“Adel, are you ready?” Leo asked, interrupting her thoughts. She had already gathered her laptop and iPad plus her notes and a bottle of water.
“Yes, Mr. Ferguson,” she replied and held his gaze. His deep brown eyes seemed to darken at her response to him and then he motioned for her to walk in front of him as he ushered her through the hall to the meeting room. She wondered if he were checking out her ass. She could practically feel his eyes burning her skin and she felt flush. How could she react to him in this way? It wasn’t normal. It was like she lusted for the man, for his brothers, yet knew they could be just like Bentley. Besides, her heart couldn’t take any more pain and betrayal. Trusting anyone other than herself right now would be too risky.
She locked gazes with Hank, who was already sitting and laying out papers and blueprints.
He glanced at her. His eyes roamed over her breasts and she pressed her palm down the front to ensure nothing was showing. The blouse was a little big. Her nerves and melancholy over the last week were weighing their toll on her figure. Mom called twice and Bentley called three times, including once drunk and with some bimbo giggling in the background telling him to hang up the phone and fuck her already.
She swallowed the bile in her throat, seemingly giving Hank a dirty look before she placed her things down on the table and sat.
“Are you okay, Adel?” Hank asked.
Hank? The silent, brooding, angry boss of a man asked her if she were okay?
“Of course I am. Is Will coming?” she asked.
“Will is here,” Will said, entering the office with a laptop and looking rushed but handsome as usual. His brown hair was slicked back, and appeared to be wet as if he just took a shower. The thought made her heart race a little faster.
When he came closer she could smell the soap he used. A cologne-type that had an appealing scent that made her inhale a little deeper. He was sporting a polo shirt today, in black, along with a pair of dress pants. He was into designer clothes and liked to look his best. So did Leo and Hank.
She swallowed hard and opened up her laptop as they exchanged pleasantries.
“You can’t be late like this, Will. We’ve got a lot of work to do to get ready for this proposal. Staying out late on a weeknight can’t become a habit,” Hank reprimanded.
“Okay, Dad. Sorry I’m late,” Will replied sarcastically as he deepened his voice and brought his shoulders to practically to his ears as he shrugged and gave a sorrowful expression.
Leo smirked but caressed the folder in front of him as he stared at her.
She felt her cheeks warm. Those damn dark brown eyes of Leo’s and those expressions of authority did a number on her.
“Grow up, Will. Let’s get started,” Hank said with command and a superiority that was all Hank. The man had the ability to make people stand at attention and keep their eyes focused on him.
Or maybe it was just her? Apparently certain parts of her body had a thing for a man of power. What she didn’t like was to be used, abused, and treated like a ready available doormat.
“Let’s start with the particulars of the location for the new home development and the surrounding town. It’s about thirty minutes south from here. I believe the approximate number of homes to be built is one hundred and fifty homes. Price ranges ranging from low two hundred thousands to over a million. Do you have the details on that, Leo?” Hank looked toward his brother.
Leo opened the file and ran down the list of particulars and the believed time frame to have each phase accomplished.
Adel typed the notes into her computer.
“How many phases are you anticipating and to what amount of homes per phase?” she asked.
“I think working a four-phase schedule would be great, and we could state date of completion earlier,” Hank said to them.
“I don’t know if that’s really feasible and giving enough room for any complications such as delivery mistakes, weather, unforeseen hold-ups. I say five phases,” Will added as he started talking about the suppliers they would use, the projects they were currently working on, and the increase in cost of materials.
The three men went back and forth and Adel wondered if she should suggest a more acceptable and rational direction. She’d worked for her father’s company from age thirteen and through college where she got her MBA. She knew a lot about construction. In fact she knew the ins and outs and ways to really cut back on costs and to negotiate terms of material prices and so forth, but her job here, the one Harold had gotten her, was personal assistant to these three men, his sons.
One of the things she noticed about the three men was that they liked to handle their sides of the business and not take much constructive criticism. That was fine. They were a privately owned business taking in revenue of over three million a year. If they got this job, that income would double and so would their responsibilities and way of thinking.
She cleared her throat.
“Excuse me. May I make a suggestion?” Adel asked and all three men stopped and stared at her.
Hank looked pissed and also condescending, like he was thinking, “What could she know about this?” Leo gave her his full attention but his jaw was firm as if his brothers’ argument was still annoying him, and Will leaned back without a care in the world and an attitude as he crossed his arms in front of his chest and gave the evil eyes to Hank.
“Go ahead, Adel,” Leo told her.
She swallowed hard.
“Well, from my initial understanding of this project there will be approximately one hundred and fifty homes being built. Of those homes, only twenty-five of them are mansions, homes over five thousand square feet and in the millions. I think the best thing to do would be to have six phases of development. Take the extra time to split the construction crew to build half of the million-dollar homes after the first phase of the regular homes are built. You want to snag the attention of both types of buyers. Ones in the market for more affordable homes and ones interested in the elite homes. Will could probably come up with an idea to promote both aspects with our advertising department.”
“But we would still be on a deadline that would be tough to meet if we spit crews,” Hank told her firmly.
“Sir, if you plan on getting this job, you are going to need to double the amount of workers you have now on the payroll. It would be worth it to increase that so that you won’t have to increase the time of completion. The Morrisons want all the homes sold before they are even built, so there won’t be too much concern over not meeting the deadline. Give yourself leg room and then if all goes according to plan you can tell Morrison you’re ahead of schedule and will have it complete before the deadline.”
“I like her thinking,” Will stated and then he started talking about the way to attack construction. Leo added his comments and she took notes.
She listened to the three brothers go over everything, disagree, resolve the disagreement, and tease one another. As usual, Hank was the more serious one and barely cracked a smile when Leo insulted Will or vice versa.
They were so different, yet a lot alike. She took in Hank’s firm expression, his large hands as he held the pen in one and reprimanded his brothers while he jotted things down. He was such a disciplinary man, where Will was a comedian and Leo was an all-around friendly, fun guy.
She felt her cell phone vibrate but ignored it. A few minutes later, as she chuckled at something Will called Leo, she felt her phone vibrate again.
“Do you need to answer that?” Hank asked her, sounding annoyed. She tightened up. Hank had that effect on her.
He raised one of his eyebrows up at her.
“Well, see who it is and if need be take a minute. My brothers are acting like morons and could use the moment to gather their stupidity.”
“Hey, Hank, meetings don’t have to be constant business and no fun. After all, this is going to be a project with months of these meetings before we even break ground,” Will told him as she glanced down at her cell ph
one.
“We have to get the job first, Will,” Hank replied as Adel looked at the caller ID on her cell. She felt that instant sick feeling in her gut. Her face felt as if it went on fire. She was suddenly hot and that meant looking overheated.
Bentley, you jerk. What in God’s name do you want with me? God, could he seriously think I would take him back? After what he did?
She felt the tears reach her eyes as she quickly turned her cell phone off. That was when she noticed how quiet it got. Slowly she looked up and all three men were staring at her.
“Are you okay?” Will asked her.
She looked away and reached for the laptop to move it closer.
“Yes, of course. So where were we?”
“Is something wrong? Do you need to respond to that message?” Leo asked her, his expression firm, making him appear almost as intimidating as Hank.
She shook her head and placed her fingers on the keyboard, hoping they got the message to continue. When she locked gazes with Hank, figuring it would be easier to make him see she wasn’t hiding anything, she was shocked to see the concern in his expression.
“We went over a lot today. We need to go over the time frame, make up the charts on the phases and anything else preliminary before we move onto the blueprints, land structure, and designs. Let’s meet back in an hour or so after lunch.”
She glanced at her computer screen. It was almost fifteen minutes past one. Had they really been in this meeting that long? She was surprised, but she was relieved to get a breather.
Leo and Will stood up, and she closed the laptop and then reached for her phone and bag.
They didn’t say anything to her. She thought maybe one of them might ask about the call or if she were okay, but she must have read into the expressions of concern on their faces. They were probably just annoyed that her phone buzzing interrupted the meeting. So why did that realization make her feel like crap?
She was making herself nuts. One minute she compared these men to Bentley, and pushed any attraction to them away, and the next she was looking for their attention, their care, that apparently she must be creating in her mind. These men didn’t care about anything involving her but her professional position in their company. She was alone. Get used to it.
She headed out of the room and felt the phone buzzing again. She glanced at it, wanting to throw it across the room or at minimal, throw it into the small garbage by her desk.
She growled in annoyance as she read the text.
We need to talk. I’ll keep texting. Come on now, Adel. Now.
Damn it pissed her off so much that he was still making demands on her. She could practically hear his voice, and that demanding ordering tone of his. Now, Adel. Now! Screw him.
“Hey, are you okay?” Marcy asked as Alicia reached down to grab her purse that was under the desk.
“Fine,” she replied.
“That meeting with the three of them was that intense?” Marcy pushed as she eyed over Will when he walked past the desk and to his office. She licked her lips and Adel wanted to smack her.
“No, the meeting with them was fine. Why?”
“Well the three of them have quite the reputations.” She moved closer and whispered, “I heard they’ve had sex in that meeting room with different women.”
Adel was shocked and then she was mortified as she covered her hand over her chest.
“Not me,” she said on the defensive.
“Of course not you. You’re so not their type.”
She felt offended now, too. These were too many emotions to feel right now. She should walk away, but she couldn’t.
“Why not? What are their type?” she asked.
Marcy smirked.
“Not women with class and brains like you. You’re sweet, too. The three of them have reputations as tigers in the bedroom.”
“And you know all this how?”
Marcy looked down and then shyly looked back up. “I know people.”
“What people do you know? I’ve lived in Chance longer than you and it’s only been like fourteen months for me.”
“It’s true I tell ya. And, I wouldn’t mind it at all. In fact, if one of them asks me for some assistance in their office, I’m making a move. They’re loaded, too,” she said as she adjusted her cleavage in her blouse.
Adel had enough as she shook her head and laughed even though she wanted to smack Marcy silly.
The protective, jealous feeling was instant. It shocked her as she grabbed her bag. She had to remind herself about men like Hank, Leo, and Will. Well, maybe not so much Leo. He seemed more sincere in his ways. He always asked her how she was feeling and what she did over the weekend. Sometimes she wanted to make shit up.
She headed out of the office and nearly missed the sight of Levi Holmes coming her way. That damn jerk always seemed to be waiting for her, or showed up whenever she was on her way off to lunch or leaving. He gave her the creeps, the way he watched her and showed up all the time, but he never hit on her, or asked her out. He just seemed to want to know where she was going, whom she was with, and what she was up to. She avoided eye contact with him as she saw Steve, one of the guys who worked the construction department.
“Hi, Steve, how are you?” she asked. He smiled wide and let his eyes roam over her body. He was cute, but he drank a lot and from what she heard through the office grapevine, he screwed around a lot, too. He was that no-commitments type of guy, but still very nice to talk to.
“Sweet, sweet, Adel. The question is, how are you?” he teased, noticing Levi and how much the guy unnerved her. Steve placed his arm over her shoulder and whispered into her ear.
“You should really let me kiss you, Adel. That would surely send your stalker running.”
She chuckled and went to push on his side for him to release her but he held tight.
“Oh come on, Adel, we’d be good together. Your gorgeous doe eyes and shy, innocent qualities can find protection and security with biceps like mine wrapped around you all the time. We’d be real good together,” he whispered, his lips touching her ear.
She laughed, knowing he was such a gigolo, but as she reprimanded him and chuckled, she saw Hank standing there, watching her, and looking like he wanted to kill her.
“You are such a flirt. Do those lines really work with the ladies?” she asked, pushing away from him. She noticed Levi watching and then walking away. At least Steve’s acting got Levi to take a walk.
Steve looked over his shoulder, noticing Levi disappeared. He grabbed Adel’s hand and brought it to his lips.
“See, my sweet Adel, I told you that would work. Now make this moment perfect and say you’ll meet my brothers and I for a few drinks tonight at Spencer’s.”
She felt her cheeks warm and she definitely was blushing. Steve and his three brothers? No freaking way. Those men were wild.
“Not interested, Steve, but thank you for the help.”
He winked at her.
“You’re breaking my heart, Adel. My brothers will be disappointed.”
She chuckled.
“Something tells me you and your brothers will be just fine. See you later and be safe.” She pointed at him.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said and she smiled. As she turned around to walk away, Hank was standing there.
“Did you need something before I run out for lunch?” she asked Hank.
Hank looked her body over then stared into her eyes. He was so tall and handsome, but damn was that fierce expression of his powerful. She felt guilty or like she was caught doing something illegal.
He glanced toward Steve, who was walking back toward his department.
“You should be careful around Steve. He’s fast and a bit wild,” he warned her.
“Steve? He’s harmless,” she replied and then she noticed Hank seemed to be clenching his teeth or maybe he was biting the inside of his mouth as his cheek sunk in. His eyes grew darker somehow and she gulped.
“You’re too good for
him and his brothers. Watch yourself,” he said with such conviction she took a step back and he immediately walked away.
As she headed out of the building, she felt a multitude of things. She was practically shaking. Hank was a superior man. He also never revealed what was going on in his mind although she was able to pick up on little things over the past several months. When he was upset or angry he got quiet and then he got verbal and demanding. She had witnessed his wrath one time when a group of employees screwed up something on a job site and some workers got hurt. It was something avoidable and he fired the men on the spot. He didn’t take chances with his employees’ lives. He was a good boss. Hell, he was a good man but not her type. He reminded her of Bentley because of his controlling attitude and fierce way he would look at her. He watched her body or stared at her legs when they were crossed as if he owned her. He liked to sip on expensive brandy, and she didn’t know what he was like buzzed never mind drunk.
With Bentley she had been turned on by that attitude and possessiveness, but too soon that possessiveness made her feel like an object, like something he owned and could do what he wished with. The love, the compassion, the care was replaced with being manhandled, somewhat abused by his firm grips, not-so-gentle tugs and pushes, and of course Bentley’s verbal orders and demands. Throw in some alcohol and the man turned into a monster. How her father didn’t seem to care made her wonder if he ever really loved her as his daughter.
She felt the tears reach her eyes and she put on her sunglasses as she walked down the block. She forced herself to not think of Bentley, or to analyze Hank, or fantasize about Leo, wondering what kind of lover he would be, and she didn’t think about Will, who was wild and a playboy.
The best thing to do was to avoid an attraction to her bosses. To not get involved with any men from work, and to just put her past behind her and not think of the painful memories any more.
Dare to Forgive [The Dare Series 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 2
