Page 51 of Assistant to the Billionaire CEO

“Okay, fine.” Damon furrowed his brow and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I invited you here because I’d like to ask you a favor.”

“Of course! Anything. You know I’d do anything for you. But I thought you said it was about Ace?” I asked, biting my thumbnail.

“It is.” He nodded and took a sip of bourbon. “You know Humphries Properties is in the process of merging with Windsor Architects.”

“Yes?”

Our waitress, Sadie, appeared with my milkshake in hand. It looked deliciously thick and creamy. She put it down in front of me and stuck a thick (environmentally friendly) metal straw in it. “Bon Appétit! Enjoy!” she said in her Southern drawl.

“Thanks, Sadie,” I said. “Can you bring me some curly fries too, please?”

Damon gave me the “weirdo” look.

“Of course, hon.” Sadie smiled. “I’ll get those for you right away.” She flipped her black hair behind her ear and shifted her attention to my brother. “Can I get you anything else, handsome?”

“No, I’m fine. Thank you.” Damon only looked up briefly at her, despite her obvious attempts to get his attention. “Actually, on second thought, please bring me another bourbon.” He held up his almost-empty glass. The remaining amber liquid in it swirled around like a stormy whirlpool.

“Sure thing,” Sadie replied and smiled at him. “Let me know if you’d like absolutely anything else.” She winked at Damon as she turned to leave. He didn’t lift his head to watch her sashay across the room, although I noticed most of the other men in the bar turning their heads to ogle her.

“What’s all of this about?” I asked, accidentally slurping loudly at my beverage, trying to suck the thickness up the straw, earning an annoyed glance from my brother. The shake was cold and decadent, and it reminded me of the summers I’d spent at the rocky beaches in Maine as a kid with him.

“I’ll get right to the point: The guys and I are worried that Windsor is caught up with Ecclestone Construction, or worse yet, that Ace has buddied up with Edmund Ecclestone himself. If that’s the case, we can’t let this merger happen.”

“Did you say Ecclestone Construction?”

“Yes.”

“Yesterday, someone from Ecclestone Construction called, and I forwarded them to Ace’s voicemail.”

He lowered his glass. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I was helping out at the front desk when they called.”

“Fuck,” he grumbled.

“What?”

“Was it Ecclestone himself?”

“No idea. It was a man, but he didn’t give me his name.”

Damon looked upset.

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“Edmund Ecclestone is one of our biggest competitors. They call him the desperado—the miscreant, the cutthroat—of the building industry.”

That rang a bell. “Wait! Oh! I’ve read about him in the papers. Is he the construction shark with the skeletons in his closet, yet he remains untouchable? That the one?”

“Yeah.”

That was why the name sounded familiar. Yesterday, in the hustle and bustle, I hadn’t given it any further thought. Looking into my brother’s concerned eyes, I started to understand. Any association with Ecclestone would be catastrophic for Humphries.

“But maybe it was just a cold call, you know?” I tried. “I’m pretty sure that’s what it was. A sales rep. Trying to get a bite of the cake by getting in business with the rival. There were tons of rep calls, it doesn’t mean anything.”

Damon wasn’t happy. “I’m not liking this.”

“I’m sure Ace isn’t doing any of that shady stuff,” I said firmly. “He wouldn’t team up with Ecclestone. He’s not like that.”

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