Chapter 5
5
COLE
It’s been weeks since my run-in with Layla and I still can’t get her out of my fucking head. Believe me, I’ve tried. I have a lengthy list of satisfied women who will attest to that. I’m not going to say I haven’t enjoyed myself, but the fix was temporary in every single instance. I have finally decided to take matters into my own hands so I can try and figure out why I’m so fucking fixated on her. It wasn’t hard for me to find out which apartment was Layla’s. I’ve turned into a fucking stalker since I met her.
What the ever-loving fuck is happening to me? I don’t stalk women—they fucking stalk me.
I already knew she lived on the fourteenth floor of my building. What I didn’t know was that the day I unofficially met her just happened to be the day she moved in. In hindsight, I will admit that I probably didn’t make the best first impression. Normally I would have no fucks to give about that, but for some unknown reason, I feel a need for her to know that isn’t the real me.
I’m no stranger to sexual chemistry. I’ve felt desire many times before, but this is something different. This is the strike of a match that lit the raging forest fire. This is dark, intense and dangerous. This is need, not want, and I don’t like it at all. In fact, I fucking hate it. Maybe even as much as Layla hates me. And I better find a way to handle it, because it looks like we are going to be working together again.
Hendrix Equity is extremely wide and diverse. We hire the best people to maintain each piece of the puzzle. Christopher, Connor and I are all equal partners, but we have an entire team of people who work with us at growing the pieces while making them fit. If that fit isn’t right, we move on. If there is something we can work with, we move in.
Right now, Hendrix Equity is in the process of acquiring Byrne’s, one of the last sole-proprietor department stores left in New York. It’s a family-owned, moderately priced department store with a merchandising focus primarily on clothing and accessories. David Byrne started the company twenty-five years ago, right after the birth of his daughter. He was determined to build something she could be proud of. Something she could take over when she was old enough.
Unfortunately, the problem for Byrne’s, as I see it, is twofold. First, this kind of store is a dying breed. It’s losing money, and I’m not stupid enough to try and sink more into something that no longer works. The second problem is that Audrey Byrne also has no interest in trying to save her father’s company. However, she does care about the employees, and she doesn’t want to see her father’s hard work go up in smoke.
This story isn’t new to me. I’ve encountered it dozens of times in my line of work. Despite what people might think, I’m not a heartless man. My goal isn’t to prey on helpless young women so I can steal their inheritance away from them. When I see a floundering company, if there is money to be made, Hendrix Equity steps in and offers fair market value. Once the deal is done, we decide how we are going to move forward. Often, we work with the employees or even the previous owners as consultants to try and breathe life back into the company. Sometimes it doesn’t work out that way and people are let go. Assets are sold off or merged with other companies.
Unfortunately for Audrey Byrne’s company, it is going to slot into the latter category. She knows it and so do I. I knew it before I had Connor approach her to make the offer. What we are really interested in is the land the building is situated on. It’s located on 10 th Avenue and West 57 th Street. Prime real estate. Our offer is for the value of the land. The business is basically worthless. It’s in the red and has been floundering for years. Of course, Audrey Byrne doesn’t see it the way we do. It can be hard when emotions are involved. I get that, but business is business, and I’m not in this to throw good money after bad.
We do what we need to do, but always with a goal toward fairness. The people who lose jobs are always compensated, but I understand that only goes so far. It’s the best I can offer.
While I’d been the one to first discover Byrne’s, Connor has been the one to work the acquisition, and Christopher will be the one dealing with the transition. Those are our usual roles. My focus is mainly on sales and profits. I should leave this for John and Con to deal with, but I’m a glutton for punishment, so of course that won’t be happening this time. As soon as I found out Audrey Byrne had gone to Layla Bancroft for help, I stepped in and took over.
Christopher is dealing with the employees as a whole. He already has most of the severance packages worked out. Once he meets with each person individually, he will know better how to assign each package to the right employee. Nothing is settled until each employees agrees. Our team has been on this for a week now, working out the preliminaries. Not all of the employees need to be eliminated. Hopefully we can relocate some people to other companies under our umbrella.
Enter Layla Bancroft, and my life just got a lot more fucking complicated. I’m expecting a call from her any time now, and I have no doubt she plans to rip me a new one in the process. I smirk to myself. I know it’s crazy, but just the thought of her sassy mouth gets me hard.
I do my best to focus on the work in front of me, but my focus keeps straying to my phone and why the fuck she hasn’t called yet. I know that Audrey Byrne was meeting with Layla this morning. It’s been hours since that meeting. She knows that Hendrix Equity is involved. She knows that means I am involved. Why isn’t she calling? I’m tempted to pick up the phone and rip her a new one for keeping me waiting.
“Fuck this.” Frustration gets the better of me as I toss my pen down and shut the file in front of me, shoving it off to the side. I’m not getting anything else done today. I might as well head home. Normally, I would track down one or both of my brothers and head out for drinks and dinner, but I’m not feeling it tonight. I know I wouldn’t be good company, and they’d just get on my last nerve. No thank you. I’d rather be alone.
As I’m pulling my car into my parking space, my eyes land on the gorgeous ass that is pointing my way a few spots over. A young girl is standing off to the side as she speaks to the woman who appears to be manhandling a tire iron in her tight skirt and sexy- as-fuck high heels. I finish parking, and before I can rethink it, I’m headed in their direction. I’m wearing a five-thousand-dollar suit and I haven’t changed a tire since I got my first car, so I highly doubt I’ll be much help, but I do have an emergency roadside assistance app on my phone that can take care of this problem if I can’t.
“Can I give you a hand?” I offer as I walk up. The tire iron slips from her grip, and she yelps as it crashes against her bare leg. “Jesus, give me that before you really hurt yourself,” I bark out as I bend down and pick up the metal rod that is now lying on the ground next to her. When she straightens up, the metal slips from my fingers and crashes back to the ground with a clatter. I should have known. The gorgeous ass I was hoping might distract me belongs to none other than Ms. Bancroft herself. I reach for the tire iron again, but she shoves my hand away and picks it up before straightening to her full height so she can look down at me.
“I’ve got it under control,” she snips as she turns and attacks the tire like it’s her mortal enemy. At least she’s not using it on me . I rise slowly and try not to draw attention to myself until I can take a step back out of striking range.
“You’ve stripped the nut; you won’t be able to get it off with that,” I casually point out. “I have a service. Let me make a call. Someone will come and fix it for you. They won’t even have to tow it; they can do it right here, but it may take a while.”
“Shit,” she growls as she starts walking towards me. I quickly back up a step, not sure what she has planned. She huffs as she walks past me before turning sharply so she can throw the tire iron into her trunk. It’s then that I notice the little girl standing next to it again. I forgot all about her in my quest to help.
Who is she?
Is this her kid?
“I’m sorry, Aria. This is going to take longer than expected. I’ll give your gran a call to let her know you’re going to be late.”
The girl just shrugs it off. “It’s no big deal, Layla.” Then she snickers. “She’s probably asleep in front of the television and thinks I’m in my room doing homework anyway.”
Okay, so from the sound of things, this is not her kid.
“Well, I should call her anyway. I don’t want to worry her. I’ll be right back. I’m going to grab my phone and then we’ll figure out how to get you home. Stay there.”
Who the fuck is this kid?
I watch as Layla drops her perfect ass into the driver’s seat of her car and picks up her phone to make the call. My eyes swivel back to the kid. I shove my hands in my pockets and smile. She smiles back. She’s cute.
“She’s my Big Sister,” she offers. My eyebrows shoot up to my hairline and the kid notices. She’s sharp. She starts giggling again. “She’s not my actual big sister, she helps me out, you know?” She thinks for a second. “Like a mentor, but she’s also my friend too.” When she’s done speaking, she grins up at me. So fucking cute. I don’t know anything about kids, but I know I like this one. It’s then that I remember Layla’s Instagram posts about being a Big Sister and it all makes sense.
“I’m Cole,” I say as I hold out my hand.
She steps over and places her tiny hand in mine. “I’m Aria. Pleased to meet you, Cole. Are you friends with Layla too?” What do I tell her? Big blue eyes peer up at me, waiting for an answer.
“We…uh…work together,” I offer. “But I’d like to be friends with her. How long has she been your Big Sister?” I need to get the focus back on her.
Before she can answer, Layla pushes out of the car and takes Aria’s hand from mine. “What have I told you about talking to strangers?”
The kid frowns at Layla. “He’s not a stranger. He’s Cole and he works with you,” she grumbles as Layla pulls her into her side and wraps a protective arm around her. I like this kid. She’s smart and sassy, just like Layla. The kid peers up at her and her smile returns. “He said he wants to be your friend. I like him.”
Thanks, kid, I need all the help I can get.
Layla bites her lip and tries to hide her smile but fails miserably. “That’s beside the point. You don’t know him, so you shouldn’t be talking to him.” Aria rolls her eyes but obviously decides to pick her battles. I’m guessing she’s been with Layla for a while, then.
When I look up, warm brown eyes lock on mine. “I hate to ask, but can you give that service of yours a call? I need to call a cab. It’s getting late and I need to get Aria home.”
I pull out my phone and make the call. When I’m done, Layla is stuffing some things into a pink backpack that I presume belongs to Aria.
“They’ll be here in a few. Just leave the trunk unlatched and they’ll do the rest.” She looks over the roof of the car at me as she shuts the door.
“Thanks. Let me know what I owe you.”
I wave her offer off. “Where does she live? I’ll drive her home. There’s no need to call a cab, that might take longer than the service on your car.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I think we’ve inconvenienced you enough for one night.”
“I don’t mind,” I blurt out as she walks past me.
“She lives in Brooklyn; I’ll get her home. Enjoy your night, Mr. Hendrix.” She grabs the kid’s hand and keeps walking towards the exit. I turn and keep stride with her.
“It’s Cole, and it’s not an inconvenience. My car is right there.” I point at my Tesla. “And I don’t have anything else going on tonight. Besides, Aria likes me. It will give us a chance to become better acquainted. Right, Aria?” I peer around Layla at the little squirt by her side and wink. She just smiles and nods her head. Layla looks at her and then at me and then at the watch on her wrist.
“Fine, but this doesn’t mean anything, Cole. Don’t get any ideas.” She changes course and heads towards my car dragging the kid behind her.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I mutter with a smile that, thankfully, she can’t see.
Layla is quiet all the way to Brooklyn as Aria fills me in on the exciting day she’s had. To recap, if I can remember it all correctly, she first got into an altercation at school that ended with bubble gum in her hair. Then she decided to quit school and came into the city by all herself on the subway. After talking it through with Layla, she decided she wasn’t going to quit because she didn’t want people taking advantage of her and she needs money to care for her gran. Whatever the fuck that means. Then she proceeded to tell me all about Layla’s fancy salon, and some guy named Daniel who fixed her hair and got the gum out without having to cut it all off, which apparently was a huge relief because she loves her hair. Quite the day for a nine-year-old girl. I have a few questions of my own, but I’ll reserve those for Layla.
“Bye, Cole. Thank you for the ride. I hope I see you again,” the kid says as she slams the back door and runs up to the front door of a run-down old house that looks about ready to collapse.
“I’ll be right back.” Layla exits the car and follows closely behind with Aria’s pink backpack in hand. I watch as they both disappear inside. A few moments later, Layla reappears and slides gracefully into the seat beside me. She smooths down the front of her skirt before she leans her head back against the headrest and closes her eyes. My eyes linger on her long, toned legs a beat longer than they should. I force myself to drag them away as I start the car and get us moving.
“Does she do that often?” I ask, my deep voice cutting through the silence. The quiet hum of the engine the only other noise in the car.
“Do what?” Her eyes open and she glances my way.
“Come into the city by herself?”
She is silent for a few beats before she huffs. “Not that it’s any of your business, but no. As you heard, Aria had a rough day at school. She knows she can come to me anytime, especially when she’s troubled. She’s an independent kid; she doesn’t always follow the rules when it comes to her safety. She should have called, I would have gone and got her.”
I smirk. “Apparently not, given the state your tire was in when we last saw it.”
“Shut up, Cole.”
The smirk is still on my face, but I do as I’m told. At least she’s finally dropped the Mr. Hendrix bullshit, and she isn’t calling me asshole. Neither of us speak for a long time and the silence isn’t uncomfortable. It’s kind of nice. In my experience, most women try to fill the void with useless nonsense that I don’t find the least bit interesting. Not Layla. I glance over. She is staring straight ahead, lost in her thoughts. I can’t help wondering what is going through that pretty head of hers. I don’t have to wonder long.
“I had a meeting with Audrey Byrne this morning,” she begins.
Here we go.
“So, this is what you do, you buy and sell companies as if they mean nothing.”
I look over, meeting her stare, my shoulders square as I grip the steering wheel a little tighter. My eyes return to the road ahead before I answer.
“I buy and sell what is promising. It isn’t nothing, Layla, so don’t fucking judge. Especially when you don’t know anything about me. It’s not my fault the people who run these companies have mismanaged them and run them into the ground. If people like me and companies like mine didn’t step in, those people would still lose their jobs. The only difference is they wouldn’t get anything in return for their years of service and hard work. At worst, we offer them enough to get them through until they can find another job. At best, we fix what is wrong with the company so they can keep their jobs. If that isn’t possible, we do our best to find other positions for the ones who can be moved to some of our other companies.”
I’m breathing hard by the time I finish my rant. Fuck, why do I even care what she thinks. This is bullshit. It’s one thing to call me a player, but don’t attack my work. That’s a no-go zone for me.
Her voice is soft and quiet, but I can hear it clearly over the drone of the engine. “I’m sorry, that was insensitive of me.”
“Damn straight,” is all I can manage in return.
I love what I do, and I refuse to sit here and be judged by someone who knows nothing about me. There is an indescribable elation the moment when all the pieces of a business deal come together. It is the moment when the late nights, hours of research, lack of sleep all culminate into the perfect storm. The lucrative payoff. Whether it is the gotcha moment when securing an acquisition or the satisfaction of turning a company that was in the red to the black, that is the feeling I live for. I seek out opportunities. I learned early in my quest of attainment that life doesn’t present breaks on a silver platter. It is the digging, the pursuit and the willingness to learn that separates the winners from the losers. I had an affinity for start-ups, and that roadmap has paid handsomely in the past. It blossomed into something much bigger over the years, and I’m damn proud of it.
However, as I glance over at her I have a different sensation, something I’ve not allowed myself to entertain. New. Engaging. Endearing. This isn’t love or even like. This is lust with a side of curiosity. If I ever learned her secrets or she mine, we both might run in different directions. This is attraction. The kind of lure that pulls me towards her. Wanting her companionship. Not for a big deal. Not forever. It is as if there is a magnetic pull. One that I felt the first time we spoke in that elevator. With each moment in her presence the allure grows stronger, as if there is more that I need to discover. Once I do that, this will all go away. I’m sure of it.
“I’ll forget about it,” I say as I pull into my parking stall and turn off the engine, “on one condition.” I lean over and before she can protest, I gently wrap my hand around the back of her head. I don’t force her as I lean in closer until my lips meet hers. Soft and firm, she doesn’t back away, or hesitate to return my kiss. When it ends, I grin and place another kiss on her forehead.
Pink fills her cheeks.
“I can’t believe I made you blush.”
“I do not blush,” she says indignantly as she backs away.
I let her go. “You do. You are.”
Layla’s hands go to her cheeks, and she shakes her head. “This…changes nothing. I told you that before I got into this car. I hope you enjoyed that kiss because it’s the only one you are ever going to get from me. I’m not interested in you, so leave me the hell alone. I don’t do relationships, and I don’t do players.”
She unclips her seatbelt and opens her door. Once she’s outside, she leans back down so she can look me in the eyes. “And you…Cole Hendrix, are the king of players. Thanks for helping me get Aria home.” She shuts the door and starts walking towards the elevator.