Always Mine (69th Street Bad Boys)

by Amy Brent

  “Sounds like a big game of psycho-bullshit to me,” a man said gruffly.

  “And that’s why this hotel chain isn’t pulling in the money it should be. Operating this type of business is 25% construction, 25% psychological breakdown, and 50% customer service. You need all the parts to be successful in this world, and I’m going to get us there,” I said.

  “Does she even have the power to do this?” someone asked.

  “She’s the CEO,” a man said, as he came through the door. “She can do whatever she wants.”

  I looked up and watched a man I didn’t recognize stride into the room with his head held high. He was in a tailored gray suit with a black button down shirt, and he quickly moved over and sat in the empty chair at the end of the table.

  When he looked up at me, I recognized exactly who he was.

  Oh. Holy. Fuck.

  “Miss Wilson,” he said, nodding to me. “I believe we have yet to meet.”

  He doesn’t recognize who I am?

  “Miss Wilson, this is—”

  “Mr. Lincoln Collins,” I said. “Of course I know who just sat down in front of me.”

  “I see you’ve tamed the herd of cattle,” he said. “Care to enlighten me on what you told them that has them so captivated?”

  “I can only assume it’s a mixture of my body parts and the fact that I just threw their entire plan out the window,” I said.

  “The plan,” he said, nodding.

  “Yes. The one where you were going to build ten different hotels in the expanse of a year. I’ve cut it down to three in the most lucrative spots you had picked out, then we will throw the rest of the budget into the other hotels you already have established so we can redefine what our hotel chain believes luxurious’ means.

  “Sounds fair enough,” he said. “Is there anything else?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  Why the fuck didn’t you call me?

  His eyes flickered up to me and I straightened out my back. If I didn’t, I risked completely falling over into the expanse of his eyes, and I couldn’t become prey to that.

  Not again.

  Not after everything I’ve already endured.

  “Care to enlighten me?” he asked.

  “The towels in your hotels are shit,” I said.

  Mr. Lyons stifled a chuckle as a smirk rose to my lips, and that’s when Lincoln rose from his seat and grabbed the briefcase at his side.

  “I believe you mean the towels in our hotels are shit,” he said.

  And the way he chewed the word ‘ours’ sent a cool little shiver up my spine.

  Chapter 5

  Lincoln

  From the moment I stepped into the boardroom, my attention was solely on the new hire. Once Drew mentioned he had hired a woman, I knew the boardroom would treacherous for her and would attempt to swallow her whole. Many of the men in this room had envisioned themselves in the position I had hired outside of the company for, and I wanted to be there to mitigate the tension that would come with easing her into the company.

  But as it turned out, she seemed to be doing a damn fine job of that herself.

  I stopped after her comment about the towels and waited for her to continue. Even though this meeting was supposed to be simply introducing her to the rest of the members and investors, I was intrigued by the assessments and plans she had already gone over, trashed, and rewritten. I could get behind someone who took initiative, especially when their ideas were worth listening to.

  And, I agreed with her.

  Our towels were shit.

  “Is there anything else you wish to discuss?” I asked.

  “I suppose I could open the meeting up for questions,” she said. “Does anyone have any?”

  “Have you always worked in hotels?” someone asked.

  “Yes. Even as a teenager, I worked part-time as a hotel desk attendant. I always knew I would get into the hotel business.

  “Why?” someone else asked.

  “Because I understand the value of needing a home away from home, but one that feels even better than the home you left behind,” she said.

  “Are you single?” someone patronized.

  “For your particular purpose, no,” she said, smirking.

  “Do you have timelines written out for the building plans you want to set in motion?” an investor asked.

  “I do. I will compile all of that information, plus the financial breakdown of what it will cost and what we will make over the next decade. I can either put it in folder format, or email the information. Whichever you prefer,” she said.

  “I’ll have someone do that for you,” I said.

  “Do what?” she asked.

  “Whichever you prefer. Email or folder format. I’ll have someone do it for you,” I said.

  “Are there any other questions about finances? Investments? Sexual positions I desire?” she said, with a touch of defiance in her voice.

  The boardroom chuckled at her snarky remark and I couldn’t help but grin. Here was this woman—snappy, sassy, and intelligent—surrounded by men in a room encased in glass.

  And yet, the men felt as if they were on display. Not the other way around.

  It really was striking.

  “Well, thank you for the warm welcome,” she said. “If you have any questions, my office is on the other end of this floor. I look forward to our new, expansive adventure.”

  The meeting broke and I watched as all the investors and boardroom members shook her hand. Some would stare at her more than others, and some would cast their gazes down. But, even though they inspected her like a piece of raw meat, she seemed to be holding her own just fine. I remained in my chair, watching her interact with everyone as she plastered a smile on her face.

  There was something oddly familiar about her, and I simply couldn’t place it.

  I gathered my things once the room had emptied and I felt her approach me. I grabbed my briefcase before I offered my hand to her, and she shook it curtly. It was professional, quick, and strong. Like a man’s handshake, but with softer skin.

  “Lincoln,” Drew said. “I didn’t think you’d be at this meeting.”

  “Figured I would stop by and take a look at the new hire,” I said, as I dropped her hand.

  “I thought you trusted me to take care of the company,” Drew said, smirking.

  “Doesn’t meant I can’t come pay my respects and introduce myself,” I said.

  “How nice of you to make room in your schedule for us,” he said.

  “Would it be alright if I had a few minutes to talk with Miss Wilson? Alone, please?” I asked.

  “Of course. Miss Wilson, I will see you in your office after lunch. You can show me this timeline and financials you seem to have already drawn up, and we can go over them in more detail before we blast them to everyone.”

  “I’ll expect you then,” she said, smiling.

  I watched Drew walk out as Miss Wilson continued to stand in front of me. Her stature was small, but her eyes were passionate. She was obviously the right person for this job. At the very least, she could most certainly handle a room full of aggressive men.

  But, I wanted to vet her for myself. Even though I trusted Drew’s opinions and hires, this project was very important and personal to me.

  I had to make sure he handed over the reins to someone who would do this justice.

  “So, Miss Wilson,” I said, “Care to take a seat with me?”

  We sat down in a couple of chairs at the table and she nonchalantly crossed her legs. Her eyes bore into mine, waiting for any questions I might have for her. For a split second, I saw a glint of something akin to frustration in her eye. Like I was taking up too much of her time.

  Or maybe not enough.

  “Miss Wilson—”

  “Amelia will be just fine, Mr. Collins,” she said.

  “Amelia,” I corrected. “Have you really been in the hotel business your entire life?”

  “Yes. As a teenager
I worked as a part-time desk attendant. Throughout college as I was obtaining my degree, I worked in housekeeping. Then, after I graduated, I worked overseas in a luxury bungalow chain in the Bahamas as a front desk attendant and customer service rep to pay off my student loans.”

  “You must not have had many loans coming out of college, then,” I said.

  “My intellect enabled me to access scholarships that helped,” she said.

  “And you’ve obviously climbed out of debt now?”

  I watched her take the briefest of pauses before she drew a deep breath through her nose.

  “No more student debt for me,” she said.

  “What makes you think you can take this hotel business of mine to the next level?” I asked.

  “I know what people want. Psychologically and emotionally. The consumer business is part what you can provide for them, and part how you can make them feel. The hotel business is nothing but a different type of consumption,” she said.

  I could tell by the way she relaxed into the chair that she wasn’t the least bit intimidated by me. Usually, people white-knuckled the seat or jiggled their leg. Some bit their lips and others wrung their hands.

  But not her. She was calm and collected. It was refreshing, honestly.

  And her legs didn’t hurt, either.

  Come to think of it, she was a beautiful woman. Her sandy blonde hair was pulled back into a tight bun and her light green eyes sparkled like the sea. Her sun-kissed skin boasted of a love for summer, and the hips and breasts she teased at with her work clothes probably fit perfectly within the confines of a bikini.

  She was a beautiful woman, but she was also a shark herself.

  And that was a deadly combination.

  “Mr. Collins,” she said. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I have your business to run if you are finished.”

  “You did a marvelous job in that boardroom. There were many men in that room that applied for the position. You volleyed and controlled them expertly,” I said.

  “Thank you, Mr. Collins,” she said.

  “Just remember, you are the head of this business, but I own it. It is still my company, and any adjustments you’ve made to the budget, finances, or timeline will be routed back to me for a final approval,” I said.

  “I assume that is why I’m meeting with Mr. Lyons later on, to go over everything thoroughly so he can pass it on to you.”

  “Correct,” I said.

  “Is there anything else?” she asked.

  “Do you have somewhere to be?” I asked.

  “Yes. I have an expansion to get on the books. How about you? Somewhere to be?”

  Her sassiness was beginning to become borderline harassing, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. The glint of frustration in her eye began to drip down her face, and I felt it best to let her get to work. She was obviously thirsting for it, and she would get some time to breathe after that meeting.

  Maybe she was just wound up from it.

  “As a matter of fact, I do. I hope you have a good day, Amelia. I look forward to what Drew leaves on my desk later on,” I said.

  We both got up and I shook her hand one more time before I watched her turn and leave. I studied the way her hips swayed and her shoulders moved. I took in the way her heels lightly tapped the floor, like she was gliding across the floor rather than clunking against it. I watched the way a few sandy wisps of hair flew from her bun, and she looked back at me and grinned before she walked out of the boardroom.

  And oh, that grin sent me back years.

  Six years to be exact.

  “The woman from the bar,” I murmured to myself.

  That’s why she looked oddly familiar.

  Because she was the woman at the bar, the one I had brought back to my hotel all those years ago.

  Fuck.

  Chapter 6

  Amelia

  I walked into the cancer center where my best friend worked, our lunches held in my hands. I hadn’t seen her in a few days and I had yet to fill her in about the new job. She’d been working new hours, four twelve hour days, then three days off. I thought she was absolutely nuts, but she was loving the fact that she had a three-day weekend every week.

  I nodded to the front desk attendant before I dropped off her salad, and she smiled at me with sweet relief as I made my way to the stairs. I walked myself up to the third floor of Cancer Center Hospital where I knew Sadie would be working, and busted through the door to find her running up and down the hallways.

  “Amelia!” she exclaimed. “Give me five minutes.”

  “Lunch call,” I said, holding up the food.

  “I don’t want to eat it here, I’ll get interrupted. Meet me at the elevator, okay?”

  Nodding my head, I went to go wait for her. She came back huffing and puffing with sweat brimming on her brow, and we rode the elevator back down to the main floor.

  “So, where do you wanna eat?” I asked.

  “Let’s go to that park up the road,” she said. “I need some fresh air.”

  Fifteen minutes later, we were sitting on a bench at the park. A river was running nearby, providing a musical backdrop to our silence, and it felt as if the world was standing still. Sadie had been my best friend for years, and every time I got a chance to sit down and talk with her it was special.

  “So, how’d the interview go?” she asked, as she chewed her sandwich.

  “I got the job,” I said, smirking.

  “Oh my gosh! Amelia, that’s awesome! When do you start?” she asked.

  “I started yesterday, and right off the bat there was a fun boardroom meeting with a table full of men who were either catcalling me or trying to kill me with their eyes, and then the owner of the hotel chain walked in.”

  “Oh, Lincoln Collins. I’ve heard a great deal about him. Billionaire-playboy extravaganza and all,” she said.

  “Yeah, and he happens to be a man I shared a passionate night with six years ago.”

  Sadie’s sandwich stopped halfway to her mouth before she slowly turned her gaze to mine. I honestly wasn’t sure to make of the situation either, and I was hoping she would have some words of encouragement and wisdom.

  “When you say ‘passionate night,’ you don’t mean wine and great conversation, do you?” she asked.

  “If by ‘wine and great conversation,’ you really mean sweat and a great amount of moaning, then yes,” I said.

  “Holy shit, Amelia. You’ve slept with Lincoln Collins?”

  “At this point, who hasn’t?” I asked.

  “Me, for one. And two, how the hell did he take that?”

  “That’s the kicker. He didn’t even fucking recognize me,” I said.

  “Honestly? It shouldn't shock you. But, that’s still a dick move,” she said.

  “I worked hard to get where I am now. I gunned for this position because I knew I would be good for it. I knew Lincoln Collins was financing the venture, but I didn’t realize he owned the damn thing.”

  “Would you have applied for the job if you’d known?” she asked.

  “I’m honestly not sure. It would’ve weighed into my opinion, but I don’t know if it would have influenced it that much.”

  “Well, if they were willing to hire you to be the CEO of something like this, then obviously you could snag a job anywhere,” she said. “You’ve got the time to find another job if it makes you uncomfortable.”

  “You and I both know I need this job,” I said.

  “But at the expense of you feeling uncomfortable and working underneath someone you’ve—well—worked underneath?”

  “Oh, that was poetic,” I said. “Serenade me more, Sadie.”

  “I’m serious. I don’t want you to think you’re stuck with this asshole or something,” she said.

  “I’ll be fine. Plus, I could really use the money right now. And, I won’t be working with him directly. His heart and soul is in that investment banking shit he does. Drew Lyons, his business partner, is the on
e who’ll be talking and meeting with him. They hired me so Lincoln wouldn’t have to be there all the time, I guess.”

  “Lincoln, huh? Not Mr. Collins?” she asked.

  “I’ll call him ‘fuckboy’ for all you know,” I said, smirking.

  “It’d be an apt nickname,” she murmured.

  I giggled at her reaction just before Sadie’s watch began to beep. She sighed and took the final bites of her sandwich before she chugged her water, then she stood up from the bench and stretched.

  “Back to the grind,” she said.

  “Thanks for having lunch with me,” I said.

  “Thanks for bringing it. I’m sorry my break wasn’t any longer. We had an emergency the moment you showed up.”

  “Please, you don’t have to apologize to me. I get it,” I said.

  We piled into my car and I took Sadie back to the hospital. I dropped her off at the main entrance just so I wouldn’t have to go in, and I felt my skin crawl as she opened the hospital door and waved me away. Hospitals always gave me the creeps, but every time I stepped foot between those doors to visit Sadie, it reminded me to call my mother.