Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
We’d just finished our weekly poker game with the guys when I pulled Pierce aside. “I need to ask your advice on something.”
Pierce wasn’t just Graham’s best friend; he was part of the family. He was also our family lawyer, the “fixer.” He often devised elegant solutions to various PR issues.
“Sure. What’s up?”
“It’s—” I did a quick check to see if anyone was nearby. Jackson had already headed out, home to Sloan. Knox and Nate and Jude were talking in the kitchen. “Private.”
Pierce led me down the hall to Knox’s office, shutting the door behind us. “What’s up?”
“Hypothetically speaking… Say I wanted to date someone who works for the Huxley Grand.”
His entire demeanor shifted, and I tried not to be intimidated by the fact that he’d gone into lawyer mode. It was why I’d come to him for advice after all. Because I knew he’d be honest about the risks.
“Hypothetically speaking…” he repeated. “Has anything happened between the two of you?”
I debated how to phrase my answer, finally settling on, “In this example, yes. But it happened in the past.”
“Before she was an employee?”
I shook my head, wishing that were the case. I knew it could potentially make things easier. Though nothing about this was simple.
“Jesus, Jasper.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. I shoved my hands into my pockets, sensing that it was best to keep my mouth shut. “Consensual?”
I glared at him. “Of course.”
Definitely consensual.
“Jasper,” Halle whimpered as I trailed my fingers over her collarbone. “I need you.”
We’d been touring one of the newly renovated hotel rooms at the Huxley’s main London location. She’d stayed behind after all the other staff had left, helping me make any notes on details that were missing. Brainstorming ideas for ways to enhance the guest experience.
Being alone with Halle was a bad idea. Especially after all the tension that had been building between us since my arrival a few weeks ago. Spending time with only Halle in a luxury hotel room was fucking insanity.
And yet here we were, her ass on the desk. My cock straining against the zipper of my trousers. Her legs spread, skirt rucked up. Lips swollen from my kisses.
God. She was something.
Pale thighs sprinkled with freckles. Her shirt rumpled, the top few buttons undone to reveal the flush of her chest. But it was those eyes—deep, soulful, rich chocolate eyes—that got me every time.
“This is a bad idea,” I rasped, as if that would stop me. We’d been dancing around this for weeks.
Sloan would kill me.
Halle was my sister’s chief of staff. My employee.
Halle grabbed my tie and wrapped it around her fist, pulling me close. Reeling me in. And god, I was such a sucker for her.
I’d been trying to avoid her—this. Not because I didn’t want her, but because I wanted her too much. I couldn’t do it anymore. I just… I dropped my head to my chest. I couldn’t.
She pulled me even closer, the scent of sunshine and roses floating from her. When I met her gaze, the way she was looking up at me was the perfect mix of demure and sexy, and I nearly came in my pants.
I had a firm rule against sleeping with anyone who worked for the Huxley brand. It was something Pops had drilled into me—into all of us, really. The need to make sure our actions were always aboveboard. To treat employees with respect.
And here I was, about to break it.
Fuck.
Looking at her, I knew I was fooling myself to think I could resist.
“You’re sure?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer. She might regret this later, but she definitely wanted it now.
“Positive,” she said, looking me dead in the eye.
“Any doubts?” Pierce asked, snapping me out of the memory.
I shook my head. “None. I would never be with someone without their enthusiastic consent.”
His shoulders relaxed a hair. “That’s good because I sure as shit don’t want to be dealing with a sexual harassment lawsuit on top of everything else we’ve had to weather the past few years.”
Everything else, meaning lapses in security, especially for high-profile guests. Then there were the anonymous threats Sloan had received, the escort scandal, an attempted hostile takeover, Graham’s sudden marriage and the board shake-up, and my taking over as CEO. It was a lot.
The last thing I wanted was to add to the scandal that had swirled around the brand for the past few years.
But I also knew that my feelings for Halle weren’t going away, and it was getting harder to ignore them.
And so, I’d sought Pierce’s advice. If anyone could help me navigate this situation, it was him.
“And in this scenario, you’re not together now, correct?”
“Correct,” I said. “We were together briefly. In the past.”
“Did things end on good terms?”
I nodded.
“You want my advice? Let it go. Let her go. Move on and consider yourself lucky that things ended amicably and discreetly. The board likes you right now,” Pierce said. “Don’t fuck that up.”
“I know,” I said. “Trust me. I saw what Graham went through with them.”
“Your family may have secured a majority, but you still need the board’s support. The board is always on high alert for anything that could pose a risk to the company’s reputation or finances. And the CEO having an affair with an employee definitely falls into that category.”
“Knox slept with an employee who was also his son’s ex.”
“Yes, but as the sole owner of the Leatherbacks, he doesn’t have to report to a board or shareholders.” Right. Because he owned the damn team.
“What about Nate?” I asked, trying to plead my case. If my siblings could find happiness with someone who was considered “inappropriate” or “forbidden,” why couldn’t I? “He slept with his daughter’s nanny.”
“I hate to say this, but he’s a movie star, and it’s sort of expected. And again, no board runs his production company.”
Fuck. I rubbed the back of my neck. This conversation wasn’t going at all how I’d hoped. Instead of helping me find solutions, Pierce was pointing out all the reasons why I shouldn’t go for it.
“Sloan?” I asked. Her situation was probably the most similar to mine, though there were differences.
“First of all, Jackson was her bodyguard. And he was hired through Hudson Security—an independent contractor. Jackson wasn’t an employee of the Huxley brand.”
“True, but it was still against Hudson’s rules.”
“Yes, and Jackson had to resign because of it. Do I need to go on? You want to talk about Graham? Your brother, who decided to step down as CEO because of his relationship with Lily.”
“Yeah, but that was different, and you know it.”
“I do,” Pierce said, and I sensed there was something he wasn’t telling me.
I’d always suspected there was more to Graham and Lily’s marriage, but if my brother was happy and the board had forked over the shares, I wasn’t going to pry. What was done was done, and sometimes it was better not to know.
“She was his former assistant.”
“Exactly,” Pierce said. “Former. As in she didn’t work for him anymore. Because he always put this company first.”
Well, shit. If Pierce was trying to make me feel guilty, it was working.
My brother, Graham, had asked me to be his successor.
He’d trusted me to lead the family business and protect the family legacy, and here I was threatening to undermine all of that.
And for what? A woman I wasn’t even sure wanted a relationship with me.
“You’re right,” I said, feeling defeated. “It’s a bad idea.”
“The worst,” Pierce said in a stern tone. “You asked for my advice, and I’m telling you flat out. Don’t do it.”
“I know. I know.” I dragged a hand through my hair. “I get it. Okay.”
“Do you?” He leaned forward, gaze homed in on mine.
I nodded.
“Good,” he said, and I knew it was meant as a threat. Stay in line or else this ends badly for all of us.
The sun glinted off the water as we cruised away from the shore. My family and I, along with a few guests, were spending the afternoon on Knox’s yacht, enjoying some time together.
I was half paying attention to the conversation because I was too distracted—yet again—by Halle, who was sitting on the other side of the deck. At least, I was, until Kendall’s question caught me off guard.
“A bachelor auction?” I practically choked on my beer. I was careful to keep my voice low so Halle wouldn’t overhear. “You want me to participate in a bachelor auction?”
“Bachelorx,” my sister-in-law Kendall corrected, adjusting her son, Leo, on her hip. “The steering committee wants it to be an inclusive event.”
“So does that mean there will be both men and women on the auction block?” Astrid asked, joining us, wiggling her fingers at Leo, and he gave her a big, toothy smile.
Astrid was family by extension. Her twin, Emerson, was married to Nate. And while my family had not-so-gently hinted that Astrid and I should date, I wasn’t interested. I wasn’t interested in anyone who wasn’t Halle.
“Yes,” Kendall said. “But they also want it to be welcoming to all, including gender nonconforming, queer, or nonbinary people.”
“It’s going to be amazing.” Emerson gave Kendall a squeeze. “I know it.”
“I hope so. This is my first year serving on the board of the Huxley Family Foundation.” Kendall smiled as Knox took Leo from her, but her attention remained on me. “And I really want it to be a success.”
She twisted her hands together, and I got the feeling she was anxious. I softened, empathizing with her now more than ever. I understood what that was like—taking on a new role and needing to be successful.
“I appreciate your dedication, mi cielo,” Knox said, wrapping his free arm around Kendall and pressing a kiss to her temple. “We all do. But it’s not all on you.” He might be talking to her, but he was looking at me when he spoke those words.
“He’s right,” Nate said. “This is the family charity, and we all need to do our part.” He gave me a meaningful look.