She didn’t speak to me until we’d gotten in the elevator going down. “You’re one tough cookie when you want to be.”
“You’ve got to play tough with his kind. He is used to barking orders and would walk all over us if we let him.”
“I’d gladly lie down and let him walk or anything else he wanted to do to me.” Jana fanned herself. “Have you ever seen such a gorgeous man? I wonder if he has a personal trainer. Someone’s helping him stay in shape. Those arms, damn. I’ve always been a chest and shoulders kind of girl. You know what I mean— something firm to hold onto. I’d like to peel that pretty white shirt right off him.”
“Listen to you. That’s exactly why I did the talking. He uses that handsome face and sex appeal to his advantage.” I shook my head. I didn’t have a clue what it was like to hold onto a man that way. Not that I hadn’t noticed he could easily haunt my fantasies, but I knew better than to think I would, or to let it distract me from my job.
“It’s an advantage. He wouldn’t even the need the billions.” As we stepped out of the elevator, she turned and met my eyes. “Don’t you think you were a bit harsh with all that talk? I mean, you don’t really know him, and you kind of dehumanized him.”
“Dehumanized? Geez, Jana, whose side are you on? I was only showing him I’m not intimidated by him.”
“You let your personal agenda get the best of you. You’ve told me all about your grandfather, and I know why you’re in the field, but you can’t just assume that because he’s a fancy watch wearing jet owner that he’s never lost anyone. Most people have.” I hadn’t realized how that had come across and suddenly felt like the biggest bitch in the world.
“Crap. I hadn’t thought about that.” My grandfather wasn’t the only person I’d lost, and though his battle was heartbreaking, it wasn’t any more important than anyone else’s losses in the world. For all I knew, he’d had a family member touched by cancer as well.
Jana’s hand landed on my shoulder. “Look, I’m on the back end of this job, but a word of advice. You get to spend the next three days with this man in close quarters, so you might want to stop poking the bear before he pokes back.”
Chapter 5
Ryan
I was long overdue a workout, and after the day I’d had with that smart-mouthed redhead I needed to blow off some steam. There was nothing like an early morning run after to clear my mind and that was one of the perks of living in a gated community.
Jason was right beside me, and I was well aware by his quiet mood that he was on eggshells.
“Are you waiting for me to explode or something?” The guy had been the same way all through our earlier workout and at least through one mile on our feet.
“I can tell by that hard ass expression that something didn’t go in your favor today. I’ll guess it has something to do with the lady from Easton?”
“You mean little miss hard ass? You’ll be right. She was a real piece of work.” I wanted to be mad at the bossy woman, but truth be known, I was much more interested in what had happened in her life to make her so bitter.
“Yeah, what’s she like? Don’t tell me. She’s one of those nature lovers who’s into the all-natural lifestyle and braids her own leg hair?” I chuckled but then remembered her smooth legs crossed in front of me. I’d gotten a good look at them and even imagined myself for the better part of my night what it would be like to be between them.
“You’re way off.”
“Hey, if she’s hot I called dibs remember?” His elbow connected with my rib and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“That hot little thing would eat you for lunch.”
“Oh, I love a challenge. I’d have her on her knees and purring like a kitten in no time.” Jason had always considered himself a ladies man and a master of sex, but if anyone was going to tame Megan Stephens, it was going to be me.
“That challenge is mine, and I’ll have three days touring Walker Industries and private time on the jet to break that bossy attitude of hers.”
“Wait, what? You’re leaving town? No fair. If you need someone to go along to put that bossy bitch in her place, I’ll clear my schedule.”
“As your boss, I’m curious how you think you’re able to wipe out your schedule for a weekend tryst. I’m the only one in the company that gets to do that.” That earned a punch in the arm. “You’re fired.” The two of us had always had a brotherly bond, even more than me and David and I was glad to have the guy around to keep me sane and down to earth.
“You keep making promises, but you never keep them.” The words sang out with their own cadence, and we shared a laugh.
“You’re the only person at Walker Industries whose job is secure. Someone’s got to suffer with me.” I let out a deep breath. “This environmental stuff has me a bit rattled. You know this woman assumes that because I’m rich that I’m some heartless monster who wants to poison the world. Truth is that this kind of stuff keeps me up at night.”
“Anyone who truly knows you would know better. You’ve turned Walker Industries around for the better. Anything that happened before you came along isn’t your fault, and you shouldn’t take on that burden, but what you’re doing now I know you’re doing with honorable intentions. I’ve seen what you put into place. It’s more than your old man ever did. More than your brother would have.” His last words were based off all the times he’d heard my father throw my brother in my face.
David had been ready to take over the company when the accident happened. Dad had taken him under his wing as the first-born son and had already started introducing him as the next CEO. I’d been content to stay in their shadow, watching and learning so I could have his back and be his right-hand man. I’d never dreamed that one day I’d be in the driver’s seat; with the company or the night of his death.
“Thanks, man. I just hope she doesn’t find anything. I’ve put my reputation on the line for this new team. If she comes in and finds fault with one little thing, it’s going to ruin me.” I’d worried about that all night when I wasn’t undressing her in my mind. Something about that fiery attitude turned me on.
The two of us finished our walk, and he headed back to my private gym to use the showers as I headed up to my private room. An hour later I was greeting Gina who had the coffee I’d called ahead for.
“Did you send the car to get Ms. Stephens?” I asked taking the steaming cup from her hands.
“Yes, and if you don’t get a move on you’ll be late.” It was a good thing I had Gina to rush me or I would have thought I’d had more time, but glancing at my watch, the expensive one little miss mouth had scolded me for owning, I realized I was running a bit behind.
The stress was getting to me, and I wished I could slip into my office for a rest and a stiff drink, but I’d have to grab one on the plane. The doctor had warned me that if I didn’t get a hold of my blood pressure, I’d die young. And considering what could happen with Megan and her report, sweet death could come and take me anytime and I’d be just fine. Let someone else deal with the stress. I closed my eyes and pushed aside another thought of my brother. I couldn’t even have a moment of internal jest without feeling guilty, but then I should have known better. Death was nothing to take lightly. It made me wonder again who Megan Stephens had lost, and by what means.
I hurried to gather the papers I needed from my office and put Gina in line for the rest of the day. “When you’re done with all that you can go home,” I’d told her. “Take Friday on me.”
“You’re the best, Mr. Walker. Thank you!” Her bright smile was thanks enough, but she gave me a hug anyway.
“At least someone loves me for the moment.” If only I could win Megan over so easily, then all of my problems would be solved.
I had Gina call for my driver, and he promptly arrived. Things were going smoothly, and I was set to arrive on time, but then we came to a standstill on the Interstate. After a ten minute wait of not moving, I knew I’d better call Megan.”
&nb
sp; The phone rang once, and she answered. “You didn’t have to send a car, I would have made it perfectly fine and on time just like you requested.” Her snooty tone had me imagining her on the other end giving me an eye roll.
“Well, you’ll be overjoyed then when I tell you how I’m stuck in traffic.” I waited for her to gloat instead she let out a long breath.
“Am I supposed to be happy that you’re going to throw the entire day off schedule, Mr. Don’t Be Late.”
“I’m sure you’ll survive.” I glanced ahead and breathed a sigh of relief as we started moving. “We’re crawling at a snail’s pace, but it should pick up soon. They’ll get us a lane open.”
She let out a soft giggle, and it sent a chill down my spine. I had to shift in my seat to adjust myself. The anticipation of her comeback was exhilarating. “You’re a billionaire, right? Don’t you have some fancy gadgets in that car to make it sprout wings and fly?”
If she wanted to go back and forth, I’d play along, but I wasn’t going to hold back. “No, I figured I’d put all that extra money into the wine stock on the jet and fancy watches. Why not live up to the expectations of my critics, especially when they seem to know so much about me?” The silence on the end of the phone brought a smile to my face and as the traffic started moving again, this time much faster, I breathed a sigh of relief.
“We’re moving now. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” I hung up the phone without giving her time to respond.
Chapter 6
Megan
When he’d finally arrived at the airport, the driver of my car got out and opened my door. I wasn’t used to having someone wait on me but thanked him for his help. As I started for my bags, he had already beaten me to it and was heading toward the plane.
I spied Ryan across the runway talking to his driver, so I walked over to join him only to be intercepted by his personal driver and led aboard the plane.
Minutes later he joined me taking the seat beside me.
“Sorry about the delay, but the pilot says we’ll be there by two hours from now, so we’re good.” He sat next to me and propped his feet up on the little stool in front of him. The plane was like a tiny house with a kitchenette on one end and eight loungers which were separated by the small aisle in groups of two on the other. I’d spotted the bathroom on the other end when I’d entered.
I looked around and contemplated moving away from him. “You’ve got this whole plane to move around in, and you choose to sit right beside me?”
“Why not? This way when we die it will be easier to recover our bodies—if there’s anything left. I hear these little jets usually burn up to nothing on impact, but better safe than sorry.”
I smiled a toothy grin at his weak attempts. “You’re trying to scare me, Mr. Walker, and it’s not going to work. I’ve flown many times, and I don’t think the pilot wants to die any more than I do today.”
He shrugged. “Accidents happen.” My smile faded as his widened. “And please, call me Ryan. I’d much prefer to be on a first-name basis.”
“I bet you would.” I shifted in my chair away from him. “Fine, Ryan. Call me Megan if you like, but let’s get one thing straight, we’re working here.”
Anger steeped in his brow. “Why are you such a hard ass about the whole situation anyway? You don’t know me, and maybe if you did, you’d find out that I’m not all that bad.”
“I don’t know you, and I’m fine with that. I don’t owe you any explanations of who I am or what I’m about.” His ego was impossible, and though I found him a bit of a brat, my attraction to him was undeniable which only made me angry with myself.
He held his hands up. “I thought since we’re going to have to spend the next few days together we may as well share our stories and get to know one another.”
He wasn’t going to give up, and I wasn’t giving him the chance to fool me into thinking someone like him could like a girl like me. “I’m not getting to know you. I’ll be glad when we get to the hotel and find our rooms just so I can get away from you.”
“Wow.” He didn’t have a witty comeback, and instead, the pilot came on butting into our argument to announce we were minutes from takeoff. He jumped from his seat and crossed the aisle to grab a different one. Then he buckled himself in and motioned to my lap. “Buckle up, Buttercup. Safety first.”
I glanced down not even realizing that I hadn’t buckled myself in. It was hard to remember I was in a plane with the glamorous feel. I strapped myself in and braced for takeoff, hoping there wouldn’t be much turbulence. I wasn’t as savvy at flying as I’d made out.
Soon we were in the air and unbuckled, and Ryan was eased back in his chair with his phone. I reached to open the shade on the window only to have Ryan scream don’t open that and scare me out of my skin.
After catching my calm, I turned and gave him a death stare. “You’re not amusing.”
“Sorry, I had to add some excitement to my day. It could have all been avoided if you’d only talk to me. Let’s at least talk about work. That ought to excite you.” He wagged his brows at me and shook his head.
“Are you trying to say that’s all I have in my life?” It was probably true, but he didn’t need to know that.
“You seem like a friendly girl, with that sparkling personality. I’m sure you have many friends.” He glanced back down to his phone, this time turning the volume up so I could hear the default music to the game he was playing.
“Fine, I’ll talk if you’ll put down that toy.” His eyes met mine, and he placed his phone in his pocket.
“So have you lived in Chicago all of your life?”
“Yes.” I’d keep the answers short.
“Me too,” he said closing his hands in his lap. “So what do you do for fun?”
I let out a long breath. “I thought we were talking about work. My personal life is really none of your business, so I’d like to keep it private if you don’t mind. Feel free to ask me about anything else.”
“Well, at least I’m trying to get to know you without making assumptions about who you are.” He was still wounded that I’d called him out. The poor guy was probably used to people feeding his ego instead of starving it. “You’re right, quiet is better. “ He pulled out his phone and reached inside the console next to him for some headphones, and I settled in for a long trip.
Now and then I’d catch him staring, and I had to admit I liked his eyes on me if nothing else.
The private jet was much quicker, but it had still been a long trip, especially considering we had to leave the plane for another half hour trip to our hotel. I’d stayed behind him at the counter as our rooms were supposed to be waiting on us.
The hotel staffer was a short woman with wide green eyes, and Ryan seemed to tower over her even though he was on the other side of the counter. “Thank you, Sir, here’s your keycard and—
“This is for one room. I had reserved two.” He leaned in, and she narrowed her eyes.
“There’s only one room, sir.”
“I’ll just take another one. Make it a suite too, please.” I thought it was kind of him to offer to resolve the issue and breathed a sigh of relief until the little woman shook her head.
“I’m sorry sir. We’re full. There’s a convention in town, and all of our rooms are reserved for other guests. The room you have is a king suite, and I’m afraid the best I can do is let you know if something comes open.”
He turned and glanced at me and curled his lip. “Any chance of that happening?”
The girl leaned in, looking around to make sure no one else could hear. “Honestly, it’s not likely, sir.” Her Arkansas accent was rich and brought a smile to my face if only for a fleeting moment.
Ryan turned and pulled me aside. “You go on up to room and get comfortable. I’ll go down to the plant and sleep in a chair.”
Was I that awful? I let out a sigh. I had been terrible company, and I couldn’t help thinking of how my mother had raised me better. “T
hat’s silly. We can both stay.” He didn’t seem so sure and instead of arguing he headed for the elevator.
“We’ll check it out. If it’s too intimate, I’ll understand. I wouldn’t want to interfere in your personal space or life.”
The elevator doors opened, and I followed him inside. As the doors closed, I dropped my bags and crossed my arms. “Okay, I get it. I’ve been abrasive. I’ll soften up a bit if you stop acting like a passive aggressive asshole.”
“Deal and you’re not being a little aggressive. You’d think I murdered your whole family or something.” Maybe just one.
I don’t know where the thought came from but I realized at that moment that I’d been blaming him for what happened to my grandfather, which wasn’t fair. He’d only been a kid like me when that went down, and though his father might be to blame, there was not even proof of that either.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. You’d just think that two young, attractive kids like us would get along better, right?” He smiled and shook his head, and then I grabbed my bags as the elevator opened to our floor. Knowing he found me attractive was a huge turn on. I pushed down the heated feelings that had me giddy inside. My outer shell of armor was softening a bit.
We made our way down the hall to our room and left our bags there, agreeing that I’d take the bed and he’d take the couch. It was the first thing we’d been civil about since arriving and the second was that we’d go right over to the plant after a quick lunch break and get down to business.
Chapter 7
Ryan
I paced the hotel lobby thinking what a disaster the day before had been. Not only had she found one violation but two. She’d rambled on for an hour about human-induced contaminations due to the improper wastewater disposal from our cooling process during the coking process. Both were human errors which made it easy to fix, but both were rookie mistakes that had me on the phone all night assuring they’d make it right.
My One and Only: A Bad Boy Secret Baby Second Chance Romance Page 101