I shake my head. “Nope, we aredefinitelyin the friend zone. Though I’m pretty sure Jacinta thinks it’s more.”
“Oh yeah, shit, that’s not good.” Hope steps out of the elevator, and I follow her before coming to an abrupt stop. This reception is way different than the other two we’ve been in. Where the previous floors were all light and breezy colors, this one is dark and moody with sexy photos of rockstars and musicians all over the walls as well as gold records and signed guitars. There’s quiet music playing over some hidden speakers, and the receptionist behind the desk is a little younger than the last two and has bright pink hair and a septum piercing.
“How about tomorrow evening after your interview? We’ll have drinks and dinner, and I can give you the rundown on all the siblings.” Her offer has my heart pounding, though there’s a tiny twist of guilt that I have to force myself to ignore. Do I feel bad about possibly using this info against them? No. Do I feel bad that using this info against any of them would make me a liar to my new friend? Yes, that’s something that I’ll have to think about. Can I reconcile possibly hurting a friendship with Hope in order to get my revenge on the others? I’m honestly not sure what I should let the Summers cost me. What price will be too much?
“Deal!”
“Come on, let’s go find Den. I’ve got a few things I need to talk to him about.” Hope strides across the foyer, her heels clicking on the dark marble-like tiles, straight past the reception desk. She waves at the receptionist on the way, but the girl just stares her down, her face not moving a muscle.Okay, strong silent type.
“You’ll find that Holden’s, Declan’s, and Oliver’s secretaries are catty cows. Don't give them the satisfaction of knowing they upset you if they try something. Unfortunately, they’re good at their jobs and none have gone far enough, yet, to warrant being fired. Jaxon’s PA is by far the worst. But between you and me, they’ve had an on again/off again thing for a while, so her bad attitude might be the most reasonable. I think they’re off at the moment.”
I gape at her, her words bringing a stabbing pain to my chest, thinking about how Jaxon and I made out and possibly would have hooked up if things had gone differently that night. “How long have they been off?” I grind out between clenched teeth, and she turns to look at me while she keeps walking.
“About two or three months, I think. I’m hoping it’s going to last this time; she’s a raging bitch, deserved or not.” My breathing eases at the news. I would have had to kick him in the nuts if it had been recent.
My eyes skim the walls, taking in all the different artists, easily spotting the boy band Ninja Starfish. Sanctuary of Chaos, one of my and Maxine's favorite bands, has a few shots of each of the individual members as well as a group shot.Fuck, they are smoking hot.
There are a couple of pictures of Daisy Dallas, a young country singer, and then there are some pics of Wicked Sirens, an all girl group. Further along, there’s also some of a K-pop-looking band I don't know the name of. So many famous artists, and Holden is responsible for all of them. I think if I were interested in any of the businesses, this would be it. Or Ink, but that’s soured for me now.
We finally reach the end of the long door-filled corridor we’ve been walking down, stopping at a dark double wooden door with Holden Summers CEO inscribed on a nearby gold plaque. Not even bothering to knock, Hope launches the door open and steps into the room.
“Hope! Missy just informed me you were here. You really need to stop tormenting my secretary. Let her do her job.” Holden chuckles as he says this, standing up and walking over to her. She shrugs as he gives her a kiss on each cheek, and I almost don’t know what to do. In just these sixty seconds, I’ve seen more genuine affection from Holden than I have yet.
“I would play nice if she did, but she doesn't, so screw her.”
Holden moves from Hope to me, that look back in his eyes again. That look that I definitely need to ignore. He leans in, his fresh appley scent washing over me as he brushes his lips across each of my cheeks, lingering slightly before pulling away.Well, that’s certainly friendlier than we’ve really been before now.
“Hi, Harlow. Fancy meeting you here.” He’s still smiling when he heads back to his desk, my head feeling a little light at the scent of him.Damn, these Summers boys pack a punch. How is it that every one of them is single?Oh yeah, their raging attack dog of a sister.Hope is smirking at me as I not so smoothly shake my head to clear the fog, and we both take seats in front of his desk.
“So, what do I owe this pleasure?’
His hazel eyes burn into me even though he’s speaking to Hope, and I can’t seem to pull mine away from them. Why has Holden started to show interest in me? He was so indifferent when I first arrived. Did Dad put him up to this, or is it something else all together? It’s all I can do to stop from squirming under his intense gaze. Thank god for Hope, because she clears her throat and he turns toward her, breaking our strangely intimate staring contest.
“I’ve set up the meeting with Ninja Starfish for tomorrow, but their manager wasn’t very forthcoming with information regarding the cause of the brawl,” Hope tells him once he’s focused on her. “In fact, she was downright evasive, so I’m afraid we’re going into the meeting blind.”
Her words have him sitting up straighter, a frown creasing his brow. All signs of attraction disappear as he goes into work mode.
“Who’s their manager again?” he asks, shuffling through the paperwork on his desk as if looking for the answer.
Hope huffs before replying, “Her name is Giselle. Remember, she was a new hire right around the time that we ran the competition that ended with Ninja Starfish. We gave them to her because we weren't sure how they would go, but they exploded, and well, then we couldn't really change it. Don't get me wrong, she’s been good at her job, but there’s just something about her that rubs me wrong. She’s around the same age as the guys, I think mid-twenties at the oldest, and I'm just not sure if it was the right decision.”
“Oh yes, I remember now. I almost didn’t hire her because she batted her eyelids at me through the whole interview.” He stops shuffling his papers, looking at Hope with an eye roll that’s recklessly attractive.I need to get laid. Definitely something wrong with me.
“Yes, I remember,” she said wryly. “But she came with some impressive recommendations, and there was also the family connection. I’m pretty sure she’s a distant relative of Chester Mercury.”
“Ah yes, that’s right. Chester gave Dad a call and hit him up to give his great-niece a chance.”
Holy crap, Chester Mercury is the lead singer to the legendary rock band Garden of Sin. I hadn't realized they were under the Neighpalm Records label.
“Damn it. Okay, we'll do some more digging, maybe send someone to ask around the rest of their staff. They’re not doing any recording at the moment, are they?” Holden pushes, and Hope shakes her head.
“No, they’re due back in the studio in a month or so. They’ve been on a break since their world tour finished a month ago.”
“Alright, I guess we just have to wait and see what happens.” He turns away from her, focusing on me.Wonderful, where are we going with this?
“So, Harlow, how has your day been so far?” His voice takes on a more relaxed tone now that he’s not trying to figure out his band’s latest issue. “Is my bestie treating you well? If not, I might have a few stories to turn that around.” The teasing that ends his offer has an effortlessness to it, like this is who he’s really meant to be when he’s not being dragged down by his siblings’ bad attitudes, and it’s a good look on him. There’s a little smile in his eyes and that twinkle that makes me see how he and Kai could be similar even though there’s no biological relation. Apart from a few stilted conversations previously and that short moment when I was stuck in the pool, this is the first real interaction we’ve had. I’ve got to say, it’s nicer than I thought it would be. Not wanting to waste this moment, I throw the guy a bone and respond in kind.
“It’s been good. Hope is a fountain of information. In fact, you could go as far as saying she’s the best thing that’s happened to me just recently.” She and I exchange a grin, and another frown creases Holden’s brow as he looks between the two of us, his eyebrow raising in what might be genuine concern.
