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“If you remember, you’re the one who said it was okay for Lara to pursue Kelsey as a candidate at BHI.”
“I don’t give a shit what I said. That was before we acquired Newman Inland Marine. Our research on her was correct. She was more than Newman’s executive assistant, she was operating in the capacity of a VP. She knows every bit of the business and is considered a key employee. I want her removed from consideration.”
“Think about what you just said,” Connor encouraged, sitting back and stretching his legs in front of him.
“You can’t have her.”
“I’m telling you as a courtesy as your brother, but the loyalty stops there. If Lara wants to hire her, there’s nothing you can do to prevent it.”
Every muscle in Nathan’s neck froze.
“I debated whether or not I should tell you. Seems I made an error.”
“I want her name removed.”
The waitress had been heading their direction, but obviously sensing tension, she walked away.
Connor leaned forward. “Not going to happen. Donovan has no right to influence hiring at BHI.”
“You sit on their board, for Christ’s sake.”
“And I rarely have input on hiring.”
“At the C-level? That’s bullshit, and you know it.” Nathan narrowed his skeptical gaze at his older brother. Though they’d been at odds several times over the years about business decisions, things had never gotten physical the way they did between Cade and Connor. Nathan respected Connor, both as his older, wiser brother and as a man who’d become CEO of the entire company at far too young an age.
Likewise, Connor had extended his respect to Nathan. Nathan’s cool, calculating appraisal of numbers had been a valuable asset to Donovan Worldwide.
They settled their disagreements amicably, with each of them presenting a solid argument until they agreed upon a strategy.
Today was the first time in his life that he’d been tempted to haul off and hit his older brother with a right uppercut to his jaw.
“This seems a little personal.” Connor waved the waitress over to order another round.
“It’s business,” Nathan insisted.
“Is it?”
“What else could it be?”
“You tell me. I understand you took her to Deviation.”
“What the hell?”
“Anything you want to tell me?”
“No.” Nathan never discussed his relationships with other people. He preferred to work it through on his own. Of course, no one else had ever mattered to him like she did. He’d never invited a woman to move in with him. He’d never wanted it.
Her refusal had stunned him.
For the first time in his life, Nathan had been humbled. He was accustomed to breaking up, not being turned away.
Yesterday, he’d driven around for hours, trying to make sense of the senseless.
What in the fuck had gone wrong?
He’d had her on the Punishment Pole. He’d been attentive, taken care of her afterward. The sex at the hotel had been some of the hottest of his life.
And after breakfast, she’d blown him out of the water.
Finally, he’d gone home, changed clothes, attached his mountain bike to the bicycle rack on top of his vehicle and headed to Memorial Park for several grueling hours.
When he was done, he’d been no closer to an answer.
Though he’d been exhausted, he’d showered then worked for several hours in his home office.
“That’s the reason I’m telling you. If she’s been shortlisted, it means she interviewed with Lara. I don’t know whether or not Kelsey is actively seeking another job, but she’s at least willing to consider the idea of leaving Donovan Logistics. As CEO of Donovan Worldwide, I find that information interesting.”
The idea that she wanted to leave him had been devastating. The idea that she wanted to leave the company she’d helped grow perplexed him. Unless it was all about him. What the hell had he done so wrong that she wanted to leave his life completely?
Fuck.
“And I’m saying you may want to put in a call to Ted Ramirez at North Star as a precaution.”
“I need some time to think.”
“It’s what you do best. Strategy. Focus on that. We’ll talk more in Dallas.”
Dallas. He’d forgotten. This might have been the first time in his life that his obsession for a woman had taken priority over business.
“It’s this week,” Connor reminded him.
“I know. Dallas. I’m on it,” he lied.
The waitress brought their drinks.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Connor picked up his drink and regarded Nathan.
“About?” He played stupid. Then memories of his trip to the Running Wind collided in his mind. He remembered driving to the ranch to pull Cade’s head out of his ass when he’d fallen so hard for Sofia that he didn’t know what day of the week it was.
