The Manhattan Agreement

Scott pressed the button on his desk and his long-time secretary appeared in his office moments later. “Push my 4:00, to next week, Dot. I am knee deep in paperwork right now. “Will do, Mr. Beckman. Remember I leave on vacation tomorrow and I need to meet with you about my temporary replacement. I want to make sure you think she will be a good fit.”

Scott paused from the investment portfolio he was reading and took his glasses off. “Dorothy, I trust you. Whoever you have in mind is fine. I really don’t think a meeting is necessary.”

She slightly shook her head in dismay but didn’t bother arguing. She knew the merger Scott had been working on these last few weeks had everyone in the office on edge. The last thing she wanted to do was add more to his plate. The moment Dorothy closed the door; Scott returned to the folder on his desk and put his reading glasses back on. He was really looking forward to meeting the guys tonight. He needed to unwind and his former college roommates could always show him a fun time. He continued working diligently for the next few hours until a light tap on the door broke his concentration. “Mr. Beckman, I am heading out. My granddaughter is here if you would like to meet her. I just finished giving her a tour and going over your schedule for the next two weeks.”

Scott checked his watch and couldn’t believe the time. It was almost 7pm and he instantly felt bad that Dorothy was still at the office so late. He stood and slightly stretched grabbing his suit jacket from the back of his chair. “Dot, I don’t deserve you. There was no need to stay this long. Please get ready for your vacation. I hope you have a wonderful trip. You deserve this time off.”

Dorothy expressed her gratitude thanking Scott once again for being so generous about her vacation time. She knew the timing wasn’t ideal and truth be told, she felt bad leaving. Scott placed his jacket on and followed Dorothy out of his office. He saw a petite figure looking out the window nearby wearing a black dress with heels. He could tell from her clothing alone, she was quite sophisticated and he couldn’t help but admire her slim figure. She had curves in all the right places. “Gabriella, this is Mr. Beckman. Mr. Beckman, this is my grand-daughter Gabriella Smith.”

Gabriella turned to face Scott and at once extended her hand. Her smile was infectious. He froze in place holding her small hand inside his and couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was the most beautiful woman he ever laid eyes on. The air in the room shifted sending everything below his waist into a frenzy. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Mr. Beckman. Thank you for taking such good care of my grandmother.”

Scott knew the polite thing was to stop staring so he did the only thing that came to his mind – he retrieved his hand and placed them both inside his pockets. “Gabriella, nice to meet you. I didn’t realize Dorothy had any grandchildren. Are you from Manhattan?”

“You can call me Gabi, and I’m local for the time being. I just graduated from the Pritzker at Northwestern and had several job interviews lined up in the area. My grandmother asked me to house sit while she was on vacation and when she mentioned she was looking for a temp, I suggested I help. It will get me out of the house –“ “And force her to interact with people.” Dorothy chimed in, cutting her granddaughter off. Gabriella rolled her eyes and shook her head. “That is not true, Grandma. You’re making me sound like a hermit.”

Scott couldn’t take his eyes off Gabriella and suddenly felt like a teenager who just ran into his high school crush. “A lawyer… impressive. Beauty and brains.” Gabriella’s cheeks flushed and Scott quickly broke eye contact with her. She appeared embarrassed so he backtracked, hoping he did not make a fool of himself or make her uncomfortable. “I’m grateful you’re helping, Gabi. Dot is really in charge around here…. She keeps me in line.”

Gabriella once again lock eyes and he winked at her hoping to put her at ease. She shot him another infectious grin, and his heart felt as if it were about to leap out of his chest. Dorothy began walking towards the elevator and Scott followed – not wanting to say goodbye. He watched Gabriella press the elevator button and that’s when his heard sank. She was wearing a ring…. an engagement ring and it snapped him back into realty. She was not single. The elevator ride down was long, and Scott couldn’t help but feel defeated. Unfortunately, the alpha in him kicked in, and he desperately wanted to know if she was truly engaged - he just wasn’t certain how to ask. It really was none of his business one way or the other. An idea suddenly came to mind when the elevator doors opened. They took a left into the lobby when Paige, the women he had been dating caught his attention, entered the double doors walking straight towards them. Fuck. She was the last person he wanted to see. Scott stopped and turned his attention to Dorothy. “Have a wonderful vacation, Dot. And behave yourself.”

Dorothy chuckled at the comment and gave him a hug, instantly locked eyes with Gabriella who was behind her. She smiled at the exchange and Scott’s heart once again became mush. Her lips were perfect- plump and voluptuous- and for a split moment he wondered what it would be like to kiss her. “Don’t work too late, Mr. Beckman. You’re young. You have a lot of life to live and enjoy.” Dorothy’s comment warmed his heart, and he reluctantly bid them both farewell. “Gabi, I will see you in the morning.”

Gabriella and Dorothy exchanged their goodbyes and made their way towards the large double doors, passing Paige in the process. “Working late…. again.” Paige’s tone was condescending, but he held his tongue and didn’t share what was really on his mind. “Hi Paige.” Scott kissed her on the cheek and began walking towards the door. He nodded towards the officer sitting at the counter who asked him if he wanted his driver to come around the building. He held up his hand to signal no and opened the door for Paige. Her visit was unannounced but did not surprise him. They had been dating for about 3 months, and he knew she wanted way more than he was willing to give her. He simply wasn’t certain how to officially end things. Unfortunately, he knew the longer he waited, the harder it would be. “I’m heading to Midtown to meet the guys. I wish you would’ve called. It would have saved you a trip.”

“Oh, I was just in the neighborhood and wanted to stop by. I knew you would still be here. Listen, Scott….my mother invited us to our family beach house this weekend in the Hampton’s and the weather has been so perfect lately.”

They were now standing outside, and Scott motioned for a cab to stop. “I can’t get away, Paige. Not now. I’m in the middle of closing this merger and need to work all weekend. Another time.”

Scott now had the cab door opened and looked Paige over, obvious disappointment written all over her face. She really was a beautiful woman, a tall brunette with hazel eyes. Any man would have been smitten by her but for whatever reason, he had reservations and instinctively kept her at arms length. “Scott, it’s been 3 months. I want you to meet my parents. I think it’s time….don’t you?”

She gently touched his chest and searched his eyes. “Just let me get through this weekend, and we can talk about it. Now I must go… I’ll call you later.” He pulled her in for a kiss which lightened her mood. His response pleased her, and he was thankful the encounter ended. He finally slipped into the backseat of the taxi and told the driver the address of where he was headed. To his relief, the driver wasn’t talkative. Scott used the quiet to think. Gabriella was once again at the forefront of his mind. He couldn’t get this woman out of his head. Did she feel this unexplainable spark? Or was it just him? Was he imagining things? A thousand thoughts raced through his head and began analyzing each possibility in his head. One thing was for sure – tomorrow could not get here fast enough.

----XXXX----

Gabriella unlocked her grandmother’s house and walked straight to her bedroom. Two large suitcases sat next to her bed, and she could not help but smile. She knew her grandma had been packed for days. She was never the type of person to wait until the last minute for anything…. the opposite of Gabriella. She could hear her grandmother in the kitchen, and she decided to take a hot bath before bed. “I’ll see you in the morning, Grandma. Your flight leaves at 7am. I’ll drop you off and them head to the office.”

Dorothy put down the towel in her hand and walked to her granddaughter. “Thank you, honey for being here. I really appreciate you watching the house and helping me at work. I worry about Mr. Beckman so much. I swear that man is a workaholic.”

Gabriella smiled at her grandma and thought about the handsome man she met earlier. He was nothing at all what she expected and wished she would have inquired more about him before offering to help with her job. They hugged goodnight and Gabriella made her way into her bathroom and started the hot water. She undressed and walked back into her connected bedroom and shifted through her purse reaching for her cell phone.

Once she was in the tub, she got comfortable and exhaled. She instantly felt her muscles relax and she reached for her phone she placed on the nearby edge of the tub. Scott’s comment, “beauty and brains” replayed like a loop in her mind. The way he said it – his voice deep and almost longing. It was a feeling Gabriella never experienced before. She quickly opened google and searched the name Prescott Beckman Holdings Incorporated and hit enter.

Several photos of Scott appeared on her screen, and she clicked on the first article that populated. ‘Prescott Beckman, President, and CEO of Beckman Holdings Incorporated, inherited New York City’s top financial planning firm in 2023 after his parent’s death.

Prescott was born in North Carolina to Bette and Prescott Beckman June 15, 1978, and is an only child.’ Gabriella paused and thought back to earlier conversations with her grandmother. She could not remember her mentioning anything personal about Scott and was sad to hear about his parents. It suddenly made sense why her grandfather cared so much about him.

She scrolled down a bit and enlarged several photos, looking the handsome man over one by one. He was extremely attractive, had gorgeous thick hair and the most beautiful blue eyes. She couldn’t get the image of how he treated her grandmother out of her mind.

He appeared to really care for her – and that meant the world. The longer she scrolled, the more photos she examined, finally coming to one of him and the brunette she saw at his building earlier. They were a striking couple and her eyes drifted to the small caption under the photograph. ’Prescott Beckman and Paige Madison pose at the Young Arts NYC Gala.”

Out of nowhere a pang of jealousy pierced her heart. It was at that moment she felt utterly ridiculous. Here she was, engaged to be married in December and daydreaming about her temporary boss. She turned her phone off and placed it back onto the nearby ledge, bringing her hand into view. Her engagement ring sparkled, and she admired the way it twinkled each time she moved her hand.

Thoughts of Justin entered her mind, and she quickly reached for her phone again, checking the time. It was after eight and shame washed over her. She had been in New York for over 48 hours and still hadn’t touched base with him. Guilt set in so she decided to give him a call, but it went immediately to voicemail. She left a message and apologized for not touching base sooner.

For the rest of the evening, she pushed Scott out of her mind. She was there to do a job and help her grandmother out. Nothing more. As soon as her grandma returned, she planned to focus on her two job offers. A decision would have to be made by the end of the month, and she knew time was of the essence. She worked too hard and for too long to put her future in danger. When the water began to turn warm, she quickly got out of the bath and began her nighttime ritual. She was tucked in bed by 9 and reached for her iPad opening her kindle app. She was determined not to think about Scott. After all, they were both unavailable.

There was simply no reason to think they would ever be anything more.