Okay, Katie, I told myself, straighten your spine, march straight up, shake his hand, and then get your ass upstairs. That’s where you were going to be working, and Richard ran the ladies line. With any luck, you’ll never have to deal Mr. Wolf in Sheep's Clothing again—at least not today.
With my best VIP smile, I walked up to Richard and shook his hand. “Richard, always nice to see you. How is that lovely girlfriend of yours, Mackenzie?”
“She’s great, and she told me to tell you she missed you at the last meeting.” Richard kissed me on each cheek. It did nothing for me. It felt like a kiss from one of my brothers. “Congratulations on the promotion,” he added.
“Thank you. Tell Mackenzie my brothers were in town and I decided to spend some time with them instead of going to the meeting. Tell her I will be there next week.”
“Mr. Walsh,” I said coolly and held out my hand to Aaron.
He took it and gripped it tightly, like he wasn't going to let it go. I felt my entire body shiver at his touch. Hell, I wished for the days when I was complaining about my dry spell. That was far better than being wet at the touch of someone I was never going to be able to feel, to taste, to ravish ever again.
Damn him, my Wolf in Sheep's Clothing.
“Are you enjoying your new shoes, Mr. Walsh?” I asked professionally. His shoes weren’t the only thing I noticed. He was wearing a charcoal gray, well-tailored suit, and his white shirt fit snug across his chest—his taut, perfect, six pack chest. He looked handsome and professional. This would make it easier for me to keep my head on straight, at least I prayed it would.
All I had to do was concentrate on how professional he looked—not on what I knew he looked like under that suit.
“Why yes, thank you for asking… Katie, right?” He was going to play that game, was he?
“Yes, it’s Katie. Miss Steele to you, Mr. Walsh, until I get to know you better.” Two could play his game. “I will let you get back to business. Leona, I’ll be upstairs if you need anything. Have a nice day, gentlemen.” I made my way upstairs and avoided looking back to see if he was watching me.
I got upstairs and let my shoulders relax a little, and then I did a happy dance. I was the manager of The Upstairs! All my hard work was paying off. As soon as I had a minute, I was going to email my brothers and brag.
I checked Haley’s calendar. There were no VIP appointments today, which meant no intern to deal with on my first day. I could concentrate on the walk-ins and get my bearings.
I had been left to run the shop by myself before. Haley had put a lot of trust in me, and I was not going to disappoint her. Then again, how disappointed would she be if she found out I had slept with the boss?
Haley slept with her boss, but he was now her husband. That was different. Haley and Aleksander were in love. It wasn't a one-night stand like last night. To be fair, though, I hadn’t knowingly slept with my boss. I had no idea Aaron was the boss when I slept with him. Obviously, it didn't count.
I had at least another forty-five minutes until the shop had to be opened. Should I take a walk around the corner and pick up another coffee, or should I make myself an espresso from the VIP room? So many managerial decisions to make.
“Katie, are you up here?”
Shit! What was he doing here, in my domain?
I turned around. “Miss Steele, remember?” I saw him walking toward me and I frowned. “Aaron, what’s wrong with your feet? Blisters,” I answered before he had a chance to. “I told you to try on those shoes. Follow me.” I stormed to the VIP room, Aaron in tow.
“Sit and let me take a look.” He sat and let me take off his shoes and socks. I sighed, “These are bad. Stay here.” I walked over to the espresso machine and made him a coffee. “Here… while you’re waiting.” He took it without objection.
I left the room and returned with a first aid kit. He was sitting and drinking his coffee, looking quite embarrassed. I put on the latex gloves that came with the kit, draped a cloth across my lap and lifted his foot.
He sat, silently contrite.
I cleaned his blisters with alcohol swabs, applied some ointment, and placed bandages where they were needed. I reached over to a wall display and pulled off a new pair of socks. “You don’t want to get an infection by wearing these,” I explained, and threw his old socks in the garbage.
“Thank you. That feels better already.” He sounded humble.
I walked to the wall and returned with a sizer. I pulled up a stool to face Aaron and sat in front of him. I took his foot and put it in the device. “Here’s your opportunity,” I told him, using my professional voice the entire time—treating him like he was just another customer.
“My opportunity to what—say you were right and I was wrong?” Aaron said wryly.
“No, you were right. You do wear a size fourteen. The problem is that you wear a size fourteen wide, and you are wearing a size fourteen average.” I stood and returned the stool and the shoe sizer to their home. “That explains a lot.”
I caught him smirking in a sheepish way and I blushed.
“What I mean is, it explains why you have blisters. If you would have let me do my job yesterday, you could have avoided all of this.”
“Are we still talking about my shoes, kitten?”
“Miss Steele,” I enunciated through gritted teeth.
Pasting on my best VIP smile, I continued. “Let me get you proper fitting shoes.” As I turned to the stockroom, I added, “And the matching briefcase and belt. I’ve already billed you for the socks.” And I walked off, leaving him sitting alone.
When I returned, I fitted him and watched as he walked around. He was walking much better. It was obvious he needed the wider fit.
“Aaron, why didn't you want to try the shoes on yesterday?” I was curious as to why it was so important for him to have those shoes, and yet here he was this morning getting new ones.
“Richard told me I had to have them before the board meeting this morning. Only the board meeting got rescheduled until this afternoon.” He sat down. “When I got here, I felt out of place in the store. This is not how I do things. It’s a bit… overindulgent.”
“There you are,” Richard said, entered the VIP room. He saw the empty box and Aaron’s old shoes sitting on the floor. “I thought you got those yesterday?” He looked perplexed.
“Do you want to tell him, or should I?” I sneered, instantly regretting the meanness in my voice.
Chapter 11
Aaron
“Do you want to tell him, or should I?” I picked up on the snappiness in her voice.
“I always wear a size fourteen, so I didn't try them on. Turns out, I need a size fourteen wide.”
“Now you have blisters,” Richard commented, and he took a seat across from Aaron. “It wasn't about owning a pair of Boardroom and Beyond shoes, Aaron. It was about buying a pair of Boardroom and Beyonds.”
Katie took the empty coffee cup from my hands and left the room, leaving the two of us to talk.
Richard explained, “How were you supposed to walk into that board meeting asking for a chance to run this company when you haven't experienced a crucial part of what this company does? It’s the shopping experience that we’re selling. What we do here, we want to do in all future Boutiques.”
“I’m getting that now.” I smirked, remembering how Katie took care of me.
Richard laughed. “Good. I know Dad can be a little intense. He hasn't been retired that long. Stand your ground, and he’ll respect you for that.” He rose off the chair. “I have a couple of calls to make. Finish up with Katie and meet me downstairs.”
Did Richard suspect something between Katie and I? Or did he want me to let Katie know we were leaving so she could bag my purchases? That had to be what he meant.
“I saw Richard leave,” Katie said, coming up behind me. “I’ll get your purchases bagged and delivered to the address we have on file.” The stick up her ass, future trophy wife was back. Luckily,
I had something that was going to loosen her spine.
“I hope you don't mind. I took a little souvenir before I left this morning.” I enjoyed the look on her face as I slowly revealed a white lacy thong hidden in my suit pocket.
“Aaron, where did you get those?” Her calm demeanor surprised me, and her smirk led me to believe she was enjoying this little game as well.
“Bottom drawer of your nightstand.” I didn't want her thinking I had prowled through her house like a stalker.
I watched as Katie walked to the first aid kit, put on a pair of latex gloves, and snapped them on. She returned and faced me. I could feel her hot breath as I stared at her mouth and took in her scent. She smelled better than I remembered from the morning. I wanted to lean in and kiss her.
She reached into my pocket, never losing her seductive grin. I could tell she was bunching the thong into a ball in her hand. She pulled out her hand and pulled the gloves over the thong and threw the bundle in the trash. I prepared myself for the wrath about to come.
Of course, I would rather just make her come.
“Here.” She handed me a disinfectant wipe. “Those weren't my underwear,” she said and nearly doubled over with laughter.
I grabbed the wipe. “Fuck, you're not kidding.” I was put out that she was laughing at me. I got her to let her guard down, all right.
“The room we slept in is a spare room, not my bedroom. From time to time my brothers stay over. Sometimes they bring a friend.” Katie shrugged. “Braden can be a little rigid, but I told you, Liam fancies himself a ladies’ man.” She walked over to the first aid kit and packed it up.
“Liam, the dumpster diver.” I was finally putting two and two together. “The condoms,” I blurted out.
“Keep it down,” Katie hissed. “Good God, Aaron, I’m at work. I think you should leave now.” And she was back—the stick up her ass future trophy wife.
“Which dumpster would you like me to throw these into?” She gestured to the size fourteen average shoes. My little kitten was still in there, hidden away.
“You can give them to your brother.” Why let a good pair of shoes go to waste? I thought. “Tell him they’re a thank you gift.” I winked at Katie and saw she was blushing. She knew what I was thanking her brother for.
I headed downstairs. She was right. We were at work, and I had behaved most unprofessionally. No one had ever rattled me the way she did. She was multidimensional, and that intrigued me.
What rules was I willing to break to peel through her layers? I wasn't dealing with only my rules now—I also had to find out hers.
When we returned to the main office, I discovered that Richard had taken up residence in the design room, giving me his old office. The board meeting was a formality. Richard Van de Graaf Sr had announced his youngest son was coming on board, and no one batted an eyelash.
There was something to be said about being the owner’s son. I felt my jaw twitch. It was an uncontrollable reflex. I had never thought of Richard Sr as my father. Yes, he was my biological father, but that was as far as I ever took it.
It didn't matter that I knew it was not Richard Sr’s fault. My brain had been programmed for the first fourteen years of my life to believe I didn't have a father. After the revelation, my mother gave me a choice, and while she was alive, I never considered it.
It wasn’t the first time I had been approached about joining the Van de Graafs. My mother was at the beginning of her battle with cancer, and I was not about to desert her. Then the opportunity resurfaced, and it was my mother’s dying wish that I try to connect with Richard Sr. I had some contact with my brother Richard Jr, but this was taking involvement with family to an entirely different level.
The strange part was, it was the job that enticed me to come, not the family ties. Since meeting my little kitten, though, I was beginning to think there might be something to this family thing. I lifted my eyes from my computer to catch a glimpse of her heading my way.
Was she looking for me? She did say this morning if I were passing through she would make an exception.
I got halfway across my office and found her at Aleksander's door. Before she could knock, I called out in a gruff tone, “Miss Steele?”
“Good afternoon, Mr. Walsh.” She knocked on Aleksander’s open door. She was professional, and she knew—open door or not—you knock before entering the boss’s office.
Aleksander jumped from his seat. “Katie, come in. Congratulations.” He gave her a hug. “I want to thank you for yesterday.”
I knew I shouldn't be eavesdropping, but I couldn't help myself. What was she doing here? What did her being at The Upstairs this morning have to do with her being in Aleksander's office this afternoon? And why was everyone congratulating her?
I stepped into the hallway between their offices and nearly ran into a petite brunette.
“Oh my, you must be Aaron. I’m Haley. It's a pleasure to finally meet you.” She walked into Alexander's office holding a paper bag and looked over her shoulder as if she expected me to follow. I took advantage of the gesture, hoping to get clarification on the situation.
Katie immediately jumped to her feet and hugged Haley. “You're really okay?” she asked, and I heard the genuine concern in her voice.
“Yes, I’m okay. My overprotective handsome husband is…” Haley walked over to Aleksander, pulled on his tie to bring his face to hers, stood on her tiptoes, and passionately kissed him. “…a worrywart.”
Haley looked at my feet and smiled at Katie. “Nice job. Thank you for yesterday, and well… for everything.” Haley looked at me. “Since I will be spending the remainder of my term at the main office, Katie is the new manager of The Upstairs.”
It all made sense to me now. If my little kitten was not going to be spending time at the main office, I was going to have to make time to stop in at The Upstairs if I wanted to see her.
“That's everything, Katie,” Aleksander told her. “I’ll send you a copy of your new contract after Legal finalizes everything.”
“Congratulations, Katie,” Haley told her as she ushered both Katie and I out the door. “I brought Aleksander his lunch, and I don't want it to get cold.” As they exited the office, Haley closed the door, and Aaron heard the click of the lock.
I looked at Katie. “Did she?”
“You bet she did.” Katie smiled.
“Are they?”
Katie stopped at the entrance to my office. “Like rabbits in heat.”
I was stunned.
“You're not going to be judgmental about this, are you?”
“No,” I told her wickedly. “I’m just jealous.” I grinned as she blushed.
“Goodbye, Mr. Walsh.” She walked away, but she wasn't walking toward the door. She was headed in the direction Richard had taken earlier. She was headed for the design room.
I followed.
“Where are you going?” I asked. I already knew. I simply wanted to know why.
“I want to let some of my colleagues know why they won't see much of me for a while and ask them to stop by. You?”
“I have a question for Richard,” I lied.
“I see.” We walked in silence the rest of the way. When we arrived, Katie peeked inside the door. “Look how happy he is.”
“Who?” I wanted to know who it was she was paying so much attention to.
Katie gently elbowed me. “Richard, that's who.”
I gritted my teeth. Was she mooning over my brother? The brother that was so much in love that he was giving up running his father's company? I knew about Richard’s fondness for his interns.
Then again, if Katie was one of those, she would have been more experienced than she was last night.
“It’s obvious he’s in love with Mackenzie—and with being able to spend more time designing. Richard must really appreciate what you’re doing for him and Mackenzie.” Katie’s comment embarrassed me. Here I was thinking she had a crush on my brother when what she felt was sisterly
concern.
“You really like Richard’s girlfriend Mackenzie?”
“Of course, don't you?” I didn't know how to tell Katie I had never met Mackenzie. Or why. Until recently, I had not associated with my biological family. Why had she not questioned why I was not using the name Van de Graaf?
“Katie.” We turned toward the voice. A tall beautiful blonde approached them. Richard’s girlfriend was a tall blonde. This must be her, I surmised.
“I hear congratulations are in order.” Mackenzie walked over and gave Katie a hug. What was it with these people and hugging? The PDA with this family was borderline incestuous, what with everybody hugging everybody all the time. Did this give me permission to congratulate Katie and hug her?
“You must be Aaron,” Mackenzie said. I saw a question flash cross Katie face. I was going to have to explain my relationship at some point.
“Katie, you must come over for Thanksgiving dinner.” Before Katie could object, Mackenzie added, “I already talked to Anne. She’s fine with it, and I know your brothers will be out of town. It’s really important that you come.” Mackenzie leaned in and whispered into Katie’s ear, and Katie’s eyes widened.
“Of course, I’ll be there,” she sang.
I was focused on watching Mackenzie lean over and whisper into Katie’s ear. What was their secret? The look on Katie’s face made me want to be the one who whispered sweet nothings into her ear and made her eyes widen.
I was so concentrated on Katie that until she walked into the design room, I was unaware of what I was agreeing to.
“Of course. Wait… what?”
“Good,” Mackenzie finished. “Dinner will be at six. Cocktails and appetizers start at four. Don't be late. Richard will give you the address. It was so nice to finally meet you,” she said, and then she walked off to find Richard, leaving me to realize that I had just agreed to a family dinner at Richard’s for Thanksgiving.
I returned to my office and watched for Katie. When I saw her heading toward the exit, I called for her. “Miss Steele, may I see you for a minute?” I was taking a big gamble on my next move. She entered the office, and I walked over and gave her a hug.
Bastard Heir (The Heirs Book 3) Page 7