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“Which I’ve already proven I can handle. I don’t need them butting in and trying to tell me how to do it.”
“I think you’re overreacting. The Hargreaves are a very business-savvy family with deep roots in Wall Street and the business in general. They have a lot to offer. You could learn from them.”
“Learn what exactly? How to lose your business?” Sabrina laughed sardonically. “Daddy, we absorbed their company because they were tanking. What am I supposed to learn from them, how to fail?”
“You could start by being more humble,” he barked, catching her off-guard. He rarely raised his voice, so when he did, she shut right up. “Businesses fail, Sabrina. That’s the nature of it. It takes more than just hard work and dedication to make one a success, and the Hargreaves have had more than their share of successes. To judge them impotent from one near-miss would be a mistake, and one that I won’t see repeat itself.”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” she told him, scrambling like a child who’d been cowed to redeem herself.
“Yes, you did. Sabrina Marie, I expect you to shelve whatever prejudices you have against those men and make nice. I expect you to try to work together and learn from each other, whatever it takes. Do you hear me?”
“Yes, Daddy,” she agreed reluctantly, his chastisement weighing on her chest.
“We’re a family business. They’re a family business. So we’re family now. I don’t want to hear any more of this nonsense about sending anyone back to their country.”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Now, I want you to cancel those tickets and use that money to send them welcome baskets. I want the Hargreaves feeling like we’ve opened our arms to them. Remember, Sabrina, we’re a small business in comparison. We can’t afford to make enemies of some of the most powerful players. We may be helping them out in this instance, but it’s going to pay off for us tenfold, as long as you learn to humble yourself. Work together, learn from one another, and we’ll all benefit.”
“Yes, Daddy.” After issuing heartfelt good-byes, Sabrina sat like a lump, staring sullenly into her cup of cooling java. She hated when he was right. She hated even more that her father echoed Conner.
Sipping at her coffee, Sabrina resigned herself to the idea of having to spend more time with Conner and his brothers. She’d made a big mistake sleeping with Conner. A mistake that had lasting repercussions. Now she had to try to figure out how they were going to work together, while ignoring the elephant in the room: she’d had sex with Conner, and if the looks she kept getting from his brothers were any indication, they were waiting for their chance too.
What had she gotten herself into?
Chapter Five
She refused to apologize for the plane tickets. At least not vocally. As far as Sabrina was concerned, the fruit basket said it all: I don’t like you. I wish you weren’t here, but I have to suffer your presence. On the outside, some may think it’s a nice gesture, but those who’d been in her shoes understood the real message behind it. A fruit basket was the ultimate “fuck you” of baskets.
Judging by the smirks and darting eyes, she was confident the message was received. The problem was that none of the Hargreaves men seemed to give a crap. Hell, William was making a point to chomp on one of the bright-red apples, and Oliver was wearing the smallest of smiles, as if he was getting a real kick out of it.
Conner was…just Conner. Self-assured in that strong, silent way of his. He merely thanked her for the gift as they boarded the elevator and rode it down to the waiting car that was now carrying them to the restaurant where they would be meeting withherclient.
Was she peeved that they were tagging along? You bet your ass. Sabrina didn’t work this hard for this long just to have a couple of men come riding in to try and steal her thunder from under her. She resented her father in a way for forcing them on her. Had she known that it would end up like this, she would have fought against the merger.
Yes, she knew the numbers made perfect sense. Absorbing the Hargreaves’ company was a good move on their part, and it stood to give them ample financial gains in the long-term, but she couldn’t help asking herself at what cost? To her, that is. Which was why she didn’t put up a big fight with her father. Sabrina’s motives were purely selfish, and as a professional, she had to keep her personal feelings out of it.
She cast Oliver, William, and finally Conner a look that felt somewhat scolding, like when a mother is preparing her wild children for public. “Mr. Thomas is a longtime client and friend of the family. I’ll do the talking, and I prefer the three of you to take notes.”
“So you want us to be silent partners,” William observed.
“Exactly.” This was her show, and she ran it. She prayed the look she cast each of them got her point across. No interference.
“That seems a little one-sided, doesn’t it, Oliver?” William asked, casting his eaten apple into the passenger side door’s cup holder.
“Seems like we’re wasting our time with this meeting.” Oliver wasn’t much for words, but Sabrina had a feeling that when he did speak, it was important.
The curious thing was that, hearing his words and meeting those stern, focused eyes of his had her questioning her stance on all of this. Was she being too stubborn? Too harsh? She already knew she was allowing her personal feelings to influence her decisions today, and especially where they were concerned. The problem was, she was mad at herself for making such a big mistake sleeping with Conner.
Worse, she was mad at herself for wanting more. And not just from him. Her eyes kept catching on William and Oliver, on their tightly-honed bodies, their handsome features, their strength of character, and worse, she liked the way they looked at her: like they were hungry for lunch and she was the only thing on the menu.
The weakness in her was appalling, and she was actively fighting against it. She just wasn’t so sure she’d win.
Conner spoke up, playing the role of the voice of reason. “It’s different from what we’re used to, but we’re coming on board. Being a new face—actually, three—it’s better for Sabrina to take the lead until all of our clients are familiar and comfortable with the change.”
Oliver and William looked to Conner, considered his words, and in their own way, accepted them.
“You’re probably right,” William conceded. “I hate when you’re right.”
