Ulterior Motives Read Online Free PDF Page A

seemed genuinely surprised when she told him she was the director of the Babel Language Center. At the time she had attributed his surprise to the unusual name of her business. It evoked images of the biblical Tower of Babel, the lust for power that had inspired its construction, and the confusion that had followed its destruction by the Almighty. Shelley wished once again that the board of directors would choose a new name.
    She went home feeling weary and a little hurt. Ross had seemed like a wonderful man. Why hadn’t he told her the truth before he left? Had he really had hopes of learning something significant from her before she found out who he was? Had he been playing with her? Was he embarrassed? She had sensed some indecision in him, and she wasn’t sure what to attribute it to.
    Now that she knew who he was, she certainly couldn’t see him again. Babel company policy prohibited teachers and staff from dating clients and students. Although Shelley disapproved of a business policy that tried to regulate employees’ personal lives, she had abided by it during her sojourn in Cincinnati and had turned down several personal invitations from male clients. Given that, she could hardly go out with her company’s chief competitor, particularly not when he represented such a potential threat to the growth of her business.
    At home she stuck some leftover Chinese food in the microwave and wondered whether Ross Tanner could convince Keene International to go with Elite instead of Babel. She had another meeting scheduled with Keene on Tuesday. She would try to get a commitment from them then, before Ross had time to put together a new proposal.
    There was not, as Wayne had pointed out, enough business to keep two language schools very busy. Competition for each new client was fierce. Shelley prided herself on her talent for running a business and drawing new clients. However, she knew that she owed part of her success here to the mediocrity of her competitor at Elite. Chuck was as incompetent as Shelley’s predecessor, and probably a lot more dishonest—he was just better at hiding it. Shelley was still new enough to lack confidence in her ability to stay on top now that Elite had brought in an expert.
    Ross would be coming to pick her up in the morning, she realized. She must decide how to deal with him. She wanted to handle the situation with dignity, both for her self-respect and because, curiously enough, she wanted his respect, too. She decided she would be cool, businesslike, and firm, no matter what.
     
    When Shelley opened her front door the next morning, Ross took one look at the total absence of warmth or welcome in her eyes and realized she already knew the truth.
    “News travels fast around here, I see,” he commented after a heavy silence.
    “Especially bad news.”  
    “Can we talk about this?” he asked.  
    “I think I already know what I need to know.”
    “Shelley, I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to hear it from someone else.”
    “Then you should have told me yourself yesterday,” she pointed out.
    “Yes, I should have,” he said with a sigh. “I just thought we would need some time to discuss our options, and there didn’t seem much chance of talking to you alone in your office.”
    “Our options?”
    “Can I come inside?”
    “I think it would be better if you left now, Ross.”
    “I think it would be a big mistake to leave now,” he countered as he leaned against the doorframe.
    “Look, Ross, yesterday was very nice, but—”
    “Nice?” he repeated. “ Nice? Shelley, how often do you suppose something like yesterday happens to two people?”
    “It happens all the time in Frank Sinatra songs.”
    “Well, yes,” he said, slightly amused. “But how often has it happened to you?”
    “That depends on which part of yesterday you’re talking about. The part where you entered my office as a guest and neglected to tell me who you really were? The part where I felt like a fool