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A smile broke across her face as she folded her arms over her chest. Ariane was no rookie. She knew exactly what I had up my sleeve and she seemed impressed.
“A double date? So, I'm the assistant who’s doubling as your date to impress your client today?” She smiled and nodded. “Okay. I'll play along.”
“Thank you.” I smiled and nodded, a little embarrassed to be made. “Can we go now?”
“Yes, sir.”
She turned to head for the door, her hazel eyes flickering.Damn, she is so sexy. I couldn’t help but notice her perfect behind again as she walked ahead of me to the elevator. I had to loosen my tie to blow off the steam that was building inside of me. I couldn’t resist her, but I had to.
After leaving my personal tailor with a gorgeous dress, matching heels, and a tennis bracelet, Ariane and I boarded our flight for Miami. When we landed and made our way to the famous Cuban restaurant for our meeting, all eyes were on us. I felt like the man I had thought I would be while I was married, and to my surprise, it felt great. The meeting went great as well. Aside from Ariane speaking out of turn and rerouting a few of my decisions in front of my client, I had no real complaints. Mostly a stunted ego and conflicted feelings about her challenges to my authority.
Chapter Five
Logan
WhenIgothomefrom Miami that Friday night, I was surprised to find Casey still in her home office. Usually, she’d be out partying with her girlfriends, or spending time with the guy she thought I didn’t know she was dating. But I found her sitting alone in her dimly lit office, scrolling through her phone more than looking at her computer. I knew something was up.
“Hey, baby girl. What are you doing home?”
“Do I not live here?” she chuckled as she looked up at me.
“Yeah,” I laughed and took a seat in the lounger near her desk. “I’m just used to you being out twerking and screaming ‘ahhh’ on Friday nights. Everything okay?”
The laugh that roared from her belly reminded me of the times I’d made her laugh as a child. She’d always been my goofiest child. Lucas was uptight and serious, like me, and highly emotional like his mother. Casey had the perfect blend of us both and she really helped to keep the family grounded most days.
“Everything is fine,” she sighed. “Just working some overtime to get caught up on a few things. I'm thinking about branching out. Starting my own company or something, you know?”
“That’s a great idea, baby girl.” I smiled and crossed my legs to let her know I was interested in hearing more about her plan. “ Are you going into design, matchmaking, scouting, what?”
“None of those, actually.” Casey got up from her desk and carried my focus over to her vision board. “I want to go into fashion. I've been playing around with a few sketches here and there, and you know I love to dress up. I get my drawing skills and creative thinking from you, so I think fashion is right up my alley. I love working to design homes and everything, but I love fashion even more.”
Casey did love to dress up. She always had. Ever since she was a little girl, she loved playing with her mother's makeup and picking out all of our clothes for the day, as if we weren't capable of dressing ourselves. I was proud of her for seeing her direction and going for it.
“You do love to dress up,” I chuckled. “Shit, I think that’s a great idea. I know you’ll do your thing out there in the fashion industry. You do it around here, so I don’t doubt it at all.”
“Really?” A large smile spread across her cheeks. “You’re not mad?”
“Mad?” My eyebrows turned in. “Why would I be mad at that? I'm proud of you. Both you and your brother, even if he hates me now. My entire life's work has been for you two to have the ability to be and do anything you want. I don’t expect you to work under me forever, Casey. This family is full of bosses. Act like it.” I winked.
She threw her arms around my neck and gave me the biggest hug a father could ask for. I still wanted to know what else was on her mind—because I knew it was way more than just her business ideas—but I didn’t ask. Instead, I asked about Ariane. I knew how much easier Casey was with the female employees at the office, so I wanted to see if she knew anything about Ariane that I might need to catch up on.
“What’s up with your girl?” I asked. “Ariane. I took her with me to Miami today. I was dazzled by how she handled things. I love how she organizes and takes notes, but she did give unsolicited advice, and I was not happy about that. What do you think about her?”
“Really? I like Ariane. She has a positive vibe about her, someone who’s organized and on top of her game. I think she’s the best fit to be your personal assistant, Dad. Just take it easy on her, okay?”
I fed off my daughter’s input. Sometimes, she saw things I wasn’t able to see—because I was stubborn as a bull—and it really gave me insight on how to handle things I felt were beyond my control. Control…I had a problem releasing control.
“Hm.” I slowly nodded.
“Don't even start your mess!” Casey laughed. “I already see what you’re doing. You're just nitpicking again because Ariane was right about whatever it was. Pretty soon, people will start to label you as the biggest grinch, and they’ll warn people not to work with you. Then what? What are you gonna do then?”
“I'll do it myself.” I laughed.
“Mhm. Just give her a chance. And I mean a real chance. She’s smart and has a lot of experience. She has some good ideas too. I was at the office late last night and she was still there.Working.” She playfully slapped my shoulder. “Filing paperwork that you should have filed a long time ago. And she even made and sent out personalized thank-you cards. So, yes! I think Ariane is a great asset to Powerhouse Luxury Designs. She might even be VP when I leave.”
I took in everything my daughter said about Ariane. Most of her thoughts were things I could already sense, I just needed a second opinion to push it through to me. When I went off to bed that night, my mind was full of thoughts from earlier that day. Ariane had really kept me on my toes, and that wasn’t easy to do. I could normally read every person in a room full of people, but Ariane, she was different.
It was refreshing to be around her. I knew that men my age should not desire someone who could be their daughter. However, I still considered myself young at forty-three. Health-wise, I felt good, and my stamina was still strong enough to match Ariane's. Though, it made me wonder how she felt about men my age. Despite her efforts to keep it professional between us, her gaze did not lie. She had a desire for me, I could tell.
