Chapter 5
Noah
The guy sticks his hand between the doors to keep them from closing. His mistake is my gain. Although I have visions of destruction for the way he was looking at Liv, the fool gives me the pleasure of ruining her little game.
I step inside, grinning ear to ear. “Thanks, man.”
“No problem.”
Another roll of her eyes has me thinking she’ll injure herself if I stick around much longer. While she’s in the corner cursing my existence, I do a quick summary of this guy, noticing the baseball cufflinks. Jumping in to take advantage of the opportunity, I ask, “Mets or Yankees fan?”
He laughs like I’ve uncovered a secret obsession of his. Nah, I had summed up this joker the second I saw him. Some call it a talent of mine. I call it skill. Rubbing his jaw, he says, “Braves. Just moved from Atlanta.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Got a job on the . . .” Not actually interested in what this guy has to say, I catch Liv holding her breath.
I never have problems reading a woman, just like I did this guy, but she’s been a challenge since our reunion.
What I thought would be a good thing apparently is the worst thing to ever happen to her.
Add in the stares that hold daggers along with her clear as fucking day words to my face, and I can’t say she’s been part of the Bancroft & Lowe welcome wagon.
I’m blind to the reasons the staff calls her the Ice Queen, but I get a taste from her lack of a warm reception.
She releases her breath as if her day is made as soon as he continues, “Thirtieth floor.” I can’t say I’m not relieved as well. The last thing I want is to watch some other guy come in and sweep her off her feet.
Wait, that sounds like I’m here for the job . . . I’m here to work, not the sweeping of Olivia Bancroft. We had a good night, but she’s made it more than obvious that’s the extent of it.
She’s been nothing but a pain in my ass since I walked in.
Her threats aren’t even veiled at this point.
And the way she grits her teeth around me makes me think she’ll slap me with a dental invoice any minute now.
It would be wise to be as good with the one night as she is . . . But I don’t know why I’ve wanted to dig a little deeper about her. There’s more to her story than she’s letting on.
“Congrats on the job.” We shake hands. His grip isn’t as firm as I expected. Or maybe mine is just a little firmer. I want to chuckle. “Noah Westcott.”
“Halden Myers.”
The elevator dings for his floor. “I just started on the forty-sixth. Guess we’ll be seeing each other around.” I angle to expose Liv to the conversation she’s worked hard to avoid. “This is Olivia Bancroft.”
Reluctantly, her hand goes up. “Hi,” she replies.
“Hi.” He smiles at her, and it’s a little too friendly for my liking. “Guess I’ll be seeing you around as well.”
Okay, fucker, eyes off. Sticking my hand out, I hold the door open for him, making sure he gets the message.
“This is your floor.” Confusion embeds in his face as he searches for the highlighted number above the exit.
Gut feeling—this isn’t the first time he’s been lost in an elevator. “This way,” I add, pointing out.
“Ah. See you around.”
As soon as he’s out, I remove my hand and push the button to close it in a hurry. “Yeah, see ya.” I re-situate myself with my back to her, knowing that drives her nuts.
When the doors close, she says, “You have a jealous streak.”
I glance over my shoulder. It’s not her self-satisfied tone that flames the fire inside me. It’s the smug grin sitting firmly on her face.
Through her insistence, I quit wading through her moods in the past few hours. She didn’t rattle me. But seeing the way this Halden Myers guy just checked her out like she’s something to conquer did.
It was great sex. That’s probably not something she wants to hear since the past seems to be forbidden to discuss with her, but who needs words when the memories live rent-free in your head?
I push the button in rapid-fire succession, not feeding into her ploy. Despite how hard she's trying, I won’t let her get to me. The doors slide open in the nick of time. I hand her the salad and step off the elevator. “The only thing I have is a meeting to get to.”
Her huff is heard as I cross the lobby, causing me to grin.
Audrina stands from behind the reception desk with a grin and a sway of her body. “Hi, Noah.”
“Hey.”
“Ms. Bancroft,” she greets Liv right after, but the distaste shadows her tone. I’m not sure what that’s about, but if Liv’s treating everyone as she has me, then Audrina’s reaction wouldn’t be such a surprise.
I tap Leanna’s desk as I pass by. “Ready?” Leanna has been an asset to me since she was assigned the new guy.
Me. Working for the company for two years, she knows the ropes and has been teaching me how things operate around here.
I’m not sure why she’s assisting when it’s obvious she excels at marketing because she’s already tossing out ideas that have some weight to them.
If things go well for me, I want Leanna on my team in a more prominent position. Just give me a month or two.
“Sure am.” Grabbing her electronic notepad, she comes around her desk and follows me down the hall to Mr. Lowe’s office. “Did you get the Torres email?”
“I did.” I stop just before reaching his assistant’s desk. Lowering my voice, I ask, “I’m coming in late to the situation. He wants to discuss his future with Bancroft & Lowe over dinner next week but won’t give any details. Just that he wants a face-to-face with his new rep. What do you know?”
“He’s difficult, but his wife is five times tougher. Not that she’s unreasonable. She just won’t accept anything but perfection. Creativity is lost in the cost of perfection.”
“Did you just think of that?”
She grins. “Off the top of my head.”
“It’s a good lesson. Regarding the Torres’s, it sounds like they’re expecting guarantees we won’t be able to give them. So am I being set up for failure?”
“Leslie wasn’t a good fit for them or Bancroft & Lowe. She left them in a lurch when she quit, causing them to miss their second-quarter launch date. They’re giving us another chance to accommodate the changes on our end but want a new game plan before they renew their contract.”
“What happens if they don’t renew?”
“They’ll be suing for the one point five million they’ve invested over the past year and a half.”
“No pressure.”
Leanna laughs. “None at all.” She connects with Mr. Lowe’s assistant, the two of them whispering conspiratorially.
I give them privacy and turn just in time to catch eyes on Liv near the other end of the hall.
Despite our confrontation, her expression is neutral, masking her combativeness toward me.
I have a hunch that hiding her genuine emotions is an area where she’s quite skilled.
Based on an old theory, she wouldn’t bother with me if she didn’t care.
Underneath the spite, there’s still a spark, and I know that pisses her off the most.
When she disappears behind a closed door, I return my attention to Leanna when she calls my name. She says, “Mr. Lowe can meet with us tomorrow at eleven. I don’t have anything on your schedule for that time. Should I take it?”
“Yes, it will give us time to get a plan together before meeting with him. I won’t be the guy who loses the Torres account. We’ll come in strong and get their account renewed.”
“I like the enthusiasm. We’ve been lacking that in the office.” She sets the meeting, and then we spend the last hour of the day brainstorming because it’s not just the Torres’s I want to win over.
Once I reach the bar, the tension building in my shoulders from the first two days of work begins to fade. I know it’s not the work, though. My job has been easy and enjoyable.
I can’t say the same about the five-foot-just-shy-of-my-shoulder woman throwing a wrench into every aspect of my workday. Liv’s got some fine-ass nerve expecting me to quit to make her life easier. She seems to believe I’m only here for the opposite.
The last-minute text to meet my brothers for drinks is a welcome reprieve from that tension.
The pub is dark, pool tables and the bar giving light to the wood-paneled walls. Much like I do, Loch and Harbor stand out in a crowd, so they’re easy to spot. “I’m late. I know.” Holding my hands up in surrender, I stand at the edge of the pool table.
“Glad you could fit us in,” Loch teases before I have a chance to shake his hand. Pulling me in, he ruffles my hair like I’m still eight years old.
“Fucker,” I grumble, half teasing. Half not. I try to smooth my hair back into place.
“It’s hair. You’ll lose it soon enough anyway.”
My brothers have given me a hard time since the day I was born. That comes with the territory of being the youngest of three. I have no problem serving it right back any chance I’m given.
Thank God the last to be born was a girl, though. I’d hate to be kicking ass from the middle. I leveled the field by matching Loch and Harbor’s height, then growing taller than both. I’ll take six-three, but I have a hunch they still won’t let the “little” brother stuff go.
“Speak for yourself, old man.” He’s only six years older, but it’s enough of an age gap to properly tease him. Otherwise, he gets an attitude like we’re expected to respect our elders, aka him. He’s thirty-one, not eighty.
Loch and I harden our stance at the end of the table, crossing our arms over our chests and watching Harbor line up the shot. He takes forever, so I finally ask, “You gonna hit that ball or just fondle it with your tip all night?”
Harbor cracks the balls, sending them flying and sinking two stripes into the pockets.
His eyes shift to mine as he stands proudly on the other side of the table. “It’s been what? Two days of having a job, and you’re already talking shit like you own the company?”
“All in due time, brother.”
Shaking his head, he chalks the pool cue as he comes around. Holding his hand out, I slap mine against it. A solid handshake brings us together, chuckling. “How’s the new job?”