Chapter 5
HAILEY
All my nerve endings were on fire as I slid into the back seat of the black Mercedes again, sinking on the soft leather.
The car smelled like sandalwood and pine. I’d noticed it on the way here too. Now I associated the smell with him, even though he wore no cologne.
All my senses had been assaulted since the moment I’d stepped off the elevator.
The penthouse was pure understated elegance. Hardwood floors, granite counters, black leather on the chairs and couch.
Seeing Reid in ripped jeans was a shock, but he wore them well, and that shirt had been a bit damp, as if he hadn’t toweled off completely before putting it on.
We’d had a battle of wills back there, and he had a dominating personality. That appealed to me on a visceral level. He’d wanted to be in charge, and I’d almost let him. Reid Davenport was dangerous to me. It was too easy to cross a line, and too difficult to backpedal.
We hadn’t made as much progress as I’d hoped tonight, but I couldn’t have possibly continued.
When I’d asked about Marion, I’d expected something like irreconcilable differences, or him not putting up with her diva behavior anymore.
I had not expected to reopen a gaping wound.
Reid’s words had been so raw, they betrayed how deeply he was still hurting.
There was no way I could have continued questioning him.
I hadn’t wanted to twist the knife more.
I’d have to go about this differently, find a way to pose questions that wouldn’t automatically make him question himself. Yeah, that was just about as impossible as it sounded, but I was going to fight for it.
When he’d talked about his family, I’d decided on the spot that I’d go through with helping him even if I had to fight his own broody ass to achieve it. I was a sucker for men who would do anything for their families, and they were few and far between.
On Monday, the office was bustling with energy. Cameron held a weekly team meeting, where we brought each other up to speed regarding client acquisition. Occasionally, if someone’s case turned out to be more complex than anticipated, they required additional manpower.
I loved working at Hollywood PR. The work was as varied as the clients.
I was never bored. It had been a big change from my previous jobs.
After college, I interned for a real estate developer for nine months, then an oil company for another six months before ending up working as a business consultant for years.
It had made sense, because I’d always had strong analytical and problem-solving skills. But that job had slowly killed my soul. It was all travel, spreadsheets, and deadlines that kept me working late into the night. They paid handsomely for my time though, so I’d stuck there for years.
Cameron had taken a chance on me, and it turned out to be a dream job. The best match for my problem-solving skills.
I’d started the week with Reid on my brain. The man captivated me, pure and simple. I wanted to peel off every layer, find out what was beneath each. I’d have to, anyway, if I wanted to have a real shot at fixing his situation, but I couldn’t lie to myself: my interest wasn’t strictly professional.
The way he’d looked at me when he’d asked me to stay for that second drink…. God, it had felt as if he’d been seconds away from telling me to take off my clothes. As if he was seconds away from stripping me naked himself.
I shuddered at the memory, then blew out a breath. I’d been so close to saying yes. So close.
But then what? Why did I have to be attracted to him? Why couldn’t I instead want to go out with Severin, the guy from the firm across the street? Because laid-back and docile didn’t do it for me. Broody, sexy as sin, and ready for a fight whenever I picked one? Sign me up.
After the meeting, I went back to my desk, plopping down on my chair and spinning it once. Oh, yeah. This was going to be a terrific week. Before I had time to dig into my calendar, Cameron stepped in.
“Hailey, you have a few minutes?”
“Sure, boss.”
“When did you turn things around with Davenport?”
I’d mentioned during the meeting that I’d signed him on as a client. I’d told Cameron last week that things hadn’t worked out.
“Saturday.”
Cameron smiled. “Doing extra credit on the case already? You’re gonna run things around here one day, Hailey.”
I straightened up, barely kept myself from grinning.
“Is he giving you headaches? Davenport?”
“Not the easiest person to deal with,” I admitted.
“Would you rather I assign someone else to the case? You have plenty of work as it is, and quite a few new clients ask for you exclusively. If you think Davenport will be a time suck, cut him loose.”
I briefly considered that. My senses were still overwhelmed from our encounter on Saturday. Handing his case over to someone else would certainly bring whatever this was to a screeching halt, but I was no chicken.
Besides, handing him over to a colleague meant he’d have to rehash the story, and it had cost him enough to open up to me.
So what if I was attracted to him? I’d just have to get over it.
“I’ve got this, Cameron. Don’t you worry about me. I’m on top of things.”
“You always are. Cry out if you need help.”
I’d never done that, not once since I’d started at the agency. I shimmied in my seat, suddenly so full of energy that I could run a mile.
I rolled up my proverbial sleeves and got to work. About an hour later, Reid sent me a message with his sister’s number and her break times at school.
My stomach flipped a few times. I was ridiculous.
Her break started at lunch, at the same time I climbed into my car, heading out to meet a client. I put my phone on loudspeaker and called her.
“Hello. Who is this?”
“Hi, Bianca. This is Hailey Connor. I’m—”
“Oh, yes. Reid told me you’d be calling. Wait a second, I’m in the cafeteria. I’ll just go outside so no one can eavesdrop.” A few seconds later, silence replaced the buzzing background noise on Bianca’s side.
“That’s better.”
“Right, so Reid told me a few things, but I’d like to hear everything from your perspective.”
I had meant the bullies at school. Instead I got a five-minute rant about how Marion was a heartless diva and nothing she said was true.
I listened without interrupting. The girl clearly needed to get it off her chest. Once she was done, I gently steered the conversation to the situation at school.
Bianca’s enthusiasm instantly plummeted.
I imagined the girl shrinking into herself.
I almost wanted to drive to the school myself and shake some sense into the bullies.
I had no idea how they unerringly picked up on your worst fears and insecurities. They made you feel small and insignificant, as if there was something fundamentally wrong with you.
“The secret is to show them strength. Not indifference, because that just drives them to push harder, to get a reaction out of you.” I recited a few general lines I’d prepared for her yesterday.
“That sounds straightforward enough,” Bianca said cautiously.
“Call me if you feel you need more advice.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“So, you’ve got a plan for my brother too?”
“Working on it.”
“Can I help?”
That was an interesting turn of events. “How would you like to help?”
“Well, I know that talking to my brother sometimes feels like drawing water from a rock… especially if you’ve just met him.”
“That’s a very good way of putting it.”
I could ask Bianca more about him. She was clearly dying to tell me. But I instinctively knew Reid wouldn’t appreciate it. He wanted to keep his family out of this as much as possible. But Bianca started talking without my prompting.
“Look, he kind of likes to keep to himself and has these strict rules about everything, but he’s a great brother. He takes me shopping, even though he hates it. He’s just generally an awesome guy, just takes a while until he doesn’t fight you on everything.”
I’d gotten a glimpse of the man Bianca was talking about but only barely.
“He just has terrible taste in women. Just awful. I am not sure what he saw in Marion. Then again, I also don’t get why anyone would date the mean girls at my school, and every guy is tripping over his own feet to score a date. I guess it’s just the way life works.”
“Bianca, I promise you life gets so much better after high school.”
I should know.
“I’m just glad Reid didn’t marry her.”
That was true, but the heart took betrayal equally deep, signed papers or not.
“Hmm, let’s see. Anything else you want to know?” Bianca went on.
“I think I’ve got enough for now,” I answered. “Thank you, Bianca. And I mean it, if you need to ask me anything, or just want to talk to anyone, call me anytime.”
“I will.”
After ending the call, I debated messaging Reid but still hadn’t made a game plan, so I turned my attention to the road. When I arrived at the restaurant where I was meeting my client, I noticed Reid had texted me.
Reid: Bianca called. Thanks for talking to her.
Hailey: No problem. She’s a lovely kid.
Reid: I know.
Hailey: She also worships you and is a wealth of information.
Reid called the next second.
“Hailey.”
It was the first time he hadn’t called me Ms. Connor. My entire body felt on fire. How was this happening?
“Reid, hello.”
“So, what exactly did Bianca say?”
“Sung your praises. Gave me her perspective, and more insight into you than even you did. I didn’t ask her about you, by the way. She just….”
“Went on? Yeah, she’s good at that.” He sounded as if he was smiling. “I’m not making your job easy, am I?”
“Well, Bianca put it perfectly. Talking to you is like drawing water from a rock.”
“Ouch.”
“No worries, though. Bianca is eager to talk.”
“So many sources of information about me, yet I know nothing about you.”
“You’re the client,” I reminded him. “You don’t need to know about me.”
“You’re wrong.” His tone was full of authority. He didn’t really think I wouldn’t challenge him, did he?
“Why is that?”
“I’m more open with people I know.”
I bit my lip. I had clients who had become my friends, and it had started the same way: I’d had to personally get closer to them before they truly trusted me enough. But something instinctively told me this wasn’t such a good idea when it came to Reid.
“Bianca said that about you.”
“My sister knows me well. You denied me that second drink, but I’m sure we can find an activity that pleases you.”
Oh, yeah. I have a few ideas. You could start by using those lips…. Nope, I wouldn’t go there. I couldn’t.
“I have a packed schedule this week. Do you run?”
“Only under extreme circumstances.”
I laughed. “Why not? It’s relaxing.”
“I swim to relax.”
Now that I’d love to see. Reid Davenport wearing only swim trunks? Sign me up now.
“But I’m open to alternatives. What do you have in mind?”
“I’m participating in a run to raise awareness for the dangers of drinking and driving on Wednesday. It’s a leisurely thing. Jogging. No set time or anything. Starts at three.”
“Running with other people? Sounds excruciating.”
“I see. You subscribe to the hell is other people school of thought?”
“I think that quote was invented for me.”
“How do you avoid guests when you swim?”
“I wake up at five and swim before it opens for the other guests.”
“Ah, got it.”
“So where is this run of yours?”
“Echo Park. The entrance where we’re meeting is not too far from the hotel.”
“I know where it is. I’ll be there at three.”
Wow. Color me surprised.
“You could fake a little more enthusiasm,” I tease.
“Oh, I am more than enthusiastic. Just not about the run.”
My palms were suddenly sweaty. I was being silly again. This wasn’t rocket science. Reid needed to establish a basis of trust with me. That was all he wanted. I was making it to be more than it was in my mind because I couldn’t keep my thoughts straight.
Besides, it was a good idea to meet up. I’d just had a breakthrough about how to approach his case, and I wanted to run it by him. I was betting he’d fight me on it. I didn’t plan to back down, and well… I did win my fights more easily face-to-face.
That was why I was looking forward to Wednesday so much. Yep, that was the only reason. And the big smile on my face after we ended the call and I got out of my car? Well… I wasn’t ready to analyze that just yet.