“I had just been told about two more companies we landed, and I told my acquisition’s guy I would take him out in thanks. The minute he let my name past his lips, the girls surrounded us. I had just enough liquor in me that I didn’t care if they were money hungry. I could pretend they weren’t. I could pretend it was actually me they wanted. Then you walked by.
“Those girls paled in comparison to you. When you took the drink but then ignored me, I thought for sure you knew who I was but were still too good for me. And then you left with that guy. I hadn’t been so jealous since high school.”
“Tall Hottie,” she said with a grimace. It was the first time she had felt bad for taking a guy home. Not because she had sex with him, but because even though she didn’t know him then, it hurt Henry.
“Tall Hottie?” he asked.
“Yeah, that’s what I called him. No names. I don’t do names with hook ups. It’s easier to keep it completely physical.” Henry’s face contorted with his lip curling up and his brows scrunching together. It made her want to crawl into a hole. He was disgusted by her. She never understood why it was okay for a man to sleep around to get what he needed but so horrible for a woman? “What? You can have a past of sleeping around to get your rocks off but I can’t? What kind of bullshit is that?”
“That’s not what I was thinking.”
“Bullshit. Tell me, Henry. At what point is it acceptable for me to sleep with a man?”
“No, really. I hate the thought of you with anyone else. I know you have a past. So do I. I hate that you thought you could only have the physical when you are worth everything. You deserve to have it all, Aubrey. You are one of those special women who don’t need a man in her life, but deserves one. You can take care of yourself, and your brother, and your career, without the help of anyone.”
“You think I like hearing my old boss tell me she slept with you years ago? This is why I don’t like relationships, Henry. Feelings suck. You feel all happy and giddy inside until you don’t. Eventually, the times you don’t out number the times you do. What’s the point?”
“The point is finding that person and working at a relationship to keep it from getting that way. Look at your parents. They love each and are still together after how many years? Look at your grandparents. And I hate to ask, but what’s your boss’ name?”
He had a point. But her family was the exception to the rule. She had never been exceptional at anything. Why would she suddenly start just because Henry had come along?
“Jenna. She said it was a few years ago. Trying to get secrets from you about your company but you wouldn’t talk work.”
“I am ashamed to say that I have no idea who she is. The name doesn’t ring a bell. This is what I mean. I shared something intimate with this woman that I don’t even remember. I hate that. The girls I attempted to date, I know who they are, but the others? I hope I would be able to pick them out of a lineup, but I can’t promise you I could. You and I aren’t much different, Aubrey.”
“I guess not.”
The room they sat in filled with silence. When their plates were empty, Henry stood and took their dishes to the sink. Aubrey hated that she felt so distant to him. Had they really just argued? They were barely in a relationship. At least they never had a conversation stating they were. But was it a deep conversation or an argument?
Standing, she walked over to him and stood at his back as he washed the dishes. Aubrey wrapped her arms around his waist and placed a kiss in between his shoulder blades. “Are we okay?”
“More than.”
~*~
The ride home was less eventful. Aubrey held Henry’s hand in her lap the whole way, and he explained the complexity of Marvel vs. DC. She wasn’t sure she actually got it, but seeing him so excited made her happy.
Henry opened her door for her once they pulled up to her apartments. Aubrey looked up at him hopeful. She hadn’t been so nervous for a goodnight kiss since her first date all those year ago. Henry’s eyes darted from hers to her lips and back. When his hands gripped her waist, she stepped forward, giving him permission. Slowly, he leaned in and placed his lips on hers. Soft and sweet, yet much too quick. Even though it ended sooner than she would have liked, it was perfect, and she practically floated up to her door. Aubrey fumbled for her keys, lost in her thoughts of Henry and how even though their conversations weren’t easy, she felt closer to him because of them.
The door in front of her wretched open. Mackenna stood on the other side in her pajamas—the same ones from that morning. Her hair was disheveled and her eyes were on fire, boring a hole into Aubrey’s head.
“Where have you been? You were supposed to be home hours ago! Where’s my milk?”
Shit, she forgot all about Mackenna and her damn pregnancy craving.
“I am so sorry. I completely spaced. I had a long day at work, then a great date,” she said a little dreamy. Maybe she could share some girl talk and connect better with Mackenna. Maybe that would help them find a common ground. “I will get some first thing in the morning.”
“I don’t care about work or your date. You told Ben you would get me milk. Are you a liar now? Ben said how great you are for everything you are doing but I just think this is a way to get us to break up. We have fought more since you convinced him to move in here than ever before. It’s you. You are doing it all. How the hell do you forget milk? You are doing this on purpose!” Mackenna was screaming, and Aubrey hadn’t even managed to get in the door.
A few neighbors had opened their curtains or doors to see what the commotion was at such a late hour, and Aubrey gave them an apologetic look before practically pushing her way into the apartment.
“You need to calm down. I had no intention of causing any fights between you and Ben. I just didn’t want him or my soon to be niece living on the damn street. I did forget the milk and I apologized. What more do you want?”
“Ben and your niece, huh? What about me? Don’t care if I live on the street. I want you to get me my damn milk! I have been sitting here all day waiting for a bowl of cereal. It’s the only thing I can keep down. You say you care about the baby so much, then why are you starving it?”
“All day? What about school?”
“How am I supposed to go to school if I haven’t eaten? Gotta feed the brain and all that. It would be a waste of time if I didn’t eat.”
“Are you fucking stupid?” Aubrey yelled back. She finally had enough, and Ben took that moment to open the door.
“Whoa! Aubrey, don’t talk to her like that!” He yelled, slamming the door behind him. He had only heard part of the argument, but what he did hear didn’t paint her in the best light.
“Ben, she didn’t buy my milk! Told me I didn’t need it, and she wouldn’t help me at all!” Mackenna cried, running to him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head, glaring at his sister.
“I did not. Since when have I ever spoken to her that way? I apologized for forgetting and only called her stupid when she told me she skipped school. Look at her, she didn’t even get dressed today.”
“Mackenna? I thought you said you were helping the teacher during lunch when I texted you to find out where you were. You were here the whole time?”
“I couldn’t go in! I was nauseous. This baby makes me feel gross. I just want him to grow and be big enough to get the hell out of me, Ben. I hate being pregnant.”
“Maybe you should have thought about that before having sex,” Aubrey mumbled, walking away from them. Ben shot her another glare, but said nothing.
“I know, but you have to go to school and look for some kind of job. That was the deal, remember?” Ben reached into his pocket and pulled out a bill. “Here’s a five. Why don’t you ask to borrow Aubrey’s car and go get some milk.”
The look Ben gave her told her he was trying. She needed to let the little bitch borrow her car. She rolled her eyes but grabbed the keys from the hook they hung on in the kitchen and held them out to her.
“But I can’t go out looking like this! Can’t you go? Or she can since she promised to get it anyway.”
“No, you can get dressed or go like that, either way. You go and get an application at the same time. The grocery store would be a good place to work. They pay well and are part of unions. Pretty soon we are going to need those benefits they provide.”
“Fine.” Mackenna snatched the keys from Aubrey and stormed out. Ben just stood there and stared at her.
“What? You didn’t hear the whole conversation.” Aubrey was on the defensive. She didn’t want to fight with Ben. She hated when they did, but she wasn’t going to back down because of Mackenna.
“You didn’t have to call her stupid. And why didn’t you get the milk? It would be so much easier if we could just keep her happy.”
“And what about you and me? Don’t we get to be happy where we live, too? I had a long day at work and then a date, okay. I’m sorry I forgot, but I have a life, too.”
“A date?” he asked, turning back into the brother she knew and loved. The one who would talk to her about anything.
“Yeah, his name’s Henry,” she said. The two of them sat down and talked about her night, leaving out the more intimate aspects, of course. Ben was happy for her. And dying to see the comic book room.
Chapter Fifteen
When Aubrey awoke the next morning, she felt lighter than she had in a while. Perhaps the night with Henry had changed things, or maybe it was finally reconnecting with her brother. The fight with Mackenna was far from her mind, even after she stormed back into the apartment a good two hours after she left, without milk, and headed for her bedroom without a single word to Aubrey or Ben.
Ben said his goodnight, knowing he needed to deal with his own relationship, and Aubrey hugged him before heading to her own room. The night had it’s lows but they paled in comparison to the amazing highs it had. She finally had it together.
She dressed quickly, almost knowing that Henry would be outside waiting for her. The thought alone made her smile. She shook her head at her own train of thought. There she was, the self proclaimed barfly who only needed a good lay once in a while, ready to jump head first into a relationship. And she didn’t have to give anything up to get it! How had she gone so long believing she had to choose one or the other?
Aubrey ran out the door with a quick wave to Ben and Mackenna (who was actually dressed for school) and headed for the street. Standing at the gate was Henry, coffee in one hand and a paper in the other. He wore a worried look and her steps faltered. What had happened since they said goodbye just the night before?
“Tell me,” she said as she approached. She just wanted him to spit it out. She opened the gate and reached for her coffee. Henry leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, surprising her. It was daylight, and he was openly kissing her? She didn’t mind, but he had been so careful.
“Apparently, we made the paper. Here,” he said and handed her the paper with the headline Maximus Gaming Buys Out Bennette Industries. She looked up, shocked, but confused as to why this affected her.
“Bennette? That’s why everyone is swarming?” Bennette was Viola’s big competitor before Maximus Gaming showed up. Maximus and Bennette together would be huge. They would be a super power in their own right. Viola didn’t stand a chance. All Aubrey could see was her future with the company being torn away if she couldn’t manage to convince Buffet, Hodges, and Keith that they loved her idea. They had to stick with Viola, with her idea.
“Yeah, but flip the page.” Henry bit his lip and pushed his glasses up, looking away as she turned the page. There, at the top, was a picture of Henry helping her after she fell on the street. And another of her in his truck. And another that was somehow taken through the window of his house at his dinner table. They were looking at each other with smiles on their faces. The bold print on the page sent a shiver through her. Could the Most Eligible Billionaire be Taken?
“Okay then, so what now?” she asked, almost afraid he was going to tell her to take a hike. He didn’t seem like the type to actually enjoy being in the spotlight and there he was with two articles about him. Because of her.
“I guess that’s up to you. Am I taken?”
“Do you want to be?”
“By you? Absolutely.”
Aubrey didn’t answer him. Instead, she threw herself into his arms and kissed him. She kissed him with such passion that she heard a few gasps from strangers walking by and a cat call coming from a passing vehicle. But none of that mattered. Henry Maximus was hers. And she was his.
When they broke apart, he smiled down at her. And nodded with his head in the direction they had come to walk each morning. With their fingers entwined, they smiled at people who pointed and waved as they held their own copies of the morning paper. Aubrey thought she saw a few cameras flashing but ignored them. If Henry ’weren’t going to acknowledge them, neither would she. As they passed the comic book store, Carl was just opening the doors. He waved at them and gave them both a thumbs up. Aubrey had completely forgotten about the comic book she had bought for him.
“Hey, after work you want to go to the bar? I feel like dancing.” She did feel like dancing, but more than that, she wanted Henry to walk her home so she could surprise him with his gift.
“That sounds like a plan.”
~*~
The entire floor was in a frenzy when Aubrey stepped off the elevator. A breeze whisked by her where a person used to be, papers scattered the floor and the shouts and arguments echoing off the walls were enough to send Aubrey directly into panic mode.
Aubrey quickly made her way over to Mike’s office and Bridgette’s desk. She had a pile of papers on her desk and a phone balanced between her ear and her shoulder while her hands furiously typed on her computer.
“What the hell is going on around here?” Aubrey asks.
“Buffette sent word to not bother with a presentation. After seeing the paper this morning, they feel safer going with Maximus. Now a good amount of other clients are worried about the merge affecting them. If we go under, how and what protections do they have in place. It’s a disaster. Oh, and I want details later.” Bridgette gave her a wink then started talking on the phone about meetings with a different client, reassuring them that Viola is still hard at work for his firm.
Mike opened his door and called her in. Sitting there were the CEO of Viola, Jenna, and two other people that she wasn’t quite sure who they were.
“In here, now.” Aubrey did as she was told and walked in, only to have the door closed behind her. She should have paid more attention when she approached Bridgette. If she had just looked, she would have seen the whole group and ran the other way.
“What can I do for you?” she asked, looking between them all.
“Aubrey, due to recent events, and news hitting the papers before we were aware, Mr. Fredrickson would like to hear what you have so far.”
“I thought you wanted to keep that between us until it was ready?” she asked in almost a whisper.
“Well, things have changed, haven’t they?” His eyes told of his disappointment in her. Of course, he had seen the pictures of her with their biggest competitor. But was her dating life really their business? They didn’t talk about work. She would never do that.
“Look, Henry and I—”
“Maximus Gaming is our biggest competitor and they just got bigger. I need one hundred percent transparency on any possible strategy that is going to keep us in business. Mike seems to think you are the key to that. So please, do explain.” Mr. Fredrickson was scary when he was angry, and she could tell he was angry. His brow was furrowed, his grey eyebrows almost touching each other, his eyes narrowed. When he spoke, it felt as if icy daggers were being thrown her way.
“Okay, let me go get my files,” she said, glancing around the room. Jenna had a smug look on her face and rolled her eyes.
“Should we really trust such an important project to an assistant? She needs her
notes to even tell us anything about the plan,” Jenna said, looking to her colleagues around the room. Aubrey wasn’t sure why she was even there. This wasn’t a new company to acquire, but an old one to keep.
“Now, now, Jenna. Mike put his trust in her. Let’s give her a chance.” Mr. Fredrickson gave her a fond look and a pat on the hand. Jenna beamed up at him with doe eyes and a nod. Of course, she found her way to the top. Just like she tried with Henry. Aubrey shook her head and swallowed down her nerves.
“No, she’s right. I had just wanted to give you exact numbers and projected dates of completion, which I don’t have memorized, but I can give you the basic plan.”
Aubrey took the next twenty minutes going over the remarketing of the old games, the reformatting of the programs, and the basic money structure. The men in the room sat silently, watching her as she finished. Jenna, on the other hand, scoffed.
“That has to be the worst idea I have ever heard. Kids don’t want old games. You should have focused on the old guys. Get them interested again. Maybe do an auction for a few old systems to get the interest back up.”
“Actually, Jenna, that would only gain attention for a brief period of time, and then we are back to square one. This method opens us up to doing the same for all of our clients and brings in a whole other revenue source.” Aubrey was proud of herself. She watched as the men nodded along with her.
“Aubrey, this is a great idea. Get on the phone and set the meeting up with Keith and Hodges, and the sooner the better. Rough numbers will be fine for this meeting. We just want them to know that we are prepared and won’t let them regret sticking with us.”
The Billionaire & The Barfly (Coming Home) Page 15
