“Kylie.” He held out his hand, and I shook it. “Good to see you. Allow me to introduce you to Cody Martins. He is the head of Josh’s detail. And Jerry Enoch, the head of security at Quad II.”
“Nice to meet you both.” We shook hands.
“Welcome to the team.” Cody was an older gentleman with a friendly smile and an easy way about him. He was shorter than Patrick, but bigger and fitter.
“We are still negotiating, but I’m looking forward to working with you.” I nodded.
Patrick's eyes narrowed at our exchange. But again, got over it quickly.
“Yeah, so get that report to me by the end of the day.” Patrick addressed Jerry and walked away.
It took me a second to realize, and I scampered to catch up with him.
It gave me an unobstructed opportunity to see him from behind. He had a firearm tucked into the back of his black slacks, which hugged his ass and leather high-top tennis shoes. His blondish-brown hair was slightly wet at the back, and in his wake followed the scent of a freshly showered man. I inhaled and sighed. His looks gave off protective vibes. His smell, a bonus for those who got to be close to him.
I guess he was in the right job. It was noon, so he’d either just woken up or he’d worked out and showered right before our meeting. Not that it mattered, but the idea of Patrick showering did funny things to my insides.
Geez, Kylie. Get it together.
We strode across the lobby of Quad II and down a hallway toward Quad III. I had to double-time it to keep up with him. Plus, I hadn’t spent a lot of time in Quad III. The entire complex was luxurious, but Quad III had a fancy gloss on everything, a good mix of extravagant modern and ostentatious old-world Las Vegas.
Speaking of ostentatious, Patrick’s offer was beyond generous. As he promised, it arrived in my room this morning, delivered in a large, stiff white envelope by another gentleman in uniform. He introduced himself as Sam, but before I could engage him in conversation, he smiled, gave a slight tilt of his head, and left.
The offer included money, an allowance, and an expense account. The standard benefits I expected from a private international billion-dollar company. There were a few surprises, like the use of an apartment on-site, a decorating allowance, a moving allowance, and a car.
Acar. My goodness. No wonder their people are so loyal. I guess money talks.
This would be a dream offer from anyone but the Grants.
We stepped into the elevator. Patrick pressed his finger against a scanner before pressing the PH button.
“I thought we were going to lunch.”
“We are.”
I watched the elevator number ascend. Penthouse in Quad III.
I knew who lived there.
The elevator stopped at the top floor and opened into a long hallway. “Come on.”
Patrick walked down the hall, his shoes sinking into plush beige carpet that was a world away from the dizzying patterns on every other hotel floor. Artwork covered the walls everyfew yards, and a metal sculpture of a samurai sat on a pedestal halfway down. I noticed two other doors before the end of the hall, which contained a small entryway leading to decorative double doors in dark mahogany with brushed brass door knockers and knobs. Oddly, it felt as if the hotel had been built around the fancy entryway and doors. Like beyond it was a magical world and not just the CEO of the most powerful hotel conglomerate in the United States. I trailed behind Patrick, taking it all in. He stopped at the door and turned toward me.
“We don’t want to keep Mr. Grant waiting?”
Mr. Grant
I stopped in my tracks. “I thought we were meeting to talk about the job.”
Patrick walked back toward me.
“Kyler is very interested in hearing your ideas, and this was the only time he had this week to meet with you.” Patrick frowned at something on his phone and put it in his pocket. “You should feel lucky; most employees never get this type of one-on-one time with the boss.”
“But I haven’t accepted the job yet.” I hugged the envelope in my arms. “And I haven’t signed anything.”
“It’s just lunch, Kylie.” He smirked. “I doubt we’ll be revealing any company secrets over Chinese food.”
I swallowed the pool of saliva in my mouth.
