Chapter 4
Aspen
Arrogant.
Horrible.
Worthless bastard.
And those were the most redeeming qualities about the man. Well, other than the fact he was drop-dead gorgeous, the aura surrounding him almost godlike. Damn, if he didn’t have one chiseled muscular body with long legs and a sculpted jaw and…
Much better than the pictures.
Hissing, I admonished my ridiculous thoughts. I hadn’t been able to get away from the jerk fast enough. Who the hell did he think he was, punching Joshua like that?
“What the hell?” I snarled as I slammed on my brakes, barely getting the gear into park and cutting the engine before jumping out of the Jeep.
I smacked my hands against the massive wooden door of the giant castle-like structure, moving inside and directly to the glass-enclosed board highlighting office numbers of employees.
I took the stairs to the third floor, finding Mr. Blakely’s office without issue.
I only hoped he’d returned from his meeting.
If he hadn’t, I wasn’t certain what I was going to do.
I didn’t bother knocking before bolting inside.
Robert seemed startled, lowering his cell phone as he turned slowly in my direction. While he smiled initially, he lost every bit of expression on his face after giving me a onceover as he rose to his feet. “Ms. Porter. Is there an issue?”
I shifted from foot to foot before moving closer to his desk.
I could barely breathe, I was so furious.
“Yeah, there’s an issue all right.” When I slammed my hands on his desk, he reared back.
“You didn’t bother to mention that Montgomery Wolfe was such a horrible asshole.
Why is that? If I had to guess, I’d say you ran the ad out of desperation because you’ve gone through every possible intern and assistant over the last few years.
Am I right?” I kept my glare on him, refusing to back down.
He shifted his gaze to the open door to his office, slowly moving around the side and walking toward it.
I didn’t bother turning around, but I heard him closing it softly then clearing his throat.
“Perhaps I should have told you that working with Mr. Wolfe can be… difficult before you agreed to accept the position.” He walked toward one of his windows, peering out over the expansive landscaping.
“Would that have changed your decision?”
I rose to my full height. Thinking about his question. “Maybe. Maybe not. But I should have been given all the facts. And he’s not just difficult or formidable. He’s unhinged.”
He sighed. Not a quiet simple sigh but one that was deep and full of anxiety. “What did he do now?”
“The bastard punched one of the workers at the stables simply because he was allowing me to pet a horse.”
“Star?” he asked as he tipped his head in my direction.
“Yes.” Why did I see a flash of pain in the man’s eyes? “Is there some kind of story there?”
He took his time responding, which only added fuel to my pissed-off mood. “There are always stories behind beautiful, damaged creatures, Ms. Porter. Star is no exception. She’s been through a terrible ordeal. She’s also very special to Montgomery. And very few things are any longer.”
Was that supposed to make me feel any better?
“Maybe so, but that still doesn’t give him the right to punch anyone in the face, let alone a nice guy like Joshua. Does that happen all the time?”
Chuckling, he shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked in my direction, pointing toward the couch. “Why don’t you sit down?”
I glanced at the plush leather seat and shook my head. “I’ll remain standing. I just wanted to tell you thank you for the offer, but I’m returning to Indiana on the next flight out.”
“Don’t do that, Ms. Porter. I hired you for a reason. He can be handled.”
“Handled? He’s not a child. He’s an asshole.” I knew I was crossing the line, but I’d never witnessed anything like I had before in the workplace. Even the ordeal I’d gone through had been different. Sort of.
“As I said, I hired you because of your tenacity and spunk.”
There was something interesting about the way he made the statement. “You mean it’s not because of my impressive resume?”
Laughing again, his eyes held amusement. “While you do indeed have quite an impressive resume, I assure you that I received two dozen resumes from even more highly qualified individuals with ties to the industry. You have none.”
“Then why didn’t you offer the job to one of them?”
“Because they didn’t have any spark. Trust me, I interviewed eight others and none of them were right for the job. I knew the second you started the interview that you were the one.”
“The one for what?” I knew my tone was far too demanding, but if the man expected me to work with an asshole, then I deserved to know all the facts.
“Taming the wild beast.”
His answer was so unexpected that I couldn’t figure out what to say. “I’m sorry? What is that supposed to mean?”
“I’m serious. Montgomery is a brilliant man.
He has more integrity than anyone I’ve ever known.
His marketing expertise in this industry is widely known.
While the work started with his father at the helm, through Montgomery’s business expertise, he’d helped to turn what was considered the smallest and most unprofitable winery in Napa Valley to one receiving top honors in all categories, the wealth and influence of the company skyrocketing. Or I should say he did.”
“Because of his explosive rage.”
He cocked his head. “Partially.”
“Is he broke?”
The man offered another sigh. “No, he’s worth millions, but he won’t be for long if he can’t jumpstart the winery like he did before.”
“I did some homework before I came out here. The company plummeted into a slump that you can’t get yourselves out of.
My guess is all because Mr. Wolfe refuses to realize that the marketing techniques need to change and that as the face of the winery, he needs to get his ass back out there on the front line.
But his arrogance prevents him from accepting his failures.
My guess is that there is a series of reasons why, which is really why I’m here. To turn things around.”
“I knew I hired the right person.”
I rolled my eyes. “That doesn’t mean I can work for someone who is so blatantly… rude. I’m not a freaking therapist.”
“Understandable. I will have a discussion with him. I agree with you that he can’t continue treating the employees badly. We’ve already lost several during the last few months.” Robert grumbled under his breath and I could see exhaustion written all over him.
I weighed the options of returning home. They didn’t seem plausible to me. There was no way I could get my job back, unless I groveled. No. That wasn’t appealing at all.
“What is the horrible story behind Star’s injuries and Montgomery’s attitude problem?”
“That I can’t tell you. Or I should say it’s not my story to tell. Just know that Montgomery is in a dark place. Returning to the man he once was will take some time. He’s not a bad man.”
Uh-huh. While I understood difficulties, I wasn’t certain I had the chutzpa to take such atrocious behavior. “I don’t know if this is the right fit for me. I’m not the kind of woman he can push over.”
“No, you’re not, which is another reason you were hired. Just stay for two weeks, Ms. Porter. If you can’t manage to find a way to work with him, then I will completely understand if you leave. I will talk to him. Do we have a deal?”
I walked toward the window, noticing Montgomery getting out of a gorgeous, sleek, and very expensive sports car of some kind. Red in color.
Of course it would be red.
When he removed his sunglasses, tossing them into the car before shutting the door, I bit my lower lip.
The second he lifted his head toward the window, I had difficulty breathing.
Why did the man have to be so insanely gorgeous?
I waited until he walked inside the building before making my decision. “Fine, Mr. Blakely. Two weeks.”
“Excellent. I assure you that things will get better. Just heed my advice and stay away from Star. That’s the only real hot button Montgomery has.”
I doubted that. “Fine. I’ll keep that in mind.” I moved toward the door, still quivering inside from a combination of fury and…
Desire.
Jesus. I was one pathetic idiot. So what if I hadn’t had a date in so long I couldn’t remember the guy’s name? I didn’t need to get along with Montgomery Wolfe. I just had to rock his world. That I could concentrate on.
When I closed the door to Mr. Blakely’s office, I noticed Montgomery heading into an office.
But not before turning his attention in my direction.
He gave me the same kind of gaze he had before.
Stern. As if the man owned me. Oh, no. The bastard wasn’t going to treat me like some eye candy and nothing more.
I would do the talking and he was going to listen.
While I knew I was skating on thin ice by barging into his office, I figured at this point I had nothing to lose. Why not see exactly what the man was made of? I took long strides in the direction, bypassing a woman sitting outside the man’s office.
“Wait! You can’t do that, miss.”
I ignored her too, moving inside and slamming the door behind me.
Montgomery didn’t seem startled in the least. In fact, he was cool as a cucumber, amused that I was standing in front of him with a nasty scowl on my face.
The way his gorgeous eyes twinkled was just another thing to rile me.
The closer I walked, the more his intense emerald green eyes drew me in.
By the time I was standing a few feet away, I had a lump in my throat.