2. Lucas
LUCAS
I closed the front door of our building after watching Olivia leave, leaning against it with my eyes closed as I tried to regulate my breathing.
That had definitely not been the meeting I was expecting.
Though I’d tried not to set any expectations, I couldn’t deny I’d been more than a little wary of the mystery designer Helen hired.
Then Olivia Dawson walked into our conference room. It was impossible not to notice her beauty right off the bat, but then she’d shaken my hand. A simple handshake. I’ve done it probably thousands of times in my life. Not once had I felt the instant buzz I’d experienced in that room with Olivia.
In a meeting that would normally be all business, I’d teased her and picked her brain. Flirted even. I had flirted with the woman. I even let her sketch ideas in silence as the minutes dragged by solely to watch her mind work and her brows pinch together in concentration.
I didn’t delay meetings .
Ever.
I got in and got out as efficiently as possible. In fact, I’d venture to say it was one of my calling cards. Lauded by my colleagues. I was successful because I was disciplined and decisive. I didn’t spend unnecessary time in meetings to socialize. Adrian did that shit. Not me.
I could feel our receptionist Ethan’s eyes on me, heavy with questions. He’d watched Olivia almost fall and the aftermath of me catching her. I didn’t have time for whatever he had to say. Nor did I want to examine too closely what the hell had just happened with Olivia Dawson.
Women were normally a temporary distraction from the grind of building and running a successful company.
I wasn’t a monk, but I was practical to a fault and my family was always my top priority.
When our lives changed and that priority became more of a responsibility, women became a way to scratch an itch.
I didn’t have the time or the inclination to get involved in their hopes and dreams. I needed to focus on my own because they would support my family.
So while I could certainly appreciate a beautiful woman, it had been a long damn time since I’d had one throw me off quite like Olivia just had. I didn’t want to examine that fact too closely. We had to have a working relationship for the foreseeable future. I needed to pull it together.
Ignoring Ethan and his amused expression, I headed upstairs to the architecture department of our company, which included my brother Adrian and two other employees.
He had a private office while the other employees worked in an open space in whatever arrangement suited them that day.
Adrian was usually out there as well, but he liked to have his own space for client calls and more complex work.
That’s where I found him. Not on a call, but poring over the plans I’d sent him just as Olivia had arrived. I’d included instructions for him to review them thoroughly before we sent them to Helen.
“What the hell, Adrian?” I hissed once I crossed the threshold of his office.
He smirked and leaned back in his chair. “What’s wrong, big brother?”
“What the fuck kind of way is that to bring a woman I have to work with for months into the company? It’s bad enough we have to deal with an outside designer at this stage.”
“After meeting her, I would argue it’s not bad at all. You are the only man on earth I know that would complain about working with that beautiful creature.”
He was right. She was beautiful. I would never admit it to him, of course, but it had taken me a second to get my bearings when I’d looked up to find long chestnut hair in voluminous waves framing a pretty round face with caramel eyes.
I’d specifically avoided looking Olivia up prior to our meeting because we hadn’t always had the best luck working with designers. I didn’t want to start the project with a poor impression before I’d even met the woman.
Now I was kicking myself. My lack of preparation left me vulnerable to be blindsided.
She was basically a coworker, though. Even worse, another contractor. Helen loved us, but the way she’d absolutely gushed about Olivia Dawson had given me serious concerns that if it ever came down to her or Alessi Construction, we wouldn’t emerge victorious.
Which couldn’t happen.
Sure, we did well for ourselves. That came from carefully planning what we took on and only allowing a certain quota each year. We mapped out our company’s growth meticulously so we could deliver the high quality we aimed for.
Just like any other job we decided to take on, Helen’s project had been worked into our schedule.
If we lost it, we’d lose a significant portion of our projected income for the year.
It would be nearly impossible to make up the difference without cutting corners and damaging our reputation.
It was important we saw projects through once we committed to them.
Our father, people we loved, and investors were all depending on us.
It was my job to make sure they weren’t disappointed or left in a compromising position.
I took that responsibility seriously. As seriously as I took ?my job keeping my family glued together.
I’d inherited that role a long time ago.
Since then, I’d only added more people and more responsibilities in the form of employees, offices, equipment, and about a million tiny moving parts.
Which was why it was vitally important that I kept everything with Ms. Dawson way above board.
“It doesn’t matter if she’s beautiful,” I barked at Adrian.
“Lots of women are beautiful. She’s a fellow contractor on this job and you need to be more professional.
” She couldn’t even hear me and I had to fight the nagging urge to apologize for lumping her into a crowd of beautiful women as if she were common.
Our brief meeting had made it clear that was far from the case.
She had big, round eyes that were so expressive it was almost laughable.
Any sane man would be enamored with them.
But as I watched them track across her sketchbook, following doodles and notes, jumping from page to page, they took on their own spirit.
They reminded me of two little fairies zipping around lighting up the world.
Jesus. I needed another coffee.
Adrian sat in his chair sporting a smug smile, soaking up how pissed off I was. I wasn't sure why making me uncomfortable was his life’s greatest joy, but I supposed it came with the territory of being the youngest brother. Classic baby of the family.
“Yes, sir. I will do my very best to act like a fine upstanding citizen when I am in the presence of your super hot new coworker.”
“Who’s super hot?” Our brother Leo entered Adrian’s office with a surly expression and shut the door behind him. I smiled to myself when I noticed Leo’s boots caked in mud. Adrian might be a wild card, but he hated dirt in his office and was going to be pissed.
Good.
“Lucas’s new buddy on the Arnoult project. That designer Helen hired to work with us from the ground up? Big Luc here gets to hold her hand through the entire process. She came in today and she’s deliriously good looking.”
I clenched my fists .
Leo and I were more alike when it came to our professional attitudes, but he was still my brother. The opportunity to see me squirm was apparently too good to pass up.
“Oh, really?” He arched his brow. “That’s quite interesting.” Sitting down in front of Adrian’s desk, he crossed a booted foot over the opposite knee. “Is she an idiot?”
I fought the urge to launch myself across the room and strangle my own flesh and blood. My brothers were acting like they were raised by horny, rude wolves.
Part of me understood Leo’s blunt question. We’d worked with some truly terrible contractors.
Though in the short time I’d spent with her, Olivia had dispelled my fear she’d follow suit.
“No. She’s not.” I snapped through clenched teeth.
They shared a look. Adrian’s was pure glee. Leo’s was a mix of shock and amusement.
“Forget it. You both have work to do. I want your notes on those plans by the end of the day. I’ll be sending them over to Ms. Dawson for initial review, but I want to get them to the team to begin working through.”
“No problem, Luc. Wouldn’t want to cause any trouble with Ms. Dawson.” He winked. “Do you think she’s single? I didn’t notice a ring. I was thinking about–”
“You are not getting involved with Ms. Dawson.”
“Why not? She’s young and attractive. I’m young and attractive. A match made in heaven.”
“I’ve already told you, she’s our colleague on this project and keeping an amicable relationship is important to keeping this job. Helen talks about her like a long-lost daughter. We can’t risk it.”
“Sure, but she might be a casual dater, you don’t know. I don’t see why–”
Adrian didn’t get to finish his sentence before I slammed my hand down on his desk top.
In a calm, but threatening tone, I ground out, “You will stay away from Ms. Dawson.”
Adrian smiled and turned to Leo. “Well, fuck me. Look at that.”
I'd met this woman one time for no more than a half hour. Even with our stake in this project and its importance to our company, it made no logical sense for me to be so worked up about Adrian trying to date Olivia.
And my brothers knew it.
They knew me.
I’d just given them all kinds of ammunition.
I schooled my features, internally chastising myself for the lack of control, before turning and walking straight downstairs to my office.
Once inside, I locked the door and promptly pulled out my phone. I hadn’t looked Olivia Dawson up before our meeting, but I sure as hell wasn’t making that mistake again.