***
I glanced up from my computer as someone tapped at the door. Caden. Awesome.
"Hey. We have an emergency that I'm going to be working on for tomorrow. I guess one of our large clients had half of his investments with us and the other half with another firm. The other firm is under SEC investigation for insider trading. It was just announced. Time for us to slip in and steal the rest of their business. It's one of Perry's old accounts."
"Sounds interesting." I kept my voice steady as if I were talking to Jeremy or anyone else at the firm.
"Should be." He ran his fingers through his dark hair. "He asked that you join me in the presentation. The CEO of the company is a female, and with your wits and confidence, he thinks we can win the rest of their business."
"All right. What do I need to do?" I stood up as excitement bubbled through me. Caden and I had a lot to work through, or forever ignore, but for the moment, I could let it go. I loved what I did enough to concentrate solely there for the time being.
"Annie is pulling the files and they'll be laid out in conference room A in a few minutes. I know it's almost five, but I'll be pulling a late night tonight, trying to get it all together."
"What time is the presentation?" I grabbed a notepad and a pen and walked toward him. I forced the memory of our kiss earlier out of my mind. It would do nothing but hurt me to go over how good it was, how right it felt.
“It's at eight in the morning. This is going to be a ball-buster, but if we can pull it off, it'll be a great win for the firm." He moved back as I walked through the door.
"Good thing you're the only one between the two of us that has balls." I walked into the conference room to find it empty. "Who else is working with us on the presentation?"
"Zander will be. Jeremy should have been, but his wife is pregnant and due any day. We're trying to respect that and get him out of here at a normal time for most people." Caden stopped at the door as I turned to look him over. "About earlier. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"
"No, you shouldn't have, but it's over. You and I can work together as professionals, hopefully. Just remember that I'm no different than Jeremy or Zander."
A thin dark-skinned guy with jet-black hair and a great smile walked in and pushed past Caden. "I'd say you are far more pretty than Zander, but that's just my opinion."
Caden rolled his eyes. "Olivia. This is Zander. He's our resident party-boy."
"Nice." I extended my hand and gave him a warm smile. "Nice to meet you. Are you bringing the vodka to this event tonight, or do we need to send Caden to the store?"
"I like you already." He shook my hand and turned back to Caden. "Can we keep her Dad?"
"Oh Lord." Caden turned and walked out of the room.
"So, welcome! I've heard a little bit about you, but not nearly enough." Zander pulled out a chair and offered it to me before pulling out another for himself. "Tell me all about you."
I laughed and set my notepad down before taking the chair beside him and crossing my legs. "I'm from Texas. Went to NYU and got my finance degree. Graduated last year and-"
"Damn... I thought you were describing Caden there for a minute. He's from Texas and went to NYU. He graduated a couple of years ago though. Dude's smart as shit. Got out at twenty-one." He tapped the side of his head. "You're like a female version of him."
I shook my head. "I'm not sure about all of that. Tell me something about you."
"I love women, weed and alcohol." He smirked as Caden walked up and clamped his hands down on the back of Zander's shoulders.
"Don't believe a word he says, Olivia. He's full of it." He moved back as Annie walked in with files. "Zander, take these three files and make two copies so that Olivia and I aren't here all night."
"Yes, Sir, boss." He got up and grabbed the files before walking back out with Annie.
Caden leaned over and fingered through one of the two files left on the table. "These people are richer than God. It would be a huge win for us to get the account."
"The rest of the account?" I let my eyes drag down the line of his body, coveting the thick muscles that flexed in his back and shoulders as he shifted forward a little. He'd been well-built as a boy, but now... I couldn't even begin to imagine. Luke was lean and well-built too, but I'd fallen in love with a more meaty-thick body type a long time ago.
"Yeah," he breathed out and glanced over at me. "You know we're going to act like teenagers with hormonal issues around each other for a while, right? We gotta make up for the last six years."
"Are we? I don't feel hormonal around you."
"I don't mean turned on. I mean the need to be nice to each other and yet we're pulling each other’s hair out and screaming about the color of the carpet. It's insane, but I figure it's all part of the deal. You being here is going to be good for us, and you were right." He shrugged. "You are my brother's girl, and will be part of the family. I'll be Uncle Caden to your kids. Weird as fuck, but we'll work it out."
Sickness rolled through me in suffocating waves. Uncle Caden? That sounded heinous. My worst nightmares grew legs inside my mind and ran around, attacking the last remaining hopes and dreams I had of really finding true love.
He reached over and tapped my knee. "Did I upset you again? Tell those hormones to fuck off."
His smile was radiant and left me speechless. Was I really this much of a basket case around him? Sure felt like it.
"No, I'm good." I stood up as Zander walked back in. There was no way to tell if he was fucking with me, or being sincere. I was done trying to figure it out. We had a presentation to work through, and I wanted a win under my name, even if it meant Caden's was stamped right next to it.
We worked for the next three hours as a congealed team, which was surprising and yet incredibly rewarding. A little after eight, Caden stood up and stretched, yawning loudly.
"Zander, get out of here, man. Come back at six tomorrow morning and we'll go over the rest of your notes. Olivia, you can go too. I'll wrap this up." He rolled his shoulders and stretched his hands up to the sky.
"I'm out!" Zander got up, grabbed his keys from the table and jogged toward the door. "See you at ass-dark thirty."
I laughed and stood, stretching my back as well. "I'm good for another hour or so. Whatever it takes."
"I never would have imagined you in investment management." He pressed his hands to the table beside mine and turned to look up at me. "Maybe as a nurse, or a caregiver of some kind, but not investment management."
"Because I'm not capable of this?" The need to defend myself, though he hadn't directly attacked me, was almost overwhelming.
"No, of course not. You were one of the smartest girls in our school." He stood up and turned to face me. "I just remember all that community service stuff you used to do."
"I still like to do that stuff." I tried to ignore him, but the weight of his stare was almost suffocating.
"When are we going to talk about it, Olivia?"
"Talk about what?" I turned to face him and took a shaky breath. Dammit. Why did he have to have the greatest pull on me of anyone I'd ever known in all of my life?
"About what happened?"
"We're not." I shrugged and turned back to the table. I crossed my arms over my chest and stared blankly at the papers scattered before us. "And I'd rather you didn't bring it up again."
He moved in behind me and slid his hands up my arms to my shoulders.
I closed my eyes and tried hard not to let the torrent of emotions bubbling up inside of me spill over.
"Please don't," I whispered.
"I'm not." He leaned down and kissed the side of my neck softly before pressing his lips to my ears. "If you want the memory of us to remain a tragedy, then so be it."