LIVING in a city either makes or breaks a person. The constant movement—the way the streets are always alive, the lights always on, the noise persistently vibrating through your walls at night—can drive a person to work harder or fold under the pressure. It can irritate someone into leaving for the suburbs or lull them into the rhythm they were made to follow.
I was made for it.
The city pumped to a steady beat, and I loved knowing that I could alter that beat if I worked hard enough.
Stonewood Enterprises was one of the largest investment companies out there. We bought up businesses and turned them into lucrative ventures. We also invested companies’ money and pulled in so much that the market felt our every shift. Stocks moved when we moved.
I called those shots.
I focused on some of the largest accounts as well as a few small clients. One of them sat across from me, back straight as she went over her portfolio.
“I want to make sure this goes back into funds for your family.”
I sighed. “Brey, you are family. You were before and now you are legally.”
She cleared her throat. “Still, if you could keep this confidential …”
I slammed my laptop shut. The woman, I swear, did this shit just to irritate every one of us Stonewoods. She couldn’t handle that my mother and father gave her a trust fund when her dad went off the deep end and her mom died. Now she kept trying to pay it back, much to the irritation of me, my brothers, my father, and my mother.
Her ideas were actually respectable in my opinion, but I wasn’t going to honor them. The money had been a gift from my parents, one we all got as their children. They saw Aubrey as one of theirs. It was their choice, not mine. “I commend you for trying. I understand why, and I would probably try to do the same thing. But the whole family’s been pretty clear about this.”
“You go around them all the time,” she quickly retorted.
She had a point. She worked under me exclusively, and as my intern, she knew I had a habit of writing off my brother’s and father’s business suggestions.
“That might be true, but Jax—”
She cut me off. “He would probably try to kill you, I know. I’ll talk to him.”
I chuckled. “My brother fooled you into thinking he can one-up me? I’d still beat his ass if he came at me. That said, he has some leverage when it comes to that app of his. I know him. He’d threaten to tank that app if I helped you funnel money back into the family funds.”
She sighed. “Can you just think about it?”
“You want honesty?”
She nodded.
“No. You’re family.”
Her cheeks reddened, not in embarrassment but anger. There it was, the spitfire she tried to hide from everyone.
“It will never happen and every time you ask me, you waste more of my time and more of your time. And your time is my time when we have work to do.”
She glared at me, and I waited. I nudged my closed laptop so it sat perfectly straight on my desk.
“Right,” she sighed. She knew the conversation was over for me. She opened her laptop and pulled up a list of businesses. “We handled your two biggest clients. They accepted your offers. We’ll have a merger happening by the end of next week with the other, and you told the investment team to handle the rest of the businesses. It looks like all but two have accepted our team’s offers.”
“And the two are?”
She named a company I knew wouldn’t accept. I didn’t want them to, which was why they hadn’t.
It surprised me to hear that Samson and Sons had walked away from our offer though.
“Reason given?”
Aubrey squirmed. “Ah, this feels like something I shouldn’t be involved in, but you know Vick too. So, I guess she and Steven spoke. He wants what’s best for his employees and didn’t want to give up the firing and hiring ability along with retirement plans.”
“Hmm,” I said as I pulled up information about the company on my computer. As I did, I mumbled, “Tell me more about their request.”
“There wasn’t a request.”
“I’m sorry?”
She smoothed her hair. “I can send you the email, but there wasn’t a counter request. They just refused.”
“Send me the refusal letter.”
Aubrey’s eyes widened. “Jett, Vick and I are close friends and—”
“And what?”
“Well,” she cleared her throat. “Our communication is a bit informal because we all know each other. I can have her send an official letter today. I only got word from her earlier this morning.”
“Actually, I’d like to see the informal e-mail.”
She licked her lips and looked down at her laptop. Her poker face was slipping, which meant that e-mail wasn’t one they wanted me to see.
Aubrey was a decent intern, good actually. Her investment style jibed with mine. She took risks, did her research, and remained professional. She also never stepped outside of bounds and was exceptionally well-mannered. I liked her from a work perspective.
I also knew she wasn’t someone I could fire considering my brother had just married her. So sometimes, in these moments where I wanted to tell her to do as she was told and send the e-mail over immediately, I’d become frustrated with her.
“Brey?”
Her eyes snapped up.
“Send me the email now, please.”
She started typing on her laptop. “Okay. Before I do …”
I didn’t have time for the explanation and warning she would give me regarding the email. “Never mind. I’ll pull it up myself.”
“What?” she stuttered out.
I already had her email opening on my own laptop.
“This is Stonewood Enterprises. I need access to all my employee’s emails. For security and efficiency purposes. You’re being inefficient right now.”
She huffed.
I shot her a look. “You’ll have the research we need for our two o’clock meeting?”
She got the hint and stood up as she slammed her laptop closed. “Access to everyone’s emails is—”
“Company policy, Brey. You read the handbook?”
Her eyes narrowed. Sometimes I wondered if she knew how big a temper she had for someone so small. “Of course I read the handbook. Did you?”
“I helped write the handbook.”
“Then you know that the way you are talking to me isn’t right. Don’t be that boss. Or that brother-in-law.”
I felt the need to crack my neck. She had a point. I wondered if sisters-in-law were supposed to be this annoying. “Just be ready at two.”
“I plan on it.” With that, she walked out, and I took a few deep breaths. I needed to talk to my brother and my dad about her working under me. I couldn’t keep reining in my temper around her. I needed an intern or assistant I could yell at if I needed to yell at them, and one who listened to me right when I asked for something.
On that note, I pulled up the email that Vick had sent Aubrey that morning.
From: Victory Blakely <[email protected]>
To: Aubrey Whitfield <[email protected]>
Yep. Steven said there was no way he was selling just for the money. He’s not going to hand over firing authority to your dick of a boss. He’s honestly such a moral guy. I’ll draft the legal document later.
Sorry not sorry we won’t be working together 😛
Drinks at the club on Saturday? Just tell Jax we need a girls’ night. He can live without you for a little while. Or he can come and watch us like a hawk. I know he’ll pick the latter.
Vick
Such a moral guy? As opposed to what I was? Funny that the woman who’d slept with me multiple times just a week ago didn’t have anything remotely nice to say about me when it came to my business.
I rolled my eyes and closed the e-mail. I’d brought little Stevie’s company up for no other reason than the principle of the matter.
His numbers were good, his company prospered. There were holes though. Just by glancing over the data, I could see where he could make more money, where he could succeed, and where he was faltering.
His type of business was a dime a dozen. Even so, I found myself wanting to prove a point.
Jett Stonewood <[email protected]>
Victory Blakely <[email protected]>
Dear Ms. Blakely,
I was informed Stevie doesn’t want to sell at the price point my team offered. Why don’t you have a talk with him and let me know what price point he thinks is fair?
Sincerely,
The Dick of a Boss
PS Your full name’s Victory. You didn’t correct me in Kauai. Why?
I wasn’t surprised that she responded almost immediately, and I found myself smiling at her words.
From: Victory Blakely <[email protected]>
To: Jett Stonewood <[email protected]
Dear Mr. Stonewood,
Steven wanted me to be clear it wasn’t a monetary issue. I have attached the formal rejection letter. We appreciate the offer and hope to maintain a cordial business relationship in the future.
Sincerely,
Vick Blakely
I stewed over her email for the rest of my work day, which went well into the night. I reread the legal documentation and saw that Mr. Stevie had in fact stated that he wanted to retain his roster of employees through their retirement. It was an odd stipulation and one we wouldn’t normally accept.
Yet, I called one of my team members to rework our numbers and offer an even higher payout for the company. It wasn’t my practice to adjust stipulations, so I didn’t in this case either. I wanted firing power if I needed it—always.
Over my late dinner, I pulled up her email again. Outlook let me know she was available on her personal email, the one I’d grabbed from Brey’s contact information, and instead of e-mailing her this time, I messaged her.
Me: You didn’t answer my PS.
Victory: I replied to you on my business account. I didn’t feel the PS was appropriate work conversation.
Me: Hm. And a cordial business relationship?
Victory: Yes?
Me: In your email, that’s what you wrote.
Victory: Right. Yes, we want to maintain that. What’s your question?
Me: Were you maintaining that in Kauai with me?
Victory: This also isn’t an appropriate work conversation.
Me: That’s why I messaged you on your personal account.
Victory: Want to tell me how you got this account, by the way? And your account still isn’t your personal one.
Me: I run this company and it’s a family business. I’m not concerned.
Victory: Well, I am.
Me: Fine, give me your number.
Victory: Yeah, no.
I OPENED a new window and signed into my private Gmail account.
Me: This is now my personal account. You happy? Answer my question.
Victory: Your question is off base and totally rude.
Me: How?
Victory: You’re insinuating I slept with you to maintain some relationship!
Me: No. I was insinuating you can’t have a cordial business relationship after I fucked you and saw you come.
Victory: OMG, I’m going.
Me: Give me your number.
Victory: No and don’t you dare ask Brey. She already feels like shit after you hacked her email.
Me: You know I couldn’t care less. I will ask her if you don’t give it to me.
Victory: The number’s in your email … You’re really starting to make it hard to see the good in someone when you’re such a terrible human being.
I CLOSED the chat and called her.
“Are you serious?” she practically shouted in the phone. “I don’t want to talk to you.”
“Well, you picked up your phone.”
I heard rustling and a sigh. “Yes, because I happen to think you’ll interrogate Brey if I don’t answer.”
“And you’re right.”
“What do you want, Jett?”
“Why didn’t you tell me your name is Victory?”
“Because it’s a common mistake everyone makes when they meet me. There’s no need to make someone uncomfortable by correcting them.”
“I’m not ‘everyone’ or just ‘someone.’ I slept with you and spent nearly a week with you on an island.”
“And that was a great time. Now the week is over. So, we should probably stop bringing it up.”
“Why?” I asked, not really sure I even wanted the answer.
“Why?” she repeated, her voice shrill. “Because, as you made abundantly clear, it was just a vacation fling and we’re back to reality now. Like you said.”
“You didn’t seem to think it was just a fling at first.”
“But you reminded me it was, and I’m very happy about that.”
I chuckled at her emphasis. She riled so easily and it made me want to rile her more. This girl, so wrapped up in the whimsical little land she’d created for herself, had no idea how bad life could get. Some part of me wanted to show her, to see her light dim a little and then have her explode under me in my bed.
I realized right then that I wasn’t done with her and I wanted our fling to last longer.
“Why are you happy about that?”
“Because you and I are oil and vinegar. We don’t mix well at all.”
“Maybe we do. Have dinner with me here.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Why not?”
“I’m not a booty call …” she hesitated. “At least I’m not anymore now that we aren’t on vacation.”
I laughed. “Come on, Vick. Just dinner.”
“Honestly, Jett, maybe I would have.” I heard her sigh over the phone. “I thought we could be more, but you reminded me we couldn’t. And I’m set on finding something serious. I want a boyfriend and a husband and 2.5 kids with a white picket fence.”
Her declaration shut down my desire to banter with her. The metaphorical bucket of ice water splashed over my head and dick. “Right. I don’t want any of that at all.”
“Exactly,” she sighed. “We had a good time.”
“Good enough to maintain a cordial business relationship?”
She cleared her throat. “That would be ideal. Steven is”—she sighed into the phone in a dreamy way—“such a great guy. I don’t want him concerned that my relations with you were anything more than they were.”
I hummed. “You told him about us?”
“I’m not telling anyone about us,” Vick replied quickly. “There’s nothing to tell.”
“Right. Cordial business relationship. Got it, babe.”
“Okay. So, hope you have a good night.”
“Sure. Sweet dreams, Victory.”
She hung up without replying.
That night, I couldn’t stop mulling over our conversation. I pictured her pacing as she spoke to me on the phone, her blonde hair swaying. The girl was animated as hell, and I was sure she lived her life the same way, with a level of vibrancy that was too loud to turn off.
The next morning, I had my team email Samson and Sons. I wanted a sit-down with them all. Vick thought I was coldhearted when it came to business but there was a reason Steven’s company was small and mine was big.
I had nothing to prove. However, that didn’t stop the idea from bouncing around in my head, impossible to ignore. I had stopped setting aside my own desires long ago. I found it rarely paid off.
One of my team members stopped in my office. “Jett, Mr. Samson agreed to meet with you next week. He wanted me to warn you that he doesn’t see himself negotiating any new terms though.”
I leaned back in my chair. “Okay. He say anything else?”
“He went on to explain that he’s thrilled with his company at this time.” He waved off the rest of the conversation. “He thinks he’s playing hardball. Just doing his peacock dance.”
I smiled. Jack always had an ear for the ones who were lying or exaggerating. He was one of the best on my team when it came to measuring how well a business would actually do under our name. “So, you think we need to fluff his feathers next week?”
“I think the guy’s excited to meet you.”
“Most people are.”
He rolled his eyes. “Man, get off your high horse. He says he doesn’t want to sell, but he’s bringing his legal team, which means he’s willing to negotiate. I don’t know if it’s even worth the investment.”
“It probably isn’t.”
He narrowed his eyes a little. Then nodded. “I figured you knew that. Guess you have your own agenda. I’ll follow your lead.”
“That’s what I hired you to do.”
He left my office, waving at me over his shoulder.
I got to work and researched Samson and Sons a little more.
What was so priceless about his company and their assets that he wouldn’t hand over rights to me?
I knew of only one asset worth hanging onto, and I was starting to think I’d be willing to pay a hefty price to obtain it.
