“Deal,” she said, holding out her hand for a quick shake. She pursed her lips and seemed to be thinking something over before finally opening her mouth again. “I have a bit of a situation and I kind of need your help. But I feel like it’s a big ask.”
I set my hand on her knee. “Liv, there is nothing you could ask of me that I would think is too big.”
“I feel like I ask for your help way more often than you ask for mine.”
I shook my head. Olivia was extremely independent and rarely asked for help at all. Most of the time when I helped her it was because I’d offered and she accepted it, but I could see how she would feel like she was on the receiving end more than I was.
“That says more about me than it does you. You don’tneedmy help. You’re a capable woman who can do anything you set your mind to.” I pointed to the floor-to-ceiling bookcase she’d built when Kaylee was a year old and the surround sound system she’d hooked up herself. “You don’tneedme. But I’m here and Iwantto be. Besides, I had a shitty day too and being with you and Kaylee has already made it a lot better.”
“Oh no, what happened with your day?” Olivia asked.
“Fucking Martin,” I said, shaking my head and already feeling my blood pressure rise at the mention of my boss.
Martin was the CEO of Acker Real Estate, which meant I reported to him, but since Sutton had given me the reigns to run the Sustainable Housing and Equitably division as I saw fit, I really only reported to Martin as a formality.
When Sutton inherited the company, she’d taken the for-profit real estate empire and established an entirely new philanthropic division with me at the helm. Her father, Zachariah, had run the company as the CEO and President, but Sutton hadn’t wanted to manage any of the day-to-day work since she still worked full-time as a lawyer for my mom. As the majority shareholder, she’d assumed the role of president only. Martin, who’d worked with Zachariah, was appointed to the role of CEO, and had been less than thrilled about the creation of a third division in the company which he had no control over.
In a few more years, Sutton planned to step down entirely, sell her shares to me, and have me take over as the controlling owner and president of the company, which meant Martin would answer directly to me, whether or not I maintained my role as VP. We had a board who voted in an advisory capacity, but ultimately the decision-making power resided with Sutton. Martin was tolerant of her role out of respect for her father, but he had no respect for me and despite knowing this succession plan for the last four years, he hadn’t gotten any more amenable to it.
“Am I supposed to know anything about Martin other than that he’s your super-annoying boss who sounds like kind of a dick?” she asked.
I laughed. “Not for another three weeks. Then you’ll also need to know that I prefer to avoid him, refuse to take his calls after four o’clock because henever shuts up, and that he basically hates me and wants me to fail miserably on the rehab facility.”
“Why does he want that?” she asked, rubbing at her foot with one hand.
“Are your feet still sore?” I asked.
She nodded. “I’m fine. Tell me about this new dick I work for.”
I set down my wine glass and pulled on her calves. She gave in and stretched her legs into my lap, and I shifted backward to allow space to rub her feet. I dug the heel of my hand into the arch of her left foot, and she signed contentedly.
“You don’t work for that dick. You work for me. And if he tries to tell you otherwise, he can go fuck a duck.”
Liv snorted. “Okay, so is this a male-ego problem between the two of you that I should be prepared for?”
“Yeah, his,” I spat, pressing harder into her arch. She let out a little moan and my dick twitched at the sound. “He’s just pissed because the board is more invested in my division than he thought they would be and he’s not getting the attention he likes. He expected Sutton and me to have our littlepassion projectand not detract from their interest in his for-profit work. But since the work I’m doing is starting to build a lot of positive PR he’s bitter about the interest in my division.”
“Sounds like a dick. I’ll keep all his calls on hold an extra five minutes and drop at least one a week,” she said dryly.
I laughed. “You’re going to be the best assistant I’ve ever had.”
I dropped her left foot and picked up her right, giving it the same treatment. She closed her eyes and tipped her head back. I allowed myself a few moments to let my eyes roam down her body. She barely had any skin exposed, but I was still appreciating every inch of her. My eyes trailed back up her legs, over her narrow waist, curvy breasts, and arched neck, landing on her nose ring.No fucking way is she taking that off for this job, it’s too sexy.She moaned again and my dick thickened.
“That feels so good, Jace,” she said, lifting her head.
My throat went dry. Blood rushed to my groin as I thought of a hundred different scenarios in which I wanted her saying those words to me. I dropped her foot and gently nudged her legs off my lap.
She opened her eyes, and her throat bobbed as she swallowed, watching me apprehensively as I grabbed the wine glass and took a sip.
“Kaylee may have gotten me to agree to take her for ice cream one day after school,” I said, trying to shift the focus to something safer than the sounds she’d just made.
“How did she do that?” Liv asked, giving me a knowing look as she crossed her legs again.
I scratched my beard and smirked at her. “It’s that fucking smile,” I said, shaking my head. “She’s got dimples for days and I’m not even positive she asked for ice cream. I might have just offered it up. I am putty in her hands, Liv.”
She laughed loudly and quickly covered her mouth to stifle the sound. I knew why she did—Kaylee was sleeping—but I wished she hadn’t. I loved that sound and my heart skipped a beat. “I’m sorry, I can’t even take the credit for that one. She has her dad’s smile. Honestly, it’s almost identical,” she said, her eyes shifting from amused to nostalgic.
She shook it off. “I stand by my decision not to find him, but I’ll never forget his smile.”
