2. Chapter Two
Chapter Two
M onday morning after the poker game, Gerard, with Brody along for the ride, parked his car in the secured lot at Barrett Investment Group.
“Thanks for the ride, man,” Brody said, shaking Gerard’s hand.
“No problem. You need to borrow my car?” Brody was about the only person Gerard would loan his baby to.
“Nah. I’ll hoof it to my meetings, then ride share across the Bay Bridge. One of my guys will pick me up on the other side.”
Gerard shook his head. Brody was the most athletic of their group and preferred walking or running to riding, unless it was a horse. Ranch life was right up the man’s alley. Gerard, however, preferred the predictability of his gym.
One of the Barrett family limos pulled up next to them. Their driver, David, got out and came around to open the back passenger door. Gerard rolled his eyes.
One red stiletto slid out, then another, followed by legs that had kicked him in the ’nads more times than he wanted to think about. His sister, Emersyn, stepped out of the limo, saw them, and smoothed her auburn hair. With her eyes on the guy standing next to Gerard, she strode toward them, her hips swaying in the tight—and short—red skirt.
“Who do we have here?” Her smile blazed.
Gerard’s eyes narrowed when he noticed the dumbstruck look on his friend’s face. “Back off, Emersyn,” he growled. There was a reason he’d worked hard to make sure his buddies never met his sister. Emersyn worked hard, was one of the smartest people he knew, and gave off barracuda vibes that captured the attention of every man who got close.
“This—” Brody cleared his throat. “This is your sister?”
“That’s what my parents keep telling me,” Emersyn said.
Gerard knew that low, sultry tone. His sister was prowling.
She held her hand out to shake Brody’s, maintaining contact for much longer than necessary. “Personally, I think they’ve been passing off some street urchin as my brother. But if not, at least I got the looks in the family.”
“Boy, did you,” Brody muttered under his breath, eyeing her from head to heel and back again.
Emersyn flashed even more teeth.
“We’re late for work,” Gerard said.
Emersyn laughed. “Yes, I suppose we do need to get inside and start putting out fires.” She stepped closer to Brody and kissed him on the cheek, lingering far longer than Gerard thought appropriate.
“It was very nice meeting you, Brody. I hope I see you again soon.”
Brody gulped, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he grinned. “You can just bet you will.”
Not if Gerard had any say in the matter. He refused to think about his best friend and his sister connecting. No. Fucking. Way. More grateful for that pledge now than ever before, Gerard planned to remind Brody of it at the earliest opportunity.
After saying goodbye to Brody, he and Emersyn strode to the private entrance of Barrett Investments, taking the private elevator only his board and VPs knew about or used.
“He’s cute, Gerry,” Emersyn said.
“Emersyn, I have told you time and time again not to call me that. And leave my friend alone.” He rubbed his temple, wishing he had some ibuprofen. Sisters were such a pain.
She ignored his comment. “I know why I’m late. How come you’re rolling in at this hour?”
“You’re always late.” His sister’s strengths were intelligence and a razor sharp tongue, both hidden behind an impeccable dress code. Never a hair out of place and business clothing that was both sharp and perfectly tailored.
She smoothed her red suit. “This kind of perfection takes time.”
More than done with the conversation until he had some painkillers, Gerard tapped the top floor button again.
“That won’t make the elevator go any faster, you know.”
He caught her cocked head in his peripheral vision. “What?”
“You look like you had a rough weekend.”
He frowned. “I didn’t.”
“You did something. Wait—” She pulled out her cell phone, consulted it, then nodded. “Ah, it was poker weekend. No wonder you look like the ghost that missed Christmas.”
“Well deduced, Sister.” In an effort to end the inane conversation, Gerard reached into his inner pocket and pulled out his phone. A piece of paper slipped out and fell to the floor. He knew exactly what it was and missed grabbing it by a hair as Emersyn snatched it up.
“Give that to me.”
Instead, she opened and read it, and Gerard rolled his eyes. This would not go well for him.
Emersyn’s eyes widened as she looked up at her brother, a grin spreading across her face like a cat lapping up cream.
So not good for him.
“You pledged celibacy for two years?”
He snagged the paper out of her hand and tucked it back in his coat pocket. “None of your business.”
“Can’t unsee that pledge.” Emersyn’s eyes lit up with the spark that had been his undoing so many times as they grew up. “This, I have to watch unfold.” She laughed, a low, throaty chuckle that turned into an all-out guffaw. Emersyn Barrett only managed that kind of glee when she had him backed into a corner.
“It’s not any big deal.” Gerard hated explaining himself. “We’re just tired of being taken advantage of.”
That only made Emersyn laugh harder. “You are so screwed,” she said between gulps of air.
“Why?” Another question he hated asking, especially when it came to personal shit.
Her laughter died off, and she composed herself…or tried to. “I have a very promising interview this morning for director of the Global MegaCorp Division. Hoping we can hire her today and she can start work ASAP.”
“I thought we were going to discuss all the applications first.”
“I vetted her, and I like her a lot, so I don’t want to lose this opportunity.” Emersyn shrugged. “I jumped on it and scheduled her for first thing. She’s got a great resume and, from what I can tell, some great instincts.”
“I can’t sit in. I’ve got a meeting first thing.”
“You can interview her after I’m done.”
“That’s not normally how we operate.”
“I know. You’ll just have to trust me on this one, brother dear.”
Gerard almost rolled his eyes. Trusting Emersyn was tantamount to jumping from a horse at a full gallop. “Who is the person?” The candidate would need strong communication skills to oversee the supervisors and portfolio managers.
“She’s been working at Murdoch Financial for the last year.”
Gerard stopped short and grasped Emersyn’s wrist. “Murdoch? You hired from Murdoch? Are you aware that they just undercut us on the Smithson project? Besides, she’s probably got a non-compete clause. How can she come to work for us? You’ve finally gone over the edge, Emersyn. What in hell were you thinking?”
“I was thinking”—Emersyn pulled her wrist from his hand—“that we need some new blood and that having someone who knows a bit about Murdoch might be a good thing. That company must be doing something right the way they’re winning contracts these days.”
“Something underhanded, more likely.” Murdoch was their fiercest competitor and a company that didn’t necessarily play by the rules. “Where was this new hire before that?”
The elevator stopped on the top floor, the doors opening to the executive suite where beiges, blues, and plants added a softer edge to the all glass office walls. His sister’s design and one he’d thought insane, but it worked. A good atmosphere made for an excellent camaraderie among the execs, unusual for this level of business.
Side by side, they walked down the hall to their offices.
“Before Murdoch?” he prompted.
“College.”
He stopped mid-stride, staring at his sister who walked a few more steps before turning back to him.
“You hired somebody barely out of school to manage our most profitable division? What were you thinking?”
“I’m thinking we don’t need some old lecher who will proposition every woman in the department, like Cranshaw tried to do. I’m thinking we need to show those women they’re safe. Our interviewee was top of her class. Literally, brother. The absolute number one top. We need a director, and she deserves a shot,” she said, her eyes on fire with the don’t-mess-with-me look he’d learned to walk away from growing up, though a bit of mischief crinkled the edges. What was Emersyn not telling him?
“Did you do the usual deep dive into her background?”
“Don’t I always?”
“And you’re sure she’s not a corporate spy?”
The wide grin returned to Emersyn’s face as they resumed walking. “As sure as I can be.”
Through the clear glass office walls, he saw someone sitting in Emersyn’s office. The woman was turned away from him, so all he saw was a mess of curly hair cascading down her back. Definitely not neat and tidy, like he preferred. Was that an indication of how she worked, with no rhyme or reason? “Seriously? First thing Monday, you want to hire someone for one of the most important divisions in the company?”
“Yep. And after your head-pounding poker weekend.”
Gerard clamped his mouth shut. Why did he always let her get the last word? Sisters. They were awesome and terrifying at the same time.
With a wave and a “ta-ta”, Emersyn headed into her office, chuckling again. “Wait.” She turned back to him, chewing on her lower lip. “Did Brody sign that pledge too?”
Finally, Gerard had a reason to smile. “Sure did.”
Emersyn—always expert at hiding her emotions—let a hint of her disappointment show in lips that pursed, then quickly unpursed. He walked down the hall to his office, grinning until his headache took front and center again. Gerard stopped by the desk of his administrative assistant.
“Good morning, Mr. Barrett,” Sandra said. “Coffee?”
“And two ibuprofen, please.”
In his office, he glanced toward Emersyn’s, seeing her and the prospective new director both laughing over something like long-time friends. Emersyn liked this woman, even though Gerard knew she’d be too green for the job. They needed someone with a proven drive to succeed. He shook his head, wondering how, when the week had only begun, Emersyn had already managed to sucker punch him.
Sandra walked in and set coffee and a bottle of ibuprofen on his desk.
“Thank you.”
“Anytime.”
After she left, Gerard sat down, took a couple pills, and tried to forget the girl party happening two offices over. He had a meeting to prepare for.
Rowan McCarthy swiped gently beneath her eyes as the laughter died away. This was the most fun she’d had at an interview in, well, ever. Emersyn Barrett was a hoot and exactly the kind of person Rowan wanted to work for.
“You look fine,” Emersyn said. “Not a single smudge.”
“Thank you. Did he really bury his teddy bear in the yard so you couldn’t find it?”
“He did,” Emersyn said with a wide grin on her face. “Couldn’t stand for me to, umm, borrow his bear one more time. When I finally promised I’d leave his beloved bear alone and he dug it up, it was filthy, and our parents wouldn’t let him bring it in the house.”
“What happened to it?”
“Sadly, it did not make it through the wash cycle. He was inconsolable for some time.”
Rowan glanced toward Gerard Barrett’s office, a touch of sadness for that little boy tugging at her heartstrings.
“No need to shed a single tear for my brother. He managed to pay me back in spades.”
Rowan turned back to Emersyn. “How?”
“He waited. He’s the most patient man I’ve ever met, and it’s infuriating sometimes. Months later, I begged my parents for the Barbie McMansion and got it for Christmas. Within two days, I found it painted all in black. Even the furniture had been painted. He must have stayed up all night, but never once let on that he was tired. He just smiled, and I knew then that we were even.”
The wistful smile on Emersyn’s face made Rowan wish she’d had a brother like that growing up. Her own brother, eight years older, had mostly ignored her. When he hadn’t, his pranks had been mean and always out of sight of their parents’ eyes. She didn’t know this kind of sibling love.
“I’m glad you two settled your differences.”
“Oh, we still go at each other,” Emersyn said. “But he’s worth the effort.” She picked up Rowan’s resume. “I’m sorry, we’ve gone completely off the interview, haven’t we?” She opened the folder in front of her, presumably Rowan’s application and vetting.
Rowan liked Emersyn Barrett. What wasn’t to like? The woman oozed warmth, yet there was a keen intelligence behind those gray eyes, giving the impression she saw and knew more than she let on.
“I heard you were being considered for a director position over at Murdoch.”
Just like that, the tough questions began. Rowan schooled her features and dug up the responses she’d crafted in her mind. She needed this job. Not because she needed the money. She could live on her grandmother’s trust for several years. As much as she hated to say it, she took after her father and brother with respect to finances and investments. They fascinated her. Rowan was passionate about this type of work. She was also very good at it, not that her male counterparts saw that.
“There was a position available. However, I decided I wanted to go in a different direction.”
“Different how?”
This was where she had to tread very carefully. “How a company does business is important to me. When I began thinking about leaving Murdoch, I did a spreadsheet of my values compared to how various financial groups were run. Barrett Investment Group came out at the top of that list.”
“Thank you. I consider that high praise.” Emersyn sat back, leaning on one chair arm. “But it doesn’t explain why you left or how you can come to work here right after.”
Rowan straightened. “I signed an NDA, so I won’t discuss anything about Murdoch beyond very mundane and public things. I want you to know that up front.” Rowan let out a long breath. This was where she trod on dubious ground. If something was a technical lie, but also the truth, did it count as deceit? “When I was hired, I drew a line at signing a non-compete.”
Emersyn grinned. “That’s why I want to hire you. You know how to get things done.”
“Thank you. I won’t let you down if you give me the chance.” Rowan sat back, feeling like she’d crossed the last hurdle in a mile long race. “Does that mean the job is mine?”
“I wish. And I’ll say that I’m a fan. You have one more gauntlet to run.”
“Gerard Barrett?”
“Yes. My brother. He can be a bit…overbearing. Just hold your own with him, and I’ll do the rest.”
“I appreciate that.”
“Good.” Emersyn stood, Rowan’s folder in her hand.
When Rowan went to stand, Emersyn waved her back down. “I’m going to go chat with the other CEO of Barrett Investments. I’ll come back for you in a few moments, if you’re all right waiting?”
“Certainly. Whatever it takes.”
“I like that attitude. Do you need anything? Water, coffee?”
Rowan waved. “I’m fine.”
“Great.” Emersyn pulled several pages from a folder Rowan presumed was about her and tucked them into her desk drawer.
Curious.
“Back in a bit.” Emersyn breezed out of the office, leaving Rowan alone with her thoughts for a few precious minutes. She’d made it through the first interview, though she had a feeling the toughest one was yet to come. Rowan glanced through the glass panels between the offices and saw Gerard Barrett slash his hand downward as his sister spoke.
Oh, yes. The toughest was yet to come.