4. West
Chapter 4
West
I t’s 7.45 am and I clutch the coffee holder, bearing two steaming coffees. One with extra milk and sugar. The other is a skinny latte that my executive assistant, Amelia, prefers.
The elevator doors open. I glance ahead for a moment before I make my way down the corridor.
Seeing Amelia dancing at Club Elysium on Friday night is still a shock. And I should never have followed her out of the club. I should’ve remained hidden, watching her. But the moment she felt my eyes on her, I knew she felt me too.
After all, hundreds of people were in the club on Friday night. Hundreds of people could have been looking at her. But I know she felt my gaze on her body.
But did she catch Felix cheating on her?
I take a deep breath as I saunter into the office, coffee holder in my hand.
“Good morning, Mr. Davenport,” Amelia says as I slide her large coffee across the desk to her. As I do every morning.
“Good morning, Miss. Ross. You look…” Tired is what I want to say, but I don’t want her to think she looks bad. “Busy…” I glance at a list of apartments on her desk that I assume she’s just printed off.
“Oh…mmm…I’ll look at these on my break.”
“Problem?”
I wait for her to tell me about Felix. The same Felix Featherstone I hate. He is an arrogant Wall Street financier who earns a mid-six-figure income. He is also the man I hope is now her ex-boyfriend.
“No. Everything is perfect,” she says, giving me a fake smile.
I try not to grind my teeth when I say, “Good.”
“Do you still want a meeting at eight?” I expect she is wondering where the conversation will lead us. But I need her to know that whatever she thinks she saw must stay between us or forgotten about altogether.
I’m also wondering what happened between her and Felix.
Yet, the one thing I can’t forget is her body as she moved to the music.
I clear my throat, and all those thoughts from entering my head. Get a grip, West. “Yes. I need to make a few calls first.”
I settle into my office chair, pretending to focus on the stack of papers in front of me. But my eyes keep drifting to Amelia through the glass partition. Her pink lips purse as she sips her coffee, leaving a faint lipstick mark on the rim.
I shake my head, trying to clear the image of her dancing from my mind. It’s unprofessional. Inappropriate. And yet the visions I have of her are nothing new.
My finger hovers over the intercom button. I hesitate, then press it.
“Amelia, could you come in here, please?”
“Of course, Mr. Davenport.”
A soft tap on the door, and she enters. Her hips sway as she walks towards my desk, a gentle rhythm that matches the click of her heels on the hardwood floor. Her dark brown hair is tied up in a high ponytail and swings with each step.
I stare at her face. It’s perfect. She has an upturned nose with a dash of light freckles, and wide azure blue eyes with long, dark lashes. When she smiles, my breath catches.
“What would you like to discuss?”
Her voice snaps me back to reality. I clear my throat, suddenly unsure of what to say.
I clear my throat, trying to find the right words. “Amelia, about Friday night...”
She stiffens, her eyes widening slightly. “Yes, Mr. Davenport?”
“I, uh...” I fumble, my usual composure slipping. “I couldn’t help but notice...I saw you...at Club Elysium.”
A faint blush creeps up her neck. “I know.”
“And I just wanted to...clarify. Why were you in Club Elysium?”
Her eyebrows shoot up. “Excuse me?”
I realize too late how inappropriate my question is. But now that it’s out there, I can’t take it back.
She crosses her arms. “Why were you?”
“I’m the boss here, Miss Ross. Answer the question.”
“My downtime is my time, Mr. Davenport.”
“In a sex club?”
“Hypocrite...much?” Her eyes flash with defiance.
We stare at each other, neither willing to back down. The tension in the room is palpable.
Finally, she sighs. “If you must know, I was letting off steam. I found my boyfriend...ex-boyfriend shagging one of my friends.”
“Ex-boyfriend?” I try not to smile.
She nods, a hint of vulnerability creeping into her expression. “Yes. Ex.”
I lean back in my chair, processing this information. “I see. I’m sorry to hear that,” I lie.
“It’s fine,” she says, but her voice wavers slightly. “Is that all, Mr. Davenport?”
“No.” I sigh, realizing this conversation is far from over.
“Amelia, my private life needs to remain just that—private. I hope you understand.”
She huffs, crossing her arms. “Mr. Davenport, I would tell no one about seeing you there. Your sex life choices are yours to make.”
“I don’t...” I start, but catch myself. What am I about to say? That I don’t frequent such places for the reason she must be thinking? That I’m not that kind of man?
Amelia quirks an eyebrow, waiting for me to continue, but I decide to keep my private business to myself.
“Let’s make a deal,” I say, leaning forward. “We both agree not to talk about this to anyone else. What happens outside of work stays outside of work.”
She nods, a look of relief washing over her face. “Agreed.”
“Good. You’re excused.”
As she turns to leave, I watch the sway of her hips and the graceful curve of her neck as she looks back at me before exiting.
Even after she’s gone, I find my eyes drifting to her desk through the glass partition.
I try to focus on work, but my gaze keeps wandering. I watch the way she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear as she concentrates on the screen. The slight furrow of her brow as she turns my way. It’s maddening.
She’s maddening.
She’s also single for the first time since she started working for me.
Don’t go there.
Not yet. Don’t be a rebound. Give her some time.
Half an hour later the door to my office bursts open. I groan as my father storms in, his face red with anger.
He throws a newspaper on my desk. I swallow at the headline on the front page and my photograph with Dom.
I stare at the newspaper. My throat goes dry as I read the headline.
NeuroPort COO caught in a sex club scandal!
Beneath the headline, there is an unmistakable picture of me. It shows me talking to Dominic Russo. Dom is the joint owner of Club Elysium and its sister clubs in other parts of America.
We’re leaning close, clearly engrossed in discussion. That’s fine. What’s not fine is the topless dancer writhing on the table next to us.
My father’s voice cuts through the silence. “Well? What do you have to say for yourself?”
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. There’s no excuse, no explanation that could make this okay.
I can’t tell him Club Elysium is my escape, my refuge from the pressures of being a COO. The place that I go to unwind. Not only to watch beautiful women dance but also the place I can forget about quarterly reports and board meetings.
And yes, occasionally, I’ve paid for a little extra attention. A discreet blowjob in a private room, nothing more. But how can I explain that to my father?
“I’m waiting, Westley,” he growls, only using my full name when he’s angry.
I look up at him, seeing the disappointment etched into every line of his face. “I...”
“No! Save it,” he snaps. “I don’t want to hear your excuses. I’m disgusted with you. Do you have any idea what this could do to the company? To our family’s reputation?”
I wince at his words, feeling like a child being scolded. But I’m not a child. I’m a grown man, dammit. I straighten my spine and meet his gaze.
“It’s my private life. What I do in my free time—”
“Becomes everyone’s business when it’s splashed across the front page!” he roars, slamming his hand on my desk. “Fix this, West. I don’t care how but fix it. Or you can kiss your CEO position goodbye.”
“Are you threatening me again?”
He glares back, his face flushed with anger. “I’m still the owner of this business, and if you or your brother think you can get away with this type of behavior, you’re wrong. You and your brother need wives, West. You need to settle down.”
“I don’t need you to tell me what I need,” I spit back.
He ignores my protest. “I’ve been speaking to Hilton Jameson. His daughter, Elizabeth, will be a suitable match.”
I blink, caught off guard. “Who the fuck is Elizabeth? I thought he only had sons.” I stare at my father, incredulous. “And are you being serious right now? You’re trying to arrange a marriage for me like we’re living in the eighteen hundreds?”
My father’s eyes narrow. “That’s because you don’t take any interest in anyone but yourself.”
The accusation stings, but I push past it. “So, what? You’re going to hand-pick some random woman for me to marry?”
“Elizabeth is nineteen, and she’s recently finished finishing school in Switzerland. She’s perfect.”
I scoff. “Not to me. I don’t even know her!”
“And you’ll get to know her.”
“This is insane. I’m thirty-two years old,” I mutter, running a hand through my hair. “I’m not marrying some teenager who I’ve never met just because you’re worried about the company’s image.”
My father’s face darkens. “This isn’t a request, West. It’s an order. Either you clean up your act and agree to meet Elizabeth, or you can find yourself a new job.”
I push open the door to my brother East’s office, dropping into the chair in front of his desk. He’s typing away on his computer, a faint smile on his face.
“West. What brings you to my dark corner of the building?”
East is the CFO to my COO, and we make a formidable team, but sometimes I do wonder how he keeps his cool.
East looks up, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he takes in my expression. “What’s wrong?”
I let out a sigh, tossing the newspaper onto his desk. “Dad’s breathing down my neck again.”
East’s gaze flicks over the headline, and his eyes widen before he bursts out laughing. “You are making the news now, aren’t you?” he chuckles, shaking his head.
I shoot him a dry look. “It’s not funny, East.”
East’s grin only widens. “I’m sorry, West, but you have to admit, it’s pretty impressive. I mean, how do you always manage to get caught up in this stuff?”
I raise an eyebrow, exasperated. “The truth is, I never get caught. I mean, I’ve been going to that club for years, and nothing’s ever happened. I’m thinking someone has set me up.”
East’s expression turns serious, and he leans forward, his elbows on the desk. “You think someone’s trying to sabotage you? That would mean it would have to be someone working here.”
I nod as a chill spreads through my chest. “I don’t know who, but it’s possible it’s an inside job. And now Dad is on my case. I don’t know what to do, East.”
My brother’s eyes narrow, his face set in a thoughtful expression. “We’ll figure something out, West. We always do.”
I let out a sigh. “But get this. He’s threatening to marry me off to Elizabeth Jameson to ‘clean up’ my image.”
“Who the hell is Elizabeth…what’s her name?” East’s eyes widen, his coffee cup hovering mid-air.
“It doesn’t matter who she is. It’s not happening. I’m not marrying a stranger.”
“He’s lost it,” East says. “An arranged marriage? In this century?”
“You’re next.” I chuckle wryly. “Dad thinks it’s a brilliant idea. I mean, who needs love when you’ve got a multi-billion-dollar company to run, right?”
“No fucking way.” East shakes his head, a grin still plastered on his face. “Only Dad would think of that. But seriously, West, we need to be careful. If he’s this fired up about it, we don’t know what he’ll do.”
“I know.” I nod, feeling a familiar knot in my stomach. “And I have a feeling it’s not only about my image. I think he’s trying to keep us in line, to remind us of who the boss is.”
East snorts. “Newsflash, Dad: we’re not kids anymore.”
I lean back in my chair, a smile spreading across my face. “You know, East, we have a certain...let’s call it ‘insurance policy’ that might take care of this situation.”
East raises an eyebrow, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “You mean the dirt we have on Dad? That’s some good stuff, but we don’t have enough yet to release it into the wild.”
Right now, if we went public with the information we have on our father, it would ruin the company. And there’s a good chance Dad will end up in prison. “We could send him a snippet, East; just enough to let him know what we have.”
“Are you sure?”
I sigh. “I don’t fucking know. Part of me wants to see him squirm, but then I’m afraid of unleashing that kind of chaos. We have to be careful of the potential harm it’ll do to the company.”
“I’ve got some files right here, waiting to go live.” East’s grin never wavers. “Or you could send him a copy to warn about what you have.”
“It’s too early to give him that kind of information. I was only thinking about him and his insider trading for now.”
“Shit! No way. Not that. The shares will plummet.”
“Fine,” I grouch.
“You need to keep him off your back for a bit. Avoid him or, better still, get yourself a fake girlfriend. You can always pretend. Enough to make you look respectable until we’re ready.”
I snap my fingers, a grin spreading across my face. “East, you’re a genius! A fake girlfriend could be the perfect solution.”
East leans back, looking pleased with himself. “Well, I do have my moments. But who did you have in mind?”
“I don’t want anyone living with me. But I need someone to play the part for just long enough for us to oust Dad. Someone who can play the part convincingly but knows that nothing will happen.”
“What about your assistant?” East suggests with a mischievous glint in his eye. He has known since I gave him my PA so I could employ Amelia as my executive assistant that I have feelings for her.
I pause, considering Amelia. She’s single, but I don’t want to use her. Not when I want her forever, when she’s over her shit ex.
I shake my head. “No, too close to home. I need someone who can keep their distance when this is all over.” And I want more than to be fake with her.
East nods, drumming his fingers on the desk. “Fair point. What about a professional? An actress? Someone who knows how to handle the media and can keep things discreet?”
“That’s not a bad idea,” I admit, warming to the concept. “We could hire an actress or even a PR specialist. Someone who knows how to deal with high-society events and can charm the board members.”
“Exactly,” East agrees. “And with the right non-disclosure agreement, we can ensure everything stays under wraps.”
I stand up, feeling positive for the first time since this mess started. “Let’s do it. Can you use your contacts in the entertainment industry and find me someone who fits the bill?”
East nods, already reaching for his phone. “I’m on it. We’ll find you the perfect fake girlfriend in no time.”
As I head for the door, I pause, turning back to my brother. “Thanks, East. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
I know that with East’s help, I should pull this off, and Dad won’t know what hit him.
He grins, waving me off. “That’s what brothers are for. Now go and start working on your lovesick face. You’re going to need it.”
“Nah. You will, though. He’ll line you up to marry Elizabeth instead.”
I laugh as East flips me the middle finger.