Chapter 7
seven
. . .
Georgia
I’d sprinted inside the house and packed my nicest black dress for dinner and grabbed a pair of heels.
A meeting with an agent in the city was definitely not something I could wear booties to.
I tossed in my pajamas and a change of clothes for tomorrow before gathering all my makeup and toiletries and tossing them into a bag before hurrying back outside.
This day had been exhausting, and now I was heading to the city on a helicopter to meet with my favorite author’s agent.
I’d been caught by my boss dancing in his closet while wearing his coat and hat.
That had to go down as the world’s most embarrassing moment to date.
Well, unless it was beat out by the fact that I’d just cried in front of him because I thought he’d fired me. And then I’d been forced to fill him in on my blackmailing ex-boyfriend.
If you looked up train wreck in the dictionary right now, there’d be a photo of me, holding a can of shaving cream and dancing in my grumpy boss’s closet.
We’d driven back to the office in silence, and he’d hurried me up the stairs and through a side door I hadn’t even known was there, which led to the rooftop of the building where he kept his helicopter.
I was getting a crash course in the lifestyle of the rich and famous today. Closets that were larger than my entire apartment back in the city and helicopter pads on top of buildings.
Maddox had both of our bags in his hand and rested his free hand on the small of my back as he led me toward the helicopter. A man who introduced himself as Benjamin stood outside and opened the door and nodded at me as I climbed inside.
Once we were in, the two men exchanged a few words, then we were up in the air and I’d yet to speak a word.
“You okay?” He leaned close, and his lips grazed my ear. I squeezed my legs together and glanced out the window before looking at him.
“Yeah. I didn’t let my family know I was leaving.”
He studied me for a moment as if the thought of my family not knowing my whereabouts was a foreign concept to him. “Why don’t you send them a text.”
I nodded. I sent my parents a quick text letting them know and then jumped into the sibling group chat.
Hey. I’m in a helicopter, heading to the city for work. I’ll be home tomorrow.
Brinkley
Fancy closets and now you’re in a helicopter? Go, Georgie, go.
Finn
Did I miss a conversation? What are we talking about?
Cage
This is why you shouldn’t get a dog. You can’t just leave any time you want when you have a dog. #teachablemoment
Hugh
Stop being a #buzzkill, brother. Have fun in the city.
Brinkley
Where are you staying? I bet it’s somewhere swanky!
“We’re staying at the Four Seasons,” Maddox’s deep voice said as he leaned over my shoulder and read my texts.
I quickly put my phone down in my lap and shot him a look.
“It’s not in good taste to read someone’s texts over their shoulder.”
“Says the woman who just danced around my closet. For all I know, you were sniffing my boxers,” he said, his hand brushing against mine, and I didn’t pull away. We were sitting awfully close in the back of the helicopter, and there was a sudden dip, which made me jump and squeal at the same time.
Benjamin glanced over his shoulder and apologized, and Maddox chuckled before his pointer finger stroked the back of my hand. “You’re all right.”
There were a few more dips, and I gasped a couple more times before I turned and buried my face in his chest until we were on the ground.
Let me tell you, sage and sandalwood had a way of soothing the nerves. The man smelled like strength and confidence and sexy man. And I was here for it.
Once we were on the ground, he tipped me back and cleared his throat, and I straightened.
“Sorry about that. I’m not used to this form of transportation.” I reached for my purse and unbuckled myself.
“Says the woman who drives an unsafe, shitty piece of metal around town.”
I rolled my eyes and stepped off when Benjamin opened the door. “Thanks for the ride, Benjamin. Those little squeaks had nothing to do with you; they were all about me.”
He chuckled. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Have fun tonight.”
There was a car waiting for us just a few feet away. “Wow. You’ve got all sorts of people waiting on you here, huh?”
“That’s the one benefit to the move out of town. I can drive my own car. Have some privacy. No press in my business.”
“Ahhh… the life of a wealthy socialite,” I teased as we both slipped into the back of the car. Maddox introduced me to Jayden the driver, and we said a quick hello. “What’s the downside to Cottonwood Cove? Not enough hot women?”
He glanced over at me and looked like he was going to say something, but he stopped himself. “I miss the food in the city. Meeting women has never been a problem for me.”
I wanted to call him out for being cocky, but I knew it was the truth.
The man smelled like sex on a stick, he was a good foot taller than me with broad shoulders and a hard body, a face that should be splayed across a men’s fashion magazine, and he had a closet that most women would give a kidney for.
He was the whole damn package.
And he was clearly brilliant, because he’d listened to me about Mara Skye over his glass-half-empty editor who, was supposed to be a professional.
“How about I treat you to Reynolds’ when we get home?
” I said. He raised a brow, and I quickly explained that I wasn’t meaning it as a date.
“I mean, as a professional courtesy. You took my advice about the book, and I’m grateful.
And a good slab of ribs will have you singing the praises of the food in Cottonwood Cove. ”
“First of all, you aren’t treating. I’m your boss.”
“Easy there, alpha dog. My brother owns the place. I was just being a show-off. I wouldn’t actually be paying.” I chuckled, and Jayden barked out a laugh from the front seat, earning him a warning look from Maddox.
“Glad we cleared that up. Secondly, I read the first three chapters, and I agreed with you. That’s the reason we’re going to this meeting.
And lastly, I’m a bit of a food snob, so it’ll be hard to sway me.
” He paused when the car pulled in front of the swanky hotel.
“Okay, here’s the plan. You have your own room, as do I.
We’ll go change clothes and then meet downstairs in an hour. ”
“You’re staying here, too?”
“Would you prefer I didn’t?” He rolled his eyes.
“No. I just assumed you had a home here. Or a condo or a penthouse or something like that.”
Jayden opened the door, and Maddox motioned for me to get out. We said our goodbyes to the driver and then made our way inside. Maddox Lancaster was some sort of big shot here in the city, because from the moment we stepped inside the lobby, everyone hustled around us.
They gave him his keys, took our bags, and he led me to the elevators like he’d stayed here many times before.
Once we were on the elevator, he stood on the opposite wall from me. I leaned down to smell my pits to make sure I didn’t stink because he sure was keeping his distance now that we weren’t on the helicopter.
Nope.
I smelled like an orange creamsicle.
Everybody loves a creamsicle, right?
“I do have an apartment here, but we aren’t staying long enough for me to go there. Our meeting is here, so I’ll just stay the night at the hotel, as well.”
“Hmmm… you must stay here often because the hotel staff sure seems to know you.”
His mouth remained in a straight line. “My grandfather owns the place. I grew up coming here.”
“Damn. My grandfather owns an apple orchard, which I thought was pretty cool, but a Four Seasons is impressive.”
“Real estate developers own each individual property, and the Four Seasons operates them. My grandfather invests in things that he thinks will be profitable. So, if it was a good buy, he’d be the first to gobble up an apple orchard, too.”
The doors opened, and he motioned for me to step off.
“Good to know. I thought you were going to say you bring all your ladies here. That you’re one of those guys who doesn’t take women to his home and just meets them at his swanky hotel room.” I waggled my brows when he paused at the door and looked at me like I had three heads.
“You’ve been reading a lot of fiction, I see. And you seem a little consumed by who I spend time with outside of work,” he said. It wasn’t a question. It was a statement.
“Don’t flatter yourself. I just figured a good-looking man like yourself who has access to the finest hotel in the city… it seems like a good place to…” I shrugged because I didn’t know why I was saying this aloud.
He moved closer, crowding me as my back hit the door of what I assumed was my room, seeing as we’d stopped here. “Good-looking, huh?”
“I don’t think it’s a secret. The press has dubbed you the hottest bachelor in town.” My tongue swiped out to wet my lips which were completely dry now, and I tried to play it cool with a shrug.
“Are you keeping tabs on me, Tink?”
“I work for you. It’s my job to know what you do and who you… whatever.”
“Who I fuck?” He raised a brow.
I sucked in a breath, a little shocked at his nearness and that we were speaking to one another like this.
He smirked and stepped back. “Cat got your tongue?”
“No. I’m fine. And I don’t care who you… fuck.”
“Good. Keep it that way. I don’t date women who work for me.”
A maniacal laugh escaped my lips as he sidestepped me and slipped the key into the door. “Please. You are most definitely not my type.”
“That’s right. You date guys who steal your car and blackmail you.” He pushed the door open and handed me the key just as the guy with our bags came walking down the hall. Maddox leaned down close to my ear. “But for the record, Tink, I’m everyone’s type.”
Maddox stood there holding the door open, and I told the concierge which bag was mine and then followed him inside before he made his way across the hall to what looked like the corner suite.
“You can take the other bag across the hall.” Maddox motioned to his door before turning back to me. “I’ll see you in forty-five minutes. You’ll be taking notes and observing.”
I didn’t say anything. I just let the door close behind me and moved across the room and fell onto my bed.
My boss was a bit of a conundrum.
Broody and mysterious, yet protective and thoughtful at the same time.
He clearly had a healthy ego.
My phone vibrated, and I pulled it out of my purse.
Dikota
You can’t ignore me forever, baby. Eventually, you’ll want your car back.
I groaned and tossed my phone onto the bed before making my way to the bathroom. Tonight was a big night.
I had a seat at the table in a meeting that could lead to something amazing.
I wasn’t going to worry about my crazy ex, my current car situation, or the fact that my boss was consuming my every thought.
Both awake and asleep.
I’d had a dirty dream about the bastard last night.
Probably because we were spending so much time together and he had a way of getting under my skin.
Although in my dream, he wasn’t under my skin. He was buried between my thighs.
I had a hunch Bossman knew how to please a woman.
But I’d be keeping those thoughts to myself.