In Bed with the Ice Queen (The Ice Queen #4)

4. Sloane

4

SLOANE

S loane Callahan took a deep breath as she walked around her office, her heels clicking on the polished wooden floor. The meeting with Helena Wolfe was finally over, and Sloane wanted to settle her thoughts like the last pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

“That went surprisingly well,” Jake said, grabbing his briefcase. “I have to go pick up my kids from the afterschool program.”

Sloane nodded, her mind still foggy from the way her conversation with Helena took a turn. “I’ll see you soon. Have a good night. Mia, you can take off as well. Thank you.”

She looked at the view of the city skyline, what always felt like a line of giants standing watch over their domain. But today, her mind was on Helena, who had just impressed everyone in the boardroom with her confident presence. Sloane remembered how Helena’s sharp voice had commanded attention, her eyes sparkling with ambition and ideas. So passionate, so fierce.

“Goodbye, everyone. Safe travels!” Sloane called out to the members of Thompson Industries as they gathered their things and began to leave. Most of them nodded, some a little dazed from the intensity of the meeting. Sloane could still hear Helena’s voice echoing in her mind, like a drumbeat that wouldn’t fade.

As she walked toward the door, she spotted Charles Thompson, the elderly CEO of Thompson Industries, lingering at the back of the room. He had a weathered face, deep lines etched by years of experience, but his bright blue eyes had a light in them that made him seem younger.

“Ms. Callahan, mind if I have a word?” he asked, his voice gravelly yet kind.

“Of course, Mr. Thompson. What’s on your mind?” “Oh, please call me Charles. That young lady, Helena Wolfe,” he started, shaking his head slightly. “She’s a hellcat, isn’t she?”

Sloane chuckled. “You can say that again! She really knows how to hold her ground.”

Charles leaned against the table, his hands resting on his cane. “She reminds me of someone I used to know. Driven. Smart. Brave.” He sighed, looking a little wistful. “If only I had children like her who could take over.”

Sloane raised an eyebrow, curiosity piqued. “What do you mean?”

“It’s just that I see so much potential in her,” Charles continued. “But I can’t help but wonder if she’s lucky too. You know, being the daughter of the man who built Wolfe Enterprises.”

Sloane paused, letting that thought sink in. Helena was undeniably brilliant, and her ability to steer conversations and ideas was impressive. Yet she couldn’t escape the fact that she had a famous name behind her. “It’s true. She has some advantages that others don’t,” she admitted. “But she works harder than anyone I know.”

Charles nodded, considering her words. “Yes, hard work is necessary,” he said slowly. “But does it balance out the luck? Doesn’t it always come back to who you know?”

Sloane felt a knot of unease tighten in her stomach. She had seen many talented people get overlooked for promotions because they didn’t have the right connections. “True. But I believe she’s also creating her own path. It’s not all about who you know. Sometimes, you have to prove that you belong.”

“That’s a fine way to see it, Sloane,” Charles said with a small smile. “Maybe someday, she’ll prove it to everyone.”

Sloane watched Charles carefully. The old CEO had seen so much change in business—the rise and fall of leaders, the evolution of companies. “And what do you think she’ll do?” Sloane asked.

Charles stroked his chin, studying the floor as if it held his answers. “I think she’ll rise or she’ll fall. Time will tell,” he replied. “But it will be interesting to see."

She nodded back, thinking of how exhilarating and terrifying it must be for Helena, standing where she did, making decisions that could change lives. “I guess we’re all just doing our best with what we’ve got, right?”

“Indeed,” Charles said, his voice warm. “And remember, it’s good to have someone like Helena out there shaking things up a bit.”

As she watched him carefully, Sloane couldn’t help but admire Charles. Years of experience had given him wisdom, and Sloane felt grateful to learn from him. “Do you think she’ll take us further?”

“We can only hope,” Charles said. “Because if not her, then who?”

Sloane smiled gently at him. “I believe that given the chance, Helena will.”

“Good. I appreciate your confidence in her,” he said, leaning back and letting out a deep sigh. “And in yourself as well. Don’t forget that.”

“Thanks, Charles,” Sloane said softly, feeling grateful. “But I can only do my best.”

As she watched him walk away, she turned back toward her desk. The meeting may have ended, but the reflections in her mind were just beginning. She thought about power and how sometimes it could be inherited, but also earned. Perhaps Helena was both skillful and lucky.

And hot. Helena was certainly hot. Sloane had always had a thing for fierce women. It never ended well.

"Why did I let myself get carried away?" Sloane muttered to herself as she gathered her things. Her desk was cluttered with papers and files that had been pushed aside during the meeting. She hurriedly shoved a few documents into her leather bag, the soft leather cool against her fingers. The memory of Helena’s piercing gaze struck her again. She had hit on Helena and Helena had shut her down.

But, she had caught the way Helena looked at her when she thought she wasn’t watching. There was something there, she was sure of it.

Outside, she entered the small parking garage reserved for employees. It felt like a maze of concrete, but Sloane effortlessly navigated to her special parking spot. It was hers, a small victory among many in her career. She smiled at the thought; at least one thing had gone right today. As she got into her SUV, the familiar scent of leather filled the air.

Driving through the city, she spotted a few homeless people huddled near a street corner. They wrapped themselves in tattered blankets, staring blankly as cars rushed by. She felt a tightness in her chest. It was a sharp contrast to the glass towers and rich contracts she had just left behind.

Her thoughts drifted back to the meeting. Helena looked as hot as hell in her tailored red suit, her sharp brown eyes slicing through any pretense. The merger was supposed to be straightforward, yet when they had adjourned, Sloane found herself alone with her thoughts, replaying her own words: “But what if we could help each other in more ways than just numbers and contracts?”

Sloane cringed. "Ugh, I came on way too strong." The embarrassment washed over her like cold water. Had she really just suggested that they could be more than just business partners? A voice in her head whispered that she had gotten carried away. Maybe it was Helena’s beauty or the way she commanded the room. As she merged onto the main road, Sloane recalled her conversation with Charles. He had said something snide about Helena’s position and how she only had it because of nepotism. At first, Sloane had defended Helena's capability as a new CEO, but now she felt a mix of annoyance and frustration building inside her.

It was hard to ignore Charles's words. He had a point about the competitive world of business, but why did she care what he thought? The more she reflected on her unprofessional attempts to connect with Helena, the angrier she felt. The city lights began to twinkle as she drove closer to home. The towering skyscrapers loomed over her, reminding her of how small she felt at that moment. Here I am, trying to bridge gaps while she just sits in her ivory tower acting like she owns the place, Sloane thought.

Helena’s icy demeanor mixed with her striking beauty made Sloane feel a mix of admiration and irritation. Why did she let it get to her? It was unprofessional to have acted like that in front of a colleague, especially someone who she was at odds with.

Just then, her phone buzzed loudly on the passenger seat, breaking her thoughts. It was a message from her friend Amelia: . “How did the meeting go?”

Sloane rolled her eyes. What could she say? She could opt for: “It was fine! Just fine.” But really, it had been a mess of conflicting feelings.

“What was I thinking?!” she grumbled aloud. “I was just doing my job, representing my client,” she said, her voice rising. She felt annoyed with herself for trying to be more than just a negotiator. Why did she have to blur the line? And why did she even want to connect with someone as arrogant as Helena?

Wild sex does solve a multitude of tensions. And Helena would be wild in bed. Absolutely.

Pulling into her driveway, Sloane took a moment to breathe before she sent a text back to Amelia: “It was…complicated.” She turned off the engine and sat in silence. “Tomorrow,” she promised herself, “I’ll focus on the merger and nothing else.” With that thought guiding her, she unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out, ready to leave the chaos of the day behind her.

When she got indoors and locked the door behind her, she wanted to shake off the day’s frustrations. But the image of Helena, with her icy demeanor cloaked in waves of beauty, lingered like a stubborn guest. She was filled with a mixture of admiration and irritation, something Sloane couldn’t quite wrap her head around.

“Maybe I just need to focus on my clients,” she whispered to herself, as she set her bag down on the kitchen counter. “No more personal connections. Just business.”

With that thought anchoring her, she made a cup of tea, hoping it would help drown her uncertainties.

A little later, she cradled her empty cup of chamomile tea, savoring the last remnants of warmth. Sloane loved her quiet evenings at home after long hours at the law firm, yet tonight felt different. She sighed deeply, the noise echoing in the small, cozy room.

“Another day, another set of problems,” she murmured to herself, shaking her head as she set her cup down in the sink. She pushed away the thoughts of her day at work. Clients demanding results, endless paperwork—it was enough to make anyone feel drained.

She peeled off her crisp white blouse and slacks, tossing them onto a nearby chair. She padded into the bathroom, her bare feet feeling the cool tiles beneath her. As she turned on the shower, steam swirled around her like an embracing fog.

Under the warm spray, Sloane took a deep breath. She felt the tension in her shoulders slowly begin to melt away. She sighed with contentment as she lathered soap into her hands. The scent of lavender filled the air, helping to ground her thoughts. But soon, her mind wandered, and it drifted to a topic she often tried to avoid: her dating life.

She scrubbing her hands over her body, trying to scrub the thoughts from her mind. She rolled her eyes at the thought of online dating, feeling a sting of frustration.

This was why she was hitting on Helena. It had been far too long since she had been with anyone.

The world felt so different now. When she was younger, dating had been simple. Just meet someone, grab coffee, and see where things went. But now, everyone was behind screens, swiping left or right on profiles. I can’t even remember the last time I had a decent date, she thought.

Her thoughts drifted again to the hot redhead in the red business suit.

“Helena Wolfe,” Sloane said to herself with a half-smirk. She wondered how someone so privileged could seem so complicated. Helena always walked into a room like she owned it and turned the air as icy as her personality. Sloane closed her eyes for a moment, luxuriating in the warmth of the water on her skin. She thought about her own upbringing—smaller, middle-class, but filled with love and encouragement—a stark contrast from Helena’s. Her parents had worked hard, always pushing Sloane to do better for herself. “You can achieve anything,” they’d say, and she believed them. She reminded herself that she had come from a really great place, but it wasn’t easy feeling inferior to someone like Helena.

Sloane rubbed the soap into her skin, creating a gentle lather. It's Helena’s privilege that shapes her, and it doesn’t have to make me feel small, she thought, scrubbing a little harder. But deep down, there was a nagging doubt. Maybe she was being presumptuous. Maybe Helena’s controlling attitude didn’t come from privilege but from the pressures of living up to lofty expectations.

“Ugh, I’m thinking about this way too much,” she said aloud. She shook her head as she rinsed away the soap and let the water cascade down her body. She couldn’t control how others acted, but she could choose how she reacted. Stepping out of the shower, Sloane wrapped herself in a soft, fluffy towel. Leaving her worries behind, she took a deep breath, ready to embrace whatever came next.

“Tomorrow’s a new day,” she declared to herself, a hint of determination creeping into her voice. With a small smile, she stepped into her room, leaving behind the thoughts of a too- complicated world and settled into the comfort of her favorite book and an evening of peace.