Egotistical Executive: A Hero Club Novel

by K. L. Humphreys

  “You should go. You work so hard Mel, when you really don’t have to.” I roll my eyes at her words, “You own the apartment…”

  I cut her off, “My dad owns the apartment.”

  She waves her hand dismissively. “Potatoe, potato. Your college fees are paid.”

  “Again, my dad paid them.”

  Her hand moves frantically, once again dismissing me. “My point—” she snaps. “Is that you work extremely hard when you don’t necessarily need to. You need to have fun at some stage of your life.”

  I sigh, “I do have fun.”

  “Mel, you are constantly working, if it’s not in Starbucks, it’s babysitting those gorgeous Bateman kids, or you’re at college or doing college work.”

  “I’m fine,” I say through clenched teeth.

  “You’re not fine, you’re trying to prove to your father that you don’t need him or his money.”

  I don’t want to have this conversation. “I don’t need my father’s help. The only thing I’d ever want from him is to be a father. Not throw money at me as though I’m a problem that’s easily fixed.” I have so much anger and resentment towards him that I’m not sure if things could ever be fixed. I need to prove to myself that I don’t need him or his help. That I can do things by myself.

  “Sorry,” she says sheepishly, she knows what a sore subject talking about my father is.

  I shrug, “It’s fine.” I continue walking, relieved that we’re almost here.

  “No, it’s not. Me and my big mouth.”

  “It’s fine, Cass, really.” I know that she’s only trying to help, she wants the best for me.

  My morning takes a nosedive when a familiar voice yells. “Excuse me, let me through, I’m an executive—” I gasp at the audaciousness of the man and I’m left stunned as I see who it is. “—and I’m late for an important meeting in the Juleon Hotel!” His tone is scathing and I can’t believe that this asshole is the same guy as last night. One thing is for sure, he’s full of himself.

  I hear the sharp intakes of breaths from the rest of the store, I walk toward him, needing him to get the hell out of here. I hate rude people. “Yes, sir, can I help you?” I ask sweetly, pretending I don’t know him.

  “Flat white,” he announces as he flashes me that smile again. The one I’m sure has women falling at his feet. However it doesn’t work on me, his ego is a turn off. He puts his briefcase down on the table in front of him and I turn to get the asshole his coffee. My heart is pounding, as much as I think he’s a jerk, I can’t deny how he made me feel last night, nor how gorgeous he is.

  I quickly return with his coffee wanting him to leave swiftly before he pisses off any more of my customers. “Thank you, sir,” I say politely, making sure I hand him a napkin.

  He hands me a twenty dollar bill, “Keep the change.”

  I roll my eyes, “Thanks. Have a wonderful day.” Does he think this tip makes up for him being a jerk?

  “You too, Buttercup.” He winks at me and turns on his heel leaving me standing staring at him as he leaves.

  It takes me ten minutes to calm down after the asshole leaves, and finally it’s starting to slow down, there’s only a trickle of customers left.

  “How is it going?” I ask Cass as I approach her.

  She sighs, “It’s going.”

  I smile, “You’ll be fine.” I know her, she’s such a Debbie downer, she’s probably knocking it out of the park already.

  “So that guy…” she begins and I roll my eyes, I should have known she would have brought him up. “He was gorgeous…”

  “An ass.” I correct her.

  She laughs, “Whatever you say, Buttercup.”

  Ugh, that got my back up even more than his arrogance. “I have never been so infuriated in my life.”

  She raises her brow, “Infuriated or turned on?”

  Dammit. How does she know that I was somewhat attracted to the jerk? “Would you like another coffee?”

  She nods, “That would be great, thanks, Mel.”

  I walk behind the counter to make her a coffee when something catches my eye on the counter. Walking over to it my heart jumps when I realize it’s a briefcase, and instantly the asshole that has just left comes to mind. I bring it behind the counter and carry on working, he’ll be back for it.

  I push the guy and his briefcase out of my mind and continue about my morning. It's so busy today, a lot busier than usual and I’m rushed off my feet. Cass finished her assignment twenty minutes ago and has gone home to sleep. I told her that I’d be home when I’m finished; I’m not going to the Bateman’s for dinner, I’d be falling asleep at the table. I love being around them and today I’m not in the best of moods. I called mom while I was on my break and she sounded tired and weak, something I have never heard her sound like before. It’s not something that I associate with her at all. My mom has always been the life and soul of the party, again, when I questioned her about it, she maintains that she’s fine. She’s not fooling me, I just need to get to the bottom of what’s going on.

  It starts to quieten down and I glance at the clock on the wall, it’s already three o’clock, I smile, it’s time to go home. Just as the thought enters my head, Sheila walks up beside me and smiles. “You look exhausted. Has it been that busy?”

  “Worse,” I reply. “Seems as though everyone’s been in today.”

  She groans, “Hopefully, the rush is over. Go home and get some rest.” She gives me a wink before serving a customer.

  Today has been a lot busier than I expected, I was rushed off my feet all day and I’m exhausted. I grab my purse and phone from my locker and sigh with relief, I’m glad to be going home.

  I wave goodbye to Shelia on my way out, “Mel, do you know whose briefcase this is?”

  I inwardly groan, “Yeah, I’ll bring it with me.” I tell her, “I’m going past the hotel on my way home anyway.” I wouldn’t wish him on anyone, he’s a jerk and hopefully if I give him his briefcase back, he won’t be an ass to anyone else for the rest of the day.

  Sheila smiles, “Oh, is it some hot guy?”

  I instinctively want to say yes, because even though the Egotistical Executive was hot as hell, he was a huge asshole. “Just some rude guy.” I reach for the briefcase, “He demanded people move out of his way so that he can get served.” I shake my head at the shocked look on Shelia’s face. “He told the entire coffee shop that he had an important meeting at the Juleon hotel. I’ve got to walk past on my way home, I’ll drop the briefcase into reception. They’d know who he is.”

  She nods as she hands me the briefcase, “Yeah, that’s a good idea. Are you working tomorrow?”

  I shake my head, “No, I’m going to go to my mom’s tomorrow.”

  She smiles, “Tell her I said hello. I haven’t seen her in a while.”

  I return her smile, “Will do.” I walk toward the door, just as six customers walk in.

  “Have a good night, Mel.” Sheila calls out.

  I wave goodbye as I exit the store. The fresh California air hits me as soon as I step out onto the street, the briefcase in my hand is heavy and I wonder if Mr. Executive has left his laptop inside? It takes me ten minutes to get to the Juleon, the sun is shining and the streets are bustling with people. Everyone is smiling and happy as they browse the stores.

  As soon as I walk into the hotel, my attention is drawn to the gorgeous obnoxious man. My heart beats a little faster as I take another step forward. He’s not yet seen me, he’s talking on his cell phone. I wait, drinking him in. I can get a really good look at him now. He’s taller than I remember, he wears a suit well. His brown hair is short, but long enough for me to want to run my hands through it, his green eyes are so vibrant, and I’m curious as to how vibrant they’d be when he laughs. I shake my head, these thoughts don’t belong in my head, the man’s a jerk.

  He turns and sees me standing here, he continues to stare at me as he finishes his call. I feel a pull to him, like there’s so
me magnetic force between us. I don’t bow down, I continue staring at him, I don’t want him to know that he has some sort of power over me.

  “Yes?” He growls once he’s finished on his cell and that’s all it takes to remind me why he’s an ass.

  I hold out his briefcase. “Thought you might like this back, sir.” I reply with a bite to my tone. I have never met someone who infuriates me as quickly as this asshole does. All I want to do is hit him across the head with his briefcase, walk away and forget about him.

  He runs his hands through his hair, “Fuck, I’m an ass.” He takes the briefcase out of my hand and gives me an apologetic look.

  I raise an eyebrow, “Didn’t expect that.”

  He smirks and I want to wipe it off his face.

  God, this man!

  5

  Eli

  The hotel room phone rings and I sit up, quickly blinking away the sleep. Shit, what time is it? The phone continues to ring and I reach over and answer it. "Hello?" I answer groggily.

  "Mr. Egan, this is your wake up call," the receptionist says politely.

  "Thank you," I reply and put the phone down. I release a yawn as I try and remember what time I had set my wake up call for?

  Reaching for my cell, I see it's completely dead. Fuck. I don't have a charger and forgot to buy one while I was out yesterday. I pick up my watch and see the time, it's eight-twenty-three in the morning. Shit, the conference starts at nine. I need to shower and get ready.

  Throwing the sheets off of me, I jump out of bed and run toward the bathroom. Thank god, I purchased a suit yesterday and not waited until this morning to do so.

  What a way to start the day. I swear, this trip has turned out to be the worst I've ever had. I now know not to let Conrad book anything from now on. If we do go into business, and after last night's dinner, it’s looking very likely, I’ll make sure that Brandon isn’t in charge of anything. Right now, he has a long way to go, before he’s anywhere near his father in the business stakes.

  Ten minutes later and I'm ready, I'll even have time to stop in Starbucks on my way to the conference. I’m going to need a coffee to make sure I survive the day. I had hoped that my mood would have picked up from yesterday but waking up late just pushed me back into that pissed off vibe. If the Barista from yesterday is there, she could brighten my mood immensely. I haven’t given up on her just yet.

  This trip is a fucking disaster, my luggage is God knows where, the airline has been unable to locate it. Then my phone died, to top off an already shitty trip, I lost my briefcase, which included my laptop. I was late for the meeting and was about as unprepared as anyone could. Thankfully, I was able to borrow a charger and take notes of the meeting so there’s that. The sooner I’m out of here and on a flight back home the better.

  This morning’s fiasco in Starbucks just pushed me into a further pissed off mood, this has been the worst trip I’ve ever been on, the only redeeming thing has been the sexy Barista, she’s a feisty little thing. She makes me smile when I piss her off.

  The meeting took a hell of a lot longer than I had anticipated. I thought it would go on for a couple of hours at most and yet it took close to seven. As soon as the meeting was over, Conrad wanted to discuss my thoughts. He knows that I’m the one with the most sway over my brothers. Even though the business is split evenly among us, I have a better business head on me, Devon is better with numbers and Rhys is a people person. It’s why our business is a roaring success, we all have our specialties and cover each other’s weaknesses. If anyone would be able to see if Conrad’s idea of becoming a brewing company would work, it’ll be me. Conrad is pretty pleased with himself, the meeting went well, a hell of a lot better than any of us could have predicted. The PR company has a lot of great ideas, my attorney has looked over the contract, he was given it yesterday and managed to have it read over before the meeting began. The numbers are the only thing I have an issue with, I sent them to Devon as soon as I got them and he’s been working through them ever since. If they add up, then I’ll be backing this venture whole-heartedly, if not, then I’ll walk away without a second thought.

  As I walk into the lobby with my phone to my ear, I listen to Devon excitedly talk about the business venture, my brothers believe that this could bring us a lot of money. I’m not going to lie, if it’s done right, we’ll be beyond rich. I’m always waiting for the other foot to drop, waiting until something goes wrong.

  I notice the gorgeous barista from Starbucks walking toward me. I continue my conversation with Devon while she waits. She’s obviously here for me, but why? Not that I’m not happy to see her, she was next on my list, but for her to be here sets bells off. Once Devon and I end our call I bark at her, I’m not expecting the bite in her tone when she replies, nor am I expecting her to be holding my briefcase. I apologize and the minx raises her brow at me and says that she wasn’t expecting that.

  I smirk, “Oh, what were you expecting?” I question and watch as her eyes narrow into slits and her hands on her hips. She’s fiery, I like that.

  “You to be an asshole. You apologized, I didn’t think that you had it in you.”

  My smirk turns into a smile, “I’m capable of apologizing when I’m in the wrong.” It’s not often mind you, but it’s happened on occasion. “Thank you for my briefcase, I’ve had the worst twenty four hours.”

  She nods, not looking slightly interested. There’s something about this woman that makes me want to get to know her. That’s never going to happen, I don’t ‘know’ women personally. Intimately, yes, personally, no.

  “Have you had a change of mind?” I ask as she turns to leave.

  She spins on the spot and pins me with a look. “About what?” She sounds incredulous.

  “About what we discussed last night.”

  Her lips thin, “Oh I’m sorry, I thought a discussion had to be two-sided. You did all the talking last night.”

  I smirk as I take a step toward her, “Buttercup, you’re acting as though you don’t want this.”

  She shakes her head. “I don’t,” she replies defiantly.

  I take a step closer to her, our bodies close but not touching, “You’re pupils are dilated and your chest is heaving.” I smirk, “You want this just as much as I do.”

  She once again shakes her head. “No thank you,” she replies softly, at least she’s not being hostile anymore. She turns and walks toward the revolving doors and I follow her. Once she’s outside she huffs and turns to face me. “Are you going to follow me?”

  “Yes.”

  Her eyes narrow, “Are you some sort of stalker?”

  “No,” I hold in my laughter, “I’m just a man that knows what he wants. Tell me something, Buttercup, why are you denying yourself this?” She scowls at me and I’m pretty sure it’s because I'm calling her Buttercup. “What do you say?”

  She narrows her eyes, “Ever heard of treating a woman right? Wining and dining her and all that.”

  I hide my triumphant smirk, I pull her close to me, my arm wrapping around her waist, “You want dinner, Buttercup? I’ll take you to dinner.”

  She rolls her eyes but I see the smile. “How about somewhere less—” she pulls away from me, and waves her hand in front of me and the hotel. “Expensive.” She sneers the word as though it’s offensive.

  If she wants somewhere less pricey, I can do that. I don’t give a fuck about the food. The sooner I’m deep inside of this woman the better. “You lead the way.” She smirks and I instantly regret it. “Pick somewhere that isn’t fast food.”

  She holds her hands up, “Okay.”

  I turn to her and hold out my hand, “I’m…”

  She cuts me off, “Egotistical Executive, yeah, I know.”

  I splutter, “I’m sorry what?”

  She points to my initials on my briefcase. EE. “Egotistical Executive.”

  “If you say so, Buttercup.” I fire back, no names, I can do that.

  She smirks, “Asshole.” />
  I laugh at her antics, she’s refreshing and I’m looking forward to having dinner with her.

  She brings me to a small Italian restaurant, it looks good, she sits opposite me, and stares at me, “Why are you so entitled?” She questions once we order some drinks.

  I blink, “Entitled?”

  The waitress brings our drinks down to the table and she immediately reaches for hers, “Yes. Entitled.” She responds before taking a sip of her wine.

  I stare at her, she really does think that I’m like that. “What makes you think that?” I question.

  She looks at me in disbelief. “You walked into the coffee shop and demanded people move out of your way. You jumped the queue, and then I go out of my way to bring you back your briefcase and you bark at me like I’m an imposition. Not to mention you think you’re God’s gift with women, did I hurt your ego last night by saying no?”

  I sigh, running my fingers through my hair. Christ, this woman, she manages to disarm me completely. “I apologized for barking at you, although you give as good as you get,” I say pointedly but she just glares at me. “As for jumping the queue, you can check back the security cameras, I’d been standing in line for over ten minutes. You were busy, I waited and then once it started to quieten down, a couple pushed ahead and were served first. I lost my temper and I shouldn’t have. I didn’t jump the line, in fact it was the opposite. I shouldn’t have demanded people move out of my way, that was idiotic.”

  She tilts her head to the side and studies me, “Seriously?” She questions like she doesn’t believe me.

  I nod, “Yes, I’ve been in a bad mood since yesterday and that’s partly what made me explode in your store. I’m sorry.”

  She seems to relax slightly, “Okay. So what are you doing in LA? You’re not from here.”

  She’s very astute, although I’d say my accent has something to do with that. “No, I’m not. I’m just here on business. Tell me something Buttercup, what’s a gorgeous woman like you doing working in Starbucks?”