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CHAPTER2
Office Grump~Aiden
The Next Day
Fuck,who the hell parked near my spot? Didn’t they know not to park their shit car next to the spot clearly marked CEO? I killed the engine and opened the door. Sliding my badge across the keypad, my private elevator chimed, and the doors slid back. All chatter seemed to cease when the heel of my leather loafers sounded off the marble flooring. I own a small private security firm with less than 50 employees. I didn’t need a huge company with thousands of employees to stake my claim in Stonebridge. My work and that of my employees spoke for themselves. Even without an elaborate team, I had the liberty of providing security to some of Stonebridge’s most elite.
Stopping me in my tracks, the head of HR rambled in my ears about the required paperwork for one of my workers. I winged a brow before snatching the file out of his hand. Whatever words were tethering off the edge of his lips, he swallowed them back down and turned on his heels. I wasn’t one to care about what people thought of me, but the company's rumor mill didn’t escape me. They coined me the grumpy CEO, and just thinking about it had my mouth morphing into a smile. It didn’t hurt my feelings; it actually made me happy. People don’t bore me with their mundane and useless stories about their weekends and shit holidays.
Silence greeted me as I pushed open the door to my office, and I blew out a breath. Then, jonesing for a nice tall cup of coffee, I rounded my desk and pressed the call button.
“Who are you calling? You have no assistant. Remember?” My brother swiveled around in the plush chair nestled in the corner overlooking the Stonebridge skyline.
I rolled my eyes and sank into my chair. He was right. I didn’t have an assistant because I fired them all for getting my coffee order incorrect.
“Well, you know me. One strike, and you’re out.” I flipped open my laptop and pressed my finger onto the reader. Jasper took a big bite out of the apple he was tossing in the air and made sure to annoy me with his obnoxious chewing.
“Really? Just because they don’t remember your exact coffee order?”
“What can I say? I like a closed mouth and open ears. Is that such a bad thing?”
He pinched the bridge of his nose and raised his chin to the ceiling, an audible sigh pushing past his lips. “You know why I’m here, right?”
“Yup, and nope.” I deadpanned.
Jasper leaned in and placed his elbows on his thighs. I swiveled around to face him. Like clockwork, he was here to ask me if I wanted to go to the annual private security and technology convention. I always said no when he asked. Nothing irritated my soul more than a forced conversation with other security company CEOs who only wanted to know the names on your client list.
“I go every year. Alone. I’m running out of excuses to tell people when they ask why you aren’t there.”
I leaned back in my chair and raised an ankle to my leg. “Then don’t lie. Tell them I’m working.”
He stood and perched his ass on the corner of my desk. He always gives me a hard time, but his annoyance toward my solitude and isolation increased over the past few years. Ever since my divorce six years ago, he’s been trying to push me back into my pre-marriage state. Except, spending all night out drinking in bars just to wake up groggy with a pounding headache the next day wasn’t my idea of fun anymore. It was more like torture. I created a wall around my heart after my ex-wife broke it, and I had no intention of letting anyone in. Ever.
I’d put all of my frustrations into expanding my security business once the dust of my long and drawn-out divorce settled.
He raised his hands in the air and lowered his chin. “I get it. You're a hermit who doesn’t like people, but you have to come to the convention this year.”
“Why?” I folded my arms across my chest.
“Because the vendor for that new security technology will be there, and they're looking for beta testers, but you have to be there in person to sign up.”
Shit. He had a point. I’ve been eyeing some new software, and from what I’ve heard, it’s going to be hard to get my hands on it once it’s released. Getting on the beta team would reserve my purchasing spot once it’s on the market.
I teetered my head from side to side and let out a breath. “Fine, but you're going with me.”
“Perfect.” He clapped his hands together.
My phone beeped, and I answered. The front desk let me know my 10:30 a.m. interview was here. I stood and closed the top of my laptop.
Jasper walked over to the door and pulled it open. “Don’t you use a temp agency to hire assistants?”
“I did. But I need someone who knows how to read a calendar. Apparently, the temp agency doesn’t check for that little detail.”
“Go easy on this one, eh?” he said before walking into the hallway.
I pulled my tablet from my drawer and opened up the email with all the interviewees information. Olivia Mason.
