“I am so sorry that this happened Mr. Owens,” he said quickly.
Grayson gave him an evil stare that made Kaylee shudder. He clenched his jaw tightly and ground out, “don’t let that happen again,” and he stormed out of the elevator, leaving Kaylee standing there by herself.
9
Grayson
On Monday morning, Grayson was in his office before Kaylee arrived. He knew that he had to get there before her, because he had to find a way to explain himself. Over the weekend Grayson had beat himself up about how he had treated her in the elevator. He shouldn’t have let her see his temper like that.
The office doors opened and Grayson saw her quickly walk to her desk. She looked so nervous and Grayson hated to think that he was the cause of her distress. He knew he needed to fix things with her, but he wasn’t sure exactly how. Grayson grabbed the phone and dialed her line.
“Yes Mr. Owens?” she asked with a slight quiver in her voice.
“Kaylee, let’s go over the week’s schedule.”
“Yes sir,” she replied and she quickly hung up the phone. A minute later she was in his office seated in front of his desk.
She kept her head down the second that she entered Grayson’s office. She cleared her throat slightly as she started to go over his schedule. Grayson could easily tell that she was trying very hard not to look at him at all. Grayson gripped his desk in anger. She’s afraid of me. Grayson gripped the desk harder, causing the wood to creak underneath his fingertips, her brown eyes shot up to his. Grayson quickly cleared his throat.
“So what is on the schedule for today?” Grayson asked as calmly as he could. Grayson watched her as she took a steady breath and looked down at her iPad.
“You have two phone calls this morning, with potential tenants for the building project on the lower east side.”
“Please make sure Jackson is on those calls as well,” Grayson said. She nodded without breaking her eye contact with her iPad. Fuck I hate how she can’t even look at me. Grayson’s thoughts quickly flashed to Emma’s face, as she packed up her things. Would this be how it turns out with Kaylee as well?
Kaylee’s sweet voice interrupted Grayson’ thoughts. “At 1pm you have a meeting with the Department of Buildings about your permit for new construction for the new building you are proposing on the upper west side.” Grayson felt his heart rate pick up. That meeting was going to be one hell of a fight, and right now he needed one. GO Enterprises owned a building on the upper west side that happened to be an old building, which some groups wanted to change into a historical site. It was a beautiful place with a lot of the original architecture still intact. However, parts of it were falling apart. Grayson understood why these groups wanted to change it to a historical landmark; but that would kill all of his plans for it.
Grayson looked back over at Kaylee as she was reading off the rest of his schedule for the day. Her brown hair fell loosely around her face, and occasionally she would reach up and push some strands behind her ear. There was something different about her that he couldn’t really explain. After their encounter in the elevator, Grayson couldn’t stop thinking about her and how she made him feel. She calmed his anger in some way. He had been noticing that lately over the last month that she had been here. But Grayson knew eventually that anger would take over, and he didn’t want to frighten her away just like he did with Emma.
* * *
Grayson stood waiting with Jackson in the lobby of the Department of Buildings. They had arrived early after lunch since these government offices always seemed to take their sweet time.
“So, how is the new assistant working out for you?”
“She’s getting up to speed just fine,” Grayson replied trying to hide any emotion in his voice. Jackson looked at him as if he was trying to decipher his meaning.
“Look, Grayson,” he began.
Grayson held up his hand before he could even start. Grayson knew exactly what he was going to say, that the office can’t afford to have another assistant leave like Emma did.
“I know,” Grayson said curtly. “It won’t be an issue this time.” Grayson clenched his jaw tightly, trying to contain the anger that was starting to brew inside of his chest. Jackson noticed and thankfully let it drop. That was one of the many reasons Jackson had lasted this long. He understood when his temper got the best of him, and knew exactly when to shut his mouth.
“They are ready for you in the conference room.”
Grayson nodded at the receptionist and pushed through the large double doors behind her desk. Grayson practically knew this office as well as his own, and he walked quickly to the conference room. The board members were already seated and waiting. Most people would hate having to walk into a boardroom full of important people, but situations like this thrilled Grayson. He loved the high of walking in and commanding the attention of everyone in the room.
Grayson pulled open the door to the conference room and plastered a big smile on his face. “Nice to see all of you again. What is this, our tenth meeting this month?” Grayson asked jokingly. A couple of the board members cracked small smiles but most of them sat there stone-faced. Fuck them. It wouldn’t take long before they would bend to his will and agreeing to everything he wanted.
“Mr. Owens. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to meet with us today.” Bradley Adler, chairman of the board. What a sarcastic asshole. Grayson clenched his jaw slightly to keep his response in check.
“The pleasure is all mine Bradley, I hope we can come to a mutual agreement today on the project on the upper west side.” Bradley let out a pompous laugh.
“We’ll see,” he responded. “It all depends on what exactly you plan to do.” Grayson looked over at Jackson and nodded. Jackson stood up and began the presentation. Grayson smiled slightly to himself, this was Jackson’s strong suit. The presentation was perfect and there was no way that they could say no. The board knew deep down that the inside of the building needed to be revamped; otherwise tenants would continue to leave. They just had to grow some balls and stand up to the protest groups wanting the building to stay unchanged. If they didn’t want to bend to Grayson’s will then he would just have to find a way to force them to, like he always had in the past.
Grayson looked around the conference room and noticed how each of the board members listened to Jackson intently. Grayson let his mind wander back to Kaylee and the way her curves were accentuated perfectly in her sweater and skirt today. Fuck, how he wished he could always have his hands on those curves. I should fire those elevator technicians for interrupting us, he thought. Hell, Grayson had almost fired them on the spot, until he got his anger under control. The technicians didn’t need to know the real reason that Grayson was, and he didn’t need the whole company to start to talk again like they did with Emma.
I need to find a way to make it up to her. He wanted to show Kaylee how he was sorry for how he had acted, and how he just left her there standing in the elevator confused. Grayson reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone discretely and began to type her a message.
I’d like to make up to you for the fact that we never actually go to get our drink on Friday.
Grayson quickly pressed send before he could change his mind. He stared at the screen waiting for her response. He was just about to put the phone back in his pocket when her response came through.
Sure. What do you have in mind?
Meet me in the lobby at 7 and we will go from there.
He smiled down at his phone just as Jackson cleared his throat, bringing Grayson’s attention back to the meeting.
“Do you have anything you’d like to add, Grayson?” Bradley asked. Grayson looked around the board room and them back up at Jackson. He gave me a reassuring smile hinting that we were on the right track.
“Let’s cut the bullshit Bradley. Can we have the permits for the construction or not?”
Bradley looked at him with sternly. “We will let you know by th
e end of the week.”
“Good,” he looked at Jackson, “let’s get out of here.”
10
Kaylee
“Wow, so we’re leaving the city?” Kaylee asked
“Not quite.”
Kaylee looked out of the limo like an excited teenager going on an adventure. Despite how Kaylee had felt about Grayson leaving her in the elevator, she somehow felt relaxed around him. Kaylee still had her guard up, but it wouldn’t take much for Grayson to break down her barriers again.
Grayson’s phone rang and when he answered it his whole demeanor changed. He went from the gentleman opening up car doors for me to a cutthroat businessman not willing to take anyone’s bullshit. Kaylee could see that what Megan said was true; Grayson didn’t get to this level of business without being ruthless. He seemed to be everywhere and in everything. Kaylee wondered if he was a bit too pedantic and wanted to try and control too much. Kaylee shuddered slightly at the thought of him trying to control her. Controlling her in bedroom would be absolutely fine. However, controlling her in everyday life is not what she wanted, especially after Adam. Grayson ended his call quickly and she could see him clench his jaw slightly.
“Do you ever sleep?” Kaylee blurted out.
“Of course I sleep. Why do you ask such a question?” he sighed as he picked up his iPad and started to type.
“You have hands and eyes on every part of the business. It’s starting to become an international business, so the only way you can do that is if you don’t sleep, with all the time differences.”
He gazed up at Kaylee with a slight smile at his lips. His eyes trailed over her face as if he was studying her for the first time. Was he surprised by her observation or did he find it pathetic? Kaylee couldn’t tell. “That’s very astute of you, Ms. Matthews, but I must disappoint to inform you that I do sleep. A man of my stature has to be everywhere; otherwise people take you for granted.”
“But, is it worth the stress?”
His smile fell slightly as he turned his head away and didn’t face her as he answered. It was like Kaylee had touched a nerve asking such a question. He totally avoided it and replied, “We’re approaching--you’re not looking out of the window.”
Of course I wasn’t, Kaylee thought. I was having a conversation with the most beautiful man I’ve ever met. Why would I want to be distracted?
His eyes flashed to hers and she stared at them for a long time.
“What color are your eyes?”
“Funny, no one has ever been bold enough to ask me. I can tell by the way people look at them that they are thinking the same thing. What color do you think they are?”
Kaylee took a deep breath. She needed to respond without looking like she’d been studying him. Then again, she wanted to find the truth, and he was not going to make it easy for her. “Okay, so when we first met, I thought they were blue. But there are times when you have walked past and smiled that they seem green. Other times, like now in the dark, they seem brown.”
“That’s because your first assumption was correct,” he said with a smile.
Was he smiling because she revealed that she was taking note of the color of his eyes, or because she had come up with the correct answer?
“Interesting, never met anyone with eyes like that…”
“What? You were mumbling. I couldn’t hear you.”
Heat rushed to her face. Kaylee didn’t have the confidence to say what she thought most of the time, so she mumbled instead. The problem was she hoped he hadn’t heard her.
“I said that I’ve never met anyone with eyes like that.”
Grayson’s smile widened.
The door sprang open. Kaylee was so lost in her thoughts; she hadn’t even realized that the car had stopped or that he had the door open and was waiting for her to get out.
“So, are you going to get out?” he asked. “Just leave your bag in there, no one will take it.”
Kaylee smiled, but grabbed her purse anyway. Two of her favorite books were in there and she wasn’t taking the chance of those going missing.
“I’ll take it,” she replied as she stepped out of the limo. He shrugged his shoulders and held out his hand to help her out of the limo.
Kaylee’s stomach rumbled as she moved. She felt a blush creep up her face again.
“Hungry?” he asked as he stepped beside me.
Cheekily, she replied, “How can you tell?” with a half-smile.
It was only at that point Kaylee recognized their surroundings. They were at Central Park.
It was quiet where they were, with just a few couples walking by. Kaylee sometimes jogged in Central Park on Sundays to take in her surroundings and the beauty that the city offered; it was one of the most scenic parks she had ever been to. Everything in Angie was pretty swamp like. None of their small parks looked like this.
Kaylee and Grayson walked in silence. Kaylee thought that she was either speaking out loud or she was just too predictable. Either way, it felt like Grayson was anticipating everything that she was saying and she didn’t like it one bit. She liked to be in control, especially because she had been dominated by Adam, her family, and spent all her life in Angie. This was the first time in a long time that Kaylee had actually felt free, free to be who she was. Kaylee wasn’t quite sure who that person was yet, but she knew she would figure it all out, eventually.
Kaylee fought all of her urges to grab his hand and hold it as they walked. Grayson was still using his phone from time to time, checking his emails. Suddenly he stopped in front of her on a patch of grass with a table.
Seriously, was this his idea of grabbing a drink? What if I’d said no?
Kaylee was just about to ask him the questions in her mind when he anticipated her again. “I knew you would say yes. After what happened in the elevator, how could you not?”
Grayson smiled brightly, and winked at her as she started to feel weak in the knees. He pulled out a chair for me to sit down, as if they were in a restaurant. He seemed oblivious to the people walking by trying not to stare, to the beautiful stars shining in the sky, and to the lovely aroma that was wafting from the food at a nearby café.
A man in a chef’s uniform walked up to the table.
“Good evening, Ms. Matthews. I have prepared some appetizers for you and Mr. Owens. I hope you enjoy them.” He placed a basin in front of us. I looked up at Grayson with a confused look on my face.
“Use the basin in front of you to clean your hands first and the towel to wipe them,” Grayson said as he sat down and Kaylee did the same as the waiter carefully pushed in my chair.
Kaylee was starting to feel embarrassed. She should have realized the basin would be for something like that. Grayson was nodding his head in approval and she felt the blood rush to her face again. When they were finished the chef removed the basin and placed the appetizers in front of them.
Kaylee waited for Grayson to start eating. Her stomach growled loudly and she realized that could have eaten the whole tray, she was so hungry. When he didn’t say anything, Kaylee shrugged her shoulders and reached her hand out for a spring roll.
“Is that all you want?” he asked as she put the spring roll on her plate. Kaylee at the sad, lonely spring roll and wondered if she should take another one.
“Take what you need, not what you think you should take,” he said as he let out slight laugh.
Kaylee grinned and then she took four from the tray and put them on her plate. He had a grin on his face as he watched.
Grayson made Kaylee feel very anxious all of the time. Like she needed to watch herself with him, like she couldn’t truly be herself around him yet. She knew that wasn’t entirely abnormal, he was her boss after all. What boss wouldn’t make someone feel nervous, being in the middle of Central Park with a waiter and chef. It was perfectly normal.
“So?”
“Are you going to eat or just stare at it?”
“Sorry.”
“Why do you keep apologi
zing?”
“Because—” because when I look at you all I want to do is have you take me in your arms and rip my clothes off, and when I don’t look at you I can feel your eyes burning into me like you can see me naked.
“It’s because we’re in the middle of Central Park,” she whispered, as if everyone was listening.
“Ahh, you feel nervous about our surroundings?” he said, rolling up his sleeves and eating the spring rolls with a hunger that suggested he hadn’t eaten anything all day.
Kaylee was happy to see that he was hungry too. She glanced at her watch and saw it was nearly ten. Time had flown by.
Kaylee and Grayson ate and he educated her about the bottles of wine that the private chefs had brought over. Before her glass was even empty it was filled up again and again, until she completely forgot that she was in the middle of a park and that she was attracted to her boss and really couldn’t handle her liquor.
* * *
His hands entwined with Kaylee’s, as he walked her towards his building. Kaylee surprised herself by agreeing to come back with him, but thoughts of Grayson in the elevator kept coming back to her. All throughout dinner all she wanted him to do was to pick her up and start kissing her like he had before.
Kaylee and Grayson walked into his building and she bit her lip in an attempt to stop her mouth from dropping open. Since Kaylee started working at GO Enterprises, she had known that Grayson was a billionaire. She just never really saw his wealth on display like it was in this lobby. The architecture was ornate, and it looked almost historical but that it had been refurbished to bring out its beauty. It reminded her of a museum that she had read about in one of her travel books. There was a doorman out front and two guards sitting at a large desk in front of the elevators.
Grayson waved at them both as he passed by. Kaylee and Grayson entered the elevator and the moment that the doors closed he pulled Kaylee’s body close to his. He pressed his lips onto hers and she felt her knees go weak. She opened her mouth slightly as their kiss deepened and his arms wrapped tighter around her. Kaylee felt the elevator stop and he gently bit her lower lip and gave her a slight smirk before he turned to face the opening doors.
Beauty and the Billionaire Boss: A Bad Boy Romance Page 4