Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
KEATON
I ’m not thrilled about spending my morning, and possibly the entire day, in Aslan’s office. Working so close to him makes me want to do very stupid things.
It’s a short list.
Kiss him.
Blow him.
Fuck him.
It’s his fault for using a sexy, husky voice when he speaks. Also, if he hadn’t interrupted my morning, I would’ve had my morning coffee. It’s easier to pretend I’m not attracted to him when I’m fully awake.
“Where should we start?” he asks.
“As I said, I found the companies who are trying to acquire Monti Media. We need to research them, but at a simple glance, HANNETH is the strongest one.”
“What?!” he asks.
I’m not sure if he’s not paying attention or if he’s been living under a rock. “HANNETH. It’s one of the biggest multimedia communication companies in the world. They’re interested in acquiring Monti Media too.”
“Shit.”
That shit is different from the usual I’m upset because those assholes are trying to fuck with my plans . It’s more like I don’t want to upset anyone, but I wanted that company before them .
I cock an eyebrow, chewing on my pen. “What happened?”
He’s about to speak when Lulu, his assistant, enters the office. She’s followed by Tim, Aslan’s driver, who sets a drink tray on top of the coffee table and leaves. Lulu places a tray with bagels, spreads, and croissants.
My stomach picks that exact moment to growl. Aslan glances at me. “Eat.”
I wave a hand, but my traitorous stomach makes an even louder sound. I feel my cheeks heat.
Lulu makes sure that everything looks perfect before asking, “Do you need anything else, sir?”
“Connect me with my cousin Alex…no, actually with his wife, Hannah, please,” he orders, sorting the drinks.
“Of course, sir, excuse me.” She nods, leaving, and closing the door behind her.
Aslan hands me a drink. “Caramel Macchiato, oat milk, double shot of espresso, light foam. Did I get it right?”
I grab my drink and smile. “You did. What’s with the others? Back up, in case you missed it?”
He places another drink in front of me. “Chai latte with oat milk, no whip cream. It’s for later. It’ll be cold enough when you need it, but not too cold.”
“Impressed.” My heart skips a few beats because this is swoony. None of the guys I’ve dated have ever gotten my drink order right or even cared about how I like my coffee.My boss knows at least two of them.
Can I kiss him?
Nope. You should quit or just leave for Arizona now. He’ll be so far away that you won’t have to pretend he doesn’t affect you.
He taps his temple. “I’m a bank of information, don’t forget that.”
And thankfully, he ruins the illusion by reminding me that he knows because he has an impressive memory. Not because he cares about me.
The intercom crackles and Lulu’s voice comes over. “Sir, Mrs. Hades-Spearman is on line two. Also, your mom called. I told her you were in a meeting. She said that you need to call her immediately. The next time I won’t cover for you.”
I cover my mouth to muffle the laughter. Aslan glares at me.
“What? That’s pretty funny.”
He shakes his head and presses the answering button on the conference phone.
“Good morning, Hannah,” he greets her. “Are you in the office?”
She chuckles. “No. I’m at home with my family. Not everyone needs to be at work before seven in the morning.”
“It’s almost eight, and if I recall, you used to be at work at six every morning.”
“Sure, before I had a handsome husband and a tiny human, while pregnant. What can I do for you?”
“Monti Media,” he says. “We’ve been working on acquiring the company for the past few months.” He glances at me, rubbing the back of his neck. “This merger is important. Up until yesterday, we were the only party interested, and now…what the fuck, Hannah?”
She sighs. “Babe, can you check on Lucas. I’m on the phone with your cousin, Aslan.”
Aslan smirks. “If he’s anything like Alex, he’s probably fidgeting with Daddy’s tools, about to burn down your house, or searching for a ramp to do some stunts.”
“You’re joking, but he’s capable of that and a lot more. According to my parents-in-law, our son is ten times worse than Alex. So, we need to cut this short.”
“Just tell me you won’t buy Monti, and I’ll leave you alone.”
She laughs. “You’re calling the wrong person. I had no idea we were trying to obtain Monti. This is the first time I’ve heard about it.”
Aslan closes his eyes momentarily and rubs his temples. “Did you sell the company?”
“No. I don’t handle acquisitions. That’ll be my partner in crime, Ethan Killion. If this is important to you, I’d call him and nicely explain to him why this company matters to you. You’ll be asking a favor from one colleague to another.”
Aslan looks almost scared.
He doesn’t ask for help. He’d rather die than do something like that.
“I’ll call,” I volunteer.
“Who is that?” Hannah asks.
“Keaton Nealy, my VP of Operations and right-hand.”
“Hi, it’s nice to meet you, Keaton. You might be the best candidate to handle this delicate operation. Aslan takes his role of lion too seriously, but we know deep down he’s a softy. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
I muffle my laughter.
“No, thank you for taking the call. Say hi to Alex and Lucas.”
He’s about to end the call when Hannah’s voice comes out a little louder. “Oh, before I forget. You need to RSVP for the reunion. I understand why Caspian and Heathcliff haven’t done it, but you…tsk, tsk, tsk.”
“You understand them but not me?” he rumbles.
“Caspian is in the middle of the season. The Orcas are killing it. I don’t expect him to interrupt his winning streak to do it. Heathcliff is a doctor. That’s self-explanatory. You…what’s happening? Is there any reason you need to skip it that we don’t know?”
He exhales harshly. “It’s complicated.”
“And awkward, given that Margie and family will be there. I understand. This is why I never invite them to my events, but as June said, this is a family reunion. Unfortunately, that means Troy the asshole, and the harlot have to join us.”
I stare at the phone, waiting for more information. Who are these people and why doesn’t Aslan want them there? The family reunion intrigues me. Is that why Mrs. Spearman has been calling him constantly for the past couple of weeks?
I don’t know much about Aslan’s family, other than he has seven siblings, he’s a triplet, and their mother is lovely if not bossy—like Aslan.
They all come together four times a year to attend board meetings.
Everyone is really nice, but I don’t know them on a personal level.
Well, that’s not exactly true. He complains about them often.
Aslan exhales harshly. “That’s not why I can’t go. The company?—”
“Nana! Help, Lucas just finger-painted a mural with the almond butter. At least, I think it’s butter and not….”
“I gotta go,” she says, hanging up.
Aslan bursts into laughter. “I can’t wait for the pictures of this mural.”
Curious, I ask, “Why do you think there’ll be pictures?”
“Alex always posts everything that his son does on the family forum. My cousin Jackson created it a few years back. We share pictures and videos—well, they do most of the sharing. It’s all about their children.
Sometimes they’re cute, like when Jackson shares videos of his twin daughters’ ballet recitals.
Others are funny. My nephews and nieces are a handful. ”
Though he’s always complaining about his family for one reason or another, he loves them. I wish I had a big family like him, with cousins, nephews, nieces…I’d give anything to have a support system. Aslan is so lucky. I wonder if he knows it.
Aslan claps his hand. “Let’s not get sidetracked. Once you talk to Ethan, we should have only two more companies to deal with.”
He’s ready to move on, but I’m not letting him get away with it. “That call was…”
“She’s nice.”
“Oh, I meant the RSVP to a reunion. The rest is totally understandable. We have to call the other owner. I’ll be honest, if I were your cousin, I would’ve said fuck off and may the best one win.”
He crosses his arms, tilting his head. “You’re not that kind of person. The RSVP is for the reunion they’re organizing. I’m not interested.”
I tap my chin, trying to figure out the angle. “First your mom needs to speak to you, and then your cousin is requesting you RSVP. It sounds like you’re avoiding something. Your family? Nah. My guess is you’re avoiding Troy and the harlot.”
His intense glare is laughable. He wants me to drop it.
I don’t think so. I cross my arms and challenge him.
“I’m not afraid of that death glare, Aslan Spearman.
Who is Troy? What happened with him? Who is the harlot?
I’m sure that’s why you don’t want him at the reunion .
Where is this reunion, by the way? I mean, if it’s in the woods, I support your choice.
Who wants to be one with nature? However, if you just have to visit your family in Seattle or Colorado… ”
I stare at him. He finally cracks. “Hawaii. It’s in Hawaii.”
I want to slap him a couple of times and tell him that I would do almost anything to have a family reunion in paradise. He should take me with him. I’ll be quiet, drinking all the alcohol and watching the show. I bet there’ll be a lot of funny stuff happening there.
“What’s more important than Hawaii?”
“The merger.”
It is important. I’ll get a raise, a bonus that will help with all the expenses we haven’t paid, plus I’ll be moving to a state that’s cheaper than California.
There’s a long-term facility I found that’s better than the one Mom is in right now, and it’s less expensive.
Savannah might be able to go back to school. Life will be different.
All of that is important, but he can’t avoid his family. “When is the reunion?”
He reaches for a bagel, takes a big bite, and walks toward his desk.
“If you think I’m going to drop the subject, then you don’t know me well.”
He sighs, swallows the piece of bagel he’s been chewing, and answers. “Soon.”
I arch an eyebrow. “Soon… like tomorrow?
“We’re supposed to fly next week.”
“Why don’t we want to see Troy?”
He tells me about Margie, his high school sweetheart.
Troy, the slimy asshole cousin, and the sequence of events that happened when his father died.
As he speaks, my jaw drops. The grouchy playboy was once engaged.
No wonder he’s so mad at the world. The only woman he’s loved cheated on him with his cousin.
He caught them during his father’s funeral.
If I ever meet the bitch, I’m going to claw her eyes out.
No wonder he became a bitter workaholic.
The story ends with Lysander suggesting he hire an actress to pose as his girlfriend. That’ll show everyone he’s over Margie, plus it’ll get his mother off his back.
“A fake girlfriend will only be a temporary bandage. You have to confront her and tell her that love isn’t for you.”
“You want me to tell my mother that I don’t believe in love—because it doesn’t exist? It’s like telling a child that Santa, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny aren’t real. I’m not that cruel.”
Clearly this Margie did a number on him.
Love exists.
The way he’s guarding his mother’s feelings is love.
He’s always looking after his family. He cares about his employees.
It’s not romantic but he’s capable of loving.
It’s tragic that one person destroyed him to the point he feels there’s nothing left.
Knowing he’s been crushed by a woman who didn’t deserve him makes me want to take him into my arms and help him heal.
I don’t.
There are other ways to help him see the possibilities. “In my opinion, you should show Margie that her betrayal didn’t break you.”
“She was only with me for my money.”
“Troy doesn’t have money?”
“Nope. His father wasn’t interested in working.
He looked for schemes. The kind that helps you get rich fast. Troy is just like him.
I really don’t care about them. Did I learn that women only want money from me?
Yep. Also, I learned that love can break you.
My mother almost died of a broken heart. ”
He tosses his hands up in the air, exasperated. “If only Mom understood that I’m fine the way things are…”
“I’m sorry.” I don’t know what I’m sorry about, though. The way his ex treated him, how she transformed him into a soulless man, or that he’s planning on lying to his mother for the rest of their natural lives.
But isn’t that what we all do?
We tell little white lies to make our loved ones feel better.
He shoves his hands through his hair as he always does when he’s either irritated or worried.“There’s no way out of this mess. I’ll be eighty and my mother will continue asking when I’ll settle down through a medium.”
It’s hard to suppress the laughter. I wish I could see that. The best way to proceed is to change the conversation. “Shall we get back to work?”
He nods. “Why don’t we start by calling Ethan Killion?”
I sigh.