by Lisa Suzanne
I nod and take a look through the first folder. The information there is organized and exactly what I need to write up a proposal for the company. I set to work and send it off a few minutes later. At this rate, work that would usually take me at least a week to get through should be done by this evening, and it’s all because of whatever system Viv has in place.
And I hate that it makes me even more attracted to her.
It’s time for a plan, and last night I came up with the perfect one as I thought about her.
I’ll catch her interest as we work together. I’ll focus on getting to know her and making her feel how much things have changed for me. I’ll let her know I’m interested just in case I haven’t made that clear yet.
I’ll get her back to Miami with me next week, but I won’t try anything. Except maybe another kiss. I need another kiss.
I crave another kiss.
But when I get her back here and we head to the charity event together?
It’s on.
“This is incredible, Vivian,” I say as I hold up the folder. “So thorough.”
“They don’t call me The Fixer for nothing,” she says, waving a flippant hand in the air.
I chuckle. “I never thought I’d say this, but I’m glad my brother hired you.” I blow out a breath as I allow my vulnerability to show—something I rarely, if ever, do. The only recent times that come to mind when I’ve allowed this side of myself through, it was all an act, part of a manipulation. This, though, is real.
When she glances up and her eyes meet mine already laser-focused on her, hers are wide with surprise. “You are?” she asks.
I just press my lips together in a tight smile and return my gaze to the papers in my hand.
We work in comfortable silence for a while, Viv sorting through the company profiles as I email the contacts I made with personalized documents showing what FDB can do for them. Some companies receive immediate proposals from me based on the conversations I had with them at the conference while I draft others and save them to send after I get their replies.
My phone interrupts our rhythm with its loud notification.
Jason: Did you hear back from Beck on bringing the Schneider models in-house?
Since I got an email from Becker letting me know he’s on board, I’m confident in my next text.
Me: It’s a go.
Jason: Can you run interviews today?
Me: I’m already at the office.
Jason: Great. I’ll meet you there. I have three prospects and all are interested in talking today.
Me: Let’s do this.
“Jason set up some interviews today for the design team to move the Germany work here,” I say to Vivian. I feel like she should know what’s going on.
She nods. “I see the long-term potential of hiring someone to head it up, so I will approve one new hire.”
“Jason said we’ll need at least three,” I remind her. “One to lead the team and two support staff.”
“You don’t have the budget for three.”
I clear my throat. After the nice morning we’ve had, I don’t want to ruin it by being an asshole, but I need to make my point. “Make it work.” My voice is direct and firm, but apparently I’m no match for her.
“I can’t pull money out of thin air, Brian. I’m telling you that you don’t have the budget. Move current staff into support roles. I can approve small wage increases, but the salary and benefits of a new hire are out of the question until I see these huge payments you supposedly have coming in.”
I blow out a frustrated sigh then grit my teeth together. “What am I supposed to tell Jason?”
She shrugs and gives me a pointed glance. “The truth?”
The heat of anger creeps up my neck, and just when I’m about to say something nasty, I stop myself.
God, I want to fuck her.
I don’t reply. I let her think I’m backing down, but I’m not. She can use words like approval and budget all she wants, but I’m still going to do what I’m going to do. It’s her job to figure out how to pay for it.
I turn on the radio behind my desk and tune it to my favorite station. A Vail song happens to be on, and when I glance up at Viv, I notice her bobbing her head absentmindedly in time with the words my brother sings. She looks more carefree than I’ve ever seen her even though she’s deep in concentration as she gazes at her laptop screen.
Her eyes edge over to mine after I’ve been staring at her for a full thirty seconds.
“What?” she asks. She runs a self-conscious hand over her hair.
I shake my head as my lips tip up with a smile. “Nothing.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “What?” she repeats.
“Are you a Vail fan?”
She lifts a shoulder. “Isn’t everyone?”
I roll my eyes because it’s the same thing I always hear. “I guess.”
“This song is just so catchy.”
She’s not wrong, but it does throw up a major red flag. Wanting someone who’s a fan of my brother is never a good idea given my history, but it’s nearly impossible to find someone who doesn’t like Vail, which means it’s nearly impossible to find someone who might actually like me for me.
Not that Viv likes me. In fact, I distinctly remember her telling me she hates me.
“Are you close with your brother?” she asks quietly.
I think back to our quiet conversation about her siblings on the pier that ended with me kissing her. “We’re some combination of best friends and total enemies.”
“Sibling rivalry?”
I huff out a chuckle. “Something like that. Why do you ask?”
“Just curious.” She’s quiet for a beat, and then she adds, “You just don’t seem to care about spending his money.”
“I don’t.”
She looks surprised by my admission, so I feel the need to explain myself.
“When Vail’s first album went platinum, he took care of my parents. He paid off all their debt—including their mortgage and our college loans they said they’d take care of. When he booked his first headlining tour, he took care of Lizzie and me. He sat us down and told us if we ever needed anything financially to just let him know. I took him at his word. He was fully supportive of Jason, Becker, and me leaving our old company in Chicago to start up FDB, and he told me he’d continue to finance us as long as he could come on as a silent partner. So that’s what he did, but now he’s cutting us off.”
“Because you’re blowing through his money and asking him for more.” She has a point. “How many times have you done that since you opened your doors?”
“Asked Mark for money?”
She nods, and I shrug.
“A handful of times.”
She folds her hands in front of her, showing me she’s fully vested in our conversation now. “So he gave you startup capital, you cut the ribbon, and in three years you’ve asked him for additional money somewhere around five times?”
It sounds pretty bad when she says it that way. Before I have a chance to answer, she says, “No bank would approve those loans, and I don’t blame Mark for drawing a line in the sand. There’s a big difference between spending responsibly and spending—” She cuts her sentence short when Jason appears in my doorway.
“Hey guys,” he says. He glances at Viv before he looks at me. He gives me some sort of meaningful look, but the actual meaning is lost on me. “The first interview is in thirty minutes. Can we go over the questions beforehand?”
I nod. “Give me a couple minutes to wrap up what I’m working on and I’ll be right in.”
His eyes edge over to Vivian again before he looks back at me. His brow furrows. “I’ll be in my office.”
I nod, finish drafting the email I was working on before Viv asked me whether I’m close with Mark, and try to think of something witty to say to Vivian. I come up short.
“I really should be in on these interviews,” she says. “But for your sake, I’ll sit out.
Just please consider only hiring one new employee. I’ll help you figure out how to move people internally if that’ll change your mind.” Her voice has an edge of desperation, and I realize the situation I’ve gotten FDB into is more dire than I’ve allowed myself to admit.
chapter twenty-eight
“I thought for sure she’d be tailing you in here,” he says once I shut the door behind me and slide into one of the chairs across from his desk.
I lift a shoulder. “We’ve gotten close.”
“That’s great, Brian. I’m happy you’ve found someone. Just be careful, okay?”
I narrow my eyes at him. “What do you mean?”
He shakes his head. “It’s nothing.”
“Tell me.”
He blows out a breath and focuses his gaze out the window. “It just seems like she’s always here.”
She is. That’s why it seems that way. I don’t say anything.
“And the other day when I walked in and you weren’t there, it looked like she was studying FDB financial reports.”
Fuck. The lie comes out of my mouth before I can stop it. “I gave her those. She has experience in finance and we were talking about how to maximize profits.”
“Do we need those suggestions from someone not on our payroll?”
More than I can even say, apparently. “Every extra cent helps, don’t you think?”
“Whatever, man.” He shakes his head. “I hate to tell you this since clearly you’re in love with her, but I just don’t like it.”
“Clearly I’m in love with her?” I’m not in love with her. I barely even know her. I’m attracted to her, and I want to sink my dick into her all the way down to my balls, and I think about her every second of every day...but love?
I don’t do love. I stopped doing love years ago because it was the only way to protect myself.
I can count less than a handful of people I’ve actually fallen in love with. Kendra, for one. I started to fall for Reese, my brother’s wife, but I stopped it as soon as I realized the actual feelings I was having. I couldn’t fall for someone I was only using. I thought I loved some girl back in my late teen years, but I was too young to know what love was. And now, I’m older and wiser. Now I know it’s a myth. Now I know it’s not for everyone. Not even close.
“I’ve barely seen you without her for the past three weeks. I’m glad she makes you happy, but I’m starting to wonder where my friend went.”
“I’m right here, man.” I realize as he says the words I’ve been largely avoiding him without meaning to. Between sleeping with his ex and lying about the company, I’ve purposely kept myself too busy for our usual single guys nights out where we play wingman for one another and find women to bring home.
He narrows his eyes at me for a long minute, and then he passes me a sheet of paper and changes the subject. “Here’s our standard interview questions. I added a few at the bottom pertaining to this role in particular. Look them over and let me know if we’re missing anything.”
I read through them, and as usual, he’s done a thorough job. “This is fine,” I say. “Let’s focus today on finding our lead. Once we hire leadership, he or she can put together a team.”
“I have three interviews set up. I figured we’d choose the lead from those three and the other two would come on as support.”
“Are you that confident in all three?” I ask.
He nods. “I’ve worked with all three on different projects. I have my pick of who I think would make the best lead, but I’d like to get your feedback through these interviews. You’ve got a keen sense when it comes to people skills.”
I nod. “We’ll talk to all three and regroup at the end, though I do think it would be in our best interest financially to wait to hire the team until we’ve established the lead.”
“Why? Are we in trouble financially?” he asks.
This is my chance. He’s giving me the open door to confess, to give him the truth that’s put a burden on my shoulders.
But I find I can’t do it. There are too many lies surrounding the one big one at this point, so I keep up the act if nothing else to protect him from myself.
“We’re fine. It’s just smart business to hire a lead and let him put together his own team.”
Jason studies me for a few seconds then nods. “Okay. We’ll hire the best of the three and go from there.”
I don’t let him see me sweat, and I don’t let him see my breath of relief—but I have a good feeling I just got myself out of some real trouble with Viv.
Each of the three interviews Jason set up lasts about forty-five minutes. We discuss each candidate for a few minutes in the conference room before Jason brings in the next one, and by the time we’re done, I have no idea who to choose. They each come highly recommended, and I can see each fitting into a leadership role within our company.
“Which one tops your list?” I ask Jason.
He shakes his head. “You tell me yours first.”
“I actually don’t have a top. I liked Ben’s vision. I thought Zach had the technical know-how we’re looking for. But I love the idea of bringing a woman into a leadership role, so I can’t rule out Dana, either.” I wonder what Vivian would think of each one, but I can’t exactly say that.
He nods. “I agree on all counts. Ben has the least experience.”
“Which may keep him from being jaded,” I add.
“True. Do you see why I want all three working for us and not for our competition?”
“Absolutely.” I glance down at my notes. “But I’d still rather get someone into the role and let him or her determine the type of support they’d need.”
“Let’s go over our notes on our own for a bit,” Jason suggests. He glances at his watch. “Meet me back here at five and we’ll talk it over.”
“Deal.” I pick up my papers and head back to my office. I’m usually not this indecisive, but I’m really curious who Vivian would choose. Maybe someone with a business sense as strong as hers could see things I’m missing, and if she’s truly been sent here to fix my company, perhaps she has insight I’ve chosen to ignore thus far.
If she’s still here, she can help me decide.
I’m not surprised she’s still working when I get back to my office. I drop my notes on her desk. “Read them over and give me your opinion.”
She glances up at me in surprise. “You want my opinion?”
I nod. “I’m meeting Jason in the conference room in an hour with my decision, and I’d like to look at it from all angles. Jason will tell me technically who is the best fit, and I have my own opinions, but I’m curious as to who someone with your background might choose.”
The surprise on her face turns incredulous. “I thought...” She stops herself as I sit at my desk.
“You thought what?” I ask.
“I thought you hated me,” she admits. “I thought you hated having me here.”
I shake my head and lower my voice. “Maybe I did, but things have changed.”
“What changed things?” she whispers.
I press my lips together in a tight smile. “A kiss on a pier.”
Her tongue darts out to wet her bottom lip as she forces her gaze away from mine and down to the notes from the interviews. She doesn’t reply to my words, but the red creeping into her cheeks tells me they’ve hit her where I wanted them to.
Nearly a half hour passes before she breaks the silence, and in that time, I’ve come to my own decision.
“It has to be Dana.” She says it without hesitation.
“Why Dana?” I ask. I lean back in my chair and fold my arms across my chest as I gaze at her.
“Three reasons. She’s got the best history, she’s a woman, and she comes the cheapest.”
I raise my brows. “Can we talk about reason number two for a second? Why should I hire her because she’s a woman?”
“Your company is severely lacking in female leadership, but it’s not just that. She’s got the few
est years’ experience but with much bigger companies than her competition. She’ll be able to provide a perspective the men around here don’t always have, and she’ll take a lower salary because she hasn’t been in the field as long as the other two.”
I nod as I avert my gaze to some papers on my desk. “I don’t disagree.”
“Is that your facetious way of saying you actually agree with me?”
I chuckle and glance up at her. “Yeah. I agree with you.”
She rewards me with a rare and unexpected laugh that brightens the whole room. She shakes her head as her laughter slows. “I never thought I’d see the day.”
“Yeah, well, me either.”
I’m greeted with more laughter, and I stand and grab the papers from her desk before I do something dumb like push all the work off her desk, toss her on top of it, and kiss her like I did on that pier.
When I return to the conference room early, Jason’s already there. He raises a brow at me. “So?” he asks. He seems guarded, but I brush it away. It’s surely just my conscience playing tricks on me.
“Let’s both pull the resume of our top choice and toss it in the middle,” I suggest.
“Deal.” He pulls out a paper, and I pull Dana’s resume out as well. We both toss our chosen paper into the middle of the conference room table, and I find he has chosen Zach.
“Zach?” I ask at the same time he says, “Dana?”
“Why Zach?” I ask.
“Experience.”
“In years, but not necessarily quality. Compare his history to Dana’s. He’s got five years on her, but she’s worked at MTC since she interned there in college.”
“So? Zach’s been in the field longer and with more companies,” Jason says.
“Exactly the problem. Dana’s proven her loyalty by being with the same company for twelve years.”
Jason nods thoughtfully. “Loyalty is going to be essential in this position given the fact that we’re pulling models that Schneider has worked on for three years.”
“Not that Zach wouldn’t be an excellent candidate as well, and Ben, too, for that matter,” I say. “I just feel Dana has some qualities essential to this new position.”