Seducing Bran

by Jules Barnard

  The receptionist’s head was barely visible behind a stack of files and a large green plant with a vine that trailed all the way to the carpet. “Levi around?” Bran asked.

  The receptionist looked up and tipped his head down the hallway. “He’s with Emily. They’re working on a project.”

  Bran glanced down the hall to Emily’s office. At least her door was open. According to Bran’s brothers, Levi and Emily had been known to hook up when the office doors were closed.

  Bran shook his head. He was happy his gruff older brother had found the right woman, but damn, Bran didn’t want to accidentally walk in on all that happiness.

  Even though the door was open, Bran knocked. “Hello?”

  He peeked his head inside and opened the door wider.

  Levi was standing behind Emily, his arms loosely wrapped around her waist, and they were staring at a wall full of sticky notes.

  The lovey-dovey scene was typical ever since Levi and Emily had gotten together, and Bran was still getting used to it. Levi could be hardheaded and seemingly emotionless, but Emily had softened those rough edges. Levi couldn’t seem to keep his hands off her. So, obviously, they had the chemistry thing going.

  Wes called Emily the Velvet Hammer, and Bran had to agree. She could be sweet as apple pie, and yet throw down when she needed to. She’d helped Bran and his brothers keep the place running smoothly after their father had passed, and for that alone, Bran and his brothers were grateful to her.

  Levi glanced up. “Everything okay?” He lowered his arms and scrubbed a hand down his face as though they’d been staring at the wall for a long time. “You get the software issue solved?”

  “No. Unfortunately.” Bran nodded at the wall Emily hadn’t stopped staring at, her chin propped on her fist. “What are you doing?”

  “Children’s program,” Levi answered. “Emily’s pet project has had the largest growth since we took over.”

  “Don’t forget Hunt,” Emily said. “It was his idea to begin with.”

  Levi rolled his eyes. “You made it a success.” Emily frowned, and Levi sighed. “Fine, Hunt helped.”

  Levi and Hunt had smoothed over their rocky past, but it seemed Levi still had trouble trusting their youngest brother.

  “Getting the club a spot on the PGA tour circuit was a lucky boon last year, thanks to Wes,” Levi said. “But we need revenue we can count on. The club is holding steady, while the children’s program is growing. We’re trying to come up with new ideas for it.” He looked at Emily. “Call Hunt and pull him in.”

  Emily smiled. “Excellent idea. Kids are one area where Hunt excels.”

  “Hunt?” Bran couldn’t picture his youngest brother as a child whisperer. The guy was too big of a child himself.

  Emily moved to the wall and repositioned one of the sticky notes. “Have you ever seen your brother with the club kids? He’s really good with them. And always coming up with fun ideas.”

  Bran’s mind had been filled with a certain woman he didn’t want to think about, and keeping the restaurants from blowing through the resort’s cash reserves. “Can’t say I’ve paid attention.”

  Levi lifted his chin, concern in his eyes. “What are you going to do about the restaurant software?”

  Bran shook his head.

  When Cali had first brought up the idea of Ireland helping the club, Bran had panicked like a fly caught in the yellow tape. But then he’d considered everything that would need to fall into place for her to work for them: Levi’s approval, Tech Banquet agreeing to it, Ireland’s full-time boss allowing her to consult on the side. It would never happen. Which had allowed him to relax some.

  But now Bran wasn’t so calm. Where Ireland was concerned, he seemed to get caught in the yellow tape more often than he liked, no matter how much he fought it. And if she was as good as Cali said…he needed her.

  Maybe if Bran threatened Tech Banquet with bringing in an outsider, they’d get their shit together.

  “I visited Jaeg’s tonight. He showed me the art for Prime, and it’s incredible.”

  “I look forward to seeing it,” Levi said. “But what’s art got to do with software?”

  “Cali overheard me talking to Jaeg about the issues we’ve been having and suggested we hire Ireland as a consultant. Ireland is supposedly a programming guru. Cali seemed to think she could fix the problem.”

  Levi rubbed his jaw. “How can Ireland be better than the expert the company sent?”

  Bran shrugged.

  “And at an added expense.” Levi looked at Emily.

  “Ireland was big in the Bay Area tech industry,” Emily said. “From everything Hayden has told me, Blue Casino loves her. Hiring her would be an added expense, but if she fixes the software quickly, it would be worth it.”

  “I don’t think it will come to that,” Bran said. “I’m hoping the suggestion will light a fire under the CEO’s ass and get him to send someone else.”

  “With the software down, we’re losing money,” Emily pointed out. “Even a few thousand dollars would be worth the expense of hiring her, if it means we get our online ordering back up.”

  The knife in Bran’s chest twisted tighter. No one was more aware of his failure than him.

  “Hire Ireland,” Levi said. “Do whatever you need to. Just get it working. As far as I’m concerned, Tech Banquet should cover Ireland’s expenses.”

  Levi and Emily were right. The club needed someone with Ireland’s background. Bran could keep his hands to himself while she worked for him. He’d managed to keep women at a distance these last ten or so years. He could do it with Ireland too, no matter how attracted he was to her.

  Chapter 9

  Ireland gripped the phone. “Excuse me?” Her boss was on the other line, working from one of their parent company’s other casinos.

  “Hayden tells me you need time for a side consulting job,” he said. “I have no problem with it as long as you keep things running smoothly at Blue. Does that sound good?”

  Was he serious? He was asking her if she was okay with a freelance job? And what job? Hayden couldn’t know about Club Tahoe and Bran. Ireland had only spoken to him last night.

  “Y-yes, of course.” And in the meantime, she’d figure out what in the world Hayden was up to.

  He chuckled. “You’re the best damn programmer I’ve ever hired. It would have taken two people to accomplish the work you’ve done since you came on board. I’ll be able to give you a raise soon. It’s not much—my hands are tied with manager pay caps—but hopefully it’ll be enough to entice you to stay.”

  He was giving her free rein to freelance…and a raise? “I enjoy working at Blue. I have no plans to leave.”

  “Glad to hear it. Until I can get you that raise, I understand your need to work side jobs, and appreciate you keeping me posted.”

  Ireland had worked for one of the most well-known social media platforms in the world. They hired women to appear gender-balanced, but that was bullshit. Women weren’t treated as equals. At her old company, she was disposable. But not at Blue. And that meant more than any high-paying salary.

  “Tell Hayden the days you’ll be leaving early,” her boss continued, “and let your assistant know your schedule.”

  Dazed and more than a little confused, Ireland agreed. Her new boss was the nicest man she’d ever worked for.

  She saved the program she’d been working on—a new surveillance system that featured artificial intelligence—and logged out of her computer.

  Ireland stood and walked over to Mark, her assistant. He wore headphones, so she tapped him on the shoulder.

  He pulled off the headphones and looked up.

  “I need to speak with Hayden. Text me if anything comes up?”

  “No problem,” he said. “I’m working on the backups you requested. I’ll have those finished by the end of the day.”

  “Oh…okay, thank you.” God, she wasn’t used to working with nice guys. Mark was in his early thirt
ies, married, with a toddler at home. He was competent and respectful. And so opposite from the men who used to work for her.

  Ireland walked down the hallway toward Hayden’s office, grateful for this place and all it had done for her these past few months.

  She rounded the corner, and caught Hayden outside her office door, smiling at something Adam was whispering in her ear.

  Ireland rolled her eyes. These two.

  Hayden looked up, and Ireland mouthed, Get a room.

  Hayden smirked. “How’s your day going?”

  “Fine and dandy,” Ireland said, “until my boss called to tell me I have a new consulting job. What’s that about?”

  Hayden looked at Adam. “I’ll come by your office later to discuss that merger we talked about.”

  Adam grinned. “I’ll be waiting.” He nodded at Ireland. “Good to see you, Ireland.”

  Adam swaggered down the hallway, and both Ireland and Hayden shamelessly watched from behind.

  Hayden sighed when he turned the corner.

  “You two are not the least bit discreet,” Ireland said.

  Hayden entered her office, and Ireland followed.

  “Merger?” Ireland said. “I don’t even want to know what innuendo that represents.”

  Hayden smiled. “You have a filthy mind.”

  “Possibly,” Ireland agreed. Considering all the unwanted fantasies she’d been having about Bran and bodies of water, she was convinced he’d unleashed something in her. A filthy mind seemed about right. Still… “How long has it been since you two got married? A year? Shouldn’t the newlywed phase be cooling by now?”

  Hayden sat behind her desk. “Not likely. You’ve seen my husband. You think I could say no to that man?”

  Good point. Those Cade men were a menace. Ireland was conflicted as hell when it came to Bran.

  “And for your information, there is a merger going on with the company that owns Blue, and it has nothing to do with horizontal desk acrobatics.”

  “Riiight. There may be a merger going on, but that hushed whispering in the hallway was not sly, nor was it about a merger.”

  “We’re sly,” Hayden said.

  “No you’re not!”

  “Fine. We’re discreet when others are around. You don’t count because you’re a friend.”

  Ireland threw up her hands. “I could have been anyone walking down that hallway.”

  Hayden sent her a pitying look. “I caught you from a mile away. I have eyes in the back of my head. It’s how I survived when this place was a cesspool.”

  “Thank God management changed before I started,” Ireland said. “I’m convinced my boss is the nicest human alive. He just gave me permission to do consulting work. And he doesn’t care if I leave early for it. What kind of boss agrees to that?”

  Hayden shuffled paperwork. “A generous one?”

  “Mm-hmm. And you wouldn’t have had anything to do with that, would you?”

  Hayden glanced up. “Of course I did. Club Tahoe needs help with the restaurant software, so I offered your services.”

  “How did you know they needed help? I only found out last night.”

  “Cali.”

  Ireland sank back into her seat and groaned. “My cousin has the biggest mouth.”

  “Your cousin saw what I did. There’s something between you and Bran.”

  “A passionate urge to kill each other?”

  Hayden grinned. “Kill each other with love.”

  Ireland made a face. “I would never love that man. He’s a jerk!”

  “So you keep saying.”

  Ireland pressed her lips together. “Look, Bran hasn’t approached me about the consulting work.”

  “I thought he did last night?”

  “Last night Cali strong-armed him into agreeing to look into it.”

  Hayden shrugged. “In any case”—she stood and walked around her desk—“you have Blue’s permission to adjust your hours accordingly.”

  Earning extra money on the side wasn’t a bad idea. But spending time with Bran…

  Ireland glanced up and noted Hayden standing by the door. “Sorry, do you need to be somewhere?”

  Hayden winked. “Got a merger to discuss.”

  Ireland shook her head. Merger, my ass.

  Chapter 10

  “Goddamn.” Bran pressed his fingers to his forehead. He’d called the Tech Banquet CEO and explained the situation. Told the guy it had been too long and they needed to bring in an outside consultant to resolve the software issues.

  And the man had agreed.

  Had Bran and his brothers not already invested a small fortune in the upgrade, Bran would have scrapped the entire project or found a different company to provide the service. But there was no turning back now.

  Ireland came highly recommended. According to everything Bran had heard, she could work for any company in the US. It was either good luck she’d moved to Lake Tahoe to be closer to her cousin or terrible luck, depending on how one viewed the situation.

  Bran lifted his head and nudged the sheet of paper in front of him. Cali had pilfered Ireland’s résumé and sent it to him, and it was impressive. Half the programming languages she was fluent in he’d never heard of, but one thing was clear. Ireland would be able to help Club Tahoe.

  Which meant Bran was bringing on Ireland, whether he personally wanted to or not. That was, if Ireland agreed.

  The only conditions the CEO required were a quick background check and human resources forms for Ireland to fill out. Which meant there was only one thing left to do.

  Bran stretched his arms above his head and flexed his twined fingers, his knuckles popping. He picked up the phone and dialed the number on the sheet in front of him.

  “Hello?”

  His throat constricted. What was it about this woman? Even her velvety, light voice made his body tense. “Ireland, it’s Bran Cade. Do you have a moment?”

  “S-sure.”

  There was the stutter. He was making her nervous. He was making himself nervous. “I’d like to hire you to help Club Tahoe with the software issues we discussed the other night. If you’re no longer interested—”

  “I’m interested.” Her words came out quickly, and she cleared her throat. “Blue Casino is giving me flex time to consult on the side.”

  “Oh. Okay.” Was that normal?

  Bran shook his head. Didn’t matter. All that mattered was fixing the disaster of a project he’d insisted would be good for the resort.

  Bran forwarded paperwork to the email address Ireland provided. And twenty-four hours later, Ireland was hired.

  To work with Bran. Closely in the evenings…

  God help him.

  Ireland strode through the front door of Prime the next night, and Bran slowly let out a breath. She wore fitted black pants and a light blue silk top that buttoned all the way to her throat, revealing nothing at all. And yet she stole his breath.

  Ireland stirred Bran’s most basic instincts, whether she was yelling at him or making soft sounds when he kissed her. He’d lost his senses the day on the boat, his hands wandering—against his will—across every tantalizing curve within reach.

  Until she’d shoved him away.

  Smart girl.

  He couldn’t be trusted around her. But the club and his brothers depended on him doing just that.

  This was a terrible idea.

  Bran walked across the restaurant and stopped near the entrance, maintaining a safe distance. “You found Prime okay?”

  Club Tahoe was shaped like a T from the back of the hotel. There were shops, restaurants, and the casino that took up the lower level, all hidden from the club’s austere entrance.

  “Yes, no problem at all.” She looked at him expectantly.

  He was staring. Which he needed to stop. Bran blinked and gestured toward the bar. “Can I get you something to drink before we begin?”

  Ireland’s gaze ran along the ceiling, which boasted the same cut gla
ss as the bar, gold accents making it a showstopper and giving the room a reflective element. “Water, please. This place is beautiful.”

  Bran rounded the counter and poured water from the bar gun. “My father was a perfectionist. He spared no expense when it came to Prime.”

  Her forehead furrowed and she looked at him intently. “I don’t think I ever said so, but I’m sorry for your loss.”

  Bran’s fist clenched. It had been over a year since his father passed, and still the anger, frustration, and pain ran fresh. He’d never made things right with his father, and for that, he’d live with regrets.

  “Thank you.” He gestured to the back room, needing the distraction. “Why don’t I show you where the computers are set up for the online ordering?”

  Ireland nodded, and Bran escorted her to the back, explaining the problems they’d been having. There were no tabletop tablets at Prime, given the upscale nature of the place, but he’d brought a tablet from one of the other restaurants to give Ireland a demonstration of how they worked. When they worked.

  She shook her head. “This is basic software and electronics. Why hasn’t the company you purchased it from resolved the problem?”

  The restaurant’s new technology was top of the line in food services. Or it was supposed to be.

  Bran glanced up and caught sight of James entering the restaurant. “Here’s the man you should address that question to. Maybe the company’s programmer can explain it, because I certainly can’t.”

  Ireland looked at James and bit the corner of her lip. “I work best alone…but I understand they’d want their programmer present.”

  “Is that what he is?” Bran grumbled. “Seems like all he does is drink my diet soda and chat online. But what do I know?” He gave her a sardonic smile.

  Ireland’s eyelids fluttered behind the sexy glasses she wore, her gaze dropping to Bran’s mouth.

  His smile fell. Keep it together. She wasn’t thinking about the kiss—kisses. That was all in his head.

  Ireland cleared her throat. “I’ll fix it, no problem.”