Page 18 of Privileged (Adrenalin)

“I don’t think he’s following, babe.” Finn kisses her temple.

“Oh right” She wraps his arms around her waist like he’s a blanket. “If you two are in the cast it means I need you to be available that day.”

The full meaning of her ask dawns on me. “You want Lennon and I to take off work on one of the busiest days of the summer?”

“Not the whole day, but enough for a few laps around town, maybe a pit stop at a party or two.” Nearly every house in the heart of town becomes a makeshift break area during the race. It’s commonplace to do a few laps and stop for a drink, do a few more and stop for a snack, etcetera. But, and here’s the thing, Lennon’s restaurant Murphy’s is also a commonplace stop, making it one of the busiest days of the year, and for a workaholic like Lennon, cutting out for a few hours is probably unthinkable. Ally should know this, but my sister is obsessive about her costumes.

“That’s a pretty big request for Lennon, but I’ll bring it up during my shift tonight.”

“Excellent,” she claps her hands together and squeals, the moment officially lightened. For one of us anyway.

Chapter eight

Carter

Sloan’s comments play on repeat days after he’s gone. The people who work here, hell even the town, should be part of my team.

I always knew we had the same end goal; keep the mountain running without altering the state of the town. The disconnect is in their blatant skepticism. I didn’t want to hear the doubt I could see in their faces, so I went out of my way to avoid it.Them. I figured they’d come around when I succeeded, though right now it’s looking less and less likely I will, justifying their distrust.

How did Sloan put it? They might offer to help if they knew what I had in mind. Maybe by leaving them out I’ve let pride get in the way of good judgment. After all, the town survived until this point without me, so they must be more resourceful than I’ve given them credit for. I should tap into that, just like Sloan suggested.

I can’t help smiling as I recall his words. It’s clear by the way he went still he didn’t think about them before speaking, and he seemed embarrassed to have said anything at all, like he had no business commenting on my ideas. He may not have the title I do, but that doesn’t mean his opinions don’t have merit. In fact, they’re probably accurate. He’s quite the perceptive little thing.

Once again, his image takes over my thoughts. Beautiful, objective, and now I can add smart to his list of attributes. He’s quickly becoming someone I want to see more of, and only part of that is due to lust. Which only seems to grow after each time he visits.

How he can relax me and arouse me at the same time I still don’t know, though it’s a sensation I’m starting to crave.

It probably makes me an asshole, but I’m no longer embarrassed by how my body responds to him. Not in the least. It’s something I want more of, something I want to take further, if he’s willing. I have a feeling he’ll hold firm though, the salacious nature of our encounters too sordid for him to ignore despite the fact nothing truly unethical has happened. I respect that. I’m just not sure I can ignore what I feel much longer, conflicts of interest be damned.

Would things be different if I stopped getting massages? Since they leave me feeling like I can breathe despite the weight of the resort hanging over my head, they’ve started to feel critical to my survival. Or maybe that’s just him.Fuck. I don’t know anymore.

One thing’s certain—I need a solution, and I’m out of ideas. I pick up the phone and page Janice.

“How can I help you Mr. Quinn?” Thank God for Janice, always ready to jump in whenever I need her.

“Can you track Finn down and ask him to come to my office?”

“Right away.”

I disconnect and pull out the map of the resort, intending to spread it across my desk. Then I hear Sloan’s voice in my head, encouraging me to be part of the team. I take the map and spread it over the coffee table, where Finn and I can brainstorm as equals.

A curt knock precedes his entry. He takes several steps toward the desk before realizing I’m not there, pausing mid-stride to search the room. He blinks in quick succession when he seesme on the couch, but his surprise is abruptly replaced with apprehension as he strides to me.

“Janice said you wanted to see me,” he says stiffly.

“Yes.” I school my expression into a blank slate to match his. It may be my fault he’s skeptical, but that doesn’t mean I’m ready to show any weakness. Not until I know I can trust him with what I’m about to say. “I’ve withheld information about the condition of the resort and my plans for it while I explored the best options to move forward. A few weeks ago, I learned my original plan might not be feasible, but doing nothing is not an option if we want the resort to survive. As the head of resort operations, I wanted to give you the opportunity to weigh in on the best way to move forward.”

Finn’s jaw moves almost imperceptibly as he grinds his teeth together. “How bad is the situation?”

“Dire. I can float the operation for another two seasons, fixing issues as they come up and employing minimal staff at their current salaries. But we both know the equipment could use an overhaul, the wages and benefits should increase if we want to attract the right people, and we need to have contingencies for making more snow if the weather doesn’t cooperate. That won’t happen if we don’t find new ways to bring in money.”

“You mean sell more lift tickets.” He crosses his arms in front of his chest.

“Correct. I think developing new terrain is the solution. If I’m going to buy all new lift equipment, why not put it on new runs, which will increase capacity and bring in the money to replace the existing equipment in two years’ time.”

“But?” He arches an eyebrow.

I signal for him to join me on the couch. He waits a beat before moving, sitting as far as he can while still close enough to see the map.

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