Chapter 2 Onyx #2
When she interviewed, she hadn’t known it was my agency, because I had kept my involvement in the company very low-key when I first started it.
Angel was two years older than me and had known nothing about me other than I was the guy she punched after a one-night stand in college after a night of Mayhem.
She thought, like me, that we would never see each other again after college.
And then in law school, we crossed paths again, and then a few years later, she was sitting in my boardroom, the new and shiny employee of the month.
Fuck that and fuck her.
“Do you want her to leave?”
I thought about it. Did I? She was a good agent, she cared about her clients, and she did offer them good deals.
She would be a strong competitor anywhere, and as much as it irritated me looking at her, it was better that she was bringing the revenue into my company than someone else’s.
“If she chooses to leave, I will accept her resignation.”
With a heavy sigh, Neil pushed himself off the chair.
“I’m too old for these games,” he warned me as he headed to the door.
“I hear you loud and clear. You don’t want to be the one to get rid of her, so listen to an old man, Onyx.
” He stopped and looked back at me. “Don’t give her reason to leave, because she will sue you, and that girl’s smart enough and bold enough to bleed you dry while making sure everyone is watching. ”
Saying nothing to his warning, I watched as he shook his head and left the boardroom.
It wasn’t the first time in the eighteen months she’d been here that he had warned me off her.
I knew he often had the same talk with her.
The unfortunate thing for Neil was that we were both stubborn, and I would not give her the satisfaction of firing her, and she would not give me the satisfaction of fucking off somewhere else.
Turning my attention back to the window, I looked out over downtown Nashville.
Watching the Monday morning hustle below made me glad I was up here in my glass ivory tower, as my mother liked to call it.
I was twenty-six and a self-made millionaire with my own company.
She could call it what she liked; it made no difference. It was what it was. Mine.
My cell vibrated in my suit pocket, and I pulled it out.
Owen: Heard a rumor you went to Colorado on the off-season and got yourself a Hudson
Me: News travels fast
Owen: I’m a sports reporter. What I want to know is why I didn’t get the scoop?
Me: Your co-worker sucks cock better than you do
I watched as the dots came and went.
Owen: I almost fell for that. Dick. Send me the deets, I’ll make you look good
Chuckling, I put my phone away and headed to my office.
On the way past Angel’s, I looked in and saw her sitting in front of her laptop, her suit jacket off, her hair pulled over her shoulder, legs crossed demurely in front of her.
The gray shift dress hugged what little curves she had.
Turning her head, she met my gaze, and I slowed my step.
Angel looked me over once and then turned her attention back to whatever held her interest on the screen.
Grinning, I entered my office, and looking at the heavy wooden furniture, I lost my smile. At my desk, I pulled up my contract with Hudson and called Owen back.
“Right, what do you want to know?”
* * *
“Mr. Santo?”
My secretary, Liz, was standing in the half-open doorway. “Do I need to pay you more to stop calling me Mr. Santo, or less?”
The older woman smiled at me as she walked into my office. She was in her fifties and had only been with me for a few months. “Definitely more,” she joked.
Glancing at my watch, I saw it was past seven. “You looking for overtime, Liz?”
Her light laugh was contagious. “No, you know I hate leaving things I’ve started to the morning.”
“I do.” It was one of the reasons she’d lasted longer than the others. That and the fact that I hadn’t slept with her. Well . . . in my defense, I slept with them after I fired them. No one wanted a sexual harassment lawsuit. “How can I help you?”
“You can’t,” she said as she leaned against the chair. “I’m reminding you that you need to eat and to go home.”
“Everyone else gone?”
“Ms. Balan is still in her office, but she’s on a call.”
“Who with?”
Liz shrugged. “You know her PA won’t talk to me about anything other than her grandkids.”
I grunted an acknowledgment. Angel’s PA was as suspicious as her boss. They all seemed to forget they worked for me.
“Well, I’m heading home. You have a meeting at eight thirty tomorrow; will you be here for it?” she asked me as she checked over her shoulder that the door was closed. It wasn’t just Angel’s PA who was secretive.
“No, I have to be at Cardinal at ten. I plan to be on the road.”
“Your brothers?”
“Board meeting.”
“Will I see you tomorrow at all?” Liz asked as she turned for the door.
“Maybe.” I thought about it. Jett had asked me to go for dinner with them, but I had yet to reply.
My brothers were fine, though their taste in girls left a lot to be desired.
“Possibly not. I may have dinner with the boys, but I probably won’t.
” If I could convince the three walking hormones to ditch the dates, I’d have dinner with them; otherwise, I would return here.
Liz nodded and pulled the door open. “Okay, see you Wednesday then. Leave everything you need done for me so I can earn that pay raise,” she called over her shoulder as she left the office.
Several minutes later, I saw the lights dimming in the corridor and knew she had left. She’d tell building security it was just two of us up here, and the guys would start taking turns to walk the floor.
About an hour later, I turned off my laptop, making sure I had what I needed for the meeting in the morning.
Sponsorships were a big deal, and I liked to make sure I knew everything about the offer before I brought my client into the call.
Tomorrow’s call was with a UK-based brand that wanted one of my clients as their new “face.” Having read the contract, I knew they had a lot more to do before I brought him into a face-to-face meeting.
Waiting for the elevator, I heard her behind me. Head down as she searched her purse, her laptop carrier over her shoulder, her heels clicking on the hardwood.
Looking up when the elevator dinged its arrival, she hesitated.
“Didn’t know you were still here.”
Ignoring her, I walked into the car and waited. She hesitated and, in doing so, made the decision for me to press down. As the doors started to close, Angel darted forward, thrusting her arm out to halt the doors.
“Jerk,” she muttered as the doors opened, and she got in, pressing the button for the basement parking.
We journeyed down in silence, and as I got out at the main reception, I heard one of the security call out to her about a delivery, halting her descent.
Nodding over to them to let them know I was done for the night, I left the building intent on picking up food for dinner. Thirty minutes later, with my takeout in hand, I headed back to the office underground parking, ready for home.
The fact that Angel’s car was there registered, but I thought nothing of it until I passed it on my way out and saw that she was inside the car. Why was she still here?
Slowing down, I idled in front of her, irritation mounting that she never noticed. My hand on the horn made her jump and look up at me in fright. Much to my delight, she flipped me the finger as she glared at me, her mouth moving rapidly, letting me know she was cursing me out.
With a laugh, I headed home. It would be good if she left the company, but while she was here, well, no one said she couldn’t provide me with entertainment, and I couldn’t deny she was pleasant to look at. It was only when she spoke that she ruined the attractive aesthetic.