Chapter 11
SUTTON
I stood on the sidewalk outside my building at six twenty-seven on a Saturday morning, staring at my phone like it might give me the winning lottery numbers for a huge jackpot prize.
My overnight bag sat at my feet, packed relatively quickly, a skill that came from having many last-minute business trips.
The difference was that those trips had always been my decision.
This one wasn’t.
The street was still quiet in Dupont Circle which wasn’t all that surprising for this time of morning.
It was the calm before people traveled to their brunch spots and before tourists emerged from their hotels.
Yet here I was, waiting for a driver hired by Cain Ashcroft to pick me up to whisk me off to NYC as his plus one for a gala event hosted by his mother.
I’d told myself three times already that this was purely professional.
It was a networking obligation, the first of many I’d face being a part of the Ashcroft Group now.
I almost believed the lie I was telling myself.
A shiver ran down my spine as I looked around to make sure no one was nearby, watching me.
I was still paranoid after Cain sent a message to my personal email account and wondering what exactly he was trying to prove by doing so.
That he could have access to me at any time?
Scaring the living shit out of me? Make me more paranoid than I already was?
He’d succeeded in the latter and I made a mental note to myself to ask him how he found out that information.
I debated walking back into the lobby where at least I would be inside when my phone buzzed with a text from Cassie. What the hell was she doing up this early?
Please tell me you packed something very sexy for this gala.
I smiled despite myself. She always had a way with words.
It’s a work event.
That’s not a no.
I rolled my eyes as I texted back.
I packed something appropriate for a charity gala, not a nightclub. Get your head out of the gutter.
You’re spending the night in NYC and you packed “appropriate”? I’ve failed as your best friend.
Before I could respond, I looked up and found a sleek black car had turned the corner and approached my building slowly. My stomach dropped to my feet but I didn’t want to show it. I slipped my phone into my purse without responding to Cassie’s last message because she could wait.
The car stopped directly in front of me, and the driver stepped out.
It was a different man from the one who’d taken me to The Jefferson, but I also wasn’t surprised by that.
He opened the rear door for me and my breath caught in my throat because I’d expected to see Cain sitting there, but he wasn’t.
I looked up when the driver spoke to me.
“Ms. Prescott,” he said with a nod. “Mr. Ashcroft is already at the airport.”
To say I was in complete shock would be a lie because of course he was already there. It was a blessing in disguise because that gave me more time to adjust to being trapped with him in a small aircraft for at least an hour, not to mention traveling to and from the gala.
“Thank you,” I replied as the driver took my overnight bag and I slid into the back seat of the vehicle.
The black leather interior was impeccably clean and still had that new car smell.
As we pulled away from my building, I stared out the window and watched my neighborhood slide past. I’d lived in D.C.
for most of my life and had been to New York City countless times.
But this was definitely a new experience.
“Can I get you anything, Ms. Prescott? Water?” the driver asked, glancing at me in the rearview mirror.
“No, thank you,” I replied with a small smile to ease the tension I felt about this whole situation.
The drive to Dulles International Airport was shorter than I expected, or maybe I was just so caught up in my head that it seemed as if time had flown by.
When we pulled up to a private terminal, it took everything in me to not fidget.
I’d never flown private before and to say I was slightly intimidated is an understatement.
I’d never even been in a private terminal, let alone about to board a plane that was not only waiting on me but staffed by an entire crew.
The driver grabbed my bag and escorted me through a side entrance where a staff member greeted me by name without introduction.
It seemed as if Cain made sure everyone was prepared for my arrival.
“Ms. Prescott, right this way. Mr. Ashcroft is already aboard.”
I followed silently across the tarmac toward a sleek white jet with “Ashcroft Group” in larger-than-life letters on its side.
The stairs were already down, waiting for me.
I took a deep breath before walking up them, reminding myself that this was still a nothingburger even though the way my heart was pounding in my chest said otherwise.
As I stepped into the cabin, I was greeted by black leather and polished wood, and soft lighting that made me wonder if I’d just walked onto a movie set where setting the mood was everything. And that was before my eyes landed on him.
Cain was already seated and his eyes stayed glued to his laptop as I walked toward him.
I felt a strange mix of relief and disappointment that he didn’t immediately look up, but there was no doubt in my mind that he knew that I’d arrived.
However, it seemed that he was going to let me be the one who broke the ice.
“Good morning,” I said.
Cain finally glanced at me. His expression was unreadable at first before settling into the cocky, confident man who annoyed the living daylights out of me. “Coffee?”
Before I could answer, he reached to his side and handed me a cup with a lid on it. I hesitated for a second before I took it. When our fingers brushed briefly, the warmth from the cup faded into the background as the heat from his touch surged through me.
I wasn’t surprised to find it just the way I liked it. “Thank you,” I said, sliding into the seat across from him.
He closed his laptop and gave me his full attention. “The flight is just under an hour. We will be landing at Teterboro.”
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll get some work done and then we can hit the ground running when we land.” I tossed out the idea in hopes that he and I didn’t have to interact much during transit.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to put that plan on hold temporarily. We have matters to discuss before we land.”
“What matters?”
“Tonight’s event. There are certain expectations.”
A flight attendant appeared at that moment, asking if we needed anything else before takeoff. Cain dismissed her with a slight shake of his head, and she retreated to the front of the cabin. Moments later, I felt the engines roar to life.
“What kind of expectations?” I took another sip of my coffee as I waited for him to answer my question.
Cain leaned back in his seat, showcasing how clearly he was at ease with this conversation. “My mother’s charity events attract a very specific crowd. Old money, political connections, potential clients. People will be watching us.”
“Us,” I repeated, not missing what he was implying. “I thought this was a professional obligation.”
“It is.” His eyes never left mine. “Which is why appearances matter. We’ll be viewed as a unit tonight.”
“A unit.”
“The newly appointed head of Prescott Vantage, accompanying the CEO of Ashcroft Group. People will draw their own conclusions.”
“And you’re comfortable with that,” I said, making it more statement than question.
“I’m comfortable with whatever serves our mutual interests.” He took a sip of his own coffee before he continued. “Are you?”
“I’m not sure I am,” I replied honestly and I almost wanted to kick myself because of how easily it slipped out. “You and I more than likely have very different definitions of ‘mutual interests.’”
“Do we?” Cain’s eyebrow raised as he studied me. “You wanted a seat at the table. This is part of what comes with it.”
The plane began to taxi, and I felt my stomach grow slightly queasy. It wasn’t from the movement, but from the realization that there was now officially nowhere for me to go with us about to takeoff. There was literally no turning back now.
“So I’m expected to play the role of what exactly? Your business associate? Your subordinate? Your…” I let the question hang, not wanting to finish it for fear of where it could go.
“My equal,” Cain said simply. “At least for tonight.”
The word “equal” coming from his mouth made me almost laugh in his face. “I doubt anyone in your orbit truly qualifies as your equal, Cain.”
“You’d be surprised.” His eyes held mine for a beat too long. “Your gown will be delivered to the hotel. Hair and makeup will be arranged as well.”
I did a double take. “You chose my dress?”
“I had it selected, yes.” He said it like he was discussing the weather, not the fact that he’d picked what he thought I was going to wear tonight without my permission.
“How dare you? Who the hell do you think you are?” Should I be saying this to my new boss? Probably not, but any amount of fucks I might have given were completely out the window now.
Cain’s face didn’t look remotely surprised at my outburst. Instead, he seemed pleased by it, which only infuriated me more.
“I think I’m your employer,” he replied calmly. “And tonight, we have business to conduct that requires a certain presentation.”
“My employment doesn’t extend to letting you dress me,” I shot back. “This is completely inappropriate.”
“Is it?” He took another sip of his coffee. “Or is it efficient? You had less than twenty-four hours to prepare for an event that requires a specific level of formality. I simply removed a logistical challenge.”
The plane was now accelerating down the runway, and I gripped the armrests as we lifted off but I think it was more for making sure I didn’t lose my composure versus anything to do with the flight.
I used those few seconds to gather my thoughts because arguing with Cain while trapped in his private jet thousands of feet in the air seemed like a way for me to end up in jail.
“You could have consulted me,” I finally said when the plane was firmly in the air “Asked for my measurements, my preferences.”
“I didn’t need to ask for something I already had,” he replied.
Of course he didn’t. I should have known better than to even suggest that there was information about me Cain Ashcroft hadn’t already acquired through whatever means he had at his disposal.
“This crosses a line,” I said firmly. “Professional boundaries exist for a reason.”
“Boundaries are negotiable constructs,” Cain countered. “Particularly at our level.”
“Our level,” I repeated. “You keep suggesting we’re equals when your actions demonstrate the exact opposite.”
Something shifted in his expression then, but he quickly pulled it back under the cool, confident mask I’d always seen on his face. “Tonight, in that room, we are equals as I said. That is non-negotiable. How we get there is flexible.”
I took a deep breath to calm myself before I responded. “And if I refuse to wear whatever you’ve selected?”
“You won’t.”
“That sounds like a challenge.”
“It’s an observation.” His confidence was about to send me into orbit. “You’re too strategic to reject something before you’ve seen it.”
I hated that he was right. I would at least look at the dress before making a decision, if only to understand what message he was trying to send with his selection.
“Fine,” I conceded. “But I reserve the right to refuse once I’ve seen it.”
“Of course. Though I think you’ll find I understand what suits you better than you might expect.”
The flight attendant reappeared before I could reply, offering breakfast and more coffee if we wanted it. I declined even though my stomach was growling because the thought of trying to eat while Cain watched me was too uncomfortable. He did however order some yogurt and fruit.
“We’ll be landing in approximately fifty minutes,” the flight attendant said before leaving us alone once more.
Cain sipped his coffee, studying me over the rim of his cup. “There’s one more thing we should discuss before we arrive.”
“Is it about another boundary you plan to cross?” I asked. The filter I tended to keep when it came to tactically moving through conversations was still on the ground in D.C.
“Nancy reserved the presidential suite at The Pierre for our stay.”
“You mean you’ve reserved a presidential suite for me and another room for yourself,” I said as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.
“No, I mean I’ve reserved the presidential suite for us. It has multiple bedrooms, not to mention complete privacy from one another, if that’s what you’re concerned about.”
I was about to argue with him but if the suite had separate bedrooms, that wouldn’t be terrible. Still, the thought of being in close proximity to Cain for the next day or so made every hair on my body stand up.
“I see,” I managed to say, trying to keep my voice level. “And you didn’t think to mention this before now either?”
“Would it have changed your decision to come?”
I wanted to say yes, but we both knew that would be a lie. The professional and networking opportunity this gala provided outweighed my temporary personal discomfort. “That’s not the point.”
“Then what is the point, Sutton?” Cain said as his eyes locked on mine. “Because from where I sit, you’re looking for reasons to be offended rather than focusing on what is in front of you.”
“The point is consent,” I said after I cleared my throat. “Informed consent. You keep making decisions that affect me without giving me all the information first.”
“Fair enough,” he conceded. “In the future, I’ll be… more forthcoming with details.”
I blinked, thrown off by how quickly he agreed. I’d expected more resistance, but I’ll take the small win. “Thank you,” I said cautiously because I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Cain nodded once, then reopened his laptop, effectively dismissing me.
I stared at him for a moment longer before pulling out my phone to check my emails and text messages to catch up on the work items I needed to attend to.
After all, I knew I wouldn’t have much time to do so if things were going to be as busy as I suspected they would be once we touched down in New York City.