Chapter 1
CHAPTER 1
S ebastian
“Mr. Winfield, what does it feel like to be voted Man of the Year?” The female reporter was right by my side, meeting my long strides with ease. She was beautiful as most on-air talent was. Perfect in every way.
And boring.
I’d had my fill of plastic women with hidden agendas. For the time being, I was happy to have no need for female companionship.
That was subject to change since I’d also been called a hound dog in my younger years. What was wrong with being a playboy? I snickered from the thought. Sadly, the woman had caught me at the wrong moment. The phone call I’d just received indicated my world was about to be rocked.
I was pissed and eager to determine the reason behind the sudden difficulties.
“Fine,” I barked.
“Oh, come on,” she purred. “You deserved it. You’re one generous, kind man.”
If she only knew just how unkind I truly was.
“Not bad on the eyes either.” If the woman purred any more, she’d turn into a kitten.
In the days prior to learning the craft of control, I’d have sidled up to her, providing an opportunity for her to see just how hot I was.
I’d been accosted as soon as I’d left the hotel ballroom of the charity event, reporters following me as I attempted to leave. I buttoned my tuxedo jacket and reminded myself to smile for the cameras. I needed to get the woman off my back, so I stopped and attempted to act nonchalant and even friendly. A tough job for a man like me.
“I’m eternally grateful to receive such an honor.” I wondered if any of the reporters could tell I didn’t give a shit. I’d become a master at keeping my expression even, necessary in the business world. Even more so in such a lucrative industry.
However, that didn’t mean I would tolerate the questions or the interactions much longer. I preferred to keep my life very private.
My fake smile had worked. She was eating it up, her perky little nipples showing through her thin blouse.
But I wasn’t the least bit interested.
“Although I would prefer to discuss what an incredible job the Children’s Hospital is doing,” I added, a plug for the charity event I’d been forced to go to after losing a bet with my partner. We usually alternated attending such ridiculous functions, but I’d been stuck with this one. I loathed being forced into small talk with pompous assholes pretending to care about children.
All the wealthy participants were doing was networking, determined to remain top dog in whatever industry they were in. I’d stayed the obligatory forty-five minutes listening to their whining. Not a minute more. There was little I tolerated less than stupidity.
“Yes, well, I’m certain the women of St. Louis would prefer talking about you.” She flashed her pearly whites before pursing her lips. A clear invitation.
I was finished with the ridiculous conversation and the blonde’s flirting techniques as she batted her fake eyelashes.
“If you’ll excuse me, I have another engagement.” I moved away from her, pushing through the other reporters who immediately started barking questions. I couldn’t care less if my behavior seemed rude. I wasn’t put on this earth to please anyone but myself.
The next few days would be extremely busy. Drake owed me one and I intended on making him pay for having to deal with this bullshit.
Besides, my partner would tease me relentlessly regarding the useless award.
The cheap plastic trophy would be tossed in the trash the moment it arrived.
Now I had work to do. Fuck the rest.
Kacey
Wanted: Financial Analyst to work with a grumpy CFO. Duties include taming the savage beast and enduring verbal contentiousness. Must be good with numbers.
The help wanted ad placed on the job notification board still cracked me up. The position sounded more like being a glorified assistant, but it had certainly caught my eye.
I’d been standing in front of the full-length mirror for almost fifteen minutes. Time wasted and that wasn’t like me. I leaned forward, checking my reflection to ensure I didn’t have on too much blush and that my eyes were lined flawlessly. I’d forgone an ultra-dark pencil, instead picking a subtle shade of green, which brought out the luminous look of my eyes. Every hair was perfectly in place in the exquisitely coiffed bun. Utter perfection.
Not.
But the look would certainly do.
I was finished with crying, throwing tantrums, and drinking myself silly. It was time to regroup and move on.
Out of the city. What was I talking about? Out of state. I couldn’t stand another day of catching Nathan and Cherry sucking face in the breakroom. A clean break was the only way I had a chance of healing.
I’d made myself two promises, the first being that I’d never look back. The second was that I’d swear off men for at least a year to establish a new position and to save money for my own home. I was sick of living in cramped spaces with dingy, filthy alleys as a ‘prime’ view. I was done with crime and drug deals right outside my door.
And I was totally finished with arrogant assholes who truly believed because they had money, they could treat everyone like a lower being.
Sighing, I opened my mouth, fingering the corners to make certain the twenty-four-hour stain was exactly where it was supposed to be. With my stylish white blouse and charcoal jacket, I looked both professional and conservative. That’s exactly what I was going for. I had to wow the woman interviewing me.
Backing away, I shifted my hips back and forth, grinning as I flicked my gaze to the rest of my outfit. Sweatpants and fuzzy slippers. Pink slippers to be exact. A gag gift from my mischievous best friend back home. She knew I loathed the color, yet here I was wearing them. Well, with this being a Zoom call interview, I could at least feel comfortable with half my body.
I checked the time before fluffing my hair. Five minutes. Five full minutes to worry over how well the interview would go. I wouldn’t say getting a job in my hometown would ultimately change my life, but it beat the high cost, high crime, and high entitlement New York offered.
Besides, I was going nowhere fast in a dead-end job with no chance for promotion since Barbie had stolen it. This was the job I wanted, even though I’d already had a phone interview with one other.
St. Louis. Here I come.
It wasn’t like I had a boyfriend to keep me here. My dating life had been abysmal at best, men sensing I wasn’t the kind of girl who accepted bullshit. Then Nathan had come along. Being blinded wasn’t my best attribute.
Even if I had to wait tables and live with my father for a few months, I’d made the decision to leave and I was sticking to it. Before I sat down, I grabbed a cutesy little hanky scarf I’d purchased for myself, folding the rich silk just so before placing it in the breast pocket of my jacket. Who said men were the only ones who could pull off the look?
My phone chimed the alarm I’d set, a reminder to sit my butt down in the chair in front of my computer. I already had a bottle of water waiting for me in case I experienced a coughing fit, which is what I usually did when I was super nervous. There was a specific reason this interview had turned my butterflies into a stinging swarm of hornets.
The money.
At twice what I was making in New York and with the cost of living in St. Louis roughly half, it was like getting a quadruple raise. I grinned at the thought, easing into the chair and pressing my finger on the trackpad. The meeting had yet to start. At least I was ready and on time.
I plastered on a smile as I waited. After what had to be a half hour, I checked my watch. Less than five minutes had passed. But still no blip indicating the meeting was about to begin.
When another five true minutes had passed, one of my worst attributes began to weave its ugly way to the surface. I had no patience. None. I was the kind of woman to prepare days, even weeks ahead. I was painfully early to every event, often pissing off the host. I was extremely organized, never leaving a single piece of paper on my desk when I left for the day.
One of my favorite expressions was ‘failure to plan on your part doesn’t constitute an emergency on mine.’ And I’d used it more than once. I glared at the screen as I drummed my fingers on the surface of my tiny desk that I’d crammed against the wall next to my closet. An onslaught of honking horns right outside my window further frustrated me.
After another two minutes, I cracked the water bottle, taking a gulping sip. As my luck would have it, Ms. Bennett opted for that very moment to appear on screen. I spit out the entire sip, narrowly avoiding splashing it all across my laptop screen.
She wasn’t young, but wasn’t old either, as it was impossible to tell from her pinched face. “Ms. Taylor?”
“Ms. Bennett. I apologize.”
“Yes, well, don’t worry about it. I’m Tabitha Bennett, human resources director for Aeronautical Enterprises. Let’s get started. I have another interview in fifteen minutes.” She checked her watch as if all this was a huge waste of her time.
The feisty woman inside of me almost snapped at her with a caustic reply. With an important position up for grabs like financial analyst for a Fortune 500 company, I would think she’d be more diligent in her efforts. Thankfully, the little voice inside my head insisted that would be a job-losing proposition.
“I’m fine with that and I can talk very fast.”
She looked up from the papers in front of her, smirking at me. She was smirking. Why was I bothering? “Yes, I’m certain you can. Tell me about your work with your previous employer.”
I started going over all my accomplishments and how I’d handled adversity, leaving out the part my boss had hit on me three times in the last year alone.
Like father, like son.
Another reason I was getting the hell out of New York.
Ms. Bennett hadn’t written notes or underlined anything on my resume. I assumed that’s what she had in front of her. For all I knew, the piece of paper could contain her grocery list.
“I’m certain you’ve done your homework on our firm.”
“Extensively.” That was a huge lie. I’d done enough to get me through the first formalities, but not enough to provide a method of improving the bottom line. In other words, I’d read the glossy Google information over once. I hadn’t even paid attention to who owned the firm. That’s how desperate I’d been to get out of town. For all I knew, they were financially solvent and filling the position wasn’t more than a placeholder.
Or they engaged in criminal activities and I’d find myself embroiled in embezzlement. As my best friend would tell me, my mind was a mysterious beast.
“Excellent. Tell me, Ms. Taylor. How would you help this company get out of its financial woes? Exactly what would you do?” Her snarky attitude pissed me off, but I had to keep my cool.
I almost fell into a coughing fit. She’d caught me in a little white lie and I could tell by her wry expression she knew it too.
Fine. Two could play this game. She might not like me very much, but the feeling was mutual. I accepted the challenge, rattling off some financial bullshit that almost any company could do when facing a financial crisis. I’d learned the speech from my current boss. At least he was good for something other than leering at me when I left the women’s bathroom.
When I was finished, I allowed myself the audacity of checking my watch as she’d done before. I’d made it in time. And I felt damn good about my answer. Whatever Aeronautical Enterprises was going through, perhaps my excellent suggestions would prove helpful.
Only Ms. Bennett still hadn’t written down a single note.
“Thank you, Ms. Taylor, for such an informative assertion.”
Informative assertion. She’d asked. I’d answered. What did she want from me?
“I try and provide that any time I speak, Ms. Bennett.” My words came out with a grumpy flair. I’d been one grouch since discovering Nathan’s infidelity. I almost liked the new me better. Bold. Bitchy. Maybe I’d keep her around for a little while instead of the meek girl I’d become over the years.
Ms. Taylor lifted her eyebrows and studied me, allowing her gaze to fall as far as the eye on the screen could see. I suddenly squirmed uncomfortably in my seat. Could she tell I was only half dressed for this interview?
“I think I have all I need. If I feel you’re a good fit for the man and for the company, I’ll give you a call. Otherwise, good luck finding a position that suits your… attributes.”
That was the most dismissed I’d ever felt.
A couple of additional pleasantries and she was the one who ended the meeting. I sat back in my seat, contemplating tossing the water bottle across the room. With my obviously bad luck, even though it was made of plastic, the bottle would bounce off the dresser and smash through the window.
There wasn’t a single doubt in my mind. I wasn’t getting a call back. At least I had one live interview secured in a couple of days. That would start me on a path. I’d have six days from there to hunt down a job before being forced to return to New York. But not with my tail between my legs. I wasn’t that kind of woman.
I yanked my phone off the desk. I’d waited to call my father until I had a better feel about this interview. I wasn’t prepared to tell him the reason I was heading home. He’d only try to use his powerful influence to get me a job. I’d never wanted to be that kind of girl, no matter how many buddies my dad had amassed over the years.
After finding his number in my phone, I took a deep breath, shocked he answered on the second ring.
“Hey, honey. How are you?”
“I’m great, Dad. How are things with the famous surgeon?”
“Famous? I don’t think so. They’re going fantastic but unfortunately, I’m headed into a medical convention speaking on the importance of good nutrition while handling cardiac events.”
I laughed. My father was highly respected as a surgeon and deserved all the kudos in the world. He was also my hero, the world’s most perfect dad. “No problem, I just wanted to let you know I’m popping into town for a few days.”
“That’s great. When are you arriving?”
“Day after tomorrow.”
“Shoot. I’ll still be in Chicago.”
“Don’t worry. I already made arrangements to spend a couple of nights at a hotel. I’m going to catch up with some old friends.”
Another white lie. I was full of them today. I’d kept in touch with one girlfriend since leaving for New York my freshman year. My forever bestie, Stephanie, had mentioned I could stay with her any time I was in town, but I wanted some time to pamper myself. I hadn’t done that in eons.
“Well, you’re always welcome to stay at the house.”
“I know, Dad. When you get back, call me and I’ll plan on staying with you during the rest of my trip.”
“That will be great. I gotta run, but I can’t wait to see you.”
“You too.” I ended the call with a sigh.
There was nothing like returning home to a safe place.
As long as I kept my promise to myself.
No more men.