by Lillie Love
It was beyond noble. Until the very end, my mom had been the very definition of noble. Pissing on her dream was wrong, but I just couldn’t be that person. I couldn’t be selfless and compassionate. Everyone called me an asshole and most of the time it was true, but I was good at it. I owned it. Accept who you are, right?
I parked in my reserved parking space underneath the building and got out. I greeted the doorman, who was always forced to work overtime because my father did, and rode the elevator up to the top floor where my office was situated. My office sat right next door to his.
I dumped my bag in my office, tossing my phone onto my desk, before walking out and knocking on my dad’s door.
“You’re late,” he barked when I walked in. He sat on his throne behind his desk. His hair was a deep gray and his green eyes were watery. He was getting old, but he was far from retirement. His mind was still sharp as a pin and on top of the world.
“I had a situation,” I said.
“What kind of situation? No.” He held up his hand, dipping his head. “Never mind. I don’t want to know.”
Good. I didn’t want to tell him.
“Let’s talk about the press conference, instead.”
I sat down in a chair opposite him, throwing one leg over the armrest. I interlinked my arms on my stomach and braced myself for a whole lot of business talk.
“I think it went well,” he pressed on. “They’re eating out of our hands now. I liked the new ad, too. It ran last night for the first time. Did you see it?”
I shook my head. I had been too busy between the brunette’s legs to notice the television blaring in the background.
My dad pulled a pinched face but carried on. “Next one is on you,” he said. I wasn’t sure what he meant – the ad or the press conference?
“The campaign is doing wonders. We’ve had major markups since it started. I think the public likes it.”
Of course, they liked it. In this day and age, women’s empowerment were the new buzz words and my dad wasn’t only playing on the emotions of at least sixty percent of the population, he was also making a drastic change in the economy. Everyone loved Daybreak and what they were doing for the community.
I studied my hands.
“Am I boring you?” he asked, his voice clipped.
I looked at him, careful not to shake my head. My father narrowed his eyes at me.
“Are you hung-over?” He shook his head, disappointment written all over his face. Had he forgotten what it was like to be young? When he spoke again his voice was snappy. “Sit up, young man. Try to look like you care.”
I sighed and straightened myself in my chair. I wasn’t in the mood for work. It was a Saturday. I hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep last night – extracurricular activities will do that to you – and my head throbbed dully between my temples. My stomach turned uncomfortably with the remembrance of old alcohol.
My father considered me for a moment with a serious face. He was thinking. That was always dangerous.
“I want to talk to you about something,” he said.
“Oh, yeah?” He never started his conversations like this. “Sounds serious.”
He nodded. “It is.”
I swallowed and waited.
“I got an email from a Miss Sandra Broome,” he said.
I frowned. The name sounded sort of familiar, but she could have been anyone.
“Okay?”
“She told me of your… hobbies.”
I rolled my eyes. “Really, dad? Don’t listen to hate mail. There are people who disagree with us.”
He shook his head. “I wouldn’t have listened to it if I knew it wasn’t true. The problem is that I know it is.”
“I’m old enough to know what I’m doing,” I said. I wasn’t a teenager anymore, after all. I was Chief Financial Officer in the company my mother started. I had a Business degree and enough years’ experience to make it anywhere, even without my father’s help. I’d just celebrated my twenty-eighth birthday and my definition of love suited me just fine.
“It’s not about you and your life. That’s your problem. This is about the Company image. I don’t give a damn about Miss Broome personally, but you can’t go on like this. It’s making Daybreak look bad.”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes.
“She was just a clingy woman,” I said. “You know how those are.”
I wasn’t sure my dad did know. Since my mom passed he’d thrown himself into the Company, growing it larger and stronger than it had ever been before. His personal life was non-existent.
“This isn’t about you,” he repeated. “I know it’s hard to believe, but this is about Nora.”
When he said my mom’s name, I froze.
I didn’t like it when we talked about her. Thinking about her always messed up my dad’s day and not mentioning her name made me feel like perhaps she wouldn’t be disappointed in me, after all. It was all an illusion, of course, but it was an illusion I loved.
“I’m not going to let you and your gallivanting ruin this Company’s image. We just started the women empowerment campaign and you are single-handedly making a joke out of everything it stands for.”
I opened my mouth to argue but closed it again without saying anything. He was right. I wasn’t exactly acting in the best interests of the Company. I just didn’t think it needed to be more important to me than anything other part of my life.
“I’ll make sure the women keep quiet,” I said. “This won’t happen again.”
My father shook his head and looked toward the window.
“It’s not just about what they’re saying. It’s about your image in the press. The media blows everything up and with our publicity, they’ll use anything they can find.”
I shrugged. While I wasn’t exactly a celebrity, the press loved my face and over the past year, they’d caught me in more than a few compromising positions. I’d become the City’s most eligible bachelor and I loved playing up to that title. Add to that, Daybreak’s name was starting to spread and that meant the Nettles – my Dad and I – were in the public eye a lot more than we used to be.
“I’m getting a PR agent for you,” he stated. “And don’t give me any lip about it. Period.”
“A what?” I asked, leaning forward in my seat, ignoring his command.
“You heard me. I’m not going to let you ruin the Company’s name. You need to straighten yourself out, work on that image of yours. Arrogant Womanizer doesn’t suit you.”
I shook my head. “You’re getting me a personal relationship agent? What’s she going to do? Follow me around and make sure I behave? That’s a little weird for a grown man, don’t you think?”
“Don’t be an ass…” He glanced up at me. “Maybe, if you acted more like the face of this company, we wouldn’t have this problem. Your mother’s values stood for something good, but you’re fucking them up nicely. You want to sleep around and act like a whore? You can do it under the watchful eye of someone who can throw a bag over your head and get you out of the public eye when you leave, missing your pants, from yet another woman’s house.”
I stood up, ready to walk. “I don’t need help with my love life, personal life or my image. I can deal with my own shit just fine. As for the company, I’ll keep it strictly personal. I don’t need some modern-day Mary Poppins cramping my style.”
My dad shook his head. “This isn’t negotiable, Zach. Now sit your ass back down. Now.”
My brows knitted together and my head pulsed some more.
If he wasn’t my father, I’d have dragged his old ass over the desk he sat at and popped him in the face. Because he was, I sat down and locked my jaw. I was in for a long fucking day.
Chapter 2: Hailey
The sound of Denver’s morning commute was something I would never get used to. I liked being part of the hustle and bustle of the CBD. It was such a big change from the small town in Southern Colorado where I grew up. Being in the big city made me feel
like I was finally a part of the grown-up world.
Everybody hated Mondays. I, on the other hand, always loved them. There was something about a fresh start to the week – a clean slate – that made me feel like the possibilities were endless. Was I a dreamer? Yes. I was probably also the only person in Downtown Denver that enjoyed going to work more than I enjoyed staying home on the weekends.
What could I say? I loved my job.
I stopped at Starbucks on the way into work, from the newly renovated Loft Apartments where I’d rented a really nice place that my dad helped me pay for until I found my own way. I ordered two White Chocolate Mochas and carried my prize to the office.
“Good morning, Hailey,” Clyde said when he opened the door for me.
“Nothing but good,” I said and thanked him for opening the door. No one talked to him other than saying thank you, if he got that much. At least I knew that he was engaged, that he liked children, and that he wanted to be someone bigger and better than a doorman one day.
I rode the elevator to the third floor where I put one of the coffees on Jessica’s desk.
“What’s this?” she asked.
“Sugar and caffeine in a cup.”
She smiled at me and took a sip. “Since you’ve started working here I’ve gained so much weight. I’m blaming you.”
I shrugged and sipped my own Mocha. “I’m not forcing you to drink anything,” I said.
“No, but you’re tempting me and you know how bad I am at saying no.”
I sat down in front of my desk, opposite Jess. “Yeah, I know that’s why Brian sticks around.”
“Cow,” she said, but she was grinning. Jess and I had been friends since I’d moved to the city to study. She’d been two years ahead of me but we’d met through Brian, her now-boyfriend, who had been a tutor in my year.
“Seriously, though, I like you working here. It’s annoying because you feed me sugar all the time and you’re frustratingly cheerful, but still, it’s nice having you around.”
I shrugged and looked around the office. I loved working at Brand Marketing Public Relations. It was a big company with a huge portfolio but it felt like a small community rather than a job. I’d been working at BMPR for a month and I couldn’t have thought that my career life could be any better.
“If it wasn’t for you, I would never have gotten this job,” I said to Jess.
Jess waved it off. “You would have gotten anything you put your mind to. It’s just because we weren’t actively hiring that you might not have ended up here. It’s a good thing Brian has so many contacts.”
Brian and my boss, Otto, were cousins. It was how Jess got the job, too. And because she and Brian were dating it had been easy for her to pull strings to get me into the company.
“Come on guys,” Sarah called from the elevator. “Boardroom meeting.”
I glanced at Jess with raised eyebrows. She shrugged. We usually had our meetings on Fridays, not Mondays. We got up and walked to the boardroom together, taking seats next to each other. We waited for the others to filter in and finally, Otto followed, taking his seat at the head of the table.
“Right,” he said. “I hope everybody had a good weekend. I’m hoping to kick off this week with a bang.”
We all looked at him. Otto had dark brown hair, tan skin, and over-expressive features. He would have been a hit in show business if he hadn’t made it in public relations.
“I know we don’t usually do this, but we have an emergency.” He paused for effect, looking each of us in the eye. “Ken Nettles is looking for an agent.”
The others gasped. Murmurs rippled around the table. I frowned and looked at Jess who was talking to Tanya on the other side of her. Who was Ken Nettles? Everyone else seemed to know. I didn’t want to look like the only idiot who had no idea who he was, so I didn’t ask.
Otto smiled. He’d gotten the reaction he’d wanted.
“He needs someone to straighten out his son’s image.”
Another round of murmurs. Otto waited for the chatter to die down before he cleared his throat.
“So, who’s taking this on?” he asked. He looked around the table again, making eye contact with those who were known for their performance. Tanya. Maurice. Jessica. One by one they shook their heads. They all had projects they were already working on.
Jess nudged me before speaking up.
“What about Hailey?” she asked.
I blinked at her. What?
Otto frowned at me. “Do you think you’ll be able to handle something like this? Your credentials are great, but you only have a month’s worth of practical experience.”
My ears were ringing and my throat was dry. I nodded. Of course, I could do this.
Otto narrowed his eyes at me, thinking. Everyone was staring at me, Jess included. I wished they would look away. I was starting to feel awkward.
“Yeah, okay,” Otto finally said. “You can have this one. But you’re going to have to make sure you follow protocol. The Nettles’ are a big name. I don’t want to hear that Brand Marketing couldn’t pull it off.”
I swallowed hard and nodded. Jess nudged me again, grinning.
The meeting only lasted a few minutes longer, with Otto making sure we were all on track with whatever we had to do for the week before we were dismissed.
Jess and I were the last to leave the room. She linked her arm with mine.
“So, your first project Miss Woods. How does it feel?”
I took a deep breath and blew it out with a shudder. “Nerve-wracking.”
Jess laughed. “I felt like that, too, the first time. You’ll be great, though.”
I nodded. I was going to prove my worth to the company and to Otto himself.
“Who is Ken Nettles?” I asked.
Jess looked at me, shocked.
“I didn’t want to ask when everyone else already knew,” I added.
“You don’t know who Ken Nettles is?” Jess asked. “I know you’re a small-town girl but you studied in Denver for three years.”
I shrugged. “I don’t really do mainstream, you know that.”
Jess nodded. “That’s why I love you. Okay, so Ken Nettles is only the owner and co-founder of Nettles’ Women Foundation and Daybreak Solutions. Ring a bell?”
I shrugged. I’d heard the names on the news before but they didn’t mean that much to me.
“Ken Nettles is probably the richest man in the city – and probably the next one too. He runs both companies with an iron fist and we never hear anything but positive stuff on the news about his companies. It’s something along the lines of offering help for business startups, empowering the common man. He is stinking rich – a billionaire, but he’s one of those that does the right thing with his money.”
I turned the corners of my mouth down and nodded, impressed. “Sounds like a big deal, then.” My stomach turned. “What if it’s too big for me to handle?”
Jess shook her head and let go of my arm when we reached our desks. “Nonsense. You’ll be great. You can do this – you’ve always been good at hitting the ground running. Besides, imagine how it will look on your resume that you’re the one who worked with Ken Nettles as his PR agent.”
I nodded. If he really was as big as Jess was saying then it would look good for me to have this job. However, right now, I was more worried about whether I could pull it off rather than the credit that would come with it.
“Who’s his son?” I asked.
Jess frowned and leaned back in his chair. “I can’t think of his name, now but I do recall seeing pictures of him in the press.” She smirked. “More often than not, there’s a gorgeous woman or two hanging off his arm. The whole family is involved, but apart from Ken’s son, they don’t seem to like sharing their personal lives unless it’s serious or if the press catches them off guard. It’s one of those rich families that are still genuine, you know?”
I nodded even though I didn’t know at all.
Jess shrugged. “Googl
e them if you need to know more. I’m sure you’ll meet them soon enough and then you can ask all these questions face to face.”
I snorted. “Yeah, going up to the most famous guy in the business world and asking him who he is might not be the best way to start.”
Jess giggled. “You’ll be fine, really. I believe in you. Believe in yourself!”
By the end of the work day, I was tired and stressed. I had heard from Otto that I would meet with Ken Nettles in the morning – the following day! I didn’t have any time to wrap my mind around it before it was thrown on me.
Jess hugged me before she left.
“Get a good night’s sleep and try to relax,” she said.
It was easy for her to say. She had two years’ experience and a whole lot of confidence, which I did not. I packed my bag and followed the shuffling crowd out of the building. As soon as I was outside my phone rang.
“Are you up for a drink or two?” Shane asked. I smiled.
“I could really do with a break,” I said. I needed a reason to relax after being assigned the new job.
“And to think, it’s only Monday.”
I smiled. Shane and I had been friends since our first year of college. He was a close friend and one of the few guys that had never hit on me. He treated me like a person, not a woman with a hot body, and I appreciated him even more for it.
I met up with him at Lemon, a new cocktail bar that doubled as a party spot on the weekends. He smiled when he saw me, waving from the bar.
“You look classy,” he said.
I looked down at my clothes. Black pants, a white blouse, and gold jewelry.
“It’s my office clothes, you know that,” I said.
He shrugged. “Still gonna tell you, you look good.”
“Thanks,” I said and smiled. He ordered a glass of white wine for me and a brandy and cola for himself.
“That’s a tall drink for the start of the week,” I said, nodding at his alcohol when it came.