The Bad Boy CEO

by Sugar Jamison

  Could.

  Wouldn’t it be something if the kid who had nothing grew up to own everything?

  He wouldn’t bother, though. He was only here to fix up Lolly’s shop. Here for a month, and he didn’t want to do anything to help the town that had turned its back on them. Not a damn thing for the town that had sent his brother to prison for a crime he’d had no choice but to commit.

  He stepped out of his SUV and walked into the shop. It was as if he’d stepped back into his childhood. The heavy smell of peroxide, hair products, and women’s perfume struck him. The hairstylists, or beauticians as Lolly had called them, stood behind their chairs, talking and laughing over one thing or another as they put roller sets in their clients’ hair. He could almost see a younger version of himself sweeping up hair, fetching whatever the women told him to get. He could remember keeping his head low and thinking about getting out of here, out of this shitty little town, so hard he could taste it. He never wanted to come back, but now here he was again, seeing that some things never really did change.

  “My eyes are burning. Good Lord, I think that’s Colt King,” Peggy Flynn said as she sashayed over to him. Peggy must be sixty-five now, but apparently she still had a fondness for tight jeans, cowboy boots, and frosted eye shadow. She looked the same and was probably one of the original cougars. She had married a man twenty-five years her junior and never hid her appreciation for a younger man. When the townsfolk hadn’t been buzzing about Duke, they were talking about that.

  “Hello, Peggy.”

  “Are you a ghost? Because I was positive once Colt King went to that fancy college of his, he was never coming back here.”

  “Duty called. How are you?”

  “Just fine. I’m still married to little Arty in case you’re curious. Although there is nothing little about that man, if you get my drift.” She winked at him. “You’re looking good, Colt. Money is the best moisturizer out there. Girls,” she called to the two other hairdressers, “come look who’s here.”

  Annie just waved at him. Bertie, the oldest of the three, looked up briefly. “I bet he ain’t here for a haircut.”

  “Lolly sent me. She wants to make some changes.”

  “Changes, huh?” Bertie sniffed. “That’s not the first time we heard that.”

  “I’m supposed to talk to the head stylist.” He looked back at Peggy, who had been there ever since he could remember. “Are you it?”

  “Nope.”

  He heard heels clicking on the old linoleum floor and he looked up, freezing in his place. Zanna was there, a stack of clean folded towels in her arms. She wore all-black again, another pair of tight pants, and a sleeveless shirt. He couldn’t help taking her in as if he were seeing her for the first time. She wore bright red heels on her feet. The same color on her nails. Red shoes, red nails, long loose hair. She looked completely out of place there, completely different from the other women in their T-shirts and faded jeans. Like a brand-new car in a lot of muddy old junkers.

  “Zanna’s the head stylist,” Peggy said. “Looks like you’ll be dealing with her.”

  “Well, hello, stranger,” she said, her voice sounding kind of breathy. “Fancy seeing you here.”

  *

  It took a moment for Zanna to recover from seeing Colt in her space. She thought when she left the house that morning she was going to have a few hours free from him—from all the King boys who seemed to take over her quiet little house with their deep voices and large bodies. But there he was, standing in her little salon, taking up the entire room with just his presence, and looking so damn masculine while he stood among the old-fashioned pink bucket hair dryers and bottles of shampoo.

  “You never told me that you worked for Lolly.”

  “You never asked.” She shrugged. “Although I was quite sure that after our last run-in you would have dug up every little detail about me, including what color toothbrush I use.”

  “It’s white. The electric kind.” She blinked at him, wondering how the hell he knew that, but then one corner of his mouth slightly turned up. “I saw it in the bathroom this morning,” he said.

  “The bathroom?” she heard one of the girls ask in a hushed gossiping voice.

  “Colt and his brothers are staying at Lolly’s,” she said, not taking her eyes off him. “They came the other night.”

  “That’s something you could have told us,” she heard Peggy say.

  “I might have, but some things just aren’t your business, Miss Peggy.”

  “Well, excuse me,” she sniffed.

  Zanna could have told the girls as soon as she walked into the salon yesterday, but even though the place hadn’t seen much more than its steady regular clients in the last few months, it was still the hub of gossip in the town; she didn’t want to be accused of spilling the beans to anybody. One slip of the tongue and the whole town would have known within the hour. Let them find out on their own that the King brothers were back in town. They didn’t seem like the type of men who wanted everyone knowing what they were up to anyway.

  Besides, she was still processing her run-in with Colt from the other night. Still thinking about how he had seen more of her skin than any other man in the last couple of years. She thought about the way he blocked her nearly nude body from his brother’s view by wrapping his suit jacket around her. She had tried to block that thought out. Because it was a nice thing and it conflicted with her thinking he was a serious asshole.

  Which he was.

  “So you’re the head stylist?” His look turned appraising.

  “Yes.” She nodded.

  “Lolly wanted me to speak with you.”

  “I’m listening.”

  They were standing on opposite sides of the salon talking to each other. Neither one of them had moved from their spots. He looked as if he was in no hurry to come closer to her and she refused to go closer to him. He seemed like he was the type of man who was used to women, used to everybody, coming to him, giving him his way. But she stood right where she was, holding the towels in front of her chest like a shield and returned his gaze.

  “She wants me to take over the salon for a while.”

  “Say what now?” She heard the murmurs of the other stylists around her, but she couldn’t focus on them. She could only focus on him. On him telling her that he was going to take over yet another one of her spaces.

  Screw that.

  “There needs to be some restructuring, and I’m the one who’s going to do it.”

  “You’re shitting me, right?” She dropped the towels on the nearest counter and put her hands on her hips. “You have to be shitting me, because I’ve spoken to Lolly every single day since I’ve worked here and she’s never said anything to me about restructuring. She sure as hell didn’t tell me she was going to send in a stuffed suit to do it!”

  “Is there somewhere private we can talk?” He glanced around him at the girls and the clients in their chairs as if he expected them to scatter like roaches. Nobody moved, of course; they were far too interested in what was going on to pay any mind to Colt King’s indirect order.

  “Lolly’s office.” She motioned with her head. “I’m sure you know the way.”

  He walked up to her, his strides long but unhurried. He didn’t break eye contact as he did. It made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. He had the kind of gaze that might wilt a lesser woman, and even though she felt a little hot under the collar, she stared right back at him letting him know that she was no less than him.

  “Lead the way,” he said softly as if the words were only for her ears.

  “With pleasure,” she retorted, feeling the need not to let him get the last word. She could feel heat on her back as they walked into Lolly’s extremely cluttered office. It might be from his gaze, but it was more than that. He was close to her. She could smell his scent and feel the warmth that rolled off his large body.

  “This place is a fucking disaster.”

  Zanna whipped around at
his words to find that he was just a few short inches away from her. But this time he wasn’t looking at her. He was looking around the room, taking it in with his critical eyes. It had been a mess since she had started working there, but now seeing it from an outsider’s perspective, it really did look like it was in need of some disaster relief.

  There were piles and piles of papers, envelopes, and catalogs littering every surface. Including the floor, the desk, and the pink leather sofa that Lolly kept in there. There were boxes, too, of old products that Lolly had brought in, thinking she was going to sell them to the women of the town, but somehow she’d never gotten around to it. The walls were yellowing, the paint was chipping, and the old carpet probably hadn’t seen a vacuum since Zanna tried on her first training bra. It looked bad. And she almost immediately regretted bringing Colt in here.

  He looked around the place in disgust, and even though Zanna knew that this mess was in no way or shape her fault she felt like it was, because she was the head stylist and manager. She was left in charge.

  “How long has it been like this?” He brushed past her, going behind the desk.

  “Um…” She didn’t have an answer for that. She hated that she didn’t have an answer. “Always I guess. I’ve only been here a year.”

  He picked up a stack of unopened envelopes. “These are bills. Have they even been paid? Has anything been paid?”

  “The lights are still on, aren’t they? And Lolly has always paid her bills. She’s sick but she is still one of the sharpest tacks I know.”

  “You know? What exactly is your role here, Zanna? Because from what I’m seeing the only thing you know how to do is fetch towels.”

  “Listen, buddy.” She followed him to where he was behind the desk and poked him in his rock-hard arm. “I can do a lot more than fetch towels. I’m smart. I keep those biddies from spending the entire day yakking and I’m a damn good stylist. I got a few ladies from over the border in Oregon that come to see me. In fact, if it weren’t for me, we would have closed the doors a few months ago when Lolly stopped doing hair altogether. Lolly left me in charge for a reason, and I don’t think I need to explain myself to the likes of you.”

  “Oh, I think you do, because for the next thirty days you answer to me.”

  *

  “Oh, do I?” Zanna asked him, stepping closer.

  Colt went hard again just looking at her. It was a reaction he was really going to have to get under control if he was going to make it through the next month. But she smelled good. Clean like soap and shampoo. Not like the perfume and cigarettes he smelled on the other women. She was pissed at him, too. People were mostly afraid of Colt so he wasn’t used to seeing anger unless it was coming from Duke. But unlike Duke, Zanna’s eyes threw off sparks; heat rolled off her and onto him, making his own skin grow hot. He couldn’t help but think about what she would be like in bed. What it would be like if he pushed her buttons and then undid them, revealing that creamy-looking skin that he hadn’t had a glimpse of since the day he arrived. She would no doubt be hot. Passionate. The kind of woman you would want to stay locked in a room with and not come out until your legs went wobbly and your brain turned to mush.

  “The last time I checked the only people I answered to were Jesus and the IRS and since you are neither one of them, you can go to hell.”

  “Such a mouth.” Such pretty pouty lips. She was distracting him with them. Distracting him from the task at hand. This place was a mess. Lolly wasn’t joking when she said she needed him. He just hadn’t realized how bad it was. “My aunt asked me to come in here and change things around. She wants me to teach you all how to run a business in her absence.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “What makes you so qualified to teach us?”

  “I run a billion-dollar corporation and I have an MBA from Stanford.”

  “Whoop-di-freaking-do.” She rolled her eyes. “I was first in my class in Mr. Carlo’s Hair Academy and I dare you to find another person in the tristate area who can do a better brow job than me.” She lifted her hand and brushed at his. “You should let me clean you up. You’ve got a few stragglers.”

  He grabbed her wrist as her hand hovered near his face. He couldn’t remember the last time somebody had just touched him without warning or invitation. He should have let her go immediately, but for some reason he couldn’t. She had such soft skin, even on her wrist, and once again it brought him back to the other night when he had his body wrapped around hers and a hand on her back. “Cut the bullshit, Zanna. I know how to run a business. I turned Duke’s small custom car shop into a chain of thirty stores. Our products are household names. I’m so good at what I do, television networks want to spend an hour a week showing the world our work. So what if you can do brows. I can do business.”

  “But can you run a salon?” She looked him right in his eye. Always. Not a lot people did that, especially women. She was no timid little thing. He liked that about her; more than that, he respected her for it. “Do you know what the latest techniques in foils are? Do you know the best haircut to suit an apple-cheeked lady’s face? Do you know how much you can charge for a cut and a two-step color process in these parts?”

  He hesitated for just a second. Of course he didn’t know. His business was cars, not hair care. “I can find out. Things need to be changed around here. You’re not stupid, Zanna. You can see that this place is in danger of going under.”

  “Of course I can! I love them old biddies out there, but do you think I’m happy that the only thing they can do are roller sets and updos that look like they belong at a 1990s prom? Do you think I like working with hair dryers that are older than my granny’s panties and less functional? Do you think I like only having a few clients a week because all the young girls would rather drive to that expensive-ass salon at the casino than come here? You may have your business smarts, but I know hair and I know what it would take to make this place great.”

  “Oh do you? Then why haven’t you done it?”

  “Because Lolly is stubborn as a mule. I know if she gave me the chance I could do a lot with this place. I could bring the women back here and I sure as hell don’t need your help to do it.” She tried to snatch her wrist away from him but he wouldn’t let her.

  “If Lolly trusted your judgment, she would have listened to you, wouldn’t she? She said you had to stay with the house, but she didn’t say anything about you staying with the salon. This is no fucking vacation for me. I’m here because she wants me to be, and it would be better for you to realize that I’m the one who’s in charge. You’ll do as I say and if you don’t like it, you can take your cute little ass to the next town and try your luck there.”

  She pinched his arm with her free hand, causing him to let her go. “My cute little ass is staying right here. You understand me, Colt King?” She stepped closer to him, her chest nearly brushing his. “I’m invested in this salon.”

  “That hurt, damn it.” He rubbed his arm.

  “Don’t grab me and I won’t pinch you.”

  “Don’t touch me and I won’t grab you.”

  “Don’t touch you?” She gave him a slow sassy smile, causing his dick to jump in his pants. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard a man say that to me before. It’s usually the other way around. Makes me feel powerful. Say it again. And say my name when you do.”

  “I’m not here to play games with you,” he said even though a hundred thoughts burst into his mind—how he could play with her, the games they could try while naked and sweaty.

  “And I’m not just going to let you walk all over me.”

  He stared at her for a long time, not sure what to say. He was never at a loss for words when it came to a battle. He had come in here with a plan of attack, a purpose. The last thing he expected was to go head-to-head with a hotheaded hairstylist. And he sure as hell didn’t expect that he would want to strip her naked and take her up against the wall. He had spent a long time making sure he was civilized enough to fit in with the re
st of the world. Zanna Jacobs was bringing out the wild side he thought he had killed long ago.

  “Zanna,” Peggy called.

  Colt took a step away from her. They were still close, though, the heat of her body and her clean scent not leaving him. He forced his eyes off her and looked at Peggy, who was regarding them with much interest. He could see the wheels turning in her mind. But he didn’t give a shit. Zanna Jacobs wasn’t going to make him lose control.

  “Yes, Peggy.”

  “You’ve got a lady from Oregon on the phone who wants to make an appointment. Said she heard about you from a friend. She wants to talk about her wedding.”

  “Really?” Zanna’s face lit up. “It’s been a month of Sundays since I’ve done bridal hair.” She grinned brightly before she ran out of the room.

  “I’ll admit I was annoyed when Lolly made her head stylist here,” Peggy said to him. “I’ve been doing hair for thirty-five years and I’ve never heard of such a thing as a head stylist, but she was right to. I’ve never seen anybody so excited about hair in my life.”

  Excitement.

  That was the last thing Colt expected to feel when he returned to Destiny, but he had found it in Zanna.

  Chapter 5

  Two-thirds of the King brothers were early risers, Zanna had learned by their third morning there. She could hear the shower turning on promptly at five thirty AM every day, then Duke’s heavy-booted footsteps as he walked down the hall toward the kitchen. She hadn’t heard much from Levi since they arrived, but it was Colt’s deep dark-chocolate voice that she found the most irritating as she tried to sleep. The walls were thin and she could hear him as he made his morning phone calls.

  Give me the status of the shop in Tulsa.