Page 12 of The Hot Shot

I completely ignored Jace’s banter about the way Chelsea was with me at the weekend and that whatever he thought he saw, it was completely in his head. He finally got the point when I snapped and told him that she wasn’t my type and that he should just go after her himself. I didn’t miss the look of relief that appeared on his face when I suggested that but also the worry that he had pushed me too far.

I threw myself into work after that, knowing that if I was busy, then my mind couldn’t wander away with itself. I didn’t need any potential distractions stopping my flow and right now, I had far too many. I now had a bikeathon to train for, a brother on my back and the panic of my secret possibly escaping. The worst of it all was, I couldn’t just forget Walker. He had become the cause of my restlessness and uncertainty and had somehow become intersected into my daily life. No guy had ever done that before and to be honest, it scared me.

“Ah, just the man I wanted.” Brendan stood in the doorway of my office tapping the wooden frame with his fingertips while he tapped his foot in time with it. “I just saw the Jenkinson’s leave. I assume that everything is running smoothly and to plan?”

“Of course. Just finalizing the promotional angle for the launch next week,” I replied, keeping my eyes pinned to the screen of my laptop, not wanting to meet his gaze. The last thing he needed to know was that Mr. Jenkinson was not at all happy with the fact that Brendan had approached him last week behind my back, trying to manipulate my idea. Fucker! Another tick and reason why I had been counting down the days to when I could leave this place. Only another two weeks and then I’d be going straight above his head with my resignation to the board alongside Jace. I had an idea that if Brendan knew what the two of us were up to, he’d be already attempting to find or manipulate some new kind of clause that magically only just appeared to try and force us to remain. “He just wanted to talk about final numbers.”

I bit my lip, fighting the urge to say anything else to the man. I’d managed to fix the mess he’d pulled by turning up unannounced and I’d somehow smoothed out the rough edges Brendan had created. It did help that I’d promised to personally oversee the final developments of the event myself. It was something I’d normally have passed on to Jace and his team but I needed to ensure that there was no chance of backfire happening that could be thrown back at me for insubordinate work. I was a professional after all and I was about to compete alongside the best. I didn’t need to start off with a negative review on my plate. If anything, I had hoped that the Jenkinson’s would follow in my path, especially with the revelation that they’d just brokered premises for another venture.

“I’m glad that everything is fine. It just seemed like the pair of them were concerned that was all when they arrived.” Brendan chuckled before shaking his head from left to right.

Why did this feel like a game or challenge? Was this payback for ignoring him last weekend? Hmm.

“The last thing we want is a lawsuit filing for breaking contract requirements,” he continued. “Ignore me. It may just be my old age hitting me again.” He turned around, about to leave the room as I fought to continue holding the breath, I didn’t realize I’d even had been. “Have you any plans this weekend? After last week’s successful charity event?”

“Ah, I’m not sure yet,” I began as Jace appeared by his side, nodding politely at Brendan. “I had a surprise planned for this one after his help this weekend.”

“Oh, that’s why you were busy. You were with your brother,” he declared before Jace side-stepped past him into the room and came to my side, making me find the strength in my backbone to stand up tall. I couldn’t allow him to see an ounce of weakness within me. I didn’t know how much I needed him in that moment to not cower over at his inclinations that I knew he was about to throw at me any moment. “I just heard rumors and I wanted to check that everything was fine.”

“Outside of work hours?” I asked, completely amazed at the front of the guy. If he wasn’t my boss, I could have easily given him a right hook for the smug grin that was currently plastered across his face. It felt like he had me pinned against the wall. There was not a chance in hell he was going to get a rise out of me though. It would be more likely Jace who would jump at that bait he was hanging in front of him. “Couldn’t it just have waited until we were back here, under my contractual hours? Why wait until now to bring it up? It’s the end of the week. You’ve been sitting over there stewing on it all this time?”

“I was thinking the exact same thing,” Jace smoothly crooned before leering over my shoulder and taking a look at what I’d been working on, ignoring the overweight idiot trying to belittle us into a corner and tell him information that was no one’s business but our own. “This looks fantastic. I love the way that you’ve highlighted the…”

“I’m watching you both and I have ears everywhere. Just so you’re aware,” he gleamed. “I don’t want to be losing my most valuable asset.” He pointed a shaken finger directly at me and sneered. “Our clients for some reason always come to you.”

“I can’t help that I’m the best.” I glared straight into his eyes, waiting for him to challenge me. “Our clients have particular expectations and ensuring that they’re number one has always been my top priority.” I fought back the urge to tack on to the end of my sentence ‘above money and financial gain any day’. Yes, the name of business was to make a profit but you wouldn’t have a business left standing if you didn’t have clients spreading their opinions, allowing them to swarm through the air like bees drawn to the nectar of a flower. Negativity however, seemed to spread ten times faster than any positive review ever did. That was the power of people—especially the influential ones we targeted. “I take it that’s everything you needed then, unless you want to question us both over something in particular?”

“No, that’s everything for now. I’ll leave you to it. Good job with the Jenkinson’s. I knew you could sort it.” Brendan smirked before storming out of the office and rounding the corner.

I counted to five before I turned to face Jace. It was a brother thing. I was certain of it like he knew I was about to blow all we’d worked on if he hadn’t appeared at that minute. I called it damn fate because my willpower was being tested and I was desperately pushing through each hour of the day, counting down to that meeting where I could wipe that smug grin off his face and see him realize he was completely screwed in all ways.

“You okay now?” Jace looked at me as he grabbed my laptop. He flicked his eyes to the clock and began moving his hand around on the touchpad, silently and efficiently beginning to save and shut down all the programs before closing the lid. “I think we can leave an hour earlier.”

“But Rightside,” I countered, my mind overwhelmed with too many thoughts passing through them to even give a valid argument to Jace on the backlash that he could lay at our feet. “He’ll never stand for it.”

“Did you forget about your face-to-face meeting with that new client?” Jace rolled his eyes, winking at me before handing me my laptop in my bag and escorting me toward the door of the office. He suddenly halted and turned me to face him. “Just trust me,” he whispered in my ear. “If I keep you here at the minute and you end up even five minutes alone with that guy, everything we’ve worked for will be gone. Now, take a breath and show me the charm.”

I closed my eyes and willed my features to settle and relax, blowing out a long drawn-out breath before I dared to open my eyes and give a sharp nod that I was in the zone.

“Okay, let’s go bro, but on one condition,” I said, cocking my head to the side. I noticed in my peripheral Brendan’s head pop up away from the paper he was reading over his secretary’s shoulder and pinning us with his gaze. It was as if he hoped lasers would shoot from his eyes and make us jump backwards, never escaping his clutches until he gave us his permission.

“What?” He flicked his gaze quickly at me before gulping harshly. “We need to get going or you’ll be late.” I wanted to chuckle at his words. I was never late for a business meeting but Jace had to lay it on so that someone overheard his spiel.

“I want to know this surprise that you told Brendan you’ve planned for the weekend or was that all bull, too?” I widened my eyes as he dropped his voice low before he walked out of the office, waiting for me to leave and lock up behind. I couldn’t trust anyone not to go through my files or worse still, sabotage something for their gain. Especially at the moment.

“I’m not going to say it here. You can wait until we’re alone. We do need to pay Chelsea a visit, though,” he admitted as I pressed the button for the elevator and waved at Brendan. The doors closed behind us and I didn’t miss the way that he looked at the pair of us with fury whilst grinding his teeth together. “That asshole really does deserve all that’s coming to him.”

“He really does. Now, do we really need to see Chelsea or was that a ploy, too?” I asked, watching the numbers counting down in the empty elevator. “Jace?”

“Oh, we have to see her, but it will be worth your time, especially with my surprise I have in place,” he answered back as the elevator halted to a stop and the doors pinged open. “I’m asking just for the hour you would have been here and then I’ll reveal all.”

“You better had because I can’t take much more today, man.”

* * *

I felt like a ticking bomb as I watched Jace working the flirtatious charm and swagger on Chelsea. She was lapping up every moment, matching his every movement with a flick of her hair over her shoulder or a blush appearing across her cheekbones as she let out this soft giggle to his lines. Jace said this was meant to be a business meeting, refining some finer details; not a ‘How to manual’ on how to score a date. I felt like a third wheel; not a business associate supporting my colleague who stood over watching the whole ordeal from the sidelines like a drunken fool, jealous over a guy who’d hit the jackpot. I’d even questioned heading across the road and purchasing brand new gym wear just so I could come back and escape the duo and let off some of this brewing steam I had within me. I don’t know if I was pissed off that Jace had yet again used me to come to his aid with this woman or if I had potentially rocked the boat with Brendan.

I should’ve been glad—ecstatic even—to give the guy a reason to be concerned over my business accolade and the question of where he fitted but I knew deep down why I was so stressed.

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