The Bad Boy CEO

by Sugar Jamison

  “I’ve been wanting to go blond for years but was scared to death. But, girl, I think you have made me downright gorgeous.” Constance grinned at her as she fluffed her hair.

  “Thank you, ma’am.” She took the cape off her and escorted her to the register. “It’s all about finding the shade that fits your skin tone and getting the right cut. You’ve got gorgeous cheekbones. There was no use hiding them under all that hair.”

  “My seventy-five-year-old aunt gets her hair done here. I wasn’t sure about coming until I saw what you did for Tina’s hair, and even when I walked in I had second thoughts, but you changed my mind.”

  “I love to hear that. I hope you’ll come back to see me.”

  “You think I’d trust anybody else with these roots?” They chatted for a few more moments as Zanna cashed her out, and when Constance left, Zanna was sure she had a new regular client.

  The salon was empty again. Zanna plopped down in one of the empty chairs that had been patched more than a few times with duct tape. It was pink duct tape that she ordered online, but it was still duct tape. So far she was the only one who had any clients that day. It was such a difference from Saturday when the salon was a hive of activity. It was exciting and she missed it—the noise, the activity. She knew that in its heyday the salon was always busy. It would come back to that. It was starting to come back to that. Her work was speaking for itself.

  “You did a nice job on that girl’s hair, sweetie,” Bertie said from her chair as her knitting needles clicked.

  “Thank you, Miss Bertie.”

  “She was dyeing her hair too dark. Started to look like Morticia. I know lifting all that color without damaging her hair was hard work.”

  “That’s high praise coming from you.”

  “You know why she’s changing her hair?” Bertie asked without taking her eyes off the television. “She’s getting back at that no-good Derek Waters. They’ve been engaged for ten years. The boy needed to shit or get off the pot and she told him so. He told her he still wasn’t ready so she kicked him to the curb. Now she’s trying to show him what he’s missing out on. The man’s a dumb-ass. Constance is a good-looking, hardworking woman. Nobody else is going to want him. The dumb-ass.”

  Zanna laughed at Bertie’s assessment. “How do you know all that? Constance didn’t say a word about it today.”

  “I’ve been around a long time, honey. I know everything.” She stood up, slowly, her age showing. “I’m going to take my lunch break and swing by to see Lolly. You want me to bring you back something?”

  “You have any more of that pineapple upside-down cake at your house?”

  “I’ll bring you a big slice, and some of that raspberry tea you like,” she said just before she walked out.

  “Zanna, I need to speak with you.” She heard Colt’s voice and for some reason it affected her physically: She could feel the hairs on her neck rising. She didn’t want to look at him, because she could tell just by the little bit of harshness in his tone that she wasn’t going to like whatever he was going to say to her. But she did look over to him, partly because she couldn’t help herself, but mostly because even though Colt King got under her skin like nobody’s business he was still one hell of a man to look at. He was standing in the doorway that led to the back, his arms folded across his chest, his stance wide. He was extra buttoned-up today in a full suit and tie, which looked damn good on him but so out of place in this outdated salon.

  “I’m listening,” she finally said.

  But she didn’t get up. She was wearing five-inch black stilettos and had just spent four hours straight on her feet. Plus she’d be damned if she walked across the room at his beckoning. He may make her hormones crazy, but he wasn’t her boss, as much as he would like to think that he was.

  “I need to speak to you in private.”

  She looked around the salon. The only other noise was coming from the television. An episode of Judge Judy was playing in the background. “There’s nobody here but you and me, Colt. Unless you have some other plans, I think it’s safe for us to speak.”

  “Where is everybody?

  “Bertie just left for lunch, Annie has the day off, and Peggy went to a doctor’s appointment. She’ll be here at two thirty.”

  Colt shook his head, and if it were possible, he looked even more surly than he had the past two days.

  “Are they still getting their full pay even though they aren’t here?”

  She didn’t want to answer, because she knew what he would think. “They are, except for Annie.”

  “This is what we need to talk about. There is no structure to this business. If they are not here they should not be paid. And starting today they won’t be.”

  “You can’t cut their pay without letting them know first!”

  “I’m going to let them know. I’ve finally gotten through the mess in Lolly’s office. All the bills are current, but this place is just breaking even each month.”

  “I know that.”

  He raised a brow at her. “How do you know that?”

  She got up from her chair, her sore feet be damned. If she was going to face him, she wasn’t going to be doing it sitting down. “I’ve been keeping the books for the last six months.”

  He moved from his spot in the door and crossed the room. Colt was usually cool, but she saw the heat, the anger, creep into his eyes. “Excuse me?”

  She raised her chin. “I installed the software on my computer. All the bills have been paid online. I order all the supplies and I can tell you down to the penny how much is coming in and how much is going out.”

  “And you never thought to mention this to me?”

  “You never asked. You just came in here on your high horse thinking we all were incompetent and you were going to turn this place around. I told you then we didn’t need your help and I’m telling you now that I can turn this place around myself.”

  “Then why haven’t you?”

  “Your aunt is as stubborn as you. This is still her salon and in the end I have to do what she says.”

  “That’s bullshit. She called me in because she doesn’t want her life’s work to go under. You know what the problem is here. If you were really cut out to run this place, you would have solved it.”

  “I’m building back up the clientele. We were in the red a few months ago. There were days when none of us had any clients.”

  “It’s not enough, Zanna. Businesses are supposed to be profitable. And right now you are the business. Why the hell are you here anyway? Your work is excellent. You could work anywhere. Why would you stay in a market where your earning potential is capped?”

  “Because I like it here! I’m a human with feelings. Not some damn calculator. I don’t give a shit about my earning potential.”

  “There is nothing here to like. Nothing good. Nothing special. You are going to see that one day and you are going to leave. Just like I did, and Duke and Levi.”

  “Don’t put me in the same boat as you. I’m nothing like you.”

  “You’ll go and take all the business with you and what will be left of this place then? You say you give a shit, but you don’t, because if you did you would have done what it takes to make this place profitable.”

  “I’m not going to leave, Colt. If I wanted to go, I would have left a long time ago.”

  “Lolly said to teach you how to run this place, but I don’t have to. You know what you have to do.”

  The back of her neck felt hot. No one else on the planet had the power to make her so mad. “I’m growing the business. I’m getting people to come back.”

  “Labor costs are too high. Bertie has had two clients since I’ve been here. She doesn’t rent a chair here. She doesn’t work on commission. She gets paid to sit around and do nothing all day. She needs to go.”

  Zanna’s head spun for a moment. “Are you that much of a heartless bastard? She was here before you were born. You’ve known her since you were a kid. You can jus
t throw her out like that? Are you that fucking heartless?”

  “I’m not heartless. I’m practical. She doesn’t earn the money she’s paid. She doesn’t do anything.”

  “She’s seventy-two!”

  “She needs to retire.”

  “Her husband is dead. Her kids have moved away from here. All she has is this place. All she has is us. It’s the reason she gets up in the morning. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

  “No.” He shook his head. “I’m a businessman, not a social worker.”

  “You can’t fire her. Lolly will never allow it.”

  “I was doing a favor for Lolly before but now I’m an investor in this place. The nail and pedicure stations will be arriving soon. Annie is licensed and will be taking on clients. Peggy has agreed to more education and will be sent away to take classes. In order to compete with the casino’s stylists she needs to be current.”

  “When the hell were you going to tell me this?”

  “I’m telling you now.”

  “I’m not going to let you get rid of her. I won’t let it happen. Lolly took me in when I had no place to go. She gave me a job here, paid me when it probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do. She believed in me and I’m not going to let you just throw Bertie away.”

  Colt was quiet for a moment. “You’ve got one week to help her find a way to bring in more clients or she’s gone.” He turned away. “One week until I start interviewing new stylists to take her place.”

  “You bastard!”

  Those were the exact words Zanna was thinking, but they didn’t come from her mouth.

  Perry Andersen had come through the front door, his face molten red and looking like he was about to pop.

  Colt stood there, expressionless, but she could see a little gleam in his eye. It looked a lot like satisfaction.

  “I’ve been called a lot worse before,” he said quietly.

  “You bought my house! You bought my fucking house!”

  “It wasn’t your house. You were just renting it, remember? You should have jumped on it when the owner offered it to you earlier this year. I guess it’s your loss. Real estate values are only going to go up in this area. Or maybe they won’t. Maybe this place will become the ghost town it was always meant to be.”

  “So it’s true? You and Duke are buying up half the town?”

  “Only half? You had better check your sources. You said the King name didn’t mean anything in this town. Just wait: You’ll see our name in so many places, you’ll only be able to escape it in your sleep, and even then you’ll be dreaming about it.”

  “You’re a lunatic.”

  “No, I’m a man who doesn’t like to be fucked with.” Colt took his eyes off Perry and looked to Zanna. “He still owes you an apology. Would you like to hear it?”

  She opened her mouth, but words failed her. She couldn’t believe what was happening.

  “I own your house.” Colt turned his attention back to Perry. “I own the bank that owns your car loan. The mortgage on your brother’s house. Duke owns the factory your brother manages. If you and brothers haven’t learned to respect women before, you will now. We can make your life hell. It’ll be easy. Apologize to Zanna.”

  “I-I’m…” She could see how pissed Perry was, but he was also defeated. There was nothing he could do. Colt King was powerful. She had known that, but she hadn’t been able to wrap her head around how much power he had until that very moment. “I’m sorry, Zanna. I was wrong.”

  She nodded and looked back at Colt, whom she realized was still a complete stranger to her. She’d thought she could hold her own against him, but she was pretty sure she had just gotten in way over her head.

  Chapter 9

  Colt watched Perry leave the shop a few moments later, knowing he wasn’t done with him yet. By the time he was through in this town no one would associate the name King with the word trash again. It hadn’t mattered how hard he worked, building their brand, building their wealth. It hadn’t mattered how much he studied in school, how hard he tried to keep his nose clean: Everybody associated them with their father’s bad behavior.

  His father had gotten into drunken fights. His father had hit on women with his slurring words and sloppy kisses. His father had driven his car into a lamppost, and his father had shown up to work drunk and caused that accident that made everyone hate him. They had the misfortune of being born to him, but they weren’t him. If Destiny didn’t know that, it was going to find out.

  “That couldn’t have been about me?” Zanna asked him. “You didn’t buy his house just because he got fresh with me.” He took his eyes off the door and looked at her for a moment. She was in black again today, her stylist uniform when she was at work. She was the type of woman who looked sexy in anything she wore, but he decided he liked to see her in lighter colors, like the pretty purple she’d worn on Sunday when she kissed him, or the white tank top she’d had on the day he barged into her room.

  He had been so caught up in his plans the past few days, he’d barely had any time to look at her. He had avoided her, because he knew if he looked at her too long, if he got too close to her, he would have a hard time controlling himself; he would want her more than he already did. And he couldn’t have that. It would take away from his plans.

  “He needed to apologize. That was a way to make him do so.”

  “Is revenge that important to you? Does it feel good knowing that you’ve got him dangling by the balls? Does it make you feel good to know that he’s going to be living in fear of displeasing you?”

  “He treated you poorly. Don’t tell me you feel sorry for him?”

  “I don’t feel sorry for him. I feel sorry for you! If you go to all this trouble because one asshole ran his mouth, I’m afraid of what you’ll do to someone else.”

  “This wasn’t just any asshole. Duke went to prison because of his family’s lies. You expect me not to go after them? The Andersen boys are bullies and they finally fucked with the wrong person.”

  “Are you any different? You are nothing but a big bully in a suit.” She walked out before he could respond.

  Her question hit him in the gut. Of course he was different. He had to work for what he got. He’d also had to push people out of the way to get to where he was.

  He had no regrets. But watching Zanna leave through that door¸ he couldn’t help but feel that she was disappointed with him. And it bothered him that he even cared what she thought.

  *

  An hour later Zanna walked into Lolly’s hospital room to find the older woman sitting up in bed leafing through a glossy gossip magazine, looking more serene than sick. Zanna didn’t cry very often. Tears meant weakness and weakness wasn’t something she could accept in herself, but seeing Lolly sitting in the bed instead of in the salon with her was starting to take its toll.

  “You’re early today,” Lolly said without looking up. “You just missed Bertie. She said something about bringing you cake.”

  “I’ll get it tomorrow. I don’t think I can walk back into that shop today.”

  Lolly looked up at her then, her usually no-nonsense expression turned into one of concern. “What happened?”

  “Why did you have to send him there? I didn’t want to say anything because it’s your shop, and you can do what you want with it. But why did you have to send Colt? I thought I was doing a good job for you.”

  “Come here, girlie.” She opened her arms. Not many people got to see Lolly like this. Soft. Kind. But she was. And that’s what Zanna needed after dealing with Colt. “What did he do?” She stroked her long, skinny fingers through Zanna’s hair.

  “Did you know he’s buying up the whole town? Just to get back at the Andersens.”

  “I don’t blame him much for that. They took my boys away from me. They were always tough little shits, but they changed when Duke went away. Colt will never admit it, but he loves deeply. He loves Duke. He admires him. Duke took care of them before I did, when I was t
oo stubborn and pissed off at my brother to step in and do what was right. I don’t blame him for wanting to get back at anybody. And from what I heard, Colt tried to kill for you. That’s not like him—Colt doesn’t lose his cool anymore for anyone. Why are you so mad at him?”

  “He wants to get rid of Bertie.”

  “Say what now, girlie?”

  “He said that labor costs are too high and that we shouldn’t be paying Bertie if she isn’t working. Part of me knows he’s right. Bertie has had two clients in the last two weeks. She won’t clean. She doesn’t answer the phones. She’s not making the shop any money, but she’s Bertie. She’s been there forever! How can he think about just letting her go?”

  Lolly was quiet for a moment. “That damn Colt always has to do everything too well.”

  “It’s still your shop. Just tell him to leave Bertie alone.”

  “I can’t. I asked him to clean things up. He’ll leave if I overrule him.”

  “He wouldn’t.”

  “He would. And he won’t look back. We’ve got to think of a way we can keep Bertie. She’s my best friend, taught me a lot about hair. She’s mentored a lot of beauticians and turned them into something decent. Even taught Colt how to do a roller set when he was ten.”

  “What?” Zanna lifted her head. “Why?”

  “That was his punishment. He was a feisty little thing before he calmed down. Every time he acted up we had him do a roller set. Most of the time it was on a mannequin head, but if he was really acting up, we made him do it on a person. The boy did so many of them the year he turned fifteen, he got better than me at them.”

  “You made a fifteen-year-old boy do hair as a punishment? That’s mean.”

  “Ain’t nothing wrong with a boy doing hair. Best hairdresser I’ve ever seen was a straight man named Monty. He was good in bed too. Had hips that swiveled better than a spinning chair. Plus I was teaching him a trade. Duke fixed cars. Levi was always throwing himself off of something. Colt learned how to run that business from me. If things didn’t work out at the fancy college of his, he would have run the shop.”