His gaze snapped to my lapels and cuffs. “Nice suit. Where’s it from?”
The charcoal-gray, mill-sourced Scottish wool came out when I needed to make a particular impression. “This?” I pulled at the edge of my jacket like I couldn’t remember what suit I was wearing. “I’m pretty sure it was Commonwealth Proper, although it might’ve been Robbini Bespoke. The tailor came to my apartment, between a meeting I had with Without Grey and a dinner I had to get to at The Union League and I was just needing to get it done, so we didn’t have much time for small talk.”
“I heard the waitlist is a few months long for both places.” He rubbed his hand along his chin.
I cocked my head to the side. “Really? I didn’t know. When I called them up, they gave me an appointment the same day.” It helped that Everest worked with most pro athletes in the area, so they were always happy to give anyone at SWANK a spot.
Trevor reset and diverted his attention back to the car.
“When you said we should hang out, I thought you meant out-out, not just you swinging by my office.”
“I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop by. I was out last night, we could’ve hung then, but I didn’t hear from you.”
He made a noise of displeasure. “My dad had us all at a corporate retreat. Just a bunch of guys sitting around talking about how to make sure everyone is happier and more productive at work. If they don’t like it, they can leave.”
Once he took over, his company would be paying through the nose in severance packages. I could see the talent bleed from a mile away.
He ran his hand along the midnight-blue spoiler fastened to the almost-nonexistent trunk. “I’d love to get one, but I need to prove to my dad I can be responsible with my money, which means I’m stuck with the Audi until my bonus comes in.” He rolled his eyes like this was the most unfair stipulation put on the six-figure job that had been handed to him.
I’d known he’d like the car. It was why I’d brought it. “Things have been crazy. I’ve got a Siren Song event I’m putting together that’s already twenty percent over capacity.”
His head popped up. “At the Hale & Hue?”
“You know that place? The venue is so small getting any other bodies in there will be impossible, but I’ve got a VIP list a mile long and I’m turning people away. We physically can’t get any more people into the place.” I was laying the groundwork for my request for later, putting the pieces in place to pull off the huge ask.
“I haven’t had time to check it out yet.” He’d tried to get his name on the door list for the past five months.
“Maybe after Siren Song you could come by and it’ll be less crazy.”
He nodded absently, his gaze sweeping over the car. “Maybe…”
“Do you want to take it for a ride?”
His eyes lit up before his face dropped. “Yeah, but I can’t open her up like I’d love to.”
“I was planning on heading to the motorsports track after we caught up to see how hard I can push it. I can see if they could move up my time.” I’d booked it for exactly this time.
He glanced back up at the building. “I told them in the office that I was meeting with a client?” A hint of sheepishness crept in. Maybe he wasn’t one-hundred percent self-absorbed.
“We can have a meeting then. We can talk and drive, right? I could be a client.” I dangled the key fob.
He strode around to my side of the car. “Hell, yeah. Let’s go.” He grabbed the key from my hand and jumped in, unable to contain his excitement.
We got to the test track in record time. I’d have to apologize to the car owner for the finger dent on the roof of his car.
During our break after two laps, I handed Trevor a bottle of water and went in for the ask, while his body was humming with endorphins after hitting 135 MPH on his last run.
“Did I tell you about the party I’ve got going on for New Year’s?”
“No, where at?”
“Wells Fargo Center.”
He gulped down the water. “Sounds like more than a party.”
“It might be a little more than that. We’ve got some great bands. I took over the promotions and prep from Easton Events.”
He snorted. “Those guys were absolute assholes.”
“But their incompetence has put me in a bind. I need lighting rigs for my New Year’s Eve concert.”
He leaned back against the car like he owned it. “Are we providing the sound and stage?”
“No, that was already confirmed and paid for by another team before I signed on.” All the avenues this conversation could go down had been mapped out in my head on the way over. It helped that Trevor wasn’t a particularly imaginative kind of guy.
He winced and stared up at the sky. “My dad has this hard-on for package deals. He wants to lock in whole events just for us.”
“I can understand that, and we’ll definitely add your team to the top of all our future lists.”
His brow creased, and his lips tightened.
“I haven’t made the announcement yet, but I can tell you first.” I glanced over my shoulder, selling the secret. “Without Grey’s going to be performing. That’s what my meeting with them was about.” I’d spit shine Everest’s shoes for a year, but I wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip through my fingers when I was so close.
He shot up from the car, choking on his water. “No fucking way.”
I grinned. “Yes, they’ll be there and if you’re providing the lighting rigs, then I’m sure I could get you a meet-and-greet with the band.”
His demeanor shifted and became more subdued, disinterested. It seemed he’d learned a few things working with his father, but I could see the glint of how much he wanted this in his eye.
He shrugged. “That would be cool, but it would be a lot of hassle dealing with my dad over it.” His fingers tightened on the bottle. Man, did I need to set up a poker game with him. I’d walk away with half his trust fund.
“I could sweeten the pot if you wanted. Tell me what you want.”
He went full lean against the car with his ankles crossed and arms folded in smugness. “I want a spot on the guest list for two for Siren Song.”
“Dude, that’s impossible, I told you.” What was almost impossible was keeping up this performance, but duty called.
“I guess you’ll have to figure out which VIP is getting booted to make room for a bigger one. If you want the rigs, that is.” He took a gulp from his water bottle.
Dealing with guys like him was easy. If he felt like he was putting someone in a tight spot, getting one over on people who rolled in his circles, and he got to make some money as well, it was a deal he couldn’t walk away from.
I spent a couple minutes grimacing, staring at my phone and making fervent texts where I asked August about cake flavors and Leo about his skincare routine. Their replies blew up my phone, filled with even more questions and emojis used in ways I don’t think the inventors intended. At one point I turned the phone sideways trying to figure out the coded message from August. He wanted me to put my eggplant where?
With a grimace, I turned to Trevor and shoved my hand into my pocket. “I’m going to have my ass handed to me over this, but I got you a spot. I can’t even tell you who I had to kick off the list.” I let out a long, deep breath and shook my head.