“Can we go out tomorrow?” I asked, heart racing as I thought about this. These two gorgeous men really wanted me. I was either the luckiest woman in the world or the most delusional to think this was a viable option.Didn’t I have a fake boyfriend a few weeks ago? Now I have two real boyfriends?
The elevator dinged and I turned around to see Sutton stepping into the office suite. Jace gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. “Tomorrow.”
“Hey, Liv,” Sutton said as she walked into the conference room and gave me a hug. “I’m still not used to seeing you here.”
“It’s good to see you,” I said, sliding the coffee on the conference table toward her. “Jace had me pick that up for you.”
“Thank you,” she said, picking it up and taking a sip. “Jackson misses you at the bar. He keeps telling Adrian he’s going to quit if they don’t get a replacement as good as you soon.”
“They’ll never find one,” Jace said with a flirty smile. “And Jackson still won’t quit. He loves that place.”
“Oh, they know both of those things,” Sutton said, giving Jace a hug. She held out a hand for Kayden. “It’s nice to see you again, Kayden. I’m excited to see the updated designs. Jace has spoken really highly about working with you.”
“Thanks, it’s nice to see you again too,” Kayden said.
I stepped back to set up the presentation.
“Martin will be joining us, correct?” Sutton asked.
“Yes,” Jace said. “He’s not very happy with me, so I don’t expect him to be pleasant.”
“He’s not very happy with any of us,” Sutton said, sounding unimpressed. “He’s working himself right out of a job if he doesn’t stop trying to block everything I’ve worked to change around here.”
“Not to overstep,” I said, “but if he could stop throwing tantrums on the phone, Jace would have a better chance of keeping his assistants.”
“Is it that bad?” Sutton asked me. “I knew he was bitter, but I didn’t know his behavior was inappropriate.”
“Oh, he’s a royal prick,” I said. “Sometimes I put him on hold just to see if he notices or if he keeps yelling until I pick up the phone again. The latter is most common.”
“I should have known the guy my father selected wouldn’t be able to get on board with my vision,” Sutton said with a shake of her head. The elevator dinged again as board members started arriving. “Well, I’m sorry he’s treating you that way. Sounds like tomorrow’s problem, but I want to talk to you and Jace to find out everything.”
Jace nodded.
“Of course, I’ll schedule us a call,” I said.
I finished with the setup and wished the boys luck as I left to start greeting the board members. A tall, gray-haired, light-skinned man in a suit stepped off the elevator and the look of superiority on his face nearlymade me take a step back. I straightened my spine and held out my hand. “Good afternoon, Martin. I’m Olivia, it’s so nice to finally meet you in person.”
His lip curled ever so slightly before he shook my hand. “Hello, Olivia. I do hope Jace is treating you well.” There was a weaselly glimmer in his blue eyes I didn’t like. “He certainly seems to like you more than his previous assistants, and I can see why.”
I dropped his hand and smoothed the skirt of my black dress. “Jace and I are good friends. He was generous enough to offer me this job when I needed it.”
Martin’s eyes roamed over my body, sending a chill through me. “I’m sure he’s taking good care of you.” He leaned closer, speaking quietly. “But if you tire of him, I can always find a place for you in New York where the real company work happens. I’ll take good care of you too.”
I drew back, about to tell him to fuck off, when I felt Jace’s presence behind me. His hand grazed the small of my back as he held his hand out for Martin. “Glad you could make it,” Jace said.
“Did I have a choice?” Martin asked. “You’re insisting on increasing the budget without justification. Hardly the actions of a vice president, let alone the future owner of this company.”
Jace let the fake smile slip from his face. “Say what you want about me, Martin, but if you talk to my assistant like that again, it’ll be the last thing you ever do at this company.”
Martin gave Jace one last look of disdain and walked toward the conference room without a word.
“Fuck him,” I said.
“I’ll talk to Sutton after this meeting. I don’t want him anywhere near you again, Olivia.”
“I’m fine,” I said. “He’s just trying to intimidate me because I work for you.”
Jace glanced at the boardroom where Martin had seated himself next to Sutton and everyone else was sitting around the table chatting. “Well, he just snapped my last shred of patience. He can yell at me all he wants, but if there’s a chance he’s making you or any other woman at this company uncomfortable, I’m not keeping my mouth shut. Can you make sure Sutton stays and everything else is canceled for the day?”
