“Yes—us.” He gestures to my brothers.
“Oh, no. You aren’t coming.” I shove him, but he doesn’t budge.
“Yes, we are.” Ian joins Gideon with the madness.
“This isn’t exactly—your speed.” How do I tell them, without being too insulting, that their blue-collar world doesn’t fit into the glass and steel offices of SVC Inc.?
“Don’t worry, little sis.” Brett jabs Ian in the ribs. “We clean up pretty well.”
“I don’t doubt that for a second, but this is a suit and tie kind of event.”
“You’re not facing douchebag without backup.” Gideon makes it a pronouncement, like his word is law, but I’m not done fighting him on this.
“I appreciate it. I really do, but I have to face him sooner or later. I won’t always have the four of you around to fight my battles. I’ve got this.”
“I know you do.” Gideon makes it seem as if he’s relenting, but his next words bring a groan to my lips. “But you’ll face him tomorrow with our support.” He tosses popcorn at Steven. “Time to get off the game. We need to make sure we look pretty for Quinney’s little thing tomorrow.”
“My little thing is a really, really big deal. Please don’t ruin it for me.” Whining is my last resort. I hope it’s enough.
“We’d never…” Gideon reassures.
I nearly pump my fist in victory, but lay in for the kill. “How am I going to explain why you’re there?”
“They’ll want to know you have investors.” He points to Ian, Brett, and Steven in turn. “We’re your investors.”
“What?” This is not what I expect.
I’ve never asked my family for money, and I’m not about to do that now. “I can’t pass you off as investors. I’m a horrible liar.”
Gideon climbs to his full six-foot-plus towering height. “Don’t waste your breath arguing. We talked about it yesterday and agree. You’ve got something pretty amazing and Hayes Construction has a little extra cash we need to invest. We believe in you.”
“I really appreciate it, but…” There’s no way their tiny contribution will make any difference. From the hard glint in his eyes, I’m not going to win this argument with my brothers. Not when they all gang up on me. “Fine. I give up. We have to be there no later than two. Earlier is better. I won’t be late on this. And all of you have to wear a suit and tie.”
“We know how to dress, baby girl.” Steven rolls his eyes at me. “Not our first rodeo.”
I get it. Our father owns Hayes Construction, but my brothers are full partners in the family-run business. They’re doing well, but I’m not happy about tying up any of their capital.
We spend the rest of the day together, playing video games, watching movies, and eating Mother’s amazing leftovers. I pull her aside, hoping to enlist her aid in keeping my brothers out of my hair, but I lose the battle in the end. They got to her first.
Noon the next day, they’re waiting for me downstairs. Used to seeing my brothers in faded blue jeans, work boots, and wearing the brightly colored green Hayes Construction tee-shirts, I’m struck dumb when I see them in suits and ties.
“Damn, you clean up nice.” I stop midway down the stairs to take in the sight of my four brothers in their dark suits, clean, pressed shirts, and matching green ties that display the Hayes company logo in small letters throughout.
“Told ya.” Ian spreads his arms out wide and gives me a little spin. “We clean up really good.”
Mother stands beside them, beaming at her boys; men who fill out a suit as if they were born to wear one.
“And why are you all still single?” My gaze sweeps the four of them and I shake my head. I don’t get why they aren’t already married and bouncing babies on their knees.
We climb into the family SUV. I get squished in the middle seat in the back because I’m the girl and the only one who fits there. Gideon is at the helm. Ian is our navigator. Steven supports me on my left, and Brett keeps a hand on my leg, just above my kneecap. His firm touch reminds me I can tackle anything with them at my back.
I just hope that holds true when I have to face Scott again.
Tom sent over the slides we’re using for our presentation. Scott will give it. Standing up in front of a boardroom full of suits is outside my comfort zone. Reluctantly, I unblock Scott’s number, but only so I can tell him we’re going to be late. We run into a patch of construction that eats up all the extra time I built into our drive.
We head into the heart of Atlanta and weave between skyscrapers of steel and glass. Before long, we head into an underground parking garage where I receive my tenth pep talk of the day.
My brothers are overly proud of their little sister. They may not understand anything about the code I write, but they get the practical applications of what I do. After talking with them this morning about my virtual reality applications, they already have my mind spinning with ways to adapt it to meet the needs of companies like Hayes Construction. I’m actually a little embarrassed I didn’t think of it myself.
We file into an elevator, which takes us to the twentieth floor and dumps us out into a classically understated reception area. Tom is there, pacing back and forth. He turns when we exit and gives a relieved sigh.
“I didn’t think you’d make it.” He glances at his watch while I avoid looking at the clock over the receptionist’s desk. It’s a minute until two.
“Sorry, traffic delays.”
Movement in the corner draws my eye. Scott presses out the wrinkles in his suit. He’s arrestingly gorgeous, and my heart pinches as he takes a step toward me. I’m not ready for this, but then Gideon places his hand against the small of my back, pushing me forward.
“Q?” Scott glances at my brothers. “Why are they here?”
“Why do you think?” Gideon’s response is a growl.
“We’re here for moral support, and as investors, we’re here to support our sister in any way we can.” Brett steps in front of Scott, forming a barrier between me and the man who broke my heart.
“Gentlemen…” The receptionist interrupts the male posturing. She comes around from behind her desk and with a sweep of her arm ushers us to follow. “They’re ready to see you. Please, if you’ll follow me.”
With Scott’s aborted attempt to speak with me, we all file in to fight for the funding our project desperately needs. Scott is first in line, followed by Tom. Brett continues his job as a shield, walking in front of me as he blocks Scott from getting too close. Steven and Ian flank me, and Gideon takes up the rear.
I’m surrounded by Hayes men, protected and sheltered from the evils of the world.
We march into a boardroom as a united front. A long glass table awaits us. Eight men and one woman sit to the right. I pull up short when the man sitting at the head slowly rises to his feet.
Hawke Sterling’s heated glare drills into me. Full of molten fury, his golden eyes simmer on the verge of boiling over.
I can endure Scott’s presence, but Hawke knots my stomach in an endless falling loop of regret and false promises. With a hard gulp, I swallow down my unease, because there’s something to fear in this room. My jilted lover holds my future in his hands, and I’m standing beside my ex-fiancé. I’d like to think Hawke won’t hold that over my head, but I’m here with Scott after walking out on Hawke.
I’m screwed.
With a hard shake of my head, I try, and fail, to grab a hold of the emotions racing through me. My pulse careens into a hard gallop. My heart labors to keep up. All the while, I desperately school my features into something devoid of all the emotions rattling around inside my head.
I ache for Hawke. God, I’ve missed him. I want to push past my brothers and leap into Hawke’s arms, wrap my body around him, and let the rest of the world disappear as our lips lock and our hearts meld.
He sends my heart into a dizzying spiral, wishing and wanting things it can’t have. I feel him. I feel our connection vibrating in the space between us. B
ut the hard set of his jaw gives me pause. Those eyes of his are full of anger, and judgment. I’m pretty sure he’s not happy to see me.
Gideon closes the distance behind me. His strong hand presses firmly against my back, urging me to continue toward the empty row of seats along the left-hand side of the table.
Hawke stands at the head. His commanding presence owns the room and makes my knees wobble. Power rests firmly upon his shoulders and he wears it as a comfortable companion. Muscles bounce on his stony jaw, locked in battle over which of us will break the suffocating silence first.
An older woman, with the same mane of black hair, but speckled with gray, and the same tawny eyes, sits to his right. Her piercing gaze sweeps past Scott, Tom, and my brothers, to fix on me. There they twitch before flicking back to Hawke, only to return to me. A sublime smile creeps across her face.
I wait for a break in Hawke’s expression, needing a smile to soften his eyes, but he greets me only with stony indifference and waves toward the empty seats.
“Please, take a seat so we may begin.” Tightly controlled, I melt beneath his command. There’s just something about Hawke that demands my obedience. I thought it was just during sex, but there’s more to it.
I surrender any will I may have, wanting only to run into Hawke’s arms. To feel his strength. To lay all my worries at his feet. But my breath catches and flutters in my throat, where it’s strangled into silence.
Ian grabs my elbow, urging me forward. With Gideon at my back and Ian to my side, I make it to the third chair. I won’t sit. Not until Hawke acknowledges me.
But then Scott opens his mouth.
Thirty-Two
Quinn
“It’s you.” Scott’s face reddens with indignation. “You were at Euphoria.” He stabs an accusatory finger toward me. “Kissing my fiancée. What the fuck is this?”
I cringe with Scott’s outburst. He lobs a grenade in the room, opening his mouth before thinking, obliterating our chances before we begin.
Why can’t he keep his mouth shut?
Because he’s an arrogant prick; A hotheaded asshole you once thought you were in love with.
Well, I definitely know how to pick losers.
My fingers dig into the supple leather of the back of the chair while the only other woman in the room straightens with indignation.
“I will kindly invite you to watch your language in my presence, son.” Her haughty tone sends a shiver down my spine. I initially dismissed the frail woman, but with a flick of her fingers, two men move away from the walls. My gaze shifts to Hawke who grits his teeth. No doubt he’s holding his tongue. He may be leading this meeting, but that woman is the one in charge.
And he hates it.
I blink in surprise, not having noticed the men along the wall.
Hawke holds up his hand and the men hover, looking between him and the woman who I assume is his mother. They share too many characteristics for that not to be the case.
“What this is, Mr. Aiken, is you blowing the deal of a lifetime.” Hawke’s eyes narrow and his chiseled jaw hardens. “You will apologize to my mother.”
Scott’s mouth works, but no sound comes out. Hawke simply shakes his head. “I think it’s decided then.” He sounds disappointed, but then he turns his furious gaze to me.
What does he want with that stormy gaze? One outburst and our future lies in ruin. Scott killed us before we had a chance to plead our case. I don’t know whether to run with our tails tucked between our legs or to defend our case.
“Hawke?” His mother pins me with her eyes. I feel like a tiny field mouse before the hawk strikes. My heart seizes in my chest, waiting for the fatal snatch into oblivion. “You know this woman?” Her tone is dismissive and unsurprised.
“Yes, Mother, I do.” Hawke’s jaw clenches. Tension winds through his entire body. Any moment and his restraint will snap. I feel this intuitively. “We met at Euphoria.”
“Was that before or after you tabled their request?” Her acidic words drip with venom. Not to wound us, but rather to embarrass her son.
“After.” His long fingers press against the glass tabletop. “They’re here on your request, not mine. I’m sure you remember that correctly.”
“There’s nothing wrong with my memory, Hawke.” I flinch at the cutting words his mother uses, but Hawke doesn’t flinch. He absorbs it without any reaction. “This is certainly more interesting than I thought it would be.” This woman enjoys playing with her prey. It’s clear in the calculated cruelty she wields and in how she speaks down to everyone in the room.
Why does Hawke tolerate it?
“This…” Hawke grinds the words from between clenched teeth. “It’s what you wanted. To see if MindScapeVR would accept your conditions.”
“Conditions?” I can’t help it. I blurt out the word, stepping into a landmine of conversation. “What do you mean by conditions?”
Hawke’s focus swivels back to me. “Your company’s proposal, Miss Hayes, has merit, but lacks significantly in the execution of its business plan. My mother invited you here to listen to your pitch and to offer an alternative. She’s interested in seeing whether you would accept our terms.”
She’s interested. Not we. I sense a rift between Hawke and his mother, but have no basis to understand it. He and I didn’t share much in the short time we had together. Or rather, I realize I shared a great deal, while he managed to say very little about himself. Although for a man who fucks and never dates, I understand why. My regrets over leaving him make less and less sense.
While I made the right decision, I can’t help but whither beneath his gaze. It’s full of the betrayal I put at his feet when I left him. My heart trips a little, missing a beat. We should be summarily dismissed after Scott’s outburst, but we’re still standing.
“What terms?”
Hawke’s gaze sweeps past Tom and lands on my brothers. “And who are you?” His eyes pinch. “The invitation was for three.”
“And yet here we are.” Gideon places a hand on my shoulder. “Quinney, I take it you’re familiar with this person?” I hear his protective tone and cringe. For the past three days, he and my brothers tried to get me to tell them where I spent my time after Scott’s infidelity broke our incredibly brief engagement.
So far, I avoided supplying that little bit of information. It’s not theirs, but rather my closely guarded secret. For three days, I knew true happiness, then I walked away. I wanted to keep that sliver of happiness to myself, something I cherish above everything else.
Now everyone knows, and it’s not my little secret anymore. The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do was walk away from Hawke Sterling. I was falling for him, too hard and too fast, even knowing he’s the kind of man who fucked and never entered into a relationship.
What I wanted with him was much more. I cut and ran.
“She slept with him at Euphoria.” Scott’s face turns a nasty shade of purple as he spits around his words. His attention shifts to Hawke. “Why are we here?”
Why is Scott acting as if he’s the injured party?
My stomach ties its final knot and plummets off a cliff. My dream is dead. Dead because of Scott’s assholery, not to mention my brother’s overprotective nonsense. Oh, and then there’s Hawke and the little bit of history we share.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Sterling. It seems we’ve wasted your time.” I’d stay and fight, but there’s no recovering from this. I release my death grip on the leather chair. “Mrs. Sterling, I apologize for my associate’s vulgarity. Gentlemen, my apologies for wasting your time.” I give a nod to the other men in the room and push back from the chair. If we’re going to get kicked out, I’d rather at least start heading toward the door. They won’t have as far to kick us that way.
“Miss Hayes…” The scratchy voice of Hawke’s mother pulls my ears to my shoulders. “Stay.” When she takes to her feet, the men sitting rise as one. “Mr. Aiken and Mr…” Her brow arches as she takes in Tom.
&nb
sp; Tom’s face is the palest shade of white, caught in a situation he never could’ve imagined finding himself in.
“Tom Sparks.” He supplies his name and takes to his feet, following the lead of the other men. Scott is the only man still sitting.
“Mr. Sparks, follow Mr. Lewis and his associates to the library. We’ll collect you momentarily.” Her request carries the force of an order.
Tom swallows thickly. His gaze bounces to me, questions swirling in their depths. I should play it cool, like I know what’s happening, but I give up with a shrug.
“You might as well.” I wave him out, and he follows the other men out of the room, leaving Scott, Hawke, Mrs. Sterling, and my obnoxious, overly protective brothers to measure the weight of our stares with one another. I believe the men are measuring dick lengths while Mrs. Sterling laughs silently to herself. Male posturing can be amusing, but not now.
“And who are they?” Mrs. Sterling lifts a gnarled knuckle toward my brothers.
“Representatives of Hayes Construction,” Gideon proudly answers.
“Ah…” She dismisses Gideon out of hand, but he’s not one to allow anyone to minimize him.
“We’re investors, so if you’re not offering capital, what’s on the table? We have a vested interest in how this plays out.”
“Gideon,” I practically hiss as I place my hand on his arm, “don’t antagonize her.”
“Well, isn’t that cute. Miss Hayes has her family investing in her little project.” Her derisive snort curls my fingers into fists, but I force myself to relax. She watches me, not Gideon, and I’m very well aware what that means.
“Mother…” Hawke barely suppresses a growl.
My attention shifts to his protective instincts. Defending me over his mother? It’s not what I expect.
“Oh, come on, surely you think it’s adorable too?” She pivots toward her son, back ramrod straight and eyes cruelly set. “I’m curious as to your connection with Miss Hayes and why this is the first I’m hearing of it?” Her acidic gaze burns into Hawke.
“This is not the time…” A low warning tone threads through Hawke’s words.
Hawke: Christmas in Paradise (Billionaire Boys Club) Page 23
