I walked in on Monday to find an unwanted visitor in my office. “Can I help you?”
Hunter put the picture in his hand back on the shelf and carefully adjusted it. “What? I can’t stop in to see my big brother?”
“What do you want, Hunter?” I tossed the fundraiser proposal on my desk and booted up my computer.
He strode to the window, hands in pockets, and gazed down at the casino floor. “Just checking what the view will be like when I take over your position. I stopped in to see Gia this morning.”
My patience for Hunter was thin on a good day, but when it came to him talking about Gia, I had none. “And?”
He turned his attention to me. “Her ass looks phenomenal in that tight black skirt. And don’t even get me talking about her tits. That woman was built for sin. Gets my dick hard every time I see her.”
My temperature rose, but I kept my cool. A reaction was exactly what he wanted. “Careful. Sexual harassment is real.”
“You would know.”
“There’s a difference between harassment and consent. Clearly, you don’t know the difference.”
“I’m not the one being held under a microscope.”
He was giving me a migraine. The back-and-forth was senseless. “Is there something you needed?”
“Nope. I got what I came for.”
“Then you won’t mind seeing yourself out. Some of us have work to do.”
He dragged himself away from the casino window and headed toward the door. “Sexual frustration makes you testy. You should do something about that.”
What a prick.
I buzzed Tom. Not even five seconds later he stood before my desk, notebook ready. “Sir? I mean… Mr. Dorsey.”
The kid was as uptight as a whore in church. “Relax, Tom. Have a seat.” He straightened his bow tie and carefully eased into the chair. “What have you found out about Miss Romano?”
Tom flipped through his notes. “Nothing. She’s clean as a whistle. Even paid all her parking tickets.”
“Hmmm. And the ex-husband?”
“Works in a factory. Looks like she filed for the divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. However, according to her social media, they’re still friends.” He pushed his glasses up his nose. “You want me to keep digging?”
I shook my head. “Nah. I’ve got what I need. Could you call her in here please?”
“Sure thing.” He popped out of the chair and was gone in a flash. The kid needed a good dose of Xanax.
I smoothed out the rolled papers on my desk. Reading a work proposal on a Saturday night wasn’t exactly my idea of fun, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it well written and detailed.
The door creaked open, and Gia poked her head in. “You wanted to see me?”
I held up the papers. “I read it.”
She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Hunter wasn’t lying. Although her clothes were completely professional and covered plenty of skin, her curves were clear as day, and she looked sexy without even trying. “What’s your decision? Are we going to be making the ballroom into the French Quarter?”
I chuckled. Gia was darn adorable when she wasn’t trying to rip my throat out. “It’s a possibility.”
She cocked her hip and rested a hand on it, twisting her lips to the side. “Trent…”
“It’s approved,” I said before she went on another tirade.
“Oh, thank goodness.” Gia made her way forward and sat down, her skirt riding up her long legs.
“You can thank Penny and Brett. If the three of you hadn’t ganged up on me, I probably wouldn’t have read it until today.” I spun my pen around my fingers to keep myself centered.
She giggled. “I would say I’m sorry, but I’m really not. At least one good thing came out of the night.”
My eyes locked with hers. “I’d say more than one. Hopefully, our rocky start is behind us, and we can move forward with a little less hostility.” Her eyes narrowed into slits. “From both of us,” I amended.
Gia waved her hand in the air. “Of course, we’re friends now.”
I cringed. Stupid friend-zone. With Hunter snooping around, it was better. I didn’t need to give him any ammunition. “Are we? Or was that the alcohol talking?”
“I never wanted to be your enemy, Trent. The way we met was… unconventional… but it doesn’t change the fact I came here to do a job.” She fidgeted with some loose hairs and tucked them back into her updo. “It was a surprise, is all.”
I chuckled. “For both of us, I assure you.” I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Memories of having her under my tongue and the soft little whimpers she made flooded my mind.
She cleared her throat and motioned to the papers on my desk. “So… the proposal.”
Right. “It was well thought out and thorough. I can tell you put a lot of work into it.”
“Penny helped. She’s way undervalued here. Actually, she probably should have been offered this position instead of me.”
“Be that as it may, I think my father hired the right person.” I picked up the papers and scanned the notes I’d made in the margins. “I have some thoughts on this, and I’d like to go over the specifics with you, but I’m in back-to-back meetings until four. I was thinking I’d order us carryout and we could discuss it over dinner.”
Gia’s eyebrows rose up to her hairline. “I thought we weren’t allowed to eat together. You made that pretty clear last week.”
“I’m sure we can both agree I was being an asshole.”
Her lips curled up. “Your words, not mine.”
“I can admit when I’m wrong. Any requests for dinner?”
She tapped a painted nail against her lips. “Is there a good Thai place in town?”
Her choice surprised me. I doubted they had many Thai restaurants in Waukegan. “It’s Vegas. We have everything. Anything specific?”
“Pad Thai with shrimp, medium hot.”
“You like it spicy, huh?” The words slipped out with a chuckle before I could stop them.
“I think you already knew that. See you at four.” She gave me a wink and strutted from my office, giving me a fantastic view of her long legs and round ass.
Ugh! Down, boy.
“How’s Gia working out?” my father asked without looking away from his computer.
If he was so interested, you’d think he’d at least give me the courtesy of eye contact. “It’s fine.”
He leaned back in his chair and momentarily closed his eyes. “Fine is the kind of answer your mother gives me when things are not fine. Is there an issue?”
“Absolutely none. You were right about her; she’s smart and organized.”
“And how are you two getting along?”
I wobbled my head back and forth. “It’s a work in progress, but it’s moving in the right direction.”
“I see. Anything else I should know about?”
“Not a thing. Since she started working here, everything has been completely professional.” It was a stretch at best, but what the hell else was I going to say?
“Good to hear.” My father pulled on his tie and loosened it. “I wanted to let you know that I’m going to be out of the office. Your mother and I are doing a cross-country tour of our other hotels to check in and make sure everything is running as it should.”
“Wow! You two haven’t done that in years.”
“I know. It’s long overdue. It’s not much of a vacation, but we’re going to try to sneak in some fun too.”
I couldn’t remember the last time my parents went on a vacation together. Their marriage wasn’t awful, but since Hunter showed up, it was more of a business arrangement. “You hitting the hotel in Honolulu?”
“It’s actually our first stop. Your mother insisted. She wants to lie on the beach for a few days before we start scoping out the other hotels.”
I laughed. “You’re going to relax?”
“I’m going to try.” He leaned forward, resting both arms on his desk. “While I’m away, you’re in charge. Consider it a test run.”
“Don’t worry. I can handle it. How long will you be gone?”
“A while. We’ll be back right before the fundraiser. Your mother doesn’t want to miss Gia’s big event.”
That struck me as strange. “Does Mom know Gia?”
“Who do you think vetted all the applicants? Gia was her top choice. After I interviewed her, I could see why.”
I thought my mother had taken a back seat, but apparently, she was more involved than I realized. “So, when are you leaving for your trip?”
“Thursday. Airfare is cheaper during the week.”
I shook my head and chuckled. Our family could afford a private jet if we wanted, but my father wouldn’t hear of it. “You don’t need to worry about money, Dad.”
“Just because you have money doesn’t mean you should waste it.” He gave me a wink. “It never hurts to save a penny where you can. My father taught me that.”
Although it was true, it sounded ridiculous coming from a man who was a multimillionaire. My dad was selectively frugal. I never had to worry about money while growing up, but nothing was ever handed to me. He made me work for it and I was a better man because of it.
The last thing I wanted to do was disappoint him.
