Nine | Ethan
Nine
Ethan
I rushed to the office and changed into a fresh suit before grabbing the files that I needed before Brent arrived. It felt odd not having Kate up front to keep an eye out for him. Instead, I was forced to rely on the elderly woman who had her nose pressed against the computer because she couldn’t see, even with her bifocals. Between her hard hearing, inability to see anything, and her calling me Mr. Robbins , I was already irritated and made a note to talk to Kate about using a different temp agency in the future.
My stomach growled as I slid behind my desk, a harsh reminder that I hadn’t had time to stop for coffee or breakfast on my way in. I reached over to press the button to call up to Kate’s desk and then quickly removed my finger when I remembered that she wasn’t there. On a whim, I went into Eva’s office and checked her top drawer where I had seen her stash a few granola bars. I wasn’t the kind of person who ever went through my employee’s things, let alone steal food from them, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
I opened the drawer and peeked inside, relief washing over me when I saw a handful of them. I grabbed one and pulled it out, feeling a tad bit victorious, when I looked up and found Brent watching me from the hallway between our offices. He arched an eyebrow in response but said nothing. Embarrassed, I held it up in front of me and offered an awkward smile.
“Breakfast,” I explained as I walked around from her desk and met him in the hallway. We shook hands quickly before heading into my office and closing the door.
“I didn’t peg you as the guy who went searching for granola bars in other people’s offices,” Brent joked as he slid his jacket off and laid it on the back of the chair. He took the seat across from me as I walked around and sat behind the dark mahogany desk.
“Usually, I’m not.” I chuckled as I moved the mouse around, the computer screen coming to life as I clicked open the files I needed. “Kate is out sick, and I didn’t have time to stop for breakfast this morning.”
“So, you resorted to stealing?”
I could hear him trying to keep the laughter out of his voice as he said it.
“So it would seem.” I laughed and pushed the mouse to the side after I had everything pulled up. I slid the granola bar off to the side as well, hoping that my stomach wouldn’t be obnoxious and embarrass me during the meeting.
Before I could speak, the door opened, and the woman from up front—whatever her name was, popped her head in and smiled. She reminded me of the warm, loving grandma who walked around with a pocket full of candy that she passed out to everyone she talked to, which made it a tad bit hard to be so annoyed with her.
“Would you boys like some coffee?” Her voice was soft and instantly made me bite my tongue. There was no need to be a dick and correct her that we weren’t boys. We were two of Manhattan’s most prestigious businessmen who people admired and respected. I waited for Brent to answer before declining her offer and waited for her to close the door as she went back to her desk.
“Alright, where were we?” I muttered, shuffling the papers beside me as I looked for the copies of the information that Eva had prepared for him.
“You were stealing other people’s food while trying to get your head on straight this morning,” Brent offered, leaning back against the chair as he straightened his navy blue and white pinstripe tie. “What’s going on with you? You seem different... ”
A blush quickly swept across my face, making it hard for me to deny that something, in fact, was going on. But Brent was the last person that I would confide in, even if he were offering. Our relationship was strictly business, and I wasn’t about to cross that line with the only person in the world who was as much against commitment as I was.
“I’m fine. Just a little off this morning. It’s always hard when Kate is out.” I kept my eyes down and pretended to focus on the papers in front of me.
“You sure it has nothing to do with the beautiful new lawyer that started working for you? The one whose granola bar you’re eating?”
My hand froze as my body tensed. I heard the low chuckle that escaped his throat before he shook his head. He had chosen his words perfectly and added the right tone to get the reaction out of me that he wanted.
I felt the heat spread through me, along with the panic that I had been fighting for days every time I thought about Eva. The dread that quickly followed when I had to remind myself that a relationship with her wasn’t possible. No matter how great the sex was between us or how much I liked spending time with her—it didn’t matter. I had to keep things professional and remember why I didn’t ever allow myself to cross that line.
“Things with Eva and I are strictly professional,” I lied, still refusing to meet his eyes that were fixed on me. After a few minutes, when he still hadn’t said anything, I pushed the papers away and leaned back to look at him. He was smirking, and I knew that he knew.
“Alright. Fine. So maybe not completely professional, but we’re trying not to cross that line again.”
“Again?”
“We might have been together a few times.” I sighed and ran a hand down my face.
Over the years, Brent had consistently confided in me, and yet, somehow, it felt oddly satisfying to do the same. Granted, his confessions were about his business endeavors, not sexual conquests. But I didn’t have anyone that I was close enough with to feel comfortable discussing my personal life, and that was a lonely place to be.
“You better be careful with that,” Brent warned, his tone more serious than before. “Crossing that line can have consequences you don’t want.”
“That’s what I keep telling myself,” I groaned. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about yesterday when I worked remotely from her apartment so I could take care of her, and then I spent the night making sure she was okay.
“So, what’s the problem? Besides the fact that she’s your employee?”
“The problem is that she’s one of the most incredible women I’ve ever met. She’s insanely brilliant, confident, assertive, and beautiful inside and out. She’s the most fearless woman that I’ve ever met, and the few times I’ve made the mistake of pushing back on her, she’s been quick to put me in my place. She knows what she wants and goes after it, no questions asked.” A smile tugged at my lips as I remembered how Regina made Eva an offer and was met with a counteroffer for higher pay, accompanied by a detailed list of why she felt she deserved it.
“I’m not going to lie. I was rather impressed with her when we spoke on Tuesday. You have an amazing attorney working for you. Don’t fuck it up.” He gave me a pointed look, and I laughed.
“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence,” I joked before switching gears and getting back to business. I knew that Brent was as busy as I was, and his time wasn’t something that I wasn’t willing to waste.
“Speaking of your conversation, did you have any questions regarding the items she prepared for you?” I asked as I reached over and grabbed my copy. When I looked up, I found Brent giving me an odd look.
“No. Eva was very thorough when she went over the options and explained that the white knight would produce the most favorable outcome at this point. Given that other investors are looking at a hostile takeover, it would make sense to approach them with a gentler option. However, after I attended the wake, there are some new developments that we need to take into consideration before I make a decision.”
A sudden sense of clarity struck me as I remembered her telling me this morning that Brent wanted to discuss something that happened with Karly.
“Eva mentioned that you wanted to speak to me about Karly,” I said, taking note of the change in his posture as I mentioned her name. “I’m guessing she wants to merge Watson Investments with Wallace Financial Holdings?”
He stayed silent, and a subtle nod was the only confirmation that I was on the right path.
“From a business standpoint, it would make sense to merge them. But from a personal...”
“It would be a fucking disaster,” he finished for me.
It was my turn to nod.
From the research I did on Tuesday, I knew that Karly was going to be the decision-maker for Watson since she held the majority of the shares. There was no way to avoid having to deal with Karly. I knew that when I reached out to the two board members with the next highest number of shares and planted the idea of the white knight defense in their heads. I needed them to start discussing it amongst the team and to form a solid wall that Karly couldn’t get around.
“What exactly does Karly want from the deal?”
“She wants us to merge the companies and run them together. As a team,” he gritted out. “I’ve already explained to her that it’s not an option that I’m interested in, but you know Karly, she won’t stop until she gets her way. She scheduled a meeting for us to discuss Watson tomorrow.”
I leaned back against my chair and waited. Something else was weighing on Brent’s mind, and I knew it was more than just Karly wanting to merge the companies. He was a brilliant, powerful man who made strategic, logical business decisions, but something was holding him back.
“So, what’s the real problem?” I asked, pushing him to break free from his trance and look at me.
“There’s a child involved.”
“A child?” I pulled my head back in confusion, my brows furrowed. There hadn’t been any discussion of a child before now. “Whose child?”
“Mine.” His eyes locked onto mine, and I felt the weight of his problems shift to my shoulders. Fuck.