“No problem, boss.” Bill gave her a wave. “We’ll hold the fort.”
Silken had no doubt he would. He and Keith had been with her since they’d opened the shop two years earlier, fresh out of college, she with her degree in mechanical engineering and diploma in automotive repair, and Suave with her double major in finance and accounting. Although they’d grown up in Wisconsin they’d chosen California as the perfect setting for their new business and Cupertino as the ideal city – full of young professionals with fast cars and heavy pockets, the rewards of their jobs in the Silicon Valley tech industry. They’d never be short of business here.
Silken slid the glass door open and stepped into the air-conditioned office, sliding her palms down her overalls as she went. As soon as she saw Jeff’s blond head, she smiled. His back was to her, his eyes glued to the television set in the corner where a basketball game was in progress. Typical male, when a game was on he was blind, deaf and dumb to the outside world.
“Hey, Jeff. How’s it going?”
At her greeting he turned around and his dazed TV eyes cleared and she saw the spark of recognition. “Hey, Silk. Lookin’ good, as usual.”
She put a hand to her hair and gave him a simpering smile. “I bet you tell that to all the girls.” Then she laughed. “Or at least to Suave. Where is she, by the way?”
“Told me she was going to get some files from the back room.”
“Oh, okay.” Silken dropped onto a nearby chair. “So did you find anything? Who’s the man I’m going to have to humble myself to?”
Jeff chuckled. “Humble is right. You’ll never believe who you cursed out.”
“Who?”
“Patience.” Jeff put up his hand. “Let’s wait till Suave gets back. I want to see the look on both your faces.”
Silken frowned. She didn’t like the sound of that. It sounded like the guy was some kind of important person. Had she messed with the wrong man?
“Sorry, guys. I’m expecting a call so I just wanted to make sure I have the client's file on hand.” Suave dropped the folder on top of the desk and slipped into her chair. “So what’s the news, Jeff? You look like the cat who ate the canary.”
“I feel like it.” Jeff grinned as he looked from one to the other. “And you guys are damn lucky you have a friend in the police force who can get you critical information at the drop of a-”
“Yeah, yeah, get on with it.” Silken cut him off before he could get started. Jeff loved to remind them that he was a detective on the force. You’d think he was head of the FBI, the way he carried on. She rolled her eyes but softened it with a smile. “Don’t torture us, Jeff. You know we’re dying to hear what you found out.” The perfect words to stroke his ego.
Jeff grinned even wider. “Okay, guys. Listen up.” He leaned forward in his chair and his face took on a conspiratorial look. “Have you ever heard of the Davidoff line of perfumes and skin care products?”
Suave shrugged. “Who hasn’t? That’s an international brand.”
“And they have hair care products too, right?” Silken frowned as she tried to remember all the places she’d heard the name.
“Right you are,” Jeff said, looking pleased. “So you’ve heard of Maximillian Davidoff?”
Silken snorted. “No. Is he the owner of the company or something?”
“I’ve heard of him…” Suave said, her voice trailing off. “I read an article about him once but he seems to be a very private person. They say he doesn’t grant interviews.”
Jeff nodded. “He stays out of the limelight. Acts like he’s just an ordinary guy. No fanfare, no nothing. Rich like King Solomon although you couldn’t tell it from the way he hangs.”
Silken tilted her head. “So what does he have to do with the man at the complex? Does he work for this Davidoff fellow?” She’d asked the question but the sinking feeling in her stomach told her she was just fooling herself, hoping against hope, but doomed and destined for the worst case scenario. The man she’d embarrassed at the sports complex was none other than Maximillian Davidoff himself. She just knew it.
Jeff beamed. “That’s the best part. You, my dear Silken, had a Maximillian Davidoff sighting. The license plate number checks out as his. Now as long as the man driving the car was the owner and not just his driver, you have the distinguished honor of cursing out one of the richest, most powerful men on the planet.”
Suave gasped, her eyes wide as she stared at Silken. “Oh, my God. Do you think it’s him?”
Silken stifled a groan. It was him. She could feel it in her gut and her gut was never wrong. “It’s him,” she said, her tone dry as wood chip. She cocked an eyebrow at her sister. “I know you’re going to insist that I still go through with this apology. So, since you’re my supportive sister and all…you wanna come with me?"
CHAPTER THREE
As expected, Suave’s response to her request had been a big, fat no. So much for supportive sisters.
As Silken sat in her parked car outside the unassuming building that housed Davidoff’s Cupertino office, Silken bit down her bottom lip. Was this really such a good idea? Maybe going in to see him to apologize would only make things worse. The man had probably forgotten all about the incident by now.
Then she expelled her breath in a long sigh. No, he hadn’t. If he had, he wasn’t human. She grabbed her handbag and slung it over her shoulder then slid out of the Volvo sedan. Time to face the music.
As she walked toward the low-slung building Silken couldn’t help but wonder what a tycoon as big as Maximillian Davidoff was doing in a small city like Cupertino. A man of his stature should be in London or Paris, shouldn’t he, or New York or Rome. What the beeswax was he doing here in Silicon Valley where she could end up running into him and getting herself in trouble? By the time she’d finished mumbling to herself she was convinced it was all his fault for moving to her town. He should have stayed in the urban centers of the world where he belonged.