by Suzanne Hart
I ran out of the building and saw him there on the sidewalk, making his way to a parked Rolls Royce. There was no doubt in my mind now that he was rich and extremely powerful.
“Mr. Hunt! Julian!” I shouted, over the din of New York City’s busy day. He stopped in his tracks, and when he turned to face me, I could see he was surprised.
“Are you chasing after me?” He asked, narrowing his blue eyes at me.
“Yes. I am. I need you to explain what the problem is,” I replied, coming to a stop in front of him. I was out of breath from all the running.
Julian stood coolly. He exuded strength and power but I wasn’t about to allow him to intimidate me. No matter who he was.
“My problem is that I was supposed to meet with your father. You have no idea what you’re doing there in his office. This is not the way I conduct my business,” he replied.
He was speaking firmly, making me feel like a silly child. I held his gaze, determined to not back down now. He had the bluest of eyes that I had seen, and his hair was a dark blond color that was cut very short. He looked like a no-nonsense kind of guy. His clothes were obviously expensive, but simple. He was in a clean dark gray suit and wore a wine red tie. His shoes were a deliciously shiny black. While I looked him over, he was looking me over too.
“Is it because I’m a woman? Is that why you’re refusing to sit and have a conversation with me? Because I’m a woman, you’ve automatically assumed that I don’t know what I’m talking about?” I snapped.
Julian breathed in deeply and his shoulders squared. I was noticing now how much taller he was than me.
“I think, Lisa, that you have no idea what you’re talking about,” he replied.
I wanted to say more, in fact, I had so much more that I could have said to him but instead, I stood frozen to the spot. Unable to speak.
Julian gave me another one of his rigid cold looks and then he was gone. I stared in silence as he got into the front seat of his Rolls Royce and drove straight into traffic. Within moments, he had disappeared from view.
I wanted him. How ridiculous was that?
He was older than me, and had been downright rude and yet I couldn’t shake off the feeling of wanting his hands on my body. Within the span of half an hour, I had gone from worrying about Daddy’s recovery from surgery… and worrying about the welfare of the company… to feeling overwhelmed from how sexually attracted I was to this man I had never met before.
I needed to start thinking straight, I told myself. I needed to get over my desire for Julian Hunt and focus on what I could do to get him back on board again. Whatever his problem was, he was going to have to spill his beans on it.
10
Julian
I was bursting at the seams by the time I walked into my office. I had built myself up, looking forward to the moment I would be meeting Alan Crowley again and crushing him in my fist. Instead, I didn’t even get to see him.
I stormed into my office, banging the door shut behind me so hard that it made the crystal decanter in my mini bar rattle.
“Fuck this. Fuck this!” I growled, going over to my desk.
Alan Crowley had managed to elude me. What was his game? Was he trying to push me away? Did he not want to sell his shares to me?
I was going to get his company if it was the last thing I did.
It was just a silly act of vengeance before, but now that I knew Alan was trying to escape me, I was determined to have him. And Lisa… God, Lisa! Of all the things he could do to keep me under control… had he sunk so low that he was prepared to use his daughter to distract me?
I ran my hand through my hair repeatedly, trying to steady my breathing. This wasn’t going to work. I would have to find a way to get to Alan. There was no point in buying the shares and destroying the company if he wasn’t even going to meet me. My only interest in Crowley Holdings was to see the look of horror on his face.
My secretary knocked on my door, abruptly interrupting my thoughts.
“Sir, there’s a Rose Mitchell on the line from Crowley Holdings.” Penny stuck her head around the door. She was aware I was in a bad mood and knew me too well to keep her distance.
“What the fuck does she want now?” I growled and banged a fist on my desk.
“She’s asking to set up a meeting with you. She says Lisa Crowley wants to meet with you,” Penny continued, meekly.
I glared at her, taking my anger and frustration out on her now.
“Fine. Fuck it. Tell her I’ll meet with Lisa Crowley, but not at her office. Set up a meeting for tonight at Muse Bar, for nine,” I said, sinking back in my chair.
“Yes, Sir,” Penny replied and then she was gone.
It was strange that Lisa Crowley was so determined to meet with me. It was becoming even more obvious to me now that Alan was using his daughter to get to me.
But what game was he playing? Was he trying to get Lisa to weaken me? To force me to forget about the bad blood between us? Did he think I was going to let him go that easily?
We both knew that he needed my money. Crowley Holdings was a sinking ship and no other investor had shown any interest in the company apart from me. And my interest alone was good enough to add some credit and relevance to their company. They needed me on board. But did he also know that once he got me on board I was going to kick him out? Maybe he did know I was looking for revenge.
And now he was using his daughter to loosen me up, to make me pity him… or more? Had he instructed his daughter to seduce me? Did he actually think I was going to fall for Lisa and forgive him?
It made me laugh.
I hadn’t fallen for any woman’s charms in all these thirty-seven years of my life. The only time I had come remotely close to losing my mind over a woman was when I was twenty-six, too young and stupid to understand. But I realized very quickly what she was after. She was a gold digger, and as soon as I realized that, I dropped her. I was going to marry her, and now I couldn’t even remember her face.
So, if Alan Crowley thought he could get his daughter to distract me with things like love and romance, he had something else coming. Lisa Crowley was gorgeous and sexy and the kind of woman any man would be lucky to wake up next to… but I wasn’t just any man. I was on a mission and that was to seek revenge on a man I hated.
No woman, not even Lisa, was going to stand between me and that goal. It had never happened before and it wasn’t going to happen now. Alan was mistaken about me and he was mistaken about his daughter. She was hot, but nobody was hot enough to sway me.
I sat back in my chair, with my neck arched and my face up towards the ceiling. My mind kept drifting to Lisa, as much as I told myself she was only there as a distraction. I kept thinking about her lips and her ass and imagining what her hair would look like if she was wearing it down.
Fuck.
She was too young for me anyway. And doing anything with her would be a mistake.
But I’d already decided to go for the drinks with her, I couldn’t back out now.
All I had to do now was to stay on guard and remember that she was only there because her father was scared. She had no interest in me and I shouldn’t have any interest in her. There were thousands of other beautiful sexy women at my disposal in New York City. I could have any of them. Lisa was just another pretty face and a pretty ass, that was all. What was more important was that I got what I was owed, and Alan Crowley owed me a lot.
11
Lisa
The phones were ringing off the hook. I sat in Daddy’s office for the rest of the day, trying to fend off phone calls and meetings he was supposed to attend. It was overwhelming, trying to keep telling people that I was taking over for my father. Everyone wanted to speak directly to him. They had no idea that Alan Crowley even had a daughter.
I had never been a good liar and trying to lie to people who wanted to speak to Daddy, was proving to be a challenging task. Thank God for Rose! Because she was always there to encourage me and make sure
I wasn’t completely freaking out, but the day had already taken its toll on me.
Everyone I spoke to; I had to convince somehow that Daddy had something important to attend to and he wouldn’t be available for a few days.
“How long are we going to keep doing this, Rose?” I asked her. It was past six and the phone calls and enquiries had finally died down a little.
Rose was standing over my desk… Daddy’s desk… and flipping through some papers I needed to sign. I was signing things as ‘Acting CEO.’ I had no idea that Daddy had drawn up a legally binding document, naming me as his successor.
Rose sighed when she looked at me.
“As long as Mr. Crowley is still unconscious and can’t take phone calls.”
Daddy had emerged from surgery early in the morning, and Doctor Sharma claimed that he had been able to save his spine. He was still unconscious though and only after he woke up would we know if he was going to be paralyzed or not.
“I need to be with Daddy right now. I should go to the hospital,” I said.
Rose smiled at me and then shook her head.
“You need to meet Julian Hunt. That is important. Your father is being well looked after at the hospital. There is nothing more you can do for him. You should focus on Julian Hunt and his investment,” she said.
I thought about Julian again and the look of rage in his eyes.
“For some reason, that man despises me and he insisted that he won’t do business with anyone other than Daddy, directly,” I said.
“Then you have to convince him to do business with you. I know you can do it,” she replied.
“He thinks I’m too young, that I’m not serious enough. And I think he can sense there is something going on,” I said and covered my face with my hands. It was such a task to lie to people on the phone, how was I supposed to keep lying to Julian Hunt face to face? Under the watchful gaze of those piercing blue eyes.
“Stay calm and stay focused. Mr. Crowley is going to regain consciousness soon and he’ll take over again. Just a few more days, Lisa. You can do it,” Rose spoke encouragingly to me.
I gulped, feeling a nauseous fear rising up in me again.
“I had no idea all this was going on. Why didn’t Daddy just tell me!”
Rose turned down her lips sympathetically.
“Mr. Crowley is a proud man. He didn’t want to admit to his daughter… who looks up to him, that his company wasn’t doing well.”
“Not doing well is an understatement! The company is going bust. Now we’re having to beg people like Julian Hunt to buy our shares, to save us somehow. I don’t know how I’m going to do it!” I said, stifling a sob.
Rose helped me up from the chair.
“You’ve had a long day, Lisa. You’ve done your part. I can take over from here. What you need is a good long bath and then you need to get ready for your meeting with Mr. Hunt,” she spoke gently as she led me to the door.
“But…” I tried to protest. If I had to choose, I would have picked staying in Daddy’s office and taking those calls rather than spending time with Julian Hunt. That man intimidated me and I felt like he could see right through me, through my clothes and right to my soul.
I didn’t want to have to revisit those thoughts of wanting him again. That scared me more.
I had no choice. Rose shut the door behind me and I had to make my way out of the office and to my car. I had to suppress the urge to go to the hospital and check on Daddy instead, because I knew Rose was right.
I had to focus on the deal right now, and focus on doing my best to save the company.
I went to my apartment, and ran myself a bath. I still had some time now before I had to go to the bar Julian had selected for our meeting.
I kept myself submerged in the bubbling lavender scented water, and thankfully it had a calming effect on my nerves. After spending twenty minutes in the bath, I finally felt rejuvenated.
By the time I changed into a little black dress and styled my hair, I was beginning to feel more confident. I put on a fiery red lipstick for good measure. It added to that feel-good feeling I was going for.
Julian Hunt was sexy and scary at the same time, and I got a sense that he would be hard to pin down. He thought I was just a kid, trying to walk in my father’s shoes… but the truth was that he had no idea who I was. I had grown up by myself, with no mother to pamper me and my father wasn’t the pampering type. I was strong and independent and Julian Hunt had no idea who he was dealing with.
I left my apartment with a skip in my step.
I didn’t ask for this, but I knew Daddy and the entire company was relying on me to make this deal. And if Julian was going to fight me, he had no idea what was coming for him.
I saw Julian sitting in the corner of the bar at a table that was specially reserved for us. It was a super upscale cocktail bar that I hadn’t dared to visit before. Even though I knew that Daddy was pretty well-off, I hadn’t ever asked for much of an allowance from him. And my part-time jobs didn’t pay me well enough to afford a place like this.
Julian stood up when the hostess led me to the table, and immediately my confidence was diminished. He had an electrifying effect on me.
He was more casually dressed now than he’d been in the morning, but still looked sexy as hell.
He was in a pair of dark dress pants, and instead of a jacket and tie, he was wearing a baby blue shirt with the collar unbuttoned. When he stood up, I noticed his body again. He was lithe and muscular, like an athlete. Even though he was much older, he seemed to have a fitter body than most of the guys I hung out with. His blond hair glistened like soft velvet in the dim lights of the chandelier above him, and his blue eyes sparkled as I approached him.
“So, we meet again,” he greeted me. He was standing with his hands stuck in the pockets of his pants. My eyes were fixed on his handsome chiseled face.
“Much to your dismay,” I replied and he waited for me to sit down.
Julian chuckled and sat down, picking up his glass of Whisky Sour and drinking from it.
“Under the circumstances, I have to admit, Lisa, that I am not happy to see you,” he said while I crossed my legs. I noticed the way his gaze quickly flitted over me, taking in the length of my bare legs.
“And what circumstances are those?” I asked.
Julian’s blue eyes rolled over my breasts, my neck and then finally settled on my lips.
“A business situation. The circumstances are that I am thinking of buying shares of your father’s company and therefore I should be speaking to him,” he replied.
I grinned at him and licked my red lips. He was watching my every movement. His eyes narrowed on the way my tongue stuck out for a moment.
“And what circumstances would make you happy to see me?” I asked and he arched an eyebrow, like he was surprised by that question.
“Any other circumstance but this one,” he said, just as a waiter approached us for my order.
“I’ll have a Cosmopolitan,” I said to him and noticed the way Julian’s lips stretched in a smile.
“Is that funny?” I asked.
“Just typical. Your choice of drink,” he said.
“What? Is that not masculine enough for you? Are you telling me you don’t do business with someone who orders a Cosmopolitan at a bar?”
Julian held my gaze and thankfully, he was still smiling.
Now, all I had to do was keep his good mood going and maybe I would be able to convince him that I was just as investable as Daddy.
“Yes, that is exactly what I’m saying,” he said.
I sat back in the chair, and flipped my hair over my shoulder. I knew he was watching me. As much as he tried to hide it, I was aware that he liked what he saw.
“This doesn’t have to be a business discussion. Not yet, anyway. We can just take this time to get to know each other,” I suggested.
Julian breathed in deeply and his shoulders squared in that masculine sexy way of his. He was we
aring that same woody cologne which prickled my nose. It reminded me of when we first met in the elevator, and how flirtatious he was being. It filled me with a warm feeling in my stomach.
“Why do I need to get to know you, Lisa?” he asked and I gulped. I wasn’t prepared to answer a question like that yet.
“Because for some reason, you seem to think that I am not good enough to have a business discussion with,” I said.
“And you want to change my mind about that?”
“Yes. There is nothing that my father can do, which I can’t do too,” I replied and Julian nodded his head.
“Where is he, Lisa?” He asked suddenly, throwing me off. I had to lie again and it was making me nervous. Julian Hunt wasn’t exactly the easiest man to lie to.
“He is busy.”
“Doing what?”
“It’s a personal matter. He wouldn’t want me to disclose it to people. You can be rest assured that he’ll be with you shortly,” I said, trying to sound as confident as possible.
Julian was watching me, looking over every expression on my face, watching the way my body reacted to him. He had to have seen the way my cheeks flushed under his steady gaze… but thankfully, he didn’t remark on it.
“Okay, I’ll bite. What can you tell me about yourself that’ll help me get to know you better?” He asked.
“I graduated from Wharton Business School three months ago. Top of my class,” I replied, holding my head high up. Julian pursed his lips and nodded his head, like he was impressed with me.
“That is very impressive, Lisa. However, you should know that I didn’t go to business school. I’m a self-made man. Everything I’ve achieved and earned is through hard work and good decisions. Those are not things you can learn at school if you don’t have it in you,” he said. His eyes were narrowed and focused on me again, and my cheeks flushed with embarrassment.