by Layla Hagen
My One And Only
Layla Hagen
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My One And Only
Copyright © 2020 Layla Hagen
Cover: Uplifting Designs
Photography: Regina Wamba
Copyright ©2021 Layla Hagen
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Copyright Page
Chapter One | Liam
Chapter Two
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen | Tess
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Seventeen | Liam
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Tess
Chapter Twenty-Six | Tess
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Epilogue
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Chapter One
Liam
“Hi, Gran. All good?” I checked in with my grandmother twice a week, no matter what I had going on. Right now, I was on a short break from hearing pitches from companies that my fund was considering investing in.
“Still alive,” she said.
I groaned. “Can you please find another way to greet me?”
“Why? I’m grateful every day for not biting the dust.”
She had a point, but it was still too morbid for my taste.
“How are you?” I asked.
“Just left my Pilates studio. Should have tried it out years ago. Don’t know why I didn’t.”
“Never too late to try out new things,” I agreed.
“When’s the last time you tried out something new?” she asked.
I actually had to think hard about that, and I still didn’t come up with anything.
“I don’t remember.” I didn’t have time for new experiences, but I liked my life.
I was running my investment fund, Harrington & Co., with my two best friends, David and Becca.
“See, that’s not good. One day you’ll be eighty and wondering when you let life pass you by.”
I laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind, Gran. Do you need anything?”
“No, no. I’m fine. That delivery service app you showed me is wonderful.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
One of the companies I invested in a few years ago developed an app that was a mix between existing concierge services and food delivery. The team behind it were geniuses when it came to user friendliness. As proof, Gran got the hang of it in fifteen minutes.
“I can still stop by. It doesn’t replace me,” I said playfully.
“Oh, I guess you could. You’re still the best chess player I know.”
“Happy to know I’m still a worthy opponent.” We played chess for as long as I could remember. Gran thought she was better than she actually was, mostly because Grandpa let her win one too many times. He always claimed she was in a better mood afterward and that a man had to choose his battles. Gran could be stubborn and feisty, two traits I seemed to have inherited.
After hanging up, I checked the time. I still had a few minutes before the next pitch started, so I headed to the restroom. It was going to be a long day. We were in an auditorium across from our office building in the Upper West Side.
Harrington & Co. accepted proposals once a year from businesses looking for investors. We had twenty applicants this year, and they were all excellent. I took that as a compliment to our fund. It was proof that we were well known in New York and attracted a lot of interest. Usually, we signed on about three new companies each year, but this time, we were only going to take one. Our team was stretched thin already, and until we wanted to bring on more new hires, one more company was all we could manage.
Where the hell are the bathrooms? We only rented this place once a year for pitches, and the damn place was a maze every time. I went down the wrong corridor twice before stepping into the right one, then headed straight to the men’s room, still playing in my mind the five pitches I already heard. I opened the door and stumbled upon a woman who was only half dressed.
Fuck. Me. She was tall with an hourglass figure and glossy hair that fell over her shoulders. I couldn’t tell if it was blonde or brown—it seemed like a mix that suited her perfectly.
She’d taken off her shirt and was currently only wearing a red bra that was driving me insane.
“Oh my God. This is the ladies’ room,” she exclaimed, wincing when she noticed me.
Several things happened at the same time. She took a step back and tried to shield her chest, but one of the cups seemed to detach itself. I got an eyeful of a gorgeous breast before she managed to cover her front with her arms. A deep blush appeared on her cheeks, highlighting her blue eyes.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Close the door. Now.”
I stepped back, immediately shutting the door, but it didn’t close all the way. A thin crack remained, but she was completely out of my sight.
“I apologize again,” I said through the door. “I was lost in thought and wasn’t paying attention. I didn’t mean to walk in on you.” I glanced at the signs on the doors. I could swear they were reversed last year, but maybe my mind was playing tricks on me.
“Oh my God. This is so embarrassing. I, um, had to wash off a stain. I don’t make a habit of stripping in bathrooms.” She was rambling, speaking very fast.
“You’re here for the pitching session, right?”
I recognized her because I’d seen her in the waiting room with the other applicants earlier today. I wanted to put her at ease.
“Yes. Tess Winchester from Soho Lingerie. And you’re Liam Harrington, right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, what a way to meet,” she mumbled.
“I’ll pretend I haven’t seen anything.”
There was a small pause before she asked in a low voice, “So you did see?”
“No, nothing,” I said quickly.
“Oh, that sounds so convincing.”
This wasn’t working out. The more I tried to reassure her, the more she got herself in a frenzy.
“Okay, then I’ll pretend we haven’t met. How about that?” I asked.
She chuckled.
“Is there anything I can do to make this situation better?”
“Ending this awkward conversation?”
She sounded flustered. She was right. This wasn’t helping—quite the contrary, actually.
Now that she mentioned it, I realized I was just prolonging an awkward situation. After all, she was still half dressed in there.
“I’ll see you in the auditorium. Good luck.”
She laughed. It was more of a nervous chuckle, but it was still progress. The last thing I wanted was for her to walk in that auditorium and stumble over her own words because of this. She had one shot. I didn’t want anything to jeopardize her chances of success.
I wasn’t really sold on their business. I remembered from the application they sent that they had impressive sales numbers, but they had a short history. This didn’t mean, however, that I wasn’t going to give their pitch a fair shot.
“I’ll try to do the same.”
I smiled before ducking into the men’s room, still miffed at my mistake. The auditorium building had been under renovation recently, so perhaps they changed the locations of the bathrooms?
It didn’t matter, in truth. I had other problems. I might be able to pretend we hadn’t met, but there was no erasing that sinful image from my mind.
***
Tess
Oh my God, this was embarrassing. I spilled coffee on my shirt, so I’d come to the bathroom to clean it off. Instead, I flashed my boobs to Liam Harrington himself. What a way to start the day.
I recognized him from the photo on his company’s website. I’d also seen him in passing this morning when we were all shown to the waiting room.
I gave up trying to wash off the stain, just holding the wet portion of my shirt under the hand dryer for a full minute. After putting it on, I also slung my black suit jacket on, buttoning it up. There, now it was hidden. I just hoped I wouldn’t break into a sweat.
I smoothed my palms over my skirt before walking quickly back into the waiting room, which was actually just a long corridor with chairs lined up at the wall on both sides. The hardwood floors and tall but narrow windows gave the space a friendly vibe. The ceiling was high, and there was something majestic about it.
My sister Skye was staring at the laptop she was holding on her lap, biting her lower lip. This was a nerve-racking day for the both of us, but I’d rarely seen my sister this jumpy. Being surrounded by our competitors certainly wasn’t helping. I sat next to her, determined to push the bathroom incident to the back of my mind and focus on how I could help Skye relax.
The stakes were high today. Skye and I owned Soho Lingerie, a shop selling all sorts of undergarments, and we wanted to expand. To that end, we needed financing, and we were hoping to get it from Harrington & Co. Receiving additional capital would help us expand more quickly; there was no denying that. But we’d also have to give Harrington & Co. some control of our business, and I still had mixed feelings about that. I had to take everything one step at a time though, and right now, my priority was to distract Skye.
She ran a hand through her hair, ruffling her perfectly cut bangs. Her chocolate-colored hair was in complete disarray now. Even her dark-blue suit was getting wrinkled because she was fidgeting so much.
It was usually easy for me to calm Skye down, but today I was nervous as hell too, especially after the bathroom incident.
I drew on my lifelong experience as the older sister to three rambunctious siblings and came up with an idea. Skye always lit up when she spoke about her six-month-old son.
“Did Jonas manage to sit up on his own yet?” I asked. I didn’t lower my voice, because the next group was seated quite far from us.
Skye instantly smiled. “No, but he’s very good at propelling himself forward on his belly. He looks like he’s swimming on the floor.”
“And you didn’t send me a pic?” I pouted, feeling a strange tightness in my chest. I loved being there for every milestone, but this month was our busiest yet for some reason. It was mid-September, which I wouldn’t say was a big shopping month, but I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
“Sorry, I forgot. In my defense, it happened yesterday when I was reading the presentation. But I have a picture.” She took out her phone, tapping it twice before turning the screen to me.
I sighed as my chest didn’t just tighten—something literally squeezed inside my rib cage. I loved my nephew so much. He was growing fast. Every time I saw him, he looked a tad different than the last time.
“Are you bringing him to the store tomorrow?” I asked eagerly.
Skye grinned. “Yup. Seems to make you just as happy as it makes him.”
I grinned back. “That’s because we have a special relationship.” And by that, I meant I was holding him in my arms 90 percent of the time when I was in the same room with him. I just loved that sweet baby smell and his never-ending curiosity. I’d been a baby person even as a small kid. When my two younger brothers were born, I remembered walking with them in my arms around the house. I was pretending to help Mom, but honestly, I just loved holding them.
Skye showed me a few new photos, and her body language was more relaxed than before. Mission accomplished. To be honest, I felt less stressed too.
At least until the door opened and they called someone in to pitch.
“What’s wrong?” Skye asked. “You seem a bit jumpy since you came from the bathroom. Didn’t the stain come out?”
Sighing, I decided to fess up. Maybe that would really help me see things in perspective.
“So...while I was trying to clean the stain, someone walked in on me. Liam Harrington.”
“What’s the big deal?”
“I wasn’t wearing the shirt,” I whispered. “Just a bra. A strapless one. And then I accidentally flashed him a boob.”
Skye opened her mouth wide before covering it with one hand. I still heard her giggle.
“Oh, Tess!”
“Yup. Just my luck, right?”
“That Harrington guy isn’t too ugly,” she whispered.
The remark was so out of character that I couldn’t help but laugh. She rarely noticed any other guys since she’d gotten married. I cocked a brow at her.
“What? You used Jonas to get me to loosen up. I can use the hot-guy technique,” she whispered.
I laughed despite the widening pit in my stomach. Daydreaming about a guy who caught my eye was one of my favorite techniques to relax. Not too ugly was tongue in cheek, of course. I noticed his baby-blue eyes the second I glanced at his picture on the company’s website. And when we arrived today, I couldn’t help but notice that he was breathtakingly handsome all around. On a scale from dreamy to hot, he was definitely on the hot-as-hell end of the spectrum, but that wasn’t helping my nerves. Today, I couldn’t employ my favorite distraction technique.
We received a list with the presentation order when we arrived. My heartbeat accelerated when I realized we would be the next ones to present.
I cocked my head in the direction of the auditorium just as Liam Harrington stepped out, and the whispering in the corridor stopped instantly. His presence muted the conversations the last time he came out too. I suspected he always had the effect of quieting a room, or at least causing everyone to stop what they were doing to pay attention to him. There was something undeniably magnetic about him.
“Okay, everyone. We’re ready. Skye and Tess Winchester from Soho Lingerie are up next,” he said.
All my nerves slammed right back into me.
Skye and I immediately rose to our feet, hurrying toward him. He was holding the door open for us. I carefully averted my gaze, not ready to make eye contact with him.
As I passed him, I was close enough to realize he was taller than me, at least six feet, and that his eyes weren’t his only striking feature. His jawline was sharp and masculine, and his shoulders and arms were toned. He was wearing a black shirt that fit him so well it was easy to see his physique, which made me think his clothes had to be custom-made. His dark-blond hair gave him a bad-boy vibe that didn’t fit the rest of him but was insanely attractive.
I juggled my belongings, taking a deep breath as we stepped inside. The auditorium was very intimidating. It
was huge, with ten long rows. All the windows were covered with shutters so the presentations could be projected on the wall. The table with the projector was in the front.
Harrington stood right next to the entrance while two others who were sitting in the first row rose from their chairs as we entered. I recognized Rebecca Johnson and David Delgado because I studied their pictures and bios on their website too. I didn’t know who the six people in the second row were. I assumed it would only be the three fund managers. Were they students, possibly interns?
Harrington led my sister and me to the table in the center. When he pointed to the cable where I was supposed to connect my laptop, I couldn’t help but notice that his initials were sewn at the hem of his sleeve. I’d been right: his shirt was custom-made.
“Skye, Tess, you can start whenever you’re ready. Our interns are watching this too, but if they make you uncomfortable, we can ask them to step out.”
Skye and I exchanged a glance, and my sister nodded.
“That’s fine. We don’t mind if they stay,” she said.
I turned on my laptop and plugged in the projector cable. Skye would begin the presentation, and then I would take over halfway through just as we practiced.
Liam sat next to Rebecca, and for the first time, I didn’t avert my gaze. I looked straight at him. My breath caught. Damn, those blue eyes could melt hearts...and panties. I felt my cheeks heat up. Was he still thinking about the bathroom incident?
His gaze dropped to my chest—only for a split second, but I caught it—right before he flashed me a knowing smile.
Oh boy.
Two things were clear.
One: he was still thinking about me half naked.
Two: I really had to stop blushing if I wanted them to take us seriously.
Chapter Two
Tess
I sat in the first row of the auditorium, a few seats away from Liam and the rest of his staff. Skye was standing right next to the desk where we propped the laptop. The screen was projected on the wall behind her. She started by presenting the financial growth we had over the last three years. Pride swelled inside me as she moved from one slide to the next. We built this business from the ground up, and last year we introduced customization options, which were a complete game changer.
