4. Hayden
4
HAYDEN
I stare at the antique clock ticking in my office, annoyance flooding my body as I rub my temples with my hand.
Ten after five.
Of course, Lola Sterling hasn’t arrived yet. She’s sending me a message.
One I don’t like.
I hadn’t expected her to be alone. She was supposed to be with her partner, Penelope. I also hadn’t expected for her to be so annoyingly strong and stubborn.
I’d seen her picture and had expected to run over her. Her delicate features give her a softer vibe with wispy blond hair to her shoulders and pretty bluish green eyes. Her mouth is heart-shaped with pink lips and sharp cheekbones. She’s beautiful, no doubt.
But she’s no pushover.
Still, she’ll bend to my will because she needs me whether she likes it or not. One look over her business financials told me that.
My lips curl into a satisfied smile when I hear the doorbell ring through my massive home.
I stand from my desk, fastening the buttons on my navy suit as I walk to the door and open it, seeing Lola first.
Her blond hair is down and straight. Her makeup is subtle, and she’s wearing a light pink sleeveless blouse paired with a knee-length floral skirt and beige heels.
Everything about her screams pampered, organized, and wealthy.
My body is tense with irritation as my eyes flash to the woman standing next to her. This one has more of an edge with black slacks and a green sleeveless blouse. Her brown hair is pulled into a tight bun, and her eyes are stormy, full of secrets and pain.
“You’re late.” My eyes lock with Lola’s. “Again.”
She doesn’t flinch, not even a little bit, and my skin prickles with frustration. “This is my partner, Penelope.”
The brunette looks to me, the right side of her mouth tilting with amusement. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. West.” She extends her hand out to me, and I take a deep breath, feeling my hand growing clammy before it meets hers.
“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Jones.”
She offers a smile and then releases my hand as I step out of the way and let them both in. Lola clings to a stack of papers pressed against her chest as I lead them to my office.
Neither of them seem particularly impressed by my massive estate. But then again, why should they?
Lola especially is accustomed to the finer things in life.
I gesture toward the two wooden chairs in front of my large oak desk. They both take a seat as I take my own behind the desk, across from the women.
“I assume you’ve had a chance to look over the contract.” My eyes don’t leave Penelope’s as I study her, her lips pursed together as she looks around my office with quiet curiosity.
“We have, and we accept your terms,” Lola answers, snapping my attention to her. Her posture is so perfect I wonder if it hurts to remain that stiff.
“Good.” I turn back to Penelope. “And I expect you both on this project.”
I can feel Lola bristle, but my eyes stay on Penelope who turns nervously to Lola with a tentative laugh. “Actually,” Her eyes meet mine, and I take the opportunity to search them for any hint as to what kind of person she is. Lola was easy to read. The typical spoiled princess type I know well, who doesn’t follow anyone else’s rules because she’s not used to having them laid out for her. “You will have mostly Lola on this one. She’s far more experienced, and that will allow me to focus on our other clients while she gives you her full attention.”
My eyes flick to Lola who doesn’t look thrilled but keeps her chin up.
This isn’t what I wanted.
My teeth clench as I grow more and more frustrated with her defiance. “That’s not what we agreed on.”
“Mr. West, I assure you Lola is more than competent. She’s the one you want.”
I turn to Penelope. No, she’s not. “Ms. Jones, I hired your company as a whole. I expected you both on this.”
“Look, if this is some sort of weird dating thing, a way for you to meet women, you should know Penelope is very happily involved with my brother and not interested.” My chest fills with an irritate breath as I turn back to Lola, who’s looking me dead in the eye. “And I'm just plain not interested.”
My back is straight as I glare into her eyes, rimmed with long black lashes. “The feeling, Lola, is, without a doubt, mutual.” I fight leaning closer to her, thankful for the desk between us. “Believe me, I don’t have to work hard to get laid. I definitely don’t need an elaborate scheme to find women.”
“Okay,” Penelope tries to play mediator. “We believe you. The fact is, to keep our business afloat, we’ll need to split the work. I’ll be there as often as I can, but I have to fill in the gaps left by Lola working on your massive project.”
I hate losing control of the situation. I’m not used to people telling me what to do, at least not anymore.
I take a deep breath, trying to remain calm. I should have known this wouldn’t be easy. My gaze flickers to Penelope. “Fine.”
She nods her head at me and then to Lola, encouraging her to sign the contract she’s still clinging to. I watch as Lola inhales deeply and places the contract on the desk. “Do you have a pen?”
“Do you want to involve lawyers?”
She shakes her head. “I had a lawyer look over it last night.” That was quick, but not surprising. “Everything seems to be in order.”
I hand her a pen and she signs, handing it to Penelope, who does the same. I stand, and they both follow suit. “I’ll have my assistant contact you with the details to get you started, but I’ll be overseeing this every step of the way.”
“Of course you will.” Lola’s cold eyes show a hint of fire.
I walk them both to the door, eager to get them out of my house to figure out where to go from here. I didn’t anticipate them not working together on this.
Lola Sterling will no doubt make everything more difficult.