Broken and Beautiful

by Ryan, Kendall

  I regret the words as soon as they’re out of my mouth. It’s true that he worked hard on this assignment, but I can’t afford to undercut my achievements with good-girl modesty.

  “Sure, it was a partnered project, but the quality of your contribution was clear. You really went above and beyond.”

  I can’t hold back a grin. “Thank you so much. That really means a lot to me.”

  “It’s the truth. Keep up the good work, okay, Presley?” Oliver shoots a pair of finger guns at me and strolls off.

  I will. From now on, I’m all business. I’m going to put my nose to the grindstone, prove that I’m the best intern here, and snag that job. I’ll rise above all the ridiculous crap that’s happened and take my power back from Dominic, no matter if he is our industry’s cocky young darling.

  My phone dings. I check it and almost laugh at the perfect timing. It’s a text from Austin, asking if I can see him again tonight. What better way to try to forget Dominic and his “dates” than to go on an actual date with an actual nice guy? What a concept.

  I fire off a quick text to tell him I’m in, and then get back to my daily hustle.

  * * *

  My buzz of renewed purpose lasts all day. But it wavers when I walk into the bar’s lounge and see Austin sitting with his brow knitted in a grave frown, jiggling his leg and chewing his lip.

  The instant he spots me, he jumps up. “Presley! It’s great to see you.”

  I hug him cautiously. “You, too. Is everything all right?”

  “Not . . . really. Go ahead and sit down. I’ll get us drinks first before I explain.” When he returns from the bar with two beers, he asks, “Are you familiar with Genesis Software?”

  “I know the name,” I reply slowly. “All I know about them is what I heard on the news last year. They caused that big data breach—”

  “More like we were blamed for it.”

  The edge in Austin’s tone surprises me, coming from a guy who’s usually so laid-back and friendly. Then I realize what he just let slip.

  “Wait, we? You work for Genesis?”

  “My father owns it. And when Aspen Hotels bad-mouthed us to the press, he lost almost everything. Our stock price nose-dived, and we had to lay off six-thousand employees.”

  My stomach sinks, and my brain struggles to catch up with his accusation. “You blame Aspen for this?”

  “Your CEO—Dominic, was it? His official stance was that the breach at Aspen was our fault, and since the moment he said that, everything’s been crumbling.”

  This is headed nowhere good. I work for Aspen, and that’s where my allegiance lies. I’m hoping to win a spot on the management team. Which means I shouldn’t be here.

  I push out my chair. “I should probably go.”

  Austin’s eyes widen to puppy-dog proportions. “Wait! Please don’t go. I have a request, a simple one. Just hear me out.”

  I’m on my feet; I should already be walking away.

  But despite myself, I ask, “What could you possibly want from me? I’m sorry to hear your business is going under, I really am, but I have nothing to do with this. I haven’t even been working there for a full month yet.”

  “I know. I just . . . God, it sounds petty when I say it out loud, but I need you to insert this into his laptop.” Before I can back away, he presses a jump drive into my hand.

  “What is this?”

  “A small virus,” he says, as if it’s something completely innocuous.

  I narrow my eyes. “If it’s so small, why do you want me to release it so badly? What will it do?”

  “It’ll prove to him that he’s not the god he thinks he is. He’s not immune; his systems can become corrupt, too, and our software isn’t the bullshit he claimed it was.”

  “And why on earth would I jeopardize the company where I’m trying to start my career?”

  “Don’t worry, you’ll still have a job. This won’t destroy Aspen, just scare Dominic a little. And I’ll pay you enough to make it worth your risk. Didn’t you mention you had high expenses?”

  “There’s no amount of money that could—”

  “Please, Presley. I need you to take this for me. It’s the right thing to do.”

  I dodge his attempt to rest a hand on my arm. “I’m sorry, but no way.”

  “At least think it over. Read this dossier . . .” He sets down a paper-stuffed folder marked with the Genesis logo. “Decide for yourself if we really are the villains he painted us to be.”

  I don’t need to think it over. But before I can toss his crap back at him, Austin is already gone, leaving me alone with the folder on the table and the jump drive burning in my hand.

  I should just throw them both in the trash. No way in hell would I ever infect Dominic’s computer. He might be a douchebag when it comes to women, but he’s still a skilled CEO, and more importantly, Aspen Hotels doesn’t deserve to go down. At least I don’t think they do…

  At the same time, though, it sounds like there’s a lot more to the Genesis story than I was led to believe. Austin has managed to pique my curiosity.

  After a minute of hesitation, I stuff it all into my bag to take home. As soon as I get an uninterrupted evening of spare time, I’ll read his intel and then dispose of it. At the very least, I can find out the truth.

  Dominic

  Presley is avoiding me. Again. We’re back to square one. She’s made it a point to take any path in the office that doesn’t cross my door. I haven’t seen her for longer than three seconds at a time all week long. She’s just working hard, I keep telling myself.

  “Extra points for giving good head.”

  What the fuck was that? I completely reverted to the frat boy I never intended to be. Speaking of which—

  “Got a sec?” Oliver asks, poking his head through my doorway.

  I’ve been staring at my in-box, unable to focus on any one task long enough to do work. A second won’t hurt. I wave him in.

  As always, Oliver makes himself at home right away. In less than a minute, the door is closed and ice is clinking at the bottom of a fresh glass of scotch. With a heaving sigh, Oliver sinks into the wingback chair across from my desk.

  Suddenly, I’m hit with the sensation of déjà vu. We were in this exact same place only two weeks ago. I chuckle.

  “What?” he asks, his eyebrows furrowed.

  “Nothing.” I sigh. What a simpler time.

  Oliver stares at me over the rim of his tumbler. “Hmm.”

  “What?” It’s my turn to ask.

  “What’d you do to piss off your intern?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Did you two fuck?”

  “No.” I’m not sure Oliver entirely believes me, and he shakes his head in dismay. “But I told her,” I add.

  “Told her what?”

  “About my girls.”

  At first, Oliver looks confused. Then shocked. Then intrigued. “Damn.”

  Tell me about it. “What do you think about that?” I want to know if he thinks I made a mistake. Hell, I want to know if I think if I’ve made a mistake. There’s a reason I haven’t gone public about my daughters. I don’t want the media’s attention.

  “I think that’s a big deal.”

  “I know.” I lean forward, holding my head in my hands. A tension headache is starting to form and my neck feels stiff.

  Oliver’s hand on my shoulder brings me back. “Let’s take off early.”

  I open my mouth to object, but he swipes my car keys off my desk too fast. Unable to help it, I crack a smile.

  I don’t deserve his friendship, but I damn sure need it.

  * * *

  “Guess who’s here?”

  My girls stare up at me with big eyes, practically bouncing with excitement. Just behind me in the hallway waits Uncle Oliver, their favorite surprise guest.

  “Who? Who?”

  Fran shakes her head and chuckles at their excitement. “Not that young woman, I suppose,�
� she says with a wry smile.

  I give her a look to say don’t get their hopes up.

  “Say good night to Franny first. Then I’ll tell you.”

  “’Night!” they cry, impatient.

  The sweet woman kisses them each on the cheek—and one extra on Emilia’s bruise.

  When Oliver steps inside, the girls squeal with excitement.

  “Uncle Oliver! Up! Up!” Lacey cries.

  He lifts her like she’s a bag of flour and places her on his shoulders. Emilia takes his hand, her tiny one completely engulfed in his much larger one.

  “Look,” she says, pointing to her forehead.

  “Oh my! What’s that?”

  “A bruise.”

  “From what?”

  “I fell.”

  “Oh no.” Oliver kneels down, Lacey still perched on his shoulders. “You know, I get bruises, too.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, when Auntie Jess gets angry with me—”

  “Okay,” I say quickly, pulling Emilia up onto my shoulders.

  I shoot him a look, and he smirks at me. What a fucking goof.

  Tonight, there are no rules. We eat our roasted veggie dinner picnic-style on the kitchen floor with Uncle Oliver, who barely gives the girls a chance to eat their carrots between tickles.

  “Promise me you will never, never, never-ever like a boy,” Oliver says, pinky finger outstretched. They both reach out and hold his finger with their tiny hands.

  “You’re a boy,” Emilia says, ever the rational one.

  “Only me, then.”

  “And Daddy,” Lacey says, reaching for my hand.

  I set down my fork and kiss her little fingers before pretending to gobble them up. “Cheers to that,” I say, lifting my beer to Oliver’s.

  “Cheers!” he says. “Lift your cup!”

  The girls lift their sippy cups and giggle. Oliver is a hit with kids, always has been, always will be.

  I find myself wondering what life would be like if . . . well, if I were Uncle Dominic instead of Daddy. Coming into someone else’s home, simply to wreak controlled havoc until bedtime, and then going back to my own bachelor life. Choices unhindered by—

  No.

  That’s not what I want. These girls are my life now. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  For some reason, the image of Presley comes to mind. I remember exactly how she looked, sitting across from my daughters at the kitchen table. Her smile was warm and her eyes full of wonder as she whispered with them. Her soft hair fell in messy waves across her shoulders. She was disheveled from the abrupt departure that morning, but she didn’t mind at all. She was there, in the moment, giving Emilia and Lacey her undivided attention.

  And then I went and ruined it.

  Like a total asshole.

  I stand up from the kitchen floor with a stretch, dishes in hand. Oliver has the girls hanging on his every word, particularly the part where he agrees to come to their tea party, which is scheduled for right now. It’s easy for me to pull out my cell phone and send a quick text. Which is probably a bad idea, but that doesn’t stop me.

  I can’t stop thinking about you.

  Yes. Definitely a bad idea. Minutes pass before my phone buzzes.

  Me or my mouth?

  I surprise myself by laughing. Shit. I deserve that.

  You.

  No response.

  I said some stupid shit. I do that when I’m scared.

  What am I even saying? How do I articulate this? How do I—

  I scare you?

  Can I call?

  Sure.

  Let me put the girls down first.

  Okay.

  With the dishes in the sink, I turn back to the tea party on the floor. “All right, girls, what time is it?”

  “No!” Lacey whines, knowing exactly what time it is.

  “Bath time.” Emilia stands and dutifully plants the most charming little kiss on Oliver’s cheek.

  “Wow, thank you so much,” he says with a chuckle. “I’ll see you guys soon, okay? We’ll continue this tea party. Half the guests haven’t even arrived yet.”

  “Okay.” Lacey pouts, clearly unsatisfied with this, but being such a good girl.

  The three of us all see Uncle Oliver to the door. When he’s gone, I take the girls to the tub in the master bath for one of their favorite rituals—bath time. There’s minimal splashing tonight; Oliver has them good and tuckered out. When footie-pajamas are on and the girls are snug in their beds, I only have to read a few pages of Goodnight Moon for them to sail away into their dreams.

  I owe you one, Oliver.

  I sneak away to my bedroom, cell phone in hand. I’ve been anxious to call Presley and explain myself, but it occurs to me I don’t know what I’ll even say. I sit on the edge of my bed, staring at our texts.

  Fuck it.

  The phone rings three times before she answers.

  “Hello?” Her voice is as smooth as that first sip of ice-cold whiskey.

  I swallow. “Hey.”

  “Hi,” she says cautiously.

  “What are you up to?” Small talk couldn’t hurt. Maybe I’ll find my bearings somewhere in conversation.

  “Oh, just cards.”

  “Tarot?” I am so fascinated by this hobby of hers.

  “Yeah.”

  “What does it say?” Hopefully nothing about leaving insensitive assholes in the past.

  “I don’t know yet.”

  I can hear her smile through the phone. Good. She can still smile when speaking to me. Maybe all hope isn’t lost.

  “Did I interrupt?”

  “It’s okay. There’s no time limit.”

  “So I can talk to you all night, that’s what you’re saying?”

  She laughs. The sound floods my head, eradicating any remnants of the tension that has been gripping my temples for days.

  “Well, that depends,” she says, tone careful.

  “On what?”

  “Rumor has it there’s an apology coming.”

  I grin at her boldness. Presley is certainly unlike any other young woman I’ve met. She catches me off guard and challenges me. She doesn’t care that I’m a powerful, wealthy CEO and that she’s just an intern. She pushes my boundaries every single chance she gets. It’s refreshing.

  “There is. You’re right. Again. I’m sorry. I acted like a dick. I shouldn’t have left things like that.” The words are true, spoken with the confidence of someone who knows they’ve royally fucked up and deserve whatever is coming. “I hope you can forgive me.”

  The line is quiet for a moment. I close my eyes, imagining what her expression might be. I wonder if she’s frowning, if there’s a crease in her forehead as she weighs my words.

  “Apology accepted.”

  I smile. “Thank you. Can I take you out to dinner?”

  “Um,” she stammers. “For what? Roger again?”

  “No, just dinner.”

  “Just dinner?”

  I can practically see her narrowing her eyes in disbelief. I’d be bracing myself for rejection if I weren’t so charmed by her.

  “Just dinner. Just us,” I say.

  She’s quiet. I wonder if she’s looking at the cards.

  “I could do dinner.”

  And with those words, the universe is on my side for the first time in a long time.

  “Tomorrow night, after work,” I tell her.

  “It’s a date,” Presley whispers.

  Presley

  “I think I needed this.” Dominic digs a spoon into the oval-shaped dish of lavender crème brûlée.

  “The dessert? It is pretty amazing,” I reply with a grin before I spoon another bite into my mouth.

  Looking dead serious, he says, “No, a night off with you.”

  A wash of giddy delight hits me. The hyper-disciplined CEO who always plays his cards close to the vest not only likes me, but is being open about it. Though he does also tend to be bold and blunt, so maybe I shouldn
’t be so surprised.

  Still, the admission catches me off guard, leaving me feeling almost shy. On cloud nine, mind you, but a little shy all the same. This man is so far out of my league and sexy as all get-out. It’s a little disorienting. I shouldn’t feel so weak. I shouldn’t ache for his hard-won crooked smiles, but I do.

  Tonight we’ve feasted on roasted fish, had one too many glasses of an amazing French wine, and enjoyed casual conversation and laughter. And the best part has been knowing that we aren’t putting on a show for anyone. Now I know for sure that Dominic really does care about me, and he isn’t just pretending for the sake of keeping up appearances with Roger or getting into my pants. Although I definitely do want him in my pants, too.

  Grinning, I reply, “Tonight’s been really fun.” I haven’t realized until now just how much I missed talking with Dominic so casually. “It means a lot to hear you missed me, too.”

  “I won’t fuck this up again,” he says solemnly. He takes my hand, rubbing his thumb across my knuckles, and although the touch is affectionate rather than sexual, it still makes my stomach do a little flip. Then he adds, “Not to say the dessert isn’t delicious.”

  “Mmm . . . I agree.” I scrape up the last decadent bite and heave a sigh of mixed delight and disappointment that it’s all gone. “That might have been the best thing I’ve ever tasted.”

  “But I’m still hungry.” Suddenly Dominic’s gaze turns smoldering—and I’m caught right in the middle of its fire. “I want to take you home,” he whispers, his voice dark.

  I shiver with eagerness. “God, I want that, too. So bad.”

  “But . . .” His wolfish expression sobers for a moment. “We should make sure we’re on the same page first.”

  “About what?”

  “About what this is, Presley. Everything I said before still applies. I don’t have time for relationships, or have the skill set to see one through, to be honest. No matter how amazing a woman you are, I’m not looking for anything serious. But I like this thing between us. Think you can stay casual?”

  I watch him in silent fascination, still trying to make sense of this complicated man seated before me. The man who runs a billion-dollar empire, who’s single-handedly raising two sweet toddlers, and who likes to pay for sex . . .