Hunter walked into my office without knocking. It was an annoying habit, always trying to catch me in a compromising position.
He was wasting his time and effort chasing that rabbit. I’d made a commitment and I intended to keep it. Gia, along with every other woman at Mystique, was off-limits. Vegas was full of beautiful women who didn’t work down the hall from me.
“What do you want?” I barked.
My dear brother sauntered over to the window that overlooked the casino and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Just admiring the view. This really is quite spectacular. I’m going to enjoy it.”
I chuckled. “You should. It beats the shit out of the view from your office. How do the dumpsters look these days?”
“Laugh it up, big brother. I give it less than a month.”
Leaning back in my chair, I gritted my teeth. “Give what less than a month?”
He turned and gave me that ridiculous smile that charmed most people but felt like razor blades down my spine. “Your employment here, of course.”
I steepled my fingers casually, tapping them together. “I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.”
Hunter propped himself on the edge of my desk. “I introduced myself to Gia today.” He let out a low whistle. “She’s a saucy little minx… bold and beautiful, with a bangin’ bod. And that red hair? I bet she’s a wildcat in bed. Probably fucks like a dream.”
Yes, she did, but he didn’t need to know that.
Since the time he unexpectedly showed up on our doorstep, Hunter always wanted what was mine. I was six the day a blond woman wearing a bright-red miniskirt rang the doorbell. She shoved a duffel bag at my father’s chest and handed off the crying toddler she’d dragged up the front steps. “He’s yours.”
My parents fought a lot over the next few weeks. Days would go by when my mother barely came out of her room. In the blink of an eye, all our lives changed. My father had another son, my mother took in a child who wasn’t hers, and I got a brother. Whatever I had, he wanted… my room, my toys, my parents. We were raised as brothers, but we weren’t friends. Now he was after my job, my inheritance, and my legacy.
Fuck that!
If he had even an inkling I was interested in Gia, he’d try to take her too. If I couldn’t have her, I’d be damned if I’d let Hunter dip his hand in her honeypot. “Tsk, tsk, baby brother. Didn’t they cover sexual harassment in your fancy business classes at Stanford?”
“Apparently more than they covered it at UCLA.”
“Touché. Although, I never harassed Suzette. She was the one who couldn’t stay away from me.”
Hunter laughed. “Riiight. I almost think Dad wants to hand this empire over to me, seeing as you can’t keep yourself from sleeping with the help. Hiring Gia was genius. She’s a walking wet dream.”
My jaw clenched. “I know what you’re trying to do, but I assure you, I have no interest in Ms. Romano. Our relationship will be strictly professional.”
He smacked the edge of my desk. “Glad to hear it. Self-control is the name of the game.”
“Is there another reason you’re here besides to bust my balls?” He needed to leave before that self-control he talked about snapped in half. I was two seconds from plowing my fist into his pretty-boy face.
“Nope. That’s it.” He walked toward the door, pausing to adjust his watch. “There is one more thing.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m meeting Gia Friday morning for coffee. Told her I’d go over the fundraiser proposal before she gives it to her asshole boss.”
The hell he was!
At the end of the day, I packed up my shit and headed out. I was still stewing about Hunter’s unsolicited visit. He was a cocky little bastard and I meant that in the most literal way possible.
I was ninety-nine percent sure my father’s threats were just that…threats. There was no way he’d turn over the reins to his illegitimate son. My mother would never allow it.
My parents loved each other, but lately their marriage was more of a business contract than anything else. They were both hotel heirs. Combining the families was a strategic move made by my grandparents. A way to ensure continued wealth for both sides and build a conglomerate so big, no one could touch it.
Rose Rutherford Dorsey would never agree to her only son being cut from the company. She may not have been involved in the day-to-day operations, but my mother owned fifty-one percent of the company shares and was the head of the board, a fact she didn’t hesitate to remind my father of when he tried to exert his power over her.
I smiled despite the warning Hunter issued. The poor boy was delusional, but it didn’t mean I was off the hook.
When I passed Gia’s office, I peeked inside, then backed up. She was still working. Her red hair was pulled up in a bun and she clenched a pen between her teeth. She looked like a naughty librarian typing away at her computer.
As if she sensed my presence, her head popped up. Gia pulled the pen from her lips. “Hey, Trent. Did you need something?”
“You’re still here,” I said gruffly. It was after seven and everyone else had left for the day.
She sighed. “Yeah, I know. There’s a lot to learn and get caught up on.”
I started working here right after college, but I remembered my first week. My father thought it would be cute to put his newly graduated son in the mail room. “No one starts at the top, son. You start at the bottom and work your way up. It builds character.” What it did was give me an excuse to meet every female employee at Mystique. What can I say? When life hands you lemons, you throw back a shot of vodka and suck the hell out of them.
“You’re done for the night. Tomorrow’s a new day, Ms. Romano.”
She quirked her head to the side. “Is that an order, Mr. Dorsey?”
I pierced her with my eyes. “You’ll know when I’m giving you an order.”
She attempted to remain professional, but her lips turned up at the corners slightly. “Is that so?”
“I think you know it is.” Why was I standing in her office having this ridiculous conversation that was bordering on inappropriate? I should have minded my own business and let her burn the midnight oil if that’s what she wanted.
“Yes. I do have a recollection of bossy Trent. He’s incorrigible,” she said with a straight face.
I shoved a hand in my pocket and leaned casually against the doorframe. “My recollection is that you didn’t mind it all that much. Very submissive.” All I could think about was Gia on her knees before me. Her hand wrapped around me. My cock down her throat.
Our eyes locked and a beat passed. Then two. She really was beautiful and under any other circumstances, I might be in for a second round with this woman. But the circumstances sucked, and she was prohibited. Round two wasn’t even a consideration.
After another beat, she burst out laughing. “That might be the first time in my life I’ve ever been called submissive.”
I repeated her words back to her. “Is that so?”
“Yep.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “Holy cow, I didn’t realize it was this late.” She began shutting down her computer and gathering her things. “I haven’t had much of a chance to explore Vegas. Do you want to get a bite to eat with me?”
I glared at her. My mind was still stuck on the memory of her tits pressed against my thighs. How could she possibly be thinking about food?
She sighed. “I’m not being clingy and it’s not a date, Trent. Just two people eating food.”
The offer was tempting, but I needed clear boundaries with her. Having dinner together would blur the lines, and twenty-twenty vision was of utmost importance when dealing with Gia Romano. “Can’t. I have a date,” I lied. Nice going, Trent. Of everything that could have come out of my mouth, it was about the dumbest.
Her face fell. “Oh, no biggie.”
I drew an uncrossable line in the sand. “Look, we had a good time but that’s all it was. A fuck and run. We are not a couple and we’re not friends. We’re coworkers and I’m your boss. Is that clear?”
The disappointment in her eyes turned to anger. “Crystal.” She grabbed her purse and pushed past me. I heard a soft “fuck off” as her shoulder hit mine.
“What was that, Miss Romano?”
She raised a hand in the air as she walked away. “Have a good night, Mr. Dorsey.”
I beat my fist against my forehead. That woman brought out the worst in me. But if I wasn’t an asshole, I would have bent her over her desk and taken her from behind.
It was better if she hated me.
