Taming The CEO: An enemies-to-lovers romance (The Whitley Brothers)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Cami

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On Thursday afternoon the following week, I met Bill at five o”clock on the dot.

”Cami, it”s good to see you,” he said as he unlocked the door to the rental space. ”The place is in good shape.”

I was glad he was in his professional mode, as sometimes he could be overly flirtatious—especially with me. I was pretty sure he thought of me as some sort of challenge.

”How come it”s not rented out?” I asked.

”It”s pretty big. After the bookstore closed, people kept asking if they could only rent out parts of it. That”s not doable because I just have the one entrance.”

I turned on the light, taking in a deep breath.

I could almost smell the lingering aroma of books in the air. It needed a coat of paint, and the hardwood floor would require refinishing. If I ended up renting it, I’d have an inspector look at it beforehand to avoid nasty surprises.

Bill led me all the way to the back.

”I haven”t seen this part,” I said.

”It”s where Miss Hilly kept the inventory.”

The area had no windows, and I was starting to see why he had a problem renting this out. But it would be perfect for my escape room idea.

”I think this would really work for what I have in mind.”

Bill lit up. ”I”d love to rent it out to you.”

”I have big plans.”

”We can grab a burger on Main Street while you tell me about them.”

”Sure,” I said. ”Why not?”

I was uneasy when it came to Bill, but if he was going to be my landlord, I had to get along with him, and he had the right to know what I was up to. He could be a bit pushy sometimes, but maybe he”d finally gotten the hint. Either way, I couldn’t believe this space was available.

Oh, Mom, thanks for still looking out for me.

After stepping outside, he locked up quickly, and we headed straight to Miss Patty”s Burgers. Since it was only six o”clock, it wasn”t very crowded. I inhaled deeply, loving the familiar scent of french fries and freshly baked buns.

My phone vibrated as we sat down at the table. Taking it out, I saw it was a message from Maddox.

Maddox: Hey, I”ve got the contracts ready. Our lawyers already emailed them, but I figured I’d come by and we can go through it together. With your dad, too, if you want.

Holy shit, this was a magic day. There was no other way to name it.

”Sorry, just a second,” I told Bill. “I need to reply to this.”

”Sure, take your time,” he said. ”You know what? I”m actually going to order. What do you want?”

”The cheeseburger plate.”

”I”ll be right back.”

I couldn’t wait to see Maddox and share my plans with him. He had a shrewd business mind, so I”d love to have his opinion.

Cami: Sure, call me when you”re here. I”m grabbing dinner at Miss Patty”s Burgers.

A few minutes later, Bill came back with the cheeseburger platter for me and a bacon burger for himself.

”All right, so tell me what you have in mind,” he said after sitting down.

”I want to open a coffee shop and offer board games, darts, and billiards too. Baked goods will also be a huge draw. And I”m thinking about an escape room in the back.”

”That”s ambitious, but also smart. We really need some options for those days where no one wants to be outdoors.”

”That”s exactly what I was thinking.”

”So, I take it you”ve decided to sell to the Whitleys?”

I nodded. ”Yes.”

He shook his head. ”I can’t believe it. Why wouldn’t you even consider my offer?”

”You and I both know it was way too low, Bill.”

“I don”t like the Whitleys.”

”They”re very decent people,” I said coldly. It bothered me that he was forming his opinion based on one or two meetings. Maybe it was an ego thing—he didn’t like people who had more wealth than him.

”They believe they”re God’s gift to the earth and that they can solve everything with money. I mean... clearly, it’s worked.” He scoffed.

I was right. He was jealous.

I blinked at him and asked, ”What are you talking about?”

”Last I knew, you were against the sale.”

”I”ve changed my mind. Dad’s ready to retire, and I want to go into business by myself, so what”s the problem?”

He shook his head. ”Nothing. Just don”t much like outsiders coming to Essex and buying our land.”

”Isn”t your family originally from New York? They moved here and bought up half the town, if I remember correctly.” I was truly fighting to keep my voice even.

”That”s different,” he said. “We’re locals now.”

I cleared my throat before taking a bite of the burger. Starting a fight with my future landlord was a shitty idea. After a few mouthfuls, I was starting to feel much better. Maybe I was getting angry so fast because I was hungry.

”You do know they plan to knock down most of those trees, right?” he asked. His voice was belligerent.

Nope, I wasn”t angry because I was hungry. The guy was just pushing my buttons. I knew I should just ignore him, but I couldn”t let it go unchecked.

”They’ll draw up new plans and save as many trees as possible.”

”You really believe that?”

”Yes, I do!” The man could be such an ass.

I needed this dinner to be over. Why had I even agreed to it? I”d forgotten how pushy and arrogant he could be. So what if he was my landlord? I”d just wire the money into his account every month, and that would be it. I didn”t need to be friends with him.

I focused on my cheeseburger, eating slowly, munching on my fries every so often.

When I was almost done, my phone lit up with a message.

Maddox: You’re still at Miss Patty’s?

Cami: Yes.

Not two minutes later, Maddox walked in, joining us.

Thank fuck.I had no desire to continue being alone with Bill.

”Cami, good evening,” he said in a tight voice, looking from me to Bill.

”Maddox Whitley,” Bill said, jumping to his feet. ”Nice to see you again.”

”Likewise,” Maddox said, but his eyes didn”t mirror his words.

”Cami here just told me that you managed to wear her down about the sale of the park.”

Maddox narrowed his eyes. ”I didn”t wear her down. She simply considered it a good offer.”

”Well, between you and me, she does like to play hard to get. I mean, it”s taken me, what? Eight years to get her to agree to go to dinner with me.”

My jaw dropped as I stood up. I wasn’t going to let that remark slip by.

”What the hell?” I snapped.

Maddox looked down at the table for a split second, taking a deep breath before focusing his gaze on me.

”I see. Well, far be it from me to disturb you.”

”Bill, I can”t believe you. You know what? This dinner is over,” I told him, trying to keep my anger under control. There was no need to start a fight in the middle of the diner. ”And I”m not sure I”ll be renting the place after all.”

Bill jerked his head back. Maddox took a step toward me, raising a hand as if to touch me, but my body language must have tipped him off that I was pissed at him too. He dropped his hand.

”Tell me you”re not dating this pompous—” Bill began, but Maddox stepped in front of me.

”Insult me again, and you’ll have a huge problem on your hands.”

”Whatever. This is none of my business.”

”You”re right, it isn”t. You”re making Cami uncomfortable. Leave.”

”I haven”t finished my burger,” he said.

”But I have.” I was done with this shit. ”Maddox, I would like to leave.”

He swallowed audibly and took a step back. Pointing at the door, he said, ”After you.”

I grabbed my coat and bag, and we hurried out. A few patrons were already looking at us, but I didn”t really care. I just wanted to be away from Bill before I said or did something I might regret.

Once we were outside, I began to shiver.

”Put on your coat,” Maddox barked.

I turned to look at him. ”What”s with that tone?”

”You”ll catch a cold, Cami,” he said in a warning tone.

”Fine, I”m putting it on. But not because you”re commanding me to.” I actually was cold.

”So?”

”So what?”

”What did he mean that he finally wore you down and got you to go to dinner with him?”

I shook my head. “He made it sound like something that it totally wasn”t.”

”Were you or were you not having dinner with him?”

”Yes, obviously,” I said, stomping my foot and crossing my arms over my chest. ”But it wasn”t a date.”

”I fucking hope it wasn”t,” Maddox growled. ”I so fucking hope it wasn”t.”

”I don”t like where you”re going with this. Or how you”re going about it. You don”t have to bark stuff at me and treat me like I”m a criminal or something.”

He ran a hand through his hair. ”I shouldn”t have come here tonight.”

”Yeah, maybe you shouldn”t have.” I had to get away or we”d end up in a fight. Well, a bigger fight. ”I appreciate you driving all the way here, but I don”t think either of us is in the mood to talk about anything tonight.”

I turned around but then felt Maddox right behind me, putting a hand on my waist. I stilled.

”Tell me what you were doing with him.”

My instinct was to inform him that it was none of his business, but his voice had changed. He wasn”t commanding anymore. It was almost pleading, like he needed that answer... and, at the same time, wasn”t ready to receive it.

I shifted my weight from one leg to the other. ”I’m thinking about starting a business and renting a space from him. We went to see it, and then he said we could discuss details over dinner.”

I turned around slowly. Maddox”s eyes were fixed on my face. ”It was not a date. I”m not even sure why he said that. Probably to one-up you or something.”

”You didn”t go out with him,” he stated.

”No. Why is that so hard to believe?”

The next thing I knew, Maddox crashed his mouth over mine in a deep and desperate kiss. Seconds later, I felt a concrete wall behind my back. He deepened the kiss, keeping both hands on my waist. I put mine on his shoulders, pulling him even closer to me.

Maddox groaned, and the reverberations traveled through my body, tugging between my thighs. I pressed them together. When he pulled back, gasping for breath, I inhaled deeply.

”Mine,” he growled. ”Only mine.”

”What do you mean?”

”You,” he said slowly, ”are only mine.”

For a few seconds, I didn”t understand, but then his words made sense and my face exploded in a huge smile. ”Wait, did you just stake your claim on me?”

”That”s exactly what I”m doing. Like a damn Neanderthal. I just... I need it. I need you.” He came close again, cupping my face with both hands. ”I need to know there’s no one else.”

”There’s no one else,” I insisted.

”Good. All right.” He took a step back. ”We should probably get out of here.”

”I agree. Let”s go to my place.”

He nodded.

”Can I ride with you?” I asked. ”I walked.”

”Of course,” he said. His voice still sounded strange.

He was silent during the drive. If I was honest, I was on pins and needles, too, processing what had just happened. I hadn”t expected him to react like that.

Once we stepped inside my house, I turned on all the lights and even lit two candles.

Still completely silent, he took off my coat and then whirled me around, cupping my face and pressing his thumb to the corner of my mouth.

”Are we okay?” he asked.

”Well, I”m still not sure where that Neanderthal reaction came from, or why you even thought I deserved a scene.”

He closed his eyes. ”You absolutely fucking didn”t. I just... The guy said...” He shook his head. ”It”s all on me. I remember his comment from last time and... Never mind.” Taking in a deep breath, he added, “Tell me about the business.” He dropped his hands and took a step back.

I pressed my palms together as excitement built inside me. ”So, I was waiting for tonight to actually tell you this. I have decided to stay in Essex and use the money from the sale to open a new business.”

His expression changed instantly, a smile taking up his whole face. ”Are you serious?”

”Hell yes.” In a few words, I told him what I had in mind while I powered up my laptop so we could read the contract.

”You”ve got a great mind for business,” he said. ”And it”s smart that you’re staying in the entertainment sector.”

”Thank you. And Bill had a great space for what I’m planning, but honestly, I”m truly rethinking if I should rent from him.”

”The guy”s an asshole.”

”Yep, you can say that twice. I always knew he was a bit pushy, but tonight was something different.”

”So, you”re staying. What made you change your mind?” he asked.

The magic dick.

Damn Miriam. Her words were stuck in my mind.

”I love it here. I do have wanderlust, but not the way I did before. I think I was glamorizing the idea of working and traveling abroad. Now I want to work here and travel abroad.”

”Sounds like the best combination.”