Without Regret

by Aubrey Bondurant

  She hesitated, making me realize my mistake. I’d asked while we were leaving work, and she had to return to the hotel with Simon.

  “Never mind. Have a good night.” I waved at both her and Simon. He’d hung up his cell phone and was ready to drive them both back to their hotel.

  I stopped at a sports pub a few miles outside of town and realized as soon as I stepped inside that I was way overdressed in my suit. Loosening my tie and losing my jacket, I took a seat at the bar. As I looked around, I saw the place was almost empty. Of course, it was a Monday night, so that could have been why.

  An old barkeep with a big white beard came ambling over.

  Smiling at him, I ordered a shot of Patron along with a Corona chaser. After taking a sip of my beer, I took out my phone and was surprised to see a text from Emma.

  “Where are you?”

  “Bar called Whiskey Lullaby.”

  There was no response, and I knew better than to get my hopes up. Twenty minutes later, though, she walked in. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit my heart skipped a beat. Yeah, I was just like the guy in those chick-flick movies my sister made me watch, who tracks the girl walking in, completely and totally smitten.

  Damn. I had to swallow hard and clear my head else I send her for the hills by being too obvious. She was still dressed as she had for work, in a killer black suit, with her hair up and her fuck-me pumps on her feet. There was no doubt the few men in the place turned in her direction. But her gaze fixed directly on me, sending the message I was the only one in whom she was interested. I wasn’t sure, though, if her interest went anything beyond my presence in her bed.

  “Hi,” I managed as she slid onto the stool beside me.

  “Hi. Drinking alone is a clear sign you’ve had a bad day.”

  “Is that why you came?”

  She gave a little shrug and ordered up a vodka tonic before giving me a smile. “I came because I hoped the invitation was still open. And because I know today wasn’t easy with the arsehole owner.”

  “The invitation is always open, sugar.”

  I noticed the way her face lit up at the endearment. She was probably thinking what I was, about how I’d first christened her with the name.

  “Peter has no regard, no loyalty, and no moral compass when it comes to his employees,” I said.

  She held up her glass and clinked it against my raised beer. “Nope, and yet we’re about the profit and have to ignore all of that.”

  “Is it bad to want the entire thing to fall through? I realize I should prefer to make money for Phillip and the Stone Group, but I absolutely hate that Peter will win.” I’d rather tell him where to put his two-million-dollar price tag.

  “Unfortunately, a lot of the owners resemble Peter. And yeah, I wish it would fail too, just to wipe the smirk off his face. Someone like that with no morals—makes you wonder about his company and accounting, too.”

  “Good point. Hopefully, Lyle will conduct a thorough audit.”

  “He will. I know you’re dreading the layoffs.”

  “It’s awful. I don’t even know those people, yet I have to give them severance packages and tell them they’re losing their jobs. But I knew it would be part of my position.”

  “Still doesn’t make it easy.”

  “Does it bother Simon? Or did it, in the beginning?” Maybe it would help to hear I wasn’t the only one who had a tough time with it.

  “Of course it does. Over the years, he’s simply gotten better at not showing it. He’ll help you through the process. Make a good sounding board if you’re worried.”

  The last thing I wanted was for him to think he had a weak link. “Nah. I need to do it. I’ll get there. Tequila, beer, and you are helping. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. In the meantime, I’ll continue with some due diligence on Peter. I have a gut feeling something is off.”

  “Tell me he’s the worst owner you’ve ever dealt with.”

  She sighed. “I wish I could. They’re sort of all over the map. The last one, George, was sweet and so concerned about his employees. The one before him was middle of the road. Before that, another arsehole. You don’t always find out people’s reasons for wanting to sell, but sometimes they get greedy. Just remember they were twats before we came along.”

  That was depressing. Not for the first time, I wondered if this job was for me. I enjoyed the deal, the research, and the investment part. But the people and terminating the jobs which paid their bills and fed their families—No, thank you.

  “What I really hope to do is real estate investments.” I wasn’t sure why I chose now to share my long-term goal, but thankfully she didn’t balk at the subject. Perhaps because it wasn’t personal.

  “What kind? Commercial, residential?”

  “Commercial or maybe mixed, such as developments with shops on the ground floor and condos above it.”

  She sipped her drink, thinking. “So why this job?”

  “To get the investment and research experience. Investors aren’t easy to find, so networking with people in the business is important.”

  “What about your father? He wouldn’t invest?”

  I shook my head. “He would, but not in me. A part of him wants me to earn it on my own, which is understandable.”

  “And the other part?”

  I took another long swig of my beer. “The other part is still pissed I didn’t follow in his footsteps and take over his oil and gas holdings.”

  She started to look uncomfortable at the switch to the topic of family.

  I finished my beer. “You want to get out of here?”

  Her drink disappeared quickly while I laid cash on the bar, giving the barkeep a quick nod and telling him to keep the change.

  As we stepped outside, I took her hand. “How did you get here?”

  “Uber.”

  “Good. I’ll take you home.”

  She hesitated. “Both Simon and Tom are at the hotel.”

  The implication was clear she didn’t want to chance being seen together. I tried not to let it bother me. “Say no more. I have an idea.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

  Emma

  I half expected him to pull into a motel down the road. Before Trevor, that would’ve worked for me; for example, if I’d picked up a guy in a bar. But now I was relieved when he didn’t. My relief was replaced by panic fifteen minutes later when we pulled up to a huge gate flanked by trees on either side.

  “Where are we?”

  “My home, but don’t worry. We won’t go up to the main house.”

  I gulped because what a main house it was. Holy shit. The mansion was massive, but we drove around it towards the back.

  “Where are we going?” I whispered, feeling like we were sneaking around.

  “Pool house. Come on.” He stopped the truck and came around to my side to help me down. The gentlemanly gesture was appreciated.

  Taking my hand, he led me down a small driveway and then through a back gate, where he punched in a code. Despite the dark, I could make out the massive pool to the left of us.

  “Won’t they wonder why you pulled in and didn’t come into the house?”

  A few steps later, he was unlocking the door to what looked to be a little, cottage-type house. He soon pulled me inside. “My father is traveling until Thursday. And my sister is probably asleep, sneaking Rufus into the house since my father is gone so he can sleep in bed with her. She’s not expecting me in any event.”

  “Oh.” It was the only word I could manage before I was scooped up and carried through the darkened room to another room. Clearly, he knew the layout. His lips on mine erased any idea I should care where we went so long as he didn’t stop.

  ***

  “I have to go,” I whispered in the dark, still naked and sprawled on top of him in the large bed.

  “Yeah. Okay. I’ll drive you.”

  “No, no. I’ll get an Uber. Just point the way towards the front gate.”

&n
bsp; Although I couldn’t see his face in the dark, I could feel him tense up. “Not happening, sugar. I’ll take one of the other cars so my truck isn’t seen, but I’m not letting you get in an Uber near midnight. Chances are Tom and Simon are no longer up anyway.”

  He probably wasn’t wrong; they probably were both asleep, but I was worried about the risk. Simon would be disappointed that I was jeopardizing the long-term chances of our newest team member. Tom would use any opportunity to cause trouble.

  “Okay. You can drop me off at the back of the hotel.” I felt around for my clothes and finally managed to don the wrinkled suit and shoes.

  “Fine. But I watch you go in.”

  It felt strange to have someone worry about my safety. Simon would upon occasion, but I tried not to give him the opportunity. After living independently my entire life without anyone caring, I couldn’t say it was altogether unpleasant. Just weird.

  We drove mostly in silence, but with Trevor’s hand over mine on the center console, his thumb rubbing circles on my wrist. Luckily, it was a short drive back. Once we arrived, I unbuckled quickly and slid over to get out before he could help me.

  “Good night.”

  “’Night, Emma.”

  He was true to his word, watching as I scanned my key card into the back door of the hotel and went inside. I gave him a little wave and took the stairs up to my room. Once there, I let out the breath I’d been halfway holding, now confident no one had seen us.

  ***

  By Wednesday, I could start to see the toll on Trevor as we made a list of employees and realized we’d be giving them all two weeks’ severance. No more, no less. And even then, Peter wasn’t happy. If he had his way, they’d all get a pink slip and not one pence.

  We hadn’t had another night together since Monday, but Trevor looked tired and had lost some of the enthusiasm I’d come to expect from him.

  Hope lingered that I’d find something or the audit of the company would turn up a problem to cancel the sale. But no luck so far.

  By Thursday, I made up my mind to talk to Simon. Since he met me in the hotel lobby each morning to drive us over to the office, it wasn’t hard to get some private time. I started the conversation once we were seated in the rental car.

  “I don’t trust a man willing to screw over his entire staff. I keep searching for a red flag.”

  He sighed, having been down this road with arsehole owners before. “Right there with you.”

  “How do you think Trevor will hold up with the layoffs?” I broached the subject, wanting to get a feel for Simon’s view on the topic before confiding anything.

  “It’ll be rough for him, but I’m sure he’ll manage. Why, did he say something?”

  I hesitated. I didn’t want to be disloyal, but I also recognized Simon could offer a lot of advice to Trevor in this area. “I doubt he’d wish to tell you if it did affect him because he realizes it’s part of the job, and he’s being judged. But it weighs on him.”

  He nodded. “I’ll talk to him. Feel out how he’s doing. Unless the deal falls through, we’re going through with the layoffs.”

  “I know we’re not supposed to want it to fail.” But I wished it would.

  “Failed deals do not pay commissions, yet in this case, I might be willing to make the sacrifice if it keeps Peter from getting rich over it.”

  “Me, too. Hey, were you still thinking about real estate investments?” When he’d decided to stay in Dallas, Simon had told me he hoped to dabble in them. It made sense since he definitely knew his fair share of investors. What would be more perfect than if Simon could assist Trevor in that business?

  “I am. Why do you ask?”

  “I think Trevor might be interested in that, too. Just a thought.”

  He glanced over once we parked in the lot, studying me.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. You just seem to know a lot about Trevor.”

  I hated the blush which creeped up. “He’s talkative, okay? And he’s nice.” Like when he called me sugar before going down on me. Or when he called me beautiful like he had on Monday night, gripping my ass, or when he went alpha in such an unexpected way.

  Jesus. I needed a cold shower. After a mere forty-eight hours without him. Thank Christ Simon didn’t catch on to the true nature of my thoughts.

  “Good. I’m glad you two are getting along. It’s critical if we’re going to make this team work.”

  I felt slightly guilty I didn’t fess up to the true nature of our relationship. After all, I’d been privy to his relationship with Peyton when they’d been dating in secret. But I reasoned it would be better if Simon didn’t know the true situation in my case. Especially since I wasn’t sure how I’d go about explaining it.

  “Also, I forgot to mention. Block out tomorrow night for dinner,” Simon said. “Trevor’s father is having a do at his house.”

  Say what, now? I was caught so off guard I almost missed his next words.

  “Charles Newhall is a powerful man. Not only in the field of oil and gas, but he’s also putting in a bid to run for mayor of Houston.”

  Gulp. And I’d fucked his son in his pool house on Monday night.

  “I thought you were going home for the weekend to see Peyton?” His plans were to fly out Friday night.

  “I am. I’ll leave straight from the party and take the late flight. Which reminds me: please change my reservation to the nine o’clock flight.”

  “Do we have to go to the party?” The last thing I wanted was to meet Trevor’s father.

  We both got out of the car and started walking into the building. “Yes. We definitely do. It’s called hospitality, and people in Texas have it in spades. Why, do you have other plans in Houston?”

  I sighed. “No.” There would be no way to get out of it. But why hadn’t Trevor mentioned it?

  “How about you book Trevor and me for lunch today? I’ll take him out and talk to him privately about the layoffs. Give him some advice. Won’t make it easier, but I want him to know I’m supportive.”

  “Yeah. Okay.”

  If I’d been thinking straight I might have worried about how Trevor was going to take Simon bringing up the layoffs. But I was too focused on how dinner would go tomorrow with his family.

  CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

  Trevor

  The week had flown by with mountains of tasks coming in, but at least it was now Thursday morning. I imagined if Simon didn’t have to explain every little thing to me, I might have been able to get my work done faster, but even without that obstacle, there was a lot to do. So I was surprised when, as we sat down to go through the last round of audits preparing for Lyle to come on site on Monday, he told me we were going to lunch. I’d thought we were too busy to take a break for a restaurant sit down. Plus, we had my father’s party to attend tomorrow night, which meant additional cuts in our possible work hours.

  After a long week of work, I was dreading the party. Instead of a simple invitation to my team to have dinner at my house, it had turned into yet another political fundraiser including the who’s who of Houston. There would be dozens of strangers, and I’d have to paste on a smile while pretending not to notice when my father told people I was getting some experience under my belt before returning to his company.

  Also, I missed Emma. Of course, I’d seen her daily at the office, but we hadn’t a moment to ourselves. This weekend, I planned to change that, even if I had to book a room at a separate hotel where no one might see us.

  Once Simon and I arrived at the restaurant and took our seats at a corner table, I started to wonder if he wanted to give me some constructive feedback in private.

  “Having thirty-five potential layoffs is not going to be easy,” he began.

  “I imagine it won’t be. But I knew it was part of the job.” I spoke carefully, not wanting him to think I’d be unable to perform what was expected.

  “Yes, but I wanted to be sure you knew it wasn’t easy for me, either. Still isn�
��t. You just get better at hiding it. Especially with Peter being such a prick.”

  It did make me feel better to hear Simon felt the same way about him that I did.

  “And perhaps Emma is correct about her gut instinct. Maybe there’s something that will shake out preventing this deal. With the forensic audit starting next week, you never know.”

  “I suppose you don’t. I hope you have faith in me to do the job.”

  “Without this sounding harsh, I don’t waste my time, Trevor. If I didn’t think you were up for the task, you wouldn’t remain here.”

  I admired his directness. And it was a relief he felt as much. “Good.”

  “And you get along with Emma, which is important. You should continue to feel like you can vent to her if any of this becomes too tough. Even I do.”

  My brain honed in on the word ‘continue.’ “Did she say something to you about me not being able to handle the layoffs?” My voice was a lot calmer than I was feeling.

  “She was just concerned, and so she brought it up this morning. Although I might have had the Ice Man persona, she realizes that underneath it all, it’s still the most difficult aspect of the job. It’s important you know you’re not alone in that sentiment.”

  I was grateful when the waitress came over to take our orders; it gave me time to fight my irritation. Emma and I had had our conversation about the layoffs outside of work at the bar. I’d wanted someone to confide in. The last thing I expected was she’d bring it up to Simon as if she doubted my ability to do the job. Then for Simon to take time out of a busy day to have this conversation with me—It was embarrassing. I forced myself to smile.

  “I get it. And I appreciate you taking the time. It won’t be easy, but I have no doubt I’ll get through it.”

  Because I had to.

  ***

  When I returned to the office, my intention was to ignore Emma, at least for the time being. I was pissed and felt betrayed. The last thing I wanted to do was to act irrationally or say anything untoward at work. But unfortunately, fate had other plans.

  “I have the email from legal on the employment contracts,” Emma said to Simon as we returned from lunch.