I’m just going to tell him how I feel. I know he feels the same way, so why are we still fighting it?
Chapter Twenty-One
Trent
It was hard to focus on Brooke’s presentation when we got back to the office. I listened to everything she said and gave her guidance when I could, but my thoughts were a million miles away. I was so prepared to bottle my feelings up and ignore them in order to make sure things didn’t get complicated at the office. I had had every bit of clarity in the world after my meeting with Mr. Remington, but things clouded over faster than that storm rolled into New York. I knew it wasn’t one-sided. I saw the look in her eyes—I felt it in her touch—even the way she gripped my hand when she realized that we were close to the shoe store, and I was going to be forced to let go. The mistakes of the past no longer divided us.
How can I say no if she wants it as much as I do?
It was a lot easier to come to terms with the line in the sand after she turned me down the second time when I asked her to join me for a drink. It was never just a drink. I would have been lying if I tried to convince myself that it was. My heart was conflicted and tortured by her presence. There was no doubt in my mind that Mr. Remington would separate us as soon as we were done with the Xavier Wholesale campaign. What we did after that wouldn’t matter—but what if Brooke wasn’t willing to wait? What if she was finally ready to give me another chance, and I pushed her away? I couldn’t live with a what if that ended without her in my arms.
“One more time, or are you even paying attention at this point?” Brooke narrowed her eyes at me.
“I’m paying attention.” I leaned forward. “Take it from the top. If it’s flawless here, then it’ll be flawless when you’re standing in front of the CEO of Xavier Wholesale.”
“It’s getting really close to being second nature.” She nodded. “I feel more confident every time we go through it.”
“That’s why practice makes perfect.” I chuckled to myself.
“Uh…” Brooke stopped in the middle of answering a question and motioned to the door. “Fulton is on the floor—and it looks like he’s walking this way.”
“What the fuck does he want?” I turned my head towards the door as he approached.
“We’re just going over Brooke’s presentation.” I tried to be polite, as I responded.
“Fantastic!” He pulled out a chair and sat down. “That’s why I’m here.”
“Is there a problem?” Brooke tilted her head, and I saw a worried expression spread across her face.
“Don’t we report to Mr. Remington now?” I continued to keep a pleasant tone, even though my respect for Fulton was at an all-time low.
“Of course.” He nodded. “But so do I—and he asked me to hear the presentation a couple of times so that I could give him an honest opinion.”
“I met with him this morning…” I narrowed my eyes.
“He’s got a few concerns.” Fulton turned towards Brooke. “Go ahead, start from the beginning.”
Did Mr. Remington not believe me this morning? He seemed to be okay with my decision, but if he sent Fulton down here…
My mood soured as Brooke got started with her presentation—again. I thought I eased all of Mr. Remington’s concerns, but it seemed that I was wrong. I might have been a little more open to it if he had sent anyone other than Fulton down to our floor. I really didn’t want my former boss—the guy Brooke went on a date with—to be in charge of deciding whether or not she was ready to give the presentation. He didn’t seem to hold a grudge the last time I talked with him, but I also remembered what he told me about the other women he dated. He was the one that expressed concern to Mr. Remington in the first place.
Brooke isn’t a threat to him, but he could be pissed that she decided to end the date before he got what he wanted.
“Hold on, back up.” Fulton motioned to Brooke. “Go back to your previous slide.”
“Is there a problem with it?” She did as he requested and studied his expression.
“I’m not sure about the math…” He leaned forward. “Where is your data?”
“Um…” She glanced at me. “I’ve got it here on my computer.”
“Load it up then. I’d like to take a look at it.” He motioned to her computer.
“Is this really necessary?” I tilted my head inquisitively. “We’ve gone over the numbers more than we’ve practiced the presentation. Everything is in order…”
“I’ve got fresh eyes.” He smiled. “I’d rather see it than trust what is on the screen.”
Son of a bitch…
Brooke loaded the data, proved the numbers were accurate, and then moved to the next slide. Fulton immediately questioned her numbers on that slide too, and she had to load more data. I could see her getting rattled. We both knew the numbers were right. I didn’t scrutinize the results because I helped put everything together, to begin with. I also didn’t think the CEO of Xavier Wholesale was going to want to do a deep dive into the numbers in the middle of a presentation—he had a team of analysts to do that for him.
Fulton was just trying to get under her skin, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it—he had rank on me, even if I didn’t report to him anymore. We went through Brooke’s presentation two times, then he asked for a third, and started attacking the results on the very first slide—he had at least been kind enough to wait until she got through those the previous two times. The confidence Brooke had when we went through the presentation completely evaporated, and I saw her actually tremble when she turned to her computer.
“I don’t know.” Fulton shook his head. “This doesn’t make sense. Where is the data?”
Fuck this. I don’t care if he outranks me. This is some bullshit.
“Fulton, can I talk to you outside for a moment?” I stood up and left the room without giving him a chance to decline my invitation.
“What’s wrong?” Fulton stepped out of the conference room and grinned.
“Let’s take a walk over to my office.” I motioned to him.
“Is there a problem?” His smile disappeared once we made it to my office, and the door was closed.
“Yes, there is a fucking problem.” I turned to him and felt my blood boiling. “What the hell are you doing in there?”
“Watch your tone, Trenton.” He scoffed. “Don’t make me swing my dick around—it’s bigger than yours.”
“I doubt it.” I tensed up. “Unless you’re talking about your corporate dick—the one you can’t keep in your fucking pants.”
“I see.” He nodded, and his face turned into an ice-cold stare. “Give me your employee badge. Your fired.”
“I don’t report to you.” I took a step towards him. “Why don’t we go discuss this with Mr. Remington—the guy we both report to.”
“I’m fucking with you, Trenton.” Fulton’s face lit up with a smile. “Don’t be so damn serious all the time. Mr. Remington sent me down here to make sure your girl is ready for the presentation.”
Asshole… The only reason you’re trying to play it off is because you know Mr. Remington wouldn’t support you.
“Brooke was perfectly fine before you walked into the room and started questioning her data—which, by the way, is my data.” My mood didn’t lighten at all—I was still pissed.
“She’s going to have to put up with a lot worse than me in a couple of days. Unless you just want me to do your dirty work for you…” He shrugged.
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” I narrowed my eyes.
“She’s obviously blue-balling you.” He chuckled and nodded. “Isn’t that why you wanted to get rid of her in the first place? I thought she hated you.”
“We’ve worked through that. “ I growled under my breath.
“I get it man, no judgment.” He held his hands up. “I tried to get in those panties myself—but she likes to keep them on tight. Let me tell Mr. Remington she isn’t ready, and you can get credit for all th
is work. You’ll look like a fucking hero.”
“She did the work, and she deserves the credit.” I felt like Fulton was backing me into a corner, so I decided to come out swinging. “Don’t you think you’ve fucked over enough people by now? You got the job—you got the office. Let me do my damn job.”
I know you have dreams that are much bigger than the office you have right now, but I’m not going to roll over because you might be my boss again one day.
“Fine.” Fulton shrugged, but I could see a hint of anger in his eyes. “I’ll tell Mr. Remington that I support your decision—it’s still your fucking funeral if she screws up.”
“I can live with that.” I nodded.
She’s not going to screw up.
I didn’t need to turn someone like Fulton into an enemy instead of one of my supporters, but I wasn’t going to let him shit on Brooke’s efforts. I didn’t think it was complete career suicide. If the presentation was successful and Xavier Wholesale got behind the advertising campaign, then it wasn’t going to matter what Fulton thought. I would be his peer before he could be any sort of real threat. If it completely fell apart, then it wasn’t going to matter who was in my corner. I waited until Fulton was gone to walk back to the conference room. I could see Brooke through the window, and she had an upset look on her face—almost like she was fighting back angry tears.
“He’s not coming back.” I pushed the door open and walked in.
“Was he just being a jerk because I didn’t sleep with him?” She looked up at me.
It might be easier to just let her believe that, but I’d rather tell her the truth.
“It’s more complicated than that.” I pulled out a chair and sat down. “Fulton wants to be CEO one day. The only way he’s going to get there is if he has people on the top floor that owe him their job—he’s been counting on me to be one of them.”
“Mr. Remington doesn’t have any children?” Brooke raised her eyebrows in surprise.
“He does, but they have no interest in the family business.” I shrugged. “Everyone knows that the job is going to go to someone with a different last name—it’s just a matter of figuring out who that will be.”
“I don’t think I could work here if Fulton was the CEO.” Brooke shook her head quickly.
“I used to think life would be good if he was sitting in the big chair.” I sighed. “Now I’m not so sure…”
“Not if he’s going to be a jerk every time someone doesn’t sleep with him.” Brooke scoffed.
“Yeah.” I sighed again. “Okay, I think we’re done here for today. Why don’t we pick this up tomorrow?”
“I agree.” She started packing her things.
“Oh, there was something you wanted to talk to me about?” I tilted my head slightly. “Something that wasn’t related to work?”
“Some other time.” She shook her head.
Damn it. Fulton pissed her off, and now she’s going to go home without saying anything. She might change her mind again. Fuck!
Chapter Twenty-Two
Brooke
My afternoon was going great until Fulton walked into the conference room and started questioning my entire presentation. I had the data to support the information in the slides, but proving myself multiple times didn’t seem to make him lay off. Trent stepped in when Fulton’s questions started to get rather tedious, but I was already a mess by then. I had no idea what Trent said to him, but I hated that he had to jump in because I got flustered. I wouldn’t have anyone to bail me out in the middle of the meeting with Xavier Wholesale. If I got stuck, I was on my own to sink or swim. Trent would be in the room, and he could help, but he couldn’t take over for me or tell someone that didn’t work for our company to lay off.
I want to believe that Fulton was just being a jerk, but I truly have no idea of what to expect.
Trent and I talked for a few minutes after I got everything packed up to leave for the day. He tried to alleviate some of my stress and told me why Fulton was being a jerk—at least based on his perception. I believed Trent, but I couldn’t get the sick feeling out of my stomach, so I was ready to just go home for the day. My feet were hurting from wearing new shoes since lunch, and I was pretty damn sure I had blisters on both feet. I needed a long bath, a glass of wine, and some time to decompress.
The worst part of it was that I was so damn close to talking to Trent about my feelings. I was just waiting for us to wrap things up with the presentation so I could bring it up. I had no idea how he would react, but after Fulton’s visit, my limit for things that hadn’t gone my way was reached for one day. I saw disappointment in Trent’s eyes when I told him that I didn’t want to discuss anything other than work—especially after I had just told him something completely different earlier in the day. I wanted to say the words—god did I ever—but they stayed in my head as I walked to the elevator. I felt regret as soon as I stepped into the elevator, and it carried me to the parking garage.
I never thought I would say that breaking a heel and nearly getting drenched would be a fun way to spend my lunch break.
I could have moved everything that happened during lunch to the good column instead of the bad if my day hadn’t ended so badly. I loved spending time with Trent. I didn’t mind breaking my heel because I got to hold his hand until I had new shoes on my feet. It was sweet—Trent was sweet. The guy I fell in love with was still in there, and he had stolen my heart again—if I could just find a way to tell him.
“Brooke. Wait.” Trent’s voice echoed behind me, and then I heard footsteps approaching.
“Hey…” I turned towards him with a look of confusion on my face. “Did I forget something upstairs?”
“Yeah.” He nodded and took both of my hands before I even realized what was happening.
“What are you doing?” I blinked in surprise.
“What I should have done a long damn time ago.” He leaned forward, and I saw fury burning in his eyes. “You’re either going to tell me you love me or write me another fucking letter when I’m done.”
Trent pulled me close, and his lips crushed mine. A cascade of emotions erupted inside of me, and I melted into his embrace. Everything that happened during the day just wilted into a pile of nothingness in my soul. The words didn’t have to be said. They had taken on a life of their own and were so strong that we both felt them. I recovered from my shock as our lips parted, and then I kissed him—with just as much passion—maybe more. His hands moved to my waist, and I was flooded with desire. I had waited my whole life for that kiss, but as soon as I got it, I wanted everything else that was stolen from me.
“Can I give you a ride to your car?” I stared into Trent’s eyes as our lips parted for the second time.
“I’d rather you give me a ride to my place—and back here in the morning.” He leaned forward until his forehead was touching mine.
“Okay.” I smiled, and he kissed me for the third time.
A voice in the back of my head told me that things could possibly be moving too fast, but I silenced it. I felt like I had waited so damn long for that moment—I didn’t want to wait another minute. Trent and I made it to the car, and I no longer felt overwhelmed from my day. I felt overwhelmed by something else entirely. He gave me directions as I drove, and when he wasn’t pointing out a turn, his hand was on my leg—moving up my thigh—dangerously close to turning my skirt into a belt. As soon as my car was parked outside of his apartment building, he pulled me into another embrace and started kissing me.
“If you don’t stop, we’re not even going to make it to your apartment.” I gasped as his lips moved to my neck.
“Your backseat is bigger than mine.” He exhaled sharply. “It might work…”
“That line might have worked on me when I was fifteen—maybe even when I was eighteen.” I laughed under my breath. “You at least owe me a bed after all these years.”
“Fine.” He growled and leaned back. “Only because you’re going to be too exhausted to
move when I’m done with you.”
“Don’t make promises that you can’t keep.” I bit down on my bottom lip and grinned.
“Oh I’m going to keep that promise.” He narrowed his eyes and growled again.
Trent opened his door and made it to my side of the car in what seemed like a flash. I wasn’t thinking about the blisters on my feet or the presentation I had to do once we were walking into his apartment building. The only thing on my mind was him—the guy who stole my heart so long ago. I was putting it in his hands again and trusting him not to break it like he did when I was eighteen. I wouldn’t have been there with him if I didn’t believe that he had changed. The doubt was purged from my mind, and the only place I wanted to be was in his arms.
“I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve thought about this moment.” Trent pressed me to the back of the elevator and kissed my neck as soon as the doors closed.
“You could have had me…” I exhaled sharply.
“I don’t want to talk about the reason it didn’t happen.” He moved his lips to my ear. “But know that I’ll never betray you again. I know how much it hurts to lose you, and I wouldn’t wish that kind of pain on my worst enemy.”
“I don’t want to feel it again either.” I closed my eyes and leaned my head against his shoulder.
“You won’t.” Trent slid a hand underneath my skirt, and his finger brushed against my panties. “I’ll spend the rest of my life showing you how much I regret that mistake.”
“You can grovel when we get to your apartment…” A smile spread across my face, and a twinge of excitement shot through my veins.
“I’ll grovel—but you’re gonna beg.” His finger grazed the wet spot on my panties.
Hatefully Yours Page 15
