Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
theo
Whatever I thought Hayes International Headquarters was, this is way more.
Floor-to-ceiling windows with more coffee rooms than I can count. There are people here for everything and anything. It looks like everyone has an office and assistants. I can tell by the desks outside each office.
Which I’m not sure is necessary, but we can work on that later.
As soon as I got to my office, I was mesmerized by the view. You can see the whole city from here. And this is at least 1,000 sq. ft. bigger than my first apartment. I have a fully stocked bar cart, an espresso machine, two couches, two chairs, and my desk occupies the whole corner.
Maybe this won’t be as bad as I thought.
I was halfway through my espresso when the door opened. “Good morning, you are here early,” Harper said, barging in with coffee in one hand and a stack of papers in the other. “I’ve been here since six, just wanted to get comfortable before everyone arrived.”
“That’s smart. It will make you look like you know the place,” She says and winks at me.
“I sent you a floor map with all the boardrooms you’ll be using, the immediate offices, so you know who you’ll have around, and I synced your calendar to mine, so I can see and change whatever needs to be changed. ”
“Thanks, Harper,” She just smiled and walked out. I could hear how the office buzz kicked up a notch. I can hear the heels clicking, greetings exchanged, whispers.
When I opened my computer, I saw that my calendar looked like a murder scene. Thanks, Harper. I was buried in back-to-back meetings, board briefings, and PR run-throughs.
And then I heard the chattering. “Mr. Hayes brought both his daughters today. The tall one’s the lawyer, I think.
” My head didn’t even try to argue the curiosity.
I just snapped toward the glass doors in time to catch Max Hayes entering with two women in tailored suits flanking him like royalty. And there she was.
Sam. What the fuck?
There was no flirty smile this time, no curious eyes wandering around the room.
She was wearing a wine-colored silk blouse and white trousers that fit her as if they were custom-made for her.
They probably were. Her hair was up in a high ponytail, but I could still see the curve of her neck, and I still remembered kissing it.
She was coldly laughing at something Max said, confident, poised. That’s not her real laugh.
She is a fucking Hayes.
The second woman had to be her sister, same cheekbones, but a completely different vibe. If I had to guess, I’d say that’s the lawyer. But Sam was also his daughter. Fuck. I felt like the room tilted, just enough to make me nauseous.
“Meeting in ten, Theo,” Harper said, handing me the agenda. “They’ll be joining us for the strategy review.” I nodded, more mechanical than I intended.
She lied to me. No, she didn’t lie. She just didn’t say anything. Who am I kidding? It’s the same shit. She lied, period. What the fuck was that night then? A distraction? A game? Did she think I’d never find out? Did she want to screw the CEO before she had to work under him?
Was I just— a power move to her?
I remembered the wine, her laugh. The way she curled into me when she fell asleep. The sound she made when she came around my co— stop stop stop.
I clenched my jaw and took a deep breath. I need to be professional. She doesn’t get to make me nervous.
I’m thirty-eight, I’m a grown ass man. A CEO.
I’d built companies from a single code in my garage.
I negotiated billion-dollar deals before breakfast. And I let myself fall for the lies of a twenty-something flight attendant just because she was flirty, funny, and let me fuck her how I wanted? Goddamn it.
I took a breath, straightened my jacket, and headed for the conference room. I don’t care that she is a Hayes.
This is my company now.
It’s time to play boss, even when it feels like she has played me.
The boardroom was too warm.
Or maybe it was just me.
Max stood at the head of the table, beaming with that kind of legacy pride that couldn’t be faked.
“Thank you, everyone, for being here. I won’t waste your time.
I never have,” he said, drawing a few chuckles from the board.
“As many of you know, I’ve made the decision to step down as CEO to focus on my health, and more importantly, to spend time on the things I used to put off. Starting with living.”
He looked at me, eyes steady. “I spent a lot of time choosing the right person to lead Hayes into the next era. And I trust him to do it better than I ever could. Please welcome our new CEO, Theodore Jones.”
There was polite applause, some murmurs, as expected, and of course, all eyes turned to me. I stood, straightened my jacket, and stepped forward. I’m focused, I’m controlled, I’m okay.
“Thank you, Max,” I began. My voice sounded confident, too confident for the war going on in my chest. “It’s an honor to step into this role. Hayes International has a legacy of innovation and global leadership, and I plan to honor that while pushing it into new frontiers.”
I let my gaze drift around the room and settle on her.
She sat still, her expression unreadable, but her eyes—those damn blue eyes—darted at me.
Her lips were pressed together like she was holding back more than a smile.
I didn’t let that distract me. I kept going.
“This won’t be a one-man job. It’ll take all of us, working together, challenging each other, growing as one unit.
I look forward to getting to know all of you. ”
I sat back down. Felt the weight of the room shift. The tension between us was a wire stretched too tight. Max picked up again. “And that brings me to the rest of our leadership updates. You’ve met Cameron, our new Head of PR.” Cameron, tall and smug, gave a nod. Typical PR.
“And of course, my eldest daughter, Naomi Hayes, who will be stepping up as Head of Legal.” There was more applause. Naomi smiled in a polished, sharp, confident way. Lawyer through and through.
“And last but not least,” Max continued, “my youngest daughter, Samantha Hayes, who will be joining us as our new International Business Strategist.” I didn’t clap. Not because I didn’t want to, but because I couldn’t. Not without my hands shaking.
Samantha.
She offered a perfect little wave, cheeks flushed, eyes flicking toward mine for half a second. Max cleared his throat. “I’ll still be involved, of course. Just not in the day-to-day. I’ll serve as a consultant, as needed, while Jones and the team take the lead.”
The room erupted into casual chatter, ideas being tossed around about strategy, expansion, and branding. Harper sat beside me, typing furiously, highlighting notes in real time. But all I could think about was her.
The way she crossed her legs. The way she bit her lip once when Naomi spoke about international litigation strategy. The way her blouse dipped just enough to remind me of last week. Of how her bra cupped her breasts perfectly, and how well they fit into my mouth. Theodore, stop before you get hard.
At the break, I stood. “I’ll be back,” I told Harper. Coffee. I needed coffee. Or cold water. Or ice down my pants.
In the hallway, I was halfway to the coffee table when I heard heels.
Light, crisp. A rhythm I already knew by heart.
She stepped beside me, reaching for a bottle of water.
“Congratulations on your new job, Samantha,” I said in a cold, precise tone.
“We’ll have a meeting at 1:45. Harper will put it in your calendar.
I want to get to know my new International Business Strategist better. ”
She cracked open the water, didn’t even look at me as she took a sip. Then she turned, lips curling into that same wicked smile I’d seen in my bed.
“Of course,” she said, smooth as silk. “It’s not like you haven’t seen me naked, been inside me, or know exactly how I sound when I come with your name on my lips. But sure, let’s get to know each other.”
My jaw locked, and I nearly dropped the coffee cup. I couldn’t even speak.
She winked. “See you at 1:45, Mr. Jones.” And then she walked away, hips swaying, leaving me painfully hard, emotionally confused, and in desperate need of something stronger than coffee.
1:45 pm.
Harper’s knock was a polite double-tap. “Samantha Hayes for you.” I didn’t even look up. “Send her in. And close the door behind her.” The click of heels echoed before she appeared in the doorway, her smile already loaded with something, smugness? Nerve? Whatever it was, it crawled under my skin.
“Hi, boss man,” she said, stepping inside like she owned the damn building. And, in a way, she did. I stood, walked over to the panel beside my desk, and pressed the dim button. The glass walls around us went opaque in an instant. I don’t need eyes on me right now.
Besides, this was standard protocol. Every exec used it. I've done it three times today already. But this time, it was personal. “Take a seat,” I said.
She did, crossing her legs slowly. My blood pressure was already up. “I’m impressed,” she said, leaning back, surveying the space. “Big corner office, nice view, a fully stocked bar cart. Very alpha male of you.”
“Cut the shit, Samantha,” I said, sharper than I meant to. Her eyebrows lifted, just a bit. “Did you know?” I asked. She tilted her head, playing coy. “Know what, exactly?” I just stared at her. Her smirk dropped. “Yes,” she said.
My jaw clenched. “So, the whole time, you knew who I was? You knew exactly what you were doing when you got into my bed?” She sighed and glanced at the frosted glass wall before turning back to me. “When you invite me to your bed.”
“Same shit, Samantha. Explain,” I said, voice low and tight. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks a hell of a lot like a game.” That stung her. Good. That’s what I wanted.
She sat forward, resting her arms on the chair. “I knew your name. I knew who you were. And I knew the role you’d have, but I didn’t know I was going to be here, working under you, after well… being under you.” She smiled, hiding what was really going on in her head.
“At what point did you decide not to tell me?” I asked, cold now. “Before or after you moaned my name loud enough to wake the entire floor?” She didn’t flinch.
“I almost told you before all of that. I wanted to tell you the first time we ran into each other, but I wanted you to get to know me as me, as Sam, not as part of this,” she said, signaling around the place.
“Look, I didn’t know you’d be my boss. I didn’t know I’d have to give you this explanation.
I thought we’d have our fun in Paris, and that was going to be it.
Besides, you wouldn’t fuck me if you knew me as the daughter of Max Hayes,” she said that with a smile on her face now.
I stared at her, arms crossed, breathing through my nose.
She looked down at her hands. “You were the first thing in a long time that felt… not planned. So yeah, I didn’t say anything. I held on to that moment like a secret. I wasn’t trying to hurt you. I was trying to protect something for myself. For once.” A long beat of silence passed.
“I should’ve told you,” She added. “But I didn’t. And now we’re here. I’m sorry, Theo. Really sorry.” I let the silence stretch. God, I wanted to kiss her again. And throw her out. And pull her back in.
Instead, I said, “This is our workplace now. You and I, we’re nothing more than colleagues.”
She lifted a brow, but nodded. “Of course, Mr. Jones. As you wish.” My jaw twitched again. “We’re done here.” She stood, adjusted her blazer, and walked to the door.
Then she turned, a smile curling onto her lips like it was wired into her DNA. “You know,” she said, “it’s kind of hot when you’re mad.”
And she was gone. Leaving me pacing behind frosted glass, trying not to lose my goddamn mind.
I pressed the dime button as my calendar buzzed sharply at 2:00: Meeting with Naomi Hayes — Head of Legal. Harper gave me a thumbs-up through the glass. Naomi stepped in exactly one minute later. No smile, no hesitation. “Mr. Jones,” she said, offering a firm handshake. “Thank you for making time.”
“Of course, Naomi. Please, have a seat, and call me Theodore, or Theo.” She nodded and sat, her posture immaculate, her folder organized with color-coded tabs that would make a litigator weep with joy.
“I want to keep this brief and clear,” she said, flipping it open.
“I’ve reviewed the current corporate litigation backlog and pending international filings.
There are a few landmines in the Southeast Asia division I’d like to get your sign-off on, but overall, I’m confident we can bring the average close-out timeline down by twenty percent by Q4.
” I nodded, flipping through the printout she handed me.
Naomi was brilliant, controlled, and strategic.
Every word is carefully measured. Every move is calculated.
“We’ll need a formal sit-down with the external counsel team by next week,” she added, “and I’d prefer to personally manage all litigation involving regulatory affairs.
I’ve done it since I was an associate, and I know where the bodies are buried. ”
I glanced up from the page. “You’re impressive, Naomi.” She didn’t smile at the compliment, just nodded once, as if saying, ‘I know’.
“The family name carries weight,” she said. “It’s my job to make sure it also carries protection.” She leaned back, fixing me with a cool, intelligent stare. “I trust you’ll let me know if I ever fall short.”
“I will,” I said. “And I trust you’ll do the same.” We shook on it. She stood, collected her folder, and smoothed a wrinkle from her blazer. “And Theodore”
“Yes?”
“My sister’s smart. Don’t underestimate her because she doesn’t lead like us.” I raised an eyebrow. “She’s different,” Naomi said, matter-of-factly. “Always has been. That doesn’t mean she’s not capable. It just means she’s not built for these rooms.”
I sat back, tapping the corner of her report against the desk. Not built for these rooms. Not interested in power plays or posturing. Not following the dynasty plan laid out for her.
Sam had chosen the sky. The freedom, instead of quarterly earnings and boardroom battles. She’d made a life out of escaping this place.
And maybe I… I’d just become the anchor that pulled her back in.
Fuck, now I feel like shit.