AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Just then I stumble to a halt at the sight of Blair Hayden exiting a sleek, black sportscar. It’s just exactly the kind of car I would picture him having, with its aggressively beautiful lines and sexy, low-to-the-ground profile. I’m not sure if I want to run away or approach him, so I stand stock still as he turns in my direction. His gaze locks with mine, and his blue eyes are as gorgeous as this morning, but they look a little different somehow. They have more of a predatory gleam, and they’re missing that hint of amusement. I manage a tentative smile as I walk toward him.
“Hello,” I say, marveling at my newfound ability not to stammer.
He nods at me, but doesn’t respond.
For some reason, I freeze. It’s impossible to keep moving. I stop and stand in front of him, biting my lower lip. “Thank you.”
His brow furrows. “For what?”
“For helping me. Madeleine was a big help. I just wanted to say thanks.”
“Um, sure, okay,” He says, then pauses. “Do I know you?”
Ouch. I may not be the most memorable person in the entire world, but it was just this morning! I take a small step back, wanting to sink into the pavement. “I guess you forgot me. Eye Eye?” I close my eyes as I say the silly nickname. “I mean, Chastity.”
He rakes his eyes over my body. “I doubt I would never forget meeting you, sugar.”
My face flames with heat, and I simply nod, though I didn’t believe him for a minute. He’s just a player who has clearly forgotten me from that morning. What should I have expected? I am an intern -- barely a blip on his radar -- it’s natural that he doesn’t even remember talking to me.
His voice is on the gentle side when he says, “Hey, if you’ll excuse me, I do need to get past you.”
I want to sink into the concrete. I didn’t think it was possible, but my face gets even hotter, and I’m sure I’m roughly the the crimson color of the receptionist’s lipstick as I rush out of his way and toward the bus stop. I wish I didn’t approach him at all. I should’ve just walked on past, and pretended like I didn’t know him, because he clearly didn’t know me. A couple of moments of conversation are nothing to a man like that. But I’ve humiliated myself.
As I get on the bus, I take a seat midway down and pull out my phone. I felt a bit stalkery doing so, but I catch myself entering Blair Hayden’s name into the search box on Google.
I furiously blush again a moment later when I see a picture of Blair standing beside his brother, Liam. They’re wearing matching tuxedos, and of course, they have matching faces. It’s obvious they’re identical twins. I must have met up with Liam instead of Blair in the parking lot!
At least I hope that’s the case, because it would explain why he completely forgot who I am.
As I read on, most of the articles come from the society pages and gossip columns. There seems to be a never-ending list of glamorous women the brothers are photographed with, and it looks like they go through them one after another. I set aside the phone with a sigh as I stare out the window. The Hayden brothers are total players. It’s rare when the same woman is on their arm more than once, or at most, twice. No wonder they’d had the idea for Your Next Ex, since they’re clearly always on the hunt for theirs!
I also check out their company. After download the app to my phone, a sexy blonde — of course, a sexy blonde — invites me to put in my information and find my perfect match. I fill in a few of the fields, and when it figures out I’m a straight female, the next interaction is with a sexy, shirtless tanned man. He’s attractive, sure, but either one of the brothers would’ve been a more convincing model to get any woman to sign up. They could even get my great-grandmother, Eleanor at the nursing home, to sign up to find her next ex.
I close out the app before it asks for my credit card or offers matches. The last thing I’m interested in is finding a short-term fling, or one-night stand. The whole idea is nuts. I can’t imagine the kind of bravery, or stupidity, it would take to meet up with a complete stranger with the intention of having sex with them! Although, I can’t even imagine having sex with someone I knew well.
Well... maybe I can imagine it.
A brief image of Blair’s soft, full lips flashes behind my eyes, and I squirm in my seat. Okay, I can definitely imagine it, but I couldn’t ever really do it.
But back to business. The school definitely screwed up big time, matching me to this company, and if I don’t fix it now, it may not get fixed. I open my email and quickly type to request a transfer, leaving a lame explanation saying I am an incompatible match with the company. All I can do now is wait and hope someone gets back to me before I have to return to Hayden Industries again.
Chapter 4
Liam
I’m thinking about the strange encounter in the parking garage as I get in the elevator to the top floor of our building. While Blair likes to be on the ground floor, where he can mingle with the employees, or escape them quickly, I prefer the penthouse. We worked hard to get where we are, and while I appreciate the efforts of the people who work for us, I don’t want to rub shoulders with them or be their best buds. I just want to enjoy our success and put a little fear and intimidation into the people below us. Someone has to keep everything running smoothly, at least in my opinion. Blair’s different. He’s far more likely to be that approachable, friendly boss that I would -- or could -- never be. He thinks that’s what keeps employee morale high.
I’m more cynical. I’m pretty sure it has a lot to do with the big salaries and excellent perks we offer. Whether he’s right or I am, somehow we’ve managed to keep a satisfied and stable group of employees. We both rest better at night knowing we pay a fair wage for fair work, and even if our managerial styles aren’t a complete match, we’ve found our niches and we work well together.
So if I’m so content, why am I still thinking about the mousy little brunette who had approached me in the parking lot? She was certain I would remember her, but I’ve never seen her before in my life. I wouldn’t have forgotten her, as there’s something about her that held my interest. And that’s her ass, my inside voice adds.
I smash the buttons on the elevator to stop the ascent, knowing I have to find out who this librarian-type girl is. Soon I’m striding toward Blair’s office. He’s probably with our secretary, Madeleine. They both tend to work late, just as I prefer to as well. If it wasn’t for an impromptu afternoon meeting of the, shall we say, intriguing kind, I wouldn’t have left my office earlier either. I’d showered at Colleen’s place, to rid myself of her strong perfume. That’s annoying. That’ll be the last time I see her, I think. No big loss.
I knock on Blair’s door and open it without waiting for permission. Madeleine wasn’t in the exterior office, but I’m certain she’s rattling around the building somewhere. She never leaves before we do, and we rarely leave before seven at the earliest.
Blair looks up before returning his attention to whatever is spread on his desk. He looks busy, but I recognized the façade. In college when we were bored out of our minds by our classes, we perfected the art of looking studious. He made it through six months of study longer than me, but neither one of us left with a degree. None of that matters now that we have a hot start up, and a pretty vast fortune at that.
“What has you so preoccupied?”
