt. Some might call it businesslike, but to him, it seemed as if she had some pretty steep emotional walls built up around her. Another man might have found it off-putting, but he considered it a challenge more than anything else. Especially since he was about to spend the next three days at her family’s compound.