She gives me a brief hug before leaving to go feed the boys. My heart sinks knowing Asher will be crushed to see them together.
I don’t want any more pain in our family.
“Mr. West will expect you to be far more detailed than this.” I force my eyes not to roll at the tall brunette woman sitting across from me in the café.
Gretchen, Hayden West’s assistant, is absolutely stunning. Of course she is. Why, when he said his assistant would be contacting me, I’d pictured someone in their mid-forties with gray hair and wrinkles, I have no idea.
Everything about Hayden screams perfection, so of course, his assistant is a goddess.
She’s tall and thin, with beautiful shiny brown hair that looks fit for a shampoo commercial. Her nails are painted a dark red matching her full lips, and her cheekbones could cut glass. The woman looks fresh off the runway.
“This is just a preliminary. I haven’t even begun to work my magic yet.” I smile with a fake politeness I've spent nearly thirty years perfecting and take a sip of my coffee.
Her eyes narrow, and her lips purse in a thin line. “I’ll bet.”
Clearly, she’s not a fan. “Have I offended you in some way?”
She slides my notes back toward me, folding her arms in a huff. “I don’t understand why Hayden West—a widely successful businessman—would trust your brand-new company with only two employees to his newest venture. One that’s had quite a lot of press surrounding it already because it’s the next big thing.” She drops her arms, leaning in. “Why you?”
Honestly, I have no fucking clue. I can’t say that though. I straighten my back and portray confidence. “Because we’re the best.”
“Right.” Her eyes flit over me quickly and then meet mine again. “He’ll quickly become bored with you.”
“We’re under contract for all three hotels.”
She huffs, irritated by my mere presence, and it almost makes me miss Hayden. At least his annoyance seems to lessen from time to time, but this woman’s hate has been constant since I showed for the meeting.
I was even on time, hoping we could trade Hayden war stories and maybe she’d be an ally, but no such luck.
“Just make sure you have your shit together. He’s come too far to let his dick fuck it all up for him.”
My eyes widen more than I would like, and I know I'm showing my surprise. “I’m not sleeping with him. It’s purely professional.”
She scoffs, which sends fury through me, but I try my best to remain calm. “Please. You can’t tell me that he just handed the sweetest deal to you and your little colleague for your experience.”
“To assume that a woman can only land a job using what’s between her legs is abhorrent, especially for another woman.”
“It’s the only thing that makes sense in this case.”
“One could assume the same about you.” She’s young and beautiful. He’s successful. I admit she wasn’t what I was expecting, but still my mind didn’t go to her sleeping her way into the job.
“I worked my ass off to get this position.”
“So did I.”
Her eyes shoot fire at me. I can now say I feel the same about her as she does about me. Fuck her and her theories.
“He expects you at his office tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. Do not be late.”
“Will you be there?”
She looks even more annoyed as she shakes her head and stands from the table. “No. He wants to go over the details with you alone.”
I never thought I’d be relieved to be alone with Hayden. “I’ll be there.”
She leans down, her hands flat on the table in front of me. “Don’t fuck him.”
My anger level raises yet again. Who the hell does she think she is? “Do you tell all of Mr. West’s business associates the same thing?”
“If I think they want to hook their claws into him, yes.”
Our eyes are locked, and I’m sure I’ve never made a faster enemy in my life. “I’m not interested in your boss for anything other than a paycheck.” My right eyebrow lifts, and the smile on my lips is cold and bitchy. “But you are, right?”
“Don’t worry about me.”
I lean into her, refusing to be intimidated. “Oh, I'm not.”
“You should be, sweetheart. Even if he does fuck you, Hayden doesn’t play for keeps. Ever.”
“Lone wolf. Got it.”
“You know nothing about him.” Her eyes are deadly serious, and I have no idea what I've walked into, but I would say the two definitely have a past. It’s a feeling I can’t place, one that gives me an odd feeling. All I know is I don’t like her.
“I don’t want to know anything about him.”
“Keep it that way.” She stands, slinging her designer bag over her bony shoulder.
“So happy to be working with you, Gretchen.” My tone drips with sarcasm that she doesn’t even entertain as she spins on one heel and exits the café.
I sigh, hating that I signed the stupid contract, that I got Penelope and myself into this mess but try my best to stay strong.
I did this because I don’t want to be under my father’s thumb. I hated working for him more than anything, especially after I found out about his fight with Colt right before he died. It was the catalyst to Colt’s death as far as I'm concerned.
I’ll do whatever it takes to never have to rely on him or his money ever again.
And that includes working for someone who is exactly like him, a strong, ruthless businessman who doesn’t care who he has to step on to get where he is.
With Hayden though, there’s no shared blood, no false feelings of love or obligation. None of that will be an issue. I wanted my father to be a good man deep, deep down. I’d hoped he truly loved me and my siblings no matter how terrible he was.
It made me weak. It made me try my best to impress him in everything I did and earn his respect, which I didn’t realize would never happen. He didn’t respect me. I was just another person to do his bidding. To be at his beck and call. More property.
But I'm much stronger now.
“I don’t trust her.”
My eyes narrow, zoning on in Grechen as she sits across from me at my desk. I try to rub away the impending headache using my fingers on my temples. “I didn’t ask.”
Gretchen pouts in her typical way, her eyes blazing with anger, lips pursed tightly. She’s dressed professionally in gray slacks that go to her ankles, black heels, and a slinky black top. Her hair is down today, but she’s definitely on edge after her meeting with Lola yesterday. “Hayden, you should hire a more established firm.”
I should have known better than to ask her over for a briefing before my meeting with Lola today. I’m disappointed Penelope won’t be joining her, but still . . . business is business, and I need to conduct it no matter what.
“That will be all for today, Gretchen.”
She looks hurt, showing a rare hint of emotion, and I don’t like it as she stands and walks to stand before me on my side of the desk. “Are you sure there’s nothing else you’d like, Hayden?”