“Brain dead? That doesn’t sound right. Usually, those groups are ready to go.”
“The other groups were actually kind of amazing, but this last bunch needed to wake up. The only question I got was from amateur hour.” I walked out of the plant and to my car, taking off my lanyard and nametag.
“Well, to be fair, you are more passionate than most, and it is the end of the day. No telling what those poor people had to sit through to wait their turn.” She wasn’t kidding. I’d sat through many a boring training videos and lectures throughout my college days.
“I’m glad I’m done. Now if something exciting would happen I’d be thrilled.” I turned on my blue-tooth and started my car.
Jana’s voice filled the cab of my car. “Be careful what you wish for, besides, you need a break, and I still think you need a man.”
I sighed thinking she was about to get on another one of her soapboxes about me not dating. We’d been over that a million times. “You think every woman needs a man. No thanks, I have enough work in my life without adding more.” A tone sounded out interrupting our call. I glanced down to see it was my boss. “I have to go, Jana, that’s Neil calling.”
“Call me later.” Her line went dead, so I answered the other call. After saying hello I held my breath. There was never any telling what I’d be asked to do.
“Good news, Megan. I have an opportunity for you, and I think you’re going to love it.” I liked the sound of that already but proceeded with caution in case he was buttering me up. Neil had a way of polishing turds and trying to pass them off as candy.
“Are you going to make me wait all day or are you going to tell me?” Predictable as ever he chuckled.
“I should make you wait and ask you how the tours went this morning, but I’m sure you had a wonderful day talking about our wonderful career in an educational environment.” The water treatment plant was hardly an educational environment but who was I to argue.
“Things went great. There’s a whole new generation of us to come.” I didn’t think I should tell him what a disappointment some of them were and instead pressed for my new assignment. “So, what’s this new deal?”
“You’ve heard of the Walker Industries and their latest accusations; I take it?” The name was familiar right away, and I’d read all about the claim of contaminants found in the water in the surrounding area. This was a good case for sure.
“Are you telling me I’m being brought in on an investigation of Walker Industries?” I caught my smile in the side mirror as I hit the interstate.
“Well, close. You’re being brought in for the company. They’d like you to look for ways to prove that they aren’t contaminating the environment and want you to help them enforce better practices for prevention in the future.” It wasn’t exactly what I’d hoped. Ryan Walker was probably the hottest billionaire bachelor known in the state, and probably the entire country, but I’d also heard the man was an ass. To be brought in to endure his ego for the duration of the project was going to be rough. I didn’t play well with others of his kind. His type of big industry was what made me come into the business in the first place.
“It’s a great opportunity, and you came to them highly recommended, so they’re really looking forward to working with you.”
Great, so I couldn’t say no. A few more seconds of contemplation was all I needed, and it wasn’t like I could say no anyway. “When do I meet with them?”
“Good girl, I knew you’d be perfect for the job when I recommended you. You’ll see him Wednesday morning at eight sharp. Don’t be late. Our reputation is riding on you.”
I raked my hand through my long auburn hair forgetting that Jana had encouraged me to try her hairspray. At least it was in a pump. “Thanks. I think. On second thought, I’ll thank you later, and only if this goes well.”
“You’ll be fine. Keep that smart mouth of yours in check, and you’ll do wonderfully.” That was easier said than done and I had a feeling he knew that.
“Is there anything else I should know?” I held my breath and pursed my lips.
“I was going to save this as a surprise, but what the heck. Your friend Jana Jones will be along as well. For the initial meeting anyway. I want her working on the backend here at the office for the most part, but it will be good to show a strong front in the beginning, and she’ll need to know what’s going on first hand.”
“Awesome! You haven’t told her?” I wondered if she knew about it when I’d called.
“No, and I’m counting on the two of you to not get in any trouble. Don’t give these people a hard time. I need you to work lead on this but make sure you rely on Jones and send her all the information you can. I don’t want her thinking she’s on vacation.” Jana was known as a bit of a slacker at times, but I was excited I’d have my best friend along for the initial experience.
I’d come into Easton as a wildcard, and luckily Neil had loved me. I’d made friends with Jana pretty fast, but many of the others took me for a white trash hillbilly who’d grown up poor and lacked social graces. Maybe some of that was true, but I wasn’t a dummy, and my mother had raised me right. I’d had to fight tooth and claw for acceptance from my peers at Easton and that first year had been a doozy. I’d come into my own and made friends since, but I was still set in my ways and could come off a little abrasive.
“I’ll do my best.” I ended the call and wondered what Jana would suggest I wear to meet a billionaire. I cringed knowing she’d say heels.
Chapter 3
Ryan
I woke to an arm across my face, and that might not be a bad thing if I could remember the name of the woman it belonged to. Heather? No— Hannah. Holly? Fuck. Heather had been last week. I started to wonder if I should sneak into her bag to check her driver’s license, but it didn’t really matter one way or another, it was the last time I’d see her, and she got to stay longer than most. I usually rushed them the same night, and it was rare for one to wake up at my house. The problem was I'd had too much to drink, which wasn’t like me, but I’d been so upset over that whole environmental deal that Jason and I had gone out for drinks and dancers.
“Hey, time to wake up, Holly. Let’s go. Get on up.” I shook her gently, and she woke up frowning.
“Did you just call me Holly?” Her eyes narrowed, and her lip curled back as if she could expose fangs. She had looked so much better through my beer goggles in the dim lit club, and now her face looked like an old shoe, her skin wrinkled from the sheets and bloated from sleep. The way she pinched her brows tight didn’t do anything for her either. “My name is Haley, asshole.” She rolled out of bed and got to her feet, her fake tits swinging unnaturally as she reached down and gathered her clothes. At least the position made her ass look pretty good, but then she stood up. Pancake.
I got to my feet as she stormed out and headed for the bathroom. Thankfully there was a used condom on top of the trash so that I wouldn’t be seeing Holly— Haley again. No baby for me. I scratched my head wondering if I still had it wrong.
I jumped in the shower and washed the stink of the night off of me. Twenty minutes later I was straightening my tie in the mirror wondering if I needed a shave. My eyes carried a couple of dark circles that I hoped would be gone by noon, and I raked my hand through my hair, using paste to keep it perfect. I wasn’t metro or anything, but I liked to look good. I grabbed a power bar and some coffee on my way out and headed to work.
Gina was waiting for me when I arrived. “Mr. Walker, don’t forget you have that meeting this morning. Those two women from the environmental agency will be stopping by.”
“Thanks for the reminder, Gina. Has Jason been in this morning?”
A soft blush rose to her cheeks. “He’s in your office.” She turned and went to her desk, and I wondered what that was all about.
I opened the door to my office and went inside to find Jason looking bright-eyed and fresh-faced. “Why do you look like the cat that ate the canary? Are you flirting wi
th Gina again?”
“Not intentionally. You know it happens. I can’t help myself. Why do you look like the man who got run over by a dump truck?” He raised a brow and gave me a sideward look.
“Last night’s lay was a bed hog.”
“She spent the night? Holly was gone by three a.m.; you know the rules man, never let them stay past three, especially when you’re rich enough to pay for a cab ride home.”
I returned the sideward glance. “I thought I was with Holly? There were two Holly’s?”
“You were with Haley. Holly was my date, and she was a real wildcat in bed. I still have the scratches down my back. I take it my night went better than yours.” I gave him a withering glance.
“I’m going to have to have to kick you out of here soon, and I think I’m going to enjoy it.” I eased back in my chair as the phone rang. Gina buzzed in warning me it was my father.”
“Shit, let me take this.” Jason was already headed for the door.
“I’ll catch you around lunch when you’re feeling less bitchy.” He gave me his dopey grin and snapped his fingers at me as he left.
I waited for the door to shut and answered. “Good morning, Dad.”
“Son. Your mother wanted me to remind you about dinner on Sunday, but that’s not why I called. I wanted to check on you and make sure you got the memo from Donahue. He sent over a list of things we’d like for you to go over with the environmentalists today.” I hadn’t planned on going over anything with them in depth. I paid people for that.
“I can get Johnson on that. I’ll have Gina send it—
“No! You’re the one who has to take interest. It paints a better picture and shows that the company is interested enough that the CEO is taking this bull by the horns.”
“Are you serious? I don’t know anything about that stuff. That’s why I pay people with degrees.”
“You know you’re brother was always eager to learn, to go that extra mile and here you are not even wanting to pull this company’s ass from the fire! If you don’t take charge and fix these environmental issues the government can and will shut us down!” My head was pounding like someone was holding a jackhammer to it. I winced with every word. I hated it when he yelled at me.
He’d never yelled at David that way, not his first-born and golden child, nope, he kissed his ass. Me on the other hand, I had always been invisible until he needed someone to blame.
“I’ll handle it.”
“See that you do, and personally. Don’t pass this off to someone else. It’s too important, Ryan.” My father only used my name when he wanted to drive the point home. Any other time I was son and most times it surprised me that he even claimed me at all.
Gina tapped on my door and opened it a crack. “Mr. Walker, you’re morning appointment has arrived.”
“I’ve got to go. They’re here. Like I said, I’ll handle it.” I slammed the phone down as the door opened across the room.
The first woman who entered was about my age with mousy brown hair and more freckles than she knew what to do with and enough makeup for two hookers. She wasn’t unattractive, quite the contrary, her eyes were very pale brown giving her an exotic look, though she seemed to try a little too hard for my tastes. But the next woman, a slender green-eyed beauty with auburn hair, was a knockout in her tight black pencil skirt. Naughty environmentalist? Who knew? She smiled, and my breath hitched as my cock hardened. Whoa boy.
“Hello, ladies.” I held out a hand to the first woman, and she promptly took it. “I’m Ryan Walker, and you are?”
“Jana Jones and this is my colleague Megan Stephens.” I let go of Jana’s hand and took Megan’s. Apparently tree-huggers today weren’t how I thought they’d be.
I’d imagined little frumpy dumpy girls who hadn’t had a date in their lives, not two young women who looked like a pair that Jason and I might pick up in a club. Well, maybe a bar.
I offered them a seat and then turned my attention back to the first woman, “So which of you lovely ladies will I be working with? I was under the impression there’d be just one of you.”
The one woman blushed, and I was just about to form the impression that these two would be a couple of pushovers when the other one cleared her throat. “You’ll be working with me, Mr. Walker.” Her brow raised, and she gave me a challenging stare. I was so turned on but knew right away this one wasn’t going to be easy.
Chapter 4
Megan
I wasn’t the kind of girl who swooned at a perfect male form, no matter if he had the sexiest eyes I’d ever seen. Those deep browns smoldered without effort, and though they’d sent a heat blooming deep in my core, I wasn’t going to let him see me break weak.
I had a pretty good idea what men like him expected from women in my field, and from the look on his face, I was already squashing his expectations.
“Working with you will be a pleasure, Mrs. Stephens.” I denoted the hint of sarcasm in his voice.
“It’s Ms. Stephens, and I’ve taken the liberty to look into the allegations against Walker Industries and though I know this is your home base, but I’d like to start at your Arkansas branch and then hit the Ohio location on the way back. I’m particularly interested in the coking process and the precautions you’ve taken in relation to the Mississippi River and Lake Erie.” He stared stone-faced and then his brow rose as a cocky smile spread his lips.
He leaned forward and opened his planner. “I’ll have to see where I can fit that in.”
“You don’t understand, Mr. Walker. Consider this a surprise inspection, if you will. I’d like to see things for what they are and not after a period of warning. So we’ll be leaving as early as possible. I’d like to study those locations over the next three days.”
He glanced at Jana who crossed her legs and shifted in her seat. I’d warned her that I’d have to be tough with the likes of Ryan Walker. If I had shown up with anything other than an assertive attitude, he’d have eaten us both for breakfast. Instead, I’d come in and made him squirm, and it felt good.
He leaned in across his desk and met my eyes. “I appreciate your fire, Ms. Stephens, but there’s no way I can shuffle my schedule for a last minute trip. I have a billion dollar company to run here, and you can’t just walk in here and expect me to drop everything.”
“I just did.” I gave him my best cocky grin in return and lifted my shoulder. My heart was beating out of my chest, the thrumming loud in my ears, but I wasn’t backing down. “And you’ll make sure this trip happens.”
He leaned back in his chair, a weak attempt to seem relaxed. “And if I don’t?” A soft chuckle escaped his lips.
I reached down into my bag and pulled out a file. I’d worked all night on the report, and now I was glad I had. I stood and tossed the file on his desk, and it landed with a thud right in front of him. As he opened it up, I filled him in. “If you don’t let me in over the next three days, I’ll use that report to shut down every North American location.” Jana let loose of a soft whistle, but I kept my eyes forward, bearing down on his.
“You’ve been a busy girl.” He thumbed through the papers and then closed the folder.
“I think you’ll find I’m dedicated to my cause.” I crossed my legs to seem casual, unfazed.
“Thorough, I like that.” His gaze slid down my leg and up again, and as he licked his lips, I felt a tingle burn deep between my legs.
“It’s a standard I live by. I’ve never been much for people who cut corners.” His type was all the same with their money above all attitude, and I’d seen it too many times in plants and factories, subpar standards and shoddy machinery, and not to mention the filth that I was tired of it. It was sickening that anyone could put someone’s life at risk just to turn a buck. “If only everyone could put people first above their profits.”
“I can assure you my team has done sufficient work and all of these claims can be debunked. Things aren’t run here like they were in the good old days of my father.
I put together an entire team of some of the best environmentalists in the country to hold us accountable, and I’ve spent a damned pretty penny to do so. So I’d like for you to understand that though this wasn’t exactly my idea, and I’m willing to cooperate with your demands however disruptive, we invited you. You weren’t sent. I could just toss you out on your pretty little ass right now.”
Pompous ass. “And I’d like you to understand that my job is not one of bias and as for disrupting your life for three days, try suffering with cancer for years. Try living without your loved ones so some billionaire brat can wine and dine on his private jet or play another round of golf while wearing a ten thousand dollar watch. Maybe if you knew loss, you’d have a better attitude and understanding why your company poisoning people matters. But people like you never lose, right?”
His eyes burned into mine with a different kind of fire and what was once a smoldering look of seduction was now pure rage, but then as if someone flipped off a switch, his smug smile returned.
He smiled and sat straight up in his seat. “And here I thought you’d done your homework on me. Guess you’re not as studious as you’d like me to believe.” I realized the moment those words registered and quickly recovered before he saw what I felt.
He stood and walked to the door. “Mr. Jones, it was nice meeting you.” Jana gathered her bag from her feet and stood.
She gave me a wide stare and then softened her expression for him. “Good to meet you too, Mr. Walker.” As she reached for his hand, I gathered my things and got to my feet.
“Ms. Stephens.” Jana walked on out, and as I headed to the door, he closed it and stepped in my way. I stopped short of walking into him and was so close I could feel his breath against my cheek.
“Mr. Walker?”
“Megan. I’ll see you here bright and early. We’ll take my private jet. You know, so we can make the trip in your time frame, but don’t worry. They’ll be no wine.” He stepped away and opened the door. After giving him a nod, I walked out to meet Jana.
My One and Only: A Bad Boy Secret Baby Second Chance Romance Page 100
