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Crew just offered the sexy redhead a job. Not just any job. The job we've been trying to fill for the past four months. He gave the almost six-figure-a-year job of head loss prevention officer to a casino security guard who just got her ass fired.
"Hold up." I raise my hand in the air. "Wait."
I own the goddamn company. Crew has a small percentage of Matiz Cosmetics shares in his pocket. He handles the front-end of the business, putting himself out there for the press when they want an exposé on what our new product line entails. I'm running the entire show behind the scenes.
I don't handle new hires. Crew doesn't either, but he witnessed the same thing I did. He saw Ellie take control of a man who towered above her. She wasn't taking any shit from that asshole. There was no way in hell she was going to let him mistreat another woman. It took balls to do what she did. The fact that she did it while wearing a skin tight black dress, only makes it that much more impressive.
I scrub my hands over my face, desperate for the clarity I possessed a mere three hours ago. Since Ellie plopped her firm round ass in my lap at the restaurant, my brain has ceased to function in any manner that's the least bit helpful to me. That has to stop now. Matiz is my company. This is where I take back control of this fucked up night.
"We need to discuss this, Crew." I step toward where he's standing with Ellie. "Let's not offer anything before we find out if Ellie
is qualified."
Ellie's back stiffens at my words. The more I stare at her profile, the more I doubt she's the girl I've been looking for.
"Are you fucking serious?" Crew asks with a smirk. "You saw what I saw, Nolan. She took that guy to the floor. You're the one who called me when you left the restaurant because she caught Shelby red-handed with a stolen wallet."
I called him because I wanted him to get his ass to Meadow so he could catch a glimpse of Ellie before she left. I needed him to confirm the same thing he does every time I see a gorgeous redhead with beautiful blue eyes. He tells me it's not the girl I've been searching a third of my life for and I tell him I'll let it go. I never do. I can't. The scenario plays out the same way every goddamn time. It never ends with Crew handing a high paying job to an underqualified applicant.
"I admit it's all impressive." I focus on Ellie, but she's looking right at Crew. "We need to be prudent about who we hire, Ellie. We'll need to know your background."
She nods, but doesn't turn from Crew to look my way. "I have a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from Mercy College. I attended on a full scholarship. Before I moved to Las Vegas, I worked in Manhattan as a security consultant for Foster Enterprises in their Fashion Division. During my contract, I was able to help lower loss due to theft in their stores to less than one percent across the board. I did that without using security tags on any of their products."
Jesus Christ. A fucking full scholarship?
I limped through college on a ticket paid for by my father.
We're consistently losing three percent in annual sales to theft by customers and our goddamn greedy employees. Lowering it to one percent would mean more than twenty million dollars saved a year.
Ellie takes a deep breath before she continues. "I should also mention that I'm a recipient of the Jane Bishop Medal from the Mayor of New York for civilian bravery. It took getting a bullet in my thigh but it was worth it and yes, it hurt like hell. "
"Good enough for you?" Crew crosses his arms over his chest as he shoots me a look that says wake the hell up, idiot, this woman is our savior.
I don't say anything because fuck me, there are no words. A bullet? A medal for bravery? I'm scared of spiders, and this woman is getting awards for her courage.
"I get that you need to check out my credentials." Again, she stares at Crew while she talks. A smile brightens her face. "If you need me to fill out an application or submit my resume when I get back to the city, I'll be happy to come in and do that."
"Give me your number." He tugs his phone out of the back pocket of his pants. "I'll need a few other details too."
She steps away with him; her phone clutched in her delicate hands. They're the same hands that most likely could snap a man's neck in two with one quick twist.
"Are you coming home with me or not?" Lacy bumps her hip against my thigh.
Shit. I forgot about her. Her voice, her irritatingly high-pitched, tinny voice had trailed off when I walked over to speak with Ellie and Crew. I assumed Lacy had wandered away after someone else, but that didn't happen. She's still here.
I look down at her, expressionless. There seriously are no words.
"In case you can't take a hint, you're not Ellie Madden's type. The looker with the black hair is." She smirks. "It's fate. The two of us are destined to happen."
I circle my index finger in the narrow space between us. "The two of us? You think this is fate?"
"You haven't been able to take your eyes off of me since we met." She flutters her now chalky eyelids causing flecks of bluish, lime green shimmer to rain down on her cheeks. "We're wasting time standing here when we could be back at my place."
Destroying this woman's ego is tempting, but the fuel of my frustration would be wasted on her. She may be right. I may not be Ellie's usual type, but that unspoken exchange between us, when she was in my lap, was undeniable. I know she felt it too even if she acted like I didn't fucking exist when she was talking to Crew.
"Are you ready to go?" Lacy snaps. "Time is wasting."
"Time has run out." I gesture at my watch with an exaggerated sigh. "It looks like fate has other plans for us. I have an early flight in the morning."
