I glance at them, and in an instant, I decide on my outfit for the day. I need to kick Monday’s ass, especially the way it started out. I grab a long black pencil skirt, a red blouse—it is the power color for a reason—and those boots. After a trip to the bathroom to contain my hair into a tight chignon, I get dressed, enjoying the power it gives me. Yeah, I know it makes me kind of materialistic, but I don’t care. Clothes are my drug of choice. One last look in the mirror and I smile. This buoys my spirits more than anything.
I walk in fifteen minutes early to work, a travel mug of coffee in one hand and my phone in the other. I scan through my emails, ignoring the three texts Grady sent me in the last ninety minutes.
“Good morning, Ms. Fillmore.”
I set my phone on my desk and toss a smile at the office manager Jared. That’s right. Grady has an executive assistant slash slave and an office manager. I tend to travel with him everywhere he goes for work because…well, for no other reason than he’s anal. Jared runs everything while we’re out and about and handles any issues dealing with the office at large. I am just the slave that has to deal with Grady up close and personal.
“Morning, Jared. How was your weekend?”
“Great. Went to see the new superhero movie.”
Oh, God, I miss movies. I used to go with Travis all the time, but in the last few months, he’s been out of town—which also means my bestie Nancy has been gone too since she’s his co-host— and, also, I’ve been busy.
“Good?”
He nods. “Mr. Hawthorne has been looking for you.”
“Yes, I have,” Grady says from the doorway. I look over at him and want to roll my eyes at the same time my lady parts are cheering. The man is as beautiful as he is irritating.
He’s dressed in his usual outfit of dress slacks, tailored to give his ass the best possible look, and a dress shirt. Today the combination of slate grey pants and ivory dress shirt—complete with a red tie—makes him especially attractive. But the one thing that always gets me and my ovaries cheering is that freaking vest. He doesn’t always wear them but when he does…GAWD. I know. It’s weird, but a well-dressed man in a vest makes my pussy tingle. His light brown hair has that mussed look that would probably take a normal man hours to achieve. His clear green gaze studies me as if he’s trying to come up with another complaint. Butthead.
“And here I am, early as usual.”
His eyes narrow, and he knows I just challenged him in front of Jared. “You didn’t answer my texts.”
I fight the urge to tell him to stick a rusted fork up his ass. “I was driving in. I thought maybe it was more important that I arrive alive.” Kind of a lie. The last two came after I had parked my car, but he doesn’t know that. “But, yes, I did get those contracts for the new facility outside of Denver. Oh, and I did contact the staff at the Denver house for the trip to inspect the facilities next week.”
Grady’s first real move as CEO is the creation of the Adventure Network, an offshoot from the At Home Network. It’s a big deal and I understand he wants to cross the t’s and dot the i’s. I just wish he would give us all a break. I also understand the importance of this move but give a girl a break here.
“You’re coming, right?”
Not that I want to go, but I know it’s important that I be there. Grady sometimes gets a little too focused on the details. If I’m there, I can keep him from pissing everyone off. I’m the buffer.
“Yes. We’re flying out early Monday morning. Carter and Gavin are coming with us.”
This is a family business and his brothers are as excited about this new network as Grady. The only brother who doesn’t have anything to do Hawthorne Enterprises is Quinn, who is a graphic novelist. Gavin splits his time between New York and San Antonio, and Carter is always flitting around opening clubs and drumming up publicity. Grady is always here. Like ALWAYS. There is no taking a week off and giving your staff a break.
“Good. And the car?”
“Yes, the car will pick all of us up.” Thankfully, the company has a Learjet to use. We didn’t until about three years ago from what I understand. His father had crunched the numbers and realized they would save money by using their own jet.
He nods and then turns on his heel and leaves Jared and I alone.
“Well, that was nice,” Jared says with a smile.
“You know what he’s like. Plus, this Adventure Network is a big deal.”
“Syd, my love,” Carter, the youngest and by far the sluttiest of the Hawthornes, says as he walks into the room. All of the Hawthorne brothers are attractive. They’re all tall, but there is no mistaking any of them as their personalities are different. Where Grady is rigid in his schedule, Carter is the opposite. He plays it fast and loose, knows just how to charm the panties off any woman—except me—and he’s always smiling. His hair is brown with auburn highlights, and his eyes are a shade greener than Grady’s.
“Good morning, Carter.”
“How is the mon frère this morning?”
“Same as usual.”
“Well, damn.”
I laugh at his constipated expression. The two brothers are on the opposite ends of the spectrum and it shows when they have to deal with each other.
“I got those reservations taken care of at Stallions for Thursday night.”
“Oh, thank you.” One of the things that keeps the Hawthornes as solvent as they are is diversification. Their main focus is their home improvement network, but they also have several clubs and a couple of restaurant chains. The newest club is Stallions, an elitist kind of place in downtown San Antonio that caters to the wealthy and infamous. I totally used my connection to the family to get Allison Brady’s bachelorette party into the VIP section of the club. I might not be wealthy, but I know rich people.
“So, is this the kind of bachelorette party that needs some help from a young, attractive man?”
“Yeah. Do you know one?”
He gasps, completely over the top but nothing new. “You wound me, Syd.”
“Yeah, sure. I think it would take a lot to wound the ego of a Hawthorne.”
“Good to know you have such a high opinion of us,” Grady says from behind me.
Normally, this would make me nervous, but for some reason, I’m all about poking the bear this morning. I glance over my shoulder. “What? You know it’s true.”
Yeah, I am in a bit of a mood but remember, it’s been NINE FREAKING MONTHS. I’m not someone who jumps into bed easily, so I can normally go a long time between men with the help of batteries. My dry spell has my temper frayed and when I have to deal with Grady Hawthorne and his stupid pretty face and his ability to make women lose their inhibitions with just a smile, I get agitated. I don’t want to even think about what that means, so I push the thought aside. I just need to have sex at some point.
“Patterson will be calling in soon, Carter. We better go over some of the figures to make sure we are on point.”
“Of course,” he says just as Gavin, Grady’s fraternal twin and head of legal for Hawthorne Enterprises, strides into the outer office.
“Morning, everyone,” he says. He looks a lot like Grady—they are twins—but his hair is light blond and his eyes are green like Carter’s. He’s a bit leaner more like a swimmer, and the only married one of out the bunch. He and Oliver have been married three years.
“Let’s get ready for that meeting,” Grady says, turning and walking back into his office. He doesn’t even hesitate to make sure his brothers will follow.
See, butthead.
Once we’re alone, Jared laughs. “I love when you come in cranky.”
I shake my head and settle behind my desk and get to work. We have a full week of work before we head out to Denver, including the bachelorette party. I also need to make sure I contact my doctor today. I need some more migraine meds. A trip with Grady will definitely give me a headache. Add in that it’s in Denver and I always get altitude sickness, this is going to be so much
fun.
Before I can get very far, my phone buzzes with a text from Nancy.
Nancy: Is everything set for Thursday night?
She barely knows Allison but for some reason she was really keen on this night out.
Me: Yeah. Carter just confirmed we will be able to get into the VIP section.
I mentally make a note to ask him if we have a table.
Nancy: *dancing emoji*
I roll my eyes and set my phone down. I have fifty million things to get done before Thursday, half of them need to be taken care of today.
Monday can suck my lady balls.
One Click HATE TO LOVE YOU Today!
Acknowledgments
In the middle of writing this book, the pandemic hit. It was hard to write about happily ever afters during such a horrible time but part of me craved it. I wanted to pretend things were okay and I hope I give that to everyone when they read the book.
Thanks always to my Addicts who have been a bright light during this hectic and scary time. May all of you stay safe and healthy.
Noel, you once again soothed my fragile nutbag soul and helped me make sure I was on the right track with this book.
Hey, Brandy Walker, you have supported me always and I really don’t know what I would do without you on my side.
Big thanks to Joy Harris for always there with support.
Les, you and the girls are the best, and as always, we will get through this time together. Without your support, I would never have made it through this book.
About the Author
From an early age, USA Today Bestselling author Melissa loved to read. When she discovered the romance genre, she started to listen to the voices in her head. After years of following her AF Major husband around, she is happy to be settled in Northern Virginia surrounded by horses, wineries, and many, many Wegmans.
Keep up with Mel, her releases, and her appearances by subscribing to her NEWSLETTER or join in the fun with her Harmless Addicts!
Check out all her other books, family trees and other info at her website!
If you would want contact Mel, email her at: [email protected]
Also by Melissa Schroeder
The Camos and Cupcakes World
Camos and Cupcakes
The Fillmore Siblings
Juniper Springs-coming soon
The Santini World
The Santinis
Semper Fi Marines
The Fitzpatricks
The Harmless World
The Harmless Series
A Little Harmless Military Romance
Task Force Hawaii
Check out the rest of Mel’s books by:
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Entire Backlist
Love to Hate You: An Enemies to Lovers, Best Friend's Brother Romantic Comedy (The Fillmores Book 2) Page 28