Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Hayden
Hands shaking, I close the door to my office and lean against it. When Adam grabbed me, my overwhelming instinct wasn’t to slap him, or run away. It was to grab his head and kiss him.
What is wrong with me?
If the meeting this afternoon proved anything, it confirmed Adam’s complicity in Blackwell’s plans for the casino, whatever they are.
Adam supports the Blue Stars. He wouldn’t have told me to keep quiet if he didn’t.
Sure, he said that business about not wanting to see me get fired, but what does he care?
And if he’s involved in Blue’s background activities, why in the world would I ever let him get close to me?
He’s attractive, but I’ve always been able to distance my emotions from physical qualities. Until now. Unless it’s not just the surface I’m attracted to.
“God.” I slink across the room and drop into my chair, pressing my forehead to the desk. “What’s wrong with me?”
Adam loves to bother me, but he wouldn’t cross the line, would he?
Because if he did…I’m not sure I’d refuse him.
I’d like to think I would, because I need an unscrupulous jerk in my life like I need a coronary.
But with Adam’s sexy mouth hovering above mine, his strong arm locked around my waist, I’m afraid I might kiss him back—at least until I came to my senses.
Mira storms in, and I jump, my knee hitting the bottom of my desk. “Stop sneaking up on me like that.”
She raises her hand. “Sorry. Didn’t know you were having a moment.”
“I’m not. I’m just—The meeting didn’t go well.”
Her eyebrows pull together in concern. “Your face is flushed.” She walks forward and sits, absently setting paperwork on my desk. “What happened? Blackwell again?”
I rub my temples. “Among other things.”
To say my brain is muddled would be an understatement. There’s Blackwell and my job, but somehow it’s taking a backseat to Adam’s lips.
How much of the tension I’ve felt these last few months at work is because of Blackwell and the way he treats me, and how much of it comes from working with Adam? I thought I hated Adam because of our shared past. But maybe I never wanted to read into my feelings.
Do I want him?
I groan in frustration and Mira cocks her eyebrow.
I can’t want Adam. He’s not as bad as I thought when he first started working at Blue, but he has no qualms about giving in to Blackwell and the Blue Stars. Which means I don’t really know Adam at all, because my suspicions about the Blue Stars aren’t good.
“What am I going to do?” I mumble. Despite my awful boss, I actually like my job. I might not have appreciated the way he went about stopping me, but Adam was right. I’m going to get myself fired if I can’t keep my cool around Blackwell.
Mira leans forward and crosses her arms on the desk.
“We have a plan, Hayden. We’ve got dirt on Blackwell, or, at least, we will.
You’re not the only person who’s suffered because of the way he runs Blue, and I’m not talking about our CEO being a prick to his employees.
Gen’s near-rape, the suites we think he’s using to issue drugs and possibly conduct other illegal activities in-house—these are things that shouldn’t be going on anywhere, let alone be sanctioned by a mainstream casino.
Blackwell is using the Blue as a front, and we’ll stop him. ”
Mira thinks my distress is entirely because of the CEO, when it’s more complicated than that.
But she’s right about one thing. I need to remain focused on what we’re doing to clean up Blue.
I’m not the only person who loves their job.
Mira and Nessa have found their callings at Blue too.
There’s no reason we can’t make this place safe for everyone.
“You’re right. We’ve got our plan and we’ll push forward.” I give her a weak smile and scan the documents she brought in. “Was there something you wanted me to look at?”
She sorts the paperwork. “These came in this afternoon. They’re the last two contracts you were expecting. They’re from All Out Burlesque and Bags o’ Fun.” She grins. “Bags o’ Fun, get it? The burlesque companies are hilarious.”
I shake my head. “Yes, well, you can pass those along to William. Blackwell pulled me off the event.”
She sighs. “Great. He has you do all the legwork, then hands it off to someone else? What’s his reasoning now?”
“Apparently, he’s hiring the talent through a special account. It’s a loophole so he can bypass our department before they sign anything.”
“Why would he do that?”
“I don’t know. But I have a feeling that if I figure it out, I’ll be one step closer to finding the suites.”
Adam
I stare at Paul and William in confusion. “I thought you wanted strippers.”
Paul glances at William, who shrugs. “We do. And these are upscale strippers—some of the best chests in the business. Burlesque showcases sexy, high-style talent. They’re not simply performing striptease; they’re seducing.
It’s classier. Blackwell believes they’ll make a nice addition to the suites.
They’ll be here for the show anyway, and we want to look into recruiting a few of them. ”
William hands me a brochure of the burlesque dancers. “Make sure you’re at the meeting next week. Charm the ladies. If any of the dancers brings down the house, we want to make them an offer they can’t refuse.”
I toss the pamphlet on my desk. “Throwing around a lot of money, aren’t you? The bonuses, paying my assistant what most low-level executives make. I want the success as much as anyone, but is it worth the expense?”
Paul smiles devilishly. “Extremely. Based on the figures from phase one of the venture, we’ll more than make up for it in revenue earned.” He glances at William and nods toward the door.
William stands and walks across the room. He closes the door, silencing the sound of voices and office activity on the other side.
Paul crosses his legs. “Blackwell wouldn’t sanction the suites unless they were lucrative.
And Bridget isn’t just an assistant. She’s going to be much more as soon as the Bliss suites are up and running.
So stop with the pushback. It’s getting old.
Or have you changed your mind about making a mint in bonuses by keeping your mouth shut?
Did the ladies I sent you not treat you right?
They said you showed them a good time. I assumed you were game for all that’s involved in Bliss. Was I wrong?”
Paul and William watch me in silence. The last thing I want is to screw up the one thing capable of providing me quick financial freedom.
“Of course not. I’ll attend the meetings with William—when I’m not interviewing the dozens of strippers and bodyguards you’ve sent my way. Because that’s my job, right? Hiring? Oh wait, I’m hospitality, not HR.”
Paul gives me a tight-lipped smile. “Watch yourself, Cade. We need you to be a go-to man.”
Not fifteen minutes ago I was lecturing Hayden about keeping her cool, and here I am blowing a golden opportunity. “Count me in. I’ll take care of it.”
Paul and William leave, and I proceed to get my priorities straight. Seducing Hayden is not one of them. Though that didn’t seem to stop me in the boardroom. I don’t know what that was…too much abstinence. Jaeger is right; I’m not myself around her, which means I need to stay away from her.
I’ve played a dangerous game where Hayden is concerned, which I’m only just beginning to realize.
She’s not like other women, and neither is my reaction to her.
I need to remember I’m at Blue Casino for one reason only.
Originally, it was to please my father. Now, it’s to free myself from Cade Enterprises and the money I’ve depended on for too long.
I check my calendar and the interviews Bridget scheduled for next week. There’s a conflict with the meeting Paul and William arranged with the burlesque dancers. Instead of emailing Bridget, I walk next door to talk about the conflict and see how she’s holding up in her new position.
Only when I get there, I can’t see her through the swarm of men crowding her office.
I knock loudly on the open door. “Is there a problem?” I ask, my patience in short supply this afternoon.
Between losing my head and nearly kissing Hayden—at work, no less—and receiving a drilldown from my douchebag colleagues, I’m not in the mood for whatever this is.
Bridget’s head pops up above the men leaning over her desk writing down what appear to be notes on business cards. “No, Adam. Everything’s fine.” She smiles, a touch of nervousness in her eyes.
I enter, glaring at one of the men in my way, who gets the message and scurries out. “What’s going on?” Several others notice the look on my face, and quickly tuck their cards into Bridget’s outstretched hand.
“Oh, this is nothing. I just wanted to make sure I have everyone’s information.”
Bridget didn’t come from a corporate environment, but I figured she knew the basics about how an office runs. “You have their information. Contacts are located in the company directory and in your work email account.”
She steps around her desk and the last of the men, except for one, file out of the room. “Oh, right, but these are their cell numbers. Just in case of an emergency.”
“That’s right.” Paul hovers near her desk.
He must have left my office and come straight here.
“Anything comes up, particularly in regard to the special venture we have going on, we want everyone within reach. Bridget is seeing to it that she can get hold of us no matter where we are. Isn’t that right, Bridget? ”
She grins and lowers her eyes. “Yes, absolutely.”
“Even the engineers?” I ask skeptically.
“Especially the engineers. The Bliss suites are high-tech.” Paul slaps me on the shoulder and saunters out of Bridget’s office.
I watch him leave, then turn back to Bridget, who’s moved behind her computer. “Are they bothering you? Because if they are—”
“Oh no.” Bridget looks up quickly, her expression sincere. “Everything’s fine. Really. They’ve been supportive.” She smiles and stacks the cards the men handed her, tucking them in a plastic box.
Maybe I’m overreacting. I can’t say my actions have been the smartest this afternoon. But that’s just it. They’ve been primitive, instinctual. “Let me know if that ever changes.”
“I’m sure it won’t. Everyone’s been very welcoming.”
Too welcoming. It’s almost as if the entire male workforce knows Bridget is a former stripper.
What do I care if they do?
I make my way back to my office and stop in the doorway. It’s half past four, but I turn and move down the hallway for the exit. I’m not in my right mind. Better to leave early and come back tomorrow with a clear head.
My pace slows as I near Hayden’s office. I consider apologizing for what happened earlier.
But I’ve never been one to look back. No need to start now.