He smirks and I roll my eyes. "Of course I am. It's why she married me."
"I thought it was because you wore her down until she said yes?" I quip and Aubrey’s lips tilt into a small smile.
"She loves me," he growls and Aubrey’s smile transforms into a bright, wide smile as she lets out a little laugh.
"Of course she does," I reply instantly and his eyes narrow. "That's what Stockholm syndrome is."
He gasps, "Out! Get out."
I can't help but giggle, he's so dramatic. "You truly are the most romantic man I have ever met!" I tell him seriously.
He grins, "Don't worry, Melly, I'll teach Ethan everything I know. Don't you two have somewhere you need to be?"
"We're going," Aubrey tells him as she walks toward the kids playing at the table. "Mama's going now, kisses." She tells them and all three of them, yes, including Ethan, jump to their feet and give Aubrey hugs and kisses. "Now Melly's turn."
They all run toward me and throw their tiny arms around me. Ethan snuggles into my chest and holds me tightly. My heart restricts at the thought of leaving him for the night. "Be good for Chance, okay?" He nods quickly, his hands tightening around me. "I love you so much, I'll be home tomorrow."
He nods once again and I feel as though I'm abandoning him. A hand touches my shoulder, giving me a reassuring squeeze. "Melly, come on, he's going to be fine," Chance says softly.
"I know," I whisper as I stand. I quickly place a kiss to Ethan's head and turn knowing if I don't do it now, I won't ever leave. "Love you, baby, see you tomorrow."
"Bye, Mama. Love you." He tells me with a grin and turns to jump on Chance and I know that everything is going to be okay. He's in great hands.
"We're going to get our hair and make-up done," Aubrey tells me once we're inside the town car she's hired for the evening.
"What?"
She smiles, "Mel, you need this. Sit back, relax and I'm going to spoil you. You deserve this."
Twenty minutes later and I'm sitting in the chair getting my hair done. I glance over at Aubrey and she too is getting her hers done. "It's not often that I get to do things for myself. Besides it's Chance's idea and you know that neither of us can say no to him." She tells me when she spots me looking over at her.
"You both have done so much for me already."
She rolls her eyes, "And you haven't for us? Please Mel, just relax and enjoy it?"
"Thank you," I reply and she smiles, so I sit back and enjoy as the man starts to cut my hair. Once he’s finished, he’s taken over by a woman wielding a makeup brush. I glance over at Aubrey and see her smiling. I sit back once again and close my eyes, letting the lady do as she wants.
“Ready to get dressed?” Aubrey asks once the lady is finished. I’ve not yet seen what they’ve done to me. My hair feels lighter, but I’m not sure what it looks like. Aubrey wants it to be a surprise, I’ll find out once I’m in a dress; something I haven’t worn in a few years.
12
Eli
The door to my office opens and I sigh, I was wondering how long it would take them, I've been here for thirty minutes, they're losing their touch. Usually they'd have cornered me by now, but I guess they're slacking today. I was hoping they'd given up, but no such luck. I turn my attention from the numerous emails that need replies and turn to my brothers.
"You sure you don't want me to go?" Rhys asks as he and Devon take a seat in front of my desk and I glare at him. I know what he's doing, what they're both doing. They're worried that I'm going to run into her again.
"I'm sure," I say through clenched teeth. "It's been four years, don't you think it's time to stop treating me like a damn child."
Devon and Rhys share a look, one that has my fists clenching. It's Devon that responds. "We know it's been four years, we also know that in those four years you've not had one woman."
I narrow my eyes at them, "Why the hell are you watching me?" I hate this shit, I'm not in their business, they need to stay the fuck out of mine.
"Fine, you want to go. Go." Anything to get these two off my back. They're worse than Ma, she's constantly trying to set me up with women and since my sexy barista, I've not been interested. I don't know what spell she put on me, but whatever it is, it needs to end now.
Rhys sighs, "Eli, we don't want to go. The event is in LA, that puts you in the same city as her, well potentially, we just don't want you to get hurt." I scoff at his words, "Since you met her you've been different. I would tell you to suck it up and go find her but I know you're a stubborn asshole and you won't do it, instead you'll be a miserable bastard for the rest of your life."
Devon nods in agreement, "He's right. whatever happened with that woman, it's gotten to you. I knew it the moment I saw you the first time you came back from LA. When you got back the second time, you weren't there Eli. You're focused on work, you don't go out, hell you haven't even looked at a woman since then. You've changed."
"What the hell do you want me to do?" I ask them, pissed we're even having this conversation.
Devon shrugs, "Honestly?" I glare at him, what sort of question is that? "We think you should try and find her."
I open my mouth to protest, I'm not finding her. I fucked up too much with her and I'm not fixing to make things worse.
Devon holds his hand up to stop me. "Just hear me out." I wave my hand, telling him to continue. "We don't know anything about this woman, you're tight lipped about her which in itself is rare. You and Rhys talk about your sexcapades like you talk about the weather. Yet, the mere mention of the woman in LA and you're shutting us down and telling us to fuck off."
He has a point, not that I'd admit it.
He smirks knowing damn well that he's hit the nail on the head. "Not only that, before her, you'd have a different woman every night. Hell some nights you'd have two. But since her, there's been no-one. Not even a date."
Rhys leans forward in his seat, "You have a choice. Go, find her and be happy. Or forget about her and be a miserable bastard for the rest of your life."
"Are you two done?" The impatience in my tone can't be missed.
Devon sighs but Rhys isn't done yet. "No, Asshole, I'm not. You have a fucking chance at being happy. At having something that many dream of and yet you're being a selfish prick and letting it slip through your fingers."
Devon gets to his feet. "Just think of this, you leave her be, then one day she's going to find someone else."
"She probably already has." I tell them, she's fucking gorgeous, there's no way she hasn't got a man.
Devon shrugs, "She feels the same as you, then there's no way she's not wanting to give it another try. But you leave her be, then she's going to get married, and have kids. How does that make you feel?" That stupid smirk on his face tells me he knows exactly how it makes me feel.
"Don't let the door hit you on the ass on your way out." I tell them as I turn my attention to my computer and get back to sending the emails.
There's a soft knock at the door, "Mr. Eli," Juliette calls out as she pushes the office door open slightly. "Mr. Eli, I have your itinerary ready for your trip this evening. I have a car waiting for you when you touch down in LAX, the hotel is booked for the weekend, and your tux is being brought to your hotel."
"Thank you, have you booked a room for Marybeth?" My teeth clench at the mere thought of bringing that woman with me to the event but I have no choice. She's the daughter of a potential supplier. Nothing will ever happen between us, the woman reeks of desperation.
Juliette smiles, "Well, Mr. Eli, it seems as though Marybeth has her own arrangements. Her father called and said that she'll still be your date for the evening but she's dating someone."
Well thank fuck for that.
"She doesn't need to be my date for the evening. I'm perfectly happy to fly solo." In fact, I'd prefer it.
She shakes her head, "Sorry, Mr. Eli, but her father has put his foot down. He's demanding that you go with her."
"Fucking prick," I m
utter, the asshole knows that I can't stand his daughter, he had hoped that if he pushed us together, we'd go with his company. I don't mix business with pleasure and I certainly don't allow my dick to lead my decisions.
Juliette walks into my office and puts the itinerary down on my desk, "Can I get you anything, Mr. Eli?"
"No, thank you, Juliette." She nods and backs out of my office, she’s like my brothers, what with the way she looks at me as though I could blow at any moment.
I glance back at the document that I have on my desk, the one that Conrad and I had spent countless hours and money trying to get our hands on. The shit with Elodie hit full speed eighteen months ago, she was working Kline for years, she’d been sleeping with him and Rhys, it was a fucking shit show. But thankfully we got ahead of Kline and managed to announce our new venture without him. Although, he did try and piss us off by trying to get our contractors on his side but we finally had the upper hand when we sent someone undercover in his business and we managed to scoop three of the premises he had bids on. To say he was pissed, was putting it mildly, but he slipped up and we found out that Elodie and him had been syphoning money from not only us, but also his charity. The two of those assholes are locked up behind bars.
The document that I have is the contract to take over Kline’s business. His business partner wants him gone as does the board and I’ve expressed interest. What better way to piss Kline off than take over his business, but while I’d enjoy that immensely, I think, Rhys should do it. Elodie fucked with him more than any of us. It would be the ultimate fuck you to the two of them.
"Eli, thank you for agreeing to this," Graham Hanover says holding out his hand for me to shake.
I take it and the slimy fucker squeezes, does he truly believe he can intimidate me? I squeeze back and watch with satisfaction as he winces and tries to pull his hand from mine. "Is she ready?" I don't have the inclination to wait around listening to this asshole.
His eyes flash with anger but he doesn't say anything. I don't like this man and I know that Conrad fucking hates him. The only reason we were entertaining the idea of having him be a supplier was because he has friends in high places. But today he's just sealed his fate. He's no longer in the running. If he tries to pull any shit, Conrad and I will make sure those friends in high places are out of his reach.
He lets out a bark disguised as a cough, "Not yet, please join me for a drink." I grit my teeth, I don't want to have a drink with the asshole but as I'm waiting for his daughter Marybeth, I have no option but to have a drink with him.
"How is the construction coming along?" he asks as he hands me a glass of Bourbon.
I clench my teeth, I hate talking about business to people who have no input into its running. "Should be ready at the end of the month." The project that we're working on with Conrad is finally set to open in six months. We have our recipe for our beer and it's gone over well. It's getting a lot of praise and the anticipation for it to hit the stores as well as the bars we’ll be supplying is building.
The brewery is being built here in Los Angeles and at the moment, Conrad is wanting either me or Devon to run it. That could change depending on how well Brandon manages the other business deals he has him working. After the mix up with the hotels with my first trip to LA, Brandon realized that he was on thin ice with his father and has worked hard to get to a point where he is capable of taking over from him. I must admit I'm impressed with how well he's managing it. He's got a lot of respect from rivals and even those who he works with.
"That's great, did Marybeth tell you that I'm branching out?" His greediness is pouring out of him, the smirk he has tells me that he believes that branching out will make him rich. It doesn't work that way, to become a successful business it takes years of hard work along with rubbing a few greasy palms. It took our family decades to get where we are.
"No, I don't believe she did." Not that we have ever spoken, I don't like the woman and I do everything I can to avoid any sort of interaction with her.
My cell beeps and I reach into my pocket for it while Graham drones on about expanding his supply business into Europe. I feign interest as I read over the email that Conrad sent me, the permits we were waiting on have come through and the equipment we need for our brewery is scheduled for delivery in two weeks’ time.
"Let's hope that it works out for you." I tell him as I put my phone back into my pocket and get to my feet. "If you wouldn't mind getting your daughter. There's one thing I hate and that's being late, especially to an event that is to benefit a charity that I support."
His mouth opens in shock but he gets to his feet and leaves the room. The sooner we tell this asshole that he won't be getting the contract the fucking better. A couple of minutes after he leaves the room he returns with his daughter at his side. Her platinum blonde hair is as fake as her breasts, she gives me a flirtatious look, batting her eyelashes as if that's going to help her. Her pouty lips are too big for her face, she's not ugly, some may even say she's pretty if you like high maintenance women. "I'll see you later, Daddy," she says as she places a kiss against her father's cheek. "Mr. Egan, thank you for waiting. I'm sorry that I took so long."
"Are you ready, Marybeth?" I ask politely, my manners kicking in.
She scowls but nods. "Yes," she says taking a step toward me and reaching for my arm. "You look good." She purrs as we make our way to the waiting car.
"Thanks," I reply and her nails dig into the crook of my arm. Seems like the princess didn't like it when I didn't repay the same compliment.
"Eli, are you going to be this cold all night?" she whines and I'm wishing I could leave her home.
I wait until we're in the car to answer her. "I'm not cold. I just don't see the point in pretenses. You have a boyfriend, I doubt he'd take too kindly to you hanging all over me." Thankfully it's only a fifteen minute ride to where the event is being held. Once I'm there, I won't have to listen to her crap for long.
She scoffs, "Boyfriend? What's that got to do with anything? From what I've heard, Eli Egan doesn't care if a woman's married or not, as long as she's good at giving head, he's all over it."
I shake my head, fuck, I should have left her ass at home. "Seems someone forgot to inform you that I don't like desperate women."
She gasps, "Desperate?"
I don't even spare her a look, "We have met all of four times and each of those times, you have made a not so subtle come on. I'm not sure how much plainer I could have made it. So let me make it simple for you. I will not fuck you, not now, not ever."
"You're an asshole, Eli." She tells me and I bite back my smile. "All you had to say was that you're not interested."
Now I turn to face her, is she for fucking real? I notice that her eyes are filled with tears, does she think that they'll make me soften toward her? Not going to happen. "Christ, Marybeth. I fucking told you the first day you tried flirting with me I wasn't interested and you didn't listen."
She folds her arms over her chest like a petulant child. "You're a bastard. Why on earth did you ask me to come with you this evening?"
Jesus, this woman doesn't give up. "This is entirely down to your father. What did you do? Give him false hope that I wanted you? Your father thinks he's buttering me up by giving you to me in hopes of securing the contract."
She doesn't say anything for the rest of the ride and I'm grateful for the reprieve. She realizes now that her father set her up. Too bad, it's not going to work out for either of them.
The car comes to a stop and I exit the vehicle. Even though I'm a bastard, my mother taught me to be a gentleman, I reach into the car and hold out my hand for Marybeth to hold. As soon as she's out of the car, she latches onto my arm and smiles brightly.
We're warmly greeted as we enter the building, this charity is close to my heart and I've been supporting it for years. Every time they have an event, I'm always here. My brothers usually come too, except this time the event is in LA . The Eliza Foundation helps children with
cancer and their parents.
A throaty laugh catches my attention, glancing to my left, I see Aubrey Bateman. I've known Aubrey for years, she married an acquaintance of mine, someone I've not seen in a couple of years. "Oh, Eli..." she's got a huge smile on her face as she turns to her friend who's got her back to me. "Mel, I want you to meet a friend of mine." Her voice has gone soft as she talks to a woman and she turns to face me.
My body locks as I set sights of the woman that has haunted my dreams for the past four years. Her blonde hair is longer than I remember, it flows in soft curls down her bare back. She has more curves than I recall but fuck, they add to her sexiness. She's even more beautiful than I remember.
I watch as the color drains from her face and she whispers something to Aubrey, whose eyes widen and then narrow when Marybeth plasters herself to my front; her finger running up my shirt toward my throat. I grab her hand and pull it away. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" I say through clenched teeth, not once taking my eyes off the beautiful woman standing with Aubrey.
"Oh, Eli, you think I'm going to let you make a fool of me? Hmm, I can see you lusting over that girl. Everyone can. You came here with me, don't forget that."
I clench my jaw and look down at the bitch still plastered at my side. "It's time for you to leave." There's no mistaking the anger in my voice, and her body flinches, "Tell your father that he can forget the fucking contract."
Her eyes widen as her mouth opens in shock. "Please, Eli, don't do this."
I tighten my hold on her wrist and turn, pulling her through the room with me, her heels clicking against the floor. "Leave now and don't contact me again." I release her and turn, not bothering checking to see if she leaves.
When I make my way back into the ballroom I scan the crowd and I don't see Aubrey or the beautiful barista anywhere. Shit.
My brothers are right, I have a decision to make. Seeing her again, makes me realize that I do still want her. Now I have a choice, find her or move on.
Egotistical Executive: A Hero Club Novel Page 9
