AllFreeNovel
Share Us
TWENTY
THEO
Charles Kirk is the reason my life is hell. He’s the one who introduced me to Serena when I first started working with the firm. She was his intern, and after a long night and too much Scotch, he got handsy with her. Thankfully, I was also working late and stepped in to prevent something even worse from happening.
It wasn’t long after that he moved across the country, which at the time didn’t seem suspicious. Looking back, it was definitely a coordinated effort by the other managing partners to get him out of our offices. I have no clue why he’s even still with the firm, and why he’s trying to recruit me to work under him. The position he’s offering is a huge step up from where I currently am, but my kids are rooted in Oregon. They’ve endured so much change recently; a move like this could hurt them.
But Charlie’s connection to Hadley is the surprise of the night. I should have picked up on her discomfort sooner. All the signs were there but I was too little, too late and introduced her like a jackass.
“Did he do something to you,” I ask, remembering the way he’s treated other female colleagues in the past.
“He made my life hell for an entire semester,” she tells me. “I almost quit. I was ready to grovel in front of Curtis.”
“What did he do?”
Her mouth forms a hard line. “I’d rather not say. Besides, we’re supposed to have fun tonight. It’s our last night of us.”
She’s right. There are hundreds of people in attendance and the ballroom is large enough to escape anyone you don’t wish to talk to or see. Not to mention, there are plenty of dark corners to hide in, perfect for a heated moment or two.
“Let’s dance.” I hold out my hand expectantly, a smile spreading across my face when Hadley places hers against it.
She feels like a dream in my arms as we sway to the music, our bodies so close together I can feel her heartbeat through my suit. She notches her head against my neck and allows me to lead, trusting I won’t make us look foolish.
When the band takes a break, we weave our way through the crowd, stopping when several colleagues manage to snag my attention. Hadley surprises me when she easily inserts herself into the conversation, chatting effortlessly with my peers, and in one case, my boss. I shouldn’t be so surprised by her because I know her background. She is more than capable of holding her own against these aging finance executives.
“Tell me why you don’t want to work for your brother,” I murmur as we make our way back to our table. “You’d probably be an asset to the company.”
She rolls her eyes and scoffs. “He’d never let me have any sort of leadership position in that company. He’s as misogynistic as Professor Kirk. The only reason he paid for my MBA was so he could fire the company’s legal counsel and save money. Why pay a bunch of corporate lawyers hundreds of thousands of dollars when he can pay his little sister a pittance?”
I frown. If what she says is true, then Curtis has no idea what he’s losing by alienating his sister. “If it’s any consolation, I’m pretty sure you’ll walk away from the night with at least one job offer.”
She laughs. “I don’t know which is worse, working for you or working with you.”
“It doesn’t matter to me as long as at the end of the night, I’m working my way inside you.” I lean forward and plant a kiss on her neck, teasing the delicate skin with my teeth, but releasing it before it can bruise. “I’m going to get a drink. Want anything?”
“What I want isn’t on the menu,” she teases with a coy smile and a flutter of her lashes.
“A few more hours, baby, and I’m all yours.”
I push up from my chair and walk across the room to the bar. It’s busy, with everyone taking advantage of the generous open bar. While I wait to place my order, I spot Charlie Kirk, who seems to have me locked in his sight. Fuck.
He saunters up to me, drink in hand, with a lopsided grin on his face, making me wonder how many drinks he’s already consumed. “It’s good to see you, Theo,” he says, trying to feign a supportive tone. “I was worried about you after that nasty business with Serena.”
“I’m not going to have this discussion with you,” I tell him through gritted teeth.
This is precisely why I didn’t want to come tonight. I didn’t want to face questions about Serena and some of these executives are nosy bastards. But Charlie’s worse since he knows my secret.
“Well, then, how about we talk about Hadley? It seems like a new relationship. Am I right?” I nod in response. “You don’t know very much about her, do you?”
“I know plenty.”
“Then you should know her brother paid me to give her an A in my class. She was struggling so I contacted her brother because I hated watching her fail. A degree like that is wasted on a girl like her.”
My hands curl into fists, and if there weren’t so many people around, I’d unleash my anger right into his face. What gives him the right to make up these lies about Hadley? I may not know everything about her, but my gut tells me Charlie is feeding me a load of bullshit.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“You’ve already been deceived once; I’d hate to see it happen again.”
