Aw, jeez.
Shooting her gaze back up, she examined the scrap of material in her hand. The delicate silk was crumpled and stained. More than likely ruined. Her stomach fell at the sight. This day was so not going the way she’d imagined it would.
“I…” She held out the fabric to Andrew, whose expression grew closed off once more. “Sor—”
“It’s fine.” He took hold of the tie and stared at her until she realized he was waiting for her to leave.
Great. And here she’d thought the day couldn’t get any more humiliating.
“I-I’ll just…go.”
With as much dignity as she could muster, Hailey turned and left the office, silently clicking the door shut behind her. She breathed in deep, then let her head fall back against the door with a soft thud.
“That went well.” Not.
She’d dreamt of making an impression on Andrew. Well, now she could undoubtedly say that she had. It wasn’t anything like she’d imagined, but he was unlikely to ever forget their first real interaction after seeing her again.
After all, it wasn’t every day that one had hot coffee poured in their lap.
Not to mention the vigorous round of crotch-rubbing.
Aye…kill me now.
She closed her eyes and swallowed, when a sharp voice made her jump.
“Did something happen?” Miranda asked, gliding out of her office. Her hawk-like gaze examined Hailey. “You look distraught. Did you upset Mr. Everly?”
“Lady, you have no idea,” Hailey murmured under her breath.
Miranda came to a stop in front of her. “Pardon?”
Forcing a smile to her face, Hailey pushed away from the door. “Nothing. All fine and dandy.”
She’d go back to her desk and pretend everything was hunky dory. And if Andrew ended up firing her…
Hailey would have to explain to her brother how she could so royally screw up on the very first morning of her new job after he’d gone out on a limb to ask a favor from an old friend.
One thing was for sure; she didn’t look forward to that potential conversation.
***
Shaking his head to clear it of unwanted thoughts, Andrew tried to concentrate on the papers in front of him. The magazine’s expansion was the most important thing right now, and it deserved his full attention. Not Evan’s sister, who’d somehow transformed from a pesky little brat into an unruly yet attractive woman with a killer body and insistent hands.
Just recalling where her hands had been minutes ago made him hard, and that was decidedly not good, considering he was in the middle of a meeting. With Daniel Milstrom, no less, his biggest investor and the father of the woman he was dating. Not to mention his late father’s closest confidante. The older man and his father had been friends since college.
“You seem distracted,” Daniel noted. “Are you sure you don’t want to change?”
“I’m fine.” The coffee had cooled somewhat before it had taken a dive into his lap, and thankfully most of it had missed the area where it would have done the most damage.
Right now he just wanted to get this meeting over with. The slight bit of discomfort he felt from his damp slacks was negligible. He’d change once they were done. Something about the older man, about his imposing nature, had always set Andrew on edge. But Daniel provided capital the company needed in order to maximize their expansion into the foreign market. Andrew would deal with whatever unease the man aroused within him.
Daniel shook his head with a tsk. “The new assistant you hired is terrible, lad. You should fire her immediately.”
For some reason, even though part of Andrew had been thinking the same thing, he felt the need to defend her. “She merely tripped. Could have happened to anyone.”
“Humph. I’ve been in business long enough to tell you, if this is the way she started her job, things are only going to get worse from here.”
God forbid. If that were the case, he might have to start wearing a protective cup around the office.
Lifting his report, Andrew directed Daniel back to the matter at hand.
Thirty minutes later, business concluded, Daniel rose to his feet. “My daughter tells me you’re having dinner this evening.”
Andrew stood and shook his outstretched hand. “Yes. I’ll be meeting her at the restaurant at eight-thirty.”
“Good.” Daniel nodded his head. “A fine woman, my daughter. I raised Diane well.”
Except Daniel hadn’t raised her at all. Diane had grown up abroad with her mother—Daniel’s ex-wife—and had only recently moved to the city.
“A man could do far worse than to marry a woman like that,” Daniel added.
So he’d told Andrew before, back when he’d pressed for his daughter and Andrew to meet for the first time. Andrew had been uncomfortable with the idea of dating his investor’s daughter, but Daniel could be very insistent.
Besides, Daniel was right. His daughter was a good woman. And if part of Andrew wished there were a bit more chemistry between the two of them, well he just ignored that part. There was a lot more to a good match than chemistry. That was a lesson he’d learned from his father’s mistakes.
And what an expensive lesson it had been.
As Daniel left the office, Andrew caught a flash of black and white polka dots zipping past his door. Hailey, in that ridiculous little outfit that made him think of creamy thighs, firm breasts, and legs for days.
He forced his mind off the subject. If Diane were classified as a good potential match, then Hailey was her polar opposite. Hailey’s fun and carefree personality might have made her an interesting bed partner—if she hadn’t been the sister of a childhood friend—but it made her one hundred percent wrong for him.
He’d do well to remember that.
A few minutes later a swift knock sounded out on Andrew’s door, and his younger brother James strode in. True to his personality, he was less formally dressed than Andrew. But even though Father wouldn’t have approved of the top two buttons on his dress shirt being unbuttoned and the sleeves being rolled up, it was still a million times better than the T-shirts and jeans their youngest brother insisted on wearing on the rare occasions he actually bothered coming in.
“Wow.” James closed the door and let out a whistle. “I ran into Hailey outside your office. Man, she grew up well, didn’t she?”
His brother’s words spurred a tightening in Andrew’s gut. Somehow, the thought of James checking out Hailey didn’t sit well with him. “Need I remind you she’s technically an employee of this company now?”
James laughed and took a seat in one of the chairs, then carelessly propped his feet on the opposite side of Andrew’s desk. “Yeah, that’s hilarious. She’s the complete opposite of proper, old Miranda.”
“I noticed,” Andrew said grimly.
Noticing his tone, James grinned. “She was always a bit of a wild child, and from the little I’ve seen, that definitely hasn’t changed. I caught her actually skipping on her way toward the kitchen.”
Unfortunately, Andrew had to agree. That outfit she’d dared to wear only highlighted her carefree nature. And even just thinking about her trim, tanned legs beneath that short skirt made his cock hard. Not good.
“She spilled coffee on my lap,” he said without thinking.
James’s laugh filled the relative silence of the room. Andrew glared at him until he quieted. His little brother’s all-too-knowing gaze rested on him.
“I predict she’s gonna put you through the ringer, big brother.” James paused for a moment, his expression growing contemplative. “Huh. That might be just what you need.”
Frowning, Andrew attempted to steer the topic of conversation away from enticing little Hailey.
“We have a meeting with the board the day after tomorrow. Have you gotten ahold of Sam?”
Their baby brother might insist on having as little to do with their company as possible, but he wouldn’t dare miss a board meeting. Andrew hoped, anyw
ay.
“I left him a message,” James said. “He sent me a text in response.”
“What did it say?”
Lifting a brow, James dug his cell phone out of his pocket and scrolled through the screen, then handed it to Andrew.
It was a picture of Sam and a young, surgically-enhanced blonde. Whoever had taken the photo had captured Sam flipping the camera off while he wore a ridiculous sombrero on his head. Based on their surroundings and the fruity drinks in their hands, they were at some tropical locale.
“Jesus.” Andrew shook his head. “He’s out of the freaking country?”
“Appears so.” James grabbed his phone back and took another look at the picture. “Looks like fun.”
Andrew gritted his teeth. Was he the only one who took their father’s legacy seriously? The only one who truly cared about the success of Everly Publications? “Did you remind him about the board meeting?”
“He’ll be there,” James said with a faith Andrew didn’t have. He slipped his phone back into his pants pocket. “Wait until he gets a look at Hailey. They were the closest when we were kids, but I’ll bet he never expected her to grow up as good as she has.”
“Tell him to stay away from her. The last thing this company needs is a sexual harassment suit.”
James let out a laugh and rose. “Yeah, that’s why you don’t want him near her.”
“That’s right,” he snapped. At least that was what he told himself in order to justify the anger that rose at the thought of his baby brother hitting on Hailey. There was no other reason he was opposed to it.
Certainly not because he got hard just thinking about what the arousing beauty had beneath that skirt.
Casually striding toward the door, James said, “Don’t worry, big brother. You won’t be the only man who has lusted after his assistant...or more. Look at dad with Miranda. She worked for him forever, and in case you hadn’t noticed, even though she’s nearing ancient, she’s still pretty hot.”
With those words, he opened the door and strode outside, leaving Andrew to ponder the disturbing insinuation he’d just made.
Chapter Two
“How was your first day?” Hailey’s new roommate Lily called out as soon as the front door opened.
“Oh god.”
Hailey stepped through the foyer and into the living room where Lily sat on the worn brown couch with her feet on the rickety wooden coffee table. Her straight brown hair was swept into a messy ponytail, and she still wore her veterinary assistant smock.
“Worse than I could have possibly imagined,” Hailey said. “Yours?”
Lily grimaced and pointed to the ice bucket by her feet. It was filled with half a dozen beers.
“That bad?”
“Yeah.” Lily used her foot to slide the bucket closer to Hailey. “Have one.”
“Twist my arm, why don’t you?”
Hailey plunked herself on the opposite end of the couch and slipped off her heels, then snagged a beer and popped the cap. Today had been hell, and so far, her naïve plan to take New York by storm had been a bust. At least she’d lucked out in the roommate category. She’d found Lily off a roommate matching website, and the pretty brunette was not only the same age, but also not a stark raving lunatic. Score.
Lily was an aspiring stage actress who worked part-time as a veterinary assistant to help pay the bills, and her laid-back personality suited Hailey’s just fine. So far, the two of them had gotten along surprisingly well.
“Do tell.” Lily crossed one ankle over the other. “How was the reunion with your childhood crush? Was he as hot as you anticipated? Did sparks fly?”
“Not so good. Yes. And I wouldn’t say sparks flew, but his coffee did. Right onto his lap.”
Lily choked on a sip of beer. “What?”
Hailey closed her eyes as the mortification of that particular memory washed over her. “I tripped and spilled his coffee on him.”
“No! Onto his lap?” Lily leaned forward, curling her lips into a grin. “Did you burn his junk?”
“I don’t think so. He wasn’t screaming or anything.”
“Yikes.” Lily’s eyes glinted with humor. She shrugged and sat back. “Could have been worse, I suppose.”
“Yeah.” Hailey swallowed hard. “It did get worse.”
Lily gasped and slapped her hand on her jean-clad thigh, clearly enjoying every moment of this. “What? What happened?”
Only my complete and utter humiliation.
After taking a long drag of her beer, Hailey met Lily’s gaze. “After I spilled his coffee, for some insane reason I decided to try and clean it up. With his expensive silk tie.”
She waited while Lily processed that bit of news, noting the exact second the light bulb went off in her roommate’s head.
“Wait, you cleaned…”
“His crotch.” Hailey’s cheeks blazed at the recollection. “Yep, I gave my boss an unintentional penile rub-down on my first day of work. In front of one of his investors.”
Lily let out a shriek.
“Needless to say, I doubt it’s a memory he’ll be likely to forget,” Hailey added dryly.
Lily laughed long and hard, pausing only to take a huge swig from her bottle. “Oh my gawd, that’s priceless. Wish I could have been there.”
“Me too. In my stead.” Hailey waited a beat before asking, “So, can your day beat mine?”
“Oh no, we’re not done with you yet.” Lily gave an amused shake of her head. “Besides that lovely incident, how was it reconnecting with a childhood acquaintance?”
“You know, it was awkward.” More than she’d thought possible given how often he and his brothers used to hang at her house. “He’s not the same as when he was younger. He’s so…serious.”
“Ooh.” Lily comically wiggled her eyebrows.
“Not in a sexy way,” Hailey explained. “More in an ‘I really need a Jello shot’ kind of way.”
“Really? So you don’t find him sexy anymore?”
“Oh no, he’s still hot as hell.” The man had a face Magic Mike would envy. And from what she’d seen, and felt, his body was just as nice. But the thought of a man like Andrew taking it all off for money was laughable. He was too stiff, too controlled.
Maybe not always, though.
For just one moment when he’d looked at her, his blue eyes had seemed to heat with passion. But it had been gone so quickly she had to have imagined it. Still, the thought that he might have been interested made her body ache with longing. “He’s just, I don’t know, repressed I guess.”
Lily gave her a wicked grin. “Well, you know what they say about men who are too in control of themselves.”
“What?”
“That they need a good woman…to drive them absolutely wild.”
“Maybe. Hailey tossed back the remainder of her beer. Her roommate’s words ignited a barrage of thoughts in her head.
What if that was exactly what Andrew needed? Someone to throw him off balance, to force him to live a little?
What if he wasn’t a total lost cause?
Hailey had to admit, the thought of driving Andrew to distraction held more than a little appeal. He might be far too rigid for her personal tastes, but seeing him again today, meeting the grown-up version of the boy she’d crushed on, had practically melted her panties right off her body. It would be interesting to see if she could break through that mental barrier he’d erected around himself.
Plus, it was her personal mission to ensure that everyone had a little fun in his or her life. It was good for the heart. And if she were completely honest, she needed some sort of motivation to get her through the day. If there was one thing she’d learned from today’s experience, it was that regular office jobs were boring.
No, strike that. Really boring.
After setting her empty bottle on the coffee table, Hailey rose. “I’ll be back. I need to pick out my outfit for tomorrow.”
The shorter and tighter the better.
Andrew sat in a perfectly respectable restaurant, eating an adequate meal with the daughter of his company’s biggest investor. So why was he wishing he were somewhere else right now?
Diane was beautiful. Stunning, really. Tall and statuesque, with light green eyes and flowing blonde hair. She had features most models would envy, and her quiet elegance was beyond reproach.
She bored the hell out of him.
“How’s your steak?” she asked in that quiet tone of hers.
“Fine. Your lobster?”
“Excellent.” She gave him a subdued smile and lifted the fork to her mouth for another bite.
She didn’t seem excited to be here, either.
Hmm…perhaps the better conclusion would be that they were boring together.
Hell, in the three months they’d been dating—which basically amounted to one or two dinner dates a week—they hadn’t even slept together. That said a lot, didn’t it?
Not a good match.
Yet, even as he said it, he knew his father would disagree. His father had married for love. He’d married the brightest star he’d ever come across. One rare night, when he’d imbibed a glass of wine, Father had confessed that he’d been drawn to Mother like a moth to a flame, unable to resist her glowing vivaciousness. But, like any bright light, she burned out way too quickly. She’d been flawed.
Unbidden, the image of Hailey rose in his mind. The way her short, polka-dot dress had whirled around her as she had walked around the office today. Skipped, more like it. She’d been like that as a child, too. So full of life and energy. Back then, when she’d been a harmless little brat tagging along after him and Evan, it had been cute.
Now, it was simply dangerous.
He’d do best to put her out of his mind. Those thoughts led to nothing but trouble. And that was the last thing he needed.
***
The following Monday, Andrew headed into the office a bit early. His plan was to beat the morning crowd and get a little bit of solace before the workday started. The week had just begun, and he was already stressed. Or to be more precise, still stressed.
Wild Girls Rule Page 3