Page 12 of Restrained

I nod and hold up my wine. “I’m all set.”

She gives me a brief hug before leaving to go feed the boys. My heart sinks knowing Asher will be crushed to see them together.

I don’t want any more pain in our family.

6

LOLA

“Mr. West will expect you to be far more detailed than this.” I force my eyes not to roll at the tall brunette woman sitting across from me in the café.

Gretchen, Hayden West’s assistant, is absolutely stunning. Of course she is. Why, when he said his assistant would be contacting me, I’d pictured someone in their mid-forties with gray hair and wrinkles, I have no idea.

Everything about Hayden screams perfection, so of course, his assistant is a goddess.

She’s tall and thin, with beautiful shiny brown hair that looks fit for a shampoo commercial. Her nails are painted a dark red matching her full lips, and her cheekbones could cut glass. The woman looks fresh off the runway.

“This is just a preliminary. I haven’t even begun to work my magic yet.” I smile with a fake politeness I've spent nearly thirty years perfecting and take a sip of my coffee.

Her eyes narrow, and her lips purse in a thin line. “I’ll bet.”

Clearly, she’s not a fan. “Have I offended you in some way?”

She slides my notes back toward me, folding her arms in a huff. “I don’t understand why Hayden West—a widely successful businessman—would trust your brand-new company with only two employees to his newest venture. One that’s had quite a lot of press surrounding it already because it’s the next big thing.” She drops her arms, leaning in. “Why you?”

Honestly, I have no fucking clue. I can’t say that though. I straighten my back and portray confidence. “Because we’re the best.”

“Right.” Her eyes flit over me quickly and then meet mine again. “He’ll quickly become bored with you.”

“We’re under contract for all three hotels.”

She huffs, irritated by my mere presence, and it almost makes me miss Hayden. At least his annoyance seems to lessen from time to time, but this woman’s hate has been constant since I showed for the meeting.

I was even on time, hoping we could trade Hayden war stories and maybe she’d be an ally, but no such luck.

“Just make sure you have your shit together. He’s come too far to let his dick fuck it all up for him.”

My eyes widen more than I would like, and I know I'm showing my surprise. “I’m not sleeping with him. It’s purely professional.”

She scoffs, which sends fury through me, but I try my best to remain calm. “Please. You can’t tell me that he just handed the sweetest deal to you and your little colleague for your experience.”

“To assume that a woman can only land a job using what’s between her legs is abhorrent, especially for another woman.”

“It’s the only thing that makes sense in this case.”

“One could assume the same about you.” She’s young and beautiful. He’s successful. I admit she wasn’t what I wasexpecting, but still my mind didn’t go to her sleeping her way into the job.

“I worked my ass off to get this position.”

“So did I.”

Her eyes shoot fire at me. I can now say I feel the same about her as she does about me. Fuck her and her theories.

“He expects you at his office tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. Do not be late.”

“Will you be there?”

She looks even more annoyed as she shakes her head and stands from the table. “No. He wants to go over the details with you alone.”

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