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Mick patted the back of Layne’s shoulder as he walked off down the hall.
Liam didn’t offer a hug and instead kept his hands inside the pockets of his black dress slacks. “Surprised to see you so soon. Figured you’d want to settle in and catch up with your friends first.” The tone of his voice said it all, he wasn’t going to be the one throwing her a homecoming celebration. That was fine by her.
Getting on the defensive, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and gave an indifferent shrug. “Family first, right?” Her voice was dry and unamused to match the tension between her and her little bro.
Before things stewed much longer, a large hand grasped Liam’s shoulder. Her father appeared beside his son, “Go help Mick with the arrangements for our meeting this evening.”
As usual, there were no requests from her father—only orders. Liam nodded, but then tossed Layne a smirk, “Sure, glad to do my part to keep the family business running smoothly.” He had to make that final jab before he followed Mick down the hall. Layne shook her head in utter annoyance before turning her attention back to her father.
Just shy of six feet, he was an average-looking man. The beginnings of grey were fading in right near his ears, contrasting with the rest of his light auburn hair. His custom grey suit didn’t hold a single wrinkle and probably had cost more money than most cars.
“Layne, sweetheart, I can’t tell you how much I missed you.” His arms surrounded her in a loving and affectionate hug.
“Hi dad, I missed you, too. I’ve been looking forward to coming home and doing my part to help around here.” She offered him an excited smile and he matched it with a smile of his own. He wrapped a single arm around her shoulders and guided her into his office, shutting the door behind them.
“It makes me so happy to hear you say that, Layne. I know you’ve wanted to be involved for a long time now. You’ve been incredibly patient, and for that I am grateful. After giving it a lot of thought,” Scott finally parted from her and made his way around his massive wooden desk to ease into an oversized leather chair, “I have come up with just the perfect fit for you.”
Could she believe her ears? Was her father finally going to let her join in on the business dealings? Her thoughts were already racing to try and figure out what her role could be. Maybe it would involve managing some client relationships on her own, pulling in a commission of payments collected. Her thoughts were ricocheting all over the place inside her head at the potential.
Ultimately, it didn’t matter which assignment he was going to give her, she was going to excel at it like the stubborn perfectionist she was. She may have been a petite young woman, but she knew not only how to defend herself, but how to physically get her point across to those who needed some ‘convincing’. Layne wasn’t above using violence where it was needed, that’s for sure.
Her dad continued speaking while Layne’s eyes lit up in anticipation of getting what she had always wanted, “With your degree in business administration, there’s a lot I could use your help with, but not nearly as much as you can help Bryan Madigan.”
Suddenly, she was very unclear about where this train was heading. Layne furrowed her brows and tilted her head slightly, “Ian’s son?”
Scott nodded his head. “Yes. He’s heading a large project for us and could use your skillset. After talking with Ian, it became clear that you and Bryan would work together nicely. Once you two are legally married, you can help take charge of the assets in his family’s name, and keep it looking good as far as Uncle Sam is concerned.”
“Wait. I’m sorry, what?” It was as if someone dropped the floor out from underneath her. Had he just said something about marriage?
“What do you mean married?” She hadn’t escaped the family’s affinity of having a short fuse and vicious temper and it showed as her voice was already escalating in volume.
“I didn’t want to spring this on you as soon as you got here, but if we rush to get this done before year-end it would look spectacular during tax season. You know what I mean?”
It was the beginning of September, and he wanted her to marry some guy within the next four months? There he was, sitting in that massive chair talking about her future as though it was just another business transaction. When she said she wanted to be involved, she hadn’t meant getting married off to a guy she only knew by name. Layne had expected something a little more…illegal.
“No.” It was a full sentence emphasized with a shake of her head.
“Now, Layne, I sent you to a damn good school, and you’re telling me you don’t understand how marriage and assets work? How this would benefit everybody’s wallet?”
“No, as in I’m not marrying him. In fact, I’m not marrying anybody. I told you that when I got back here, I wanted a respectable role in this family,” she emphasized the respectable part.
She continued, “Being hooked up with one of your lackey’s kids was not and has never been what I meant!” From feeling like her heart had sunk into the basement to now feeling her rage erupting through the proverbial roof, Layne was allowing her temper to rear its fiery head. Scott looked at her without any visible emotion, as though he had expected this level of response.
“I missed the part where I asked whether or not you had an opinion on this. You wanted a role, and I am giving you one that is an appropriate fit for you. He will be over for dinner tonight. You can get to know him on more of a personal level.”
Her hand angrily lashed out and swiped at the pencil holder on the corner of his desk, knocking it clear across the room with various writing utensils scattering through the air before dropping to the beige carpet.
She screamed at him, “This is bullshit!”
Layne’s dad hadn’t changed one bit. She stormed out of the office, swinging the door open so hard it gave a reverberated clatter against the stopper behind it.
Layne passed Liam on her way toward the front door. He had a shit-eating grin on his face, clearly knowing what their father had lined up for her.
“I hear congratulations are in order for the future Mrs. Madigan.” He even snorted in amusement seeing her clear discontent at the situation.
“Fuck you, Li!” Harshly she shoved him, hoping to knock that snarky look off of his face.
The shove had more strength behind it than he had been expecting causing him to stumble a step back. In typical O’Reilly fashion, he reared his ugly temper and stepped up to her, shouting in her face. “You’re just pissed because you’re more valuable as a hot piece of ass than—” She didn’t let Liam finish that sentence.
